Tools Of Research And Reflection

In the introductory chapters, she draws upon her own experiences overseas and comments on the mistakes she has made and how they can be prevented through best practice. Next, Butrin outlines methods for assessing communities through identifying the resources individuals possess, the needs of the community, and strategies for meeting those needs through meaningful partnerships with the local people. She asserts that our view of poverty directly relates to how we act in compassion and if we view it only as material deficit than our work will never truly alleviate poverty. The church should play a large role in this entire process because proclamation of the Gospel is a vital component of holistic ministry. Only God can bring true transformations to communities and people. If the message of salvation is absent from efforts towards justice than we have barely scratched the service and are responding to the external as opposed to addressing the root causes. The text concludes with decisive commentary on applying the principles of best practice to all

“A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor

The original sin created a distance which forced God to come down to the uplift creation and man to His original plan. His coming down was to uplift creation and man confers St. Thomas Aquinas meritorious act of salvation, it brought man back to his relationship which was broken between God, creation, and man. The Church continues the work of Christ, as the visible and active symbol and must witness Christ to the situation where poor can be seen as incompleteness, imperfection, being despised. As Christ Came to save man from the slavery of sin, the Church should be aware to liberate man in soul and body. The poor as the image of Christ, it is where that the Church takes her role to preach and emphasize the value of the human person who was

Billingsley lists seven characteristics of churches that make a difference when it comes to outreach ministry. “These are denomination, church age, size, membership composition, ownership of church building, number of clergy, and other paid staff. (Billingsley95).” He believes that more characteristics a church possesses the more valuable the outreach they provide. A separate 15 year study of the black church is outlined in Lessons Learned: Conducting Culturally Competent Research and Providing Interventions with Black Churches. In terms of research to determine the true effectiveness of the black church several researchers conducted the study to determine how social workers can play a central role in church outreach. At the conclusion of their research they “experienced a number of challenges and barriers. These challenges and barriers that impacted the research process are communication, cultural insensitivity, theology and branding, gender, position of the pastor,

Not just any institution, the Catholic church yields power and influence on a global scale. Yet again, we see the presence of both an oppressor as well as the oppressed. The Catholic Church has been viewed as the ‘defender of all that is right and just’ throughout history because it claims that many of its unholy actions were carried out in the name of God. As we study history to make sense of the present, we can often become naïve, accepting ‘facts’ at face value. With that said, we form ‘silences’ just like in the historical narrative

Many people believe that that the motivation of the Christian church is to radically “change the world”. However, through his book To Change The World, James Davison Hunter explains how this common believe is a misconception. Rather, he shows readers that, from a sociological perspective, while Christians thrive in many areas of life by reaching others individually, they fundamentally components of creating cultural change.

Whilst the Uniting Church recognises that oppression is systemic, it attempts to subdue unjust discrimination and oppression by promoting social justice via advocacy, welfare, education and training for all invested. Also, they reject a policy that contradicts its morals, ethics and values, personalises interactions, provide program/practice critical evaluations, and researches and innovates collectively. All in all,

Poverty has many negative effects on many people. In this paper I will be focusing on how poverty effects a person’s faith. Will this person’s life values and meanings become more centered on wealth, power, and materialism? I will view how this is sometimes the case in popular culture, sociological studies, and even my own life.

The approach of the church to various challenges such as the reformation and the worldwide refugee crisis has resulted in change to many aspects of the Catholic church. In response to such challenges, new traditions were introduced, as well as a command in effort required from different christians to tackle such challenges. Furthermore, it has also made the church more relevant to

Mid-nineteenth century southern America, the writer asserts the churches in America are failing mankind by not being inclusive rather than exclusive and turning a blind-eye to the topic. Failing to live up to the core tenants of Christianity are things that erode the church and society alike. He also recalls his personal experiences with his grandfather, who was a minister, and his uncle. How his uncle had the job of being the caretaker of

The short story “Life in the Iron-Mills” by Rebecca Harding Davis is about a town that centers around an iron mill and the workers whose lives revolve around the mill. At the beginning of the story, this becomes evident when the narrator says, “The mills were deserted on Sundays, except by the hands who fed the fires, and those who had no lodgings and slept usually on the ash-heaps” (1715). The only day that there are not workers at the iron mill is on Sunday because most of Sunday is spent at church. In the short story, Davis begins to suggest that there are strong, spiritual elements throughout the story. Most people who think about God believe that God and faith can bring those who are struggling out of the dark cloud that seems to be encompassing their lives.

Protecting the rights and dignity of the poor and oppressed is the most important moral duty of the church.’ Critically evaluate this statement with reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King.

149). To commit to the cause of the poor must be a conscious choice (Messer, 2006, p. 149). The church is commissioned to continually advocate and work for the disadvantaged so as to liberate them from poverty and oppression. It is noteworthy that the lives of Jean Vanier and others in l’Arche communities have been transformed by persons with intellectual disabilities, for the intellectually disabled in their poverty of intellect bring them closer to God (Hauerwas and Wells, 2006, p. 433). “To learn how to receive from those who have nothing to give but what and who they are, this is the task that new assistants at l’Arche have to master” (Hauerwas and Wells, 2006, p. 435). In reflecting upon the work of l’Arche it appears to me that we are all poor before our creator, we are all in need of liberation, and we grow spiritually closer to God when we advocate and work for those whom the world considers to have little worth. We become spiritually wealthy when we do the work of God, when we share in the cause of the

In the society that people live in today is full of violence and destruction from human being and even by the weather that occurs from state to country. When one holds unto their faith in God, and trust that he will pull his people from in-justice to justice and make them true believers. In this essay, as Christians we will be faced with social justice, and how it is compatible with the Gospel of Jesus, how ministries are trying to change the world with more social justice and how it can be compared to the Gospel, how social justice could be the key component of the message of Jesus Christ, and in this essay one will see how social justice is effecting other parts of the world, and how speaking the word of God can be sustainable in other parts of the world. What is Social Justice?

The next text is from the 2nd Vatican Council called “Pastoral Constitution,” which focused on bringing the church into modern times. This text focuses on the importance of helping those being marginalized, those who are on the brink of society, and what is the best way that the Church as a community can fight to protect them.