Q: Give your comments on the growth of religious revivalism in the present day context.

Model Answer:

Revivalism, the resurgence of religious visibility, contradicts Max Weber’s predicted “disenchantment of the world.” It highlights a shift towards Jürgen Habermas’s “post-secular society,” validating Peter Berger’s “Desecularization” thesis.

Sociological Drivers of Revivalism

• Crisis of Modernity: Rationalization creates moral vacuums (anomie). Religion returns to provide Berger’s “sacred canopy” of absolute meaning in a relative world.
• Cultural Defense: Steve Bruce argues that religion revives to protect local identities against the homogenizing forces of globalization.
• Politicization: In The Revenge of God, Gilles Kepel highlights a global rebellion against secular states, mobilizing faith as a tool for political power.

This is globally evident in the US Christian Right, Political Islam, and African Pentecostalism buffering against relative deprivation. Paradoxically, revivalism aggressively utilizes modern digital tools, reflecting George Ritzer’s “McDonaldization” and commodification of faith.

Conclusion

Contemporary revivalism is often more functional (boundary maintenance) than substantive (deepening spirituality). It proves that religion does not vanish but adapts, dynamically renegotiating its space within a globalized modernity.