A career that lets me explore American religion?
September 14, 2008 2:24 PM Subscribe
Is there a career that isn't in ministry or academia but would allow me to pursue my interest in American religion?
I was a politically conservative Evangelical Christian in my teens, and am now a liberal agnostic in my twenties. I'm still very interested in religion, particularly the one I grew up in, both in terms of the political and social lives of American Evangelicals and in terms of actual theology and religious teaching. I read/listen to criticism of Evangelicals as well as direct Evangelical sources (sermon MP3s, PRI's "Speaking of Faith" interviews, Focus on the Family-type publications, Evangelical blogs). I’m also interested in a broader understanding of American religion, despite my sometimes-narrow focus on Evangelicals. My fiancé recently suggested that I consider a career somehow related to American religion, given my interest in it, but I’m not sure how to start thinking about that.
A little practical background info: I’m a 2007 grad with a BA in art history. As a student I worked as a professor’s research assistant, and interned with an education nonprofit (copying and filing mostly, occasionally researching). I currently work in the research department of a consulting firm, but have started to think about what I ultimately want to do career-wise.
My question is, aside from becoming a minister or a professor, is there a job or field that would allow me to pull in my interest in American religion in general, or conservative Evangelical Christianity in particular? I suppose the obvious answer would be something journalism-oriented, but I’m looking for alternatives (if they exist).
I was a politically conservative Evangelical Christian in my teens, and am now a liberal agnostic in my twenties. I'm still very interested in religion, particularly the one I grew up in, both in terms of the political and social lives of American Evangelicals and in terms of actual theology and religious teaching. I read/listen to criticism of Evangelicals as well as direct Evangelical sources (sermon MP3s, PRI's "Speaking of Faith" interviews, Focus on the Family-type publications, Evangelical blogs). I’m also interested in a broader understanding of American religion, despite my sometimes-narrow focus on Evangelicals. My fiancé recently suggested that I consider a career somehow related to American religion, given my interest in it, but I’m not sure how to start thinking about that.
A little practical background info: I’m a 2007 grad with a BA in art history. As a student I worked as a professor’s research assistant, and interned with an education nonprofit (copying and filing mostly, occasionally researching). I currently work in the research department of a consulting firm, but have started to think about what I ultimately want to do career-wise.
My question is, aside from becoming a minister or a professor, is there a job or field that would allow me to pull in my interest in American religion in general, or conservative Evangelical Christianity in particular? I suppose the obvious answer would be something journalism-oriented, but I’m looking for alternatives (if they exist).
Throwing some general fields out here that you might be able to merge with your interests/training/education...
writer
archivist
curator
ACLU (or other rights organization) researcher
posted by bonobo at 2:45 PM on September 14, 2008
writer
archivist
curator
ACLU (or other rights organization) researcher
posted by bonobo at 2:45 PM on September 14, 2008
Practical answer: get a good paying regular job and pursue your interest in religious studies as a hobby.
Silly answer: do graduate work in religious studies and use your time there to make connections and explore opportunities.
posted by skallagrim at 2:55 PM on September 14, 2008
Silly answer: do graduate work in religious studies and use your time there to make connections and explore opportunities.
posted by skallagrim at 2:55 PM on September 14, 2008
Working at a non-profit like the National Council of Churches? Or Americans United for the Separation of Church and State?
Or writing about religion? Gustav Niebuhr can't be the only person to make that work as a paying gig.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:01 PM on September 14, 2008
Or writing about religion? Gustav Niebuhr can't be the only person to make that work as a paying gig.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:01 PM on September 14, 2008
Have you thought of becoming a religion journalist? I am a religion journalist. Although local religion journalism has gone away, writers and broadcasters for the subject are usually in demand. I used to be the producer of a nationally syndicated public radio show about religion and I find the subject fascinating.
posted by parmanparman at 3:24 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by parmanparman at 3:24 PM on September 14, 2008
Thing is, and you probably already know this, if you want to work for a conservative evangelical institution/church/entity/what-have-you, it really helps to be a conservative evangelical. Being one who has "lost the faith," a description someone in your position may well be pigeonholed with, isn't going to win you any hearts if you're looking to work for the Southern Baptist Convention or the National Association of Evangelicals.
It sounds to me like you want to get paid to read and write interesting things about religion. Well hell, so do I, but wanting something really hard hasn't worked out very well for me, and I suggest that it probably won't for you either. What you're looking for sounds a lot to me like an academic career, or if you're more popularly minded, a journalistic one. Or you can go the legal route and do things which aren't quite as interesting but might actually land you a job of some description.
