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Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
Moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD) is a term that was first introduced in the 2005 book ''Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers'' by the sociologist Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton. The term is used to describe what they consider to be the common beliefs among U.S. youths. The book is the result of the research project the National Study of Youth and Religion. Definition The authors' study found that many young people believe in several moral statutes not exclusive to any of the major world religions. It is not a new religion or theology as such, but identified as a set of commonly held spiritual beliefs. It is this combination of beliefs that they label ''moralistic therapeutic deism'': These points of belief were compiled from interviews with approximately 3,000 teenagers. Authors' analysis The authors say the system is "moralistic" because it "is about inculcating a moralistic approach to life. It teaches that central to l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Smith (sociologist)
Christian Stephen Smith (born 1960) is an American sociologist, currently the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame. Smith's research focuses primarily on religion in modernity, adolescents and emerging adults, sociological theory, philosophy of science, the science of generosity, American evangelicalism, and culture. Smith is well known for his contributions to the sociology of religion, particularly his research into adolescent spirituality, as well as for his contributions to sociological theory and his advocacy of critical realism. Biography Smith was born on October 23, 1960. He attended Wheaton College (1978–1979) and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Gordon College in 1983. Smith earned his Master of Arts (1987) and Doctor of Philosophy (1990) degrees from Harvard University, where he also spent a year studying theology at Harvard Divinity School. Smith began his academic career as an instructor, and then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deism
Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evidence, empirical reason and observation of the Nature, natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the Creator deity, creator of the universe. More simply stated, Deism is the belief in the existence of God solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authority. Deism emphasizes the concept of natural theology (that is, God's existence is revealed through nature). Since the 17th century and during the Age of Enlightenment (especially in 18th-century Deism in England and France in the 18th century, England, France, and American Enlightenment, North America), various Western philosophers and theologians formulated a Criticism of r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Religion In The United States
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in the United States, with Protestantism being its largest branch, although the country is believed to be "rapidly secularizing"."In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace" , Pew Research Center, October 17, 2019, Retrieved July 27, 2020. A large variety of faiths have historically flourished within the country. The United States is a substantial outlier among other highly developed countries: uniquely com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Postchristianity
Postchristianity is the situation in which Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion of a society but has gradually assumed values, culture, and worldviews that are not necessarily Christian. Post-Christian tends to refer to the loss of Christianity's monopoly to in historically Christian societies to atheism or secularism. It does not include formerly Christian-majority societies that now follow other religions such as Islam. Some scholars have disputed the global decline of Christianity, and instead hypothesized an evolution of Christianity, which allows it not only to survive but actively to expand its influence in contemporary societies. Decline of Christianity Historically, the majority of Christians have lived in Western nations, once called Christendom, and often conceptualized as "European Christian" civilization. A post-Christian society is one in which Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion but that has gradually assumed values, culture, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nominal Christian
The evangelical Lausanne Movement defines a nominal Christian as "a person who has not responded in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and Lord"... e"may be a practising or non-practising church member. He may give intellectual assent to basic Christian doctrines and claim to be a Christian. He may be faithful in attending liturgical rites and worship services, and be an active member involved in church affairs."Christian Witness to Nominal Christians Among Roman Catholics Occasional Paper 10. (LCWE) American [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deism
Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evidence, empirical reason and observation of the Nature, natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the Creator deity, creator of the universe. More simply stated, Deism is the belief in the existence of God solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authority. Deism emphasizes the concept of natural theology (that is, God's existence is revealed through nature). Since the 17th century and during the Age of Enlightenment (especially in 18th-century Deism in England and France in the 18th century, England, France, and American Enlightenment, North America), various Western philosophers and theologians formulated a Criticism of r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rod Dreher
