Financing American Religion

by Chaves, Mark; Miller, Sharon L.

• ISBN13: 9780761990376
• ISBN10: 0761990372
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-11-12
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

Money always has been a subject of deep concern for religious leaders. In recent decades, however, this perennial concern has taken on a new urgency as a crisis situation is perceived. Financing American Religion brings together short, readable essays representing the best, most up-to-date research and thinking on the intersections of money and religion. Sociologists, historians, economists, and theologians ask who gives, how much, and why. They investigate how money moves and how it affects religious organizational behavior. And throughout they explore how attitudes toward money have altered over time. Religious leaders and scholars of American religion will welcome this much-needed volume.

Table of Contents

Preface
Individual Giving
Giving in Five Denominations	p. 3
Basic Trends in Religious Giving, 1921-1995	p. 11
Financing Historic Black Churches	p. 21
Skewness Explained	p. 29
The Meaning of Religious Giving	p. 37
Historical Myths About Financing American Christianity	p. 47
Why Give?	p. 55
The Crisis in the Churches	p. 67
Congregations and Resources
Financing Religious Congregations: A National View	p. 79
Endowed Congregations	p. 87
Clergy as Reluctant Stewards of Congregational Resources	p. 95
Religious Organizations and Resources
Financing Catholic Elementary Schools	p. 105
Financing Protestant Theological Schools	p. 111
Financing Parachurch Organizations	p. 119
Religious Nonprofits in California	p. 131
Small Religious Nonprofits in Illinois	p. 139
Philanthropic Institutions and the Small Religious Nonprofit	p. 147
Conclusion
Faith and Money: Theological Reflections on Financing American Religion	p. 157
Financing American Religion	p. 169
Index	p. 189
About the Authors	p. 193
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