{"product_id":"occasional-religious-practice-sarah-kathleen-johnson-9780197806548","title":"Occasional Religious Practice: Valuing a Very Ordinary Religious Experience","description":"The pews overflow on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. A mother reaches out to a local church for the first time to request the baptism of her newborn. The death of a public figure is marked with an extravagant funeral at a cathedral. These are all examples of what Sarah Kathleen Johnson calls occasional religious practice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOccasional religious practice is a way of relating to religion that is characterized by participation in religious practices occasionally rather than routinely, most often in connection with certain types of occasions, including holidays, life transitions, and times of crisis. In a North American religious landscape characterized by declining participation in religious institutions, increasing uncertainty about matters of faith, and a growing population who identify as nonreligious, occasional religious practice is a primary way that people continue to relate to religion. Johnson introduces the concept of occasional religious practice as a novel yet intuitive way to describe, analyze, and respond to this widespread pattern. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eOccasional Religious Practice\u003c\/em\u003e integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology of religion, religious studies, and liturgical theology. Anchored in three years of qualitative research in the Anglican tradition in Toronto, Johnson weaves together stories and interview quotations to show the complexity and depth of occasional religious practice. She argues that it is crucial to attend to occasional religious practice to understand the contemporary religious landscape, how religious rituals function and evolve in religiously diverse contexts, and the benefits of doing theology in conversation with people who relate to religion in a range of ways, especially those on the theological and liturgical margins. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis research takes occasional religious practice seriously as a substantial way of relating to religion. It recognizes the vast diversity of occasional practitioners. It explores the power of occasional practice to shape ritual. It advocates for doing theology in dialogue with participants in religious practices who relate to religion in different ways. It is a call to value and learn from the very ordinary experience of occasional religious practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sarah Kathleen Johnson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0197806546\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780197806548\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/04\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Sarah Kathleen Johnson","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46795318755583,"sku":"9780197806548","price":132.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_822d1554-9a75-43be-98e4-ff989f8fec56.jpg?v=1744947240","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/occasional-religious-practice-sarah-kathleen-johnson-9780197806548","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}