By Faith Alone? Church Attendance and Christian Faith in three European Countries1

Many social scientists seem to believe that Catholics attend church more often than Protestants because of differences in theology and not necessarily because Protestants are more secularised. In an attempt to settle this issue, this article uses data from the 1999 European Values Study to determine what factors influence church attendance in a Catholic, Protestant, and mixed European country (Italy, Denmark, and Germany). Using an ordinary least squares multiple regression the article shows that for both Catholics and Protestants it is predominantly the level of Christian faith that determines the rate of church attendance. Hence the differences in church attendance among Catholics and Protestants reflect differences in overall levels of religiosity and are not just artefacts of different views of the importance of going to church. Even Protestants do not live by faith alone.     

What's Bad About Bad Faith?

Abstract: Contemporary common sense holds that authenticity is an ethical ideal: that there is something bad about inauthenticity, and something good about authenticity. Here we criticize the view that authenticity is bad because it detracts from the wellbeing of the inauthentic person, and propose an alternative moral account of the badness of inauthenticity, based on the idea that inauthentic behaviour is potentially misleading.     

Swinburne on Aquinas’ View of Faith

Philosophia - In recent decades, Richard Swinburne has offered an influential view of the relationship between faith and reason. In doing so, he focused to a considerable extent on Aquinas’s...     

“Semantic Non-Doxastic Agnostic Religious Faith”

Philosophia - The purpose of this article is to articulate the possibility of semantic non-doxastic agnostic religious faith. Robin Le Poidevin, who introduced the idea of semantic religious...     

Quakerism: A Faith for Introverts?

Three samples of 166 practicing Quakers, 241 practicing Anglicans, and 172 practicing Catholics completed the extraversion scale of the abbreviated Revised Personality Questionnaire. The data demonstrate that Quakers tend to be more introverted than the other two denominational groups.     

Faith Moves Mountains—Mountains Move Faith: Two Opposite Epidemiological Forces in Research on Religion and Health

Research suggests opposite epidemiological forces in religion and health: (1). Faith seems to move mountains in the sense that religion is associated with positive health outcomes. (2). Mountains of bad health seem to move faith. We reflected on these forces in a population of 3000 young Danish twins in which all religiosity measures were associated with severe disease. We believe the reason for this novel finding is that the sample presents as a particularly secular population-based study and that the second epidemiological force has gained the upper hand in this sample. We suggest that all cross-sectional research on religion and health should be interpreted in light of such opposite epidemiological forces potentially diluting each other.

     

Does Christian Faith Rule out Human Autonomy?

Beginning with Kant, modernity has developed the secular dogma that human autonomy is incompatible with obedience to religious law. Can philosophy critique a faulty understanding of both autonomy and obedience? Can theology work out a healthy interaction between the two? In other words, can Christian faith integrate both a redefined autonomy and a redefined obedience?     

Faith and Psychology: Integration or Separation?

This article describes the integration of spiritual and psychological issues as it pertains to a woman's coping with her husband's death. This case highlights the need to incorporate theological elements in any caregiving relationship, whether it be professional or otherwise. Finally, it challenges educational institutions to collaborate in working on the interface of faith and psychology.     

Faith,Family, and Feminism: Irreconcilable Differences?

The purpose of this article is to characterize and evaluate the phases through which feminist positions on the family have evolved in recent history and to suggest feminists in Christian and Jewish theology and religious studies as among the most important participants in current discussions about the family.     

“A Mosaic Community Together in the Journey of Faith”

This article demonstrates how missional churches have emphasized accompaniment as missiological foundation in the COVID-19 pandemic season. Employing ethnographical method, interviews, and virtual church visits as the primary approach, the paper explores how NextGen Church as the embodiment of Christ’s love has moved communities to solidarity and unity in the middle of global suffering. It concludes that God is on the mission of love and that the pandemic has provided an opportunity for the church to enhance its participation in missio Dei by epitomizing Christ’s love.     

“Can One Put Faith and Work in the Same Sentence?” Faith Development and Vocation of a Female Leader in the Engineering Profession

Faith has been pointed out as a possible resource in strengthening individuals’ health and well-being at work. The aim of this article is to gain in-depth knowledge of the faith development and vocation of a selected female leader in a male-dominated work context. The article contributes to research on faith development in women leaders, based on Fowler’s faith development theory. This is a single case study grounded in a qualitative research design. In-depth qualitative data were gathered through observation and interviews over 18 months. Findings showed the development of faith across a women leader’s life span and highlight that faith and vocation are important resources that provide strength, meaningfulness and a vision.     

Where is the Faith? Using a CBPR Approach to Propose Adaptations to an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in African American Faith Settings

African American adolescents are at increased risk for HIV/AIDS. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we engaged three black churches in adapting an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention, Focus on Youth (FOY)+ImPACT, for faith settings. To identify potential adaptations to increase FOY’s relevance, utility, and efficacy for faith settings, we conducted eight focus groups pre- and post-intervention. Recommendations for maintaining FOY’s core elements and enhancing its cultural authenticity include the following: incorporating faith tools, building pastor capacity, strengthening parent–child communication skills, and expanding social support for parents and youth. Engaging faith communities in adapting and implementing evidence-based HIV prevention programs could reduce HIV/AIDS disparities.     

Refocusing on the Learning in “Integration of Faith and Learning"

The purpose of this study was to assess student perceptions of the faith-learning integration process in instructional methods courses taught by a single professor. Thirty-one students were asked by the professor to complete an open-ended questionnaire at the end of their course experience. Results indicated that students in this study described or defined the integration of faith and learning in ways reflective of the content of the courses, which was teaching methods. While not all students said integration of faith and learning occurred in the classes, all students did provide examples of integrative moments. Most students described faith-learning integration in terms of teacher actions rather than student actions. Thus, it appears that these students were describing integration of faith and teaching more so than integration of faith and learning.