Additional Religion Books
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A KEY RESOURCE!
- Reginald W. Bibby's important book on the implications for ministry of Restless Gods
- A "made in Canada" approach to how ministry can be enhanced
- Grounded in three decades of research and dialogue with congregations
Essential Reading for Every Religious Leader in Canada!
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Restless Churches:
How Canada’s Churches Can Contribute to the Emerging Religious Renaissance.
Toronto: Novalis/Kelowna: Wood Lake, 206 pp., paperback, 2004.
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| According to Reginald Bibby, religion is making a comeback in Canada. And he's got the numbers to back up his claims! Amidst media reports ot the demise of organized religion, Bibby shows that increasing numbers of Canadian adults and youth not only are in touch with God but also are open to greater involvement in the churches.
In this follow-up book to his bestselling Restless Gods: The Reanaissance of Religion in Canada, the country's leading expert on religious trends takes the data on step further.
Drawing on his extensive national surveys of adults and youth from 1975 to 2000, as well as on a quota sample of 200 people across the country, Bibby suggests that the nation is religiously restless. Something exciting is taking place, leaving churches with both a great opportunity and a great responsibility.
With integrity, style, and wit, Bibby presents key findings about religious developments in Canada, reflects on what these findings mean, acknowledges a number of significant hurdles that have to be cleared, and offers concrete thoughts on how religious groups can reach Canadians by reconnecting with their very own people.
His hope is that the result will be enhanced ministry and enriched living for all involved. This is a must read for anyone concerned about vital ministry.
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CONTENTS
PREFACE:
- Opening Thoughts – Confessions of a Sociologist
- Beyond A-Theism: Allow for “The God Factor”
- Beyond Observation: Exploring Implications and Responses
1: THE EXCITING NEW STORY ABOUT RELIGION IN CANADA
- The Old Story: Still Being Told
- The New Story: Restless Gods
- The New Story: Restless Churches
2: GETTING THE FACTS STRAIGHT
- Most People Aren’t Dropping Out
- Most People Aren’t Switching
- Christianity is Still Dominant
- The Great Opportunity – and Responsibility
3: RECOGNIZING FOUR MAJOR IMPLICATIONS FOR MINISTRY
- The Need to Rediscover God
- The Need to Understand and Utilize Religious Identification
- It’s All About Ministry
- It Can’t Be Done Alone
4: FIVE PARTICULAR MINISTRY CHALLENGES
- Spirituality
- Personal and Relational Needs
- Youth
- Worship and Music
- Credibility
5: CLARIFYING THE RESPONSE
- What Needs to Be Done
- Why It Needs to Be Done
- Who Can Do It
- Who Will Do It
6: GETTING ON WITH IT! WHERE TO START
- The Core Components
- Finding the Affiliates
- Exploring Their Interests and Needs
7: GETTING ON WITH IT! WHERE TO FINISH
- Assessing What is Being Learned
- Evaluating What Can Be Done
- Doing it
FINAL THOUGHTS
- Realizing the Renaissance in Canada
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Restless Gods:
The Renaissance of Religion in Canada.
Toronto: Stoddart, hardcover, 2002; Toronto: Novalis, paper, 2004; 298 pp.
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| Hardcover Edition |
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| Softcover Edition |
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Religion continues to be on the decline. People have lost their interest in churches. They have no loyalty to traditions and shop randomly for specialized beliefs and practices like consumers in a spiritual marketplace. Questions about meaning and suffering and death that intrigued people in the past are missing from the minds of average Canadians today. They have difficulty believing in God, let alone praying. Experiencing God is rare to nonexistent.That about sums up the religious situation in Canada, doesn't it?
Not at all, says our foremost expert on religion. In fact, Reginald Bibby has some surprising news. Following his ground-breaking publications, Fragmented Gods (1987) and Unknown Gods (1993), in which he charted a steep descent in religious involvement and interest, Bibby is now showing in this landmark new study that there are signs of significant religious rejuvenation in Canada, both inside and outside the churches.
