ABSTRACT
Social capital can have an individual or collective effect. However it is most 'powerful' when it is collective. Social capital can be seen in functional terms as being concerned with 'productivity', but it also appears to have moral content since it is concerned with 'civic virtue'. In addition, a society of many virtuous individuals is not necessarily 'rich in social capital'. American Grace argues that religion in the United States has become increasingly polarized in recent decades. As a response to the 'sexually libertine Sixties' conservative religion grew in size, prominence and political significance. Putnam and Campbell test the theological beliefs of their respondents on God, eschatology, salvation and biblical inerrancy. If Putnam and Campbell had looked beyond the United States, they would have noticed that the connection between mainline Protestant denominations and volunteering is characteristic of other Western countries.
