Sociology and Theology - never the twain shall meet?

Abstract

Perhaps I could start by saying a few words about the discipline of sociology—about what it is and what it is not. Sociology, as one of the social sciences, is concerned with studying and explaining human behavior. It tends to focus, in particular, upon groups or aggregates of people rather than upon individuals. If a sociologist wanted to explain why country X has a high birth rate, for example, he might frame his explanation in terms of such concepts as cultural expectations about marriage and childbearing, the family as a social institution, the role and status of women in that country or religious norms about childbearing and contraceptive use. The important point for our purposes here is that sociology is basically concerned with explaining human behavior not with changing it or improving it. In other words, sociology should not be confused with social work or social action programs. Social work appears to trace its origins back to Jewish and Christian teachings but sociology emanates from a somewhat different tradition.