Religious communities have an obvious interest in passing on their beliefs and practices to future generations. Many traditional churches, however, report major difficulties in retaining the interest and involvement of adolescents. This paper seeks to explore some of the beliefs and values of Australian core Catholic youth (14- to 15-years-old).…

This research study sought to explore the relationship between spiritual reading and its effects on human growth. The emphasis of the study was how participants felt they had grown in their relationship with God through reading. Participants were clergypersons in the Tidewater, Virginia area. The 30 pastors interviewed for this study indicated…

In most churches, Bible and other religious instruction is based on an evangelical model structured on a teacher-centered, lecture-oriented approach that involves treating adults as children and that is thus more consistent with unregenerate human nature than with the born-again nature of Christians. An emancipatory model of Christian adult…

There seems to be a link between traditional Judeo-Christian morality and successful school administration. Interviews of more than 200 practitioners in the Chicago (Illinois) area reveal that public school practitioners and religious practitioners often share similar values. Further, site studies show that the policies of the interviewees agree…

The jeremiad, a sermonic rhetorical form, played a significant role in the American Revolution. As a successful social movement, the Revolution generated a language that portrayed its interpretation of reality. This was achieved in part through the use of significant forms that served to provide a link between the past and future and to foster a…

The Pennsylvania Commission for United Ministries in Higher Education is seven Protestant communions working together to carry out a Christian Ministry in colleges and universities in the state. As part of the organization's tenth anniversary celebration conference, two presentations were given concerning future directions for higher education in…

Christians have a limited understanding of the contemporary Jewish community in its variety, devotion, contribution to character, and perception of its heritage. This research project contrasts family cultural patterns of the Orthodox Jew to those of select white middle class Christian families in America (especially Catholics) to help foster…

Drawing on insights from group dynamics and group therapy as well as the Christian faith, this book asserts the strategic importance of small groups for making the church more relevant to contemporary life. It gives specific guidelines, examples, and several case studies for the development and clearly structured activity of sharing groups. Such…

This paper discusses organized programs of guidance and counseling for religious settings, and new approaches to current crises. Specific topics discussed are: (1) a new awareness of the Christian dimensions of guidance; (2) a more favorable climate for guidance services; (3) utilization of new learnings and new techniques; (4) some religious…

Secularization and pluralism exist in Catholic universities today. There is no dominant Catholic philosophical tradition. Other philosophies, including neothomism and Christian existentialism, are discussed. The nature of the problem in Catholic philosophy departments and the task to overcome the situation at undergraduate and graduate levels are…

Explores the Accelerated Christian Education Curriculum used in a working class, fundamentalist Baptist school in upstate New York. This school blends behaviorism and Calvinism, using rules to regulate students' behavior and cubicle "offices" to isolate students. Speculates on the congruency of this social reproduction approach with…

This unit for sixth-grade students provides a fuller understanding of Julius Caesar's significance. Before students delve into the sample topic, they need an understanding of Roman values, lore, republican ideals, and structure of early Roman history. The first few activities in this lesson are to be taught prior to beginning the actual study of…

This slide exercise is intended to communicate information about the three major monotheistic religions of the Middle East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The exercise focuses on beliefs, events, symbols, institutions, and practices important to the three religions, but the main purpose is to impress upon students the many things that these…

Over the past 20 years independent lines of research in the fields of classroom environment and student attitudes to Christianity have been conducted. A study brought these two fields together by investigating the relationship between student perceptions of religious classroom environment and their attitudes toward Christianity. A personal form of…

Explored methods and goals of parenting presented in a selected group of parent advice books written for Evangelical Christian parents. The books focused on middle childhood and dealt primarily with the nuclear family. The Bible was a major authority base, but behavioral science research was also included. (Author/JAC)