Method for an historical political sociology of religion

Abstract

The work of Shailer Mathews (1863-1941) offers an important, though neglected, sociological theory of the evolution of religion. A theologian and long-time dean of the divinity school at the University of Chicago, Mathews develops his sociological understanding as a foundation for articulating a theology adequate to the needs of the modern age. Influenced by evolutionary currents of thought, interpreted along pragmatist lines, Mathews sees religion as part of the will to life, a vital means of adapting, and adapting to, the cosmos, understood in personal terms. By entreating the cosmos in personal terms, Mathews illuminates the intertwined development of religion and the state, with attendant changes to the predominant understanding of the gods.