The Religious Revolution: The Birth of Modern Spirituality, 1848–1898

Arguing that the mid-19th century began an age of scientific and technological discovery that spawned an era of frantic religious activity, historian Green (Armies of God) offers a sweeping view of the religious world that developed in the aftermath of Darwin’s era and the scientific worldview he represented. Green deftly moves through descriptions of various philosophical and religious movements that define modern spirituality, with some diversions into art and science. Among the many subjects he treats are Friedrich Nietzsche; Madame Blavatsky and theosophy; John Ruskin and the Arts and Crafts movement; Eastern religions as they were transformed by their contact with the West; Gandhi; Freud; Zionism; and cubism. Green’s narrative moves back and forth as personages appear and reappear as they influence or are influenced by others, and so he weaves a tapestry that brings together the various strands that the spiritual/religious revival exhibited in the 19th century, showing the interrelations and aspects of the thought of individuals which only come to light when they are seen in the context of their times.