Day 19 (July 11): Congregations and Other Organizations

a)Morning Session - Congregations and Special Purpose Organizations

Democratic ideals and the First Amendment have given rise to congregations as voluntary organizations with distinctive features and institutional dynamics. The changing models of congregations over the course of American history will be reviewed and how the voluntary basis of participation impacts moral and religious authority of religious leaders as well as congregational polity. We shall review theories about the growth and spread of religions under conditions of voluntarism and pluralism. We shall also look at innovative types of congregations and the proliferation of special-purpose organizations that cut across religious traditions in the interest of advancing particular causes. Lecture, short video on new-style religious congregations, and discussion.

Speaker: Clark Roof

Assigned Readings:

Roger Finke and Rodney Stark, The Churching of America

Nancy T. Ammerman, "Congregation," Reader

Donald E. Miller, "Postdenominational Christianity in the Twenty-First Century, The Annals

b)Afternoon Session - Participant Discussion

Discussion of Fulbright participants' research interests.

Speaker: 

Mayfair Yang       

Assigned Readings:

Robert Putnam, "Bowling Alone," Reader

Examine papers at Center for Religion and Democracy, Univ. of Virginia Web Site