ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 examines a targeted set of previous literature that specifically addresses, or notably fails to address, critical elements of religious identities. The author divides the literature into two portions—research publications, and publications on policy and practice. In order to determine whether or not each piece critically addresses religious identity, she develops a list of critical elements based on previous theoretical writings and analyzes each piece for adherence to those elements. The chapter presents lessons from exemplar publications, and also draws conclusions about the research body as a whole. The author uses this synthesis to show that the lack of consistency within higher education publications in utilizing elements of critical analysis to examine college students’ religious, secular, and spiritual identities has led to conclusions that miss important implications for college students, faculty members, campus environments, and the broader society. The chapter concludes by saying that Critical Religious Pluralism Theory (CRPT) aims to begin rectifying this problem.
