Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Religious entities play a vital though limited role in our social safety net. The majority of congregations engage in community-serving activities, though their commitments tend to be shallow. Four ...
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Religious entities play a vital though limited role in our social safety net. The majority of congregations engage in community-serving activities, though their commitments tend to be shallow. Four currents in the broader political and social setting have particular implications for understanding faith-based social services: devolution, faith-based initiatives, changing norms for religion in public life, and ambivalence toward evangelism. Shifting patterns in church-state relations have generated both opportunities and uncertainties. This dynamic context invites a fresh conceptual framework for interpreting churches' public engagement. In particular, new language is needed to describe the “faith factor” that has meaning outside of the religious community, but does not reduce faith to a product of other social variablesLess
Religious entities play a vital though limited role in our social safety net. The majority of congregations engage in community-serving activities, though their commitments tend to be shallow. Four currents in the broader political and social setting have particular implications for understanding faith-based social services: devolution, faith-based initiatives, changing norms for religion in public life, and ambivalence toward evangelism. Shifting patterns in church-state relations have generated both opportunities and uncertainties. This dynamic context invites a fresh conceptual framework for interpreting churches' public engagement. In particular, new language is needed to describe the “faith factor” that has meaning outside of the religious community, but does not reduce faith to a product of other social variables
Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Research on the “faith factor” in solving social problems should take into account the complexity of the religious dynamics of social action. More nuanced understandings of the role of religion in ...
More
Research on the “faith factor” in solving social problems should take into account the complexity of the religious dynamics of social action. More nuanced understandings of the role of religion in public life are needed for accurate assessments of the risks and rewards of faith-based initiatives—shifting the focus from whether to how government should partner with faith-based social services. Well-crafted public policy can expand the civic contributions of religious groups with a public mission to serve society. As some Christians emphasize social service as a vehicle for evangelism, it is important to learn whether conversionist, socially engaged churches represent a growing movement. The “both-and” paradigm of a holistic mission orientation bridges the conservative-liberal dualism that has long characterized American Protestantism. Less
Research on the “faith factor” in solving social problems should take into account the complexity of the religious dynamics of social action. More nuanced understandings of the role of religion in public life are needed for accurate assessments of the risks and rewards of faith-based initiatives—shifting the focus from whether to how government should partner with faith-based social services. Well-crafted public policy can expand the civic contributions of religious groups with a public mission to serve society. As some Christians emphasize social service as a vehicle for evangelism, it is important to learn whether conversionist, socially engaged churches represent a growing movement. The “both-and” paradigm of a holistic mission orientation bridges the conservative-liberal dualism that has long characterized American Protestantism.
Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The political controversy surrounding the role of religion in public life calls for more objective attention to the faith factor in social activism. What does it mean for a community-serving program ...
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The political controversy surrounding the role of religion in public life calls for more objective attention to the faith factor in social activism. What does it mean for a community-serving program to be “faith-based”? How do churches and other religious organizations express their religious identity or convey a religious message in the context of social services? Drawing on case studies of fifteen Philadelphia-area Protestant churches with active community outreach, Saving Souls, Serving Society introduces a new vocabulary for describing the religious components and spiritual meanings embedded in social action, and provides a typology of faith-based organizations and programs. This analysis yields a framework for Protestant mission orientations that makes room for the diverse ways that churches interrelate spiritual witness and social compassion. In particular, the debate over faith-based initiatives has highlighted a small but growing segment of churches committed to both saving souls and serving society. The book illuminates the public engagement of these “;conversionist” churches, exploring how they navigate the tension between their spiritual mission and the constraints on evangelism in the context of social services. The closing chapters explicate the potential contribution of religious dynamics to social outcomes, assess the relationship between mission orientations and social capital, present recommendations for research on faith-based social services, and draw implications for a constructive approach to church-state relations. Openness to a fresh perspective can equip policy makers, scholars and practitioners to respond wisely to the evolving complexities of the religious contours of social ministry. Less
The political controversy surrounding the role of religion in public life calls for more objective attention to the faith factor in social activism. What does it mean for a community-serving program to be “faith-based”? How do churches and other religious organizations express their religious identity or convey a religious message in the context of social services? Drawing on case studies of fifteen Philadelphia-area Protestant churches with active community outreach, Saving Souls, Serving Society introduces a new vocabulary for describing the religious components and spiritual meanings embedded in social action, and provides a typology of faith-based organizations and programs. This analysis yields a framework for Protestant mission orientations that makes room for the diverse ways that churches interrelate spiritual witness and social compassion. In particular, the debate over faith-based initiatives has highlighted a small but growing segment of churches committed to both saving souls and serving society. The book illuminates the public engagement of these “;conversionist” churches, exploring how they navigate the tension between their spiritual mission and the constraints on evangelism in the context of social services. The closing chapters explicate the potential contribution of religious dynamics to social outcomes, assess the relationship between mission orientations and social capital, present recommendations for research on faith-based social services, and draw implications for a constructive approach to church-state relations. Openness to a fresh perspective can equip policy makers, scholars and practitioners to respond wisely to the evolving complexities of the religious contours of social ministry.
Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Many supporters of faith-based initiatives claim that a religious approach is better at solving social problems. Without purporting to evaluate these claims, this chapter describes the ways Christian ...
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Many supporters of faith-based initiatives claim that a religious approach is better at solving social problems. Without purporting to evaluate these claims, this chapter describes the ways Christian activists explain a link between faith and social efficacy, in the form of five postulates: Being faith-based expands social service program capacity; people of faith serve more effectively; a religious perspective enhances program content; spiritual conversion empowers beneficiaries to achieve socioeconomic goals; and church-based programs offer beneficiaries the support of the faith community. While ministry practitioners disagree whether faith is necessary to social outcomes, seldom do they claim it is sufficient. The potential of faith-based approaches may be limited by a disconnect between the ideals of religious practitioners and actual praxis.Less
Many supporters of faith-based initiatives claim that a religious approach is better at solving social problems. Without purporting to evaluate these claims, this chapter describes the ways Christian activists explain a link between faith and social efficacy, in the form of five postulates: Being faith-based expands social service program capacity; people of faith serve more effectively; a religious perspective enhances program content; spiritual conversion empowers beneficiaries to achieve socioeconomic goals; and church-based programs offer beneficiaries the support of the faith community. While ministry practitioners disagree whether faith is necessary to social outcomes, seldom do they claim it is sufficient. The potential of faith-based approaches may be limited by a disconnect between the ideals of religious practitioners and actual praxis.
Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Some faith-based social service programs incorporate specifically religious content, intended to expose beneficiaries to religious resources, messages, or activities. Religious program elements ...
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Some faith-based social service programs incorporate specifically religious content, intended to expose beneficiaries to religious resources, messages, or activities. Religious program elements include religious references in program self-descriptions, religious objects in the program environment, invitations to religious activities, prayer, use of sacred texts, worship, sharing of personal testimonies, religious teachings, and invitations to a personal faith commitment (proselytizing). Seven variables further describe the style or format of these religious elements, particularly whether they are mandatory, and how they are structured into the program methodology. From this follows five general strategies for incorporating a religious dimension into social services: implicit, invitational, relational, integrated-optional, and mandatory.Less
Some faith-based social service programs incorporate specifically religious content, intended to expose beneficiaries to religious resources, messages, or activities. Religious program elements include religious references in program self-descriptions, religious objects in the program environment, invitations to religious activities, prayer, use of sacred texts, worship, sharing of personal testimonies, religious teachings, and invitations to a personal faith commitment (proselytizing). Seven variables further describe the style or format of these religious elements, particularly whether they are mandatory, and how they are structured into the program methodology. From this follows five general strategies for incorporating a religious dimension into social services: implicit, invitational, relational, integrated-optional, and mandatory.
Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195161557
- eISBN:
- 9780199835836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Acts of compassion are not unique to people of faith, but faith makes these actions uniquely meaningful. Even ostensibly secular good works may be saturated with personal religious significance. The ...
More
Acts of compassion are not unique to people of faith, but faith makes these actions uniquely meaningful. Even ostensibly secular good works may be saturated with personal religious significance. The ascription of spiritual meaning to social action is part of the larger religious enterprise that Peter Berger refers to as “world-building”. Among Protestant Christians, these meanings fall into four domains: religion mandates social action; divine agency empowers social change; social activism reflects or enhances one's inner spiritual state; and social ministry is intended to enhance the spiritual life of others. It is the selection and combination of these four modalities—dutiful, empowered, devotional, and evangelistic—that gives a faith-based social service program its distinctive character. Less
Acts of compassion are not unique to people of faith, but faith makes these actions uniquely meaningful. Even ostensibly secular good works may be saturated with personal religious significance. The ascription of spiritual meaning to social action is part of the larger religious enterprise that Peter Berger refers to as “world-building”. Among Protestant Christians, these meanings fall into four domains: religion mandates social action; divine agency empowers social change; social activism reflects or enhances one's inner spiritual state; and social ministry is intended to enhance the spiritual life of others. It is the selection and combination of these four modalities—dutiful, empowered, devotional, and evangelistic—that gives a faith-based social service program its distinctive character.
