Religion and the Social Sciences

More often than not it's a class in the social sciences that challenges the faith of students, not a class in biology. Does critical understanding of our religious traditions, institutions, and convictions undercut them? Or can a modern social scientific approach deepen faith's commitments, making us full participants in today's intellectual culture? In these conversations with eminent sociologists Robert Bellah and Christian Smith, leading scholars probe the religious potential of modern social science--and its theological limits. R. R. Reno has served as the editor of First Things, America's most influential journal of religion in public life, since 2011. He received his PhD in theology from Yale University and taught theology and ethics at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, for twenty years. He has been published in many academic journals, and his opinion essays have appeared in Commentary, The Washington Post, and other popular outlets. His most recent books include Fighting the Noonday Devil, Sanctified Vision, and a commentary on the book of Genesis. Barbara McClay is Associate Editor at The Hedgehog Review. She has written for a variety of publications and websites, including The American Spectator, The American Conservative, and Fare Forward. Before coming to The Hedgehog Review, she was a Junior Fellow at First Things and interned at The New Atlantis.