G. Stanley Hall and the Clark School of Religious Psychology

The role of G. Stanley Hall as cofounder of American psychology of religion and helmsperson of the Clark School of Religious Psychology is examined. Background ingredients include Hall's religious biography, his definition of religion, and his genetic psychology. Elements of the Clark School of Religious Psychology abstracted here include Hall's courses and plans for the library, the writings of his students, the seven volumes of the Journal of Religious Psychology, and religious articles in other Clark journals. Hall's major religious contribution, Jesus, the Christ, in the Light of Psychology, serves as a focal point. Other contributions briefly examined include Hall's sexual theory of conversion and his approach to religious education and missionary work. Reasons are offered for Hall's relatively swift obscurity as a religious psychologist.