Reflections on the Process of Creating Paintings: Reclaiming the Sacred and the Future in a World That Seems to Be Dying

In this paper, I want to reflect on the process involved in being a pastoral theologian who is also a painter and creative artist. I hope that reflecting on the process of creating paintings might be helpful for thinking about God and God's role as Creator with the whole created order. I will leave the reader to make the specific connections.     

Resident-Led Neighborhood Development to Support Health: Identifying Strategies Using CBPR

Evidence suggests that where people live, learn, work, and play affects a range of health outcomes for children and adults. Differential access to social, economic, and environmental supports puts some community members at greater risk, leading to disparities in health and well-being. The 2014 release of the For the Sake of All report highlighted persistent health disparities for African Americans in St. Louis, Missouri, and their social and economic impacts on the St. Louis region. This study extends this work by developing partnerships with community organizations and neighborhood residents to address health disparities. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods were utilized to engage partners in a 10-month research process to address community concerns that impact health. Seven community residents, neighborhood researchers, engaged in workshops to learn about the research process and used techniques to gather information to implement action strategies. Neighborhood researchers selected 14 vacant lots to implement their action plan, which included visions for repurposing the land into a community park, produced a report for dissemination, and organized a community action forum to communicate their findings. This study highlights a promising approach to promote healthy communities and health equity by empowering neighborhood residents using participatory methodologies.     

Families and schools in rural appalachia

A literature review revealed conceptual elements and approaches that have been productive in the study of rural education and rural families and children as they interface with schools. The Appalachian region is considered relative to these same issues. For nearly two decades the Appalachian Educational Laboratory has pursued systematic research and development aimed at improving the effectiveness of rural education by strengthening working linkages between families and schools. This programmatic work is summarized in order to illustrate--through both its breadth and specificity--the continual interchange which necessarily occurs between research and successful community practice. Implications and recommendations are considered.     

Sex-identification interference in the audio-visual measurement of language achievement

This responses of 65 Portuguese-as-a-second-language (PSL) and 178 English-as-a-second-language (ESL) children in early grades to an audiovisually administered aural comprehension test were analyzed for distortions attributable to sex identification with puppets used in the test items. PSL children exhibited significantly more identifications with their same-sex models when opposite-sex models offered correct responses, but significant results were not obtained for ESL children. It was recommended that, beyond concern for sex imbalances in tests, test items not be constructed to include choices between opposite-sex models.     

Pastoral Ministry and the Fleshly Body

This paper will explore the fleshly body of the pastor/priest/liturgist/caregiver and its engagement with the fleshly bodies of the ones given to their care. Its purpose is to address the physicality of being involved in pastoral ministry.     

“Educating the Whole Body”: Addressing and Equipping the Imagination in Theological Education

This paper seeks to explore the relationship of the imagination to the processes of integration in theological education. It describes the way in which the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. addresses the imagination. It draws on those insights to summarise an understanding of imagination, particularly how imagination relates to conceptualisation and the naming of God. It then explores the way in which valuing the imagination effects pedagogy in pastoral theology. In conclusion, it names what might be involved in creating an environment in theological education that values and encourages the imagination.     

Religious Practice and Spirituality in the Psychological Adjustment of Survivors of Breast Cancer

Religion and spirituality are resources regularly used by patients with cancer coping with diagnosis and treatment, yet there is little research that examines these factors separately. This study investigated the relationships between religious practice and spirituality and quality of life (QoL) and stress in survivors of breast cancer. The sample included 130 women assessed 2 years following diagnosis. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the authors found that spiritual well‐being was significantly associated with QoL and traumatic stress, whereas religious practice was not significantly associated with these variables. The results suggest that it may be helpful for clinicians to address spirituality, in particular with survivors of breast cancer.