God's Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England Volume 15 - Paperback

by Matthew Engelke (Author)

The British and Foreign Bible Society is one of the most illustrious Christian charities in the United Kingdom. Founded by evangelicals in the early nineteenth century and inspired by developments in printing technology, its goal has always been to make Bibles universally available. Over the past several decades, though, Bible Society has faced a radically different world, especially in its work in England. Where the Society once had a grateful and engaged reading public, it now faces apathy--even antipathy--for its cause. These days, it seems, no one in England wants a Bible, and no one wants other people telling them they should: religion is supposed to be a private matter. Undeterred, these Christians attempt to spark a renewed interest in the Word of God. They've turned away from publishing and toward publicity to "make the Bible heard."

God's Agents is a study of how religion goes public in today's world. Based on over three years of anthropological research, Matthew Engelke traces how a small group of socially committed Christians tackle the challenge of publicity within what they understand to be a largely secular culture. In the process of telling their story, he offers an insightful new way to think about the relationships between secular and religious formations: our current understanding of religion needs to be complemented by greater attention to the process of generating publicity. Engelke argues that we are witnessing the dynamics of religious publicity, which allows us to see the ways in which conceptual divides such as public/private, religious/secular, and faith/knowledge are challenged and redefined by social actors on the ground.

Front Jacket

God's Agents is beautifully written, subtle, smart, and evocative of a mood. This is a wonderfully engaging ethnography, filled with characters and stories that stay with the reader and provoke new ways of thinking about religion in modern life.--Courtney Bender, author of The New Metaphysicals: Spirituality and the American Religious Imagination

"A beautifully written book. Engelke creates a new ethnographic field, that of biblical publicity, by following its ambitions in the high street, in politics, and in a Christian think tank. He forces us--subtly but firmly--to rethink the location of religion in post-secular England and beyond."--Simon Coleman, Chancellor Jackman Professor, University of Toronto

"God's Agents is a major accomplishment in the anthropology of Christianity. With great ethnographic sensitivity and theoretical sophistication, Engelke shows how an organization seeking to promote Christianity in England today engages, negotiates, and ambivalently finds its place within the structures of politics and publicity in market society. Essential reading for anyone interested in the career of Chirstianity in the age of media culture."--Charles Hirschkind, author of The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics

"With gentle humour and narrative skill, Matthew Engelke leads us into the world of a Bible Society intent on bringing Jesus to 21st century Britain. The small dramas that unfold tell us more about what's really at stake in bringing religion into public life than any number of more abstract discussions."--Linda Woodhead, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Lancaster University

Author Biography

Matthew Engelke is a Reader in the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church.