James C. Cavendish

Church‐based Community Activism: A Comparison of Black and White Catholic Congregations

Scholars have recently examined the role of black churches in initiating civil rights and social justice activities, community development and rehabilitation projects, and family support and community health outreach programs. Practically all of this research has been on black Protestant churches. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature by investigating the extent to which African-American Catholic congregations engage in social action and social service programs in their communities. Data drawn from a nationwide survey of U.S. Catholic parishes are used to show that black churches are significantly more likely than white churches to engage in social service and social action activities independent of a variety of demographic, organizational, and structural factors known - or suspected - to influence activism. This finding lends support to the argument that the extra-religious functions of black churches - Protestant and Catholic - are more deeply ingrained in these religious institutions than is suggested by some analysts. Equally significant is the finding of positive and significant relationships between churches that have parish councils and leadership training programs and congregational activism. This finding lends support to previous findings that suggest that the organizational structure of religious institutions may influence churchgoers - opportunities for learning and practicing civic skills relevant to community activism.

Social network theory and predictors of religiosity for black and white catholics : Evidence of a black sacred cosmos?

Data drawn from a well-known survey of 2,667 registered U.S. Catholic parishioners (part of the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life) were used to examine the ways in which black Catholics differ from white Catholics in the patterns - and predictors - of religious devotionalism and spirituality. Black Catholics were found to display higher levels of the more private styles of religious devotion and report a greater frequency of spiritual experiences than white Catholics. Especially interesting are the high rates of participation by black Catholics in a variety of traditional, uniquely Catholic styles of devotion. Contrary to expectations, the correlates of religiosity for black and white Catholics tend to be similar. For both groups, social network variables are the strongest net predictors of every measure of religiosity.

Recent Changes in Women's Ordination Conflicts: The Effect of a Social Movement on Intraorganizational Controversy

Conflicts over womens ordination have occurred within U.S. religious denominations for over a century. The nature of those conflicts, however, has changed over time in very substantial ways. Using systematic data and illustrative material from 15 conflicts occurring since 1920, we argue that the most recent of several shifts in the nature of conflicts over womens ordination occurred circa 1970. We identify four ways in which post-1970 womens ordination conflicts differed from pre-1970 conflicts: (1) The frequency with which the conflicts occurred among denominations increased (2) The organizational location of those most prominently advocating womens ordination shifted from the organizational elite to the grass roots. (3) Womens ordination advocates more frequently used extrainstitutional tactics in pursuit of their goals. (4) Organized opposition to womens ordination became more common. We argue that these changes in womens ordination conflicts were largely produced by changes in the social and cultural context, especially the rise of second-wave feminism and the associated influx of women into divinity schools and seminaries.

People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States

People of the Dream is arguably the most complete examination to date of an important but thin slice of religious life in the United States—multiracial congregations and the people who attend and lead them. Sociologist Michael Emerson is the principal investigator and author, and Rodney Woo, as co-author, provides extensive reflections on his experience as pastor of Houston’s multiracial Wilcrest Baptist Church, the book’s primary case study. By employing a variety of research methods, including a national telephone survey, written surveys, and ethnographies of 30 congregations throughout the U.S., Emerson’s research is both convincing and engaging. The book’s chief strengths are its scope, its originality, and its ability to captivate. Ambitious in scope, the book tackles a number of important, previously unanswered questions about multiracial congregations, defined as congregations “in which no one racial group comprises 80% or more of the people” (p. 35). Among these are: How prevalent are multiracial congregations in the U.S.? How are they formed and sustained? What characterizes the people who attend and lead them? Under what conditions do these congregations improve race relations and reduce inequalities? By systematically answering these questions, the book offers valuable insights to social scientists and helpful suggestions to religious leaders. People of the Dream is also original. Among its technical innovations is Emerson’s use of general heterogeneity index and the index of dissimilarity, measures commonly used to study racial segregation in cities and neighborhoods, to explore segregation in congregations. Emerson discovers that more than 90% of U.S. congregations are racially homogeneous, and that their levels of segregation, appropriately labeled “hyper-segregation,” surpass those of both neighborhoods and public schools. Among other useful innovations is Emerson’s concept of “Mixed American Culture (or MAC) congregations.” MAC congregations, unlike other types of multicultural congregations, have significant percentages of both blacks and whites, the two cultures indigenous to the U.S. Because these two cultures have been historically defined in opposition to each other, Emerson argues that MAC congregations are more prone to conflict and to “intractable differences in interpretation” than are non-MAC congregations (e.g., congregations comprised of one indigenous American culture and recent immigrants) (pp. 133–139). On par with the book’s substance is its form. Emerson moves easily between matterof-fact presentations of statistical findings and inspiring tales of multiracial churches that have successfully bridged the racial divide. By skillfully weaving the stories of these churches throughout his presentation, Emerson creates both intrigue and suspense. Early in the book, for instance, Emerson describes the stakes involved, and the emotions raised, by a decision faced by Wilcrest’s congregation in 1990: whether to move the church, whose mostly white, middle-class membership was dwindling, out of its increasingly racially diverse surroundings to a more affluent white neighborhood. Emerson’s prose takes readers right to the scene, where they anxiously await the result of the congregational vote. Instead of immediately satisfying the desire, however, he leaves them with a cliff-hanger, forcing them to read further to learn the outcome. Despite all of its strengths, People of the Dream does have some weaknesses. One is its almost exclusive focus on Christian congregations. The historical overview in chapter 1 is exclusively Christian and primarily Protestant, a bias evident in his neglect to mention any of the Catholic movements of interracial fellowship (e.g., the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice) in his description of such movements among Christians. In addition, the surveys used to collect

Young Adult Catholics: Religion in the Culture of Choice@@@Young Catholics at the New Millennium: The Religion and Morality of Young Adults in Western Countries

Leaders of the American Catholic community want to and need to reach out to young adults. But effective ministry to young adults means that church leaders have to understand the attitudes and the needs of the current generation of Catholics in their 20s and 30s. This is why Dean Hoge, William Dinges, Mary Johnson, and Juan Gonzales began their study of young adult Catholics. How do both European-American and Latino Catholics actually live their Catholicism? Are they alienated from the Church? Are they cynical about the Churchs moral teachings? Do they take the Popes statements seriously? Do they attend Mass? Have significant numbers left for other churches? Do they want Catholic education for their children? Seeking answers to these and other questions, Dean Hoge and his colleagues conducted a national survey in 1997, supplemented by a telephone survey and then by personal interviews with over 800 men and women across the country. The interviews put a human face on the information provided, and they form a compelling part of this timely narrative. The authors underscore observations that include the strength and tenacity of Catholic identity in spite of many challenges, the high level of personal decision-making among those interviewed and surveyed, and the readiness of young Catholics for institutional reforms.