The Journal of Religion & Society is a peer-reviewed, cross-disciplinary, electronic journal published by the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University.
The journal promotes the study of religious groups and beliefs among various peoples, past and present, with special emphasis on American religions and Western religious traditions.
The journal is open-access and freely allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of all published material for all lawful purposes.
Citation:
Author’s Name, “Title of the Article,” Journal of Religion & Society 27 (2025), cited pages [URL of the Table of Contents page].
“NaMwari wangu tozivana”: Religiosity of Sex Workers in Selected Parts of Harare, Zimbabwe
Tinotenda Ruwizhi, University of Zimbabwe
Manase Kudzai Chiweshe, University of Zimbabwe and Rhodes University
Nelson Muparamoto, University of Zimbabwe
[ Abstract ] [ Article PDF ]
Sport, Chaplaincy, and Accountability: Negotiating the Expectations of Ministry
William Whitmore, Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, HI
Andrew Parker, Ridley Hall, United Kingdom
[ Abstract ] [ Article PDF ]
Shadow Faith or Organizational Breakoff?: Inflection Points and the Symbolic Convergence of Latter-day Saint Subculture
Brent Yergensen, The University of Texas at Tyler
[ Abstract ] [ Article PDF ]
Religious differences in socioeconomic status (SES) are crucial for understanding inequality and the religious landscape in the United States. This paper updates the state of the field on SES rankings by examining income and wealth disparities across seven major religious groups: white Catholics, Latino Catholics, white mainline Protestants (MPs), white conservative Protestants (CPs), religious nones, Black mainline Protestants, and Black conservative Protestants. Findings reveal that: (1) white Catholics have SES parity with white MPs, with some indications that white Catholics could surpass white MPs on key income and wealth measures; (2) white Catholics have significantly higher income and wealth than Latino Catholics, underscoring SES disparities among Catholics; (3) white CPs have higher SES than in the past, surpassing Latino Catholic SES; (4) white religious nones and white Catholics have comparable SES; and (5) Black Protestants have significantly lower income and wealth than other religious groups. This study offers a comprehensive, contemporary view of how religion intersects with economic status, providing insights into how religious identity and SES are associated.
This paper explores the complex relationship between sex work and Christianity, focusing on how sex workers in Harare, Zimbabwe, navigate their identities amidst societal and religious stigmatization. Through interviews with Christian sex workers, we examined how these individuals reconcile their profession with their faith, by mobilizing religious beliefs to create a sense of harmony in their lives. The study introduces the concept of “harmony” as a theoretical framework to understand how sex workers manage identity conflicts and balance their religious and professional selves. It highlights that participants exercise agency by adapting to societal pressures, either through compartmentalization of their identities or by constructing personal religious narratives that affirm their faith. The findings underscore the resilience of sex workers and their ability to find spiritual solace while facing both internal and external challenges. The study contributes to discussions on identity, religion, and marginalized groups.
Chaplains who serve in elite sports settings frequently enjoy significant levels of organizational access. Indeed, in comparison to others within this context, the accountability structures surrounding sports chaplains are often relatively ambiguous. Drawing on a small-scale, qualitative study of chaplaincy within the US National Football League (NFL) and the English Premier League (EPL), this paper reveals the kinds of accountability mechanisms in place for a cohort of sports chaplains and the inconsistencies which they experienced in this area of their work. Findings illustrate the level of ambiguity which routinely accompanied respondents’ roles, and the freedoms which this afforded them. The paper concludes by suggesting that if sports chaplaincy is to achieve its potential in terms of the level of spiritual and pastoral care on offer, elite sports organizations and governing bodies should evaluate the work of their chaplains in a more formal and consistent manner.
Recently released clarifications on LGTBQ policies by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leadership is disappointing news for advocates within the Church whose hoped-for changes in Church teachings regarding LGBTQ initiatives have now been thwarted. The result is a setting of irreconcilability for those who want change for LGBTQ advocacy in comparison to stances by Church leaders. Leading the movement for change, key Latter-day Saint celebrity influencers provide assertive public discourse for hoped changes in Church policies and teachings. Utilizing fantasy theme analysis, this study examines the LGTBQ-centered subculture by some Church members in the Gather group and its associated influencers. Fantasy theme rhetorics that contradict the Church’s official teachings are driving an alternative form of the faith at the Gather conferences and through social media. This subculture within the faith suggests a potential rhetorical vision of organizational rupture where an alternative version of the Church could be established.
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