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The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in...
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The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in Shaping Pastoral Practice

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 10665

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Brett C. Hoover

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Interests: pastoral theology; parish life; sociology of religion in theological research; American Catholicism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Almost since the beginnings of sociology, pastoral leaders have looked to sociological theory and research as part of their efforts to affirm or reform pastoral practice. Sociologists have also interpreted their own research on religion and religious communities by gesturing toward recommendations for pastoral practice. Even in our own day, pastoral plans and programs are often created with explicit reference, especially to survey research produced by organizations like PRRI, the Center for Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown, or the Pew Research Center.

This Special Issue of Religions invites practical, pastoral, and liturgical theologians, social scientists, religious studies scholars, and pastoral leader–scholars to explore the ambiguities involved when sociological research is used as a tool in shaping pastoral practice. How are we to interpret and evaluate these efforts past and present? Did past efforts succeed? Why or why not? Do such efforts interpret research accurately? Did some such efforts spawn or support spurious research? Were these efforts faithful to ecclesial and sociological standards of truth, or were there epistemological conflicts or sleights of hand?

The editors welcome proposals that consider particular case studies—past or present—as well as theoretical and methodological questions and perspectives. The editors have a special interest in pastoral practice amidst underrepresented racial, ethnic, and religious groups, though all proposals that consider the intersection of sociological research and pastoral practice are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Brett C. Hoover
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pastoral theology
  • practical theology
  • sociology of religion
  • pastoral

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 255 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Moral Framing of Disaffiliation: Sociological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Rise of the “Nones”
by Brett C. Hoover
Religions 2021, 12(6), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060386 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3065
Abstract
The wave of religious disaffiliation that began in the 1990s in the United States has gone from a concern of pastoral leaders to perhaps the concern of pastoral leaders. This article examines a moral framing of religious disaffiliation—where disaffiliation is seen as a [...] Read more.
The wave of religious disaffiliation that began in the 1990s in the United States has gone from a concern of pastoral leaders to perhaps the concern of pastoral leaders. This article examines a moral framing of religious disaffiliation—where disaffiliation is seen as a symptom of larger moral struggles in society. After a review of contemporary sociological research on the phenomenon of disaffiliation, its roots and causes, the article explores the thinking of the influential Catholic bishop and media entrepreneur Robert Barron as an example of the moral framing of religious disaffiliation. Barron operates as a “moral entrepreneur” in today’s media-rich context, working to persuade Catholics to eschew certain strains of secular and liberal Catholic thinking in order to embrace traditional Catholicism as part of a moral struggle for the soul of U.S. society. Sociological theory on moral entrepreneurship and moral regulation helps make sense of his position. In the end, however, the causes and processes revealed in sociological research on disaffiliation reveal the moral framing as an inadequate construct for making sense of the actual phenomenon. I conclude by recommending a “historical-pastoral” framing of disaffiliation instead. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in Shaping Pastoral Practice)
20 pages, 274 KiB  
Article
Coming Up Short: The Catholic Church’s Pastoral Response to the Transgender Crisis in America
by Stephanie Roy-Steier
Religions 2021, 12(5), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12050337 - 12 May 2021
Viewed by 4425
Abstract
The Vatican and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued official responses to the phenomenon of gender diversity, as well as instructions for the education and care of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people in America. However, have these authorities effectively [...] Read more.
The Vatican and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued official responses to the phenomenon of gender diversity, as well as instructions for the education and care of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people in America. However, have these authorities effectively utilized current sociological research to develop and implement contextually appropriate pastoral practices that are lifegiving and to the greatest benefit of this at-risk population? This article argues that they have not and that their recommendations have been linked to increased harm and marginalization. Utilizing Richard Osmer’s framework for practical theological interpretation, this article begins with an overview of the Magisterium’s guidance, followed by a summary of quantitative data gleaned from national surveys, population studies, and demographic analyses that reveals unique experiences of suffering and oppression. The middle sections bring in leading theories and findings from social, health, and medical fields, which illustrate TGD needs and vulnerabilities and expose the Magisterial offices’ dangerous failure to meet or even acknowledge them. The final sections call for a revised pastoral approach grounded in the concrete situations of TGD people and congruent with the Church’s commitment to love, service, and social justice. Good practice models and ethical norms are suggested for immediate incorporation into care and praxis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in Shaping Pastoral Practice)
17 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
Social Construction of the Sacrament of Orders
by Anthony J. Pogorelc
Religions 2021, 12(5), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12050290 - 21 Apr 2021
Viewed by 2591
Abstract
All institutions are the product of human activity. This article will consider how the development of the Sacrament of Orders is embedded in the social construction of the church as an institution, with a leadership structure and a system of symbols and rituals. [...] Read more.
All institutions are the product of human activity. This article will consider how the development of the Sacrament of Orders is embedded in the social construction of the church as an institution, with a leadership structure and a system of symbols and rituals. Drawing on the perspectives of sociologists, theologians and social constructionists, it will focus on churches of the West with more highly developed liturgical traditions, examining the history of how this sacrament, and the clergy roles and lifestyle it initiates, has been constructed and reconstructed in response to the social forces that have influenced the church from its origins to the current day. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in Shaping Pastoral Practice)
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