The Ties That Divide: Bonding Social Capital, Religious Friendship Networks, and Political Tolerance among Evangelicals

Previous research has overwhelmingly found that Evangelical Protestants are generally less tolerant of outsiders than those of other religious traditions such as Catholics or Mainline Protestants. Using data from the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey, I examine the extent to which political tolerance is r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociological inquiry 2012-05, Vol.82 (2), p.163-186
Main Author: Rhodes, Jeremy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catholics
Congregations
Cultural Capital
Evangelicalism
Evangelism
Friendship
Political science
Protestantism
Protestants
Religion & politics
Religions
Social Capital
Social Networks
Social research
Tolerance
Traditions
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Summary:Previous research has overwhelmingly found that Evangelical Protestants are generally less tolerant of outsiders than those of other religious traditions such as Catholics or Mainline Protestants. Using data from the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey, I examine the extent to which political tolerance is related to a bonding type of social capital that is typical of Evangelical Protestantism. Findings support most of the previous research into the relationship between religion and political tolerance, and support the hypothesis that social embeddedness within one’s congregation predicts intolerance among Evangelical Protestants, but not among those of other religious traditions. Implications for research into religious friendship networks and their potential dysfunctions are discussed.
ISSN:0038-0245
1475-682X
DOI:10.1111/j.1475-682X.2012.00409.x