Religion in Sociological Perspective, 6e
Pub Date: 8/4/15
Religion in Sociological Perspective
Keith A. Roberts, Hanover College
David Yamane,Wake Forest University
ISBN:9781452275826
Pub Date:8/4/15Price:$72 Page Count: 496
Availability Dates
Sample Chapters: 4, 10, 11
Page Proofs: 7/4/15
Ancillaries: Yes
Sample Syllabi: Yes
Course Cartridge: No
Coursesmart: No
Interactive E-book: No
ANCILLARY GUIDE
Instructor Resource Site Online resources are available at and include a password-protectedInstructor Resourcesfeaturing a comprehensive test bank, active-learning instructional strategies, suggested films and videos, course assignments and projects, term paper projects, expanded chapter material from the previous edition, and a sample syllabi.
TABLE OF CONTENTS – SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON
FIFTH EDITION / SIXTH EDITIONPreface xi
Resources for Instructors xiii
A Unique Program Supporting Teaching of Sociology xiv
Acknowledgments xiv
About the Authors xvi
PART I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION 1
1. What Do We Mean by the Term Religion? 3
Substantive Definitions 4
Functional Definitions 6
A Symbolic Definition 8
The Concept of Religion as Employed in This Text 11
Distinction Between Religion and Magic 12
Spiritual But Not Religious? 15
A Final Word About Definitions 18
Summary 18
2. A Social Scientific Perspective on Religion 19
The Sociological Perspective 21
Sociological Methods of Studying Religion 23
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis 24
Interviewing 28
Participant Observation 30
Content Analysis 34
Historical–Comparative Analysis 35
Experimentation 37
Triangulation 38
Summary 39
PART II. THE COMPLEXITY OF RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS: INTEGRATION AND CONFLICT 41
3. Religion in the Larger Society: Macro Perspectives 43
Functional Theory and the Functions of Religion 44
Functional and Structural Functional Analysis 44
The Functions of Religion 47
Dysfunctions of Religion and the Diversity of Consequences 50
Problems With Functional Analysis 51
Conflict Theory and Religious Conflict 52
Conflict as a Source of Social Disruption 52
Conflict as a Source of Integration 56
Conflict as a Source of Change 57
Conflict as a Pervasive Element in All Social Life 58
Problems With Conflict Analysis 59
Toward Synthesis: An Open Systems Model 60
Summary 65
4. The Cultural Construction of Religion: Experience, Myth, Ritual, Symbols, and Worldview 66
The Social Construction of Reality 67
Experience of the Holy 68
Myth and Ritual 74
Myth 74
Ritual 76
Relationship Between Myth and Ritual 81
The Importance of Symbols 82
Worldview, Ethos, and Symbols 84
Summary 89
PART III. RELIGION IN THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS 91
5. Becoming and Being Religious 93
Religious Socialization and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion 94
Social Learning Theory 95
Channeling Through Peers and Schools 97
Religion Over the Life Course 97
Adolescence 98
Emerging Adulthood 98
Mature Adulthood 99
Later Life 100
Age, Cohort, and Generational Effects on Religion 100
A Multidimensional Model of Commitment 106
Instrumental Commitment 106
Affective Commitment 108
Moral Commitment 110
Religion and Identity 112
Official and Nonofficial Religion 117
Summary 120
6. Conversion and Switching 122
Conversion, Brainwashing, and the New Religious Movements 123
Process Models of Conversion 125
Predisposing Conditions 126
Situational Contingencies 127
Critique and Evolution of Lofland’s Process Model 128
Religious Choices and Commitments: A Rational Choice Model 130
The Convert and Active Choice 131
Religious Choices: Costs and Benefits in a Supply and Demand “Market” 131
“Switching” Among Denominations 134
Switching by Individuals and Families 137
Switching and the Growth or Decline of Religious Bodies 141
Religious “Nones” 145(Now in Ch. 5)
Summary 146
PART IV. FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 149
7. Organized Religion: Churches, Sects, Denominations, and “Cults” 151
