1st Edition
The Routledge International Handbook of Sociology and Christianity
The Routledge International Handbook of Sociology and Christianity examines the intersection of the sociology of religion – a long-standing focus of sociology as a discipline – and Christianity – the world’s largest religion. An internationally representative and thematically comprehensive collection, it analyzes both the sociology of Christianity and Christian approaches to sociology, with attention to the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant branches of Christianity. An authoritative, state-of-the-art review of current research, it is organized into five inter-connected thematic sections, considering the overlapping emergence of both the Christian religion and the social science, the conceptualization of and engagement with Christianity by sociological theory, the ways in which Christianity shapes and is shaped by various social institutions, the manner in which Christianity resists and promotes various forms of social change, and the identification, diagnosis, and correction of social problems by sociology and Christianity. This volume is an invaluable collection for scholars and advanced students, with special appeal for those working in the fields of sociology and social theory, as well as religious studies and theology
Introduction to the Handbook: The Intersection of Sociology and Christianity
PART 1: The History of Christianity and Sociology
Introduction to Part 1: The History of Christianity and Sociology
1. Sociological Perspectives on First Century Christianity
Anthony J. Blasi
2. Civilizational Analysis in Historical Sociology: Christianity in World History
Yulia Prozorova
3. Orthodox Christian Diasporas in the West: Grounding the Tradition
Marco Guglielmi
4. Saint-Simon, Saint-Simonism, and the Triumph of Comte’s Vision of Sociology
Joseph A. Scimecca
5. Definitions of Religion in Classical Sociology: Transcendence in Durkheim and Weber
Evan F. Kuehn
6. The Rise of Public Religion in Countries of Catholic Tradition Joseba Garcia Martin and Benjamín Tejerina
7. A Social History of Christofascism
Steven Foertsch and Christopher M. Pieper
PART 2: Contemporary Sociological Theory and Christianity
Introduction to Part 2: Contemporary Sociological Theory and Christianity
8. Individualism, Collectivism, and Christianity
Tsung-I Hwang
9. The Spatial Turn in the Study of Religion
Jeffrey Robert Thomas
10. Post-Critical Sociology and Christianity
Henry Kwok
11. Sociology, Christianity, and Critical Realism
Brad Vermurlen
12. De-colonization, Sociology, and Christianity
Henry Kwok
13. The Ethics of Globalization
Clinton E. Stockwell
14. Ethics and Society: A Theory of Comparative Worldviews
Tong Zhang
PART 3: Social Institutions and Christianity
Introduction to Part 3: Social Institutions and Christianity
15. Current Research on Religious Socialization in the Global North
David Rohall
16. Theologically Informed Family Theory
Todd F. Martin
17. Marriage Payments among Christian Communities in Southern India
Sristi Mondal and Anand Ranjan
18. Megachurches in the United States: Co-Sanctified Lexicons as Worldviews
Valerie Hiebert
19. Contemporary Christian Music and Contemporary Worship Music
Ibrahim Abraham
20. The Impact of Western Christianity on Trade Unionism
Theodore Koutroukis
21. Faith on the Ballot, Faith in the Ballot: The Democratic Process in Kenya
Martin Munyao and Sylvia W. Muriuki
Part 4: Social Change and Christianity
Introduction to Part 4: Social Change and Christianity
22. Poverty in Working Classes and Christian Social Movements in Britain
Victoria Turner
23. The Social Gospel Movement in the United States
Clinton E. Stockwell
24. Liberation Theology in Latin America
Madeleine Cousineau
25. Black Christianity and Black Liberation Movements in the United States
Shaonta’ E. Allen
26. Peacebuilding in Fragile, War-Torn Societies in Africa
Anne Kubai
27. The Construction of Online Christian Sacred Space in Indonesia
Izak Y.M. Lattu
28. The Cultural Turn from Religion Toward Spirituality in the Global North
Dennis Hiebert
PART 5: Applied Sociology and Christianity
Introduction to Part 5: Applied Sociology and Christianity
29. Applied and Clinical Sociology: A Christian Perspective
Joshua D. Reichard
30. Seeking Ethical Discernment in Christian Legality and Community
Laura R. Ford
31. Christianities and Socialisms
Joerg Rieger
32. The Relevance of Christian Ethics to the Ethic of Care
Sanja Ivic
33. Theological Influences on Mobilization of Opposition to Modern Slavery
Matthew C. Clarke
34. Christianity and Human Rights
Olga Breskaya and Giuseppe Giordan
35. The Recurring Christian Debate about Social Justice
Dennis Hiebert
Index
Biography
Dennis Hiebert is a semi-retired professor of sociology teaching at the University of Manitoba, Canada, with special interest in public sociology. He is Past President of the Christian Sociological Association, current editor of the Journal of Sociology and Christianity and the author, most recently, of Rationality, Humility, and Spirituality in Christian Life.
