Full Description
Though many scholars and commentators have predicted the death of religion, the world is more religious today than ever before. And yet, despite its persistence, religion remains a woefully understudied phenomenon. With Objective Religion, Baylor University Press and Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion have joined forces to present select articles from the Institute's Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion that not only highlight the journal's wide-ranging and diverse scope but also advance the field through a careful arrangement of topics with ongoing relevance, all treated with scientific objectivity and the respect warranted by matters of faith. This multivolume project seeks to advance our understanding both of religion and spirituality in general and also of particular religious beliefs and practices. Objective Religion thereby serves as a catalyst for future studies of religion from diverse disciplines and fields of inquiry, including sociology, psychology, political science, demography, economics, philosophy, ethics, history, medicine, population health, epidemiology, and theology. The articles in this second volume, Problems, Prosociality, and Progress, examine the many ways in which religion is linked to prosocial behavior. Whether through classes, retreats, small groups, mission trips, church-sponsored volunteer work, or any number of related group functions, religious participation connects people to multiple networks of social support that are consequential and meaningful. These faith-infused, supportive social networks allow people to build a strong sense of belonging and serve as powerful independent predictors of beneficial outcomes.
Contents
Foreword, by Jeff Levin
Part One: Volunteerism
1 Religion and Volunteering in Four Sub-Saharan African Countries, by Meredith J. Greif, Amy Adamczyk, and Jacob Felson
2 Religion and Philanthropic Giving and Volunteering: Building Blocks for Civic Responsibility, by Stephen V. Monsma
3 Religious Motivations and Social Service Volunteers: The Interaction of Differing Religious Motivations, Satisfaction, and Repeat Volunteering, by Richard M. Clerkin and James E. Swiss
4 Women Religious in a Changing Urban Landscape: The Work of Catholic Sisters in Metropolitan Cleveland, by Robert L. Fischer and Jennifer Bartholomew
Part Two: Social Capital
5 Religious Tradition and Involvement in Congregational Activities That Focus on the Community, by Jennifer M. McClure
6 God, Guts, and Glory: An Investigation of Relational Support Mechanisms for War Veterans Provided by Religious Communities, by Terry Shoemaker
7 The Impact of Church Attendance on the Decline in Female Happiness in the United States, by G. Alexander Ross
8 The Socioeconomic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis, by Brian J. Grim and Melissa E. Grim
Part Three: Addressing Social Problems
9 Religion, Intact Families, and the Achievement Gap, by William H. Jeynes
10 Religion and Academic Achievement among Adolescents, by Benjamin McKune and John P. Hoffmann
11 The Faith Factor and Prisoner Reentry, by Byron R. Johnson
12 Does Change in Teenage Religiosity Predict Change in Marijuana Use over Time?, by Scott A. Desmond, George Kikuchi, and Kristen Budd
13 Religiosity as a Buffer in the Association between Economic Disadvantage and Violence, by Cassady Pitt and Alfred DeMaris
