Sociology of Religion Commons^™

The Role Of Christian Higher Education In The Promotion Of Restorative Justice, Steve Winterberg

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

This paper discusses the unique role of Christian higher education in the promotion of restorative justice within the criminal justice system and other systems of discipline. Christian higher education should integrate a faith that is active with all areas of knowledge, producing students who are promoters and practitioners of justice in every area of their lives. Restorative justice provides an opportunity for Christian higher education to live out the purpose of establishing the biblical concept of shalom, which is a peace that requires justice, restored relationships, and responsibility. A critical pedagogy allows for variations in practice, which leads to methods …

Justice, Spirituality, And Education: Working Definitions From Secular, Judeo-Christian, And Biblically-Based Perspectives, June Hetzel, Rachel Beck

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

The issue of justice and social justice has been and still is a controversial topic in society today. A struggle exists both to define and to enact it. The same can be said of the concepts of spirituality and education. The concepts of justice, spirituality, and education intersect in community responsibility, the topic of this journal. A brief examination of the secular, Judeo- Christian, and Biblical definitions of the terms justice, spirituality, and education lends insight, not only into how communities compare and contrast one another in their working definitions of these terms, but also serves to identify commonalities and …

Western Philosophical Conceptions Of Justice, Eric Twisselmann, Fred Ramirez

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

Attempting to survey the various Western philosophical conceptions of justice leading up to recent educational theory within a few pages is a daunting endeavor, to put it mildly. To this end, we will embark on a very brief survey of several key philosophers within the Western tradition, emphasizing with broad brushstrokes the major themes that each have contributed to our current conceptions of social justice. Through this survey, we shall keep a special eye on points of intersection and divergence from a Christian conception of justice in the hope that we can enrich our own tradition with greater understanding and …

Achieving An Ethnically And Racially Diverse Student Population In Higher Education, Christie Curtis, Alexander Jun

Justice, Spirituality & Education Journal

Leaders in higher education continue to pursue the lofty goal of diversifying their college and university environments. Although improvements are evident in larger percentages of racially and ethnically diverse students and faculty on campuses, college and university leaders have much work left to do. The benefits associated with diversifying higher education environments have yet to be fully achieved. This article provides an overview of the diversity issue and identifies its importance not only to the welfare of those invested in higher education but also to the health and well-being of all people groups, nationally and globally. To illuminate the current …

Attitudes Toward Science And Stem Cell Research Based On Religious Worldview: Comparing The Views Of Theists, Naturalists, Skeptics, And Dualists Toward Science As An Institution, Method, And Application Of Knowledge, Jon Van Wieren

Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of attitudes toward science and stem cell research based on religious worldview. This study examines the relationship through General Social Survey data (2006).

Religious worldview is measured here through some of the most common measures of religiosity. This study differs from many other sociological studies of religiosity in that it includes the view of naturalism alongside other religious worldviews, including theism, dualism, and skepticism. Science is understood and measured here as multidimensional. Comparisons are made between attitudes toward science as a social institution, a research method, and as an application of knowledge - where attitudes …

Integral Review Vol 8 No 1 July 2012 Full Issue, Bahman Shirazi

Founders Symposium

The articles in this special issue of INTEGRAL REVIEW highlight selected contributions to the 2011 Symposium on Integral Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) (www.ciis.edu ). This annual symposium provides a forum for CIIS community members and friends to exchange and deepen their understanding of integral consciousness, its evolution, and its relationship to the current planetary challenges and transformational processes. Each year there are several themes covered in a variety of presentation formats: keynote and standard presentations, as well as a number of interactive sessions and workshops.

