A01=Shane Sharp
Author_Shane Sharp
belief systems research
Category=JHB
Category=QRA
Category=QRM
empirical study of prayer practices
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
forthcoming
qualitative interviews
religious experience analysis
social psychology of faith
sociology of religion
symbolic interactionism
Product details
- ISBN 9781032949567
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 20 Jul 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
This book explores the “whats,” “whys,” and “hows” of petitionary prayer. Millions of people every single day ask God or some other supernatural being to make some outcome or event happen, whether it be to keep their children safe during a road trip, to give them the willpower to avoid succumbing to the temptation of alcohol, or to help them find a job. The chapters in this volume draw on 130 in-depth interviews conducted in the United States, including non-Christian believers. The author provides extensive documentation and analyses of believers’ experiences and beliefs regarding petitionary prayer. He explores what outcomes believers feel they can legitimately seek through petitionary prayer, how people use petitionary prayer to persuade supernatural beings to make outcomes and events happen, why they believe petitionary prayer is actually effective, and why they believe their prayers went “unanswered.” Studying prayer in general and petitionary prayer in particular is an important part of describing and understanding people’s religious lives. The book will be of interest to scholars and students of religious studies, the sociology of religion, the psychology of religion, social psychology, and symbolic interactionism.
Shane Sharp is a professor of sociology at Northern Illinois University, USA.
