Framing a Local Social Movement in a Liberal Church

• In Event: 2329 - Section on the Sociology of Religion Referred Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 10. Religion, Social Movements, and NGOs

Abstract

Drawing on the social movement literature on framing, I analyze how a liberal Protestant church in North Carolina, which maintains a master frame of inclusivity, frames congregant involvement in a local, left-leaning social movement – a potential challenge to that inclusivity. I identify three rhetorical framing strategies used to explain congregants’ participation: connecting the movement to social justice; using religious in lieu of political language; and supporting individual participants, not the movement itself. I argue that these strategies reflect the congregational master frame of inclusivity, ultimately allowing the congregation to indicate support for individual involvement without feeling they have jeopardized their commitment to inclusivity. By analyzing framing processes internal to a congregation, I show how churches’ master frames can shape and constrain how congregants respond to social movements. This research expands our knowledge of the Religious Left by providing an in-depth analysis of how congregants use frames to interpret and engage with a progressive social movement.

Author

• Laura Krull, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill