Paper Topic:

`Christianity and Social Work; Readings on the Integration of Christian Faith and Social Work Practice`, Edited by Beryl Hugen and T. Laine Scales, 2002

Section I : A Christian Worldview and Social Work

Resurgence of social work interest in spirituality since the late 1980 's has been attributed to the newest interest in meaning-making consistent with postmodern perspectives , as well as broader cultural attention to spirituality and diverse religious perspectives professional literature has typically distinguished between spirituality and religion

In the book Christianity and Social Work : Readings on the Integration of Christian Faith and Social Work Practice ' the author stated in page 7 that the purpose of this book was to use the perspective of

Christianity in addressing social realities and how to deal with these issues . I agree with the author with the need for this kind of book because too often a lot of Christians possess the desire in helping people who are suffering , one way or another , with the difficulties posed by the world to them . However , they do not always possess the know-how and the skills necessary to translate such concerns and desires to concrete action

Spirituality is usually considered an internal domain of human experience that may include a personal relationship with a higher power whereas religion is associated with external expressions of faith including adherence to particular , practices and ethical codes . As spirituality has received more positive professional attention , it has been increasingly distanced from the of religion , which is often associated with fundamentalism and political conservatism . Although spirituality and religion are often discussed separately , the concepts are not mutually exclusive , as many individuals and communities express spirituality through religious beliefs , practices and affiliations . Yet spirituality has a very important role to play in the society Christianity , in particular calls for Christians to put their faith into action and help others

The first part of this book deals with worldviews and reflections of personal experience and sense of vocation . It discusses the historical aspects of Christianity and the role it plays inside and out of the social work context and of charity . Assessment of the roles of religion and spirituality in work with individuals and communities may provide information necessary for appropriate interventions and collaborations Faith affiliated organizations have explicit or implicit religious mission statements , were founded by religious groups or for religious reasons , often are affiliated with external religious agencies , expect some degree of shared faith commitments among staff and board members and often seek financial and volunteer support from religious communities

Faith background organizations may implicitly refer to religious values in their mission statements , have weaker connections to religious institutions and hold few expectations regarding the faith commitments of board and staff members , varying in their pursuit of support from religious communities . Beryl Hugen (2002 ) believes many Christian students find the social work profession a good fit with their religious faith

This book helps social work practitioners and Christians to recognize the complementary roles that religion and spirituality play important roles in practice . As a result there have been an increase in research on religion and spirituality in social work , more courses offered on the ...

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