This chapter deals with The Protestant Ethic as a study of cultural change, with the distinction between cultural elites and the people at large, and with the question of how new ideas can influence the latter. Each of these themes bears on the meaning of “shared beliefs” as an object of study. The theme of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is familiar. By their development of theological ideas Luther and Calvin espoused innerworldly asceticism. Men were enjoined to seek the salvation of their souls by diligently serving God in their worldly callings. Having analyzed this meaning of certain theological doctrines, Max Weber proceeded to show its inadvertent affinity with the “capitalist spirit.” Emphasis on elites has major significance for Weber’s approach to the study of culture. In The Protestant Ethic, but more in his comparative studies of China, India, and ancient Israel, Weber analyzes eras of religious creativity.