Changing Patterns of Denominational Political Activity in North America: The Case of Homosexuality

The political involvement of Christian denominations in the last several decades has been shaped by a number of factors, such as the agendas particular denominations choose to pursue, whether issues are defined as moral or political ones, independent clergy activity, opinion gaps between elites and...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Van Geest, Fred (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Springer 2007
In: Review of religious research
Jahr: 2007, Band: 49, Heft: 2, Seiten: 199-221
Online Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallele Ausgabe:Nicht-Elektronisch
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The political involvement of Christian denominations in the last several decades has been shaped by a number of factors, such as the agendas particular denominations choose to pursue, whether issues are defined as moral or political ones, independent clergy activity, opinion gaps between elites and lay people, interaction with special interest groups, and the presence of inter-denominational coalitions. Conversely, restructuring theory suggests that as denominational identities and loyalties decline and parishioners become more divided in their political views, their denominations are less likely to take political action because of the internal conflict that would result. This paper examines denominational political activity on the subject of homosexuality to see if it conforms to restructuring theory, or if it could be better understood by historical factors. The evidence from this study shows that, while restructuring theory may help explain contemporary denominational political action in some limited situations, the aforementioned historical factors continue to explain much of the existing patterns of activity on this specific issue.
ISSN:2211-4866
Enthält:Enthalten in: Review of religious research