itten berg ▁as ▁a ▁model . ▁ ▁Support ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 8 , ▁American ▁soci ologist ▁Ger hard ▁L ens ki ▁conducted ▁an ▁empir ical ▁inqu iry ▁into ▁" rel ig ion ' s ▁impact ▁on ▁politics , ▁econom ics , ▁and ▁family ▁life " ▁in ▁the ▁Detroit , ▁Mich ., ▁area . ▁It ▁revealed , ▁among ▁other ▁ins ights , ▁that ▁there ▁were ▁significant ▁differences ▁between ▁C athol ics ▁on ▁the ▁one ▁hand ▁and ▁( white ) ▁Protest ants ▁and ▁Jews ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand ▁with ▁respect ▁to ▁econom ics ▁and ▁the ▁sciences . ▁L ens ki ' s ▁data ▁supported ▁basic ▁hypoth eses ▁of ▁We ber ' s ▁work ▁The ▁Protest ant ▁Eth ic ▁and ▁the ▁Spirit ▁of ▁Capital ism . ▁According ▁to ▁L ens ki , ▁" the ▁contribution ▁of ▁Protest ant ism ▁to ▁material ▁progress ▁have ▁been ▁largely ▁un int ended ▁by - products ▁of ▁certain ▁distinct ive ▁Protest ant ▁tra its . ▁This ▁was ▁a ▁central ▁point ▁in ▁We ber ' s ▁theory ." ▁L ens ki ▁noted ▁that ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁hundred ▁years ▁prior ▁to ▁We ber , ▁John ▁Wes ley , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁found ers ▁of ▁the ▁Method ist ▁church , ▁had ▁observed ▁that ▁" d il ig ence ▁and ▁f rug ality " ▁made ▁Method ists ▁wealth y . ▁" In ▁an ▁early ▁era , ▁Protest ant ▁asc etic ism ▁and ▁dedic ation ▁to ▁work , ▁as ▁noted ▁both ▁by ▁Wes ley ▁and ▁We ber , ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁important