1 MARBURG JOURNAL OF RELIGION, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2018) The ‘Logic’ of Mediatization Theory in Religion: A critical consideration of a new paradigm 1 Oliver Krüger Abstract The concept of mediatization was introduced to research on religion a decade ago by several scholars of communication: Hepp, Hjarvard and Sá Martino. The approach is controversial and has been debated in religious studies and beyond. This article critically analyses the core elements of mediatization theory in religion. These elements are the dating and measurement of mediatization, the secularization and the concept of ‘banal religion,’ the understanding of ‘religion’ and of ‘media,’ and the process of deterritorialization. This analysis questions the empirical evidence for and the theoretical consistency of the mediatization approach. Finally, some alternative research perspectives are presented. About the Author Oliver Krüger is the Chair for Religious Studies in the Social Science Department at Fribourg University (Switzerland). He specializes in sociology of religion, media and religion as well as post-/transhumanism. Major publications are: Virtualität und Unsterblichkeit. Die Visionen des Posthumanismus, Rombach Verlag: Freiburg 2004; Die mediale Religion, transcript: Bielefeld 2012. 1. The Debate on Mediation and Mediatization There is no doubt that today’s religions – at both the institutional and the individual levels – make use, to a lesser or greater extent, of various media. Of course, common media institutions such as newspapers, TV and YouTube channels also cover religious topics when their audiences expect it. After an explorative period stimulated mostly by the pioneering work of Stewart M. Hoover in the US (1988, 1998), today, scholars of theology, religious studies and communication studies in Europe are very interested in the field of religion and media (e.g. Hjarvard/Lövheim 2012; Hojsgaard/Warburg 2005; Krüger 2012; Mitchell 2012). 2