Faith, Race-Ethnicity, And Public Policy Preferences: Religious Schemas And Abortion Attitudes Among U.S. Latinos, John P. Bartowski, Aida Ramos, Chris G. Ellison, Gabriel A. Acevedo

Faculty Publications - Department of World Languages, Sociology & Cultural Studies

Research has demonstrated that white conservative Protestants are more opposed to abortion than their Catholic counterparts. At the same time, conservative Protestantism has made significant inroads among U.S. Latinos. This study augments existing research on religion and racial-ethnic variations in abortion attitudes by comparing levels of support for legalized abortion among Catholic and conservative Protestant Latinos. Data are drawn from a nationally representative sample of U.S. Latinos. Significantly greater opposition to abortion is found among religiously devout conservative Protestant Latinos when compared with their Catholic counterparts. Latino Catholicism, which functions as a near-monopolistic, highly institutionalized faith tradition among Hispanics, produces …

The Changing Of The Gods: Religion, Religious Transformation And The Indian Immigrant Experience, Thomas W. Segady, Swait Shirwadkar

Faculty Publications

The Durkheimian notion that there is a close correspondence between the type of religion within a society and the structure of the society itself is now taken to be nearly axiomatic. As societies become increasingly dynamic and fragmented, however, the nexus between religion and society becomes far more complex. With globalization and widespread movements of populations struggling to maintain their identities within the contexts of both the old and new societies, changes of religion—including religious affiliation and religiosity—are inevitable. Cultural and social aspects of these changes are explored with reference to Indians migrating to the United States.

Attitudes Toward Marriage, Divorce, Cohabitation, And Casual Sex Among Working-Age Latinos: Does Religion Matter?, Christopher G. Ellison, Nicholas H. Wolfinger, Aida I. Ramos-Wada

Faculty Publications - Department of World Languages, Sociology & Cultural Studies

The rapid growth of the Latino population in the United States has renewed interest in Latino family research. It has often been assumed that Catholicism is a key factor influencing Latinos’ attitudes toward the family, despite the fact that nearly one third of Latinos are not Catholic. This article uses data from the 2006 National Survey of Religion and Family Life, a survey of working-age adults (aged 18-59 years) in the lower 48 states, to explore the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity—denomination, church attendance, prayer, and beliefs about the Bible—and Latinos’ attitudes regarding marriage, divorce, cohabitation, and casual sex. …

Racial Segregation Practice In A Religious Context, Cleran Hollancid

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

The ‘Friendship Dynamics Of Religion,’ Or The ‘Religious Dynamics Of Friendship’? A Social Network Analysis Of Adolescents Who Attend Small Schools, Jacob Cheadle, Philip Schwadel

Sociology Department, Faculty Publications

Longitudinal social network data on adolescents in seven schools are analyzed to reach a new understanding about how the personal and interpersonal social dimensions of adolescent religion intertwine together in small school settings. We primarily address two issues relevant to the sociology of religion and sociology in general: (1) social selection as a source of religious homophily and (2) friend socialization of religion. Analysis results are consistent with Collins’ interaction ritual chain theory, which stresses the social dimensions of religion, since network–religion autocorrelations are relatively substantial in magnitude and both selection and socialization mechanisms play key roles in generating them. …

Social Class And Finding A Congregation: How Attendees Are Introduced To Their Congregations, Philip Schwadel

Sociology Department, Faculty Publications

Despite the large numbers of Americans switching religious congregations each year, social scientists know relatively little about how people are introduced to new religious congregations. In this research note, I use multiple surveys of congregants—two surveys of Presbyterians in the 1990s and a survey of attendees from a random sample of congregations in 2001—to examine the effects of education and income on how attendees are introduced to their religious congregations. Results show that education and income are key predictors of how attendees find their congregations. In general, Americans with low levels of education and income are disproportionately likely to be …

Subtle And Overt Forms Of Islamophobia: Microaggressions Toward Muslim Americans, Kevin L. Nadal, Katie E. Griffin, Sahran Hamit, Jayleen Leon, Michael Tobio, David P. Rivera

Publications and Research

Previous research suggests that microaggressions, or subtle and covert manifestations of bias, are commonplace in the life experience of people of color, women, and sexual minorities. However, there is a dearth of research focusing on microaggressions toward people from religious minority groups. Using a qualitative approach and directed content analysis with Muslim American participants (N=10), six themes emerged: 1) Endorsing Religious Stereotypes of Muslims as Terrorists, 2) Pathology of the Muslim Religion, 3) Assumption of Religious Homogeneity, 4) Exoticization, 5) Islamophobic and Mocking Language, and 6) Alien in Own Land. Implications for Muslim mental health are discussed.

