was an American theologian and writer. He held a doctorate in sociology from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and was a faculty member of the

Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new weste ...

. He is credited with beginning the scholarly discussion on how to define and measure religious commitment. Some of his works include ''The ministry in transition: a case study of theological education'' (

Pennsylvania State University Press The Penn State University Press, also known as The Pennsylvania State University Press, was established in 1956 and is a non-profit publisher of scholarly books and journals. It is the independent publishing branch of the Pennsylvania State Uni ...

, 1972) and ''The fragmented layman; an empirical study of lay attitudes'' (

Pilgrim Press The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

, 1970, co-author). Some of his academic roles performed during his career include Director of Research for the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

, chair of the membership committee for the ''

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (founded in 1949) was formed to advance research in the social scientific perspective on religious institutions and experiences. The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' is published by ...

''. He is the father of political scientist

Francis Fukuyama Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama (; born October 27, 1952) is an American political scientist, political economist, international relations scholar and writer. Fukuyama is known for his book ''The End of History and the Last Man'' (1992), which argue ...

Other works

"Social Research and the Churches"
''

Review of Religious Research The ''Review of Religious Research'' is a quarterly journal that reviews the various methods, findings and uses of religious research. It contains a variety of articles, book reviews and reports on research projects. It is published by the Reli ...

'', Volume 28, Issue 1, September, 1986
"The Major Dimensions of Church Membership"
''

, Volume 2, pages 154–161, 1961
Papers associated with Yoshio Fukuyama
at

References

1921 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American writers Chicago Theological Seminary faculty American theologians University of Chicago alumni {{theologian-stub