Intra‐Organizational Constraints on Churches' Public Witness

Abstract

We examine the effects of some oft-overlooked influences on clergy public speech, an important component of a church's public witness. While there are many studies of denominational conflict, few studies connect denominational-level conflict with the ways in which clergy address salient public issues to their congregations. We also explore the impact that the presence of a congregant who has struggled with his or her sexuality, that is, the contact hypothesis, has on clergy speech. We test these ideas using 2004 survey data from clergy in Columbus, Ohio concerning their speech on the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage. We find that these intra-organizational constraints shape opinions that in turn affect speech, tempering indirectly the ability of clergy to present concerns about the proposed ban.

Silent Disagreement: Microinteractional Solutions to Moral Dissent Among Catholic Converts

“…The majority of studies on dissent neglect the contexts that shape strategies for managing disagreement. When scholarship does consider institutional contexts, it explores stances of the elite rather than those of average adherents (Ecklund, Park, and Sorrell ; Ellis ; Neiheisel and Djupe ; Olson and Cadge ; Smidt et al. ; Wilde and Danielsen ).…”

Messages from Above: Conflict and Convergence of Messages to the Catholic Voter from the Catholic Church Hierarchy

“…Local factors, such as resources and demand, play a large role in whether congregations follow denominational dictates (Cadge et al 2012; Becker 1999). Indeed, as Djupe and Olson (2010, 275, emphasis in original) note, “While ministering to local concerns might simply involve a particular agenda construction, it also might entail identification with the particular values of the community first and the religious organization second.” Jelen (2003) and Smith (2010) find that priests respond to local pressures in their political actions and congregations make active choices about how to respond to denominational calls for action (Cadge, Olson, and Wildeman 2008; Neiheisel and Djupe 2008). We examine three separate factors that we believe will relate to the provision of political information overall and to the provision of hierarchically consistent information: resources and local and hierarchical demand.…”

Moralizing to the Choir: The Moral Foundations of American Clergy*

“…However, clergy still do often reference controversial issues in public settings (Brewer, Kersh, and Peterson 2003;Djupe and Gilbert 2003;Guth et al 1997), though their intent is of some dispute. Some find good evidence that clergy are rational actors pressing a policy agenda (Calfano 2009(Calfano , 2010, while others find clergy assembling public argumentation consonant with their congregations, which undercuts their potential for persuasion Neiheisel and Djupe 2008).…”

“…Since clergy are also responsible for the success of the congregational franchise, they are often sensitive to the existence of disagreement among congregants (e.g., Djupe and Neiheisel 2008;Neiheisel and Djupe 2008). Here, heterogeneity among congregants may raise the need to emphasize individualizing notions to promote acceptance and social harmony among members.…”