Religious Studies: The Making of a Discipline

Since its inception almost 200 years ago, the study of religion has informed, enlightened, provoked, and challenged our notions of humanity’s deepest beliefs and longings. Now Walter Capps, nationally recognized for the quality and depth of his teaching, has written the first full-scale introduction to the history and methods of religious studies.

To assess the many points of view in this mature but diffuse discipline, Capps uses the idea that four basic or fundamental questions and three enduring interests have given formal structure to the study of religion:

the essence of religion

the origin of religion

descriptions of religion

the function of religion

the language of religion

comparisons of religion

the future of religious studiesIn this way Capps relates the chief insights and theories of philosophy, anthropology, phenomenology, sociology, and theology of religion, and spotlights theories from Immanuel Kant to Mircea Eliade.

His valuable text:

unites in a single narrative and conceptual framework the major methodological proposals for the academic study of religion

treats all the major theorists in their respective disciplines, schools of thought, and intellectual movements

treats the whole discipline as a dynamic and evolving tradition.

Religious Studies constitutes not only an erudite introduction to the field, exhibiting vast scholarship and careful assessment, but also a bold synthetic proposal for its future.