Christian Pilgrimage In Modern Western Europe

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Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe

Author : Mary Lee Nolan
Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 146964780X
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe by : Mary Lee Nolan

Download or read book Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe written by Mary Lee Nolan and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2018-06-15 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe is a commanding exploration of the importance of religious shrines in modern Roman Catholicism. By analyzing more than 6,000 active shrines and contemporary patterns of pilgrimage to them, the authors establish the cultural significance of a religious tradition that today touches the lives of millions of people. Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites in Western Europe range from obscure chapels and holy wells that draw visitors only from their immediate vicinity to the world-famous, often-thronged shrines at Rome, Lourdes, and Fatima. These shrines generate at least 70 million religiously motivated visits each year, with total annual visitation exceeding 100 million. Substantial numbers of pilgrims at major shrines come from the Americas and other areas outside Western Europe. Mary Lee Nolan and Sidney Nolan describe and interpret the dimensions of Western European pilgrimage in time and space, a cultural-geographic approach that reveals regional variations in types of shrines and pilgrimages in the sixteen countries of Western Europe. They examine numerous legends and historical accounts associated with cult images and shrines, showing how these reflect ideas about humanity, divinity, and environment. The Nolans demonstrate that the dynamic fluctuations in Christian pilgrimage activities over the past 2,000 years reflect socioeconomic changes and technological transformations as well as shifting intellectual orientations. Increases and decreases in the number of shrines established coincide with major turning points in European history, for pilgrimage, no less than wars, revolutions, and the advent of urban-industrial society, is an integral part of that history. Pilgrimage traditions have been influenced by -- and have influenced -- science, literature, philosophy, and the arts. Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe is based on ten years of research. The Nolans collected information on 6,150 shrines from published material, correspondence with bishops and shrine administrators, and interviews. They visited 852 Western European shrines in person. Their book will be of interest to many general readers and of special value to historians, cultural geographers, students of comparative religion, anthropologists, social psychologists, and shrine administrators.

Léon Harmel

Author : Joan L. Coffey
Publisher : University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN 13 : 0268159203
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (681 download)

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Book Synopsis Léon Harmel by : Joan L. Coffey

Download or read book Léon Harmel written by Joan L. Coffey and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2003-09-09 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Léon Harmel is a penetrating study of the French industrialist who from 1870 to 1914 advanced social Catholic and Christian democratic movements by improving factory conditions and empowering workers. Joan Coffey’s fascinating new book represents the first major study of Léon Harmel in English. Harmel’s model factory at Val-des-Bois demonstrated that mutual accord and respect were possible between labor and management. Harmel turned his profitable spinning mill into a Christian corporation. His ethical business practices captured the attention of Pope Leo XIII and inspired his encyclical Rerum Novarum. Harmel also encouraged his workers to make pilgrimages to Rome. The collaboration of Pope Leo XIII and Léon Harmel laid the foundation of enterprises that collectively became known as Christian democracy. Drawing on extensive archival sources, including the Vatican Archives, Joan Coffey’s work skillfully analyzes the personal relationship between Pope Leo XIII and Léon Harmel. Léon Harmel also offers a timely reminder of the power of personal ethics and provides a refreshing antidote to today’s business climate.

Nineteenth-Century European Pilgrimages

Author : Antón M. Pazos
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429581734
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

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Book Synopsis Nineteenth-Century European Pilgrimages by : Antón M. Pazos

Download or read book Nineteenth-Century European Pilgrimages written by Antón M. Pazos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-03-09 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Nineteenth-Century a major revival in religious pilgrimage took place across Europe. This phenomenon was largely started by the rediscovery of several holy burial places such as Assisi, Milano, Venice, Rome and Santiago de Compostela, and subsequently developed into the formation of new holy sites that could be visited and interacted with in a wholly Modern way. This uniquely wide-ranging collection sets out the historic context of the formation of contemporary European pilgrimage in order to better understand its role in religious expression today. Looking at both Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Europe, an international panel of contributors analyse the revival of some major Christian shrines, cults and pilgrimages that happened after the rediscovery of ancient holy burial sites or the constitution of new shrines in locations claiming apparitions of the Virgin Mary. They also shed new light on the origin and development of new sanctuaries and pilgrimages in France and the Holy Land during the Nineteenth Century, which led to fresh ways of understanding the pilgrimage experience and had a profound effect on religion across Europe. This collection offers a renewed overview of the development of Modern European pilgrimage that used intensively the new techniques of organisation and travel implemented in the Nineteenth-Century. As such, it will appeal to scholars of Religious Studies, Pilgrimage and Religious History as well as Anthropology, Art, Cultural Studies, and Sociology.

