The piece highlights a period of substantial organizational and intellectual growth within the sociology of religion. This expansion has generated considerable interest and controversy within top sociology journals. It’s particularly surprising to many sociologists, who had previously accepted secularization theories that predicted a decline in the importance of religion in social life, diminishing strength for religious organizations, and waning individual religious commitment.
However, global events by the late 1970s underscored religion’s undeniably strong influence in the late twentieth century. Specifically, the rise of fundamentalist religion in the United States and other regions, alongside public debates about cults and new religious movements, led social scientists to reevaluate religion’s significance. Additionally, theoretical and empirical connections between the sociology of religion and other fields, such as family studies, medical sociology, and social movements, played a crucial role in rekindling scholarly interest.
The authors structure their review to provide:
- A selective overview of research on religious beliefs and commitments.
- An investigation into the influence of religion on politics, the family, health and well-being, and on free space and social capital.
- A review of rational choice theories in the sociology of religion and the controversies surrounding their application.
Key concepts explored throughout the article include rational choice, politics, family health, and social control.
Reference for this article:
Sherkat, D. E., & Ellison, C. G. (1999). Recent developments and current controversies in the sociology of religion. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 363–394.