Charisma and the Charismatic Leader 152
The Routinization of Charisma 153
Dilemmas of Institutionalization 156
The Dilemma of Mixed Motivation 156
The Symbolic Dilemma: Objectification Versus Alienation 157
The Dilemma of Administrative Order: Elaboration of Policy Versus Flexibility 159
The Dilemma of Delimitation: Concrete Definition Versus Substitution of the Letter for the Spirit 160
The Dilemma of Power: Conversion Versus Coercion 161
Institutional Dilemmas and Social Context 161
Classifying Religious Organizations 164
The Church–Sect Typology 165
Early Formulations and Process Approaches 165
Single-Variable Models 168
Yinger’s Multilinear Evolution Model 170
Social Conditions That Generate Each Type of Group 172
New Religious Movements, aka “Cults” 175
Summary 183
8. Organized Religion: Denominationalism and Congregationalism 185
The Denominational Society 187
Theology and Social Processes in the Proliferation of Denominations 188
Beyond Denominations? 191
Transdenominational Evangelicalism 191
Nondenominationalism194
Paradenominational Groups and Organizations 195
Denominations and De Facto Congregationalism 196
Congregational Demography 199
What Do Congregations Do? 201
Megachurches 205
“New Paradigm” and “Seeker” Churches: Congregations With a Marketing Strategy 206
The Audience: Targeting Markets 208
Creating an Appealing “Product” 209
Pragmatism About Methods and an Uncompromising Message 211
Summary 213
PART V. RELIGION AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY 215
9. Religion and Class Stratification 217
Religious Ethics and Economic Action 217
Weber’s Protestant Ethic Thesis 217
After the Protestant Ethic 226
Social Class and Religious Involvement: Interactive Processes 228
Social Class and Religious Affiliation Today 228
Socioeconomic Status and Style of Religiosity 233
Summary 235
10. Religion and Race 236
Race, Ethnicity, and Religious Identification 237
Racial Segregation in Congregations 241
Explaining Congregational Racial Segregation 241
Religion and Racial Prejudice 243
Racism as a Worldview 244
Sources of Racial Prejudice in Christianity 246
Meaning Factors 246
Belonging Factors 252
Institutional Factors 254
Social Conflict and Religious Expression: The Conflict Perspective 258
Summary 259
11. Religion, Gender, and Sexuality 261
Gender and Religious Involvement 262
Feminization of Religion 264
Religion and Risk Tolerance 265
The Religious Meaning System and Sexism 266
A Historical Overview of Gender Attitudes in Western Christianity 267
Religious Belonging Systems and Gendered We Versus They Thinking 271
Religion and Institutional Sexism 272
Ordination of Women 273
The Organizational Survival Impulse and Women Clergy 274
Open Systems, Comparison Communities, and Religious Gender Roles 276
Religion, Individual Gender Role Attitudes, and the Social Construction of Difference 279
Negotiating Gender Barriers in Religious Communities 280
Religion, Gender, and Homosexuality 283
Heterosexism, Homophobia, and Religious Systems 283
Religious Divisions Over Homosexuality 285
Summary 290
12. Religion, Inequality, and Social Activism 292
Theology as Social Ideology 293
Alignment of Theodicy and Economic Position 294
Theological and Class Realignments in a Postindustrial Age 300
Theology and Financial Self-Interests in Conflict 301
Religion and Minority Status 303
Is Religion an Opiate for the Oppressed? 303
Theodicies and Levels of Activism 305
Religion in the African American Community 312
The Unique Character of the Black Christian Experience 313
Religion of the Oppressed and Coded Messages: The Black Spiritual 316
The Leadership Role of the African American Minister 318
New Religious Movements in the African American Community 319
African American Religion: Present Themes and Future Trends 321
Summary 322
PART VI. SOCIAL CHANGE AND RELIGIOUS ADAPTATION 323
13. Secularization: Religion in Decline or in Transformation? 325
Traditional Models of Secularization 326
Secularization as Religious Decline: Loss of Sacredness and Decline of Social Consensus 327