Pilgrimage in Latin America

Author : N. Ross Crumine
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313090955
Total Pages : 453 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Pilgrimage in Latin America by : N. Ross Crumine

Download or read book Pilgrimage in Latin America written by N. Ross Crumine and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1991-02-07 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In every region of Latin America, there are sacred shrines that draw tens of thousands of pilgrims. At present, most of these pilgrimages are overtly Catholic, but the roots of the contemporary practice are numerous: European Christian, indigenous pre-Columbian, African slave, and other religious traditions have all contributed to Latin American pilgrimage. This book explores the historical development, range of diversity, and the structure and impacts of this widespread religious practice. This volume, among the first to focus on pilgrimage in Latin America in general, creates a general framework for understanding Latin American pilgrimage. Although the contributors' focus is predominantly anthropological, analytical perspectives are drawn from numerous disciplines, including archaeology, geography, and religious and literary history. This diversity reflects the fact that pilgrimage is a multifaceted institution that incorporates geographical, social, cultural, religious, historical, literary, architectural, artistic, and other dimensions. It is this complexity that is responsible for the previous general neglect of the study of pilgrimage by scholars. The interdisciplinary collaboration that characterizes this volume is one of the most sensible ways to investigate pilgrimages. All of the essays in this book treat pilgrims, the pilgrimage center, the ritual performances, and the audience as major components, and examine the interrelationships among these dimensions. This volume will interest anthropologists, sociologists of religion, and others interested in aspects of religious practices.

Pilgrims and Pilgrimages as Peacemakers in Christianity, Judaism and Islam

Author : Antón M. Pazos
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317080807
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Pilgrims and Pilgrimages as Peacemakers in Christianity, Judaism and Islam by : Antón M. Pazos

Download or read book Pilgrims and Pilgrimages as Peacemakers in Christianity, Judaism and Islam written by Antón M. Pazos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pilgrimages can be analysed as acts of conflict - such as the Crusades - or also as platforms for relationship building and rapprochement between religions. With a set of contributions from leading experts in the field, this book explores the concept of pilgrimage in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Some specific examples of pilgrimages that helped to strengthen links between different religions or civilisations are explored, ranging from Europe to Asia and from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Even though every pilgrimage that is investigated here has helped to link different worlds, the case studies show that this relationship rarely led to a better in inter-understanding. Nowadays, peaceful coexistence seems to be its greatest achievement.

Medieval European Pilgrimage c.700-c.1500

Author : Diana Webb
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1403913803
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (39 download)

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Book Synopsis Medieval European Pilgrimage c.700-c.1500 by : Diana Webb

Download or read book Medieval European Pilgrimage c.700-c.1500 written by Diana Webb and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medieval pilgrimage was, above all, an expression of religious faith, but this was not its only aspect. Men and women of all classes went on pilgrimage for a variety of reasons, sometimes by choice, sometimes involuntarily. They made both long and short journeys: to Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago on the one hand; to innumerable local shrines on the other. The routes that they followed by land and water made up a complex web which covered the face of Europe, and their travels required a range of support services, including the protection of rulers (who were themselves often pilgrims). Pilgrimage left its mark not only on the landscape but also on the art and literature of Europe. Diana Webb's engaging book offers the reader a fresh introduction to the history of European Christian pilgrimage in the twelve hundred years between the conversion of Emperor Constantine and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. As well as exploring this multi-faceted activity, it considers both the geography of pilgrimage and its significant cultural legacy.

