Context Of Faith Research Articles

Becoming United: Exploring the Link Between Couple Identity and Religiosity Within the Christian Context

Couple identity, also referred to as a sense of “we-ness,” has begun to gain more scholarly attention as an important variable that has the power to transform inevitable adversity into an opportunity to grow and flourish as a couple. Yet, there is little research that specifically examines the process through which couples form and develop their sense of shared identity, especially within the faith context. This study uses a purposeful sample of couples who self-identify as Christian and as being in non-stressed, committed marriages. It aims to explore how these couples form and develop their shared identity, while also examining the intricate ways in which their religiosity influences this process. Using Consensual Qualitative Research from in-depth interviews with nine couples (N = 18 individual participants), two salient domains with key categories were identified that shed light on the elements of couple identity formation and development, and the link between religiosity and couple identity. Implications for research and practice in helping couples to develop and foster a more resilient couple identity are discussed.

The messy art of conversation in practical theology: explorations and reflections

ABSTRACT Using autoethnography, the authors (a Muslim woman and a Christian man) reflect on their co-creation of a podcast series, ‘Conversations in Practical Theology’, which they commenced in 2017. Locating the precipitating factors in their experiences of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT) conference that year, and their respective faith contexts of Islam and Christianity, they test Stephen Pattison’s 2020 proposal that practical theology is fundamentally a practice of conversation. They argue that through encountering one another (and themselves) in podcasting, it is the eclecticism and haphazardness of their intellectual engagement, crucially as representatives of no-one but themselves, that Pattison’s contention of the messiness of good practical theological conversation is upheld.

Eastern Churches in the Face of Fratricidal War during Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Eastern Churches in Russia and Ukraine are facing the fratricidal war caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These Churches maintain closeness in faith and liturgy. The similarities of these Churches’ teachings on war are juxtaposed with actual manifestations of their hierarchs’ hostility. The analysis will be carried out from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church, which is in close unity with the Eastern Churches and understands the context of faith but is not a party to the conflict, which makes it easier to remain objective in examining the phenomenon of fratricide. The first part of the article analyses the doctrinal and historical context. It helps to isolate the factors influencing the existence of enmity between doctrinally close Churches. The second part presents the biblical inspiration of Cain and Abel's story in a search for new ways to counteract this phenomenon.

Responding well to Spiritual Abuse: practice implications for counselling and psychotherapy

ABSTRACT This paper presents the findings of a survey exploring people's understandings and experiences of Spiritual Abuse (SA) in a Christian faith context. The online survey was completed by 1591 individuals from the UK, 1002 of whom identified as having experienced SA. Inclusion criteria were: membership of the Christian faith, being or having been, a Church attender or member of a Christian organisation and having heard of the term SA. Participants detailed features of an effective response to disclosures of SA, many of these are directly relevant to counselling and psychotherapy practice. The findings echo calls in previous research for including discussions of religion and faith in training and CPD for counsellors and psychotherapists. Finally, the paper suggests the establishment of a network of counsellors with training and knowledge about SA.

Clarifying covenants and delineating devotion: Explicating religious public relations relationship frameworks

Research on how religious and faith-based organizations practice public relations is steadily increasing and of particular interest. Public relations scholars have examined the applicability of public relations theories with religious organizations, and sought to develop new public relations theories, concepts, and models that are appropriate for the context of faith and religion. However, one set of public relations concepts has been limitedly studied, irregularly applied, and inconsistently explained regarding their definitions, how they work together, how they are distinct, and how they can be studied within and outside the narrow context of religious public relations. This conceptual framework essay explicates four constructs found in religious public relations scholarship to provide clarification regarding the application of these murky concepts and a roadmap for how public relations scholars can apply, study, and advance these concepts and models within and outside the context of religious public relations to advance public relations theorizing.

