The chapter analyses how the vocabulary of innovation has been adopted by religion researchers and scholars to describe transformations in the religious domain, such as the formation of new religious movements and ways in which religion has proved resilient to large-scale modernization processes. A heuristic distinction between three dimensions of the interrelations between religion and innovation is proposed: (a) innovation in religion, (b) religion in innovation, (c) religion of innovation. Combining this three-fold distinction with an analysis of the normative presuppositions of innovation-speak, the chapter concludes with a discussion of the idea of a general theory of religion and innovation, as well as suggestions for future research.
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Front Matter
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Part I: VISIONS OF INNOVATION
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Part II: THEORIZING INNOVATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: THE FOUNDATIONS
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Part III: ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO INNOVATION
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Part IV: ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF INNOVATION
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Part V: SUPPORTING INNOVATION: REFRAMING THE INSTRUMENTS
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Part VI: IMMUNE DISCIPLINES AND FORGOTTEN THEORIZATIONS
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Part VII: THEORIZING THE THEORIES
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Back Matter
