Article Abstracts
September 2006, Vol. 48 Issue 1

 

Religion and Anti-Islamic Attitudes
Stephen D. Johnson
Ball State University

A random sample of the residents of the SMSA of “Middletown” (Muncie, Indiana) participated in a telephone survey during October of 2002 concerning their views of Arabs and people of the Islamic faith. The impact of an individual’s church environment and that of both an authoritarian orientation and a social-dominance orientation on negative attitudes toward people of Islamic faith in the aftermath of September 11 were investigated. The findings indicated that attending a conservative, fundamentalist Protestant church had the major impact on holding anti-Islamic attitudes and that both an authoritarian orientation and a social-dominance orientation also had some influence, but to a lesser extent. However, those who had the greatest anti-Islamic attitudes were conservative Protestants who had a social-dominance personality disposition. Explanations of these results were then presented.

 

Christian Conservatism and Militarism Among Teacher Education Students

Robert L. Williams
Stacy L. Bliss
R. Steve McCallum
The University of Tennessee

The study empirically examined the extent to which endorsement of conservative theological teachings of Christianity and advocacy for Christian influence in American politics were related to a militaristic perspective of the U.S. role in the world. A sample of teacher-education students (N=215) in a Southeastern state university during the U.S. military involvement in Iraq responded to three sets of items (Theological Christian Conservatism, Political Christian Conservatism, and Militarism) thematically selected to represent the target constructs. All three measures had acceptable internal consistency. Correlational, regression, and group analyses showed that both Christian conservatism measures were significantly linked to militarism. However, Political Christian Conservatism was the more predictor of militarism. The discussion section proposes possible theological and political underpinnings for the empirical linkage between Christian conservatism measures and militarism.

 

The Effects of Organizational Characteristics on the Adoption of the Contemporary Worship Style among Taiwanese Congregations

Hui-Tzu Grace Chou
Utah Valley State College

Raymond Russell
University of California, Riverside

This study examines the spread of the contemporary worship style from an organizational perspective. Using self-administered questionnaires obtained from pastors of 108 Taiwanese Christian congregations in 1998, we find that the adoption of the contemporary worship style among Taiwanese congregations is more influenced by age, size, and network ties of congregations than by their nominal affiliations with denominations or their professed attitudes toward the charismatic movement. Greater size and participation in interdenominational networks make congregations more likely to adopt the contemporary worship style: older congregations and those with intradenominational networks are more likely to adhere to traditional worship styles. The results of this research highlight the impact of both organizations and organizational fields on the behavior of religious congregations.

 

Research Note: Beyond the Ordinary and Adventist Congregations

Roger L. Dudley
Andrews University

In 2001, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States participated with about 50 other faith groups in the U.S. Congregational Life Study (USCLS). Nearly 5600 Adventist church attenders in 94 congregations filled out a 56-item questionnaire about their faith and involvement in the life of the congregation. USCLS identified 10 strengths that put congregations “beyond the ordinary.” They are (1) Growing spiritually; (2) Meaningful worship; (3) Participating in the congregation; (4) Having a sense of belonging; (5) Caring for children and youth, (6) Focusing on the community; (7) Sharing faith; (8) Welcoming new people; (9) Empowering leadership; and (10) Looking to the future. For each strength, one or more questions were chosen from the survey. Then the percentage of those who responded in a specified way to a particular question was calculated, and an index of that strength was constructed. The procedure used in the national USCLS study was replicated with the Adventist data and comparisons made.

 

Church as Contested Terrain: Voice of the Faithful and Religious Agency

Laura M. Leming
University of Dayton

The Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal provides fertile ground for timely study of the emergence of new ways of claiming religious identity through analysis of how lay and clerical Catholics negotiate this crisis. While one might expect to see a number of Catholics withdraw their allegiance, a surprising development is the concentrated effort by some lay Catholics to assert leadership and ownership in their local contexts. This study identifies this dynamic as an exercise of religious agency. Documenting the emergence of a Midwest affiliate of Voice of the Faithful, a Catholic pro-change organization, it interprets its efforts to influence church leaders towards more accountability and greater lay participation as a form of religious agency. The methodology combines participant observation in local group meetings and sponsored events, interviews with pro-change group members, their leaders, and Catholic clergy, and artifact collection, over an 18-month period. Documenting a critical time in Catholic church history, the article provides empirical data on how lived Catholicism evolves and changes through the religious agency of its members and a window on emerging forms of lay protest and lay leadership.

 

Recent Research on Catholic Parishes: A Research Note

James D. Davisdon
Suzanne C. Fournier
Purdue University

The landmark Notre Dame Study of Parish Life was conducted in the 1980s. Since then, several other studies have provided additional information about Catholic parishes. We use these studies to create an overall profile of Catholic parishes. We also summarize the results of four studies indicating the similarities and differences between Protestant congregations and Catholic parishes. Finally, we examine the strengths and limitations of both the studies of Catholic parishes and studies that include both Catholics and Protestants. We conclude with some suggestions for future research.

 

Retirement Issues for Roman Catholic Priests: A Theoretical and Qualitative Investigation

Kevin L. Ladd
Indiana University south Bend

Thomas V. Merluzzi
University of Notre Dame

Daniel Cooper
Vanderbilt University

The first portion of this paper presents a literature review and sets out a course of investigation concerning retirement issues facing Roman Catholic priests. The second section summarizes the appropriateness of adapting Ruble and Seidman’s (1996) model of transitions to the context of Roman Catholic priests. The third portion consists of a qualitative analysis of responses from retired priests (N=68) that reveals themes supportive of the adopted model. The final segment notes additional research possibilities.

Research Note:
Sexual Misconduct, Non-sexual Touch, and Dual Relationships: Risks for Priests in Light of the Code of Pastoral Conduct

Michael N. Kane
Florida Atlantic University

Since 2002, all Catholic dioceses and eparchies in the United States have adopted and published codes of pastoral conduct for priests, deacons, and other ministerial persons. These codes appear similar to those used by mental health professionals. This research note briefly considers the dangers of dual relationships, sexual misconduct, and non-sexual touch by priests as a result of the codes of pastoral conduct, the implications of these behaviors, and the potential civil and ecclesial penalties that may ensue.