To what extent are sacred language practices ultralingual? The experience of British Muslim children learning Qur’anic Arabic

This article draws on qualitative data from a study of young Muslims learning Qur’anic Arabic in the UK to reveal how they engage in sacred language practices that I choose to call ‘ultralingual’. Such practices inevitably foreground linguistic form and performance over meaning, at least in the referential sense. Observable in many faith contexts, the ability to acquire a certain proficiency in an invariably ancient sacred language and then participate, actively and passively, in a range of ritual acts is demonstrated by millions of children globally. Usually attending supplementary forms of education, such children learn to access the code of their respective faiths (e.g., Qur’anic Arabic for Muslims and Biblical Hebrew for Jews) through, usually, a traditional learning approach based initially on systematic instruction in sound-letter correspondences which eventually develops into secure decoding proficiency. An important characteristic of this language practice is the ambivalent role of referential meaning. Often, performers, whether in recitation or in the words uttered in prayers, have partial or no access to the meaning of the words they utter. This article calls this ‘ultralingualism’, a language phenomenon that occurs also in non-religious contexts such as vocal music and multilingual literacy mediation, but which is particularly apparent in faith practices which centre on an ancient text and its language. The young Muslims in this article, however, do not take part in meaningless activities. Much sacred language practice (and some co-sanctified language practice) happens ultralingually, that is, form is emphasised over referential meaning. Evidence in this article argues that such ultralingual practices are accompanied nevertheless by layers of meaning often unrelated to referential or lexical meaning.

Reading the Locust Plague in the Prophecy of Joel in the Context of African Biblical Hermeneutics and the Decolonial Turn

Joel is one of the 12 minor prophets (dōdekaprophēton). His prophecy aims at calling the nation and people to repentance through emphasizing that the Day of the Lord (yōm ădȏnay) is at hand (3:1–5 [2:28–32]). The locust plague (ʾarbbeh) in Joel’s message—which recalls the insects that threaten to destroy crops and vegetation in Africa and beyond, but which can also be used as food and livestock feed and offer other benefits as well—could be interpreted as Joel’s prophetic sign that the great Day of the Lord is near (1:2–2:17). Throughout history, scholars, theologians, and exegetes of differing schools of thought and from numerous locations have offered various interpretations for Joel’s prophecy and subjected it to diverse Eurocentric and Americo-centric hermeneutical methods. This work, however, with its focus on Africa, takes a different approach. Drawing from the work of many African hermeneuticians, it reads Joel’s prophecy using the tools of African Biblical Hermeneutics (ABH), a post-colonial enterprise, in light of the decolonial turn. The article exegetes and theologically analyzes the narrative of the locust plague (ʾarbbeh) in Joel 1:2–7, within the context of Joel 1–3, with the hopes that it will be transformational and beneficial for African readers within their faith context.

An exploration of the differences and similarities between counselling and confession, as experienced by counsellors who are, or have been, Catholic Priests

ABSTRACT This research sought to examine the question, “what are the similarities and differences between counselling and Confession?”, by exploring the experiences of five Catholic priests, who are also qualified counsellors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants, who each have a minimum of five years of experience in both counselling and the Catholic priesthood. The data was analysed using Thematic Analysis. The research found that there are some similarities between the sacrament of Confession and the practice of counselling. These are that both practices involve being empathetic, unconditional, non-judgemental, keeping confidence, and careful listening. There are also clear differences between the two practices, the main differences being their intention and faith context. Both counselling and Confession deal with similar “human” struggles, are understood using different languages (theology and psychology), have a different intention, but contribute much comfort to many who are seeking peace.

Engaging Human Sexuality

The development of experiential human sexuality workshops within faith communities in South Africa (SA) is showcased. The findings from a 2019 empirical study with local church congregations around LGBTIQ+ belonging are used as starting point. The intervention brings together people of diverse sexualities and genders from various Christian faith contexts. Methodologies from a longstanding programme developed in the USA are adapted, that was shaped by learnings from the SA Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This is reworked into a continuum approach to sexuality and gender, developing new tools, and using the lens of intersectionality within the SA context. The article explores the potential and pitfalls of using the workshop piloted twice in 2020, more widely in faith settings to create spaces for safe encounter between straight and LGBTIQ+ people engaging on human sexuality, building solidarity and strengthening ally-ship. It concludes to show how an important gap within both LGBTIQ+ activism and theology is met.

