What's Wrong with Secularization?

This chapter argues that the contemporary academic discourse on modern religion pivots seven basic claims about what went wrong with classical secularization theory. The first two claims include: the process of secularization is more complex than classical secularization theory envisioned and secularization theory describes a limited phase of modern history, but fails to make sense of global transformations. The next two claims include: the forces identified by secularization theorists do not bring about religion's marginalization and decline, but rather its transformation; secularization theory overlooks religion's intimate involvement in modernity's historical formation; and secularization theory actually describes one phase of a broader religious cycle. The last three claims include: scholarly concepts of 'religion' and the 'secular' have been shaped by secularization theory and purely secular accounts of human affairs hinder the ability to navigate and respond to the challenges facing contemporary society.