The Camino de Santiago in the 21st Century

Author : Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317485025
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (174 download)

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Book Synopsis The Camino de Santiago in the 21st Century by : Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez

Download or read book The Camino de Santiago in the 21st Century written by Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-11 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Spanish Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage rooted in the Medieval period and increasingly active today, has attracted a growing amount of both scholarly and popular attention. With its multiple points of departure in Spain and other European countries, its simultaneously secular and religious nature, and its international and transhistorical population of pilgrims, this particular pilgrimage naturally invites a wide range of intellectual inquiry and scholarly perspectives. This volume fills a gap in current pilgrimage studies, focusing on contemporary representations of the Camino de Santiago. Complementing existing studies of the Camino’s medieval origins, it situates the Camino as a modern experience and engages interdisciplinary perspectives to present a theoretical framework for exploring the most central issues that concern scholars of pilgrimage studies today. Contributors explore the contemporary meaning of the Camino through an interdisciplinary lens that reflects the increasing permeability between academic disciplines and fields, bringing together a wide range of theoretical and critical perspectives (cultural studies, literary studies, globalization studies, memory studies, ethnic studies, postcolonial studies, cultural geographies, photography, and material culture). Chapters touch on a variety of genres (blogs, film, graphic novels, historical novels, objects, and travel guides), and transnational perspectives (Australia, the Arab world, England, Spain, and the United States).

Pilgrimage

Author : Simon Coleman
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674667662
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (676 download)

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Book Synopsis Pilgrimage by : Simon Coleman

Download or read book Pilgrimage written by Simon Coleman and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Great Panathenaea of ancient Greece to the hajj of today, people of all religions and cultures have made sacred journeys to confirm their faith and their part in a larger identity. This book is a fascinating guide through the vast and varied cultural territory such pilgrimages have covered across the ages. The first book to look at the phenomenon and experience of pilgrimage through the multiple lenses of history, religion, sociology, anthropology, and art history, this sumptuously illustrated volume explores the full richness and range of sacred travel as it maps the cultural imagination. The authors consider pilgrimage as a physical journey through time and space, but also as a metaphorical passage resonant with meaning on many levels. It may entail a ritual transformation of the pilgrim's inner state or outer status; it may be a quest for a transcendent goal; it may involve the healing of a physical or spiritual ailment. Through folktales, narratives of the crusades, and the firsthand accounts of those who have made these journeys; through descriptions and pictures of the rituals, holy objects, and sacred architecture they have encountered, as well as the relics and talismans they have carried home, Pilgrimage evokes the physical and spiritual landscape these seekers have traveled. In its structure, the book broadly moves from those religions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--that cohere around a single canonical text to those with a multiplicity of sacred scriptures, like Hinduism and Buddhism. Juxtaposing the different practices and experiences of pilgrimage in these contexts, this book reveals the common structures and singular features of sacred travel from ancient times to our own.

The Modern Pilgrim

Author : Paul Post
Publisher : Peeters Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9789042906983
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (69 download)

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Book Synopsis The Modern Pilgrim by : Paul Post

Download or read book The Modern Pilgrim written by Paul Post and published by Peeters Publishers. This book was released on 1998 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the product of a relatively long history of pilgrimage research in a Dutch theological setting. It is intended as a report for an international audience on this long-running programme. Two lines are followed in the book. The first is the track of liturgical studies, in which an historical, European ethnological and anthropological approach has predominated. The second is a social science track, with specific content coming from psychology of religion. The combination of these two lines has been extremely fruitful. In addition to results of various surveys of contemporary pilgrimage practice and the expansion of research into ritual and cultural context in which modern pilgrims find themselves, special attention is also bestowed on historiographic issues involved in orienting pilgrimage research, and its theoretical and methodological aspects. The places of pilgrimage examined here are Wittem, Dokkum and Amsterdam in The Netherlands, Banneux in Belgium, Lourdes and La Salette in France, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The central question which informs the whole study is to what extent one can perhaps speak of a new type of pilgrim today, the "modern pilgrim".

Pilgrimage [2 volumes]

Author : Linda Kay Davidson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1576075435
Total Pages : 802 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (76 download)

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Book Synopsis Pilgrimage [2 volumes] by : Linda Kay Davidson

Download or read book Pilgrimage [2 volumes] written by Linda Kay Davidson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2002-11-17 with total page 802 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nationalistic meccas, shrines to popular culture, and sacred traditions for the world's religions from Animism to Zoroastrianism are all examined in two accessible and comprehensive volumes. Pilgrimage is a comprehensive compendium of the basic facts on Pilgrimage from ancient times to the 21st century. Illustrated with maps and photographs that enrich the reader's journey, this authoritative volume explores sites, people, activities, rites, terminology, and other matters related to pilgrimage such as economics, tourism, and disease. Encompassing all major and minor world religions, from ancient cults to modern faiths, this work covers both religious and secular pilgrimage sites. Compiled by experts who have authored numerous books on pilgrimage and are pilgrims in their own right, the entries will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers.

