Potential Uses of the Church-Sect Typology in Comparative Religious Research.

In the half century since Ernst Troeltsch published "The Social Teaching of the Christian Churches" his classification of religious organizations into churches and sects, which he developed under the influence of sociologist Max Weber, has been widely applied in sociological studies of Christianity. The paper suggests that the church-sect typology, with appropriate adjustments to allow for various features and cultural circumstances, which differ from those in Christianity, may be used in the analysis of other religions. Cross-cultural research is desirable to test the breadth of applicability of Troeltsch's typology. Such study can be expected to reveal certain features common to all religious institutions. It will increase understanding of the present status and relationships of religious bodies and will help the reader predict their future by identifying their positions on the continuum of change which has been developed on the basis of Troeltsch's typology. It will clarify the connections between organized religion and the rest of society as well as the social impact and implications of varying types of religious doctrine and organization.