Sociology of Religion

This clear introduction to the sociology of religion combines a discussion of key theorists with a modern emphasis on the diversity of religious beliefs and practices. Malcolm Hamilton's expanded second edition brings the discussion fully up-to-date, and extends its material on secularization and religious sects, giving a broad comparative view. Drawing on the insights of history, anthropology and sociology, he surveys classic and contemporary theory to give a full picture of the variety and scope of theoretical perspectives.

Religion is a critical construct for understanding contemporary social life. It illuminates the everyday experiences and practices of many individuals, is a significant component of diverse institutional processes including politics, gender relations, and socioeconomic inequality, and plays a vital role in public culture and social change. This handbook showcases current research and thinking in the sociology of religion. The contributors, all active writers and researchers int eh area, provide original chapters focusing on select aspects of their own engagement with the field. Aimed at students and scholars who want to know more about the sociology of religion, this handbook also provides a resource for sociologists in general by integrating broader questions of sociology (e.g. demography, ethnicity, life course, inequality, political sociology) into the analysis of religion. Broadly inclusive of traditional research topics (modernity, secularization, politics) as well as newer interests (feminism, spirituality, faith-based community action), this handbook illustrates the validity of diverse theoretical perspectives and research designs to understanding the multilayered nature of religion as a sociological phenomenon.

An exploration of how globalization affects the evolving roles of religion in the Americas.

Twenty-eight scholars, many of them well known in the sociology of religion, examine a variety of faith traditions and sociological topics that illustrate the connection between religion and society in many different countries at the dawn of the 21st century. The faith traditions include Judaism, Roman Catholicism, evangelical and mainstream Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism, Yoruba religion, Chinese religion, and several new religious movements, including a UFO cult in Quebec.

Preface Issues and Interfaces Faith, Facts, and Values in the Sociology of Religion by Benton Johnson Sociology, Christianity,, and Humanity by Jack O. Balswick Theology and Sociology Theology Lessons for Sociology by Ronald J. McAllister The Sociological Theory of H. Richard Niebuhr by William R. Garrett A Sociological and Fraternal Perspective on James M. Gustafson's Ethics by Paul M. Gustafson Ethics and the Image of Self in the Theology of Story by L. Shannon Jung The Sociology of Faith On Freedom, Love, and Community by George A. Hillery, Jr. The Power of Prayer: Observations and Possibilities by William H. Swatos, Jr. The Invisible Religion of Catholic Charismatics by Pierre Hegy Militant Religion by Eugen Schonfeld Applying Religious Sociology The Psychological Captivitiy of Evangelicalism by Jack O. Balswick Clinical Pastoral Sociology by William H. Swatos, Jr. Bibliography Index Contributors

American society is culturally diverse with a variety of religious denominations, sects, cults, and self-help groups vying for members. This volume analyzes nine of these groups, chosen both for their intrinsic interest and because they illustrate a variety of sociological concepts. The groups included in this study are: Heaven's Gate, Jesus People USA, the Love Family, The Farm, Amish Women, Scientology, El Nino Fidencio, Santeria, and Freedom Park. The contributors are social scientists with first-hand knowledge of the groups they examine.

Peter Berger is the most influential contemporary sociologist of religion. This collection of essays is the first in-depth study of his contribution to the field, providing a comprehensive introduction to his work and to current thought in the study of religion. Themes addressed include:* Berger on religion and theology* Religion, spirituality and the discontents of modernity* Secularization and de-secularizationA postscript by Peter Berger, responding to the essays, completes this overview of this major figure's work.

This book provides a critical sociology of religion in Latin America. It discusses the notion of religion as part of social, cultural, and political processes in capitalist societies, drawing on the classics of sociological thought (Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Gramsci). Thus, churches are analyzed as organized institutions of religious mediation intimately linked to the production of social, cultural, and political hegemony in Latin America. The Catholic Church, the dominant church in the region, is analyzed in terms of its transformations from conquest and colonization through the changing winds of Vatican II to the revolutionary experiences of the popular church in the seventies and eighties.