Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion is a book by Pulitzer-nominated author Rodney Stark and Roger Finke. It was first published in 2000 by University of California Press. Sociologists attempt to breakdown religion and find a conclusion that truly defines what it is and how it relates to the human psyche.
The authors deduce science’s inability to deconstruct the extra-terrestrial portion of religious beliefs. Stark and Finke probe into religious practices and how they change and take new forms as more people are involved. Acts of Faith offers a rational approach to the sociology of religion.
The ideas of human rationality or spiritual economy are not new avenues to devalue religion. Thus, the book explores three decades of research in the field of sociology and it correlates to religious beliefs. Considered as Stark’s magnum opus, Act of Faith brings together all significant researches that he has authored throughout his career. It is considered the best book yet on the sociology of religion.
