George Lundskow

My longstanding interest in religion and Marxist theory began academically at my Jesuit high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, I have examined religion in the context of social change, both reactionary and progressive. Underlying the Marxist theoretical perspective, I follow the notion that theory must always develop in conjunction with empirical observation. In this way, C. Wright Mills’ The Sociological Imagination informs my general approach to sociology, that sociology should contribute to vital issues of the day.

My particular theoretical orientation draws mostly from Erich Fromm and Pierre Bourdieu. First generation Critical Theorists with an empirical focus, such as Paul Massing in Rehearsal for Destruction, serve as a model for my own scholarship.

I also hold to the perspective of Daniel Bell, Emile Durkheim, and others in that to say religious bonds have snapped is to say that social bonds have snapped. Like my predecessors, I don’t think we should attempt a return to the past, but rather, in Nietzschean fashion, to evolve a new social human, one fired by passion and intellect, imagination and critical observation. In this direction, sociology and Critical Theory offer much to understand the necessary social, psychological, and spiritual coherence that the human condition requires. How do we maintain individual initiative, insight, and passion and at the same time maintain a viable social character and collective morality? More than other perspectives, Critical Theory offers the greatest potential for integration of diverse knowledge and exploration of larger, especially transhistorical issues than conventional sociology usually considers.

Presently, I am completing a textbook on the Sociology of Religion for Pine Forge Press. My research interests pertain to social change, and include alternative religious groups of the present, medieval demonology, and ancient class-cultural conflict. In particular, I am working on a sociological understanding of class and religion in the Greco-Roman and Byzantine world.

Marianne Weber’s work, Wife and Mother in the Development of Rights also inspires my interest in the possibility of Neolithic goddess-oriented civilizations that predated the arrival of Northern and Eastern barbarians who introduced a patriarchal warfare culture. Marija Gimbutas and others documented extensive archaeological evidence in the 1970s and early 80s beyond what was available in Marianne’s time, and I would like to continue Marianne’s sociological work.

I also serve as mentor to Ways of the Earth, a pagan student organization, and also as mentor for the quasi-religious Harry Potter Club.

Selected Publications:

2008. The Sociology of Religion: A Substantive and Transdisciplinary Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press

2008. "Toyota’s Willing Stooges: The Trend of Narcissism in US Society." New York Journal of Sociology, Vol. 1

2006. “The Concept of Choice in the Rise of Christianity: A Critique of Rational-Choice Theory.” Marx, Critical Theory, and Religion: A Crotoqie pf Rational Choice. Warren S. Goldstein, editor. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers.

2009. Chicago: Haymarket Books (paperback).

2006. “Christianity: Promises and Prospects.” World History Encyclopedia, Era 9. Jack Waskey, ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

2006. “The Promise Keepers.” World History Encyclopedia, Era 9. Jack Waskey, ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

2006. “The Transition from Paganism to Christianity.” World History Encyclopedia, Era 4. Wilfred Bisson, ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

2006. “Mithraism: A Chrisitian Rival.” World History Encyclopedia, Era 4. Wilfred Bisson, ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

2005. New Developments in Religion: Essays on the Social Construction of Spirituality and Meaning. (Editor). Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland and Company Publishers.

2005. “Progressive and Oppressive Religion: Towards a Theory of Marxist Class-Cultural Spirituality.” Critical Sociology 31(1-2):210-239.

2005. “Spirituality and Social Character: The Case of New Evangelicalism and Neopaganism.” New Developments in Religion: Essays on the Social Construction of Spirituality and Meaning. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland and Company Publishers.

2002. Awakening to an Uncertain Future: A Case Study of the Promise Keepers. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

2000. “Are Promises Enough? Promise Keepers Identity in Intensive Interviews.” In The Promise Keepers: Essays on Masculinity and Religion. Dane Claussen, ed. McFarland, 2000.