Winner of the 1993 Distinguished Book Award, Pacific Sociological Association "A major work in three different areas of sociology, [A Theory of Religion] is a model of how to build a systematic theory, a leading accomplishment of the rational choice school, and a comprehensive theory of religion. . . . It is a sobering as well as penetrating vision. [This] book deserves a great deal of attention, both in the sociology of religion and in wider realms of social theory."--Randall Collins, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion "The value of [this book] lies in the distance it carries sociology toward a scientific theory of religion and in the sustained rigor of its deductive application. It is a 'must read' for anyone interested in the scientific study of religion or the formal axiomatization of sociology."--Thomas Ryba, Zygon "Stark and Bainbridge have made pioneering and enduring efforts in writing this book, and to a large extent they have been successful in their attempt to explain deductively why and how the phenomena of religion occur."--K. Peter Takayama, Journal of Church and State In this unique text, Stark and Bainbridge begin with basic statements about human nature and, employing the principles of logic and philosophy, build toward increasingly complex propositions about societies and their religious institutions. They provide a rigorous yet flexible sociological theory or religion as well as a general sociological model for deriving macrolevel theory from microlevel evidence. Rodney Stark is a professor of sociology and of comparative religion at the University of Washington and co-author of The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy (Rutgers University Press). William Sims Bainbridge is director of the sociology program at the National Science Foundation and author of Goals in Space: American Values and the Future of Technology.
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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Arbitrary Conclusions and Poor Scholarship,
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This review is from: A Theory of Religion (Paperback)
Stark's work is extremely popular in the modern field of religious studies. However, he is, without a doubt, one of the largest hacks in the business. This book is a fine example of the sort of sociological effluent he deposits on the shoes of religious scholars every year. The sweeping arbitrary generalizations, vague and universalizing terminology, and lack of supporting evidence for his conclusions really make it a page-turner. I couldn't put the book down, again and again thinking, "What incredibly stupid thing will he say next?" If you want a book on the functioning of religious groups, try Georges Bataille, Pierre Bourdieu, Clifford Geertz, or Catherine Bell. Hell, even the mad ravings of Slavov Zizek on the subject are more worthwhile, because at least he has flashes of important insight occasionally. Just trust me on this one: skip Stark's book unless you need perspective on all the things wrong with modern religious studies.
Christopher Rubio Reed College 2010 Thesis on Conversion and Ritual in Cults
4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rodney Stark's A THEORY OF RELIGION,
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This review is from: A Theory of Religion (Paperback)
Rodney Stark's A THEORY OF RELIGION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION TO COME OUT IN THE PAST THIRTY YEARS.
NO DOUBT IN MY MIND ABOUT IT. MARK D. COHEN, M.S.,SOCIOLOGY, UW-MADISON 1989 MASTER'S THESIS ON A LUTHERAN CHURCH
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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efficacious compensators, novel compensators, social evaporation, specific compensators, perceived exchange ratios, exchanging compensators, valued exchange partners, general compensators, tension with the sociocultural environment, entrepreneurial cult founders, rewards with other humans, religious compensators, single good god, deviant religious organization, high exchange ratios, tension religious groups, exchange compensators, more cosmopolitan societies, religious engineering, exchanges with other persons, cultural specialties, promulgate norms, surrounding sociocultural environment, chronic seekers, scarce rewards Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Soviet Union, World War, Reform Judaism, Travis Hirschi New!
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efficacious compensators, novel compensators, social evaporation, specific compensators, perceived exchange ratios, exchanging compensators, valued exchange partners, general compensators, tension with the sociocultural environment, entrepreneurial cult founders, rewards with other humans, religious compensators, single good god, deviant religious organization, high exchange ratios, tension religious groups, exchange compensators, more cosmopolitan societies, religious engineering, exchanges with other persons, cultural specialties, promulgate norms, surrounding sociocultural environment, chronic seekers, scarce rewards Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Soviet Union, World War, Reform Judaism, Travis Hirschi New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- THEORY OF COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR by Smelser on page 215, and Back Matter
- New Class by Milovan Djilas on page 297, and Back Matter
- Knowledge & Human Interests by Juergen Habermas in Back Matter
- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty (Galaxy Books) by Morris Kline in Back Matter
- General Theory of Secularization by David Martin in Back Matter
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- Rational Choice Theory and Religion: Summary and Assessment by Lawrence A. Young on 7 pages
- Family, Religion, and Social Change in Diverse Societies by Sharon K. Houseknecht on 5 pages
- The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion (Wiley-Blackwell Companions to Religion) by Richard K. Fenn on 5 pages
- THE HANDBOOK ON CULTS AND SECTS IN AMERICA - PART A (Religion & the Social Order) by G Bromley D on 5 pages
- Defining Religion, Volume 10: Investigating the Boundaries Between the Sacred and Secular (Religion and the Social Order) by GREIL on page 21, page 25, and page 32
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