Topic 4: renewal and choice

• 3 main theories challenging secularisation

  - theories of late modernity and postmodernity

  - religious market place theory

  -existential theory
• congregational domain


  Traditional and evangelical Christianity
• holistic milieu


  spirituality of the new age
• Davie - obligation to consumption


  Argues that religion is no longer an obligation, and now a personal choice
• Davie- vicarious religion


  practiced by an active minority on behalf of the great majority. e.g. watching online
• Davie - "Spiritual Health Service"


  churches are for everyone to use whenever they need it e.g. for rites of passages
• Hervieu-Leger - spiritual shopping


  children are no longer socialised into faith so can choose what to believe leading to individual consumerism where people can pick and mix a range of belifes to fit their interests
• Hervieu-Leger - pilgrims


  people within the hollistic milieu and follow an individual path exploring spirituality
• Hervieu-Leger - converts


  people who join religious groups offering strong communities based on shared background or religion
• Helland - Online religion


  allows community and exploration of shared spiritual interests
• Helland - religion online


  electronic version of traditional church services
• Lyon - re-enchantment


  Claims that secularisation is not happening. There has been a resurgence of new spirituality and self religions
• Woodhead and Heelas study of Kendal inn Cumbria

  Found that in 2000, in a typical week7.9% attended church and 1.6% took part in holistic milieu activities resulting from:

  -subjective turn in culture

  -traditional religion declining

  -evangelical churches more successful than traditional due to the emphasis of spiritual healing
• Problem with the scale of the holistic milieu

  New Age reforms of religion would have to be on a much larger scale to make up for the decline of tradition religion
• religious market place theory


  Stark and Bainbridge

  people naturally religious as it meets our needs of seeking rewards and avoiding costs
• Stark and Bainbridge - compensators

  supernatural rewards such as life after death
• Stark and Bainbridge - cycle of renewal

  cycle of religious decline, revival and renewal
• Stark and Bainbridge - religious competition


  churches that are not responsive to people's needs will decline
• Stark and Bainbridge - America vs Europe

  US has never had a religious monopoly because church and state are separate = health religious market, but Europe has had an official state religion so restricted supply = decline in religion
• Hadden and Shupe


  growth of televangelism lead to churches thriving as they responded to consumer demands
• Existential security theory


  Norris and Inglehart

  Religion arises where people lack economic security

  poor countries = high instability so high religion
• Gill and Lundegaarde


  They found that the more a country spends on welfare the lower the level of religious participation. They also claim that although states provide increasing provision, it will not mean the end of religion completely.
• Case of Uruguay


  religious diversity but low religious participation (goes against Free Market theory) but has a more generous welfare state (supporting existential security theory)