Charles Y. Glock

Charles Glock was born in the Bronx, New York in 1919.[2] He earned a B.S. degree in marketing at New York University and an M.B.A. at Boston University. After four years of military service in the US Army, Glock earned a Ph.D. in sociology at Columbia University. Glock was professor of sociology at University of California at Berkeley, California. He was twice appointed chair of the department.[1][3][4] Glock died on October 19, 2018 at the age of 99 in Sandpoint, Idaho.[5]

Glock is probably best known for his five-dimensional scheme of the nature of religious commitment, which comprises belief, knowledge, experience, practice (sometimes subdivided into private and public ritual) and consequences. The first four dimensions have proved widely useful in research because generally, they are individually distinct and simple to measure; consequences, however, is a more complicated variable and difficult to isolate.[1][6][7]

Glock's five-dimensional scheme inspired other sociologists to compose their own measures of religiosity. One of the more complex spin-offs was Mervin Verbit's twenty-four dimensional measure.[8][9]

Aside from his accomplishments in sociology of religion, Glock's other important work concerns the sociological and cognitive sources of prejudice. His book "Christian Beliefs and Anti-Semitism" co-authored with Rodney Stark is based on surveys finding quantitative data in support of a theory tying Antisemitism to selective elements in Christian indoctrination.[1]

• Glock, C. Y. (ed.). (1973). Religion in Sociological Perspective. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
• Glock, C. Y., et al. (1975). Adolescent Prejudice. New York: Harper
• Glock, C. Y., & Quinley H. (1979). Anti-Semitism in America. New York: Free Press
• Glock, C. Y., & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago: Rand McNally.
• Glock, C. Y. & Stark, R. (1968). American Piety. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Glock, C. Y. & Stark, R. (1971). Wayward Shepherds. New York: Harper.