You’ve Got a Friend: Religious Conservatives, Outsiders, and Social Bridging (APSA 2012 Annual Meeting Paper, JSSR submission 2014)

We formulate a three-part theory that links civil society organizations and social capital. Members of Protestant groupings that stress religious doctrines and that are historically less-established (e.g., Pentecostal, Jehovah’s Witnesses) report more close friends and racial diversity in their congregations, compared to other groupings (e.g., Baptist, Methodist). Attending a congregation that is racially diverse or that has many close friends predicts friendships with blacks, Hispanics and gays. White Christians with other-race friends are also more likely to report gay friends. Finally, close ties with Hispanics and gays are associated, respectively, with more support for immigration and same-sex rights.