Recent Developments and Current Controversies in the Sociology of Religion

Abstract

▪ Abstract The sociology of religion is experiencing a period of substantial organizational and intellectual growth. Recent theoretical and empirical papers on the sociology of religion appearing in top journals in sociology have generated both interest and controversy. We begin with a selective overview of research on religious beliefs and commitments. Second, we investigate the influence of religion on politics, the family, health and well-being, and on free space and social capital. Finally, we review rational choice theories in the sociology of religion and the controversies surrounding applications of these perspectives.

Conservative Protestants and Wealth: How Religion Perpetuates Asset Poverty

“…Notably, this research shows that conservative Protestants (CPs) are dramatically overrepresented in the bottom of the wealth distribution-particularly on measures of financial asset ownership-independent of family background (Keister 2003a(Keister , 2005. CPs are members of churches with relatively traditional religious beliefs who accept the Bible as the inerrant word of God, value personal conversion experiences, and emphasize the importance of the Christian faith to social issues (Sherkat and Ellison 1999;Woodberry and Smith 1998). Some of the larger and more widelyrecognized CP denominations are Assembly of God, Baptist, Churches of Christ, Church of God in Christ, Nazarene, and Pentecostal.…”

“…Religion affects orientations toward education and educational attainment (Darnell and Sherkat 1997;Lehrer 1999). It influences sexuality and fertility, including such factors as the onset of sexual activity, the age of a woman at her first birth, and family size (Marcum 1981(Marcum , 1986Sherkat and Ellison 1999). Religion affects parenting styles and relationships between parents and their children (Bartkowski and Ellison 1995;Ellison, Bartkowsi, and Segal 1996;Ellison and Sherkat 1993).…”

“…There is long-standing evidence that religion affects education (Glenn and Hyland 1967;Greeley 1969;Lenski 1961), and recent research shows that CPs complete comparatively low levels of schooling (Darnell and Sherkat 1997;Sherkat and Ellison 1999). CP cultural orientations tend to be at odds with the approaches of nonreligious schools and universities that propagate secular humanist values (Sikkink 1999) and promote scientific investigation rather than acceptance of divine truths (Darnell and Sherkat 1997).…”

“…CP cultural orientations tend to be at odds with the approaches of nonreligious schools and universities that propagate secular humanist values (Sikkink 1999) and promote scientific investigation rather than acceptance of divine truths (Darnell and Sherkat 1997). As a result, some CPs home-school their children or send them to Christian schools (Sherkat and Ellison 1999). While the majority of CPs have remained involved in public schools (Sherkat and Ellison 1999), they appear to follow advice from church leaders who discourage attendance at secular colleges and universities.…”

Religion, weight perception, and weight control behavior

“…Religion may be related to decreased weight control behavior through offering the religious adherent an alternative source of control other than the body. Communicating with deity through prayer, meditation, and song serves to increase perceived control by offering a means through which the believer can petition for changes in circumstances that would otherwise seem beyond their control (Ellison & Levin, 1998;Sherkat & Ellison, 1999).…”