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Empty Churches studies the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition. Co-editors Jan E. Stets, a social psychologist, and James L. Heft, a historian of theology, bring together leading scholars across the humanities and social sciences, who explore the phenomenon of non-affiliation by drawing from each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today.
List of contents
- Preface: Robert M. McElroy, Bishop of San Diego
- Chapter 1: Introduction: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Non-Affiliation
- Jan E. Stets, University of California, Riverside
- WHO ARE THEY?
- Chapter 2: The Many Meanings of Non-Affiliation
- Nancy Ammerman, Boston University
- Chapter 3: The Many Meanings of the Secular
- Joseph O. Baker, East Tennessee State University
- Chapter 4: Lapsed Catholics and Other Religious Non-Affiliates
- Carol Ann MacGregor and Ashlyn Haycook, Loyola University New Orleans
- Chapter 5: Affiliates and Non-Affiliates in Later Life
- Vern Bengtson, University of Southern California, and Gabrielle Gonzales, Camille Endacott, and Samantha Copping Kang, University of California, Santa Barbara
- WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
- Chapter 6: Developmental Views on Youth Religious Non-Affiliation
- Sam A. Hardy, Brigham Young University and Gregory S. Longo, Eastern University
- Chapter 7: Religious Non-Affiliation: Expelled by the Right
- William V. Trollinger, University of Dayton
- Chapter 8: The Transformation of Religion: Drawn by the Left
- Matthew S. Hedstrom, University of Virginia
- WHAT ARE SOME CONSEQUENCES?
- Chapter 9: Non-religiosity, Secularism, and Civil Society
- David E. Campbell, University of Notre Dame
- Chapter 10: Religious Non-Affiliation and Objections of Conscience
- Bernard G. Prusak, King's College
- ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE
- Chapter 11: Reports from Faith Community Leaders in the South
- Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill
- Chapter 12: Cultivating Faith in Young Adults
- Kerry A. Robinson, Leadership Roundtable
- Chapter 13: Understanding and Responding to Non-Affiliation
- James L. Heft, University of Southern California
- Epilogue:
- Jan E. Stets, University of California, Riverside and James L. Heft, University of Southern California
- Notes
- Index
About the author
James L. Heft, S. M., served as professor and chair of the Theology Department at the University of Dayton for six years, Provost for eight years, and Chancellor and Professor of Faith and Culture for 10 years, before moving to the University of Southern California in 2006 as the Alton Brooks Professor of Religion and now the Founder and President Emeritus of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies. He is the author, editor and co-editor of fourteen books, including Catholicism and Interreligious Dialogue (OUP 2011) and Catholic High Schools: Facing the New Realities (OUP 2011).
Jan E. Stets is Professor and Director of the Social Psychology Research Laboratory at the University of California, Riverside. She is the former Director of the Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation, and a former co-editor of Social Psychology Quarterly.
Summary
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. Co-editors 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.
The scholars in this volume explore the phenomenon by drawing from each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today. They explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society, and what the future looks like for religion in America. The book also features insightful perspectives from parents of young adults and interviews with pastors struggling with this issue who address how we might address this trend. Empty Churches provides a rich and thoughtful analysis on non- affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing growth of non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions, and this book offers guidance on maintaining the commitment and community at the heart of these institutions.
Additional text
This volume is descriptive with a practical aim.