Perceptions of Behavioral Awareness, Intention, and Readiness for Advance Care Planning: A Mixed-Method Study among Older Indigenous Patients with Late-Stage Cancers in Remote Areas of Eastern Taiwan.

The first Patient Right to Autonomy Act enacted in Asia in 2019 has enabled every Taiwanese citizen to plan for his/her end-of-life (EOL) in case of incompetency. Advance care planning (ACP) has been highly promoted for individuals with terminal, life-threatening illnesses, particularly in the mainstream society, and efforts have been made by the Taiwanese government to train health care providers in order to optimize patients’ quality of dying. However, such advanced decisions and discussions regarding life-sustaining treatment and EOL care remain scarce among older ethnically minority patients. A multiple-case study employing a mixed-method (n = 9) was undertaken to explore indigenous patients’ ACP perceptions. Both quantitative and qualitative information was obtained from indigenous patients, a minority group whose socio-economic and educational status are different from the general Taiwanese population. An initiative was made to describe ACP behavioral awareness, intention, and readiness of older terminal patients from four tribes with seven late-stage cancers in remote, mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan. Our findings showed that according to the Transtheoretical Model, terminal indigenous patients’ ACP readiness was at a precontemplation stage. Their lack of fundamental ACP awareness, insufficient healthcare resources, life-sustaining value in a Christian faith context, and the prevalent health disparity in the remote communities have negatively affected indigenous patients’ intention to participate in ACP. We provide suggestions to further promote ACP in this group and suggest that health information should be tailored at various readiness stages in order to overcome barriers and decrease ACP literacy discrepancies. This study calls attention to an understudied area of ACP behaviors, an overlooked need in EOL care for older cancer patients of unique cultural backgrounds, and the imperativeness to ensure cultural minority group’s EOL care is consistent with patients’ preferences.

Religious Pilgrimage: Experiencing Places, Objects and Events

This article explores the concept of the Eventization of faith (Pfadenhauer, 2010) through application of three case studies, to identify learning that might be applied to a traditional pilgrimage destination, such as Jerusalem. This Holy City is held sacred by the three Abrahamic religions, and faith-based tourism is central both to the Holy Land and to the city of Jerusalem (Leppakari & Griffin, 2017). This paper builds on research that identifies processes and models that provide insight into the developing concept of the eventization of faith. The work examines outcomes from three different perspectives: - The impact of traditional church-led pilgrimages to places in the Holy Land, on participants and their local church communities. - The successful eventization of the Lindisfarne Gospels as part of their release to Durham University in 2013, and the impact on local historical, cultural and religious identity and heritage (Dowson, 2019). - The shared pilgrimage experience of thousands of Christian women participating in the annual Cherish Conference in Leeds, Yorkshire, held in a secular event venue (Dowson, 2016). In analysing these three case study examples, this paper aims to identify factors that might enhance our understanding of the concept of eventization of faith. Utilising face to face interviews and online survey results, the research focuses on the aspects of community, identity and authenticity. Events enable shared experiences in a faith context (Lee et al., 2015), and so this research develops a model that captures and expresses approaches that might encourage pilgrimages to traditional destinations, through the medium of events, adding insight into the development of the academic concept of Eventization of Faith.

Biblical studies – troublesome or catastrophic? Strategies in ministerial re-formation

ABSTRACT Ministry students from conservative backgrounds have well-known difficulties when they first meet critical approaches to the Bible. However, as educators start to meet this challenge more frequently with intakes swelled by numbers from the global Pentecostal Diaspora, the pedagogical issues arising warrant further thought. Noting recent appeals to Threshold Concept theory, I suggest that we may rather underestimate Scripture’s unique type of ‘troublesomeness’ for some students, and that the applicability of such approaches to those from ‘intratextual’ faith contexts may need some qualification. Nuancing the problem via faith development and deconversion studies, I suggest the importance not so much of winning arguments, but of seeking to naturalise scriptural criticality within indwelt piety and discussing concrete ways of negotiating continuity of identity, integrity and vocation.

