This fully updated Sixth Edition of Religion in Sociological Perspective introduces students to the basic theories and methods in the field, and shows them how to apply these analytic tools to new groups they encounter. The authors explore three interdependent subsystems of religion - meaning, structure, and belonging - and their connections to the larger social structure. While they cover the major theoretical paradigms of the field and employ various middle-range theories to explore specific processes, they use the open systems model as a single unifying framework to integrate the theories and enhance student understanding.

New to this Edition

Throughout the book, the authors analyze the contributions and blind spots of each theory and emphasize the relationship between research methods and findings.
Updated data across all chapters.
New and expanded topics include: digital religion, multi-site megachurches, prosperity theology and economic inequality, religious nationalism and humanitarianism and many more.
New boxes point to free online resources, such as downloadable datasets, data visualizations, denominational histories, and open access journals dedicated to digital religion.
Over 200 new sources referenced.

Books by Keith A. Roberts