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The Faith Lives of Women and Girls

personal theology researched, there was arguably scope for a much fuller and wider interpretation of the findings. Accepting Gortner’s conclusion on the diversity of personal theologies expressed within his research sample, I would still have liked to know more about which of his 108 possible combinations of worldviews, theodical beliefs, life purposes and values were more prevalent than others (this is discussed only briefly in four pages within the conclusion and the actual combinations are not given). Moreover, I would have liked to see the findings, once outlined, brought more fully into critical conversation with the wider body of scholarship on contemporary US religion, values and worldviews – a few notable studies (such as those by Smith, Glock and Stark) are referenced, but there is considerably more scope to explore how Gortner’s findings challenge – and are challenged by – some of the existing orthodoxies of US sociology of religion. (For example there is significantly more sociological evidence on the relationships between worldviews, age cohorts/generations and social capital than is interrogated here). The absence of a bibliography, and the relative slimness of the index, meant it was sometimes difficult to cross-reference topics and authors. Despite a few reservations however, this is a significant piece of work which deserves to be read by several audiences. Educationalists will be encouraged but also challenged by the degree to which school and college experiences emerge as a significant predictor of young adult theologies. One could easily imagine using an adapted version of Gortner’s questionnaire as a diagnostic tool in religious education or citizenship classes to identify some of the more common underlying presumptions held, helping students understand how their emerging world-concepts act as tinted glasses through which they approach their subject-matter. Sociologists of religion should be challenged to assess the implications of Gortner’s findings (in particular in relation to the perceived ‘hedonism’ of younger generations), and to incorporate his insights into researching world-concepts into their own work. Religious practitioners will benefit from exploring the ways in which individuals construct personal theologies in practice, and should be challenged by the possibility that the primary effect of religious belief and affiliation may be to reinforce rather than question culturally dominant values and worldviews, with apparently minimal impact on conceptions of purpose in life.