Bad Pastors
Clergy Misconduct in Modern America
William A Stacey editor Anson D Shupe editor Susan E Darnell editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:New York University Press
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£24.99(9780814781470)
Child-molesting priests, embezzled church treasures, philandering ministers and rabbis, even church-endorsed pyramid schemes that defraud gullible parishioners of millions of dollars: for the past decade, clergy misconduct has seemed continually to be in the news.
Is there something about religious organizations that fosters such misbehavior? Bad Pastors presents a range of new perspectives and solidly grounded data on pastoral abuse, investigating sexual misconduct, financial improprieties, and political and personal abuse of authority. Rather than focusing on individuals who misbehave, the volume investigates whether the foundation for clergy malfeasance is inherent in religious organizations themselves, stemming from hierarchies of power in which trusted leaders have the ability to define reality, control behavior, and even offer or withhold the promise of immortality. Arguing that such phenomena arise out of organizational structures, the contributors do not focus on one particular religion, but rather treat these incidents from an interfaith perspective.
Bad Pastors moves beyond individual case studies to consider a broad range of issues surrounding clergy misconduct, from violence against women to the role of charisma and abuse of power in new religious movements. Highlighting similarities between other forms of abuse, such as domestic violence, the volume helps us to conceptualize and understand clergy misconduct in new ways.
This book is extremely valuable. Shupe et al. have done an excellent job...highly recommended; it is a must-read. * Criminal Justice Review *
Goes far beyond the ‘bad apple' theory of clergy malfeasance. In this book sensitive, tough-minded sociologists ask why notorious predators have been able to exploit religious institutions and use them to cover up their violations. The clear-headed contributors not only communicate effectively with a wide audience, but also bring years of hard-won experience and training to help the rest of us understand how the misuse of clergy power arose and operates. Institutions that train professionalsseminaries, law schools, medical schools, academic centerscould profit considerably from the wisdom and implied recommendations found in these weighty chapters. -- J. E. Barnhart,author of The Study of Religion and Its Meaning
Bad Pastors raises all the good questions and provides many hypothetical answers, and for these reasons alone it should be read by all sociologists of religion with an interest in wrongdoings. * Sociology of Religion *
ISBN: 9780814781463
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 567g
268 pages