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Free and open to the public Cosponsored by the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought Disenchantment is one of the key concepts in the self-understanding of "modernity." It was introduced by Max Weber, but its precise meaning in his writings and in the discourse of modernity is quite controversial. This lecture is based on a new book in which Hans Joas traces this concept through Weber's writings, criticizes it in fundamental respects, and develops an alternative understanding of the connections between the history of power and the processes of sacralization.

Join us for a discussion on religion and religious expression in the academy and public life featuring Ross Douthat, a panel of scholars, and moderated by Willemien Otten (Professor of Theology and of the History of Christianity and Director of the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School). Presented by the Lumen Christi Institute,The Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the Divinity School,The Institute of Politics, and the International House Global Voices Program. Free and open to the public. Persons with disabilities who may need assistance should contact the Office of...

$60 General / $600 Host Committee Member Since publishing Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics in 2012, Ross Douthat’s commentary on American religious culture has established him as a prominent and thoughtful critic. This lecture will describe the three "world pictures" that dominate American religiosity: the biblical, spiritual, and secular. As these world pictures jockey for cultural dominance, interesting questions arise. Can the biblical world picture gain ground? Will the secular world picture carry the day? Will the spiritual world picture be forced to give way to one of its more inflexible alternatives? These and other questions will...