Religious groups constitute a large part of America's voluntary sector, yet relatively few works have investigated them broadly. This collection of essays investigates the public roles of religious congregations and associations. With contributions by premier social scientists, the work gets to the bottom of how effective--or ineffective--religious groups are in offering social services, fostering community life, and creating discussion of social issues such as homosexuality and welfare reform. Arguing that religious groups experience many of the same constraints and opportunities as...

Religious groups constitute a large part of America's voluntary sector, yet relatively few works have investigated them broadly. This collection of essays investigates the public roles of religious congregations and associations. With contributions by premier social scientists, the work gets to the bottom of how effective--or ineffective--religious groups are in offering social services, fostering community life, and creating discussion of social issues such as homosexuality and welfare reform. Arguing that religious groups experience many of the same constraints and opportunities as...