Merlin B. Brinkerhoff

MERLIN B. BRINKERHOFF is professor of sociology and associate vice president, (research).

Negative Social Labeling: Some Consequences and Implications

Eliciting commitment while maintaining participative membership is a major consideration for organizations such as the LDS Church. Relatively few Mormons, for example, formally leave the Church, but many “fall away” from participation and commitment. In…

Religious Tolerance: Mormons in the American Mainstream

Articles/Essays – Volume 20, No. 3

The transformation of the Mormon Church from a radical nineteenth century socio-religious movement into a respectable denomination in the twentieth century raises sociological questions on whether or how distinctive Mormon elements can survive in our…