Journal Article

Religion, Boundaries, and Bridges

Warner, R. Stephen

1997

Overview

Investigates the ability of religious particularism to destroy Christian universalism in the contemporary US, drawing on review of research on particularism & immigration & ethnicity; findings reveal that religious issues of immigrants have been ignored. It is contended that contemporary minority religious groups will develop around linguistic boundaries; however, the eventual process of linguistic acculturation will jeopardize immigrant congregations. To preserve immigrant congregations, the structuring of religious communities must be examined; anecdotes supporting the argument, eg, experiences in a Korean Presbyterian congregation, a Hispanic Catholic celebration of Holy Week, & a group prayer among Muslims, are presented. Virgilio Elizondo's (1983) notion of mestizaje (mixing) is offered as an alternative to the standard US theory of assimilation of foreign cultures & religions, thus countering proponents of US monoculturalism & essentialists who contend that ethnic groups are incapable of or resistant to cultural assimilation. It is concluded that a dynamic notion of cultural assimilation must be advocated in the contemporary US. 1 Appendix, 63 References. J. W. Parker

• Publisher: Oxford University Press,Association for the Sociology of Religion
• Subject: Analysis / Assimilation / Boundaries / Christianity / Communities / Community relations / Cultural Pluralism / Ethnic groups / Ethnicity / Immigrants / Islam / Judaism / Minority Groups / Personal relationships / Prayer / Protestantism / Religion / Religion and culture / Religion and sociology / Religions / Religiosity / Religious aspects / Religious rituals / Rites & ceremonies / Ritual music / Rituals / Sociology / Sociology of religion / Solidarity / The 1996 Paul Hanly Furfey Lecture / United States of America / Universalism-Particularism / USA