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In Reply to: jimmy boy posted by susie on August 25, 2005 at 19:34:06:
Chancellor has taken offense at the fact that some people (such as yourself) compared his work to J.G. Melton's. He'll have us know that he's a reputable academic who's been published by Syracuse University Press.
Well, read down the title page of "Life in the Family", and you'll find out that this book is one of the monographs in the "New Religious Movements" series, which is under the editorial control of---(drum roll)--J. Gordon Melton!!!!
You could call Dr. Melton the "godfather" of NRM academics.
Oh, I'm soooo surprised to find out that the ethical Dr. Chancellor has adopted and defends the Meltonian research method of interviewing ONLY current members. Chancellor is so convinced by the powerful (NOT) logic underlying Melton's rationalization for sampling bias that he assumes he's exempt from following the methodological rigors of ethnographic design (oral history) that assure trustworthiness and portability of findings.
Do you suppose Melton, the editor of the New Religious Movements Series published by Syracuse University Press, MIGHT have been influenced to accept "Life in the Family" for publication after he noticed the researcher had kow-towed to the godfather's pre-condition for sample bias in NRM studies?
That's how things work in academia, particularly in a field like NRM studies, where crappy social science research is "de rigeur".
