"In Lloyd Geering's most controversial book so far, he examines the world at the end of the twentieth century, with the wisdom of a man who has lived through much of it. The Christian era is coming to an end: after two thousand years the religious faith which shaped western civilisation has been found wanting. After examining the reasons for Christianity's decline, the author writes eloquently about the likely shape of the global future. People everywhere will recognise his concerns at the turn of the century -- the fragility of the environment, the population explosion, the conflict of cultures, the deepening poverty, the ongoing nuclear threat. This is a book about endings, and about potential catastrophes. Yet Lloyd Geering also offers hope ... he sketches a future global society arising out of our increasing awareness of the current human predicament and of our dependence on the earth. The evolution of global consciousness could provide the spiritual dimension of the coming global culture, and enable the eartyh and its inhabitants to survive. The future of this "world to come" is in our hands." -- Back cover.