If you're ruling out journalism (and I would, as unless you're the next DFW it's hard to break into that market), consider law school. There are plenty of religious non-profits--denominationally affiliated and not--in need of legal services. This can take the form of working directly for them or working for a normal firm and doing pro-bono on the side. True, it's not directly in the field of religion, but except for the ministry and academia pretty much nothing is, but that really doesn't need to matter much.
Ask yourself this: "What do I actually want to do?" Not "What subject do I want to deal with?" or "Who do I want to work for?" or "What employers would make me look best at parties?" but "What, on a day to day basis, do I want to spend my time doing?" Just like working for GE does not make you an electrical engineer, working for a church may have as little to do with the intellectual tradition of evangelicalism as emptying the trash cans. On the other hand, working for an architectural firm may put you at the intersection of culture, theology, and design, which sounds far more up your alley. So do you want to write? Read? Teach? Network? Research? Get out the vote? Design church buildings? Give advice?
In any case, you're probably going to want some kind of advanced degree. At least a masters.
posted by valkyryn at 3:24 PM on September 14, 2008
It sounds to me like you want to get paid to read and write interesting things about religion. Well hell, so do I, but wanting something really hard hasn't worked out very well for me, and I suggest that it probably won't for you either. What you're looking for sounds a lot to me like an academic career, or if you're more popularly minded, a journalistic one. Or you can go the legal route and do things which aren't quite as interesting but might actually land you a job of some description.
If you're ruling out journalism (and I would, as unless you're the next DFW it's hard to break into that market), consider law school. There are plenty of religious non-profits--denominationally affiliated and not--in need of legal services. This can take the form of working directly for them or working for a normal firm and doing pro-bono on the side. True, it's not directly in the field of religion, but except for the ministry and academia pretty much nothing is, but that really doesn't need to matter much.
Ask yourself this: "What do I actually want to do?" Not "What subject do I want to deal with?" or "Who do I want to work for?" or "What employers would make me look best at parties?" but "What, on a day to day basis, do I want to spend my time doing?" Just like working for GE does not make you an electrical engineer, working for a church may have as little to do with the intellectual tradition of evangelicalism as emptying the trash cans. On the other hand, working for an architectural firm may put you at the intersection of culture, theology, and design, which sounds far more up your alley. So do you want to write? Read? Teach? Network? Research? Get out the vote? Design church buildings? Give advice?
In any case, you're probably going to want some kind of advanced degree. At least a masters.
posted by valkyryn at 3:24 PM on September 14, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks very much for all the suggestions above. I appreciate them all!
If anyone else has a response, I should clarify: although it would be totally awesome if someone wanted to pay me lots of money to read interesting stuff and write books, I’m assuming that’s not going to happen, at least not without a ton of focused, hard work, lots of time, and a good deal of luck. Mostly I’m intrigued by the fact that I run into so many secular liberal types (especially the journalists and academics I know, not to stereotype but it’s been my experience) who have no clue what goes on in Evangelical churches or Evangelical brains. So I wonder if there’s a practical application for my familiarity with conservative American Christianity and liberal worldview. (I also wonder if someone wants to pay me lots of money to read interesting stuff and write books, but I already know the answer to that.)
posted by Meg_Murry at 4:09 PM on September 14, 2008
If anyone else has a response, I should clarify: although it would be totally awesome if someone wanted to pay me lots of money to read interesting stuff and write books, I’m assuming that’s not going to happen, at least not without a ton of focused, hard work, lots of time, and a good deal of luck. Mostly I’m intrigued by the fact that I run into so many secular liberal types (especially the journalists and academics I know, not to stereotype but it’s been my experience) who have no clue what goes on in Evangelical churches or Evangelical brains. So I wonder if there’s a practical application for my familiarity with conservative American Christianity and liberal worldview. (I also wonder if someone wants to pay me lots of money to read interesting stuff and write books, but I already know the answer to that.)
posted by Meg_Murry at 4:09 PM on September 14, 2008
If you're ruling out journalism (and I would, as unless you're the next DFW it's hard to break into that market)
Actually, what you need to break into journalism is the ability to write well to deadline. And what you need to break into freelance journalism is the ability to hold a day job and make rent while you pitch, pitch, pitch.
David Foster Wallace wasn't a journalist. He was a novelist and essayist. Being a journalist is something quite different.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:50 PM on September 14, 2008
Actually, what you need to break into journalism is the ability to write well to deadline. And what you need to break into freelance journalism is the ability to hold a day job and make rent while you pitch, pitch, pitch.
