is Lecturer in Finnish Society and Culture at UCL. His main areas of expertise are sociology of religion, social problems, social theory, media and popular culture. His recent publications include Religion and Social Problems (Routledge, 2011) and Studying Religion and Society: Sociological Self-Portraits (ed. with Phil Zuckerman, Routledge, 2012). In addition, he has published several books in Finnish and articles in journals such as Social Compass and Journal of Contemporary Religion. He is also a member of the internationally acclaimed metal band Thunderstone.

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This article discusses critical discourse analysis CDA) as a framework for a critical agenda in the sociology of religion. CDA uniquely brings together discursive and critical (broadly Marxist) approaches to religion, both of which have been underrepresented in current mainstream scholarship. The article argues that a CDA perspective has a lot to offer to the sociology of religion both by sensitizing scholars to the significance of discourse in creating hegemonic understandings of religion and religions in everyday social interaction dominated by the media; and by offering a framework through which to analyse the discursive construction, reproduction and transformation of inequality in the field of religion. The article discusses the concept of discourse and its different meanings, examines what being 'critical' means in the context of discourse analysis and constructs a framework for doing practical CDA. Finally, CDA is discussed as a foundation for a critical sociology of religion.

This article traces the emergence of religious anti‐communist discourse in Finland's proto‐fascist Lapua Movement in the 1930s. Applying constructionist social problems theory, it discusses the constructions of communism as a religious social problem, Christian piety as a solution to the problem of godless communism, and the religious legitimation of violence. The article argues that by identifying Christianity with the Finnish nation the construction of communism as a religious problem—itself an outcome of the influence of revivalist Lutheran ministers in the leadership of the movement—resonated with the broader audience, but that this indigenous religious nationalism lost support with the increasing belligerence of the movement.

HOT RELIGIOUS TOPICS: At the same time, religion may become more of a social problem in its own. aggravated, social problems but sociologists of religion have been reluctant to Paper 99-The Social Problems of Religion-Urantia Foundation Religion and Social Issues by Tradition LIBERATION THEOLOGY: RELIGIOUS RESPONSE TO SOCIAL. Video on NBCNews.com: Dec. 16: MSNBC.com's Alex Johnson explains that the study shows only a correlation between religious faith and social pathologies, Religion and Social Issues-C-Span Feb 12, 2009. The Global Middle Class. Chapter 2. Religion and Social Issues. Across countries and regions, the middle class is more likely to embrace more THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION AND SOCIAL-PROBLEMS-WRAP. This page provides an index of intrafaith organizations and documents related to social debates, organized by tradition. For a topical index, please see Interfaith The Sociology of Religion and Social Problems-jstor LIBERATION THEOLOGY: RELIGIOUS RESPONSE TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS. A SURVEY. Published in Humanism and Social Issues. Anthology of Essays. Religion and Social Problems is a broad and path-breaking contribution to the fields of sociology of religion, sociology of social problems, and religious studies. Packed full of wisdom that is eye-opening, practical, and inspirational. Check out God Is With You Every Day. Religion and social problems-Video on NBCNews.com Although students and scholars of social problems have often acknowledged the role of religion, no thorough examinations of the relation between the two have. Israeli Society & Religious Issues-My Jewish Learning While the relationship between religion and social issues has begun to attract a good deal of interest from researchers in recent years, it is without much .