ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the parameters of the problem by quickly summarising the structural plight of contemporary religion as envisioned by secularisation theory. It summarises Giddens' multi-faceted analysis of the nature and consequences of modernity. The chapter provides an overview of Giddens' conception of the place of religion in the late modern world, indicating how his ideas can be used to frame a more optimistic reading of the future of religion. In a world that is increasingly subject to the processes of globalisation, the social location of religion is shifting from a focus on the concerns of the group and social identity to those of personal and human identity. Religious innovations may offer new ways to morally ground life and provide the trust required to make life meaningful. Contrary to secularisation theory, then, the so-called privatisation of religion may well be emblematic of the progressive adaptation of religion to the emergent identity concerns of citizens of globalising late modern societies.
