scholarly journals Faith in Action, Adult Learning, and Immigrant Justice

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-92
Author(s):  
Christopher Tirres ◽  
Melanie Schikore
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Adult Learning ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Community Partnership ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Interfaith Community ◽  
The Relationship

This article emerges from a collaborative research project between a religious studies professor at DePaul University and the executive director of the Chicago-based non-profit Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI). In 2016, we forged a community partnership to explore and enhance the relationship between pedagogy, faith, and social justice. In this article, we share the results of our research on how exposure to and involvement with the work of ICDI impacts students, staff, and volunteers. Our research reveals the powerful effect that a community-engaged partnership can have not only on adult learning but also on spiritual development. Our findings suggest that faith in action may take several forms, including encounter, accompaniment, advocacy, and social justice, and that those who engage the work of ICDI may engage them in different ways. These insights will be useful for institutions, both universities and community organizations alike, in enhancing adult learning and spiritual growth.

Owning one’s epistemology in religious studies research methodology

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 2057-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Baron
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Observer Effect ◽  
Temporal Coupling ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose There is a lack of epistemological considerations in religious studies methodologies, which have resulted in an on-going critique in this field. In addressing this critique, the researcher’s observer effect needs to be actively accounted for owing to the influence of the researcher’s epistemology in the author’s research. This paper aims to answer the question of why a researcher should address one’s epistemology in the research. Design/methodology/approach Using second-order cybernetics as an approach, observer dependence is exemplified and justified in the context of religious studies research methodology. The research activity is shown as a relational temporal coupling that introduces inter-subjective aspects to the research. The research process is analysed showing the need to provide scope for the researcher’s epistemology in one’s research. Findings A relational observer-dependent approach to research embraces the epistemology of the researcher and the participants providing equality in the relationship. The research results are thus framed according to the nature of the relationship and are thus not detached. This addresses social justice and reduces troubling truth claims. Research limitations/implications This first paper focuses on the question of why epistemology should be included in scholarly research. A detailed framework for how scholars may achieve this goal is to be part of the future study and is not presented in this paper. Practical implications In many positivist approaches there is a motivation to hide the researcher; however, recently there has been a move towards including authors in the first person, realising that science is tied to politics, which does not reach its ideals of objectivity. Cybernetics is presented as an approach to addressing the move from “objective” to “subjective” research. Social implications Researchers cannot get into the minds of their participants and thus an authorial privileged presentation by the researcher of the participant’s experiences is fraught with epistemological weaknesses. Attempting to own one’s own epistemology could address social justice in research by personalising the research and accounting for the observer effect and the inter-subjective attributes of the research relationship. Originality/value The principle of observer dependence in cybernetics is not new; however, a research approach that focuses on the nature of knowing and how this may influence one’s research in religious studies is uncommon. It is thus presented here as a viable option to address the critique of epistemologically weak research methodology in religious studies.

Metaphysics and Experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 63-97
Author(s):  
Mark R. Wynn
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Moral Virtue ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Spiritual Life ◽  
Moral Virtues ◽  
Theological Virtues ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter, and the next, further develop the notion of infused moral virtue, by considering how the target goods of these virtues can be realized in domains additional to those that Aquinas discusses. Chapter 3 examines in particular how our world-directed experience can be deemed more or less appropriate relative to a theological narrative, and how it is capable therefore of realizing the kind of good that is the object of the infused moral virtues. In this discussion, these goods are called ‘hybrid goods’ to mark the fact that they share their subject matter with the acquired moral virtues (since they are concerned with our relations to the created order), and their teleology with the theological virtues (because here the measure of success for our relationship to creatures is provided by reference to relationship to God). In this chapter, we also consider how a story of progress in the spiritual life that is rehearsed in an experiential idiom may be related to one that is cast instead in metaphysical terms. To develop the account, we examine in particular the relationship between Aquinas’s understanding of spiritual growth, expressed in terms of the acquired and infused moral virtues, and John of the Cross’s narrative of the various phases of the spiritual life. On this basis, we consider how experiential and metaphysical perspectives on spiritual development are mutually informing, while at the same time they also exhibit, relative to one another, a significant degree of independence.

The mediating effect of job engagement on the relationship between psychological empowerment and social enterprise sustainability

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (8) ◽  
pp. 347-355
Author(s):  
Hye- RimPark ◽  
Yen-Yoo You
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Job Engagement ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Relationship

Unlike non-profit organizations, social enterprises must be sustainable through profit-making activities in order to pursue social purposes.However, the most important of the poor limited resources is also human resources, and for the efficient use of human resources, empowerment should be given to members. This study proves whether job engagement mediates the effect on sustainability when psychological empowerment is given to employees in social enterprises.

