We commence with a discussion of a definition of “the South,” which can be viewed geographically (starting just below Northern Virginia, running down to the top portion of Florida, and extending westward to Arkansas and encompassing the southern portions of Indiana and Illinois) and spiritually (those areas with a majority Southern Baptist population).  Jim explains how this decade-long process took him on a “r0ad trip” around the region to experience the lives and institutions of those living in what he calls the “Now South,” a region with deep roots to its “Old Time Religion” past, but which is also changing in surprising ways.  Looking at the historical roots first, we discuss how religion, food, and hospitality are intimately linked via kinship networks and a concern over scarcity being a daily lived experience.  Food and visitation are viewed as an expression of love for folks who are ill, imprisoned, or otherwise facing difficult times.  Jim also notes that food and hospitality also becomes a basis for various types of social activism as such community involvement is often viewed as a measure of piety.  Sometimes such activism can take on hard-nosed policies towards drug addicts who are allowed assistance only if they quickly accept Jesus, or in more open terms that seek to get mentally ill individuals the help they need.  We also chat about how Pentecostalism, technically a very small fraction of Southern Christians, has influenced the Christianity of the region, often leading to “Bapticostal” congregations that call their ministers bishops and have multiple offerings.  Religion also manifests itself along racial lines in the South, as one might expect, and Jim talks about religiously-infused racial histories can wound but also offer up possibilities for forgiveness.  He raises the horrific shooting at the Charleston Emmanuel AME Church in 2015 as an example of these racial divides and how the power of forgiveness is used not necessarily to “forgive and forget,” but to heal tragedies so it doesn’t wound the victims continuously.

The conversation then moves in the direction of the “Now South” and the new trends that have been reshaping the spiritual landscape over the past several decades.  We look at how megachurches are setting new standards of worship not only for congregants in the suburbs, but in smaller rural and urban churches as well.  Jim points out how the growth of homeschooling has responded to the integration of private religious schools (often called “segregation academies”).  The growth of Catholicism with the influx of immigrants from Mexico and Central America has also diversified the religious tapestry of the region.  And finally, we discuss the surprising increase in the number of congregations that have taken a welcoming position to the LGBT communities and how it has roiled the waters.  Jim explains that while it is easy to preach hate, the culture is changing via kinship ties and the “power of one” wherein one individual can help to change the views of those around them.  While still a very small minority of churches, the presence of LGBT-friendly congregations indicate progressive steps forward.

We finish off by asking Prof. Hudnut-Beumler what he would tell a younger version of Jim if he had the chance to travel back in time.  The elder Jim provides some interesting words of advice for his younger self recognizing that things you never thought would have made an impression early on often come back to you as new opportunities for exploration and learning.  Recorded: May 25, 2018.

RELATED LINKS

 Prof. Hudnut-Beumler’s bio at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School.

Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

The Future of Mainline Protestantism in America, edited by James Hudnut-Beumler and Mark Silk.

Looking for God in the Suburbs, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

RELATED PODCASTS

James Hudnut-Beumler on the History of Church Financing in the US.

Paul Harvey on Religion in the American South.

Lerone Martin on Preaching on Wax and Phonographic Religion.

David Dixon on Religious Rhetoric and the Civil Rights Movement.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Bradley Wright on Religion, Race, and Discrimination.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/christianity/james-hudnut-beumler-on-religion-in-the-now-south/feed 0 http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/barry-hankins-on-jesus-gin-and-the-culture-wars-encore-presentation http://www.researchonreligion.org/historical-topics/barry-hankins-on-jesus-gin-and-the-culture-wars-encore-presentation#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2018 15:35:58 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5498 While we are on a sabbatical, trying to get our format updated and finding more outlets on which you can enjoy this podcast, please enjoy this encore presentation from five years ago.

