On the Outskirts of 'the Church'

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 on 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 that there are profound changes occurring in the ways in which religion is involved in people's lives today and looks at how religious institutions have responded to these changes.

Peter Nynäs is Professor of Comparative religion at Åbo 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.