Longitudinal Associations for Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Justice, and Compassion Among Seminary Students
Religious leaders shape values related to social order and social justice, prompting theological education to better prepare students for a diverse and unequal world. While right-wing authoritarianism is linked to prejudice and resistance to social change, little research has explored its relationship to social justice commitment and compassion. Read more
Measuring the Spiritual, Character, and Moral Formation of Seminarians: In Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual Change
Theological schools are well situated to create intentional cultures for the purpose of spiritual formation. Indeed, most schools of theology have this goal as an essential part of their mission as well as a requirement for continued accreditation. And yet, the measurement of spiritual formation over time is fraught with challenges. Read more
Latent Profiles of Seminary Students’ Perceptions of Sense of Community Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Existing research on sense of community in educational contexts shows positive associations with well-being and negative associations with mental health symptoms. However, exploration of students’ sense of community within the seminary context is minimal. Drawing on the relational spirituality model, which posits oscillating experiences of dwelling and seeking in a dialectical growth process, we framed sense of community as horizontal dwelling. Read more
Does Christianity Work?
How would we know if Christianity works? More significantly, our sense of “work” here is different. For Smith, Christianity works if it still persists in some manner—that is to say, Christianity works when there remain identifiable Christians committed to identifiable Christianity. Read more
Compassion and Humility as Predictors of Justice and Diversity Commitments Among Seminary Faculty
In 2017, the Association of Theological Schools sponsored the Preparing for 2040 Initiative to help theological schools and seminaries respond to the growing diversity in faith communities. Read more