The Eclipse of Christianity
and why it matters
by Rupert Shortt
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Pub Date Sep 12 2024 | Archive Date Jan 22 2025
John Murray Press | Hodder & Stoughton
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Description
A call for Christianity to recover its confidence
The mainstream Churches are faltering - or even at risk of dying out - in their Western and Middle Eastern heartlands. Surveys confirm that only a minority of people in a country such as Britain now claim Christian allegiance. The pattern is being matched in neighbouring societies. At the same time many opinion formers preach secularist ideology with a self-confidence shading into dogmatism. Others, unsure of their moorings, feel some residual attachment to spirituality, while being sceptical about the existence of God and other articles of belief.
Yet church teaching remains intellectually robust, as well as inspiring a transformative global presence. In this major and wide-ranging international study - both a report on the unsettling consequences of secularisation and a defence of a creed too often belittled by its opponents - Rupert Shortt outlines Christianity's fading profile in the present, but also argues compellingly that Europe's historic faith remains critical to the survival of a humane culture.
Advance Praise
"The nature of the decline of formal forms of Christianity in the West is hard to discern accurately. Rupert Shortt’s careful research and analysis of the religious and spiritual yearnings of a secular age, and his thoughts about the way churches are responding and why Christianity still matters, provide rich food for thought. His central question, of how we might recover sight of the transcendent in a time that feels adrift, is, I have no doubt, of fundamental importance."
—Mark Vernon, psychotherapist and author
"A tour de force. From education to euthanasia, from intellectual debate to culture, Shortt presents a compelling case for a Christian vision of what it means to live well."
—Peter Sedgwick, academic and ethicist
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781399802741 |
| PRICE | £25.00 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1168388
This is a rich, detailed, and heartfelt exploration. Shortt considers why the Christian Church is shrinking, explains why Christianity is still of vital importance to the world today, and offers suggestions from himself and others to make the Church inviting.
In taking on such a large and important project, Shortt's organization and focus sometimes suffer. Additionally, he makes a few controversial statements that may alienate some readers. Overall, however, this is an excellent resource, and I would recommend it to all Christians today if it were a bit shorter and more approachable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions and will cross-post it to Goodreads and Amazon upon the book's publication.
