This text is a translation of the fifth chapter from the book "Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason" by John Milbank. This chapter is devoted to theological criticism of sociology of religion. The author analyses approaches to religion by Durkheim, Weber, Parsons, Berger, Luckmann, Bellah, Luhmann, Turner, as well as anthropological concepts of religion by C. Geertz and M. Douglas. Special attention is devoted to functionalism in biblical criticism and historiography of early Christianity (one can find analysis of works by N. Gottwald, P. Brown and W. Meeks). From author’s point of view, "as a ‘science of the sublime’, sociology is locked into the paradox of the Kantian critique of metaphysics and of any claims to the representation of the absolute". Author wants to show that "all twentieth century sociology of religion can be exposed as a secular policing of the sublime" and that this sociology of religion is manifestation of "secular will-to-power".