The Social and Symbolic Boundaries of Congregations
The role of social and symbolic boundaries has a long history in the sociology of religion. These concepts have taken on more importance with the proposition that religious boundaries are in a state of restructuring. I draw upon theory and research on organizations and religion to create hypotheses...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
[publisher not identified]
[2005]
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In: |
Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
Year: 2005, Volume: 1, Pages: 1-21 |
Online Access: |
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Summary: | The role of social and symbolic boundaries has a long history in the sociology of religion. These concepts have taken on more importance with the proposition that religious boundaries are in a state of restructuring. I draw upon theory and research on organizations and religion to create hypotheses concerning the creation and structure of religious boundaries. Using a subsample from the National Congregations Study, I analyze the outgoing hyperlinks of 231 congregational websites as a measure of social and symbolic boundaries. The results show a relationship between theological conservatism and excluding other religious groups from a congregation's boundaries and including religious media, parachurch groups, and religious resources. Religious tradition predictors also produce significant variations in religious boundaries. |
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ISSN: | 1556-3723 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Interdisciplinary journal of research on religion
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