Clergy, Parishioners, and Politics: A survey of ELCA and Episcopal Church Ministers and Parishioners

该项目调查了两个国家的政治信仰和活动， 美国主要的新教教派-福音派 美国路德教会（ELCA）和圣公会。 在每个教派，3,000部长和成员的50 选定的教会接受调查，要求他们 政治观点，他们的政治活动的程度，以及 他们的宗教信仰和教会活动 影响这些政治观点和行动。 这项研究的结果有助于解决有关宗教和政治如何在一个国家中交叉的几个重要问题 致力于政教分离 在整个 美国历史上，团体和个人都参与了政治活动， 他们相信自己的信仰，他们相信自己的信仰。 多 已经写了关于大规模的运动起源于 宗教团体，如内战前的十字军东征， 奴隶制，世纪初的禁酒运动， 马丁·路德牧师领导的民权运动 国王和其他宗教领袖。 关于这一点，我们所知甚少。 普通公民在信仰和 政治是他们日常生活的一部分。 超过90%的 美国人信仰上帝，四分之三的人属于教会。 这一非凡的宗教活动水平-无与伦比的任何 其他民主国家-显然影响到许多方面的 教会成员的生活。 通过这个项目，研究人员评估了 在教会中讨论了哪些政治问题， 政治知识和指导成员从他们的 部长们，以及这些知识和指导如何影响成员的 政治活动。 虽然其他研究人员已经探索了 这些问题在其他美国大面额，迄今为止没有人 已经调查了ELCA路德会和圣公会;因此， 这项研究填补了我们对宗教知识的一个相当大的空白， 政治 这个研究项目的更大目标是更好地了解美国人如何成为知情的，积极的公民。 最近 研究表明，当代美国人 可能加入公民团体或参与政治， 是三四十年前的情况。 教堂是一个主要的 这一规则的例外，逆着下降的趋势， 成员资格和公民参与。 如果一个知情和积极的 公民对于维持这个国家的民主是必要的 机构，这是至关重要的，以了解如何以及为什么一些 像教会这样的机构，一直保持着 并继续发挥不可或缺的作用， 在美国各地建立强大的当地社区。

This project investigates political beliefs and activities within two major American Protestant denominations - the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Episcopal Church. Within each denomination, 3,000 ministers and members of fifty selected congregations receive surveys asking for their political views, the extent of their political activism, and the degree to which their religious beliefs and church activities affect these political views and actions. The results from this research help to address several significant questions about how religion and politics intersect in a nation dedicated to the separation of church and state. Throughout American history, groups and individuals have engaged in political activities, believing their faith has called them to do so. Much has been written about the large-scale movements originating from religious communities, such as the pre-Civil War crusade against slavery, the drive for Prohibition in the early 20th century, and the campaign for civil rights led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and other religious leaders. Far less is known about the connections that ordinary citizens make between faith and politics as part of their daily lives. Over 90 percent of Americans believe in God and three-fourths belong to a church. This extraordinary level of religious activity - unmatched in any other democratic nation - clearly affects numerous aspects of the lives of church members. Through this project the researchers assess what political issues are addressed in churches, how much political knowledge and guidance members receive from their ministers, and how this knowledge and guidance influence members' political activities. While other researchers have explored these questions in other large U.S. denominations, to date no one has investigated ELCA Lutherans and Episcopalians; hence this study fills a sizable gap in our knowledge about religion and politics. The larger goal of this research project is to understand better how Americans become informed, active citizens. Recent studies have suggested that contemporary Americans are less likely to join civic groups or to participate in politics than was the case thirty or forty years ago. Churches are a major exception to this rule, going against the trend of declining membership and civic participation. If an informed and active citizenry is necessary to sustain this nation's democratic institutions, it is essential to understand how and why some institutions, such as churches, have retained the loyalty of their members and have continued to play integral roles in building strong local communities across the United States.