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 ...
More
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:
- 10.1093/0195161556.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
A mission orientation frames a moral order for a congregation's activity and identity. This chapter focuses on the ways that churches organize the spiritual and social dimensions of their public ...
More
A mission orientation frames a moral order for a congregation's activity and identity. This chapter focuses on the ways that churches organize the spiritual and social dimensions of their public mission. In place of the traditional dichotomy between social activism and evangelism, a more nuanced set of orientations classifies churches as dominant social action, dual-focus, holistic, dominant evangelism, and inward-focused. This spectrum of types indicates that the religious impulses to serve and to save are not always polarized drives; rather, churches interrelate these two imperatives in their community outreach in a range of adaptable, and sometimes rather sophisticated, ways.Less
A mission orientation frames a moral order for a congregation's activity and identity. This chapter focuses on the ways that churches organize the spiritual and social dimensions of their public mission. In place of the traditional dichotomy between social activism and evangelism, a more nuanced set of orientations classifies churches as dominant social action, dual-focus, holistic, dominant evangelism, and inward-focused. This spectrum of types indicates that the religious impulses to serve and to save are not always polarized drives; rather, churches interrelate these two imperatives in their community outreach in a range of adaptable, and sometimes rather sophisticated, ways.
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.