Secularization as Religious Evolution and Development: Increased Complexity of Thought and Greater Religious Autonomy 328
The “New” Paradigm 330
Neosecularization Theory 336
Secularization at Various Levels of Social Analysis 336
Overview 338
Civil Religion 342
Civil Religion in the United States 343
Summary 346
14. Religion Outside the (God) Box 348
Religion and the “Old” Media 349
Print Publishing 350
Radio 351
Televangelism 351
Religion and the “New Media” 357
Religion Online: Producing and Accessing Information 358
Online Religion: Practicing Faith on the Web 361
Religion and Sport 363
Muscular Christianity and the YMCA 364
Evangelical Protestant Sports Ministries 366
Religion and Spirituality at the Individual Level 367
Invisible Religions 368(Now in Ch. 1)
Quasi-Religious Movements 370
Summary 374
15. Religion and Globalization 375
The Globalization Process 377
The Emergence of Global Theologies 379
Impact of Globalization on Traditional Religions 383
Diffusion of Modernization and Religious Response 383
World Population Patterns and Religious Consequences 389
The Role of Religion in International Politics 394
Diffusion of Western Religion and Consequences in International Politics 394
Transnational Versus Autocephalous Religious Organizations 396
Religion, Local, or Ethnic Identity and World Peace 396
Toward a Global Civil Religion? 401
Summary 403
Epilogue. The Sociological Perspective on Religion: A Concluding Comment 405
Bibliography 407
Credits 437
Name Index 439
Subject Index 443 / Preface xi
About the Authors xvi
PART I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION 1
1. What Do We Mean by the Term Religion? 2
Substantive Definitions 3
Functional Definitions 6
A Symbolic Definition 8
Distinction Between Religion and Magic 11
Invisible Religion 13(Previously in Ch. 14)
Spiritual but Not Religious? 17
The Concept of Religion as Employed in This Text 20
A Final Word About Definitions 22
Summary 23
2. A Social Scientific Approach to Studying Religion 25
The Sociological Perspective 27
Sociological Methods of Studying Religion 29
Survey Research and Statistical Analysis 29
Interviewing 35
Participant Observation 38
Content Analysis 42
Historical–Comparative Analysis 45
Experimentation 45
Triangulation 47
Summary 48
PART II. THE COMPLEXITY OF RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS: INTEGRATION AND CONFLICT 49
3. Religion in the Larger Society: Macro Perspectives 50
Functional Theory and the Functions of Religion 51
Functional and Structural Functional Analysis 51
The Functions of Religion 54
Dysfunctions of Religion and the Diversity of Consequences 59
Problems With Functional Analysis 60
Conflict Theory and Religious Conflict 61
Conflict as a Source of Social Disruption 61
Conflict as a Source of Integration 67
Conflict as a Source of Change 68
Conflict as a Pervasive Element in All Social Life 69
Problems With Conflict Analysis 71
Toward Synthesis: An Open Systems Model 71
Summary 76
4. The Cultural Construction of Religion: Experience, Myth, Ritual, Symbols, and Worldview 78
The Social Construction of Reality 79
The Experiential Dimension of Religion 80
Myth and Ritual 85
Myth 86
Ritual 89
Relationship Between Myth and Ritual 92
The Importance of Symbols 93
Worldview, Ethos, and Symbols 94
Summary 99
PART III. RELIGION IN THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS 101
5. Becoming and Being Religious 102
Religious Socialization and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion 103
Social Learning Theory 105
Channeling Through Peers and Schools 107
Religion Over the Life Course 108
Adolescence 109
Emerging Adulthood 109
Mature Adulthood 111
Later Life 111
Age, Cohort, and Generational Effects on Religion 112
A Multidimensional Model of Commitment 117
Moral Commitment 117
Instrumental Commitment 118
Affective Commitment 120
A Commitment Dilemma for Liberal Faith Communities 122
Religion and Identity 123
Religious “Nones” 128(Previously in Ch. 6)
Summary 131
6. Conversion and Switching 132