The limitations of accommodation: the changing legal context of religion at work in the United States

Other authors have warned that the legal standard of accommodation is insufficient as a strategy for practicing managers leading religiously and spiritually diverse workforces. Recent changes in the legal context of faith at work have only amplified those concerns. This article examines the adoption of state laws known as Religious Freedom Restoration Acts, or RFRA’s, as well as the US Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. Both of these changes exacerbate the concerns previously articulated, and illustrate the limitations of using the legal standard of accommodation as a management strategy for negotiating diverse religious and spiritual expression in the workplace. The nature of these two developments is explained, together with a discussion of their significance for practitioners and researchers in the field of management, spirituality, and religion (MSR).

New Faith, New Family

During the mass migration of 1870-1920, the peasantry of southern Italy flooded the urban centres of America. Accustomed to a rural-agrarian lifestyle and steeped in traditional religious beliefs, contadini (Italian peasants) found themselves isolated in the industrial centres of America. Separation from kin and the faith of their ancestors contributed to a psychological void that led contadini to seek new forms of Christianityfor religious fulfilment. This article explores the social psychology of the contadini during the mass migration. It examines the historico-cultural conditions that drove peasants from Catholicism, the mental and emotional dimensions of being in tension with their new environment, and the suitability of other faith contexts, particularly Pentecostalism, to mitigate the experience of isolation.

Spiritual abuse in Christian faith settings: definition, policy and practice guidance

PurposeA previous publication in this journal reported the findings of a 2013 survey into people’s experiences of membership of a Christian church in the UK (author citation removed for the purposes of review). A major finding of this survey was that many people said they had been “harmed” by their experience with some labelling it as “Spiritual Abuse” (SA). Respondents in the 2013 study also stressed the importance of developing safeguarding policy and practice in this area. The purpose of this paper is to explore the findings of a more extensive survey conducted in 2017 which aims to identify people’s understanding of SA some four years after the initial work and within a context of some discussion and uncertainty around the term itself. The study also aims to assess the current status of safeguarding policy and practice in SA perpetrated against individuals in the Christian church in the UK. A secondary aim of the study is to ascertain how far understandings, policy and practice have developed since the initial survey was conducted. It is emphasised that the authors do not assert that SA is perpetrated solely in the Christian church. However, as this is their personal religious background it is the focus of this work.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods online survey of Christians, Church attendees and members of Christian organisations was conducted in 2017. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, inductive thematic and content analysis.FindingsA clear definition of SA is required. There is an ongoing need to develop policy and practice in the area of SA in order to respond effectively to those who have these harmful experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThis work has been conducted within the Christian faith community and thus, represents only this faith context. Accordingly, it is research with a specific group. The work would usefully be expanded to other faith contexts.Practical implicationsPeople are still being harmed by experiences in the Christian church. Safeguarding policy and practice in the area of spiritual abuse needs to be developed in the immediate future.Social implicationsThose working in statutory agencies, faith and community contexts need to develop an understanding of SA.Originality/valueThis is the largest survey conducted on the topic of SA in the Christian faith to date in the UK.

Decolonising Development? Re-claiming Biko and a Black Theology of Liberation within the context of Faith Based Organisations in South Africa

An upsurge in interest with regard to the role of religion in development has also seen an increase in the study of Faith Based Organisations (FBO’s). These organisations have been less well studied within the South African context, yet both in light of South African Christianity’s colonial and apartheid past – and the practical challenges that arise within a Global South development context such as northern donors, the cultural relevance of programmes and the tension between justice and charity within a South African context (where the face of poverty is still largely black) they should be the subject of academic inquiry. In light of the latter as well a growing trend within Development Studies with regard to decolonial and post-colonial critiques of development, this paper seeks to argue for the relevance of a both Black Consciousness and a Black Theology of Liberation in challenging and re-positioning the identity, role and practical challenges faced by the FBO within the South African context.

