This work showcases two approaches to the socio-scientific study of religion: the analysis of data collected about congregational life in the Australian National Church Life Surveys (from 1991 to present), and the application of feminist approaches within the sociology of religion.

The present volume explores lesser-heard and unheard issues in the study of religion. Among other things, lived experiences of religion in higher education are interrogated; culture is studied as lived experience; and “evangelicalism” is outlined as an emic and etic concept.

Various articles are presented covering psychological, sociological and cross-cultural topics or relevance to religious/spiritual researchers and academics.

Various articles are presented covering psychological, sociological and cross-cultural topics or relevance to religious/spiritual researchers and academics.

The social scientific study of religion is a crucial arena of human endeavor, as questions about the existence and nature of God interact with the study of religion as a human phenomenon. The twenty-third volume of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion continues the tradition of promoting extended debate of current issues in the field. The special section on Theism and Non-Theism in Psychological Science includes contributions from leading researchers in this area. This landmark collection of papers draws on a range of perspectives that both summarize the theism debate in psychology and help to move it forward in new directions. In addition, the volume includes papers on other key areas in the study of religion such as spirituality and social capital.

"Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion" publishes empirical and theoretical studies of religion from a wide range of disciplines and from all parts of the globe. This volume has a special section on Islam and Mental Health, an important and neglected area of study. The section draws on work, from six countries, that have applied different theoretical frameworks and empirical methods to examine the link between religion, psychology, and health in very diverse Muslim communities. Other articles examine topics as diverse as spirituality, psychological health, conversion, and the cultural psychology of religion. Disciplines represented include those that draw on qualitative, quantitative, and theoretical methods of study which together represent an important contribution to the contemporary study of religion.