Drawing on his extensive national surveys of adults and youth spanning 1975 to 2000, as well as a 2001-02 quota sample of 200 people across the country, Bibby suggests that the gods are restless: secularization has been exaggerated, the Mainline Protestants and Catholics are beginning to join the evangelicals in showing signs of revitalization, and a surprising number of adults and teens indicate they are receptive to greater involvement in the churches if they can find it to be worthwhile. Quebec is lagging, but may not be far behind.
And apart from organized religion, most Canadians are continuing to address "the big questions" about purpose and suffering and life after death. What's more, God is simply all over the place: Canadians are believing in God and in startlingly high numbers are talking to God and convinced they are experiencing God.
Bibby concludes by talking about where the forecasters went wrong, groups that will survive and thrive, new groups about to be born, and lessons learned from September 11. Restless Gods will explode Canadians' misconceptions and myths about religion, spirituality, and themselves. Some surprising news about religion and spirituality in Canada.
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CONTENTS
- Preface
- Introduction
1: THE OLD STORY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CHURCHES
- Secularization Without Limits
- Pre-1960s Prosperity
- Post-1960s DeclineA Grim Prognosis
- The Critical Asterisk
2: SOME VERY GOOD NEWS VIA SOME VERY BAD MYTHS
- A Monopoly Versus A Mosaic
- Myth #1: People Are Switching
- Myth #2: People Are Dropping Out
- Myth #3: People Are Not Receptive
3: THE NEW STORY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CHURCHES
- Secularization With Limits
- Revitalization Versus Replacement
- Circulation-Plus Among Conservatives
- Remnant Resilience in the Mainline
- Solid Stability and Latent Life Among Catholics
- Vitality Among Other Faith Groups
- The Emerging Generation
4: ONGOING QUESTIONS ONLY THE GODS CAN ANSWER
- Origins and Purpose
- Happiness and Suffering
- Life after DeathEarlier But Emptier Answers?
5: RELENTLESS GODS
- Belief
- Experience
- Prayer
6: RUMOURS AND REVELATION
- Rumors Berger Style
- Rumours Canadian Style
Rumours Among Nevers, Nones, and Nots
7: WHAT PEOPLE WANT FROM THE CHURCHES
- The Canadian Wish List
- Spiritual Issues
- Personal Issues
- Relational Issues
- Getting Down to Specifics
- Possible Convergence: A Match Made in Heaven?
CONCLUSION
- Why the Wise Men Were Wrong
- Groups That Will Survive and Thrive
- The New Groups About to Be Born
- What About the People?
- September 11, 2001: Some Lessons Learned
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From Bibby's Backlist
Three important books have provided pioneering data and reflections on religion in Canada.
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Fragmented Gods was released in 1987 and charted religious developments in Canada between the 1940s and mid-80s. It told the story of the decline in participation in organized religion that had occurred in the post-1950s. The decline was attributed in large part to the selective consumption tendencies of Canadians, whereby they increasingly were opting for religion à la carte – picking and choosing items from religious smorgasbords, including beliefs, private practices, morality, rites of passage, and participation. Hope nonetheless was seen in ministries that addressed God, self, and society – the spiritual, personal, and relational needs of Canadians.
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Unknown Gods was published in 1993. In continuing to chart the problems of organized religion, the book painted a fairly bleak picture of what would happen to the country's churches by approximately 2015. At the same time, the book gave considerable attention to what was happening in the culture, maintaining that pervasive interest in mystery and meaning, along with religious memory, provided religious groups with a great opportunity to connect with Canadians. A market model was used to suggest why the churches were failing, and what might be done.
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There's Got to Be More! was a book written specifically for religious leaders. Appearing in 1995, its first three chapters summed up the ten major findings concerning religious developments in Canada, posited five major implications for ministry, and proceeded to point out why, in many instances, not much of anything was going to happen. Then – for readers committed to moving forward – the book offered three chapters of ideas and tangible strategies for locating "affiliates," responding to them, and ensuring that contact was not long. A sampling of the thinking of seven congregational experts (Mead, Easum, Schaller, Miller, Anderson, Motz, and Schaller) were offered in a chapter entitled, "With A Little Help from Our Friends." As with the two earlier books, "More!" spoke of potential in the midst of organized religion's problems.
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