Most astute social observers today agree that the United States is in the throes of a “culture war,” with issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and drug legalization taking center stage in many political debates.  But what if I told you that such “culture wars” are not uncommon in US history?  Indeed, Prof. Barry Hankins of Baylor University makes the argument that “cultural wars” are the default position in American history, and it was only during the 1930s – 1970s that we seemed to have been immune from such conflict.  He illustrates this point with a detailed discussion of The Roaring Twenties (and the decades leading up to that time), when issues such as Prohibition, evolution, obscenity, and a weakening of Christianity were the hot topics of the time.  We begin our discussion by noting the dramatic changes that the U.S. experienced around the turn of the 20th century, roughly from 1880 to 1920.  Rapid industrialization and urbanization, combined with new forms of immigration, set the stage for wide array of new cultural challenges facing the nation, in general, and Christianity in particular.  As the Roaring ’20s were known as the era of Prohibition (and the time of the “speak easy”), we start with that topic.  Prof. Hankins reviews the history of the temperance movement and reveals some surprising findings, such that alcohol consumption in the US during the 1820s was among the highest in the world and that temperance movements did help to sober the country up.  He notes this was true of Prohibition, as well, countering an often-used argument today regarding the legalization of drugs that such legal restrictions don’t really affect usage much.  Our conversation turns to some of the more charismatic characters of the era with a focus on Billy Sunday, a forerunner of today’s “megachurch” pastors.  Barry recounts Rev. Sunday’s life and how he harnessed his athletic fame in the name of evangelization.  Billy Sunday’s story is a nice reminder that “media star preachers” are not just a phenomenon of the late 20th century but emerged in an era when people were becoming increasingly concentrated in cities and mass media such as radio and theater was becoming more common.  We also cover some of the more scandal-plagued preachers of the time including Aimee Semple-McPherson, J. Frank Norris, Daddy Grace, and Father Divine, reminding us that there probably is nothing new under the sun.  We then take up the topic of the factionalization occurring within Christianity that is going on during this time — fundamentalists vs modernists.  We discover that the liberal modernists tended to win these battles, often forcing more fundamentalist groups to break away and form new denominations.  Again, this is reminiscent of our current time.  The conversation then moves to an interesting puzzle that Barry is still thinking about, which is why the culture wars subsided between the 1930s and (roughly) 1980.  We both offer us some speculation on this topic and finish off with additional thoughts about what the culture wars of the 1920s has to tell us about our culture wars today.  Recorded: May 2, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Barry Hankins bio at Baylor University’s Department of History.

Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties, and Today’s Culture Wars, by Barry Hankins.

American Evangelicals: A History of a Mainstream Religious Movement, by Barry Hankins.

The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists, by Barry Hankins.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Kerry and Dirk detail some of the first steps that a congregation has to go through in thinking about what the appropriate structure would be for their intended use.  A conversation needs to be held as to what the congregation’s mission and top priorities are, and then  an assessment of current use, growth trends, and the church’s “DNA” should be conducted.  This latter analysis includes mapping out where congregants are coming from, what physical barriers are in the way of the planned site (e.g., a lake), and whether there are other demographic shifts in the area that would affect the size of the church’s membership.  We note how sensitive a few miles or the need to drive around a lake can affect who attends a church. Our conversation covers a number of other features that go into the planning stage such as the visibility of the church in the community, how much land will be needed, what can realistically be built on that land, and various governmental regulations that need to be met.  Many congregations that are breaking ground on a new site are often asked to help develop some of the infrastructure in the surrounding area (e.g., roads, sidewalks).  Our guests bring up how the recent rise of “multi-site services,” linked by various communication technologies, are reshaping the design of churches, with a tendency towards building (or renting) more structures as compared to building megachurch building that can seat thousands of attendees.

We review a number of the important component parts that need to be considered in the building process in order to provided a balanced facility directed at the intended uses of the physical structure.  The worship center (or sanctuary) is obviously a central feature of any church building, but how it is set up for audio-visual needs and attendance comes into play.  Tony learns that at a distance of about 90 feet from the podium, there becomes a need to create stadium-style seating that allows those in the back to gain a better view.  We also discuss semi-circle type seating that facilitates a “togetherness” feel to the services, as well as the various technology features that determine how the stage area is constructed.  One of the key aspects of the seating design is to provide enough seats so that crowding doesn’t discourage people from attending, but not having too many seats such that the worship center seems “uncomfortably empty,” as Kerry calls it.  The importance of a commons area is discussed.  (After taping the interview, Dirk and Kerry mentioned that open commons areas tend to encourage new attendees who are not familiar with others to come in, whereas a small foyer can actually frighten guests and potential members away.  The more open and easy to maneuver the commons area is, the more inviting it will be to newcomers.)  We also talk about various other spaces such as educational areas and space that could be used for other activities during the week, including things that might be open to the community at large (such as places to host meetings or play basketball).  Parking is another major concern that is often overlooked and Dirk notes that while many municipalities require churches to have one parking space for every 3-4 seats, a church that has several other activities going on may need to think about a 1:1 ratio.  The timing of services also becomes critical for ensuring that traffic flow doesn’t become a problem that could chase people away.  Tony raises some questions about tax liabilities and the parsonage (pastor’s house) and how that all factors in to the land use.

