A Market Theory of Religion

Abstract

References to market phenomena are common enough in the sociology of religion, but despite the proliferation of systems of concatenate propositions that have been tested with survey and church membership data, little has been done to develop the conceptualization of how a religious market works. Consequently there is a significant lack of correspondence in the literature between the role market phenomena play in economics and the role of market-like counterparts in the religious field. While there may be some point to offering a correction to allegedly market-centered research in the sociology of religion, the intent here instead is to take what insights are to be had from the study of economic phenomena and draw out their implications for inquiry into religion.