Present and Future Scholarship in the Sociology of Religion

Religion will remain a vital arena of research among sociologists not only because religious dynamics are ubiquitous, but also-as revealed in essays in this special issue-because our research findings are so often distorted if religion is ignored. Noting the many ways scholars find their way to their research subjects, the future of published scholarship in the sociology of religion must depend less on faithful adherence to established concepts and debates, and more on welcoming and extending new questions and approaches to religion. Finally, editors and reviewers of developing and forthcoming scholarship should continue to affirm religion as a highly flexible arena of investigation, regardless of whether it fits a tight framing of whatever seems to constitute the "sociology of religion."