On the Outskirts of 'the Church' : Diversity, Fluidities and New Spaces of Religion in Finland

Through exploring the diversity of contemporary religious phenomena, this volume sheds new light on religion in the twenty-first century: Is religion going through a decisive change? What are the resources that make religion so persistent and what happened to secularisation? How do the traditional religious institutions fare? How do people identify themselves with regard to religion? Firmly rooted in analyses of the rich and fluid spiritual life in the outskirts of religious institutions - from angel healing and prayer clinics to LGBT activists and yoga entrepreneurs - this volume engages with topical discussions on religious change and post-secularity. The book suggests deep changes in the ways that religion is part of people's lives today and how religious institutions have responded to this. Peter Nynas is Professor of Comparative religion at Abo Akademi University and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Research Post-Secular Culture and a Changing Religious Landscape in Finland. Ruth Illman is Director of The Donner Institute for Research in Religious and Cultural History, Turku. Tuomas Martikainen is Professor in Ethnic Relations and Director of the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism in the Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki. (Series: Nordic Studies in Religion and Culture / Nordische Studien zur Religion und Kultur) [Subject: Religious Studies, Sociology]