Biblical Studies as a Secular Discipline

Abstract

"Secularization has been the master model of sociological inquiry for understanding the development of modern society. Beginning with the seminal sociological work of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber (among others), and culminating in the work of Peter Berger, Brian Wilson, and Thomas Luckmann (among others) in the 1960s and 70s, the secularization thesis argued that religion would continue to fade in importance and eventually cease to be a significant factor in modern social life. As Berger commented in 1968 to a New York Times reporter, “By the 21st century, religious believers are likely to be found only in small sects, huddled together to resist a worldwide secular culture” (quoted in Stark: 250). His prediction could not have been further from the truth."(pg 2)