Guide to Reference Resources

This guide is designed to help you navigate key resources related to the interdisciplinary study of religious and social life. It emphasizes theoretical and methodological tools that support critical examination of Christian practices within church and society.

Goals of the Guide:

• To equip seminary students with tools for integrating theories and methods from the social sciences into their study of religion as part of their academic formation.
• To support students interested in analyzing the contexts, actors, and practices within their own faith communities by providing access to research tools from fields such as congregational studies and the study of religious movements.
• To offer bibliographic resources that explore the intersections between theology and the social sciences, particularly in light of developments such as the "anthropological turn" and increased attention to lived theologies.
• To familiarize students with surveys and analyses that track religious statistics within U.S. society.
•  To provide researchers with information about key publications and journals in the field of Religion and Society.

Sociology of religion is a subfield of sociology that examines the ways in which religion influences and is influenced by social life. It explores how religious beliefs, practices, and institutions shape individual behavior and collective identities, as well as how they intersect with broader social structures such as family, politics, education, and economics. This field also studies patterns of religious affiliation, the role of religion in public life, and how religion adapts and responds to cultural and societal change. The early exponents of the sociology of religion include: Émile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx.

The anthropology of religion is a subfield of anthropology that studies how human beings understand, practice, and experience religion across different cultures and societies. The anthropology of religion has often centered on those sociocultural elements that are frequently identified as religious: myths, rituals, magic, beliefs about gods and divine beings, taboos, and symbols. 

Qualitative research offers valuable tools for examining how religion operates within social and institutional contexts, particularly in churches and other faith-based communities. This approach enables researchers to explore religious practices, leadership, community dynamics, and meaning-making through in-depth, contextual analysis. Common methods include ethnography, interviews, focus groups, and congregational studies—each allowing for detailed investigation of how religious groups organize, interact, and respond to broader societal trends. The library provides access to a variety of case studies and research materials that highlight religion’s role in social change, ethnic and cultural identity, evolving forms of church life, and its influence on family and gender roles, among others.