Rodney Stark

Rodney Stark ( born 1934 ) is an American religious sociology. He grew up in a Lutheran family in Jamestown, North Dakota. He served in the U.S. Army and worked as a journalist before he started studying at the University of California, Berkeley. After he taught 32 years at the University of Washington, he moved to Baylor University in 2004, where he was co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion. He is an advocate of rational choice theory in the sociology of religion, which he calls the "theory of religious economy."

Stark - Bainbridge theory of religion

During the late 1970s and 1980s, Stark worked with William Sims Bainbridge on the theory of religion by Stark - Bainbridge, and as a co -author along with Bainbridge on the books The Future of Religion ( 1985) and A Theory of Religion ( 1987). Nowadays their theory that purports to explain the religious commitment in relation to rewards and compensations, as a precursor for the explicit recourse to economic principles seen in the study of religion, which were later published by Laurence Iannaccone and others.

Stark's view of the growth of Christianity

Stark situated in The Rise of Christianity, the thesis that Christianity gradually grew by individual conversions through social networks of family, friends and colleagues. His most important contribution to the comparison of documented evidence of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire with the history of the LDS Church in the 19th and 20th century was to show that a sustained and continuous growth could cause it to an enormous growth the next 200 years come. The approach Exponential growth to name as the main reason for the growth of churches without Massenkovertierungen ( what historians hitherto deemed necessary ), is now widely accepted.

Stark believes that Christianity grew because women were thus more involved than with pagan religions. He concludes that the commitment of the Christian community in the recovery of unbelievers and in faith fickle people was weakened because Christianity in the Roman empire was made the state religion. This is consistent with the published observations Starks on contemporary religious movements, which once gradually returning successful faith movements, the passion due to the free rider problem.

Personal religious belief

In the book A Theory of Religion from 1987 Sark and Bainbridge describe yourself as a person incapable of religious faith ( " personally incapable of religious faith" ). In a 2004 interview Stark wanted reluctant to talk about his own religious view, but says that he was not a man of faith, but also not an atheist:

" Interviewer: You once wrote did 're " not religious as did term is conventionally Understood ". " Rodney Stark: That's true, though I've never been an atheist Atheism is an active faith, it says. " I believe there is no God " But I do not know what I believe I was Brought up a Lutheran. . in Jamestown, North Dakota. I have trouble with faith. 'm not proud of this. I do not think it makes me an intellectual. believe I would if I could, and I may be able to before it's over. I would welcome that " ".

" Interviewer: You once wrote that you " not religious in the sense, as the term is commonly understood. " " Rodney Stark: That's true, although I was never an atheist Atheism is an active faith, you say. " I believe there is no God "But I do not know what I believe I am as a Lutheran in Jamestown, North Dakota.. been educated. I have problems with faith. I'm not proud. I do not think it makes me an intellectual. I 'd like to think if I could and maybe I am capable of before it's all over. I would welcome that. " "

In an interview in 2007, according to the Stark accepted a position at Baylor University, he explained that his self-image had changed and he now describes himself as an "independent Christian." In this interview, Stark, he has always been a "culture ller " ( cultural ) of Christ was to " strongly committed to the Western civilization" as understood recalls. About his former position, he wrote:

"I was never an atheist, but I probably could have been best Described as to agnostic. "

"I was never an atheist, but probably would have been able to describe myself as an agnostic at best. "

About the Theory of Evolution

In 2004 published The American Enterprise ( An Online Publication of the American Enterprise Institute ) an article in the strong, the suffocation of the Debate on the Theory Evolutinären criticized. In "Facts, Fable and Darwin ", Stark criticized the " Darwinian campaign " ( " Darwinian Crusade" ) and his " tactics of Innanspruchnmae it just a choice between Darwin and the Bieblischen literalism " ( " tactic of claiming did the only choice is in between Darwin and Bible literalism " ) exist. Although he is not a creationist, he believes that, although " the Evolution Theory is an insurmountable Herrasforderung for all religious claims, which must be given that under the lead biologist the origin of the different types is not yet clear ( " Though not a Creationist himself, Believes he did though "the theory of evolution is Regarded as the invincible challenge to all religious claims, it is taken for granted among the leading biological scientists did the Origin of Species Has yet to be explained" "). It suggests that the government, " the request to the high school texts that contain the preservation Darwin's fegeschlagener attempt as an eternal truth, cancels ( " He did Suggests Governments "lift the requirement did high school texts enshrine Darwin's failed attempt as an eternal truth. " ").

Writings

Stark has published 28 books and 144 articles, according to his CV.

Sociology of Religion

  • Christian Beliefs and anti -Semitism, with Charles Y. Glock. 1966
  • American Piety, with Charles Y. Glock. 1968
  • The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult formation, with William Sims Bainbridge. 1985
  • A Theory of Religion, with William Sims Bainbridge. 1987
  • Religion, Deviance, and Social Control, with William Sims Bainbridge. 1996
  • The Churchill Ching of America 1776-1992: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, with Roger Finke. 1992; 2nd edition under name The Churchill Ching of America 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy. 2005
  • The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History. 1996
  • Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion, with Roger Finke. 2000
  • One True God: Historical Consequences of Monotheism. 2001, ISBN 978-0-691-11500-9
  • For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch - Hunts, and the End of Slavery. 2003, ISBN 978-0-691-11436-1
  • Exploring the Religious Life. 2004, ISBN 0-8018-7844-6
  • The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success. 2005, ISBN 0-8129-7233-3
  • The Rise of Mormonism. 2005, ISBN 0-231-13634- X
  • Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became of Urban Movement and Conquered Rome. 2006
  • God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades. 2009

General Sociology

  • Sociology. 1985th An introductory college sociology text did Has been through ten editions as of 2007.
Jamestown (North Dakota) Hellenism (religion) Integrated Authority File
689731
de