Product Description: A partir de los conocimientos sociológicos sobre la conversión y la manera en que los grupos religiosos reclutan a sus miembros, este libro trata todos los temas relevantes para explicar la expansión del cristianismo: el trasfondo social de los conversos, la misión a los judíos, el estatus de la mujer en la Iglesia, la función del martirio y de la caridad, y el papel de la fertilidad y las enfermedades, sin olvidar la importancia central de la enseñanza, la moralidad y la fe en las comunidades cristianas...read more

Product Description: Presents coverage of more than 2,500 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada, from Adventists to Zen Buddhists. Entries contain essays and directory listings that describe the historical development of religious families and give factual information about each group within those families, including, where available, headquarter location, membership figures, a listing of educational facilities and information on periodicals published by the group...read more

A noted social historian charts the rise of religion, from Stone Age spirituality through the recent surge in Christianity, addressing numerous questions that range from why most world religions developed simultaneously to the commonalities among disparate faiths. 40,000 first printing.

Draws on new scholarship and statistical information to challenge popular beliefs about early Christianity, addressing such topics as the purpose of Gnosticism, Paul's efforts to convert Jews, and the dissolution of paganism. By the author of The Rise of Christianity. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

SOCIOLOGY is truly a classic introductory text which introduces students to the methods and theories of sociology using Rodney Stark's hallmark "Over the Shoulder of a professional sociologist" approach, presenting sociology on a personal level. Stark describes what sociologists do and how they do it, focusing first on the questions they pose and how they search for and formulate their answers, and then moving on to study their answers and conclusions. In this way, he effectively explores themes, raising issues in a straightforward manner with historical accuracy and solid research. The text employs a unique feature titled "A Closer View," which illustrates seminal research studies to introduce students to the sociological imagination and the world around them.

A critical analysis of the important role of Christianity in the history of the West argues that the Christian faith's emphasis on reason, progress, moral equality, and freedom led to technological innovation, the rise of science, open political institutions, democracy, and capitalism, paving the way to Western success. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

In this provocative book, Roger Finke and Rodney Stark challenge popular perceptions about American religion. They view the religious environment as a free market economy, where churches compete for souls. The story they tell is one of gains for upstart sects and losses for mainline denominations.Although many Americans assume that religious participation has declined in America, Finke and Stark present a different picture. In 1776, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans were active in church affairs. Today, church membership includes about 6 out of 10 people.But, as Finke and Stark show, not all denominations benefited. They explain how and why the early nineteenth-century churches began their descent, while two newcomer sects, the Baptists and the Methodists, gained ground. They also analyze why the Methodists then began a long, downward slide, why the Baptists continued to succeed, how the Catholic Church met the competition of ardent Protestant missionaries, and why the Catholic commitment has declined since Vatican II. The authors also explain why ecumenical movements always failIn short, Americans are not abandoning religion; they have been moving away from established denominations. A "church-sect process" is always under way, Finke and Stark argue, as successful churches lose their organizational vigor and are replaced by less worldly groups.Some observers assert that the rise in churching rates indicates increased participation, not increased belief. Finke and Stark challenge this as well. They find that those groups that have gained the greatest numbers have demanded that their followers accept traditional doctrines and otherworldliness. They argue that religious organizations can thrive only when they comfort souls and demand sacrifice. When theology becomes too logical, or too secular, it loses people.  

Product Description: Rodney Stark's provocative new book argues that, whether we like it or not, people acting for the glory of God have formed our modern culture. Continuing his project of identifying the widespread consequences of monotheism, Stark shows that the Christian conception of God resulted--almost inevitably and for the same reasons--in the Protestant Reformation, the rise of modern science, the European witch-hunts, and the Western abolition of slavery...read more

An examination of monotheism and the world-shaping impact of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam discusses major events in their histories, considering such topics as each religion's intolerance of the others, their resistances and compromises, and the comparatively tolerant model presented by American monotheists.

This fully integrated text/workbook/software package lets students experience the challenge and excitement of doing real social research. The textbook provides a highly readable introduction to the fundamental processes and techniques of contemporary research - without the usual overload of obscure terms and rarely used methods. From the beginning of the textbook, discussions of data analysis are integrated with explanations of the research process. In this way, students understand the purpose behind - and the end result of - the techniques they learn. They stay focused on the "big picture." The accompanying workbook, written by Michael Corbett and Lynne Roberts, allows students to receive hands-on training and practical experience in doing social research. This collection of computer-based exercises requires students to think like social scientists. They work through the same questions, problems, and issues that researchers face. Social Research Using MicroCase provides the flexibility for a course, whether it follows a "lecture-and-test" format or includes independent research projects.