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On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging all over the world. From Russia to Turkey to India, nations that swore off faith in the last century, or even tried to stamp it out, are now run by avowedly religious leaders, and the destabilising effects of religion can be seen far from Iraq or the ruins of the World Trade Centre. Formerly secular conflicts like the one in Palestine have taken on an overtly religious cast, and religion plays a role in civil wars from Sri Lanka to Sudan. Along the tenth parallel, from West Africa to the Philippines, religious fervour and political unrest are reinforcing each other.
Since the Enlightenment, intellectuals have assumed that modernization would kill religion, and that religious America is an oddity. God Is Back argues that religion and modernity can thrive together, and that the American way of religion is becoming the norm. Many things helped spark the global religious revival in the twenty-first century, including the failure of communism and the rise of globalisation; it is now being fuelled above all by market competition and a customer-driven approach to salvation. These are the qualities which have characterized America since the Founders separated church and state, creating a free market in religion defined by entrepreneurship, choice, and personal revelation, and as market forces reshape the world, the tools and ideals of American evangelism are now spreading everywhere.
The global rise of faith will have a dramatic and far- reaching impact on our century. God Is Back shines a bright light on this hidden world of faith, from exorcisms in São Paulo to religious skirmishing in Nigeria, to harassed Muslims in India and vibrant house churches in China (where there are already more Christians than Communist Party members). If you want to understand the politics of this century, you cannot afford to ignore God, whether you believe in Him or not.
About the Author
John Micklethwait is the editor of the Economist and Adrian Wooldridge is its Washington bureau chief. They have written four previous books together: The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea, A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Promise of Globalization, The Witchdoctors: Making Sense of the Management Gurus and The Right Nation: Why America is Different.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was reading this book more or less alongside "Stealing Jesus", and it was a most odd experience. Often the two books were covering the exact same ground and yet their perspectives were vastly different.
This book, however, is less concerned with questions of the merit of faith as to describing what is actually happening on the ground. As such it was an extremely interesting read, from authors who are not particularly wedded to any of the world views they are describing.
The fundamental thesis is that the assumption that modernity leads to secularism is in fact incorrect - that as countries are developing, they are becoming more religious, and that Europe here is an exception. What is more there is a thesis as to why this should be the case. The argument is made that US style separation of church and state, and the resulting pluralism this produces creates a need for religions to compete in a religious marketplace. This commoditisation of religion is well described, with historical examples of how churches have become more outward focussed and keyed into the winning of converts as they have found themselves unable to rest on the laurels of state establishment.
The result is a kind of tailored religion that people such as Bruce Bawer have clearly reacted against, and yet has proved incredibly durable. The result is that religion has prospered.
The book looks at issues for the future. It also discusses how some policy makers have radically misunderstood the place of faith in foreign policy, and also deals with issues of tension in the major religions themselves.
All in all this is an excellent work - not least because it avoids any triumphalism in the information it presents. This book is about numbers, but it is fundamentally an analysis of the current situation. It nowhere propounds a view that a numbers game is actually what the issue should be all about, and this then lends credence to the findings.
The analysis is so wide ranging it is going to be wrong in places. I detected a few places where I felt the authors had simplified issues (for instance in the summary of Robert Pape's work in "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism". But read with an open mind, I think this book provides a convincing thesis.
This book, however, is less concerned with questions of the merit of faith as to describing what is actually happening on the ground. As such it was an extremely interesting read, from authors who are not particularly wedded to any of the world views they are describing.
The fundamental thesis is that the assumption that modernity leads to secularism is in fact incorrect - that as countries are developing, they are becoming more religious, and that Europe here is an exception. What is more there is a thesis as to why this should be the case. The argument is made that US style separation of church and state, and the resulting pluralism this produces creates a need for religions to compete in a religious marketplace. This commoditisation of religion is well described, with historical examples of how churches have become more outward focussed and keyed into the winning of converts as they have found themselves unable to rest on the laurels of state establishment.
