The previous chapter discussed the Catholic Church as if it were like any other modern organization, but institutionalized religion is different from all other types of organization in important ways. The aim of this chapter is to examine how to take account of this difference. It begins by observing that most organization theories focus exclusively on mundane rational behavior, and that given their philosophical and epistemological assumptions, such theories are inadequate for explaining social change in religious organizations. The second half of the chapter examines the place of religion...

The previous chapter discussed the Catholic Church as if it were like any other modern organization, but institutionalized religion is different from all other types of organization in important ways. The aim of this chapter is to examine how to take account of this difference. It begins by observing that most organization theories focus exclusively on mundane rational behavior, and that given their philosophical and epistemological assumptions, such theories are inadequate for explaining social change in religious organizations. The second half of the chapter examines the place of religion in social life and describes a newly emerging theoretical paradigm (labeled as transpersonal) that incorporates the spiritual domain in a model of social change. This new paradigm allows examination of the stages of social development and the unique character of religious organizations.