What Americans really believe : new findings from the Baylor surveys of religion /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stark, Rodney
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Waco, Tex. : Baylor University Press, [2008]
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction : the stability and diversity of American faith
  • pt. I: Congregations. Church-going : labels matter
  • Church growth : competing for members
  • Strict churches : the reasons for their popularity
  • The "scattered" church : traditional congregations are not going away
  • Megachurches : supersizing the faith
  • pt. II: Beliefs and practices. Religious experiences : God told me to go to church
  • Gender : women believe more, pray more
  • Heaven : we are all going
  • God : love, anger, and commitment
  • Evil : Did sin cause the hurricane?
  • Spirituality : religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive
  • Giving : the rich, the poor, and the widow's mite
  • Personality : Are we hardwired for God?
  • pt. III: Atheism and irreligion. Atheism : the godless revolution that never happened
  • Credulity : Who believes in Bigfoot?
  • New Age adherents : well-educated, formerly irreligious elites
  • The irreligious : simply unchurched, not atheists
  • pt. IV: The public square. Faith and politics : Is there a secret plot of evangelicals to take over the American government?
  • Merry Christmas, Jesus : it's okay to put sacred symbols in public space
  • Incivility : talking about faith in public
  • Religious-media consumption : the Da Vinci code effect
  • Civil participation : faith as social capital
  • Going to college, getting a job : what happens when mom and dad take their kids to church
  • Epilogue : Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) at Baylor.