Browsing by Author "Martinez, Brandon C."
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Item Belonging and participation in mixed-race congregations.(2012-08-08) Martinez, Brandon C.; Dougherty, Kevin D.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.There has been a recent push towards racial diversity in congregations by many religious leaders. However, racially diverse congregations, which have been a popular subject amongst researchers, are both rare and seemingly difficult to sustain (Emerson, 2006). Testing an underlying assumption of organizational ecology theory, this study contributes to the discussion of race in congregations by examining belonging and participation in congregations with more than one racial group. Results of multilevel modeling using data from the 2001 U.S Congregational Life Survey indicate that those who are a part of the numerical racial majority in a congregation experience higher levels of belonging and participate at a deeper level than those who belong to a numerical minority racial group. Moreover, cross-level interactions between numerical majority status and the racial proportion of the congregation reveal that these differences increase as mixed-race congregations become more racially homogenous.Item The intersection of race and religion in the United States.(2015-03-25) Martinez, Brandon C.; Park, Jerry Z.Race relations in America are at a unique point in history, and much has changed in the American racial landscape in the fifty years since Milton Gordon authored his seminal work, Assimilation in American Life: The Role of Race, Religion, and National Origins. Religion is often viewed as having the potential to foster racial and ethnic unity, but religion historically has served as an impediment to race relations in the nation. This study examines the relationship between race and religion in contemporary America and asks two primary questions. First, do contemporary American religions help foster integration and alleviate racial tension or merely perpetuate it? Second, does religion alleviate the burdens placed upon racial and ethnic minorities in the United States or heighten them? Drawing from multiple datasets at both the individual and organizational levels, the three analyses in this dissertation examine the relationships between religion and race relations in the United States. Specifically, this project examines the following: (1) racial and ethnic integration into predominantly white congregations, (2) the relationship between childhood religiosity and participation in interracial romantic relationships across cohorts, and (3) the effects of religiosity on depression/anxiety, delinquency, and alcohol abuse for young Latino Americans utilizing General Strain Theory. The results and implications for each study are discussed as well as their limitations and directions for future research.