Religious Research Association
Call for Papers
2009 Annual Meeting, October 23-25
Weston Tabor Center, Denver, Colorado

Religion and Relations:  Linking Faith with Marriage and the Family

Major changes in marriages and families characterize the last several decades in the United States and many other societies, including increasing ages at marriage, higher divorce rates, better and more widely available contraceptives, widespread cohabitation, more married women and mothers in the labor force, smaller family sizes, more childbearing outside of marriage, and more openness toward and acceptance of same-sex relationships. Because faith and family are often intertwined, these changes have profoundly affected religious institutions and, in turn, been affected by them. As traditional norms regarding marriage and childbearing have come under threat by the conflicting behaviors of individuals, various denomina-tional and societal struggles have ensued, most notably over abortion and same-sex marriage. At the same time, individuals have had to reconcile their own beliefs with the changing behaviors of others—and in many cases, of themselves—in the context of the larger religious debates on the same subjects. Careful study of these and other links between faith and family issues is critical for understanding the current religious landscape and how it came to be. 

To that end, we solicit proposals for sessions and papers that examine in some way the connections between religion and families, living arrangements, marriage, childbearing, or related topics. Examples of possible questions or issues to address include:

• Religious involvement across the family life cycle
• Religion and marital stability
• Religious intermarriage
• Congregational variations in family types or household arrangements
• Childhood religious socialization and childrearing practices
• Continuity of religious beliefs/behavior across generations
• Changing denominational and individual views on family-related issues
• Childbearing patterns across religious groups
• Low fertility and the mainline decline
• Differential childbearing and changing religious composition
• Religion and views on contraception and abortion
• Institutionalized celibacy and the disappearance of the Shakers:  cause and effect?
• Living arrangements and religious participation
• Denominational struggles with gay and lesbian issues
• Alternative family arrangements in new religious movements

As always, we welcome papers on all topics of a practical or theoretical nature relating to religion, especially (but not limited to) organized religions, denominations, and congregations.  However, this year we particularly encourage sessions, papers, and panels that touch in some way on questions that link religion to marriage, the family, or living arrangements.

Send all proposals by email to:
Jack Marcum, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), jack.marcum@pcusa.org
Include email addresses and affiliations of all participants/authors on proposals.

Session proposals due:  January 31, 2009
Paper proposals due (titles and abstracts of 150 words or less):  April 15, 2009
Completed papers due:  September 30, 2009