The Triumph of Faith: Why the World Is More Religious Than Ever

"God is not dead. Despite the predictions of academics and liberal religious leaders, the world is becoming more faith-filled, not less. . . . [Stark's] real battle, though, is with intellectual elites of the West, who have been declaring the demise of religion for centuries and have been advancing a secularization thesis for decades. . . . Mr. Stark pushes back against the secularization thesis in several ways. . . . Indeed, religious fervor has taken hold in many countries where modernity is a settled fact." --Wall Street Journal"Stark [is] one of the most prominent, respected and consistently insightful sociologists of religion in the business. . . . I enthusiastically recommend this stimulating book to religious leaders and to those generally interested in what's going on in the minds of people around the world. It has much to offer, not only for understanding but also, in my judgment, for action." --Deseret News "Stark's clear writing--he was a newspaper reporter before going to graduate school--distinguishes him from most academics. His argument that Christian practice wasn't as common in the Middle Ages or in eighteenth-century America as we like to think distinguishes him from some church-oriented historians. The argument in his new book, The Triumph of Faith, that 'the world is more religious than ever, ' distinguishes him from 'new atheists' who seem ready to take a victory lap."--World "If, in fact, religion is losing its influence--and 72 percent of respondents to a 2014 Pew Research Center study say it is--most people say that's not good. . . . But Rodney Stark, who holds the title of distinguished professor of social science at Baylor University, says in the new book The Triumph of Faith that 'The End of Christian America'--so proclaimed by a 2009 Newsweek cover--and religion's falling influence in the world aren't necessarily so." --Chattanooga Times Free Press "Reports about the death of religion in the United States are greatly exaggerated, sociologist Rodney Stark insists. . . . In a particularly provocative section, Stark takes issue with the much-reported rise of the 'nones' in the United States. He cites data indicating the percentage of people who do not attend houses of worship remains steady, and the increase in nonaffiliated Americans appears to be drawn from that subset of the total population. . . . Readers will benefit from reading Stark's findings and conclusions that defy conventional wisdom." --Baptist Standard
Praise for Rodney Stark"Mr. Stark is especially adept at challenging received ideas." --Wall Street Journal"Stark has a vigorous prose style and a gift for clear explanation." --New York Times"Stark writes books that are models of popularly accessible schol