Table of Contents

Section I: Changing Contexts

1 America’s Changing Religious Landscape: Overview PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life

2 Changing American Congregations: Findings from the Third Wave of the National Congregations Study Mark Chaves and Shawna L. Anderson

3 All Creatures Great and Small: Megachurches in Context Mark Chaves

4 “Nones” on the Rise: One-in-FiveAdults Have No Religious Affiliation PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life

5 Is the United States a Counterexample to the Secularization Thesis? David Voas and Mark Chaves

6 The Gender Gap in Religion Around the World: Women are Generally More Religious Than Men, Particularly Among Christians Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project

7 Gendering Secularization Theory Linda Woodhead

8 Socioeconomic Inequality in theAmerican Religious System: An Update and Assessment Christian Smith and Robert Faris

9 The Shifting Religious Identity of Latinos in the United States: Nearly One-in-Four Latinos Are Former Catholics PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life

10 The Impact of International Migration on Home Churches: The Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Church in India Prema Kurien

11 Redefining the Boundaries of Belonging: The Institutional Character of Transnational Religious Life Peggy Levitt

12 Religious Population Share and Religious Identity Salience: Is Jewish Identity More Important to Jews in Less Jewish Areas? Becka A. Alper and Daniel V. A. Olson

Section II: Evolving Content

13 Spiritual but Not Religious? Beyond Binary Choices in the Study of Religion Nancy T. Ammerman

14 “I Was a Muslim, But Now I Am a Christian”: Preaching, Legitimation, and Identity Management in a Southern Evangelical Church Gerardo Marti

15 Warrior Chicks: Youthful Aging in a Postfeminist Prosperity Discourse Kathleen E. Jenkins and Gerardo Marti

16 The Embodied Goddess: Feminine Witchcraft and Female Divinity Wendy Griffin

17 U.S. College Students’ Perception of Religion and Science: Conflict, Collaboration, or Independence? A Research Note Christopher P. Scheitle

18 Sensing God: Bodily Manifestations and Their Interpretation in Pentecostal Rituals and Everyday Life Joel Inbody

Section III: Patterning Diversity

19 At Ease with Our Own Kind: Worship Practices and Class Segregation in American Religion Timothy J. Nelson

20 Poor Teenagers’ Religion Philip Schwadel

21 Practical Divine Influence: Socioeconomic Status and Belief in the Prosperity Gospel Scott Schieman and Jong Hyun Jung

22 Religion, Race, and Discrimination: A Field Experiment of How American Churches Welcome Newcomers Bradley R. E. Wright, Christopher M. Donnelly, Michael Wallace, Stacy Missari, Annie Scola Wisnesky and Christine Zozula

23 Race, Belonging, and Participation in Religious Congregations Brandon C. Martinez and Kevin D.Dougherty

24 The Gender Pray Gap: Wage Laborand the Religiosity of High-Earning Women and Men Landon Schnabel

25 Sexual Encounters and Manhood Acts: Evangelicals, Latter-Day Saints, and Religious Masculinities Kelsy Burke and Amy Moff Hudec

26 Islam and Woman Where Tradition Meets Modernity: History and Interpretations of Islamic Women’s Status Jeri Altneu Sechzer

27 Evangelical Ambivalence toward Gays and Lesbians Lydia Bean and Brandon C. Martinez

28 “We Are God’s Children, Y’All”: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Lesbian- and Gay-Affirming Congregations Krista McQueeney

Section IV: Seeing Consequences

29 Religion and Gender Equality Worldwide: A Country-Level Analysis Landon Schnabel

30 Latino Congregations and Youth Educational Expectations Esmeralda Sanchez, Nicholas Vargas, Rebecca Burwell, Jessica Hamar Martinez, Milagros Pena and Edwin I Hernandez

31 Rejecting Evolution: The Role of Religion, Education, and Social Networks Jonathan P. Hill

32 Faith in the Age of Facebook: Exploring the Links Between Religion and Social Network Site Membership and Use Brian J. Miller, Peter Mundey and Jonathan P. Hill

33 Correcting a Curious Neglect, or Bringing Religion Back In Christian Smith

34 Social Support and the Religious Dimensions of Close Ties Stephen M. Merino

35 Bereavement and Religion Online: Stillbirth, Neonatal Loss, and Parental Religiosity Janel Kragt Bakker and Jenell Paris

About the Author

William A. Mirola is Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN. His teaching and research interests focus on the sociology of religion, social class, and social movements and change. In addition to a range of articles and reviews, he has co-edited and authored two books, Religion and Class in America: Culture, History, and Politics (Brill Publishers) and Redeeming Time: Protestantism and Chicago’s Eight-Hour Movement, 1866–1912 (University of Illinois Press).





Michael O. Emerson is Provost and Professor of Sociology at North Park University in Chicago, and Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to many articles on the topic of religion, he is the author of several books, including Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America (Oxford University Press) and People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States (Princeton University Press).


Susanne C. Monahan is Professor of Sociology and Associate Provost for Program Development at Western Oregon University. She received a Ph.D. and A.M. in Sociology from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Economics from Swarthmore College. Her research focuses on complex organizations, including work on American congregations and clergy. She has published articles and reviews in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Review of Religious Research, Sociology of Religion, Theoretical Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and Child Development.