Heritage and Tourism in Britain and Ireland

Author : Glenn Hooper
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137520833
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (375 download)

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Book Synopsis Heritage and Tourism in Britain and Ireland by : Glenn Hooper

Download or read book Heritage and Tourism in Britain and Ireland written by Glenn Hooper and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-02-25 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection examines the natural, but sometimes troubled, relationship that exists between heritage and tourism. Chapters included focus on a selection of topics, including literary tourism, industrial heritage, conservation and care. Employing a range of historical and cultural materials, as well as an extensive number of case studies, the chapters offer an engaging overview of heritage and tourism developments across the Isles, especially in terms of recent policy and strategy initiatives, new facilities and infrastructure, as well as the different and evolving management systems currently in place. Interdisciplinary in scope, and drawing on the expertise of researchers from within both academia and industry, this volume will be of particular importance to those with interests in management and the humanities.

Religious Pilgrimages in the Mediterranean World

Author : Antón M. Pazos
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000836746
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Pilgrimages in the Mediterranean World by : Antón M. Pazos

Download or read book Religious Pilgrimages in the Mediterranean World written by Antón M. Pazos and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-02-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious Pilgrimages in the Mediterranean World examines the evolution of recent theoretical and methodological trends in pilgrimage studies. It outlines key themes of research, including historical, anthropological, sociological and cultural approaches, to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the subject. Charting pilgrimages from 1500 through to the current day, the volume traces the recent research of Jewish, Muslim and Christian pilgrimages in the Mediterranean while also exploring avenues for future studies that go beyond the limitations of the past. Chapters also engage with travel literature, tourism and nationalism in relation to pilgrimage in this cutting-edge volume. Featuring essays from leading scholars in the fields of religious studies, geography and anthropology, this book is cross-cultural in focus and critical in approach, making it an essential read for all researchers of pilgrimage, religious history, religious tourism and anthropology

Explorations in a Christian Theology of Pilgrimage

Author : Craig Bartholomew
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351937669
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (519 download)

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Book Synopsis Explorations in a Christian Theology of Pilgrimage by : Craig Bartholomew

Download or read book Explorations in a Christian Theology of Pilgrimage written by Craig Bartholomew and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-18 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Christians go on pilgrimage, whether to Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago, or some other destination, but few think hard about it from the perspective of their faith. This book fills that gap, looking at the biblical and theological elements in pilgrimage and asking how we could do pilgrimage differently. Exploring the current resurgence of pilgrimage from a Christian viewpoint, this book seeks to articulate a theology of pilgrimage for today. Examination of pilgrimage in the Old and New Testaments provides a grounding for thinking through pilgrimage theologically. Literary, missiological and sociological perspectives are explored, and the book concludes by examining how such a theology could change our practice of pilgrimage today, raising such questions as how tourism to the Holy Land should reflect the situation in the region today. Pilgrims, students and all interested in contemporary pilgrimage will find this accessible book a valuable articulation of the different elements in a Christian theology of pilgrimage.

Global Perspectives on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Author : El-Gohary, Hatem
Publisher : IGI Global
ISBN 13 : 1522527974
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (225 download)

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Book Synopsis Global Perspectives on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage by : El-Gohary, Hatem

Download or read book Global Perspectives on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage written by El-Gohary, Hatem and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2017-12-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious studies and research has gained a lot of interest and considerable attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners during the last few years. Though interest has increased, religious tourism is vastly underrepresented in modern research and not much is known on the subject’s presence in most countries. Global Perspectives on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage provides emerging research on religious tourism, the cultural impact of religion, and religiosity’s impact on new market products. Highlighting the prevalence of religiosity, readers will learn tourism’s impact on the world economy and the growing research in religious tourism, this book is an important resource for academic societies, entrepreneurs, policy makers, researchers, and educators.

