The ongoing crisis concerning torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of prisoners by U.S. personnel or under U.S. auspices in the "War on Terror" raises issues central to the identity of both church and society. The practice of torture cries out for practical theological reflection inasmuch as it threatens to eviscerate the moral…

Although Mexican immigrants constitute the majority of the Latino population in the United States, in New England they are a growing minority contributing to the economic, social, and cultural development of the area. Using in-depth interviews of leaders of Mexican organizations in New England, and anecdotal, historical, and Internet data, this…

A significant percentage of all child care programs are offered through religious organizations. This article describes the efforts of one church located in an impoverished section of Washington, DC, to respond to the needs of low-income families with infants and toddlers. The St. Philip's Child Development Center of Anacostia serves the community…

For over 200 years Black colleges and universities have been at the center of the African American community. The legacy of these institutions has been to equip African Americans with the skills needed to be successful leaders. The study considers the leadership of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne of the Wilberforce University and Rev. Dr. Joseph…

Samuel Chapman Armstrong is well known for establishing Hampton Institute, the institution most involved with training black teachers in the South after the Civil War. It is less known that he was born in Hawai'i to the missionary couple Reverend Richard and Clarissa Chapman Armstrong. His parents were members of the Fifth Company of missionaries…

This article analyzes the 1863 pseudo slave narrative entitled "Black and White; Or, the Heart, Not the Face" by white Northerner Jane Dunbar Chaplin. The article sets this tale within the historical and literary context of "domestic abolitionism." The logic behind the story is described as "sympathetic identification," a perspective that,…

Given the ever-increasing number of students who are taking distance education courses, it seems appropriate to look beyond the explicit, academic curriculum and consider how institutional charisms and core values might be implemented in distance education courses. This article explores the incorporation of charisms and core values in distance…

This article looks at the contemporary rationale for faith-based universities. There has certainly been a new openness to issues in religion within higher education more generally. Religious influence and involvement in higher education continues to be extensive and manifests itself through the presence of believing Christians, Jews and Muslims in…

Ethnic faith institutions are important sources of support and provide much-needed services for immigrant families. This article describes how these institutions provide a valuable link to home culture and values, offer an array of services ranging from language acquisition to job training and child care, and help families balance the often…

This article discusses the new era of the Religious Education Association (REA) and how it may be seen to function as a "movement" with purposes, scope, and connectivity that bring together diverse groups. The author contends that religious education as a movement needs: (1) Research that describes patterns and uniquenesses in the religious…

This study examines patterns of organized activity and their concurrent association with academic achievement, problem behavior, and perceived adult support in a sample of urban, early adolescent, middle school students (mean age = 13.01; N = 2,495). Cluster analyses yielded six activity profiles: an uninvolved group (n = 775, 31.1%), a multiply…

The population of students attending Jewish day schools includes an increasing number of students with exceptional needs. How Jewish schools meet the needs of these students is an important question. Inclusive education is a service model predicated on legal and philosophical mores as well as pedagogical and psychological findings. The quality of…

Juvenile delinquency remains a significant problem for child welfare systems throughout the United States. Victims of child abuse and neglect are more likely relative to children in the general population to engage in delinquency (Ryan & Testa, 2005; Widom, 1989). Although the magnitude of this relationship is not fully understood (Zingraff,…

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit that challenges activities of the centers for faith-based initiatives in the Department of Education and other U.S. agencies. The centers are a key part of the Bush administration's push to promote the inclusion of religious organizations in government social-services programs. President Bush used…

Used the Personality Style Inventory to assess personality styles of members of religious organizations. Hare Krishna and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship members were similar to the Depressive personality. The International Meditation Society and the Divine Light Mission were of the Catatonic personality style. Unitarians tended to be…