David Martin, On Secularization. Towards a Revised General Theory

Abstract

Secularlization is not so much movement from belief to unbelief as the enlightenment story of secularization would have it. For Martin secularization is a normal aspect of christianization. The Christian dialectic is the tension between the world and the kingdom. As the christian values and commitment increase they seek to redeem and serve the world. The very success of the christian mission produces adaptation to the world resulting in a loss of tension. Movements emerge that restore that tension and lead to new christianizations. Thus for Martin, secularizatino is neither linear nor inevitable but serial and episodix, often serving as a prelude to a new period of christian renewal