Major study documents religious mobility
The Grand Rapids Press newspaper invited CSR staff to comment for a story about a major new study of American religion by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
A massive survey of over 35,000 people, the U.S. Religious Landscape study reveals significant levels of religious mobility among Americans, with 28 percent reporting leaving the faith tradition of their childhood and another 16 percent reporting movement between groups within the Protestant tradition. Over sixteen percent reported no religious affiliation at all, but this figure includes 5.8 percent who still think of themselves as “religious” (see the bottom of the table at right on the Pew page.)
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Dr. James Penning to direct CSR
Dr. James Penning, currently chair of Calvin’s Department of Political Science, has been appointed to become Director of the Center for Social Research effective June 1, 2008.
Dr. Penning’s extensive experience includes a panoply of research- and community-related projects and positions. A scholar of public administration, urban, state and local politics, and religion and politics, he is a past president of the Michigan Conference of Political Scientists and program chair for the Religion and Politics section of the American Political Science Association. In the community, he has been a member of the Grand Rapids Planning Commission, the Kentwood City Commission, and the Baxter Community Center Board. He has conducted numerous large-scale studies and surveys. His most recent publication is Divided by a Common Heritage: The Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America at the Beginning of the New Millennium, co-authored with colleagues Corwin Smidt of Calvin and Donald Luidens and Roger Nemeth of Hope College.
The Center’s staff and student team are excited about Dr. Penning’s unique combination of community ties and research expertise.
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