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oa [The Role of the Churches in the Public Sphere, De rol van de kerken in het publieke domein]
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, Volume 64, Issue 2, Jan 2010, p. 108 - 121
Abstract
This article offers a bird’s-eye view of the position of the church towards the state, ending in a description of the church’s relationship to democracy. In addition, the authors sketch Dingemans’s view of the role of the church in society and describe possibilities for relevant speaking and acting of the church in the public domain, both at the national level and at the local level of villages and housing estates. Special attention is paid to the role of churchgoers who are active as volunteers both within their own religious communities and outside (e.g. community and public service). Empirical research demonstrates that church attendance predicts volunteering or, in the words of Robert Putnam, that ‘church people are unusually active social capitalists’.