The result is a kind of tailored religion that people such as Bruce Bawer have clearly reacted against, and yet has proved incredibly durable. The result is that religion has prospered.
The book looks at issues for the future. It also discusses how some policy makers have radically misunderstood the place of faith in foreign policy, and also deals with issues of tension in the major religions themselves.
All in all this is an excellent work - not least because it avoids any triumphalism in the information it presents. This book is about numbers, but it is fundamentally an analysis of the current situation. It nowhere propounds a view that a numbers game is actually what the issue should be all about, and this then lends credence to the findings.
The analysis is so wide ranging it is going to be wrong in places. I detected a few places where I felt the authors had simplified issues (for instance in the summary of Robert Pape's work in "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism". But read with an open mind, I think this book provides a convincing thesis.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There is something strange here. What is the editor of the Economist doing publishing a book titled God is Back? Three months after publication, why am I the first reviewer on amazon.co.uk, where the book is a languishing mid-list, but on amazon.com, Good is Back enjoys glowing reviews and is a best seller?
With titles such as The God Delusion, the strident atheists have polarised the current debate. Hardly an accusation to be levelled at any Economist report. The Economist is long respected for its balanced, rational, informed analysis. So how is God back?
The title God is Back is a journalistic headline designed to hook the reader. As shown by Amazon, the title has alienated British readers but successfully hooked Americans. Americans reading the contents will discover they have let in a Trojan Horse.
God is back examines religion in the tradition of the Economist. A reasoned analysis of how Christianity has developed in the last half century, where it may be going in the next, and what its economic effects may be. It is one of the few balanced contributions to the current debate. As such it is not gong to please either side. God is Back does not dismiss the concerns of Atheists. It presents a more objective and reasoned argument for those concerns than many Atheists present.
The title God is Back is not a prophecy but a conclusion. A conclusion that disturbs and yet may reassure the West in a rapidly changing world. The wide ranging facts the authors present lead to a prediction as apocalyptic as any the bible has to offer. If China is to become the world's largest Christian nation, and yet the largest Islamic nation, what happens if China fractures along the religious devide? Is Christianity part of the problem or potentially part of the solution?
Predicting social evolution and economics is as difficult as predicting the weather. With such a fundamental issue, with such wide ranging effects, God is Back is not going to be a complete analysis and people will draw differing conclusions. God is back is a valuable contribution to the current debate and well worth reading.
With titles such as The God Delusion, the strident atheists have polarised the current debate. Hardly an accusation to be levelled at any Economist report. The Economist is long respected for its balanced, rational, informed analysis. So how is God back?
The title God is Back is a journalistic headline designed to hook the reader. As shown by Amazon, the title has alienated British readers but successfully hooked Americans. Americans reading the contents will discover they have let in a Trojan Horse.
God is back examines religion in the tradition of the Economist. A reasoned analysis of how Christianity has developed in the last half century, where it may be going in the next, and what its economic effects may be. It is one of the few balanced contributions to the current debate. As such it is not gong to please either side. God is Back does not dismiss the concerns of Atheists. It presents a more objective and reasoned argument for those concerns than many Atheists present.
The title God is Back is not a prophecy but a conclusion. A conclusion that disturbs and yet may reassure the West in a rapidly changing world. The wide ranging facts the authors present lead to a prediction as apocalyptic as any the bible has to offer. If China is to become the world's largest Christian nation, and yet the largest Islamic nation, what happens if China fractures along the religious devide? Is Christianity part of the problem or potentially part of the solution?
Predicting social evolution and economics is as difficult as predicting the weather. With such a fundamental issue, with such wide ranging effects, God is Back is not going to be a complete analysis and people will draw differing conclusions. God is back is a valuable contribution to the current debate and well worth reading.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The authors are John Micklethwait, the editor of the Economist, and Adrian Wooldridge, its Washington bureau chief, one of whom is a Catholic and the other an atheist. I have usually regarded the Economist, which I always enjoy, as secular-humanist in outlook and somewhat dismissive of all religion as the relict of a bygone superstitious era. Over the last few years I have observed a change, first in recognizing the important role of religion around the world and then in a more straightforward reporting of the facts.
