Salvation goods and religious markets: Integrating rational choice and Weberian perspectives

In spite of the tremendous success of the concept of "religious markets", it has remained unclear just what "religious goods" are and if, and under what conditions, a "religious market" actually exists in a given society. The author integrates different concepts from rational choice theorists and Max Weber into a new typology of individual and social religious goods. The typology shows that markets are only one possibility among others of producing, exchanging and allocating religious goods. It also helps an understanding of the kind of conditions it? which markets may or may not be important theoretical tools.