Grace Davie

Christianity and “the World”

Arts & Literature

“In a single volume, David Martin brings together a lifetime's work on secularization, a thousand years of English poetry, and deep theological insight. A chronological sequence of reflections relates each of these strands to the others. Readers will arrive by different routes, but all of them will be enriched by what they find. I recommend this book very warmly.”

From Your Gods to Our Gods

World Religions

“Religion has become an increasingly significant factor in the modern world order. Marco Ventura finds new ways to grasp the nature of this shift. He looks at the complex process of law and law-making in relation to these 'explosive Gods' in three very different places: Britain, India, and South Africa. The web of connections that emerges merits the widest possible attention.”

Religion at Play

World Religions

“Play and playfulness are not often associated with religion, especially in its institutional forms. In this book, a distinguished anthropologist of religion reexamines the relationship between power and play, asking . . . whether the 'ludic' makes the human animal lucid or ludicrous? Whatever we conclude, this generous and deeply personal essay is full of wisdom. We should indeed make it a habit to look for possible inversions. We should not, however, make this our daily bread. Put differently, we should most certainly interrogate our convictions, but we should think twice before we abandon them.”