National Youth Young Adults Ministry

Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the 21st Century

Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the Twenty-first Century
Gary Bouma, Cambridge University Press

Australians are more reserved about their expression of religious commitment, writes Bouma, but religion and spiritual life in Australia are not in decline. His firm opinion is that "the secularity of the 21st century is not anti-religious or irreligious, as it was in the 20th century."

A 2005 survey found that 35 per cent of Australians in their 20s said "religion was important in their lives" compared with 21 per cent in 1978. And while "in the 20th century religion and spirituality often provided an identity and meaning for people, in the 21st century the core is the production and maintenance of hope."

Bouma's references to theoretical and research sources are authoritative and, in my view, worth the value of the book. The suggested reading, references and index at the back of the book are second-to-none.

The book is strong on analysis, diagnosis, trends, surveys, aetiology, rather than prescription.

I'd recommend that all clergy read it right through - even those in mainline churches who are having a hard time attracting new parishioners.

Rowland Croucher, from Insights magazine