Center for Social Research

Religion and Social Order: Does God Punish Societal Sins?

Dr. Janel Curry, Dean for Research and Scholarship at Calvin College, has just been appointed Calvin's Byker Chair. Her talk will explore how religious worldviews, as portrayed in sermons, shape individual and institutional responses to events like Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsumani.

Last year Dr. Curry served as Center for Social Research's Interim Director. During the research phase for the project, CSR provided logistical and technical support for the team collecting the data, especially with transcription of recorded sermons. It will be a great opportunity to hear Dr. Curry's lecture as well as see the results of the sermon data.

Willow Room, Prince Conference Center Thursday, February 26, 7:00 p.m.

KCCS presentation to religious leaders

November 10 was a great day. About 150 religious leaders from 72 diverse congregations in Kent County gathered with other civic, community and academic leaders at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville for the Kent County Religious Leaders Symposium. Many participants have suggested further meetings to keep energy high, and efforts to fulfill this wish are under way.

Thanks to Calvin student videographer Kyle Berkompas for recording the event.

READ MORE...

Subdivided by Faith? Anti-Urban Bias, Geographical Habits, and Theological Influences

CSR's faculty Fellows for 2006-2008, Drs. Mark Mulder of Sociology and James K.A. Smith of Philosophy, will present the findings from their study "Subdivided by Faith." In a previous landmark study, Divided by Faith, Michael Emerson and Christian Smith articulated the ways in which evangelical spirituality and practice actually contributed to the racialization and segregation of American culture - the very antithesis of the picture of the redeemed community from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9).

Drs. Mulder and Smith's study seeks to launch a correlate (and supplementary) initiative that considers whether evangelicals tend to exhibit an anti-urban bias that fosters a negative view of urban life, and thus contributes to the growth of suburban and exurban social arrangements. And if this is the case, what are the factors of evangelical theology and spirituality that might lead to this correlation? Exploring a relationship between evangelical spirituality and geographical habits requires both a nuanced understanding of theology (particularly ecclesiology), as well as the rigor of social scientific analysis. The "Subdivided by Faith" study seeks to embody a theologically-informed sociology and a sociologically-accountable theology.

Meeter Center Lecture Hall February 26, 2009 3:30 p.m Refreshments Provided

Gatherings of Hope report released from the Kent County Congregations Study

Download the report (PDF, 100pp., 4.7Mb) Order bound copies from the Calvin College Campus Store.

Our report on the Kent County Congregations Study of 2007 is now online! The report, entitled Gatherings of Hope: How Religious Congregations Contribute to the Quality of Life in Kent County is downloadable now in PDF format and bound, full-color copies are available for purchase from the Calvin Campus Store. As reported on Sunday in the Grand Rapids Press, the KCCS is the most comprehensive study of religious congregations and how they contribute to the quality of life in Kent County. Inspired by the philanthropic vision of Doug and Maria DeVos and funded by their foundation, the project affirms the need for educational, community and religious sectors to collaborate in efforts to improve the lives of children and their families. These major findings of the report are found in the Executive Summary: Kent County is an unusually religious community. Compared to congregations across the country, Kent County residents are significantly more likely to attend religious services. Kent County congregations are larger in size, have more leaders, are better funded, and are more likely to have participated in or supported a social service program. Hundreds of congregations are located in areas of poverty and great need. Compared to majority White congregations, Black and Hispanic congregations in the county average three to four times the proportion of people with household incomes under $25,000. Local congregations transfer $75.6 million annually to denominations and to international, domestic and county aid and missions—but only 14 percent is clearly designated for Kent County. Worship services in Kent County take place in 28 different languages, reflecting cultural and ethnic diversity. At times multiple languages are spoken in the same congregation. Religious attendance is strongly associated with service to others. Almost 5,200 people from Kent County congregations—including paid staff and volunteers—participate in community service activities. Congregation leaders spend time worth $8.8 million annually on civic and social efforts. Congregations supply 2,827 volunteers for educational programs, but only a third of congregations report any involvement with public schools. Kent County congregations offer higher numbers of social service programs than comparable national averages—2,338 programs in all. Religious participation is not required by 70 percent of these programs. Other institutions would have to generate from $95 million to $118 million to replace the services and programs that Kent County congregations provide annually in their community-serving ministries. Gatherings of Hope is being distributed today to over 200 religious and community leaders at the Kent County Religious Leaders Symposium, held at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville.

President of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment Visits Calvin

The Byker Chair and the Department of Geology, Geography, and Environmental Studies invite you to hear Dr. John Baden’s presentation: “Revelations and Institutions: The theology and political economy of Hutterite and Mormon experiments with intentional communities.”  Political economy offers insights into why one communal order ended in absolute failure and another has survived for almost 500 years. 

Tuesday Sept. 30, 3:30 p.m.                                                                                                   
North Hall B78

     
The same evening, Dr. Baden speaks on “The Political Economy of Endangered Species.”  Baden discusses the Endangered Species Act passed by Congress in 1973 and outlines the struggle between enacting law while dealing with the necessity of environmental trade-offs and the declining support of policies as costs escalate.

Tuesday Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Commons Lecture Hall