{"product_id":"congregations-in-america-mark-chaves-9780674012844","title":"Congregations in America","description":"\u003cp\u003eMore Americans belong to religious congregations than to any other kind of voluntary association. What these vast numbers amount to--what people are doing in the over 300,000 churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples in the United States--is a question that resonates through every quarter of American society, particularly in these times of \"faith-based initiatives,\" \"moral majorities,\" and militant fundamentalism. And it is a question answered in depth and in detail in \u003ci\u003eCongregations in America\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on the 1998 National Congregations Study--the first systematic study of its kind--as well as a broad range of quantitative, qualitative, and historical evidence, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the most significant form of collective religious expression in American society: local congregations. Among its more surprising findings, \u003ci\u003eCongregations in America\u003c\/i\u003e reveals that, despite the media focus on the political and social activities of religious groups, the arts are actually far more central to the workings of congregations. Here we see how, far from emphasizing the pursuit of charity or justice through social services or politics, congregations mainly traffic in ritual, knowledge, and beauty through the cultural activities of worship, religious education, and the arts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlong with clarifying--and debunking--arguments on both sides of the debate over faith-based initiatives, the information presented here comprises a unique and invaluable resource, answering previously unanswerable questions about the size, nature, make-up, finances, activities, and proclivities of these organizations at the very center of American life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mark Chaves\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674012844\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674012844\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/15\/2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 291\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.08lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.46h x 5.78w x 1.13d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/26\/2004 pg. 60\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2004 pg. 146\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/30\/2004 pg. 40\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2004 pg. 741\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCommonweal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/11\/2005 pg. 26","brand":"Mark Chaves","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43920452190463,"sku":"9780674012844","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_2bfaa4f3-678b-429d-a89a-1e32e1b4c244.jpg?v=1680815443","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/congregations-in-america-mark-chaves-9780674012844","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}