Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion"Acts of Faith is the single 'big book' in the sociology of religion in the past decade, a monumental effort that both demolishes old theories and creates brilliant new ones. Stark and Finke have mastered the literature in the field, gathered ingenious data analysis to sustain their positions, and presented their work with flair, imagination, and brilliance. Though it is quite impossible to turn around the social science profession completely with a single book, or indeed within a single decade, these two authors have achieved a powerful beginning in this task. This landmark publication marks a turning point."—Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago "This book is a major next step in developing the sociology of religion's 'new paradigm'--an important summary of the evolving 'religious economies' theory. Stark and Finke's spirited deconstruction of antireligious secularization theories and other theories of 'irrational' religion is simply delightful. And its own constructive theory offers a valuable resource for those friendly to the rational choice approach to religion, as well as a continuing challenge to its critics."—Christian Smith, University of North Carolina |
Contents
Atheism Faith and the Social Scientific Study of Religion | 1 |
A New Look at Old Issues | 27 |
The Micro Foundations of Religion | 83 |
Conversion and Reaffiliation | 114 |
Religious Group Dynamics | 141 |
Decline and Revival | 169 |
A Theoretical Model of Religious Economies | 193 |
An International Assessment | 218 |
PROPOSITIONS AND DEFINITIONS | 277 |
NOTES | 287 |
Other editions - View all
Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion Rodney Stark,Roger Finke No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
American Andrew Greeley atheism attendance Baptist behavior belief bishops Book of Mormon Bryan Wilson century chapter Christian claim clergy Colonia competition congregations conversion costs cultural decline Definition denominations doctrine Durkheim Ernst Troeltsch Europe example exchange faith Finke and Stark gender gion gious gods growth higher higher-tension humans Iannaccone Islam Jehovah's Witnesses level of commitment levels of religious liberal lower-tension machismo male Max Weber membership Methodist Mexican missionaries Mormon movements nations networks niches noted Oliver Cowdery otherworldly rewards percent pluralism prayer preferences priests PROPOSITION PROPOSITION 22 Protestant reaffiliation Reform Judaism reli religious bodies religious capital religious choices religious commitment religious economy religious firms religious groups religious orders religious organizations religious participation ritual Santo Domingo sects secular shift Smith social science social scientists society Southern Baptist Convention Stark and Bainbridge study of religion supernatural tend tension theory tion traditional United Vatican II vocations women