Sociology Religion

Based in the idea that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, Empty Churches studies the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition. Coeditors Jan Stets, a social psychologist, and James Heft, a historian of theology, bring together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and pastoral theology.

Hoy la Iglesia vive una situación muy difícil. ¿Se trata de otra de las muchas crisis que ha vivido el cristianismo o de un declive definitivo? Crisis no quiere decir necesariamente final, argumenta Riccardi en este impecable y minucioso retrato de la iglesia actual. La crisis puede ser una oportunidad para abrirse al futuro, renacer, sabiendo que el gran riesgo consiste en contentarse con sobrevivir o en añorar un pasado que se cree mejor. Hoy, la iglesia está llamada a una condición de lucha, esta vez no contra enemigos externos sino contra la indiferencia y el descrédito.

Philip Gardiner has spent his life on a crusade uncovering the truth behind myths, legends and ancient mysteries. Author of the best selling Secrets of the Serpent and The Ark, the Shroud and Mary, the author now delves into another aspect of the human enigma with Secret Societies. In Secret Societies, Gardiner's quest is to uncover truths and secrets of the world's most powerful men in history.

Nationally recognized speaker and church leader Jay Augustine demonstrates that the church is called and equipped to model reconciliation, justice, diversity, and inclusion. This book develops three uses of the term "reconciliation": salvific, social, and civil. Augustine examines the intersection of the salvific and social forms of reconciliation through an engagement with Paul's letters and uses the Black church as an exemplar to connect the concept of salvation to social and political movements.

This intriguing collection of essays presents reflections upon the birth, proliferation, enduring appeal, and future of UFO mythology. Highly respected authors and researchers, representing the varied and sometimes competing perspectives of ufology and the sociology of religion, provide a fascinating and instructive voyage into the exotic social worlds of UFOs, abductees, and contactees.

Il fenomeno della spiritualità contemporanea è dilagante: tutte le palestre propongono corsi di yoga, in edicola e nei supermercati campeggiano libri e rivisti sugli angeli e la reincarnazione, le bacheche Facebook brulicano di 'meme' sul pensiero positivo, l'anima, l'ascolto del cuore.

Police shootings and protests have filled the news in recent years, leaving us with no illusions that America is free of racial problems. Skin and Blood invites us to look honestly at both White sins and Black sins…and to look hopefully at the red blood of Jesus, which is their only cure.

John Seel suggests survival strategies - communication on-ramps for genuine human connection with the next generation. It can be done.

Max Weber gilt als Mitbegründer der Disziplin der Soziologie. Sein Werk "Die protestantische Ethik" war wegweisend, da zum ersten Mal versucht wurde, die ökonomischen Triebkräfte der Religionen zu analysieren. Ein faszinierendes Stück Zeitgeschichte, noch heute!

Charles Colcock Jones, Sr. (1804-1863) was a Presbyterian clergyman, educator, missionary, and planter of Liberty County, Georgia. Jones’ book The Religious Instruction of the Negroes in the United States (1842) is an extended plea to White ministers and slave owners to attend to the spiritual needs of slaves and free Blacks. Part one provides a history of slavery and religion in the United States from 1620 to 1842. Part two discusses the moral and religious conditions of slaves and free blacks, while Part three calls on the Christian church to address these conditions.

High on God gives the first robust and plausible explanation for why megachurches have conquered the churchgoing market of America. Without condescension or exaggeration, the authors show the genius of megachurches: the power of charisma, the design of facilities, the training of leaders, the emotional dynamics, and the strategies that bring people together and lead them to serve and help others.

Today, many Jewish Americans are embracing a dual religious identity, practicing Buddhism while also staying connected to their Jewish roots. This book tells the story of Judaism's encounter with Buddhism in the United States, showing how it has given rise to new contemplative forms within American Judaism - and shaped the way Americans understand and practice Buddhism. Taking listeners from the 19th century to today, Emily Sigalow traces the history of these two traditions in America and explains how they came together.

Many bemoan the decline of the church. We hear a steady stream of reports about how droves of people, especially younger generations, are abandoning Christianity. But new research shows that unchurched Americans are surprisingly more receptive and open to the Christian faith than is commonly assumed. Researcher and practitioner Rick Richardson unveils the findings of the Billy Graham Center Institute's groundbreaking studies on the unchurched.

In this audiobook, renowned sociologist Rodney Stark offers a decisive, God-centered theory of religion. Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter of Why God? builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies.

Re-issued in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the mass suicides at Jonestown, this revised edition of David Chidester's path-breaking book features a new prologue that considers the meaning of the tragedy for a post-Waco, post-9/11 world.

There is a war going on for the future of our country. Most people know that. What they may not know is that if Christians lose, the result won't merely be enduring public policy we disagree with, it will be a prison sentence for those who oppose it. We've all seen the attack coming. First the Supreme Court said kids can't pray in school. Then the Ten Commandments were ripped from the classrooms.

The idea of the United States as a Christian nation is a powerful, seductive, and potentially destructive theme in American life, culture, and politics. Many fundamentalist and evangelical leaders routinely promote this notion, and millions of Americans simply assume the Christian character of the United States.

In this graphic, thought-provoking book, Ed Griffin-Nolan depicts the experiences of Witness for Peace (WFP), a group of Americans who bore witness to the war in Nicaragua - an event that resulted in the killing and wounding of many innocent Central American civilians. Griffin-Nolan explains how WFP participants spent weeks in the war zones in order to understand the impact of U.S. policy on simple people living, as one member of the group phrased it, "at the end of a gun barrel."

Less and less Christian demographically, America is now home to an ever-larger number of people who say they identify with no religion at all. These non-Christians have increasingly been demanding their full participation in public life, bringing their arguments all the way to the Supreme Court. The law is on their side, but that doesn't mean that their attempts are not met with suspicion or outright hostility.

Religionen werden maßgeblich durch ihre Medien geprägt – z. B. Judentum, Christentum und Islam von ihren jeweiligen Alphabeten und dem darauf basierenden Denken. Digitalisierung bedeutet daher auch, dass Kirchen und Religionen immer weniger als unabhängige Akteure erscheinen, sondern als Varianten von "Religion" insgesamt wahrgenommen werden. Gegen den Trend zur globalen Vereinheitlichung stemmen sich religiöse Fundamentalisten, die seriöse Wissenschaften, freiheitliche Gesellschaften und andere Religionen bekämpfen.