Is Europe Christian?

Roy Olivier

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In this short but bracing book, Olivier Roy traces the Church's long battle against a tide of secularization in Europe. Since the Enlightenment, religion has been losing ground as the source of moral norms. But while the question of truth was contested, Christian values continued to define law and social life in even the most secular and anti-clerical countries – until the 1960s. Ever since, the Church has been swept into a new war of values, reduced to struggling over abortion and same-sex marriage. Mired in scandal, the Church's authority is crumbling, while populist demands pave the way for the final secularization of religion as part of 'national culture'.

From one of the most acute observers of our times, "Is Europe Christian?" represents a persuasive and novel vision of religion's place today.

About the Author

Olivier Roy is one of the most distinguished analysts of and commentators on political Islam in the Muslim Middle East and Central Asia. The author of several highly acclaimed books, four of which are published by Hurst, he is Professor at the European University Institute in Florence.

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