Thesis
Blessed are those who have no data plan: megachurch outreach and moral boundary work in the Pacific Northwest
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100187
Abstract
A church is often the first place of refuge for those in need, and megachurches are no exception. Given their size and resources, megachurches are well-equipped to lend a hand. How are megachurches helping the poor? Are they demonstrating innovation in their approach to poverty outreach? Why do churches invest in the poor? I argue that along with fulfilling their expected duty to those in need, megachurch pastors create distinctions between their churches and neighboring congregations as well as the local government and nonprofit organizations. Pastors strive to demonstrate that their church knows how best to help the impoverished in their community and in the world, and this is a form of moral boundary work, which is the creation of invisible walls between individuals or groups, and these walls reproduce inequalities (Lamont 1992; Lamont and Fournier 2002; Sherman 2009). Through their poverty outreach, pastors are building symbolic boundaries between their congregations and other local churches that might not have outreach to the poor, or that have outreach techniques that are viewed as outdated. Building these boundaries may help congregants have a sense of belonging in their church community by creating an in-group to which church members belong and an out-group to which they have no desire to belong.
Metrics
5 File views/ downloads
9 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Blessed are those who have no data plan
- Creators
- Valerie Adrian
- Contributors
- Gregory Hooks (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900524808101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis