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

神职人员、教区居民和政治：对 ELCA 和圣公会牧师和教区居民的调查

• 批准号: 9809536
• 负责人: Christopher Gilbert
• 金额: $ 13.25万
• 依托单位: Gustavus Adolphus College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-08-01 至 2001-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9809536&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Clergy; Parishioners; Politics; survey; ELCA

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.

这个项目调查了美国两个主要新教教派的政治信仰和活动——美国福音派路德教会（ELCA）和圣公会。在每个教派中，3000名牧师和50个选定教会的成员接受调查，询问他们的政治观点，他们的政治激进主义程度，以及他们的宗教信仰和教会活动对这些政治观点和行动的影响程度。这项研究的结果有助于解决几个重要的问题，即在一个致力于政教分离的国家，宗教和政治是如何交叉的。纵观美国历史，许多团体和个人都认为是信仰召唤他们参与政治活动。关于起源于宗教团体的大规模运动，如内战前的反奴隶制运动，20世纪初的禁酒令运动，以及牧师马丁·路德·金博士和其他宗教领袖领导的民权运动，已经写了很多。作为日常生活的一部分，普通公民在信仰和政治之间建立的联系鲜为人知。超过90%的美国人相信上帝，四分之三的人参加了教会。这种超乎寻常的宗教活动水平——在任何其他民主国家都无法比拟——显然影响了教会成员生活的许多方面。通过这个项目，研究人员评估了教会解决了哪些政治问题，成员从牧师那里获得了多少政治知识和指导，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在美国其他大型教派中探索了这些问题，但迄今为止还没有人调查过ELCA路德会和圣公会；因此，这项研究填补了我们对宗教和政治知识的相当大的空白。这个研究项目的更大目标是更好地了解美国人如何成为见多识广、积极主动的公民。最近的研究表明，与三四十年前相比，当代美国人不太可能加入公民团体或参与政治。教会是这条规则的一个主要例外，它与会员人数和公民参与度下降的趋势背道而驰。如果一个知情和积极的公民是维持这个国家的民主制度所必需的，那么就有必要了解一些机构，如教堂，如何以及为什么能保持其成员的忠诚，并继续在建立强大的地方社区中发挥不可或缺的作用。