Training dilemmas and recommendations with volunteer instructors in small, faith‐based adult ESL programs

Faith‐based adult English as a second language (ESL) programs provide beneficial services to the underserved adult English language learner (ELL) population in the United States (Chao & Mantero, ). However, these programs face a critical training dilemma, often lacking qualified volunteer instructors and the time or resources to train them, which can negatively impact student learning (Chao & Kuntz, ; Pennycook & Coutand‐Marin, ; Perry & Hart, ). Directors in these programs grapple with the realities of their volunteer workforce and faith context while providing the instructor training necessary to meet student needs and facilitate high‐quality instruction. Nevertheless, research has overlooked smaller volunteer‐run ESL programs (Mathews‐Aydinli, ), primarily focusing on ESL programs in K–12 and higher education settings. In order to understand the complex instructor training dilemma that faces faith‐based ESL programs and provide some solutions, this article discusses the current status of adult English language education in the United States, highlights the need for training volunteer instructors in faith‐based adult ESL programs, and examines the constraints of developing training in these programs. The article concludes with recommendations for teacher training along with several suggestions for future research to adequately address student needs in small, faith‐based adult ESL contexts.

Living Well in the End Times (LWET): a project to research and support churches’ engagement with issues of death and dying

ABSTRACTA narrative of life and death stands at the centre of Christianity, but people in churches seldom have space to talk about their personal engagement with mortality and its existential and spiritual implications. Given the increased life expectancy of people in the UK, an increasing number of people are learning to live in the light of mortality; yet, their voices and wisdom are markedly absent from our theologies and church practices. This paper narrates a research project which evaluated the impact of opportunities for people to reflect together on the issues raised by death and dying in several Christian faith contexts. It presents the main findings and describes some of the challenges they pose to the churches before outlining the project’s response to the findings by developing resources to support people to speak about death and dying and to integrate this discourse within the life of faith communities and beyond.

Exploring the complexities of understanding vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith organisations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a study exploring the understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding within Christian faith-based settings. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners involved in safeguarding adults in faith-based Christian settings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers a survey (n=3,182) into understanding of vulnerability and adult safeguarding for individuals who attend Church regularly or work in a Christian organisation Findings – This study is the first to be undertaken with a UK sample and highlights a range of factors informing adult safeguarding practice within Christian organisations. This includes: complexity linked to understanding vulnerability and its role in safeguarding activity; lack of clarity about what to do with a safeguarding adult concern; and the need for safeguarding training pertinent to the particular needs of faith-based settings. Research limitations/implications – As there is currently a dearth of research in this area this paper makes a valuable contribution to the developing knowledge base around safeguarding and vulnerability within faith-based organisations. Practical implications – Professionals need to develop increased understanding of the complexities involved in safeguarding activity, and specifically how those working in the wider context of supporting vulnerable adults make sense of safeguarding processes and procedures. Social implications – It is important that all organisations, including faith-based settings, working with adults have an understanding of their roles and responsibilities with respect to safeguarding those at risk of harm. Originality/value – This paper is the first UK study to consider safeguarding adults at risk of harm in Christian faith contexts.

Faith is Confidence: The Implication of Psychosocial Components in Faith-Based Educational Programs on Expressive Communication Skills of Adult Learners

ABSTRACTFaith-based programs for adult learners have environmental factors that differentiate them from non-faith based programs, but explicit empirical studies evaluating the impact of the psychosocial factors have been lacking in the literature. This study comparatively examines the achievement level of expressive communication skills as measured through writing in general education development (GED) program participants who were adult learners in faith-based and non-faith based programs. The article will discuss the context of faith from the literature, impact of psychosocial environmental factors, and provide implications for curriculum design for faith-based academic programs while addressing the research question of whether faith-based GED programs have an impact on the achievement of expressive communication levels of students compared to non-faith-based GED programs.