Research On Religion » civic engagement

Kevin den Dulk on Religion, Education, and Civic Engagement

tonygill — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:00:36 +0000

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With all the talk about declining levels of civic engagement in the United States, is there any evidence that religious education might play a role in promoting community involvement among youth and young adults? Prof. Kevin den Dulk, the Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar-in-Residence at Calvin College and the forthcoming director of the Henry Institute, discusses his latest research project that examines what factors are important in determining whether or not young adults become involved in their community. He finds, much to his suprise, that a private school education at a Protestant institution is much more likely to facilitate and sustain civic engagement in early adulthood years compared to other forms of education, including homeschooling, Catholic schools, private secular institutions, and public education. Speaking of education, our podcast begins with Kevin schooling Tony about the origins of Calivin College, which Tony discovers is not named after the 30th president of the United States. We then get down to business by examining the assertion that civic participation has declined in the U.S., with Tony taking a skeptical view of such claims and Kevin turning the tables and becoming the interviewer, leaving the host to be the one defending his claims. We discuss some of the potential biases in research that shows secular declines in some variable, be it civic participation or mainline church attendance. We also discuss some of the reasons why people become involved in their local community and note that it is often because they are passionately drawn (often out of anger) to solve some social problem they see happening. The conversation then veers towards Kevin’s research project with his fellow scholar Jonathan Hall. We chat about how this project came about and the nature of the data used. Kevin lays out the theoretical framework of the study showing how he and Jonathan tested the role of “opportunity structures” and “motivations” (both intrinsic and extrinsic). We then discuss the surprising finding that whereas young adults who attended Catholic schools were similar in nature to their public school counterparts when it came to civic engagement, students from Protestant private schools were much more likely to be civically engaged, even after adjusting for numerous other possible factors. Homeschoolers and individuals who attended private secular schools were much less likely to engage in civic participation. We then speculate as to why this was the case and open the door to a wide research agenda that could further explore this outcome. Kevin then finishes off with an optimistic view of civic engagement in the United States. Recorded: June 18, 2012.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy

tonygill — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:00:38 +0000

Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? We take up that question with Prof. Robert Woodberry, associate professor of political science at the National Univesity of Singapore, whose recent article “The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy” in the American Political Science Review is reinvigorating interest in the link between religion and political outcomes around the world and throughout history. Our conversation begins with an examination of the standard theories for why democracy has emerged in some places but not in others. Prof. Woodberry carefully indicates that democracy is more than just elections, but includes respect for civil liberties and the rule of law. Our conversation tuns to the role religion plays in the promotion of liberal democracy and how Bob became interested in this topic. He mentions that one of his dissertation advisors, Ken Bollen, had noticed an interesting historical correlation between Protestantism and democracy back in the 1970s, but most other scholars simply ignored that observation. It was left to Bob to pick up the torch and run with it, a task he was well-suited for given his family’s history in missionizing. Tony then asks Bob why he thinks scholars have so frequently overlooked the “religious factor” in the study of democratization, and Prof. Woodberry then provides some interesting speculations that click well with previous discussions we have had with other guests on our podcast. Prof. Woodberry then spells out his thesis, arguing that “conversionary Protestants” — Protestants interested in fulfilling the task of The Great Commission (Matthew 28: 16-20) be it in post-Reformation Europe or elsewhere — have a strong interest in convincing individuals to make a free choice to accept Jesus as their savior. In doing so, these Protestants encourage literacy, which in turn incentivizes the creation of mass printing. The voluntarism inherent in these Protestant churches also foments the development of skills associated with civic organization, which become the basis for the vibrant civil society needed to challenge autocratic rulers. Tony notes that this finding is consistent with other sociological research finding that church attenders are more likely to be involved in non-church civic organizations than their secular counterparts. Tony also encourages scholars studying “new social movements” to look at “old social movements” (i.e., churches) because they have been collectively organizing for centuries, if not millenia. Finally, Bob also notes that conversionary Protestants were strong advocates for religious liberty, which often corresponded with respect for other civil liberties such as the right to assemble and speak one’s mind. This led many of these Protestants to also speak out against the more severe abuses of colonialism such as slavery. All of this then prompts non-religious organizations to follow the lead of these Protestant groups so as to not be outdone in the competition for the hearts and minds of the general population. It is at this point where Tony gets a chance to plug his first book which connects well with Prof. Woodberry’s findings. We look at why the Catholic Church did not proceed along a similar path until very recently, and why civilizations such as Imperial China did not allow for the expansion of printing and literacy despite having invented movable typeset printing long before Europe. We conclude our discussion with Bob’s thought on the Arab Spring. Recorded: June 12, 2012.

Ruth Melkonian on Latin American Protestants

tonygill — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:00:27 +0000

Prof. Ruth Melkonian — assistant professor and chair of political science at Gordon College (Wenham, MA) — discusses her research on Protestantism in Latin America. We cover the history, growth and sociodemographic characteristics of Protestantism in Latin America, noting that although prompted by missionaries Protestantism has taken on its own indigenous flavor in the region. We note that the dominant form of Protestantism in Central and South America tends to be evangelical, Pentecostal or neo-Pentocostal. Prof. Melkonian notes how those involved in Protestant circles tend to see small improvement in their socio-economic stature, but not enough to have a major impact on economic growth in the region. We also talk about whether or not Protestantism has helped to promote or sustain democracy in the region. Our discussion turns to survey research Ruth conducted with Dennis Hoover showing that Latin American Protestants hold attitudes that are more similar to their non-evangelical brethren in the region than their U.S. counterparts, particularly in terms of attitudes towards economic and military affairs (e.g., war on terr0r). We finish the podcast by talking about how evangelicals in the United States have viewed immigration from south of the border, and how Global South Christianity may be transforming religion here in the U.S. Recorded: April 21, 2011.