Research On Religion » conservative churches

James Wellman on Evangelical vs Liberal Christians

tonygill — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:00:48 +0000

Evangelical Christians and liberal mainline Protestants represent distinct religious subcultures in the United States. James Wellman — associate professor of comparative religion and sociology, and director of the Comparative Religion Program at the University of Washington — discusses the core beliefs, organizational structures and pastoral strategies of these two groups. Prof. Wellman’s most recent book Evangelical vs. Liberal, examines these two groups in a most unlikely of environments: the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington), arguably one of the least churched region of the United States. We briefly discuss the cultural environment of the Pacific Northwest, with Prof. Wellman (a native Washingtonian) emphasizing the region’s libertarian sensibilities. Jim argues that the evangelical emphasis on personal salvation leads to dramatically different styles of worship, community outreach, and engagement in the political arena. We explore the reasons for these differences in the first half of the podcast. Our discussion also focuses on why evangelical churches are growing at a faster pace than more liberal-oriented mainline churches. Recorded: September 24, 2010.

(Please note that due to a scheduling conflict with our normal recording room, the acoustic environment for this podcast created an echo, particularly with your host’s voice. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.)

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention

tonygill — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:33 +0000

Marc von der Ruhr, associate professor of economics at St. Norbert’s College (DePere, WI), discusses how megachurches recruit and retain membership. Contrary to the popular notion that megachurches are simply a watered down version of Christianity aimed at a luke-warm religious adherents, Prof. von der Ruhr explains that many of these churches do indeed require deep commitment. Initially, megachurches use low levels of commitment to attract religious “seekers.” people searching for a new denomination or returning to church after some time away. Through the promotion of small groups, which often are connected to secular activities, individuals become more connected with the church and their overall level of commitment increases. In this way, megachurches can effectively promote conservative theologies and personal behavior. Our primary focus is on seeker-oriented megachurches, though von der Ruhr mentions other types of megachurches. This podcast is based on a number of papers Marc von der Ruhr has co-authored with Prof. Joseph Daniels (Marquette University). We conclude our discussion with thoughts about applying economic theory to religious organizations and practice. Recorded: July 20,2010.

Please note: Due to a serious problem with static, we re-recorded a segment of the conversation at the 16:50 minute mark. We retained the original content, though listeners will notice a slight difference in the recording quality.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion

tonygill — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:00:19 +0000

J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, joins RoR to talk about changes in American religion over the past two hundred years. We discuss the importance of denominationalism in American religious life, the influx of new religious movements in the 1960s, the influence of immigration on the spiritual landscape and why there has been a significant decline in the number of “unaffiliated” over the past century (despite a small increase in the past decade). We survey the growth and changes in the Baptist Church, Methodism, Pentecostalism and a number of other groups. Dr. Melton, also an ordained Methodist elder and author of Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religion, makes the case that denominationalism is an enduring and important component of American religion. The podcast concludes with some thoughts about race and religion in the United States. Recorded: July 7, 2010.