The limits of sociology in the work of David Martin

Towards a critique of David Martin's sociology of religion, centred on his essay: ‘Can the Church Survive

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4929282
AutoresJonathan D Harrop (Green Chemistry, autor de correspondencia)
Año1987
Volumen17
Número2
Páginas173-192
Fecha de publicación1987-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligion (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0048-721X • E-ISSN: 1096-1151
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/0048-721x(87)90055-8
OpenAlexW1539212124
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas11

INTRODUCTION Within sociological literature, David Martin's `Can the Church Survive?' 1 is an ingenious and probably unique essay . Its uniqueness lies in the subject matter which links the concept of secularization with the phenomenon of ecstatic experience . Its ingenuity lies in the surprisingly optimistic prognosis for the Church in a world where most sociologists seem to accept secularization as a fact of life and not something seriously to be doubted . It is the contention here that Martin's argument fails as the result of a logical flaw. This flaw, however, is obscured, not merely by the presentation of the essay but also by the established theoretical framework of mainstream sociology. Shiner, for instance, points to six types of concept used to study secularization on an empirical basis . 2 Whereas there is no need for elaboration here, each of these concepts tacitly operates in conjunction with a working concept of religion . In each case, the sociologist works within a framework which is based on the two polar opposites of religion and secularity. The understandable assumption is, therefore, that whatever framework is being used, once secularity has been refuted religion has necessarily been secured. `Can the Church Survive?' is a convincing refutation of secularity but the failure of the argument hinges on the unusual . point that, in this particular case, religion and secularity are not in fact opposites at all . Indeed, on closer examination, there only seems to be a slight conflict of interests . This, however, is not intended merely to be a logic chopping critique of a single essay . `Can the Church Survive?' provides us, in many senses, with a cameo of Martin's sociology of religion . A close examination of the essay, as a starting point, raises a series of questions which reveal shortcomings, not

Argument (complex analysis) · Epistemology · Secularity · Secularization · Sociology · Subject (documents) · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religious studies