Religious Conversion and Disaffiliation: Tracing Patterns of Change in Faith Practices

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Figures......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
A Hothead in a Disordered World......Page 16
The Conversion Career......Page 18
A Resurgence of Religion?......Page 20
Secularization, Globalization, and Transnational Religion......Page 21
The Religious Perspective: Distinguishing Form and Function......Page 23
Conversion in Christianity......Page 25
Conversion and the Religious Organization......Page 26
Conversion and Disaffiliation in Modern Fiction......Page 30
Methodology and Caveats......Page 31
Aim and Structure of the Book......Page 33
Introduction......Page 34
William James: Conversion as the Healing of a Divided Self......Page 35
Lofland and Stark: The Original Process Model of Conversion......Page 37
Travisano: Conversion as the Disruption of Identity......Page 39
Straus: Active Conversions by Religious Seekers......Page 40
Greil: A Socialization-and-Social-Networks Approach to Conversion......Page 41
Heirich: Conversion as a Paradigm Shift......Page 42
Bromley and Shupe: A Role Theory of Conversion and Commitment......Page 43
Long and Hadden: Conversion and Commitment as Specific Types of Socialization......Page 44
Snow and Machalek: The Convert Role Within a Specific Universe of Discourse......Page 45
Richardson: Paradigm Conflict between Active and Passive Conversion Approaches......Page 48
Rational Choice Conversion Models: Gartrell and Shannon, Stark and Finke......Page 50
Rambo: A Holistic, Interdisciplinary, and Open Process Model of Conversion......Page 52
A Critique of Conventional Conversion Approaches......Page 55
The Need for a New Approach to Conversion......Page 58
The Bias of Scholarly Discipline......Page 60
Synthesizing Conventional Conversion Approaches......Page 61
The Conversion Career......Page 63
The Methodology of the Conversion Career Approach......Page 67
Introduction......Page 68
The Micro-Level: The Rationalist Actor......Page 69
The Meso-Level: The Competitive Religious Organization......Page 71
The Macro-Level: The Religious Economy and the Religious Market......Page 74
The Religious Market Model and Conversion......Page 78
Conclusion: Connecting Religious Demand and Supply......Page 80
Introduction......Page 84
Parental Religion......Page 85
Seekers and Shoppers......Page 92
Committed Converts......Page 101
Confessing Leaders......Page 111
Disillusioned Disaffiliates......Page 117
Conclusion......Page 125
Introduction......Page 130
Pentecostal Conversion Careers in Latin America......Page 131
Charismatic Catholic Conversion Careers in Latin America......Page 135
Mormon Conversion Careers in Latin America......Page 137
Pentecostal Disaffiliation......Page 139
Mormon Disaffiliation......Page 140
Catholic Disaffiliation......Page 141
Conclusion......Page 142
Conversion and the Religious Organization......Page 146
The Converting Subject......Page 150
Levels and Patterns of Religious Activity......Page 151
The Religious Factor in Conversion......Page 153
General Conclusions and Recommendations......Page 155
Notes......Page 158
References......Page 172
Index......Page 186