Weber or Troeltsch?: Methodology, Syndrome, and the Development of Church-Sect Theory

The historical development of church-sect theory is analyzed, and two major points are made. First, insufficient attention has been paid to the role of church-sect in its original use by Max Weber and, in particular, in the context of his treatment of the ideal type. Second, since the work of Ernst...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the scientific study of religion
Main Author: Swatos, William H. 1946- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [1976]
In: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Further subjects:B Theology
B Ideal Type
B Social theories
B Churches
B Sectarianism
B Social Environment
B Social Interaction
B Religious Organizations
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Description
Summary:The historical development of church-sect theory is analyzed, and two major points are made. First, insufficient attention has been paid to the role of church-sect in its original use by Max Weber and, in particular, in the context of his treatment of the ideal type. Second, since the work of Ernst Troeltsch, the use of church-sect in the sociology of religion has been beset by the "Troeltschian syndrome"--a misdirected focusing upon Troeltsch's use of these concepts in developing a "sociological formulation" for solving a theological problem, rather than on the sociological problem itself. Recent contributions are assayed with these points in mind and placed in critical perspective to the work of both Weber and Troeltsch.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/1385357