The problem is all the more acute because religion refuses to fade away. Even though parts of the Western world now appear almost totally secularized, Christianity remains the most potent worldview on earth alongside Islam. Globalization and democratization have only strengthened the two faiths still further. In this hard-hitting but constructive book, Rupert Shortt argues that Christianity is a much more coherent, progressive body of belief -- philosophically, scientifically and culturally -- than often supposed by its critics. Alert to the menace posed by religious fundamentalism, as well as to secularist blind spots, he shows how a self-critical faith is of huge consequence to wider human flourishing.