Monthly Archives: March 2020

Review of The Twenty-something Soul

Posted on by

The Twentysomething Soul: Understanding the Religious and Secular ...My Featured Review Essay of The Twenty-something Soul (OUP 2019) just came out in Sociology of Religion. Authors Tim Clydesdale and Kathleen Garces-Foley do an excellent job of providing the reader with a clear understanding of the social and religious characteristics of today’s Mainline Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical and unaffiliated twenty-somethings. The book uses both survey data and interviews to look at religious and nonreligious twenty-somethings’ commitments and challenges, providing many insights. It is a great book for both scholars and ministers, as I close my review by writing:

[T]hrough its clear presentation of the findings and insightful analysis, this is a timely book that answers questions in both the public and academic minds. The Twentysomething Soul is an exciting new addition to the sociological literature on religion and young adults and is a must-read for those working in campus or young adult ministry.

COVID-19 Adaptation

Posted on by

I just wanted to offer my services during this time. I, like many other speakers, had several events canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 precautions. Initially I saw this as the only feasible option. However, now that universities, dioceses and other institutions are closing down for unspecified lengths of time and my homestate of California has issued a “shelter in place” order, I think we need to get creative. I’m happy to help keep ideas going–even amid our isolation–through online meetings and presentations. Let me know if this could be a helpful option for your organization at this time.

Be well!

Catholic Activism Today: Instructor’s Guide

Posted on by

Catholic Activism TodayFor those of you who teach courses on Catholicism, religion and public life, social change, small groups or other topics, your job just got easier. The instructor’s guide for Catholic Activism Today is now published on the NYU website, filled with chapter summaries, discussion questions and lesson plans. Hopefully it makes your adoption of this book all the more seamless. The book will be out in June 2020.

Coverage of Hispanic Catholic Financial Giving

Posted on by

Image result for cara georgetownMany thanks to the researchers at Georgetown University’s CARA for covering my paper on Latinx Catholic parish stewardship in The CARA Report. Based on interviews with pastors and Hispanic Catholics, this study fills an important gap in the literature on Latinx Catholic giving: We have established that Hispanic Catholics give less than other ethnic and racial groups, but we don’t know why. And if we don’t know why, parishes and dioceses are unable to respond. This paper uncovers the why and concludes by suggesting better practices. The full paper was accepted by American Catholic Studies and I’ll be sure to post it here once it is published. Thanks to CARA’s coverage, a few dioceses and Catholic organizations have reached out to me for the paper and we’re working on getting that accessible soon!

Thank you, CARA, for helping sociologists of Catholicism get our work into the hands of those who can put it to good use! Also, thank you to Villanova University’s Center for Church Management for funding this project!