The Meaning of the Concept of “Spiritual Energy” in the Philosophy of William James and Henry Bergson

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Maria M. Kuznetsova
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Development ◽  
William James ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Western Philosophy ◽  
Creative Evolution ◽  
Spiritual Energy ◽  
Spiritual Reality ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The article examines the philosophy of Henri Bergson and William James as independent doctrines aimed at rational comprehension of spiritual reality. The doctrines imply the paramount importance of consciousness, the need for continuous spiritual development, the expansion of experience and perception. The study highlights the fundamental role of spiritual energy for individual and universal evolution, which likens these doctrines to the ancient Eastern teaching as well as to Platonism in Western philosophy. The term “spiritual energy” is used by Bergson and James all the way through their creative career, and therefore this concept should considered in the examination of their solution to the most important philosophical and scientific issues, such as the relationship of matter and spirit, consciousness and brain, cognition, free will, etc. The “radical empiricism” of William James and the “creative evolution” of Henry Bergson should be viewed as conceptions that based on peacemaking goals, because they are aimed at reconciling faith and facts, science and religion through the organic synthesis of sensory and spiritual levels of experience. Although there is a number of modern scientific discoveries that were foreseen by philosophical ideas of Bergson and James, both philosophers advocate for the artificial limitation of the sphere of experimental methods in science. They call not to limit ourselves to the usual intellectual schemes of reality comprehension, but attempt to touch the “living” reality, which presupposes an increase in the intensity of attention and will, but finally brings us closer to freedom.

Private Education

1986 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Private Education ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Relationship

This book focuses on the relationship between private and public education in a comparative context. The contributors emphasize the relationship between private choices and public policy as they affect the division of labor between public and private non-profit schools, colleges, and universities. Their essays examine the kinds of choices offered by each sector, as well as the effects of present and proposed public policies on the intersectoral division of labor. Written from neither a pro-private nor a pro-public point of view, the contributors point to the ways in which they believe one sector or the other may be preferable for certain goals or groups.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Self-Compassion, Childhood Maltreatment and Attachment Orientation In High-Risk Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110028
Author(s):  
Heather Mary Quinlan ◽  
Kellie Lynn Hadden ◽  
David Paul Storey
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Attachment Orientation ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Street Environment

The purpose of the current study was to explore whether selfcompassion predicted psychological distress over and above childhood maltreatment and attachment orientation in high-risk youths. Fifty-one youths (31 males, 20 females) aged 17 to 24, recruited from a community non-profit organization in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, were administered validated measures of childhood maltreatment, attachment orientation, self-compassion, and psychological distress. Results indicated that self-compassion was inversely associated with childhood maltreatment, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and psychological distress. However, results did not support the hypothesis that self-compassion was a significant predictor of psychological distress over and above attachment anxiety and childhood maltreatment in high-risk youths. Our results indicated that self-compassion is not well developed in street-involved youths and may be a vital intervention target to heal negative internalized views of the self, while maintaining vigilance to threats inherent in the street environment.

scholarly journals Aircraft Noise Distribution as a Fairness Dilemma—A Review of Aircraft Noise through the Lens of Social Justice Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7399
Author(s):  
Dominik Hauptvogel ◽  
Susanne Bartels ◽  
Dirk Schreckenberg ◽  
Tobias Rothmund
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Aircraft Noise ◽  
Noise Distribution ◽  
Justice Research ◽  
Fairness Perceptions ◽  
Noise Annoyance ◽  
Social Justice Research ◽  
The Relationship

Aircraft noise exposure is a health risk and there is evidence that noise annoyance partly mediates the association between noise exposure and stress-related health risks. Thus, approaches to reduce annoyance may be beneficial for health. Annoyance is influenced by manifold non-acoustic factors and perceiving a fair and trustful relationship between the airport and its residents may be one of them. The distribution of aircraft noise exposure can be regarded as a fairness dilemma: while residents living near an airport may seem to have some advantages, the majority of residents living under certain flight routes or in their immediate proximity suffer from the disadvantages of the airport, especially the noise. Moreover, a dilemma exists between the airport’s beneficial economic impact for a region and the physical and psychological integrity of residents. Aircraft noise exposure through the lens of social justice research can help to improve our understanding of noise annoyance. Research indicates that the fairness perceptions of the parties involved can be enhanced by (a) improving individual cost–benefit ratios, (b) providing a fair procedure for deciding upon the noise distribution, and (c) implementing fair social interaction with residents. Based on the review of evidence from social justice research, we derive recommendations on how fairness aspects can be integrated into aircraft noise management with the purpose of improving the relationship between the airport and its residents, to reduce annoyance, and to enhance the acceptance of local aviation and the airport as a neighbor.

scholarly journals The Effect of Servant Leadership on Self-Efficacy and Innovative Behaviour: Verification of the Moderated Mediating Effect of Vocational Calling

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Yunho Ji ◽  
HyunJoong Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Vocational Calling ◽  
Conditional Effect ◽  
Innovative Behaviour ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study aimed to verify the impact of servant leadership on innovative behaviour in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It particularly investigated the role of a mediator for self-efficacy in the relationship between servant leadership and innovative behaviour. This study defined the organisational psychology-behaviour mechanism in non-profit organisations by verifying the moderated mediating effect of vocational calling in the relationship between servant leadership, self-efficacy, and innovative behaviour. The 174 pilot samples used in this study comprised community service participants in NGOs. The analysis verified the hypothesis set through causal correlations among four variables using regression analysis and the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes. Vocational calling played a moderating role in the relationship between servant leadership and self-efficacy, and vocational calling had a conditional effect on the impact of servant leadership on innovative behaviour through self-efficacy. Meanwhile, self-efficacy fully mediated servant leadership and innovative behaviour. Based on the verification of the mechanism of organisational psychology-action, this study sought ways to develop the organisation of NGOs and improve the working environment.

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