Sociology of Religion - current issue

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2008 Association for the Sociology of Religion Presidential Address * Encounters in the Heartland: What Studying Rural Churches Taught Me about Working across Differences

Neitz, M. J. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

The story of declining rural churches is a powerful one. A story of declining rural churches in declining communities is engaging on both the cognitive and emotional levels and leads the hearer into the powerful narrative of modernization. Yet, it is a story that neglects the migration trends into more rural areas. I argue that narrative of declining rural churches is a story about moral order, an emotional story imbued with a sense of loss for a world inconsistent with the world in which most of us live our lives. I suggest that the persistence of this story is an expression of the ambivalence some people feel about modern life, as they choose new ways of doing things that work for them, but at the same time, imagine a loss of the emotional connection embedded in the old ways. I suggest we move to thinking about these individual rural communities as borderlands in the way that Gloria Anzaldua uses the term, and to describe what happens in communities—when established residents invite newcomers into their churches—as encounters. Furthermore, I show that how the work of ethnographers takes place inside of the borderland, and is part of the process of encounter. Finally, I argue that for all participants, encounters bring with them the possibility of change.

2008 Paul Hanly Furfey Lecture * Principle: The Hummingbird and the Sloth

HedgeCoke, A. A. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

2007 Robert J. McNamara Student Paper Award Winner * Leadership Compensation in Christian Nonprofits

Scheitle, C. P. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Christian nonprofits have an important place in the religious landscape of the United States. They are providing a wide range of goods and services to individuals, congregations, and even denominations. Despite their substantial and growing influence, we know little about how these organizations are using the billions of dollars they collectively receive. I examine one issue that is frequently of interest to both scholars and the public. Using new data on over 1,900 Christian nonprofits, the analysis looks at leadership compensation in these organizations. I focus on how organizational resources, internal and external monitoring, and leadership power influence whether and how much Christian nonprofits compensate their leaders. Resources and leadership power are found to be positively associated with the amount of compensation given to leaders in Christian nonprofits, while monitoring does not have a significant association.

Does Negative Interaction in the Church Increase Psychological Distress? Longitudinal Findings from the Presbyterian Panel Survey

Ellison, C. G., Zhang, W., Krause, N., Marcum, J. P. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

This study examines the effects of negative interaction in church on psychological distress. After outlining a series of theoretical arguments linking negative interaction with health and well-being, relevant hypotheses are tested using longitudinal data from two surveys of the 1997–1999 Presbyterian Panel, a nationwide panel of members and elders (lay leaders) in congregations of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Findings confirm that negative interaction appears to foster or exacerbate distress over the study period. In addition, specific dimensions of social negativity have distinctive effects; the impact of criticisms on distress surface only in cross-sectional models, while the effects of excessive demands emerge only in the longitudinal models. No subgroup variations in these effects are detected. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to (a) research on religion and health and (b) congregational life, and a number of promising directions for future research are elaborated.

An Anchor and a Sail: Christian Meditation as the Mechanism for a Pluralist Religious Identity

Mermis-Cava, J. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

This study examines the religious identity project of an interdenominational association of Christians who practice a ritual called "Christian Meditation." While maintaining denominational affiliation, Christian meditators also employ the symbolic boundary of religious pluralism to demarcate their religious identity. They must therefore balance their sense of openness with denominational commitment. Within their identification as Christian meditators, these individuals not only surmount this challenge, but paradoxically also enhance and increase denominational activity. This paper utilizes data from participant observation, in-depth interviews, and supplementary sources to explain how this is accomplished. Compared with Dillon's (Michele Dillon, 1999. Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith, and Power. New York: Cambridge University Press) finding that "core" traditions can be used to transform religious identity, I argue that the "invented tradition" (Eric Hobsbawn. 1983. "Introduction: Inventing Traditions." The Invention of Tradition, edited by E. Hobsbawn and T. Ranger. New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–14) of Christian Meditation also serves this purpose. Via its multidimensional structure of meaning, the ritual simultaneously operates as an anchor that maintains, enhances, and promotes denominational activity and a sail that allows institutional boundaries to be crossed.

Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement

Bowler, C. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Plain Diversity: Amish Cultures and Identities

Brenneman, R. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Holy Hills of the Ozarks: Religion and Tourism in Branson, Missouri

Coats, C. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Teenage Witches: Magical Youth and the Search for the Self

Eller, C. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Reason to Believe: Cultural Agency in Latin American Evangelicalism

Nepstad, S. E. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

In the Course of a Lifetime: Tracing Religious Belief, Practice, and Change

Nielsen, M. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Divine Hierarchies: Class in American Religion and Religious Studies

Rhodes, J. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

Public Pulpits: Methodists and Mainline Churches in the Moral Argument of Public Life

Spickard, J. V. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REVIEWERS

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST

ASR News & Announcements

Swatos, W. H. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:56 PST