| Pastors and Public Life: The Changing Face of American Protestant Clergy Contributor(s): Smidt, Corwin E. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0190455500 ISBN-13: 9780190455507 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA OUR PRICE: $33.24 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Christian Ministry - Pastoral Resources - Religion | Clergy - Social Science | Sociology Of Religion |
| Dewey: 253.2 |
| LCCN: 2015030015 |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6" W x 9.2" (0.79 lbs) 264 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: America's clergy are not just religious leaders. Their influence extends far beyond church doors. Houses of worship stand at the center of American civic life-one of the few spheres in which relatively diverse individuals gather together regularly. And the moral authority granted to pastors means that they are uniquely positioned to play a role in public debates. Based on data gathered through national surveys of clergy across four mainline Protestant (the Disciples of Christ; the Presbyterian Church, USA; the Reformed Church in America; and the United Methodist Church) and three evangelical Protestant denominations (the Assemblies of God; the Christian Reformed Church; and, the Southern Baptist Convention), Pastors and Public Life examines the changing sociological, theological, and political characteristics of American Protestant clergy over the past twenty-plus years. Smidt focuses on the relationship between clergy and politics-clergy positions on issues of American public policy, norms on what is appropriate for clergy to do politically, as well as the clergy's political cue-giving, their pronouncements on public policy, and political activism-and the impact these changes have on congregations and on American society as a whole. Pastors and Public Life is the first book to systematically examine such changes and continuity over time. It will be invaluable to scholars, students, pastors, and churchgoers. |
