Research On Religion » Rodney Stark

A Special Thanks

tonygill — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 08:00:27 +0000

We take a short break and issue a big thanks to all the folks who have helped make this podcast series a success. In an attempt to emulate Russ Robert’s successful EconTalk podcast series, I sought and received support from Byron Johnson and Rodney Stark at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. With the additional support of Frances Malone and Neil Luft, we’ve continued to deliver weekly discussions of great educational value to the general public at no charge. Four years and 200 episodes later we are still going strong.

Stay tuned for some more crescent fresh episodes in the coming weeks and years. We invite suggestions for topics and/or guests. And we ask all of our regular listeners to mention us to at least three other folks you know. Word of mouth is our main method of advertising and we appreciate every additional listener.

RELATED LINKS

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

Neil Luft’s Internet Imagineering.

Alex de Grassi’s website (he is the artist you hear on our theme music, one of Tony’s favorite guitarists).

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill (a shameless plug).

Rendering Unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill (another shameless plug).

Cornerstone, a new blog by the Religious Freedom Project (which Tony is a member of).

Bill Clark on an Academic’s Spiritual Journey

tonygill — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:00:04 +0000

In a personal interview that has a different flavor than many of our other episodes, we follow the spiritual journey of Prof. William Clark, a professor of political science at the Univeristy of Michigan, from his childhood years up until the present. While we have featured the personal stories of other guests on our show — such as cowboy preacher Dan Stiles and street preacher Jeff Rose — this discussion takes on a unique twist in that we ask Bill to use his own familiarity with the sociology of religion to reflect upon how his life informs us about the changing religious landscape more generally. Bill specializes in the study of international and comparative political economy, writing on such things as financial institutions, yet he nonetheless retains a close familiarity with what scholars who focus on religion are writing about.

We begin the journey with Bill growing up in New Jersey in a Catholic household. His close interaction with the Church has him considering the priesthood for a short time, though this is never realized. Instead, his interests in architecture and music take him along a different path in college. It is early in his college career, though, when he experiences a falling out with religion following the death of his father. This incident issues in a spiritual dry spell in his life and we follow the academic and professional trajectory of Bill through this period, which extends through his graduate training at Rutgers and first job down in Georgia. Despite his turn to a more secular life, he does marry a woman who remains more-or-less connected to her non-denominational religious roots and they begin a family together. The birth of their children draws Bill’s wife into weekly services with a desire to raise them with a moral foundation, while Bill admits to staying at home reading the New York Times on Sunday. Nonetheless, Bill does attend services on occasion and he admits to being rather argumentative with the pastors and their messages being that as an academic he was trained to disagree with somebody after a 40 minute sermon, irrespective what was being said. This academic personality trait becomes important later in his life as we see with his next move, which is northward to Princeton for a post-doc fellowship.

It is at Princeton where Bill’s spiritual journey takes an important turn. They connect to a Christian Missionary Alliance church and Bill, through a series of seemingly small but important events, begins engaging a small Bible study group and, after getting a job at NYU and making the long train commute, has a regular dinner discussion with the pastor of his church. These small group discussions and personal contact with the pastor play a much more important role in bringing Bill back to the faith than the large Sunday service experience, an interesting sociological observation that reveals a great deal about how people interact with faith and helps us to understand where Bill is today. He then discusses his conversion experience, which has both its small steps and its “brick wall” moment. Bill, at this point, makes a very intersting observation — it is the sociological factors that matter for the direction of one’s conversion, but there is still more to the process than just that.

We then move up to New York City. An exhaustive commute and the opportunity to get into NYU housing allows the Clark family to move to the Big Apple. It is here we discuss his involvement with the creation of a start-up church associated with the McManus bothers’ Mosaic Church in California. We delve into the experience of creating this church and what was unique about what he was doing. This portion of our conversation also recalls some of the insights provided in an earlier podcast with Tony Carnes about New York religion, namely that spirituality in New York is not always the typical Sunday service experience, but rather finds ways to work itself into some unusual cracks and corners of the city. This discussion leads us to reflect upon what the nature of our religious landscape looks like — not necessarily declining religiosity, but rather changing forms of religiosity that appears to many (incorrectly) to be a loss of faith.

