Prof. C.J.A. Sterkens (Carl)
Professor - Empirical and practical religious studies
Erasmusplein 1
6525 HT NIJMEGEN
Postbus 9103
6500 HD NIJMEGEN
Carl Sterkens is professor of Practical Theology and Empirical Religious Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies of Radboud University. He lectures pastoral theology, empirical research methodology, psychology of religion, and master seminars on religion, cohesion and conflict. He also lectures the national PhD course Empirical Religious Studies on behalf of the Netherlands School for Advanced Study in Religion and Theology (NOSTER). He has been lecturing regularly at different theological faculties in Indonesia, and was guest lecturer in different Universities in Europe.
His research focuses on interreligious relationships, the consequences of religiosity for latent and manifest conflicts (versus societal cohesion), and the relation between religion and human rights attitudes. He has published on empirical studies on these subjects in different contexts: the Netherlands, Belgium, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Palestine.
Publications
- Essabane, K., Sterkens, C.J.A. & Vermeer, P.A.D.M. (2023). The Relationship between Islamic Religious Education and Citizenship Education in Liberal Democracies. Religious Education. doi: 10.1080/00344087.2023.2262888 Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A. (2023). Hebzucht. Niemand kan twee heren dienen. In C. Sterkens & C. Hübenthal (Eds.), Zeven hoofdzonden en een paar deugden. Theologische inzichten voor het alledaagse leven (pp. 36-61). Nijmegen: Radboud University Press doi: 10.54195/QCMX7065_CH03 Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A. & Hübenthal, C.H. (Ed.). (2023). Zeven hoofdzonden en een paar deugden. Nijmegen: Radboud University Press doi: 10.54195/QCMX7065 Full text
- Essabane, K., Vermeer, P.A.D.M. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2022). Islamic Religious Education and Citizenship Education: Their Relationship According to Practitioners of Primary Islamic Religious Education in the Netherlands. Religions, 13 (9):826. doi: 10.3390/rel13090826 Full text
- Kanas, A.M., Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2022). Ethno-religious identification and support for interreligious violence: A study of Muslim and Christian students in Indonesia and the Philippines. Politics and Religion, 15 (2), 344-373. doi: 10.1017/S1755048321000146 Full text
- Setiawan, T., Jong, E.B.P. de, Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2021). Support for interreligious conflict in Indonesia: Tests of theories on interethnic threat and distrust versus contact. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 15:1834490921993295. doi: 10.1177/1834490921993295 Full text
- Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2020). Religion and Socioeconomic Wellbeing-Empirical Study of the Impact of Religion on Socioeconomic Rights in the Pluralistic and Democratic Context of Tamil Nadu, India. Religions, 11 (9):454. doi: 10.3390/rel11090454 Full text
- Jans, J., Bijsterveld, S.C. van, Sterkens, C.J.A. & Venbrux, H.J.M. (2020). Are religious people intolerant? An empirical study of the perceptions of committed religious and humanist youth in the Netherlands and Flanders. NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 74 (1), 39-65. doi: 10.5117/NTT2020.1.003.JANS Full text
- Setiawan, T., Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2020). Applicability of the social identity model of collective action in predicting support for interreligious violence in Indonesia. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 23 (3), 278-292. doi: 10.1111/ajsp.12397 Full text
- Setiawan, T., Jong, E.B.P. de, Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2020). The relation between religiosity dimensions and support for interreligious conflict in Indonesia. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 42 (2), 244-261. doi: 10.1177/0084672419878824 Full text
- Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2019). Religion and the right to (dispose of) life: A study of the attitude of Christian, Muslim and Hindu students in India concerning death penalty, euthanasia and abortion. In H. Ziebertz & F Zaccaria (Eds.), Euthanasia, abortion, death penalty and religion. The rights to life and its limitations (Religion and Human Rights, 4) (pp. 13-63). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-98773-6_2 Full text
- Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2019). Religion’s impact on judicial rights. An empirical study in the multi-religious context of Indian democracy. In U. Riegel & S. Heil (Eds.), Understanding religion. Empirical perspectives in practical theology (Research on Religious and Spiritual Education, 13) (pp. 111-137). Münster / New York: Waxmann Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A., Isharianto, R. & Vermeer, P.A.D.M. (2019). Religion and Inclusive Society: Attitudes towards the Poor among Christian and Muslim Students in Surabaya. Journal of Empirical Theology, 32 (1), 36-69. doi: 10.1163/15709256-12341386 Full text
- Zaccaria, F., Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2019). The impact of religion on attitudes towards abortion and euthanasia. An empirical study among Italian students. In H.-G. Ziebertz & F. Zaccaria (Eds.), Euthanasia, abortion, death penalty and religion. The rights to life and its limitations (Religion and Human Rights, 4) (pp. 105-137). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-98773-6_5 Full text
- Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2018). Extending political rights to immigrants and refugees. Empirical study among Christian, Muslim and Hindu students in the context of Indian secularism and the politics of inclusion. In C.J.A. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (Religion and Human Rights, 3) (pp. 145-183). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-77353-7_7 Full text
- Jans, J. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2018). Opvattingen van Nederlandse en Vlaamse jongeren over de gewenste verhouding tussen levensbeschouwing en overheid. Levensbeschouwelijke predictoren en consequenties voor de rol van levensbeschouwing op school. Religie & Samenleving, 13 (3), 323-353. Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A. & Ziebertz, H.G. (Ed.). (2018). Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious beliefs (Religion and Human Rights, 3). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-77353-7 Full text
- Zaccaria, F., Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2018). Religion for the political rights of immigrants and refugees? An empirical exploration among Italian students. In C. Sterkens & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Political and judicial rights through the prism of religious belief (Religion and Human Rights, 3) (pp. 45-70). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-77353-7_3 Full text
- Fumbo, C. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2017). Advancing civil human rights culture in Tanzania. In H.-G. Ziebertz & C. Sterkens (Eds.), Religion and Human Rights in Empirical perspective Vol. 2. Religion and Human Rights (pp. 215-229). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-59285-5_9 Full text
- Kanas, A.M., Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2017). Positive and negative contact and attitudes towards the religious out-group: Testing the contact hypothesis in conflict and non-conflict regions of Indonesia and the Philippines. Social Science Research, 63, 95-110. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.09.019 Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A., Camacho, A.Z. & Scheepers, P.L.H. (2017). Ethno-religious identification and latent conflict: Support of violence among Muslim and Christian Filipino children and youth. In C. Harker, K. Hörschelmann & T. Skelton (Eds.), Conflict, violence and peace (Geographies of Children and Young People, 11) (pp. 35-50). Singapore: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-981-4585-98-9_12-1 Full text
- Zaccaria, F., Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2017). Religion and civil rights in Italy: An empirical exploration among secondary school students. In H.-G. Ziebertz & C. Sterkens (Eds.), Religion and civil human rights in empirical perspective (Religion and Human Rights, 2) (pp. 91-119). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-59285-5_4 Full text
- Ziebertz, H.G. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (Ed.). (2017). Religion and civil human rights in empirical perspective (Religion and Human Rights, 2). Cham: Springer doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-59285-5
- Anthony, F. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2016). The impact of religion on civil human rights: an empirical-theological study. In C.E. Wolfteich & A. Dillen (Eds.), Catholic approaches in practical theology. International and interdisciplinary perspectives (Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensum, CCLXXXVI) (pp. 225-252). Leuven: Peeters Full text
- Kanas, A.M., Scheepers, P.L.H. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2016). Religious identification and interreligious contact in Indonesia and the Philippines: Testing the mediating roles of perceived group threat and social dominance orientation and the moderating role of context. European Journal of Social Psychology, 46 (6), 700-715. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2212 Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A. & Hadiwitanto, H. (2016). Empirical models of the relationship between religion and state in Indonesia. How religious beliefs define the relation between religion and state. In H.-G. Ziebertz & E. Hirsch Ballin (Eds.), Freedom of religion in the 21st Century. A human rights perspective on the relation between politics and religion (Empirical Research in Religion and Human Rights) (pp. 162-206). Leiden: Brill doi: 10.1163/9789004304390_009 Full text
- Sterkens, C.J.A. & Vermeer, P.A. (Ed.). (2015). Religion, migration and conflict (Nijmegen Studies in Development and Cultural Change, 51). Zürich: Lit Verlag
- Hermans, C.A.M. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2014). Comparison in religion: a methodological contribution. Journal of Empirical Theology, 27 (1), 130-153. doi: 10.1163/15709256-12341295 Full text
- Yusuf, M. & Sterkens, C.J.A. (2014). Religious education in religiously affiliated schools and the influence of the state and religious community on school politics. In V. Küster & R. Setio (Eds.), Muslim Christian relations observed. Comparative studies from Indonesia and the Netherlands (pp. 47-71). Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt
Teaching
Ancillary activities
-
Board member
(01 February 2025 - 31 January 2029)
Titus Brandsma Institute -
Lecturer
(01 February 2025 - 31 January 2026)
Hoger Instituut voor Godsdienstwetenschappen Antwerpen -
Editor-in-Chief
(09 January 2022)
Journal of Empirical Theology