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Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD) is a term that was first introduced in the 2005 book ''Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers'' by the sociologist Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton. The term is used to describe what they consider to be the common beliefs among young people in the United States. The book is the result of the research project the National Study of Youth and Religion. Definition The authors' study found that many young people believe in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. It is not a new religion or theology as such, but identified as a set of commonly held spiritual beliefs. It is this combination of beliefs that they label ''moralistic therapeutic deism'': These points of belief were compiled from interviews with approximately 3,000 teenagers. Authors' analysis The authors say the system is "moralistic" because it "is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It tea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Smith (sociologist)
Christian Stephen Smith (born 1960) is an American sociologist, currently the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame. Smith's research focuses primarily on religion in modernity, adolescents and emerging adults, sociological theory, philosophy of science, the science of generosity, American evangelicalism, and culture. Smith is well known for his contributions to the sociology of religion, particularly his research into adolescent spirituality, as well as for his contributions to sociological theory and his advocacy of critical realism. Biography Smith was born on October 23, 1960. He attended Wheaton College (1978–1979) and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Gordon College in 1983. Smith earned his Master of Arts (1987) and Doctor of Philosophy (1990) degrees from Harvard University, where he also spent a year studying theology at Harvard Divinity School. Smith began his academic career as an instructor, and then a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christianity In The United States
Christianity is the predominant religion in the United States though sources disagree on the numbers. A Gallup survey from 2023 indicates that, of the entire U.S. population (332 million), about 67% is Christian (224 million). The categories used are Protestant, Christian (nonspecific), Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Other, None, and No answer A plurality of Christians in the US identify as Protestant (33% of Americans), the next largest grouping is Roman Catholics (22%), 1% identify as Latter Day Saints, and 11% chose Christian. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world and, more specifically, the largest Protestant population in the world, with nearly 210 million Christians and, as of 2021, over 140 million people affiliated with Protestant churches, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations. The Public Religion Research Institute's "2020 Census of American Religion", carried out between 2014 and 2020, sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Religion In The United States
Religion in the United States is both widespread and diverse, with higher reported levels of belief than other wealthy Western world, Western nations. Polls indicate that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a Deity, higher power (2021), engage in spiritual practices (2022), and consider themselves religiosity, religious or spirituality, spiritual (2017). Christianity is the most widely professed religion, with the majority of Americans being Evangelicalism, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, or Catholic Church, Catholics, although its dominance has declined in recent decades, and as of 2012 Protestants no longer formed a majority in the US. The United States has the Christianity by country, largest Christian and Protestantism in the United States, Protestant population in Protestantism by country, the world. Judaism is the second-largest religion in the US, practiced by 2% of the population, followed by Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, each with 1% of the populatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Postchristianity
Postchristianity is the situation in which Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion of a society but has gradually assumed values, culture, and worldviews that are not necessarily Christian. Post-Christian tends to refer to the loss of Christianity's monopoly in historically Christian societies to atheism or secularism. It does not include formerly Christian societies that now mostly follow other religions like Islam, such as parts of the Balkans and the Middle East. Decline of Christianity Historically, the majority of Christians have lived in Western nations, once called Christendom, and often conceptualized as "European Christian" civilization. A post-Christian society is one in which Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion but that has gradually assumed values, culture, and worldviews that are not necessarily Christian (and also may not necessarily reflect any world religion's standpoint or may represent a combination of either several religions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nominal Christian
The evangelical Lausanne Movement defines a nominal Christian as "a person who has not responded in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and Lord"... e"may be a practising or non-practising church member. He may give intellectual assent to basic Christian doctrines and claim to be a Christian. He may be faithful in attending liturgical rites and worship services, and be an active member involved in church affairs."Christian Witness to Nominal Christians Among Roman Catholics Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization Occasional Paper 10. (LCWE) American |
Deism
Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin term '' deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge and asserts that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the creator of the universe. More simply stated, Deism is the belief in the existence of God—often, but not necessarily, an impersonal and incomprehensible God who does not intervene in the universe after creating it, solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authority. Deism emphasizes the concept of natural theology—that is, God's existence is revealed through nature. Since the 17th century and during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in 18th-century England, France, and North America, various Western philosophers and theologians formulated a critical reject ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Civil Religion