Conversion, Brainwashing, and the New Religious Movements 133
Process Models of Conversion 135
Predisposing Conditions 135
Situational Contingencies 137
Critique and Evolution of Lofland’s Process Model 138
Religious Choices and Commitments: A Rational Choice Model 138
The Convert and Active Choice 139
Religious Choices: Costs and Benefits in a Supply and Demand “Market” 139
Religious “Switching” 144
Explaining Religious Switching 147
Switching and the Growth or Decline of Religious Bodies 148
Apostasy 152
Summary 156
PART IV. FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS 157
7. Organized Religion: Churches, Sects, Denominations, and “Cults” 158
Charisma and the Charismatic Leader 159
The Routinization of Charisma 160
Dilemmas of Institutionalization 163
The Dilemma of Mixed Motivation 163
The Symbolic Dilemma: Objectification Versus Alienation 164
The Dilemma of Administrative Order: Elaboration of Policy Versus Flexibility 165
The Dilemma of Delimitation: Concrete Definition Versus Substitution of the Letter for the Spirit 167
The Dilemma of Power: Conversion Versus Coercion 167
Institutional Dilemmas and Social Context 168
Classifying Religious Organizations 170
The Church–Sect Typology 170
Classical Distinctions 170
The Church and Sect as Open and Closed Systems 174
Yinger’s Multilinear Evolution Model 175
Social Conditions That Generate Each Type of Group 176
New Religious Movements, aka “Cults” 178
Summary 185
8. Organized Religion: Denominationalism and Congregationalism 187
The Denominational Society 189
Theology and Social Processes in the Proliferation of Denominations 190
Beyond Denominations? 193
Transdenominational Evangelicalism 193
Nondenominationalism195
Denominations and De Facto Congregationalism 196
Congregational Demography 199
What Do Congregations Do? 201
Megachurches 204
Multi-Site Churches 206
“New Paradigm” and “Seeker” Churches: Congregations With a Marketing Strategy 209
The Audience: Targeting Markets 211
Creating an Appealing “Product” 212
Pragmatism About Methods and an Uncompromising Message 215
Summary 220
PART V. RELIGION AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY 223
9. Religion, Economics, and Social Class 224
Religious Ethics and Economic Action 225
Weber’s Protestant Ethic Thesis 225
The Prosperity Gospel and Modern Capitalism 231
Social Class and Religious Involvement: Interactive Processes 235
Religion and Social Class Stratification 235
Religion and Social Stratification Outcomes 236
Explaining the Connection Between Religion and Social Stratification 240
Socioeconomic Status and Style of Religiosity 244
Summary 246
10. Religion and Race 248
Race, Ethnicity, and Religious Identification 250
Racial Segregation in Congregations 253
Explaining Congregational Racial Segregation 255
Religion, Racial Prejudice, and Racism as a Worldview 258
Religion and Prejudice 258
Racism as a Worldview 259
Sources of Racism in Christianity 260
Meaning Factors 260
Belonging Factors 267
Institutional Factors 269
Social Conflict and Religious Expression: The Conflict Perspective 272
Summary 274
11. Religion, Gender, and Sexuality 276
Gender and Religious Involvement 277
Feminization of Religion 279
Religion and Risk Tolerance 280
Sexism in the Religious Meaning and Belonging Systems 281
A Historical Overview of Gender Attitudes in Western Christianity 282
Religious Belonging Systems and Gendered “We” Versus “They” Thinking 285
Religion and Institutional Sexism 285
Ordination of Women 286
The Organizational Survival Impulse and Women Clergy 287
Open Systems, Comparison Communities, and Religious Gender Roles 288
Religion, Individual Gender Role Attitudes, and the Social Construction of Difference 291
Negotiating Gender Barriers in Religious Communities 292
Religion and Sexuality 295
Religious Divisions Over Homosexuality 296
LGBTQ Clergy Controversies 303
Religious Divisions Over Same-Sex Marriage 305
Summary 307
12. Religion, Inequality, and Social Activism 309
Theology as Social Ideology 310