International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies

Author : John Eade
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317556291
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (175 download)

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Book Synopsis International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies by : John Eade

Download or read book International Perspectives on Pilgrimage Studies written by John Eade and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-04-10 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although research on contemporary pilgrimage has expanded considerably since the early 1990s, the conversation has largely been dominated by Anglophone researchers in anthropology, ethnology, sociology, and religious studies from the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Northern Europe. This volume challenges the hegemony of Anglophone scholarship by considering what can be learned from different national, linguistic, religious and disciplinary traditions, with the aim of fostering a global exchange of ideas. The chapters outline contributions made to the study of pilgrimage from a variety of international and methodological contexts and discuss what the ‘metropolis’ can learn from these diverse perspectives. While the Anglophone study of pilgrimage has largely been centred on and located within anthropological contexts, in many other linguistic and academic traditions, areas such as folk studies, ethnology and economics have been highly influential. Contributors show that in many traditions the study of ‘folk’ beliefs and practices (often marginalized within the Anglophone world) has been regarded as an important and central area which contributes widely to the understanding of religion in general, and pilgrimage, specifically. As several chapters in this book indicate, ‘folk’ based studies have played an important role in developing different methodological orientations in Poland, Germany, Japan, Hungary, Italy, Ireland and England. With a highly international focus, this interdisciplinary volume aims to introduce new approaches to the study of pilgrimage and to transcend the boundary between center and periphery in this emerging discipline.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality

Author : Vasudha Narayanan
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118660102
Total Pages : 620 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (186 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality by : Vasudha Narayanan

Download or read book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality written by Vasudha Narayanan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-06-02 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Materiality provides a thoughtfully organized, inclusive, and vibrant project of the multiple ways in which religion and materiality intersect. The contributions explore the way that religion is shaped by, and has shaped, the material world, embedding beliefs, doctrines, and texts into social and cultural contexts of production, circulation, and consumption. The Companion not only contains scholarly essays but has an accompanying website to demonstrate the work of performers, architects, and expressive artists, ranging from musicians and dancers to religious practitioners. These examples offer specific illustrations of the interplay of religion and materiality in everyday life. The project is organized from a comparative perspective, highlighting examples and case studies from traditions originating in both East and West. To summarize, the volume: Brings together the leading figures, theories and ideas in the field in a systematic and comprehensive way Offers an interdisciplinary approach drawing together religious studies, anthropology, archaeology, history, sociology, geography, the cognitive sciences, ecology, and media studies Takes a comparative perspective, covering all the major faith traditions

The Marketplace of Christianity

Author : Robert B. Ekelund, Jr.
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262262622
Total Pages : 367 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (622 download)

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Book Synopsis The Marketplace of Christianity by : Robert B. Ekelund, Jr.

Download or read book The Marketplace of Christianity written by Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-09-26 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economics can help us understand the evolution and development of religion, from the market penetration of the Reformation to an exploration of today's hot-button issues including evolution and gay marriage. This startlingly original (and sure to be controversial) account of the evolution of Christianity shows that the economics of religion has little to do with counting the money in the collection basket and much to do with understanding the background of today's religious and political divisions. Since religion is a set of organized beliefs, and a church is an organized body of worshippers, it's natural to use a science that seeks to explain the behavior of organizations—economics—to understand the development of organized religion. The Marketplace of Christianity applies the tools of economic theory to illuminate the emergence of Protestantism in the sixteenth century and to examine contemporary religion-influenced issues, including evolution and gay marriage. The Protestant Reformation, the authors argue, can be seen as a successful penetration of a religious market dominated by a monopoly firm—the Catholic Church. The Ninety-five Theses nailed to the church door in Wittenberg by Martin Luther raised the level of competition within Christianity to a breaking point. The Counter-Reformation, the Catholic reaction, continued the competitive process, which came to include "product differentiation" in the form of doctrinal and organizational innovation. Economic theory shows us how Christianity evolved to satisfy the changing demands of consumers—worshippers. The authors of The Marketplace of Christianity avoid value judgments about religion. They take preferences for religion as given and analyze its observable effects on society and the individual. They provide the reader with clear and nontechnical background information on economics and the economics of religion before focusing on the Reformation and its aftermath. Their analysis of contemporary hot-button issues—science vs. religion, liberal vs. conservative, clerical celibacy, women and gay clergy, gay marriage—offers a vivid illustration of the potential of economic analysis to contribute to our understanding of religion.