Introduction

This chapter provides some help in how to use social theory in empirical studies, whether it is a master’s thesis, PhD, or a larger research project. Beckford said in 1989. Some key sociologists of religion are mentioned here and there, especially when we discuss how the general sociological perspectives have been applied in the study of religion. The early classical sociologists still affect how contemporary sociologists and sociologists of religion understand religion. Some have changed their views on the role of religion in contemporary society. Habermas thinks that religion has a new visibility in the public sphere in post-secular society, and Berger claims that there are tendencies of what he calls desecularization in society. In addition, the sociologists included here affirm the social and cultural construction of knowledge. Knowledge is here understood in a wide sense, about the perceptions of human beings and what they hold to be true or important.