Can individual religious choices (such as church attendance, tithing, the forgoing of certain temporal activities, etc.) be described in terms of economic theories of supply and demand? This question has begun to occupy greater scholarly attention, leading to a growing literature. Jelen (political science, U. of Nevada at Las Vegas) offers an introductory guide to the literature, collecting eight contributions from what he terms the "usual suspects" of the field and including arguments pro and con. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
In Sacred Markets, Sacred Canopies, Ted. G. Jelen brings together the leading scholars in the sociology of religion to debate market theories of religion. As the contributors examine whether or not religious choices can be understood as responding to the same laws of supply and demand as other forms of consumer behavior, they bring out many of the issues, controversies, and concerns surrounding this innovative theory.