James K. Wellman

ITHE DEBATE OVER HOMOSEXUAL ORDINATION: SUBCULTURAL IDENTIT''Y THEORY IN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

This essay plots the moral, social and ideological map within which Protestant, Catholic and Jewish religious organizations debate the issue of homosexual ordination. It argues that the bipolar cultural war thesis may describe the rhetoric of elites on each side of the debate but it fails to grasp the diverse positions held by American religious groups. Knisss recent model of moral mapping provides a more comprehensive understanding of the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish debates in the context of American religious and political culture. Subcultural identity theory investigates why the issue of homosexuality is at the center of controversy in American religious denominations, arguing that symbolic positions are taken by religious clites in order to mobilize political movements, resources and members. In comparing the strategic approaches of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish bodies four typologies are outlined : exclusive, semi-exclusive, semi-inclusive and inclusive. This broader perspective on the argument over the ordination of gays and lesbians gives a context for the following four essays that analyze the recent debate over the issue in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Religion without a Net: Strictness in the Religious Practices of West Coast Urban Liberal Christian Congregations

Research on liberal Protestants asserts that they are in decline because they are low-demand, theologically heterodox and institutionally flaccid organizations. My research shows that there is a niche of activist, liberal Protestants in urban congregations on the West Coast, who are vital groups with focused leadership. They are vital precisely because of their demanding theological and moral vision. In a twist on the strict church thesis, these churches thrive because of their challenging religious practices. Theologically they demand belief systems that integrate thought and action, remain in dialogue with other religious perspectives, nurture spiritual disciplines, celebrate creative religious expressions and advocate an egalitarian moral perspective. These are organizations that are institutionally fragile and difficult to sustain. Nonetheless, vital liberal religious institutions are built on leadership that is focused, lay people that are engaged in spiritual practice, justice that is lived out in communities and congregational activities that are relevant. I argue that the core of vital religious organizations is a demanding ideological and moral vision that is communicated by a leadership that challenges people and embodies the message.

The power of religious publics : staking claims in American society

Preface The Public and the Publics Publics by Martin E. Marty Can Religion Be Religious in Public? by Phillip Hammond Public Religion vis-a-vis the Prophetic Role of Religion by James E. Wood, Jr. Multiculturalism and Public Religion: Is There a Common American Culture? by Robert N. Bellah Why Study About Religion? The Contribution of the Study of Religion to American Public Life by Jacob Neusner and William Scott Green Table Manners: Sitting Around the Public Table by Peggy L. Shriver Public Religion and Economic Inequality by James D. Davidson and Ralph E. Pyle Religious Identity and Public Discourse: On the Importance of Common Ground in the Public Church by James R. Kelly Religion Out of the Closet: Public Religion and Homosexuality by James K. Wellman, Jr. Public Religion and New Religions by James T. Richardson Public Religion and Hegemony: Contesting the Language of the Common Good by Rhys H. Williams The Public and the Pubic: Is Nothing Private Any More? by William H. Swatos, Jr. Selected Bibliography Index