Reprint of the original, first published in 1843.

How do people in poverty and homelessness change their lives and get back on their feet? Homeless shelters across the world play a huge role in this process. Many of them are religious, but there is a lot of diversity in faith-based non-profits that assist people affected by poverty and homelessness. In this timely book, the authors look at three homeless shelters that take more or less intensive approaches to faith, community, and programming. In one shelter, for instance, residents are required to do a program of classes that includes group Bible study, worship, and self-evaluation. The other two examined are significantly less faith-based, but in different ways and with different structures. The authors show how the three shelters tackle homelessness differently, drawing on narrative biographical interviews and case studies with residents, interviews with staff, and case study research of the three shelters. Entering into significant debates in social theory over religion, agency, cognitive action, and culture, this book is important reading for scholars and students in religious studies, sociology and social work.

The early believers of Jesus Christ knew that they were not just members of an organization, nor were they just an extension of Old Testament Judaism. They knew that they were followers of the living Lord Jesus Christ. They were members of a thing called the church. Through the centuries, the church has been the most powerful transforming force in history. Yet in America many observe it as anemic and powerless. Author Elmer Towns contends that there is good news; there are many things that are still right with the church. What Is Right With the Church affirms the positive things that are present in the church today, and what will carry it forward as a transforming force. This book is not a defense of the traditional church, nor does it run to embrace all new forms of worship. Rather this book examines the biblical nature of church allowing the best to come forth. It is not a book about old churches, new churches or home churches. It is a book about what is right about every true church, no matter the expression, history or culture. A growing number of people are not aware of the enduring strengths of the church. The author contends that if believers in Christ are to effectively move forward with healthy communities and a vibrant faith in this new century, they must be established on foundational, biblical truths and core values. And when this happens, the church thrives as a transforming force.

You said yes to coordinating the RCIA in your parish. You knew it was going to be a big commitment and require a lot of your time. But it turned out to be much bigger and more complex than you ever imagined. The more you learned about those asking to become Catholic, the more you realized that "the way we've always done it" just isn't going to work anymore if you want to form lifelong disciples. Something has to change. Leisa Anslinger, a veteran of RCIA leadership and parish planning, knows how to help communities develop a vision, navigate change, and bring out the best in their leaders and parishioners. In A Vision for Conversion: Eight Steps to Radically Change Your RCIA Process, Leisa walks you through the eight most effective ways to move your parish RCIA process from maintenance-mode into a true conversion journey that inspires seekers to lifelong discipleship. Whether you're an RCIA veteran or just getting started, this book will be your companion and guide as you plan for the change your parish needs to initiate seekers into Christ.

The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion offers a comprehensive exploration of the dynamics of religious conversion, which for centuries has profoundly shaped societies, cultures, and individuals throughout the world. Scholars from a wide array of religions and disciplines interpret both the varieties of conversion experiences and the processes that inform this personal and communal phenomenon. This volume examines the experiences of individuals and communities who change religions, those who experience an intensification of their religion of origin, and those who encounter new religions through colonial intrusion, missionary work, and charismatic and revitalization movements. The thirty-two innovative essays provide overviews of the history of particular religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, indigenous religions, and new religious movements. The essays also offer a wide range of disciplinary perspectives-psychological, sociological, anthropological, legal, political, feminist, and geographical-on methods and theories deployed in understanding conversion, and insight into various forms of deconversion.

This brief, interpretive history of American schooling focuses on the evolving relationship between education and social change. Like its predecessors, this new edition investigates the impact of social forces such as industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and cultural conflict on the development of schools and other educational institutions. It also examines the various ways that schools have contributed to social change, particularly in enhancing the status and accomplishments of certain social groups and not others. Detailed accounts of the experiences of women and minority groups in American history consider how their lives have been affected by education at key points in the past. Updates to this edition A revised final chapter updated to include recent changes in educational politics, finance, policy, and a shifting federal policy context Enhanced coverage and new conceptual frames for understanding the experiences of women and people of color in the midst of social change Edited throughout to update information and sources regarding the history of American education and related processes of social transformation in the nation’s past