clipped from: www.press.uchicago.edu The challenges I face in the Religious Studies classroom today are unlike any I have encountered in more than three decades of teaching. While it has never been more important to study religion critically than it is today, it has never been more difficult to do so. The respect for religious studies has lessened precisely at the time when we need it the most. Whether or not we are in the midst of a fourth Great Awakening, more students are practicing traditional forms of religion today than at any time in the recent past. One might assume that with religion playing such an important role in their personal lives, not to speak of its geopolitical significance, students would be flocking to courses in religion. But this is not happening. To the contrary, it seems that the more religious people become, the less willing they are to engage in critical reflection about their faith.