Introduction

The introduction suggests regarding religion in contemporary Western societies as marked by the context of liquid modernity, the currently dominating, fluid, phase of modernization. The central thesis of the book is prepared. In opposition with both the narratives of secularization and “spiritual revolution”, religion is transforming both inside and outside the religious field. The focus of the case studies in the book is on Catholicism in the Netherlands. The first part is on the various ways in which the Roman Catholic Church deals with client culture and “experience society”. The second part is about ecclesial initiatives in the secular sphere and describes what happens on the boundaries between the religious domain and other domains. The third part is on the transformation and use of religion in the secular sphere. The introduction concludes with a plea to postpone an evaluation of religion in liquid modernity and to look closer at the developments taking place.