This book reports three studies that were undertaken of what "moves" people - firstly, as individuals, through verbal interviews; secondly, in a public house, through working behind the bar, & thirdly, in a residential community, through being the Rector of a parish.

Claiming that the realm of the sacred in modern societies is characterized more by rediscovery than by revival, Wuthnow examines the main theoretical approaches toward religion that have emerged of late in the social sciences and shows how these approaches can help explain the shifting location of the sacred.

When God disappears from a secular society, religious beliefs surface in other non-religious sectors of society, e.g. sport as religion. Edward Bailey argues that within and beneath everyday practices of non-religious pursuits lie hidden religious-ethical assumptions that mostly go unnoticed, that is, i.e. implicit rather than explicit. In this volume Bailey sets out what is meant by 'implicit religion, ' and proposes a methodology for studying implicit religion and how it can encourage greater understanding between secular and religious spheres.

The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion draws on the expertise of an international team of scholars providing both an entry point into the sociological study and understanding of religion and an in-depth survey into its changing forms and content in the contemporary world. The role and impact of religion and spirituality on the politics, culture, education and health in the modern world is rigorously discussed and debated. The study of the sociology of religion forges interdisciplinary links to explore aspects of continuity and change in the contemporary interface between society and religion. Using a combination of theoretical, methodological and content-led approaches, the fifty-seven contributors collectively emphasise the complex relationships between religion and aspects of life from scientific research to law, ecology to art, music to cognitive science, crime to institutional health care and more. The developing character of religion, irreligion and atheism and the impact of religious diversity on social cohesion are explored. An overview of current scholarship in the field is provided in each themed chapter with an emphasis on encouraging new thinking and reflection on familiar and emergent themes to stimulate further debate and scholarship. The resulting essay collection provides an invaluable resource for research and teaching in this diverse discipline.