Robert R. Martin (M.A. 2008) is currently a doctoral student at Pennylvania State University and working in the sociology of religion. Rob’s M.A. thesis—The Effect of Belief in a Distant God on Community Volunteering—reflects his close involvement as a sociologist in the understanding of social movements when these are coupled with deeply felt political and/or faith commitments. Rob’s principal approach to the sociology of religion is that of cultural sociologist and he has developed a keen interest in using both quantitative and qualitative methods in his work and research papers.