This book explores the scope and breadth of religious organizations in social work practice. It begins by tracing the origins of the social work profession back to the earliest civilizations and their religious traditions, establishing the precedent for a fruitful commingling of religion and social welfare. The contributors propose that religious/faith organizations can assume responsibilities for social welfare in the 21st century, using the Korean Church as one example of an effective provider of social services. A 12-step model for religious organizations to use to develop community action programs is also presented.
Although students and scholars of social problems have often acknowledged the role of religion, no thorough examinations of the relation between the two have emerged. This book fills this gap by providing a definitive work on the impact of religion on social problems, religion as a solution to social problems, and religion as a social problem in itself.
Exploring Religious Community Online is the first comprehensive study of the development and implications of online communities for religious groups. This book investigates religious community online by examining how Christian communities have adopted internet technologies, and looks at how these online practices pose new challenges to offline religious community and culture.
What is the future of religion given the responses of young people? What impact do existing religious forms have on youth? What kind of spirituality and religion are young people creating for themselves? Religion and Youth presents an accessible guide to the key issues in the study of youth and religion, including methodological perspectives. It provides a key teaching text in these areas for undergraduates, and a book of rigorous scholarship for postgraduates, academics and practitioners. Offering the first comprehensive international perspective on the sociology of youth and religion, this book reveals key geographical and organisational variables as well as the complexities of the engagement between youth and religion. The book is divided into six parts organised around central themes: Generation X and their legacy; The Big Picture – surveys of belief and practice in the USA, UK and Australia; Expression – how young people construct and live out their religion and spirituality; Identity – the role of religion in shaping young people's sense of self and social belonging; Transmission – passing on the faith (or not); Researching Youth Religion – debates, issues and techniques in researching young people's religion and spirituality. James A. Beckford writes the Foreword and Linda Woodhead the Epilogue.
"With sixty-seven scholars from four continents and many diverse disciplines contributing as authors to the volume; with fourteen scholars from around the world serving as editorial advisors; with financial support provided by the John Templeton Foundation via Search Institute; with frequent conversations occurring with colleagues at Fuller Theological Seminary; and with the careful attention of editorial work provided by Sage publications, this handbook provides a remarkable contribution toward those ends." —JOURNAL OF YOUTH AND THEOLOGY "Research into spiritual development during childhood and adolescence has . . . yearned for the stimulus of integration, cross-fertilization, and internationalization, across conceptual boundaries, methodological divisions, religious traditions, and local interests. The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence sets out to meet this need and does so with skill and with authority, by identifying the key themes and by drawing on the best minds to address those themes. Research communities and faith communities have been well served by this pioneering initiative." - The Revd Professor Leslie J Francis PhD, ScD, DD, University of Wales, Bangor, UK The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence breaks new ground by articulating the state of knowledge in the area of childhood and adolescent spiritual development. Featuring a rich array of theory and research from an international assortment of leading social scientists in multiple disciplines, this book represents work from diverse traditions and approaches – making it an invaluable resource for scholars across a variety of disciplines and organizations. Key Features: Presents a wealth of interdisciplinary theory and research, as well as proposals for future areas of inquiry, to help move spiritual development into a mainstream field of learning Provides the first comprehensive collection of social science research on spiritual development in childhood and adolescence to introduce the topic engagingly to students Features the works of scholars from around the world in multiple disciplines (psychology, sociology, anthropology, medicine, and educational philosophy) to present a diversity of traditions and approaches Includes introductions to the volume as well as to each section that provide overviews and syntheses of key concepts The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence is a key resource for academics, researchers, and students in departments of Psychology, Family Studies, and Religious Studies. It is particularly useful for courses in Developmental Psychology, Human Development (especially child and adolescent development), Psychology of Religion, and Sociology of Religion. It also will be invaluable for professionals working with young people, including educators, religious leaders, and health practitioners.
Michael Steinhardt left a stellar career on Wall Street and spent the next three decades launching revolutionary philanthropic programs like Birthright Israel and OneTable that offer a proud, rich future for the next generation of secular American Jews. What are the keys to a proud Jewish life? Part memoir, part manifesto, Michael Steinhardt’s Jewish Pride offers a compelling vision for a rich, rewarding future for Jews in America and around the world. From his middle class beginnings in Brooklyn to a spectacular Wall Street career, Steinhardt understood that apathy and assimilation were threatening the Jewish future in America. Meanwhile established Jewish institutions were failing in the urgent task of strengthening secular Jewish identity. Using his own capital and the wisdom and connections he’d gained in his successful business career, Steinhardt recruited partners, focused on data and results, and even got the Israeli government to help launch the revolutionary Birthright program. By turns provocative, inspiring, revealing, and outright hilarious, Jewish Pride captures its author’s unique personality and outlook and offers honest talk about the Jewish world today, along with a bold prescription for revitalizing Jewish life in the future.