Raymond Oliver Dreher Jr. (born February 14, 1967), known as Rod Dreher, is an American writer and editor living in Budapest, Hungary. He is a senior editor and blogger at ''The American Conservative'' and author of several books, including ''How Dante Can Save Your Life'', ''The Benedict Option'', and ''Live Not by Lies''. He has written about religion, politics, film, and culture in ''National Review'' and ''National Review Online'', ''The Weekly Standard'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', '' Touchstone'', ''Men's Health'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', and other publications. He was a film reviewer for the ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' and chief film critic for the ''New York Post''. His commentaries have been broadcast on National Public Radio's ''All Things Considered'', and he has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Court TV, and other television networks. Early life and education Dreher was born on February 14, 1967, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was named after his father, R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ross Douthat
Ross Gregory Douthat (born 1979) is an American political analyst, blogger, author and ''New York Times'' columnist. He was a senior editor of ''The Atlantic''. He has written on a variety of topics, including the state of Christianity in America and "sustainable decadence" in contemporary society. Personal life Ross Gregory Douthat was born in 1979 in San Francisco, California, and grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. As an adolescent, Douthat converted to Pentecostalism and then, with the rest of his family, to Catholicism. His mother is a writer. His great-grandfather was the poet and Governor Charles Wilbert Snow of Connecticut. His father, Charles Douthat, is a partner in a New Haven law firm and a poet. In 2007, Douthat married Abigail Tucker, a reporter for ''The Baltimore Sun'' and a writer for '' Smithsonian''. He and his family live in New Haven, Connecticut. Douthat has written that he suffers from chronic Lyme disease, a diagnosis that is unrecognized by mainstream me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collin Hansen
Collin Hansen (born April 7, 1981) is an American journalist who serves as vice president for content and editor in chief for the Gospel Coalition. He is best known for his writing on the New Calvinism, and he hosts the ''Gospelbound'' podcast. Biography and education Hansen is from Chester, South Dakota. He received an undergraduate degree in history and journalism from Northwestern University. He earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to working for the Gospel Coalition, Hansen was an associate editor for ''Christianity Today''. He lives with his wife and children in Birmingham, Alabama, and serves on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School. He is the founder of the Shelby Foote Society. New Calvinism Hansen is considered an expert on the New Calvinism, a term that was coined for the title of his 2008 book ''Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey With the New Calvinists''. He has been quoted on the movement by ''Time'' and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Civil Religion
Civil religion, also referred to as a civic religion, is the implicit religious values of a nation, as expressed through public rituals, symbols (such as the national flag), and ceremonies on sacred days and at sacred places (such as monuments, battlefields, or national cemeteries). It is distinct from churches, although church officials and ceremonies are sometimes incorporated into the practice of civil religion. Countries described as having a civil religion include France, South Korea, the former Soviet Union, and the United States. As a concept, it originated in French political thought and became a major topic for U.S. sociologists since its use by Robert Bellah in 1960. Origin of term Jean-Jacques Rousseau coined the term in chapter 8, book 4 of ''The Social Contract'' (1762), to describe what he regarded as the moral and spiritual foundation essential for any modern society. For Rousseau, civil religion was intended simply as a form of social cement, helping to unify the st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christianity In The United States
Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the United States. Estimates from 2021 suggest that of the entire US population (332 million) about 63% is Christian (210 million). The majority of Christian Americans are Protestant Christians (140 million; 42%), though there are also significant numbers of American Roman Catholics (70 million; 21%) and other minority Christian denominations such as Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses (about 13 million in total; 4%). The United States has the largest Christian population in the world and, more specifically, the largest Protestant population in the world, with nearly 210 million Christians and, as of 2021, over 140 million people affiliated with Protestant churches, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations. The Public Religion Research Institute's "2020 Census of American Religion", carried out between 2014 and 2020, showed that 70% of Americans identified as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theism
Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to as classical theism) – or gods found in polytheistic religions—a belief in God or in gods without the rejection of revelation as is characteristic of deism. Gnosticism is the belief in personal spiritual knowledge. Atheism is commonly understood as non-acceptance or rejection of theism in the broadest sense of theism, i.e. non-acceptance or rejection of belief in God or gods. Related, but separate, is the claim that the existence of any deity is unknown or unknowable: agnosticism.(page 56 in 1967 edition) Combined with theism, is agnostic theism. Etymology The term ''theism'' derives from the Greek (''theós'') or ''theoi'' meaning "god" or "gods". The term ''theism'' was first used by Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688). In Cudworth's de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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