ABSTRACT
Thomas Luckmann is interested both in the sociology of knowledge and in the sociology of religion. His best-known book is The Invisible Religion which, despite a controversial concept of religion, has the merit of indicating new directions. The invisible religion hypothesis has generally caused more criticism than agreement among contemporary sociologists of religion. However, some sociological insights can emerge from it. After working initially together with Luckmann Peter Berger has become highly original in his line of research, aiming at a basic coherence even though the objects of his studies appear to be different. His major themes touch upon secularization and pluralism. The former produces the latter because it tends to make religious institutions less credible, whereas pluralism gives rise to secularizing orientations. Pluralism is not only an internal question of the various religious confessions. It also concerns competition with nonreligious rivals regarding the definition of reality and its social construction.
