The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious EconomyAlthough many Americans assume that religious participation has declined in America, Finke and Stark present a different picture. In 1776, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans were active in church affairs. Today, church membership includes about 6 out of 10 people. But, as Finke and Stark show, not all denominations benefited. They explain how and why the early nineteenth-century churches began their descent, while two newcomer sects, the Baptists and the Methodists, gained ground. They also analyze why the Methodists then began a long, downward slide, why the Baptists continued to succeed, how the Catholic Church met the competition of ardent Protestant missionaries, and why the Catholic commitment has declined since Vatican II. The authors also explain why ecumenical movements always fail In short, Americans are not abandoning religion; they have been moving away from established denominations. A "church-sect process" is always under way, Finke and Stark argue, as successful churches lose their organizational vigor and are replaced by less worldly groups. Some observers assert that the rise in churching rates indicates increased participation, not increased belief. Finke and Stark challenge this as well. They find that those groups that have gained the greatest numbers have demanded that their followers accept traditional doctrines and otherworldliness. They argue that religious organizations can thrive only when they comfort souls and demand sacrifice. When theology becomes too logical, or too secular, it loses people. |
Contents
1 | |
The Colonial Era Revisited | 25 |
The Upstart Sects Win America 17761850 | 55 |
The Coming of the Catholics 18501926 | 117 |
Methodists Transformed Baptists Triumphant | 156 |
Why Unification Efforts Fail | 197 |
Other editions - View all
The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy Roger Finke,Rodney Stark No preview available - 2005 |
The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy Roger Finke,Rodney Stark No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
adherence rates American Catholic American religion areas Asbury Baptist Convention Beecher Billy Graham Center Bishop Brunner camp meetings Cane Ridge Catholic Church census Christ Christian circuit riders clergy colonial mainline commitment Confessing Movement Congregationalists congregations culture decline doctrine ecumenical England Episcopalians ethnic evangelical evangelists explained faith Finke Finney frontier go go go Greeley groups growth Hispanic Holiness immigrants itinerants laity Lutheran mainline denominations major Meth Methodism Methodist Church Methodist Episcopal Church Methodists and Baptists ministers mission movement nation odist organizational organizations parish pastors percent Peter Cartwright population preachers preaching Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church USA priests Protestant Reformed religious adherence religious bodies religious economy religious orders reported revivals rural churches secular seminaries sermons slaves social South Southern Baptist Southern Baptist Convention Stark statistics Table theological tion United upstart ratio upstart sects urban Vatican II Whitefield worship York