The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe (1945-2000) / La transformation des églises chrétiennes en Europe occidentale

Research continues to show that the Christian religion is gradually disappearing from the public, cultural and social spheres in Western Europe. Even on the individual level, institutionalised religion is becoming increasingly marginalised. Some scholars, however, speak of a repositioning of the Christian churches in post-modern Europe, citing new forms of religious life and community. This book focuses on the complex mutations the Christian churches in Western Europe have experienced since World War II. The authors offer a comparative exploration of the situations in several countries and describe the evolution (including the specific growth and decline) of the various Christian denominations.

"The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe (1945-2000) / La transformation des églises chrétiennes en Europe occidentale" was edited by Leo Kenis, Jaak Billiet and Patrick Pasture.

Leo Kenis is emeritus professor of church history and the history of theology at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven. His research focuses on the modern and contemporary history of Catholic theology.

Jaak Billiet is PhD in Social Sciences and Emeritus Professor at KU Leuven. His research focuses on pillarization and statistical methods. He is member of the central coordination team of the European Social Survey.

Patrick Pasture is Professor of History and Director of the Centre for European Studies at KU Leuven.

Yes, "The Transformation of the Christian Churches in Western Europe (1945-2000) / La transformation des églises chrétiennes en Europe occidentale" is part of the "KADOC-Studies on Religion, Culture and Society" series. It's book 6 in the series.

Elena Arigita Maza (Universidad de Granada)
Florian Bock (Ruhr Universität Bochum)
Timothy Brittain‐Catlin (University of Cambridge)
James Chappel (Duke University)
Kim Christiaens (KADOC-KU Leuven)
Kathleen James-Chakraborty (University College Dublin)
​​​​James Kennedy (Utrecht University)
​​​Franziska Metzger (PH Luzern)
Patrick Pasture (MoSa‐KU Leuven) - chairman
Isabelle Saint‐Martin (EPHE Paris)
Thijl Sunier (VU Amsterdam)
Árpád von Klimó (Catholic University of America)
Veerle De Laet (Leuven University Press)
Peter Heyrman (KADOC-KU Leuven) - secretary

Proposals

Proposals and enquiries can be sent to Peter Heyrman. The series welcomes monographs and edited volumes. Book proposals may relate to, for example, the political impact of religion, the dynamics between religion and welfare, and missionary history. All proposals and manuscripts are subject to double blind peer review involving at least one external reviewer (proposals) or at least two (manuscripts). The editors strive towards completing the review of proposals within two months and of complete manuscripts within five months after submission.

Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.

Links & Resources

Contents

The Transformation of Christian Churches in Western Europe

An Introduction 7

Patrick Pasture (K.U.Leuven) & Leo Kenis (K.U.Leuven)

PART I

CONTINUITIES AND DISCONTINUITIES IN RELIGIOUSNESS 21

The Present Crisis in Historical Context 23

Hugh McLeod (University of Birmingham)

Feu la “nouvelle chrétienté” 39

Étienne Fouilloux (Université Lyon 2)

Restoration and Erosion of Pillarised Catholicism in Western Europe 55

Wilhelm Damberg (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) & Patrick Pasture (K.U.Leuven)

Left Catholicism in Western Europe 77

A Brief Survey

Gerd-Rainer Horn (University of Warwick)

Opening Windows or Opening Doors? Catholic Intellectuals as the

Bearers of Secularisation in the Netherlands, 1945-1970 96

Lodewijk Winkeler (KDC, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

Late 20th-Century Trends in Catholic Religiousness

Belgium Compared with Western and Central European Nations 113

Karel Dobbelaere (K.U.Leuven) & Jaak Billiet (K.U.Leuven)

Contemporary Syncretism in Europe 146

Liliane Voyé (Université Catholique de Louvain)

The American Exception?

Secularisation and Religion in the United States, 1945-2000 161

Jon Butler (Yale University)

PART II

SOME BASIC ISSUES IN POSTWAR CHURCH LIFE 173

Fundamental Changes in the Social Ethic of the Christian Churches 175

Johan Verstraeten (K.U.Leuven)

The Affirmation of Women’s Religious Leadership: a “Modern” Issue? 194

Anne-Marie Korte (Universiteit van Tilburg)

God has no Favourites

Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue: the Unity of God’s Creation 207

Anton Houtepen (Universiteit Utrecht)

Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue 221

Hans Ucko (World Council of Churches, Geneva)

Christian Churches as Social Capital. An Empirical Study of the Relationship

between Church Commitment, Religious Pluralism and Tolerance,

and the Attitude towards Immigrants in Eleven European Countries 236

Jaak Billiet (K.U.Leuven), Karel Dobbelaere (K.U.Leuven) &Bart Cambré (K.U.Leuven; Universiteit van Tilburg)

PART III

IMPACT AND RECEPTION OF VATICAN II 253

La réception du Concile Vatican II dans la Curie romaine 255

Philippe Chenaux (Université du Latran, Rome)

Collégialité et primauté dans l’application de Vatican II 267

Jan Grootaers (K.U.Leuven)

Réception et conséquences de Vatican II. Un point de vue protestant 281

André Birmelé (Faculté de théologie protestante de Strasbourg)

Reception and Implementation of the Second Vatican Council

Religious Institutes 296

Joachim Schmiedl (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule, Vallendar)

Bibliography 312

Colophon 352