Alignment of Theodicy and Economic Position 311
Theological and Class Realignments in a Postindustrial Age 316
Theology and Financial Self-Interests in Conflict 318
Religion and Minority Status 319
Is Religion an Opiate for the Oppressed? 319
Theodicies and Levels of Activism 320
Religion in the African American Community 326
The Unique Character of the Black Christian Experience 328
Religion of the Oppressed and Coded Messages: The Black Spiritual 330
The Leadership Role of the African American Minister 332
New Religious Movements in the African American Community 333
African American Religion: Present Themes and Future Trends 336
Summary 336
PART VI. SOCIAL CHANGE AND RELIGIOUS ADAPTATION 339
13. Secularization: Religion in Decline or in Transformation? 340
Traditional Models of Secularization 341
Secularization as Religious Decline: Loss of Sacredness and Decline of Social Consensus 342
Secularization as Religious Evolution and Development: Increased Complexity of Thought and Greater Religious Autonomy 343
The “New” Paradigm 345
Neosecularization Theory 349
Secularization at Various Levels of Social Analysis 349
Concluding Reflections on Secularization 355
Civil Religion 357
Civil Religion in the United States 358
Summary 361
14. Religion Outside the (God) Box 363
Religion and the “Old” Media 364
Print Publishing 365
Radio 365
Televangelism 366
Religion and the “New Media” 372
Religion Online: Producing and Accessing Information 373
Online Religion: Practicing Faith on the Web 376
Religion and Sport 379
Muscular Christianity and the YMCA 381
Evangelical Protestant Sports Ministries 382
Religion and Spirituality at the Individual Level 383
Quasi-Religious Movements 387
Summary 390
15. Religion and Globalization 391
The Globalization Process 394
World Religions and the Emergence of Global Theologies 396
Impact of Globalization on Religion 402
Diffusion of Modernization and Religious Response 402
World Population Patterns and Religious Consequences 407
The Role of Religion in Global Affairs 413
Nationalism and Violence 413
Humanitarianism and Peace 416
Toward a Global Civil Religion? 417
Summary 418
Epilogue. The Sociological Perspective on Religion: A Concluding Comment 420
Bibliography 422
Name Index 000
Subject Index 000
* What’s New
*What’s moved location
*What’s removed
Many of the changes in the 6th edition are matters of updating data and including recent findings. In fact, we have added over 200 new sources to the bibliography. We also continue to take advantage of the ever greater availability of some very important data sets on religion. These include the National Congregations Study, Hartford Institute’s Faith Communities Today project, National Survey of Youth and Religion, and many surveys undertaken by the Pew Research Center. These are not just updated data but cover new ground in religious life. Therefore, these data play a major role in several chapters.
Major substantive additions to this edition include greater attention to digital religion, multi-site megachurches, prosperity theology and economic inequality, issues of racial integration and sexuality, religious nones and apostasy, religious nationalism and humanitarianism, violence, and peace. We have also added new features on Illustrating Sociological Concepts in 9 chapters, Global Perspectives in 8 chapters, and Doing Research on Religion in 4 chapters. Brand new to this edition are 18 boxed features that point to free online resources available to students, such as downloadable datasets from the American Religion Data Archive, data visualizations on global anti-Semitism, denominational histories, and open access scholarly journals dedicated to digital religion.
Some of the material that has been dropped in this edition—on religion and nationalism in Wales, for example—is now available on this book’s website
If you have any questions, your sales representative is happy to help. You can utilize our Rep Locator to quickly find the contact information for your sales representative.
1
Rollover Kit – 2015