Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Part One: World Views, Social Boundaries, Religious Experiences, and Institutions
1. The Definitional and Theoretical Bases for the Social Scientific Study of Religion
2. Religious Experience
3. Religious Experience and Social Institutions
Part Two: The Dilemmas in the Institutionalization of Religion
4. The Dilemma of Interpretation: Religion as a World View: The Study of Mythologies
5. The Dilemma of Mixed Motivation: The Study of Sacred Leadership
6. The Dilemmas of Interpretation and Mixed Motivation: The Study of Women as Leaders
7. The Symbolic Dilemma: The Study of Ritual
8. The Dilemma of Administrative Order: The Rise of Sacred Organizations
9. The Dilemma of Delimitation: The Study of Ethos
10. The Relationship Between Religion and Politics, Part One: Casearopapism and Hierocracy
11. The Relationship Between Religion and Politics, Part Two: Alternative Links
Part Three: Linking Religion to Other Institutions
12. Religions and the Economy
13. The Encounter With Culture: Secularization and Postmodernism
Conclusion
Glossary
References
"Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred makes a strong case for the continuing relevance of a Weberian approach to the sociology of religion, and does so in a comprehensive and student-friendly manner. The new edition is a rarity: a well-argued case for a particular approach to religion which can also serve as an accessible and up-to-date introduction to the field. -- William Ramp, University of Lethbridge Kudos to Donald Swenson for this second edition of his highly valuable text in the social scientific approach to religion.Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred is much more than the typical survey of its subject. In particular, I know of no other work that makes such creative use of the 'dilemmas' (first outlined by Thomas F. O'Dea) that confront the organization of faith. Regardless of their level of study, readers who aspire to a better understanding of the field will discover here a perspective on the sacred in the present age that is both learned and lucid. Because of the uncommonly broad and sensitive view that it incorporates, Professor Swenson's book challenges today's students, born into increasingly pluralistic settings, to develop a more inclusive awareness of religious orientations in their world. -- Kevin J. Christiano, University of Notre Dame
Donald S. Swenson is a Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal College, Calgary. He holds a degree in theology from the University of Ottawa and a PhD in sociology from Notre Dame University. He has taught, researched, and written on the sociology of religion for over twenty years.
"Kudos to Donald Swenson for this second edition of his highly valuable text in the social scientific approach to religion. "Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred" is much more than the typical survey of its subject. In particular, I know of no other work that makes such creative use of the 'dilemmas' (first outlined by Thomas F. O'Dea) that confront the organization of faith. Regardless of their level of study, readers who aspire to a better understanding of the field will discover here a perspective on the sacred in the present age that is both learned and lucid. Because of the uncommonly broad and sensitive view that it incorporates, Professor Swenson's book challenges today's students, born into increasingly pluralistic settings, to develop a more inclusive awareness of religious orientations in their world." - Kevin J. Christiano, University of Notre Dame ""Society, Spirituality, and the Sacred" makes a strong case for the continuing relevance of a Weberian approach to the sociology of religion, and does so in a comprehensive and student-friendly manner. The new edition is a rarity: a well-argued case for a particular approach to religion which can also serve as an accessible and up-to-date introduction to the field." - William Ramp, University of Lethbridge
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