David Foster Wallace wasn't a journalist. He was a novelist and essayist. Being a journalist is something quite different.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:50 PM on September 14, 2008
ACLU really might have a position for you. They do all sorts of work for all sorts of people. wacko christians need civil rights help too. write a letter up detailing what your skills are (your response has more the stuff i'd include, maybe a shorter summation of your history with the church), tell 'em you're college educated and you're wondering if they have any field or research work that someone with your particular skill set could help fill.
posted by nadawi at 4:52 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by nadawi at 4:52 PM on September 14, 2008
Places like the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
posted by milkrate at 4:58 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by milkrate at 4:58 PM on September 14, 2008
Do you mean American religion or American Christianity?
posted by canine epigram at 7:19 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by canine epigram at 7:19 PM on September 14, 2008
Do you mean American religion or American Christianity?
The OP says "is there a job or field that would allow me to pull in my interest in American religion in general, or conservative Evangelical Christianity in particular?"
So I'm pretty sure the OP means "both" or "either".
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:51 PM on September 14, 2008
The OP says "is there a job or field that would allow me to pull in my interest in American religion in general, or conservative Evangelical Christianity in particular?"
So I'm pretty sure the OP means "both" or "either".
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:51 PM on September 14, 2008
Response by poster: Sidhedevil has it, canine epigram. I'm interested in how Americans practice their various religions (and how that impacts their political and social choices), but I'm most familiar with Christian traditions in America. I apologize if in my original question I seemed to equate American religion with Christianity exclusively. That was not my intent, nor is it my belief.
posted by Meg_Murry at 9:09 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by Meg_Murry at 9:09 PM on September 14, 2008
Most major demoniations have a research department. I see job ads for positions with these from time to time. There are also grant makers that have researchers on the payroll, like The Louisville Institute or the Templeton Foundation.
posted by Crotalus at 12:30 AM on September 15, 2008
posted by Crotalus at 12:30 AM on September 15, 2008
This answer is a bit off the beaten path, but...
I work in HIV in Canada. I've been noticing lately that a bunch of HIV initiatives in the USA are run by churches, especially in Black communities, and I find that very interesting having been raised in churches that would have spent more time preaching against "the gays". There's a tension between AIDS service organizations (ASOs) operating from an open-minded harm reduction model and churches that are very particular about how people 'should' behave. I think there's a real need for these two groups to learn how to talk to each other, because I think they have some goals in common.
There may be room for a more practical application of your interest in how religion impacts how Americans make political and social choices, and ways to use religious understandings and religious language to benefit the larger community, within the realm of HIV work. i.e. If an ASO is trying to fundraise or look for volunteers among religious people, how should they frame their mission? How do you talk about it and bring those two cultures together, instead of pissing each other off? What do ASOs need to know about various religious cultures? What do religious cultures need to know about the realities of living with HIV and/or reasons that people engage in risk activities? And what do ASOs need to know in order to properly serve people living with HIV who are part of faith communities? Who can bridge the gap between these communities and build a strong network?
I'm talking about HIV because that's what I work in, but I'm sure you could think of other places that someone with that understanding would become very valuable very quickly.
posted by heatherann at 8:55 AM on February 22, 2009
I work in HIV in Canada. I've been noticing lately that a bunch of HIV initiatives in the USA are run by churches, especially in Black communities, and I find that very interesting having been raised in churches that would have spent more time preaching against "the gays". There's a tension between AIDS service organizations (ASOs) operating from an open-minded harm reduction model and churches that are very particular about how people 'should' behave. I think there's a real need for these two groups to learn how to talk to each other, because I think they have some goals in common.
There may be room for a more practical application of your interest in how religion impacts how Americans make political and social choices, and ways to use religious understandings and religious language to benefit the larger community, within the realm of HIV work. i.e. If an ASO is trying to fundraise or look for volunteers among religious people, how should they frame their mission? How do you talk about it and bring those two cultures together, instead of pissing each other off? What do ASOs need to know about various religious cultures? What do religious cultures need to know about the realities of living with HIV and/or reasons that people engage in risk activities? And what do ASOs need to know in order to properly serve people living with HIV who are part of faith communities? Who can bridge the gap between these communities and build a strong network?
I'm talking about HIV because that's what I work in, but I'm sure you could think of other places that someone with that understanding would become very valuable very quickly.
posted by heatherann at 8:55 AM on February 22, 2009
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posted by salvia at 2:40 PM on September 14, 2008