William Temple Foundation

An exclusive interview with the eminent sociologist Professor Craig Calhoun.

On William Temple’s legacy

“The kind of church engagement that Temple was engaged in never was, if you will, an insular church engagement.”

On the role of the state and social action

“If we want to compensate for some of the kinds of problems that are created by capitalism… we need to think in terms of states”

On the role of religion in public life in the USA and the UK

“The so-called theory of secularisation says there’s been a decline [in religion] which just accompanies modernity…it’s a story about Europe, it’s not a story about the US.”

On the postsecular and the future

“The world never became secular the way he [Habermas] imagined; some European countries did!”

With thanks to Craig Calhoun and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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You might also like:

• The Modern Welfare State: Temple’s Challenge for the Church by Simon Duffy
• The Welfare State, Like Christendom, is Over! by Chris Baker
• There’s Money in Numbers, But Attendance Can’t Be Our Only Mission by Eve Poole
• Celebrating a Successful Conference #Temple70 – includes a keynote lecture by Craig Calhoun

 

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