Financing American Religion

by Mark Chaves, Sharon L. Miller

Overview

Money always has been a subject of deep concern for religious leaders. In recent decades, however, this perennial concern has taken on a new urgency as a crisis situation is perceived. Financing American Religion brings together short, readable essays representing the best, most up-to-date research and thinking on the intersections of money and religion. Sociologists, historians, economists, and theologians ask who gives, how much, and why. They investigate how money moves and how it affects religious organizational behavior. And throughout they explore how attitudes toward money have altered over time. Religious leaders and scholars of American religion will welcome this much-needed volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761990376
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	12/01/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	5.85(w) x 8.88(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Mark Chaves: University of Arizona Sharon L. Miller: University of Notre Dame

Table of Contents

chapter 1 Preface chapter 2 The Authors chapter 3 Part I. Individual Giving chapter 4 1. Dean Hoge, Charles Zech, Patrick McNamara, Michael Donahue, Giving in Five Denominations chapter 5 2. John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, Basic Trends in Religious Giving 1921-1995 chapter 6 3. Calvin Pressley and Walter Collier, Financing Historic Black Churches chapter 7 4. Laurence Iannaccone, Skewness Explained chapter 8 5. Sharon Miller, The Meaning of Religious Giving chapter 9 6. James Hudnut-Beumler, Historical Myths about Financing American Christianity chapter 10 7. Robert Wood Lynn, Why Give? chapter 11 8. Robert Wuthnow, The Crisis in the Churches chapter 12 Part II. Congregations and Resources chapter 13 9. Virginia Hodgkinson, Financing Religious Congregations: A National View chapter 14 10. Dean Hoge and Loren Mead, Endowed Congregations chapter 15 11. Daniel Conway, Clergy as Reluctant Stewards of Congregational Resources chapter 16 Part III. Religious Organizations and Resources chapter 17 12. Joseph Claude Harris, Financing Catholic Schools chapter 18 13. Anthony Ruger, Financing Protestant Theological Schools chapter 19 14. Sharon L. Miller, Financing Parachurch Organizations chapter 20 15. Michael O'Neill, Religious Organizations in California chapter 21 16. Kristen Gronbjerg and Sheila Nelson, Small Religious Nonprofits in Illinois chapter 22 17. Ellen J. Benjamin, Philanthropic Institutions and the Small Religious Nonprofit chapter 23 Part IV. Conclusion chapter 24 18. John Mulder, Faith and Money: Theological Reflections on Financing American Religion chapter 25 19. Mark Chaves, Financing American Religion

Editorial Reviews

Chaves and Miller provide a well-integrated, systematic, cohesive, and unified discussion of various aspects of religious financing. As such, this work will take its place as both a practical guide for religious leaders and laity, and as a brief but thorough introduction to research regarding finance and religion for scholars.
— Laura Vance, (Georgia Southwestern State University)

Nova Religio:Journal Of Alternative And Emergent Religions

This compact, valuable book brings together the most important current research on faith and money....Worthwhile for anyone interested in the state of individual giving, the congregational resources available for addressing faith and money issues, or philanthropy in religious institutions.
— Jerry Dean Weber, Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation

The Christian Century

Chaves and Miller provide a well-integrated, systematic, cohesive, and unified discussion of various aspects of religious financing. As such, this work will take its place as both a practical guide for religious leaders and laity, and as a brief but thorough introduction to research regarding finance and religion for scholars.

Nova Religio: The Journal Of Alternative And Emergent Religions - Laura Vance

A richly textured conversation emerges out of this volume in a way that is atypical of most edited volumes—particularly when those authors come from the diverse backgrounds that are evidenced here....this compedium is a worth-while addition to the personal library of anyone interested in the topic.

Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review, V. 63.3, Fall 2002 - John P. Bartkowski

This compact, valuable book brings together the most important current research on faith and money....Worthwhile for anyone interested in the state of individual giving, the congregational resources available for addressing faith and money issues, or philanthropy in religious institutions.

The Christian Century - Jerry Dean Weber

Brings together short essays that emerged from an evaluation of the Lilly Endowment Inc.'s Financing American Religion initiative. Nineteen chapters (some previously published in well known works and others only in difficult-to-find pamphlets) explore who gives, how much, and why. They investigate how money moves and how it affects religious organizational behavior as well as how attitudes toward money have altered over time. Topics include individual giving as well as congregations and religious organizations and their resources. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

...Chaves and Miller provide a well integrated, systematic, cohesive, and unified discussion of various aspects of religious financing. As such, this work will take its place as both a practical guide for religious leaders and laity, and as a brief but thorough introduction to research regarding finance and religion for scholars.
— Nova Religio, The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions

Vance