We finish off the interview with some discussion on trends within the industry.  Both guests note the movement towards less “symbology” on the physical building.  This is not only intended to draw in the unchurched who might be scared off by lots of religious accoutrements, but sometimes the financers providing the funds for the building want a structure that could be repurposed and sold easily should the congregation move out.  Both Dirk and Kerry talk a bit about some of their favorite projects and the joy the receive from helping a church meet its goals and then later returning to see how the space has suited their needs.  Both see this not only as a business, but as a calling to serve God by helping others missionize in creative ways.  They finish with some of their reflections on what they have learned over the decades and what they would have told their younger selves if they had the opportunity to travel back in time.  Recorded: February 9, 2018.

RELATED LINKS

 Dirk Dalhausser’s bio and Kerry Jones’s bio at Goff Companies.

A list and photos of sample projects that Goff Companies has completed in recent years.

Healthy Church CFO, an LLC run by Kerry Jones.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Jim McGuffey on Church Security.

Richard Hammar on Churches, Taxes, Donations, and Liability.

James Hudnut-Beumler on the History of Church Financing in the US.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

Warren Bird on Church Leadership Teams.

William Vanderbloemen on Pastoral Transitions.

Jordan Lorence on Church Property Cases.

David Cortman on Religious Liberty Cases.

Russ Roberts and Anthony Gill on Religion and Religious Liberty (an EconTalk simulcast).

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/practioneers/dirk-dalhausser-kerry-jones-on-building-churches/feed 0 http://www.researchonreligion.org/practioneers/jeff-rose-on-street-preaching-encore-presentation http://www.researchonreligion.org/practioneers/jeff-rose-on-street-preaching-encore-presentation#comments Sun, 04 Feb 2018 09:00:12 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=5424 What would you do if you were a street preacher and someone poured beer on your head, blew smoke in your face, and threatened you with a knife? Jeff Rose, founder of JeremiahCry Ministries with his wife Pearl, has had that experience and he reveals his response in this fascinating interview that covers Jeff’s path to the street preaching profession and what it takes to be a street preacher.  Tony starts out by asking if Jeff if he is crazy.  It is not an uncommon question that folks who pass street preachers cannot help but ask.  Jeff provides a remarkably insightful answer to this question revealing that he has asked himself this question on more than one occasion, but then explains what keeps him going.  We then review Jeff’s life growing up, his career as a personal fitness trainer and gym owner, and what led him to pick up the cause of the Gospel.  The journey is one that takes him from a small Pentecostal church to a large megachurch and then back to a smaller community where he connects with several other individuals that propel him down the road to street preaching.  As an aside we chat about what Jeff didn’t like about megachurches, a theme that connects with some of our earlier podcasts.  Jeff then describes how he found himself engaged in a life of street preaching after attending seminary and moving to Scotland.  The last portion of our interview tackles some of what occurs in the life of a street preacher, including thinking about what venues will be most attractive, how to deal with crowds, the funniest moment he encountered, as well as the most dangerous.  Jeff finishes by revealing his optimistic attitude towards the spiritual life of American and the United Kingdom.  Recorded December 1, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

JeremiahCry Ministries (includes videos and audio of street preaching).

Jeff Rose preaching at Staten Island Ferry Station (YouTube video).

Paul Washer, Jeff Rose, and Jeff Gordon Discuss Public Preaching (YouTube video).

RELATED PODCASTS

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary.

Dough Johnston on Missionizing Romania.

Jeff Henig on Prison Ministry.

Daniel Stiles on Cowboy Churches.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church.

Since 2000, Pastor Joel Osteen seemingly has become an overnight success on the national evangelical scene.  But his rise in popularity, along with that of Lakewood Church, has a deeper history dating back to the ministry of his father, John Osteen.  Prof. Phillp L. Sinitiere — an associate professor of history at the College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and a visiting assistant professor at Sam Houston State University — talks about his new book Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, & American Christianity.

As is par for the course, we explore how our guest came to be interested in the topic he studies.  Prof. Sinitiere grew up in Houston, which he calls the “buckle of the Bible Belt,” and attended small churches in a mixed-ethnicity neighborhood.  Having known about Lakewood Church growing up, he found it to be an interesting topic given his fascination with the history of American Christianity and considering how it dovetailed with his interests in African-American Christianity.  His experience studying Lakewood dates back about a decade, and Phillip tells the story of his first visit to the mega-church and how he was immediately approached to sing in the choir.  He talks of himself as a “shade tree sociologist” using both archival research and ethnographic fieldwork to paint a vivid picture of the Osteen family and the Lakewood community.

