Introduction: Transfiguring the Ground—Religion in Our Days: Between Return, Revival and Renewal

Abstract

There are profound differences in the assessment, evaluation and critical judgment of the place of religion and spirituality in the contemporary debate. This includes substantially different viewpoints regarding the conditions and roles of often incomparable contexts and even incommensurable pretexts and use of terminology. Nevertheless, one thing at least seems to be rather common ground: religion plays a pivotal role for—and within—contemporary and upcoming change. Most observers would agree: religion is co-transfiguring the ground on which we stand. But the question is, how exactly, and with which perspectives.