Synopses & Reviews
In the last ten years or so, most theology departments in British universities have developed into Departments of Religious Studies in which Christian theology is but one subject of study. Yet, this has not meant that Christian theology no longer has a voice. John Atherton, now Visiting Professor in Religion, Ethics and Economics at Chester University has focused much of his attention over the past few years on the study of wellbeing and the role of religion within it. In this monograph, he draws together the results of his research and outlines how religious studies as a discipline has to change if it wants to take account of religion in all its complexity. The book's topic is the emerging pursuit of human flourishing as an increasingly shared goal across religious and secular networks. This focus, including in its changing contexts, is heightened by growing interest in the nature and role of religion's contribution to such progressive change. It also acts as a case study into how religious studies can be reformulated in constructive conversation with other disciplines, including economics, psychology and sociology. This therefore allows it to be used by traditional Theology and Religious Studies Departments at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, by other related disciplines engaging wellbeing agendas, and by growing public policy interest in improving religious literacy.
Synopsis
Challenging Religious Studies represents a breakthrough in our understanding and development of the practices, ethics and theories of religious studies through engagement with the world of daily life and its breath-taking transformation since 1800, as revealed particularly in living standards, life expectancy and subjective wellbeing.
Together with the equally disturbing growth of inequalities between and within nations, this constitutes the profound paradox of development. What is of particular interest is the booka (TM)s rigorous treatment of the question why religion is better at delivering greater subjective wellbeing and how it does so.
To build such arguments always involves engaging with key related disciplines, experiences and practices, including economics, psychology, sociology and economic history. But it will also increasingly offer religion the opportunity to participate in such developments but always and increasingly through collaboration with other such disciplines and experiences, and always with the objective of furthering the greater wellbeing of all people in and through their environments.