Bradley Wright's Weblog: Why do strict churches prosper?
…Rational choice theory assumes that all else being equal, we try to reduce costs and increase benefits. Applied to religion, how would this explain why liberal, mainline churches are losing members when more conservative, evangelical and fundamentalist churches are gaining? This is a puzzle because the latter make more demands on their members than the former, which wouldn't seem to fit with a rational choice perspective.
The answer? According to Laurence Iannoccone, the answer lies with free-riders. Free-riders are people who enjoy the benefits of something without paying their share of the costs. As a church makes more demands of its members, it loses the half-hearted leaving behind a more vibrant group. …
A post that combines religion, sociology, and economics. I've died and gone to blog heaven. 🙂
Roger Finke and Rodney Stark have also written an excellent book on using this perspective called The Churching Of America, 1776-2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy.
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