The podcast closes with Bill’s most recent academic move to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Tony is given some academic advice on how to be more attractive to other schools (namely rely upon divine providence) and then we discuss how Bill’s spiritual life is again reshaped. Bill once again gets connected with what might be considered a more traditional-style of church, plugs into a small group format, and then eventually takes an interesting missional step outside of the church building, which is where he finds himself today. We conclude with Bill’s thoughts on the recent hubbub about the rise of “religious nones” in America and what he has learned on his academic and spiritual journey. Recorded: May 21, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Bill Clark’s bio at the University of Michigan.

The Political Economy of Monetary Institutions, edited by William Bernhard, Lawrence Broz, and William Clark.

Capitalism, Not Globalism: Capital Mobility, Central Bank Independence, and the Political Control of the Economy, by William Clark.

Principles of Comparative Politics, by William Clark, Matt Golder, and Sona Golder.

RELATED PODCASTS

Tony Carnes on a Journey Through NYC Religions

Tony Carnes onJesus’s Auto Body Shop and New York City Religions, Part II

Margarita Mooney on Her Monastic Vacation

Kimberly Conger on Being Christian in Secular Academia

W. Bradford Wilcox on Marriage

Robert Sirico on Markets, Morality, Faith & Freedom

tonygill — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:00:55 +0000

Religious leaders are often quick to criticize free market economics because of the belief that it harms the poor, creates greater inequality, and relies upon the base motives of selfishness. However, can a moral case be made for capitalism and free markets? Rev. Robert Sirico, co-founder and president of The Acton Institute, explores this question in depth. We begin our discussion by reviewing Father Sirico’s personal journey from his idealistic youth in the 1960s and early ’70s to his transformation into a proponent of free market economics. His intellectual development is all the more interesting in that it occured as he was simultaneously drawn back to the Catholic faith of his youth, eventually choosing to enter the seminary and become an ordained priest. During this discussion we review his thoughts on Ayn Rand and other libertarian thinkers such as Friedrich Hayek and Frédéric Bastiat. We then venture into a discussion about greed, selfishness, and self-interest with Rev. Sirico laying out the difference between these different concepts and noting how the pursuit of self-interest can also be good for others as entrepreneurs attempt to benefit themselves by making others happy. Greed, on the other hand, is defined as the pursuit of desire with the intent of subordinating others. Father Sirico then makes a case that socialism tends to promote greed more so than capitalism. This discussion allows us to review early communal experiments by the Pilgrims and Fr. Sirico explains why liberation theologians and others are mistaken to interpret the social organization of the early Church Fathers as an example of socialism. We then discuss the role of profits, the gap between the rich and poor, the nature of envy, and the importance of voluntarism. Our discussion closes with an examination of President Bush’s faith-based initiative (which Rev. Sirico gave some early input on), how government policy (even if pursued with good intentions) may inhibit the important social role of individual charity, and a discussion of the recent controversy surrounding the health care mandate and the Catholic bishops. With the latter issue, we review the tension between a corporatist worldview and the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, a nice review of our earlier discussion with Prof. Phillip Muñoz. Finally, Rev. Sirico details the origins of the Action Institute and his role with that institution. Recorded: May 29, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Rev. Robert Sirico’s biography.

The Acton Institute.

Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy, but Robert A. Sirico.

“Who Really Was Jon Galt Anyway?” by Robert A. Sirico on Patheos.com (mentioned in interview).

RELATED PODCASTS

Phillip Muñoz on Catholic Bishops, Religious Liberty, and Health Care Mandates.

Timothy Shah on the Case for Religious Liberty.