Our conversation turns historically to the story of John Osteen, the founder of Lakewood Church, and his unique personal journey to the pastorate.  We learn about John Osteen’s childhood growing up during the Great Depression, his evangelical conversion to Christ as a teen, and his Southern Baptist charismatic roots.  After attending John Brown University, he then followed his spiritual development through the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and spent some time in California during the 1940s before returning to Houston.  Phillip notes that the elder Osteen was associated with some of the early attempts at “televangelism” in the 1950s when TV was becoming all the rage.  Following a divorce in 1955, another marriage brings him a daughter who has medical problems at a young age but who eventually grew in health.  This event had a significant impact on John and he becomes more drawn to the neo-Pentecostal movement bubbling up at the time and develops an interest in divine healing, which plays an important role in his theological development, eventually influencing his son Joel.  Prof. Sinitiere then details the institutional founding and growth of Lakewood Church.  Interestingly, shortly after Lakewood’s founding in 1959, John heads down to Mexico to do missionary work but returns home in the late 1960s.  This gap in the senior Osteen’s ministry proves critical for Lakewood’s eventual multi-racial appeal as John did not get drawn into the divisiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in the South during the 1960s.

We follow Lakewood Church’s history through the 1970s and into the ’80s when Joel enters the picture and begins working in the television aspect of his father’s ministry in the early 1980s.  By this time, Lakewood could be considered a mega-church by scholarly standards (more than 2,000 members) and Joel is learning how to manage such a large congregation as it grows extensively during this time.  We also talk a bit about the transition of the pastorate to Joel in 1999.  Shortly after taking the helm, Joel moves Lakewood from northeast Houston and to Greenway Plaza and the Compaq Center, giving the church new visibility along a major highway.  Combined with the use of social media and an expanding televangelism ministry, Lakewood witnesses unprecedented growth making it the largest congregation in America.

Our discussion then picks up on theological themes and Prof. Sinitiere explains the “prosperity gospel” that Joel Osteen (and his father before him) were known for.  Phillip traces the roots back to 19th century “New Thought” and the neo-Pentecostal movement of the 20th century.  While there is much emphasis on material advancement within prosperity gospel thinking, Phillip points out that a major part of John Osteen’s theology also revolved around divine healing, which was influenced both by his daughter’s recovery from muscular disease and his second wife’s overcoming cancer.  We then examine the development of Joel’s theological perspective and the influences that Joyce Meyer and John Maxwell played.  Joel’s thinking emerges in the first few years of his taking the helm at Lakewood, and in addition to the material aspects of his theology that his critics are quick to point out, Prof. Sinitiere notes that there is a great deal of emphasis on healthy living, psychological wholeness, and positive thinking, which was an influence from his father.  The picture that is painted by Phillip is more nuanced than of Osteen’s critics.  While not an apologist for the prosperity gospel, Prof. Sinitiere puts it into a much broader context based upon his own research of the topic.

We finish our discussion with an examination of how Lakewood’s congregants have taken to this prosperity gospel message, and what impact the Osteens have had on American Christianity.  Phillip notes that many individuals who attend Lakewood see it as a means of finding a “second chance” in life, and that several of these individuals eventually go in search of deeper Christianity elsewhere.  Amongst these individuals, there is an image of Lakewood being a “seasonal Christianity” from whence they move into other phases of their spiritual development.  Phillip also points out that Lakewood’s congregation is multi-racial although the leadership has tended to be Caucasian, but notes that there have been efforts to address this in recent years. As for Lakewood’s impact, Phillip explains how the Osteens have “re-enchanted” American televangelism and how the message of predictability in unstable times seems to resonate during times of economic turmoil.  He also observes that many of Osteen’s Calvinist critics indicates the broader influence Osteen is having on the discussion of Christianity in America.  Recorded: Jan. 21, 2016.

RELATED LINKS

Phillip Sinitiere’s bio at the College of Biblical Studies.

Phillip Sinitiere’s personal website.

Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity, by Phillip Sinitiere.

Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, by Shayne Lee and Phillip Sinitiere.

Christians and the Color Line: Religion & Race after Divided by Faith, by Russell Hawkins and Phillip Sinitiere.

Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, by Kate Bowler (mentioned on the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Matt Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

We then turn to the particular issues that were raised during the June 2013 gathering, from the trivial to the important, and to some issues that didn’t make many headlines.  The trivial issues include some nitpicking over types of products and services offered by the various vendors at this convention.  Thom also points out an interesting event that occurred at the conference, namely the presence of the Wetboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesting outside the convention doors.  He was encouraged by the presence of these protesters outside their meeting as it demonstrated to the public that WBC is not in any way affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.  We then move on to some of the bigger concerns that were raised in Houston, including how individual congregations should handle their charters with the Boy Scouts of America (given the new policy on openly gay scouts) and the issue of mental health.  While the former issue garnered more headlines, Thom notes that discussions about mental health — prompted by the recent suicide of Rick Warren’s son — had more profound implications for the direction of the SBC.

Following our discussion on the SBC Convention, we shift gears to discuss what constitutes a healthy church, starting with an examination of some of the major trends that have affected America’s religious landscape in the past few decades.  To Tony’s surprise, the first trend that Thom raises is the increasing consolidation of church attendance in megachurches as compared to medium-sized congregations.  This is coupled with an increasing tendency to create “multi-campus” or “multi-site” churches.  The issue of “religious nones” also comes up and Thom makes the observation that many of the “nones” are coming from what he calls CEO Christians — i.e., religious attendees that only showed up on Christmas and Easter Only.  He also observes that attendance among the “millennials” (individuals born after 1980) has also slid, but those among that age group who remain active in the church tend to be extraordinarily committed.  Tony challenges Thom regarding the declining faith of youth by noting that nearly every generation has wrung their hands about the moral decline of youth; Thom responds and we both agree that there are various ebbs and flows in the history of Christianity.

The last quarter of our interview focuses on what makes a church grow and what makes a congregation stagnate, starting with the latter.  Thom notes that it is fairly easy to identify what causes churches to stagnate, namely a sense of comfortableness and self-centeredness that inculcates a culture opposed to constant change.  Tony asks Thom how he advises churches who are in this stagnation mode, and he notes that the first thing is to assess the clergy and members’ willingness to change.  Interestingly, he notes that about 90% of congregations that have this problem do not want to make any significant changes to change the direction of stagnation.  Nonetheless, there are 10% who do make changes and “breakout,” to which Thom provides a few examples of congregations that make changes without firing the pastor (as the most common way a church deals with stagnation is to toss the minister at the podium).  This discussion includes thoughts on what it takes to motivate “tired” clergy and includes a personal story that proved very important in Thom’s own life.  Finally, we finish with a few seemingly “trivial” details about what makes for a successful church, but which can have a major impact on attendance and the vitality of a congregation.  Such things include the proper size for the sanctuary so that the services feel well-attended but not over-crowded, the number of parking spaces available, how to encourage an appropriate level of giving, and the width of chairs!  Recorded: June 18, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Thom S. Rainer’s biography at his personal blog website.

LifeWay Christian Resources.

I Am a Church Member, by Thom S. Rainer.

The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, by Thom S. Rainer.

Transformational Church, by Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer.

Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap, by Thom S. Rainer.

Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.

Please consult Thom Rainer’s personal blog above to access other fine books he has authored.

Reflection on the Houston Southern Baptist Convention, Day 1 and Day 2.

Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.

RELATED PODCASTS

 Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

RELATED LINKS

Barry Hankins bio at Baylor University’s Department of History.

Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties, and Today’s Culture Wars, by Barry Hankins.

American Evangelicals: A History of a Mainstream Religious Movement, by Barry Hankins.

The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists, by Barry Hankins.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

David Wills, president of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) and a lawyer specializing in charitable giving and estate planning, joins our program to discuss the relationship between charitable giving, taxation and other government regulations.  Our discussion starts on a broad philosophical level, examining how our society decides to allocate resources to solve various social problems — either via private charity or government intervention.  We center our attention on disaster relief  but observe that the pincipals we discuss apply to a wide range of social services.  David reviews how his foundation operates and facilitates the relationship between donors and charitable organizations, which include both religious and secular organizations.  Surprisingly, we discover that the NCF not only serves large philanthropic donors, but regular folks who might be donating just a couple thousand dollars each year.  Tony notes that the NCF represents a unique entrepreneurial institution that allows individuals to make the most efficient use of their giving.  We then discuss whether increases in taxation and government services have affected level and nature of charitable giveing.  David provides an interesting grassroots perspective on this issue that contrasts with an earlier podcast we had with Daniel Hungerman.  Our conversation turns to tax laws and other regulations affecting charitable organizations.  David discusses how both tax rates and the regulatory defnition of what constitutes a charity can have a large impact on religious charity.  He provides some insight into some potential legal and tax code changes on the horizon that may have a large impact on NGOs and donors.  Anybody who runs, or donates to, a charitable organization will want to listen closely to what is happening as these changes are not widely discussed in the news media.  Tony asks David about his thoughts on the Bush Administration’s Faith-Based Insiative.  David finishes with some interesting observations about the role of megachurches with respect to these potential legal changes and his views on the future of megachurches contrasts with that of our previous guest, James Brettell.  Recorded: March 23, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

The National Christian Foundation.

