Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 1996

The Eclipse of Eternity

A Sociology of the Afterlife

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Introduction

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 1-7
  3. The Afterlife: A Theological Survey

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 9-25
  4. The Afterlife: Popular Beliefs Today

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 27-48
  5. Secularisation and the Terror of Death

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 49-68
  6. Idealist and Materialist Explanations

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 69-77
  7. Medicine: The Secularisation of Hope

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 79-90
  8. Loss: The Secularisation of Meaning

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 117-130
  9. Retrospect and Prospect

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 131-136
  10. Pastoral Care

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 137-148
  11. Heavens on Earth

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 149-160
  12. Ethics without Eternity

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 161-171
  13. The Reappearance of the Hereafter

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 173-189
  14. The Eclipse of Eternity

    • Tony Walter
    Pages 191-195
  15. Back Matter

    Pages 197-222

About this book

Many people still believe in life after death, but modern institutions operate as though this were the only world - eternity is now eclipsed from view in society and even in the church. This book carefully observes the eclipse - what caused it, how full is it, what are its consequences, will it last? How significant is recent interest in near-death experiences and reincarnation?

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Sociology, University of Reading, UK

    Tony Walter

About the author

TONY WALTER

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access