Jason Jewell on John Locke and Religious Toleration.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part 1

tonygill — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:54 +0000

In 2012, Christians represented roughly 2.8 billion people (or 40%) of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants. How did a small group of individuals representing what could be considered a Jewish sect on the outskirts of the Roman Empire succeed in become the world’s largest faith tradition. Prof. Rodney Stark, co-director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, discusses his new book The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion. While that books spans over 2000 years of world history, our focus is on the century leading up to “Christmas Eve” (Christ’s birth) and the three hundred years that followed. Prof. Stark details the religious landscape of the Roman Empire at that time, starting with the sectarian nature of Judaism and then discussing what paganism was all about and how there was a tendency towards monotheism and what implications that had for Christianity. We then discuss several other sociological factors that played a role in the expansion of Christianity, including the role of mercy (and health care), the paradoxical effects of persecution, the surprising socio-economic status of early converts, and the important role that women played in the early Church. Rod also discusses some recent understandings of who Jesus was and why this mattered. We finish with the conversion of Constantine and Rod hints at what consequences this had for the medieval Christian Church, which will be a topic of future conversation. Recorded: January 6, 2012.

The Rise of Christianity, by Rodney Stark.

God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark.

The Victory of Reason: How Cristianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success, by Rodney Stark.

For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery, by Rodney Stark.

Discovering God: The Origin of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Rodney Stark.

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

Rodney Stark on the Crusades.

Jim Papandrea on the Church Fathers.

Brant Pitre on the Jewish Origins of the Eucharist.

Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin & Other Stuff

tonygill — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Is denominationalism becoming a thing of the past? What are the upsides and drawbacks of a church affiliating with a denomination? Are young adults becoming too soft in their faith, or are the kids alright? Do we talk about sin enough in our contemporary religious landscape? Tony invites his good friend and colleague Steve Pfaff, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, to answer these questions and more in an open-ended discussion that mirrors a typical weekly discussion that Steve and Tony often have. You get a chance to listen in to what academics talk about over lunch or a few beers before a Husky football game. Steve has a more favorable view of denominationalism than Tony does, but recognizes some of the downsides including the tendency to become less entrepreneurial and stagnant. On the other hand, Tony is convinced by Steve’s argument that denominations help by communicating a consistent message about the quality of a religious organization and also assists in long-term quality control. We ponder whether churches like Mars Hill that have several branch campuses are on their way to becoming new denominations. Our conversation then turns to a recent article written by Rabbi Eric Yoffie on the Huffington Post (ht: RealClearReligion) that argues Americans no longer talk about sin very much. Steve contemplates the downside of this, but Tony chimes in that successful churches like Mars Hill and his own church hit you in the face with sin in a hard way. We both recognize that churches that provide a “tough love” message about individual sin are often more successful in attracting members than mainline churches that view sin as a social malady. Our conversation also covers whether kids today are less religious today than in the past and why religious pluralism might be a good thing in terms of encouraging greater civility, contrary to some prior worries that it would promote religious conflict. We promote the works of Christian Smith and James Wellman, but finally realize that we need people to know that both of us have written some pretty good books too! Recorded: October 21, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Steve Pfaff’s website at the University of Washington.

Exit-Voice Dynamics & the Collapse of East Germany, by Steve Pfaff.

RealClearReligion, a portal for religious news and opinion (we appreciate them linking to us – thanks guys).

Evangelical vs Liberal: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the Pacific Northwest, by James Wellman.

The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Life, by Christian Smith.

Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, by Christian Smith.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill (implicitly mentioned in the podcast).

Americans Don’t Like to Talk about Sin, blog by Eric Yoffie on RealClearReligion and Huffington Post.

RELATED PODCASTS

James Wellman on Evangelical vs Liberal Christians.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Christianity.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Mark von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment & Retention.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Justin Barrett on the Naturalness of Religious Belief