Investing in God’s Business, by Terry Parker, Gregory Sperry, and David Wills.  (Free selection here.)

Family.Money: Five Questions Every  Family Should Ask about Wealth, by David Wills, Terry Parker, and Gregory Sperry.  (Free selection here.)

RELATED PODCASTS

Dan Hungerman on Religious Charity and Crowding Out.

Jay Hein on the Faith-Based and Community Initiative

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.

RELATED LINKS

 Kevin den Dulk’s biography at Calvin College.

The Disappearing God Gap? Religion in the 2008 Presidential Election, by Corwin Smidt, Kevin den Dulk, Bryan Froehle, James Penning, Stephen Monsma, and Douglas Koopman.

Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture and Strategic Choices, by Booth Fowler, Allen Hertzke, Laura Olson, and Kevin den Dulk.

Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America, by Corwin Smidt, Kevin den Dulk,  James Penning, Stephen Monsma, and Douglas Koopman.

RELATED PODCASTS

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy.

Sung Joon Jang on the Boy Scouts of America.

Jon Shields on Democratic Virtues and the Christian Right.

Corwin Smidt on Religion, Elections, and the God Gap.

]]> http://www.researchonreligion.org/protestantism/kevin-den-dulk-on-religion-education-and-civic-engagement/feed 6 http://www.researchonreligion.org/uncategorized/christopher-scheitles-religious-road-trip http://www.researchonreligion.org/uncategorized/christopher-scheitles-religious-road-trip#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:00:06 +0000 http://www.researchonreligion.org/?p=1411 What do you get when you take a seasoned sociologist and a senior research associate, put them in a rented Dodge Charger for six weeks, and tell them to discover what America’s spiritual landscape is all about?  You get a religious road trip with Christopher P. Scheitle and Roger Finke .. and you learn a whole lot about what it is like to be religious in the US!  Chris Scheitle, a senior research associate in the Department of Sociology at Penn State University and adjunct assistant professor at the College of St. Benedict – St. John’s University in Minnessota, tells us how this unique research project came about.  He reveals how he suggested this offbeat idea to Roger Finke over a few beers and that Roger came back with some research funding and his wife’s permission a few days later and off they went (after a bit of preparation).  Their first stop took them to Memphis, TN to investigate the experience and influence of an African American church headed up by Robert Cole.  Chris details how the black church experience has permeated the broader American culture and what this means for religion in America.  It is then off to Houston, TX to pop into Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, a megachurch that serves roughly 40,000 congregants on any given Sunday.  We discuss the role of megachurches in America and how they represent the adaptability and creativity of the American religious spirit.  We then stop at a local Houston Yerberia and a cowboy church just out of Amarillo to find out what these entities bring to the national experience.  Travelling up to Colorado Springs, often called the “Vatican of evangelical Christianity,” we then find out about the role played by parachurch organizations such as Focus on the Family and Global Mapping International.  And then it is off to San Francisco to peak into various Asian immigrant religious groups such as the Buddhist Churches of America and even a Hare Krishna group.  We finish up the trip with an exploration of Muslims in Detroit and Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn.  All along the way, Tony peppers Chris with questions about what it is like to drive around the country with a full professor and what kind of music Roger Finke likes to listen to.  We end with Chris’s thoughts on what he learned from this trip and find out that although the American religious landscape is defined by its pluralism and diversity, in reality many religious folks of different faith traditions often share the same concerns with one another; Chris ends up impressed with the similarities that arise from our national diversity.  Recorded: February 17, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Places of Faith: A Road Trip across America’s Religious Landscape, by Christopher P. Scheitle and Roger Finke.

Christopher P. Scheitle’s website and Penn State University.

The Association of Religious Data Archive (ARDA) at Penn State University.

An article about Places of Faith at Ahead of the Trend on The ARDA.

RELATED PODCASTS

Roger Finke on Religious Persecution.

Daniel Stiles on  Cowboy Churches.

Chris Bader on Ghosts, Bigfoot, and the Paranormal.

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