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Churches as Political Communities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Kenneth D. Wald ,
Dennis E. Owen  and
Samuel S. Hill Jr.
Kenneth D. Wald
Affiliation:
University of Florida
Dennis E. Owen
Affiliation:
University of Florida
Samuel S. Hill Jr.
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Abstract

Most studies of contextual influences on political attitudes and behavior have treated geographical areas as the operative social environment. As early research on social influence processes noted, the conditions that promote consensus among inhabitants of a common environment are likely to be present in formal organizations that encourage face-to-face interaction. Churches possess many of the characteristics that should maximize behavioral contagion and are thus fertile ground for the dissemination of common political outlooks. This expectation is tested by assessing the link between theological and political conservatism in 21 Protestant congregations. The theological climate in the churches is found to contribute strongly to the members' political conservatism over and above the personal commitment of respondents to traditional Christian values and a variety of social and attitudinal variables. As churches constitute the single most widespread form of voluntary organizational affiliation in the United States, their potential political impact appears to be considerable.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 82 , Issue 2 , June 1988 , pp. 531 - 548
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1988

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