After the Storm: Closing the Clergy-Laity Gap

Jeffrey Hadden's 1969 study of Protestantism on the brink of crisis suggested that a major rift was growing between clergy and laity. In "The Gathering Storm in the Churches" he warned about the intrusion of social activism as a wedge between an increasingly liberal clergy and a socia...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Luidens, Donald A. (Author) ; Nemeth, Roger J. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage Publications 1989
In: Review of religious research
Year: 1989, Volume: 31, Issue: 2, Pages: 183-195
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Summary:Jeffrey Hadden's 1969 study of Protestantism on the brink of crisis suggested that a major rift was growing between clergy and laity. In "The Gathering Storm in the Churches" he warned about the intrusion of social activism as a wedge between an increasingly liberal clergy and a socially and theologically conservative laity. The "storm," which broke during the 1970s, seems to be abated. In its wake, this study of the Reformed Church in America suggests that a form of rapprochement has taken place. In this branch of mainline Protestantism, the clergy continue to be more liberal in political matters than their parishioners, but this is offset by a higher level of theological conservatism. Furthermore, the most important lines of rift in the contemporary RCA are not along the status divide of clergy/laity, but within each of those groups. These lines are currently based on such factors as feelings of institutional affiliation, support for ecumenism, and traditionalism of personal backgrounds.
ISSN:2211-4866
Contains:Enthalten in: Review of religious research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/3511189