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Religion and Human Flourishing

Edited by Adam B. Cohen

Published by: Baylor University Press

Imprint: Baylor University Press

Sales Date: Saturday, 15th Aug 2020

245 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.96 in, 32 b&w illus., 5 b&w photos

Hardcover
9781481312851
Published: Tuesday, 1st Sep 2020

$54.99

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

When talking about the relationship between religion and flourishing, the first task is to frame the question theologically and philosophically, and this entails taking seriously the potential challenges latent in the issue. These challenges include--beyond the contested definitions of both "religion" and "flourishing"--the claims of some faith traditions that true adherence to that tradition’s goals and intrinsic goods can be incompatible with self-interest, and also the fact that religious definitions of health and wholeness tend to be less concrete than secular definitions. Despite the difficulties, research that considers uniquely religious aspects of human flourishing is essential, as scholars pursue even greater methodological rigor in future investigations of causal connections.

Religion and Human Flourishing brings together scholars of various specializations to consider how theological and philosophical perspectives might shape such future research, and how such research might benefit religious communities. The first section of the book takes up the foundational theological and philosophical questions. The next section turns to the empirical dimension and encompasses perspectives ranging from anthropology to psychology. The third and final section of the book follows in the empirical mold by moving to more sociological and economic levels of analysis. The concluding reflection offers a survey of what the social scientific research reveals about both the positive and negative effects of religion.

Scholars and laypeople alike are interested in religion, and many more still are interested in how to lead a meaningful life--how to flourish. The collaborative undertaking represented by Religion and Human Flourishing will further attest to the perennial importance of the questions of religious belief and the pursuit of the good life, and will become a standard for further exploration of such questions.

The question of human flourishing immediately provokes interest--who doesn’t want to flourish, especially when we read that the hallmark of flourishing is joy? Flourishing, one learns, encompasses what we do, what happens to us, and how we feel. No collection in recent years looks more deeply at the fascinating question of what religion contributes to human flourishing. Beautifully balancing the positives and the negatives, this volume manages to shed light in both directions―what flourishing entails, and how religion contributes to it.
~Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology

Does religion enrich human life? Is it a key ingredient to a life well lived? Religion and Human Flourishing explores these questions with the latest tools of the social sciences. By cross-examining the evidence, the authors show religion is not as destructive as some claim and not as beneficial as others hope. This book avoids simplistic claims devoid of evidence. It offers an invitation to the rigorous process of teasing out tentative conclusions that will generate new studies and provoke new debates. In the balance hangs a question that could hardly be more profound or more urgent for our common future.
~Ron Cole-Turner, H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Humans seek the transcendent, whether in art or baseball or God, as the papers in this splendid conversation acknowledge and explore. Theologians, sociologists, economists, and psychologists converse here with mutual respect and reciprocal enlightenment. In a world under challenge, it’s the way forward, scientifically and spiritually.
~Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, Author of The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce

A strength of this volume is the diversity of methodologies, empirical data and perspectives presented. Another strength is information about the forms of religion and theologies that encourage and support human flourishing. For theological educators, this is useful information as they build their curricula and market their programmes.
~Barbara J. McClure, Modern Believing