Current Trends in Religion—A Summary

The decline in support for religion among the populace and the intelligentsia which marked the opening decades of the twentieth century has been reversed during the years since World War II. On the one hand, swelling church memberships have been accompanied by a bland popular piety. On the other hand, intellectuals have undertaken a challenging new era of revisionist theology. The supply of clergymen has not kept pace either with the increasing memberships or with the expanding functions of the churches. One result is the enhanced importance of the laity. The financial needs of the churches have induced them to approach ever more closely the methods and structures of business. The divisions between the various denominations on doctrinal and ethnic points have lost much of their relevance, and efforts at merger and unification have been productive. The splintering and growth of sects and cults continues.