To get a clear understanding of the contributions by faith-based social services and where they stand, it is important to first define a faith-based organization and explore the theories from which they derive. Staff of these organizations may most often share the same faith and provide service in accord with their beliefs. “For some faith-based organizations, faith is manifest in the act of service itself, conspicuous in the compassion inherent in the way work is performed. For others there are programmatic elements which may include prayer, the teaching of religious values, studying religious texts, and worship. These elements may be implied, rather than explicit -- integrated within an faith-based organizations services or segregated – and may either be mandatory or voluntary as part of a given service” (The Roundtable). Faith-based organizations can be made up of different categories such as, congregation-based, independent religiously-affiliated nonprofits, large national faith-affiliated social service providers, and coalitions or intermediaries (The Roundtable). To provide a definitive breakdown of each organization could be everlasting, however, each organization involves some of the same aspects. Many of us might be familiar with the larger multi-service faith-based organizations they include: Life Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services, Lutheran Social Services, Salvation Army, and Volunteers of America (The Roundtable). Faith-based organizations mentioned above are more likely than not to contain explicitly religious elements in their activities. “The Roundtable staff developed and refined a Faith Integration Scale that places faith-based organizations along a continuum ranging from those that are indistingu...
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...ions provided love, nurture, and help which my provide long lasting support to an individual who was once ready to dive into a state of depression.
Faith- based organizations work could be viewed as inappropriate in our current time, although little is known about the role that “faith” plays in bringing about desired change in the lives of social service recipients. In my eyes the services provided are in no way inappropriate. Religious or not, I believe most people have a sense of a higher being which is in control of our lives. Even if religion did not play a factor, faith-based organizations contribute greatly to aiding the ways of poverty.
Works Cited
Williams, Leslie. “A Free Clinic Is Providing Desperately Needed Health-Care Cervices In Eastern N.O.” The Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy. 19 Jun 2006. The Times-Picayune. 10 Oct. 2008
“In 1910, two-thirds of the hospital space was made up of charity patients and 60%of the income was from charity. In 1963, the fees from paying patients constituted 90.92% of the income.” (Gable v. Sisters of St. Francis, Pennsylvania)
Churches have historically sought to minister to the special needs of widows, orphans and the aged. Today many churches are reexamining their efforts along these lines in light of the changing cultural and social situation. As concern for the plight of the aged has increased, so too have the resources available to the church. Health systems, social agencies and informational services all stand ready to provide support to churches taking on new projects or otherwise strengthening their ministry with the aging.
(2010). Spiritual diversity in social work practice the heart of helping. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice b) Every disciple, every authentic Christian, must be on the road: not yet arrived or perfect, but moving, striving, falling and restarting in hope, and this ethos applies to the tackling of Third World poverty and injustice. Over one billion people are living in poverty today. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. All over the world, disparities between rich and poor, even in the wealthiest of nations is rising sharply.
Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) in New Orleans Following Hurricane Katrina. Administration In Social Work, 36(4), 359-389. doi:10.1080/03643107.2011.604401
Reese, Philip. Public Agenda Foundation. The Health Care Crisis: Containing Costs, Expanding Coverage. New York: McGraw, 2002.
What Jonathan Walters is so clearly observing is the need for men and women in all areas of life (education, government, psychology, medicine, etc) to become active in solving the issue….together. The church is undoubtedly filled with people of influence in all of the aforementioned areas and yet the church body is failing to obey fundamental Biblical commands that deal with social justice. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., famously once said "it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning”…and while he was referring to racial segregation, his comment holds true in terms of classism and social segregation. If we are to ever see an end to homelessness, the Church must become proactive, missional and obedient to the teachings of Jesus.
Shi Leiyu, SinghDouglas A. “Essentials of the United States health care system” March 5, 2009
it hard for the countries in the South to even try and get out of
Klein, Rudolf. 1995 The New Politics of the National Health Service, 3rd ed. New York: Longman.
Gentry, Kenneth L. "Problems With Public Welfare." Chalcedon Podcast RSS Synergema, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Dorrien, Gary. "Treating Health Care as a Human Right Would Reduce Health Care Costs." Universal Health Care. Ed. Susan C. Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Health Care Fix (The Role of Public Option)." Christian Century (14 July 2009). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
For example, is Tyson Foods which ranks 75 on the Fortune 500 list. They have managed to incorporate Christian values into their corporate culture by providing chaplains of all faiths at the work place. This has resulted in increased productivity. For all employees and especially those who may not be religious find the chaplains as a safe avenue to share their problems with instead of leaving work. In addition, Tyson Foods donates food to the poor making them socially
So, where do we get the money needed to provide free clinics? I think it should come straight from the source of the problem. States that have legalized gambling use gambling as a way to generate additional revenue through fees and taxes (6). The extra r...
As the practical influence was the more important of the two, the Catholic Church developed an extremely large practical role in the social services before it evolved. Today this order is being reversed. The church’s role as a service provider was deteriorating mainly because falling vocations left the church without suitable persons to sustain their roles. The reputation of the Catholic Church has also been stained by the found information of the shocking abuses committed by members of the Catholic Clergy on vulnerable people, particularly children, whom had been placed in their care. Despite the effects of these scandals, the new means of influencing social policy debate has a substantial effectiveness and may well offer a means by which the church can play an important role in the development of social policy in the future (Socialjustice.com. 2014).