Empirical Theology in Texts and Tables

Leslie J. Francis is Professor of Religions and Education within the University of Warwick. His original research concerning the connections between theology and the social sciences has been recognised by higher doctorates from the Universities of Oxford (DD), Cambridge (ScD) and Wales (DLitt).

Mandy Robbins is Senior Research Fellow in the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of Warwick.

Jeff Astley is Directior of the ecumenical North of England Institute for Christian Education and Honorary Professorial Fellow in Practical Theology and Christian Education in the University of Durham.

Academic departments (within universities) concerned with theology, religious studies, religious education and the social scientific study of religion. Church-related institutions concerned with theological education and seminary training.

Preface ......................................................................................... xi
Introduction ................................................................................ xiii
Chapter One Establishing Truth from Participation and
Distanciation in Empirical Theology ..................................... 3
Jaco S. Dreyer
Chapter Two Truth and Method in Empirical Theology ...... 27
Hans Schilderman
Chapter Three Religious Identity in Comparative
Research .................................................................................. 41
Johannes A. van der Ven
Chapter Four Epistemological Reflections on the
Connection between Ideas and Data in Empirical
Research into Religion ............................................................ 73
Chris A.M. Hermans
Chapter Five Towards a Generic Model of Religious
Ritual ....................................................................................... 101
Hans Schilderman
Chapter Six Comparative Empirical Research in Religion:
Conceptual and Operational Challenges within Empirical
Theology ................................................................................. 127
Leslie J. Francis
Chapter Seven Adolescents’ Views of Denominational
Identities and of Dialogical Religious Education: An
Empirical Study from Germany ............................................ 155
Friedrich Schweitzer
Chapter Eight Ordinary Soteriology: A Qualitative Study .... 177
Ann Christie and Jeff Astley
Chapter Nine Narrative Competence and the Meaning of
Life: Measuring the Quality of Life Stories in a Project on
Care for the Elderly ................................................................ 197
Thijs Tromp and R. Ruard Ganzevoort
Chapter Ten The Theological Case for Christian Schools in
England and Wales: A Qualitative Perspective Listening to
Female Alumnae ..................................................................... 217
Tania ap Siôn, Leslie J. Francis and Sylvia Baker
Chapter Eleven Faith or Morality? ‘Theological Sediments’
Depending on the Centrality, Content, and Social Context
of Personal Religious Construct Systems ............................... 249
Stefan Huber and Constantin Klein
Chapter Twelve Socialisation and Empirical-Theological
Models of the Trinity: A Study among Theology Students
in the United Kingdom .......................................................... 269
Mark J. Cartledge
Chapter Thirteen Religious Socialisation in the Family:
A Multi-dimensional and Multi-level Perspective .................. 291
Sabine Zehnder Grob, Christoph Morgenthaler and Christoph Käppler
Chapter Fourteen Apostolic Networks in Britain: Personality
and Praxis ............................................................................... 321
William K. Kay
Chapter Fifteen Xenophobia and Religious Pluralism: An
Empirical Study among Youth in Germany .......................... 339
Hans-Georg Ziebertz and Ulrich Riegel
Chapter Sixteen A Church Divided by Theology and
Practice: The Case of the Admission of Children to
Communion in the Church in Wales ..................................... 365
Keith Littler
List of Contributors .................................................................... 387
Name index ................................................................................. 393
Subject index .............................................................................. 401