American civil religion is a sociological theory that a monotheistic nonsectarian civil religion exists within the United States with sacred symbols drawn from national history. Scholars have portrayed it as a common set of values that foster social and cultural integration. The ritualistic elements of ceremonial deism found in American ceremonies and presidential invocations of God can be seen as expressions of the American civil religion. The concept goes back to the 19th century, but the current form of this theory was developed by sociologist Robert Bellah in 1967 in the article, "Civil Religion in America". According to him, many Americans embrace a common civil religion with certain fundamental beliefs, values, symbols, holidays, and rituals in parallel to, or independent of, their chosen religion. Bellah's article soon became the major focus at religious sociology conferences, and numerous articles and books were written on the subject. Interest in the topic peaked wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rod Dreher
Ray Oliver Dreher Jr. (born February 14, 1967), known as Rod Dreher, is an American conservative writer and editor living in Hungary. He was a columnist with ''The American Conservative'' for 12 years, ending in March 2023, and remains an editor-at-large there. He is also author of several books, including ''How Dante Can Save Your Life'', ''The Benedict Option'', and ''Live Not by Lies''. He has written about religion, politics, film, and culture in ''National Review'' and ''National Review Online'', ''The Weekly Standard'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', and other publications. He was a film reviewer for the ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' and chief film critic for the ''New York Post''. His commentaries have been broadcast on National Public Radio's ''All Things Considered'', and he has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Court TV, and other television networks. Early life and education Dreher was born on February 14, 1967, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ross Douthat
Ross Gregory Douthat ( ; born November 28, 1979) is a conservative American author and ''New York Times'' columnist. He was a senior editor of '' The Atlantic''. He has written on religion, politics, and society. Early life and education Ross Gregory Douthat was born November 28, 1979, in San Francisco, California, and grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. As an adolescent, Douthat converted to Pentecostalism and then, with the rest of his family, to Catholicism. Douthat has described his conversion to Catholicism as being influenced by the writing of C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and J. R. R. Tolkien.Title in the online table of contents is "Ross Douthat's theories of persuasion". His mother is a writer. His great-grandfather was the poet and Governor Charles Wilbert Snow of Connecticut. His father, Charles Douthat, is a partner in a New Haven law firm and a poet. Douthat attended Hamden Hall, a private high school in Hamden, Connecticut. Douthat graduated '' magna cum laude ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collin Hansen
Collin Hansen (born April 7, 1981) is an American journalist who serves as vice president for content and editor in chief for the Gospel Coalition. He is best known for his writing on the New Calvinism, and he hosts the ''Gospelbound'' podcast. Biography and education Hansen is from Chester, South Dakota. He received an undergraduate degree in history and journalism from Northwestern University. He earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to working for the Gospel Coalition, Hansen was an associate editor for ''Christianity Today''. He lives with his wife and children in Birmingham, Alabama, and serves on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School. He is the founder of the Shelby Foote Society. New Calvinism Hansen is considered an expert on the New Calvinism, a term that was coined for the title of his 2008 book ''Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey With the New Calvinists''. He has been quoted on the movement by ''Time'' and ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Civil Religion
Civil religion, also referred to as a civic religion, is the implicit religious values of a nation, as expressed through public rituals, symbols (such as the national flag), and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places (such as monuments, battlefields, or national cemeteries). It is distinct from churches, although church officials and ceremonies are sometimes incorporated into the practice of civil religion. Countries described as having a civil religion include France and the United States. As a concept, it originated in French political thought and became a major topic for U.S. sociologists since its use by Robert Bellah in 1960. Origin of term Jean-Jacques Rousseau coined the term in chapter 8, book 4 of ''The Social Contract'' (1762), to describe what he regarded as the moral and spiritual foundation essential for any modern society. For Rousseau, civil religion was intended simply as a form of social cement, helping to unify the state by providing it with sacred aut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenonym
An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate themselves, their place of origin, or their language. An exonym (also known as xenonym ) is an established, ''non-native'' name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used primarily outside the particular place inhabited by the group or linguistic community. Exonyms exist not only for historico-geographical reasons but also in consideration of difficulties when pronouncing foreign words, or from non-systematic attempts at transcribing into a different writing system. For instance, is the endonym for the country that is also known by the exonyms ''Germany'' and in English and Italian, respectively, and in Spanish and French, respectively, in Polish, and and in Finnish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