Gender, Religiosity, And The Telling Of Christian Conversion Narratives, Jenell Paris, Ines Jindra, Robert Woods, Diane Badzinski

Sociology Educator Scholarship

Conversion is one important element of religion, the ways in which people shift from one religion (or none) to another, or deepen their commitment within a religion. This study explores the way Christian conversion narratives are told by college students. It considers whether factors such as gender, age, religious denomination, time passed since conversion, and measures of religiosity and orthodoxy influence conversion testimonies. Fifty-nine subjects gave in-depth interviews and completed several surveys, and research was gathered and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Deborah Tannen’s genderlect styles theory and a social constructivist perspective on Christianity’s overarching story line are …

Review Of Gentle People: A Case Study Of Rockport Colony Hutterites. By Joanita Kant., Rod Janzen

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Joanita Kant's Gentle People is an excellent case study of South Dakota's Rockport Hutterite Colony. The book includes in-depth description and analysis of the lifestyle of Rockport Colony residents and covers people of all ages and interests. There are numerous helpful photographs, both contemporary and historical. Members of the Rockport Colony belong to a religious society that has practiced "community of goods" for nearly five centuries. The book not only introduces the reader to the deep-seated beliefs and practices of members, but also provides important sociological analysis supported by helpful figures and maps, including population pyramids, floor plans, and colony …

The Church Of The Nazarene In The U.S.: Race, Gender, And Class In The Struggle With Pentecostalism And Aspirations Toward Respectability, 1895-1985, Charles L. Perabeau

Faculty Scholarship – Sociology

This dissertation considers how the issues of race, gender, and class factored in the response of the Church of the Nazarene to the Azusa Street Revival, and how the processes of anti-Pentecostalization, whitening, masculinization, and embourgeoisement have contributed to elevating the social respectability of the Church of the Nazarene in the United States.

Religion And Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage Among U.S. Latinos, Christopher G. Ellison, Gabriel A. Acevedo, Aida I. Ramos-Wada

Faculty Publications - Department of World Languages, Sociology & Cultural Studies

Objectives. This study examines links between multiple aspects of religious involvement and attitudes toward same-sex marriage among U.S. Latinos. The primary focus is on variations by affiliation and participation, but the possible mediating roles of biblical beliefs, clergy cues, and the role of religion in shaping political views are also considered.

Methods. We use binary logistic regression models to analyze data from a large nationwide sample of U.S. Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Forum in late 2006.

Results. Findings highlight the strong opposition to same-sex marriage among Latino evangelical (or conservative) Protestants and members of sectarian groups (e.g., LDS), …

Secularization In Orleans, France: A Case Study Utilizing Mark Chaves' 'New Differentiation Theory', Stephanie J. Beck

Honors Theses

Steeped in a heavily religious history, Europe and specifically France provide an intriguing backdrop for a closer look into secularization in present-day Orleans, France. Many various approaches to secularization theory have arisen over the past sixty years. This paper explores the evolution of secularization theory, delving into Mark Chaves' "New Differentiation Theory", based upon religious authority's influence on t he individual, societal, and institutional levels. Though created by an American academician, the "New Differentiation Theory'' provides a new basis of analysis with which one may draw conclusions regarding the state of secularization in a European city (in this case Orleans, …

”Tag, You’Re It!”: Using Social Media “Tags” To Help Solve The Problem Of Church Classification In Sociology Of Religion, Steven Losco

Pitzer Senior Theses

Edited Abstract for presentation:

Categorizing humans and human activity can be difficult. In my own research on evangelical church styles in Los Angeles, I found that the services defied discreet categories. I turned to the social web for inspiration on how to categorize the services and landed on blog post “tags” as something that could give me a flexible and dynamic way to “define” the church. Briefly, tags are a set of words or phrases that users categorize anything from blog posts, books on GoodReads, website bookmarks, etc, in other words: metadata. What makes tags so potent as definition is …

Sexuality, Exoticism, And Iconoclasm In The Media Age: The Strange Case Of The Buddha Bikini, James Shields

Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.