Well, now we have God is Back. Not exactly written by evangelicals, but all the more compelling for that fact. It surveys the religious scene across the world from the house churches of China, through the megachurches of the USA and Korea, and Pentecostals all over the world, to the Hindu-nationalist politics of India and Islamic fundamentalists of the Middle East. It is a tour de force, and it's an easy read - a real page-turner.
From a Christian standpoint, if one takes seriously the "fullness of time" in the first century (the Christians' use of Roman roads and shipping lanes; the Greek language; the synagogues of the Jewish diaspora), and a second fullness of time at the Reformation (printing presses and rising literacy; the new nation states of Europe and collapse of the feudal system; the rise of a newly confident merchant class and Continental trade), then Micklethwait and Wooldrige may be onto something remarkable, namely that Evangelicalism (especially its Pentecostal version) was made for the 21st century. If this turns out to be true we may be on the verge of one of the greatest moves forward by Christianity in history. Interesting.
Well, now we have God is Back. Not exactly written by evangelicals, but all the more compelling for that fact. It surveys the religious scene across the world from the house churches of China, through the megachurches of the USA and Korea, and Pentecostals all over the world, to the Hindu-nationalist politics of India and Islamic fundamentalists of the Middle East. It is a tour de force, and it's an easy read - a real page-turner.
From a Christian standpoint, if one takes seriously the "fullness of time" in the first century (the Christians' use of Roman roads and shipping lanes; the Greek language; the synagogues of the Jewish diaspora), and a second fullness of time at the Reformation (printing presses and rising literacy; the new nation states of Europe and collapse of the feudal system; the rise of a newly confident merchant class and Continental trade), then Micklethwait and Wooldrige may be onto something remarkable, namely that Evangelicalism (especially its Pentecostal version) was made for the 21st century. If this turns out to be true we may be on the verge of one of the greatest moves forward by Christianity in history. Interesting.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Did he ever go away?
This is a fascinating book, written by the editor of the Economist and its Washington bureau chief. It is about 75 pages too long, and can be repetitive, but it is definitely worth... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Matthew Hosier
Don't write God's obituary just yet...
The title of this book is a little misleading, because it's less about faith in general and more about Christianity, Protestantism specifically, with a side order of Islamic... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Ball
Accessible, Well argued
1. This book is written by an Athiest and a Catholic, written mainly for Americans, and almost defiantly American Christians. Read more
Published 3 months ago by mouse
Surprising, and a strong dint in the Secularization hypothesis.
This is an interesting book, and the evidence it presents will have the evangelical atheists (e.g.The New Atheists: The Twilight of Reason and the War on Religion) and their... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dr. Nicholas P. G. Davies
An incredible book
I heard about this book from a podcast on the Times website. It is so well written. I am three quarters through it and have found it absorbing, informative, shocking and thought... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Yossarian
Excellent on Christianity in America
When Adrian Wooldridge was an undergraduate at Oxford he was not well known for his sympathy towards Christianity, so it was a pleasure to learn so much about the faith from his... Read more
Published 22 months ago by T. G. S. Hawksley
If you think Christianity is in decline..after reading these facts you...
If you want an excellent detailed report written in the journalistic style of the The Economist Magazine Editor, who just happens to be one of the authors of this year's book GOD... Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2009 by poetsimon
Interesting reading
A very stimulating book, well worth reading. There is a good historic survey and informed comment on today's situations. Recommended.
Published on 3 Aug 2009 by grand daddy
God is back: did he ever go away?
A very good read whatever your religious beliefs (or not), for anyone who is interested in current trends in society. Read more
Published on 4 July 2009 by Voracious reader
Incisive and insightful
10-20 years ago a few perceptive observers were suggesting that we were moving to a post-secular society (try googling it) and Alister McGrath wrote of The Twilight of Atheism: The... Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2009 by N. Beale
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