Faith-based colleges and universities in America have historically been described as "church-related." Unfortunately, this classification is too one-dimensional, revealing virtually nothing about how faith-based identity influences the mission, rhetoric, curriculum, or policies of institutions. Although scholars have advanced…

The way faith is formed depends upon the zeitgeist, the spirit of the age. Faith formation cannot happen in a vacuum. It is shaped and informed by all that is happening. In our time, the COVID-19 pandemic is happening. In this essay I reflect on faith formation amid the zeitgeist of the Coronavirus, considering ways that the pandemic requires…

A growing number of new faith communities in North America are emerging as part of the Wild Church Network. These outdoor church expressions seek to re-acquaint, re-cover, and re-member their faith communities as loving participants of the larger community of Creation. This paper explores theological foundations and spiritual practices grounding…

The Bible tells keeners to teach lament to a faith community and to the daughters of the community when evil and injustice are rampant. This intriguing demand draws the attention of the faith community to how lament works and how it can become a community practice to deal with suffering. This study specifically challenges the adequacy of the…

Informed by social and cultural perspectives, this article examines the religious literacies of sixteen Latter-day Saint young adults. Religious literacy for them was a deeply embedded religiosocial experience involving family, friends, and others associated with the faith (people); activities, events, and courses they participated in (programs);…

This study explored the spiritual needs of Christian families by surveying and holding focus groups with parents and congregational leaders. We discovered a disconnect between what congregational leaders think is happening with families and the lived experience of families. Congregational leaders often perceive the lack of church engagement from…

This article describes how communal aspects of faith find their way back into the lives of adolescents. The communal aspects of faith within individualized societies need more attention. It seems that with the current emphasis on individual faith, the intrinsic power of communal aspects of faith has been lost. This study shows that informal…

Spiritual maturity is the goal of Christian formation and is frequently understood through stages of faith development. Popular stage theories often lack diverse cultural representation and alone are insufficient in promoting spiritual maturity and resilience. Integrating elements of the developmental models of Lev Vygotsky and James Marcia…

This article explores religious and spiritual influences that motivate adolescents to show kindness toward their peers who are outside their friend group. Findings from semi-structured interviews with 21 students from eight Christian high schools show the importance of presence, modeling, resources, and education for supporting adolescent…

There is significant research on the built environment's support for children's optimal learning in educational settings. While faith itself is transmitted through conversation with God, the process of conversation, as well as a child's interaction and growth within their community, is affected by the physically built environment of the classroom.…

Since the publication of Pope Francis' landmark encyclical (2015), "Laudato Si," there has been a robust discussion among religious educators concerning the notion of ecological conversion. Drawing on this rich scholarship, this paper strives to move from the "what" of ecological conversion to the "how"; that is, how…

To be colorblind suggests a race-neutral perspective whereby no theological anthropological meaning is attached to one's physical embodiment. Colorblind ideology benefits the hegemony and negates the "imago Dei" of people of color and their long history with individual and institutional racism. This article advocates for the use of…

Undergraduate, entry-level theology instruction at Catholic universities is expected to meet a wide range of learning outcomes. This article asserts that courses can and should be designed for learning outcomes not only in the cognitive domain, but in the affective domain as well, which in turn may impact personal choices and faith practices of…

Clergy sexual abuse is happening in faith communities. Particularly, Korean immigrant churches, though playing crucial roles in empowering immigrants' agency and providing support networks, often fail to support survivors because of both a dysfunction of culture and a fragmented educational ministry. Along with the #ChurchToo movement, young women…

This article examines identity development in light of Charles Taylor's notion of the "Buffered Self." Educating in faith toward the deconstruction of unjust identity norms requires finding a pathway out of this constrictive underlying structure. In particular, the manner in which religious educators address the promises and perils that…