Asking Questions in a World of Answers

Sociologists frequently raise difficult and uncomfortable questions in and about the organizations which they inhabit. Because institutions depend on full confidence in orthodox answers for their stability, the prophetic voice of question-raising sociologists can be threatening to the priestly class...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vos, Matthew (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Oxford Graduate School [2017]
In: Journal of sociology and Christianity
Year: 2017, Volume: 7, Issue: 2, Pages: 46-56
Further subjects:B Sociological Theory
B Sacred Canopy
B living the question
B Uncertainty
B Protestant Principle
B Questions
B Enchantment
B Doubt
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Sociologists frequently raise difficult and uncomfortable questions in and about the organizations which they inhabit. Because institutions depend on full confidence in orthodox answers for their stability, the prophetic voice of question-raising sociologists can be threatening to the priestly class of institutional gate-keepers. Raising challenging questions in the face of reigning answers often puts sociologists at odds with institutional interests and certainty, and therefore they sometimes face marginalization by and even exclusion from the organizations and communities in which they live and work. This article examines some of the ways in which sociologists deal in the currency of questions, and explores the idea that certainty of absolute knowledge can undermine Christian faith, distort the meaning of the Biblical text, and reduce the sense of wonder, enchantment, and mystery that a life of faith can offer.
ISSN:2572-4088
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of sociology and Christianity