The Rise of Mormonism

Rodney Stark

Published by Columbia University Press 2005

The Rise of Mormonism

Rodney Stark
Edited by: Reid Neilson

https://doi.org/10.7312/star13634

Overview
Contents

About this book

Will Mormonism be the next world faith, one that will rival Catholicism, Islam, and other major religions in terms of numbers and global appeal? This was the question Rodney Stark addressed in his much-discussed and much-debated article, "The Rise of a New World Faith" (1984), one of several essays on Mormonism included in this new collection. Examining the religion's growing appeal, Rodney Stark concluded that Mormons could number 267 million members by 2080. In what would become known as "the Stark argument," Stark suggested that the Mormon Church offered contemporary sociologists and historians of religion an opportunity to observe a rare event: the birth of a new world religion.

In the years following that article, Stark has become one of the foremost scholars of Mormonism and the sociology of religion. This new work, the first to collect his influential writings on the Mormon Church, includes previously published essays, revised and rewritten for this volume. His work sheds light on both the growth of Mormonism and on how and why certain religions continue to grow while others fade away.

Stark examines the reasons behind the spread of Mormonism, exploring such factors as cultural continuity with the faiths from which it seeks converts, a volunteer missionary force, and birth rates. He explains why a demanding faith like Mormonism has such broad appeal in today's world and considers the importance of social networks in finding new converts. Stark's work also presents groundbreaking perspectives on larger issues in the study of religion, including the nature of revelation and the reasons for religious growth in an age of modernization and secularization.

Author / Editor information

Rodney Stark is University Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University. He is the author of more than twenty books, including For the Glory of God and Exploring the Religious Life.Reid L. Neilson is the author and editor of several books on Mormonism. He is currently a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

Henri Gooren:
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the social scientific study of Mormonism.

Kathleen Flake:
An important voice in the sociological study of religion.

Gerald M. Mcdermott:
Rodney Stark is one of America's pre-eminent sociologists of religions.

Jeffrey Needle:
It's an excellent summary and a must-read... The Rise of Mormonism is a thoughtful and insightful look at the Church.

a well-written thought-provoking compilation covering nearly three decades of scholarship

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Introduction Reid L. Neilson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Extracting Social Scientific Models from Mormon History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
2. Joseph Smith Among the Revelators Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	30
3. Mormon Networks of Faith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
4. Rationality and Mormon Sacrifice Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
5. Modernization, Secularization, and Mormon Growth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
6. The Basis of Mormon Success Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
7. The Rise of a New World Faith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Further Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 192

eBook

Published: October 26, 2005
ISBN: 9780231509916