THE IMPLICIT RELIGION CONCEPT AS A TOOL FOR MINISTRY

The concept of implicit religion is outlined as an approach that provides both theoretical and practical space for the elucidation of absolutes, of “what people stand for.” A single word definition of its meaning might be: Commitment. Some lessons that frequently come to mind while ministering in a parish are introduced from a preliminary study of religion generally and from three formal studies of implicit religion. These took the form of interviewing individuals, of observing a public house, and of participating in the life of a particular local community. The essay concludes by teasing out what may be meant by the commonly used credal statement “I believe in Christianity” and compares it with various official forms of Christian faith. © 1990 by the Ohio Valley Sociological Society.