Religion, Theology, and Class: Fresh Engagements after Long Silence (New Approaches to Religion and Power)

This important collection of essays addresses the question of why scholars can no longer do without class in religious studies and theology, and what we can learn from a renewed engagement with the topic. This volume discusses what new discourses regarding notions of gender, ethnicity, and race might add to developments on notions of class. Unlike notions of gender, ethnicity, and race, the notion of class has rarely been reflected in religious and theological studies in recent decades. The few who currently use the term "class" think 'poor people,' 'social stratification,' or 'income differentials.' Commonly overlooked are power differentials, the tensions between classes, and the question of production. The essays in this volume discuss what new discourses on class in religious and theological studies might add to cutting-edge developments in these fields. Religion, Theology, and Class demonstrates that just like the lack of the study of class distorts the study of religion and theology, renewed engagement leads to new insights and broader horizons. The audience for this work includes students and scholars of religion and theology with various research interests, as well as students and scholars of other fields like economics, sociology, political studies, and cultural studies. Widespread classroom use is anticipated as this text is written in an accessible and engaging style Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-23 Front Matter....Pages 25-25 Religion and Class....Pages 27-42 Save Us from Cynicism: Religion and Social Class....Pages 43-59 Class, Sin, and the Displaced....Pages 61-73 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 The Theological Value of Social Class Analysis and Other Social Distinctions....Pages 77-98 Religion and Class in the Construction and Deconstruction of the Myth of American Exceptionalism....Pages 99-120 Protesting Classes through Protestant Glasses: Class, Labor, and the Social Gospel in the United States....Pages 121-139 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Poverty and Poor People’s Agency in High-Tech Capitalism....Pages 143-156 Inequality, Class, and Power in Global Perspective: Feminist Reflections....Pages 157-173 Black Reconstruction: Thinking Blackness and Rethinking Class in Late Capitalist America....Pages 175-187 Instigating Class Struggle? The Study of Class in Religion and Theology and Some Implications for Gender, Race, and Ethnicity....Pages 189-211 Back Matter....Pages 213-224 Unlike notions of gender, ethnicity, and race, the notion of class has rarely been reflected in religious and theological studies in recent decades. The few who currently use the term "class" think 'poor people, ' 'social stratification, ' or 'income differentials.' Commonly overlooked are power differentials, the tensions between classes, and the question of production. The essays in this volume discuss what new discourses on class in religious and theological studies might add to cutting-edge developments in these fields. This book demonstrates that just like the lack of the study of class distorts the study of religion and theology, renewed engagement leads to new insights and broader horizons. The audience for this work includes students and scholars of religion and theology with various research interests, as well as students and scholars of other fields like economics, sociology, political studies, and cultural studies. Widespread classroom use is anticipated as this text is written in an accessible and engaging style