Prolegomena to a Christian encounter with contemporary Druidry: An etic perspective on the revival of a European native religion and its relationship to the Western religious landscape

With the relatively recent understanding that the cultural context of contemporary Western society is not as disenchanted as once believed, a re-enchantment is taking place. That context suggests that Westerners have continued to demonstrate strong religious and superstitious beliefs. The revival of pre-Christian European religions has exemplified this renewed interest in spirituality. It has also raised the question of whether the West was ever converted or if Christianity was simply a means of social control. After a millennia and a half of perceived suppression by Christianity, contemporary Paganism is increasingly considered to be the indigenous religion of Europe with the desire to regain what Christianity usurped.;The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of the resurgence of Western Paganism in what has been termed "the religious marketplace" of Western society. Specifically, the study journeys through more than 2000 years of history and attempts to construct a framework for the missiological study of new religions in the context of Western society. The study is a multi-discipline work that examines one contemporary expression of Paganism: Druidry. Through ethnographic research from an etic perspective combined with a historiographic component that examines the continuity between ancient and contemporary expressions of Druidry, the study will provide a prolegomena to a Christian encounter with the revival of a pre-Christian European native religion.;The study begins with an examination of the contemporary religious landscape of Western society by challenging the secularization thesis. The tenacious holding on to old religious beliefs challenges the notion that modernization has ushered in an era of religious unconsciousness. The study demonstrates that Westerners continue to be very religious and the form of this religiosity is congruent with the spirituality of contemporary Druids.;The study discusses factors that have contributed to the resurgence of Druidry in Western society. Through a phenomenological analysis, the study examines the relationship between contemporary expressions of Druidry and the pre-Christian religion. Finally, the study concludes with some theological and missiological implications for Christianity in light of the resurgence of Druidry.