The Invisible Religion (1967) by Thomas Luckmann: Still an Inspiring Program for the Study of Contemporary Religion

Abstract

Thomas Luckmann’s The Invisible religion was first published in English in 1967 and has now, in 2023, at last been reprinted in a new, expanded edition. The book still opens vistas and raises challenges that are at the center of the study of religion today: how to conceptualize religion, how to trace “invisible,” in particular non-institutional, religion, and how to conceive the contemporary transformation of religion. After introducing the author and the context of the book, I will summarize its content. In the third and main part, I will highlight the enduring programmatic qualities of this modern classic.