tonygill — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:00:52 +0000

Do human beings have an innate tendency to believe in God or the supernatural? Or are we merely “blank slates” at birth, only later to be filled with religious beliefs by our cultural institutions? And to what extent is “theology” natural or unnatural to the human mind? Dr. Justin Barrett, a cognitive psychologist at Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA), addresses these issues and presents the surprising results from a number of experiments conducted on small children meant to sort out whether religion is natural or learned. Although the science of cognition includes some difficult jargon, Dr. Barrett is remarkably adept at using analogies and explaining concepts and theories in a way that anyone can understand. We begin by defining religion and Prof. Barrett indicates that by that term his is primarily thinking about religious belief and some of the basic actions that follow from that belief. He is not referring to the institutional scaffolding that we usually associate with “church” or “denomination.” Our discussion then follows to the definition of what it means to have a belief or behavior be “natural.” He covers six conditions that psychologists frequently use to define something as “natural” or “innate” to humans, and we talk about how things such as language, music, and walking satisfy these criteria. We then cover some broad categories of beliefs and behaviors that cognitive psychologists often consider to be “natural,” such as our “naive understanding of physics” (i.e., how objects move), how we detect conscious agents in our environment, and our theory of mind. Religion then becomes our topic of focus and Justin shows how very young children exhibit beliefs in the supernatural that build upon many of these criteria and categories. Along the way, he highlights a number of experiments conducted on infants and toddlers that demonstrate that religion does indeed appear to be something that comes natural to humans, and that our understanding of it is only tamped down later in life. We then turn to the issue of theology, a structured explanation of the supernatural that requires “unnatural” practice and the development of expertise. Prof. Barrett makes clear that the “unnatural” aspect of theology does not mean that theology is inherently “bad,” just that it requires a broader institutional and cultural context to help us develop and learn these concepts. We do, though, discuss what happens when theology often leads in directions that are counterintuitive to our natural religious beliefs, and how that can have potentially important social effects. Tony suggests that this might be an underlying cause for many of the schisms that we see in religious history; when theologies develop to a point that seem to contradict our natural inclinations about the supernatural people will often seek to get back to the “fundamentals.” Prof. Barrett points to scholarship done by other researchers on “theological incorrectnes” and “the tragedy of the theologian.” All told, this is a fascinating discussion that has important implications for our understanding of whether or not the world is becoming more secular. Recorded: October 6, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Dr. Justin Barrett’s website at Fuller Theological Seminary, and an interview with him.

Why Would Anybody Believe in God? by Justin L. Barrett.

Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology: From Human Minds to Divine Minds, by Justin L. Barrett.

Born Believers: The Science of Childhood Religion, by Justin L. Barrett (coming in March 2012).

Discovering God: The Origins of Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Rodney Stark (mentioned in the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Alexander Ross on Religion & Happiness.

Larry Witham on the Economics of Religion

tonygill — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:00:39 +0000

Author and former journalist Larry Witham joins Tony to talk about his recent book Marketplace of the Gods: How Economics Explains Religion. Just as the title says, Larry Witham investigates a new and growing field within the social scientific study of religion that is often refered to as the “religious economies” perspective. Dating back to insights from Adam Smith, more recent scholars such as Rodney Stark, Roger Finke and Laurence Iannaccone have begun using insights from microeconomic (or “rational choice”) theory to explain a wide variety of religious behavior and institutional organization. Larry details the history of this field and how he came to be interested in it. We then discuss some of the basic premises of this approach and how economic theories of religion explain behavior at the household, group and market level. Contrary to popular images, we talk about how this approach is not necessarily “all about money,” but rather it deals with how religious actors (worshippers or clergy) try to achieve their goals in a world of scarcity and have to make difficult decisions that maximize the best possible outcomes. We turn to the various critiques of this approach and note that it may have complimentarities with other theories of religion. This is an excellent podcast to listen to in conjuction with a number of the previous episodes featuring economists (see below). Finally, as a special treat, Larry gives us a peek at his next book project about attending art school. Recorded: December 27, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Larry Witham’s website.

Marketplace of the Gods: How Economics Explains Religion by Larry Witham.

A City upon a Hill: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History by Larry Witham.

The Proof of God: The Debate that Shaped Modern Belief by Larry Witham.

The Measure of God: OUr Century-Long Struggle to Reconcile Science and Religion by Larry Witham.

Who Shall Lead Them? The Future of Ministry in America by Larry Witham.

The Association of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC), the website of the organization of folks who use economics to study religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Dan Hungerman on Religious Charity and Crowding Out.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and the Mormon Church.