Religion and Volunteering: Complex, contested and ambiguous relationships (Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies)

Religion Is Considered A Key Predictor Of Volunteering: The More Religious People Are, The More Likely They Are To Volunteer. This Positive Association Enjoys Significant Support In Current Research; In Fact, It Could Be Considered The ‘default Perspective’ On The Relationship Between Both Phenomena. In This Book, The Authors Claim That, Although The Dominant Approach Is Legitimate And Essential, It Nonetheless Falls Short In Grasping The Full Complexity Of The Interaction Between Religion And Volunteering. It Needs To Be Recognized That There Are Tensions Between Religion And Volunteering, And That These Tensions Are Intensifying As A Result Of The Changing Meaning And Role Of Religion In Society. Therefore, The Central Aim And Contribution Of This Book Is To Demonstrate That The Relationship Between Religion And Volunteering Is Not Univocal But Differentiated, Ambiguous And Sometimes Provocative. By Introducing The Reader To A Much Wider Landscape Of Perspectives, This Volume Offers A Richer, More Complex And Variable Understanding. Apart From The Established Positive Causality, The Authors Examine Tensions Between Religion And Volunteering From The Perspective Of Religious Obligation, Religious Change, Processes Of Secularization And Notions Of Post-secularity. They Further Explore How Actions That Are Considered Altruistic, Politically Neutral And Motivated By Religious Beliefs Can Be Used For Political Reasons. This Volume Opens Up The Field To New Perspectives On Religious Actors And On How Religion And Volunteering Are Enacted Outside Western Liberal And Christian Societies. It Emphasizes Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Including Theology, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology And Architecture. Chapter 1. Religion And Volunteering: Complex, Contested And Ambiguous Relationships -- Chapter 2. Christian Calling And Volunteering -- Chapter 3. If I Am Only For Myself, Who Am I? Volunteering And Righteousness In Judaism -- Chapter 4. Philanthropic Virtue -- Chapter 5. Religiosity And Formal Volunteering In Global Perspective -- Chapter 6. A Cross-national Examination Of Motivation To Volunteer: Religious Context, National Value Patterns, And Nonprofit Regimes -- Chapter 7. Volunteering Among Church Attendees In Australia: Individual And Collective Dimensions -- Chapter 8. Lost And Found In Secularization: A Religious Perspective On The Meaning Of Volunteering -- Chapter 9. Making Church Happen: Architectural Methods To Transform Flanders’ Parish Churches Into Civic Collectives -- Chapter 10. Restorative Justice And Volunteering In A Secular Age -- Chapter 11. Short-term Mission Voluntarism And The Post-secular Imaginary -- Chapter 12. Religion And Social Solidarity: A Pragmatist Approach -- Chapter 13. “your Prayer Moves God”: On The Relation Between Voluntarism, The Emergent Charismatic Movement In Beirut And Social Capital -- Chapter 14. Faith-based Organizations And Civic Engagement In Egypt: Can Fbos Be Agents For Change? -- Chapter 15. ‘go Back To Our Values’: Restoring Symbolic Hegemony Through Promoting ‘volunteering’ -- Chapter 16. Volunteering In Religious Communities: What Does It Bring To Society? Calculating Social Yield. Edited By Lesley Hustinx, Johan Von Essen, Jacques Haers, Sara Mels. International Conference Proceedings. Publication Date Based On Date From Preface. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Religion is considered a key predictor of volunteering: the more religious people are, the more likely they are to volunteer. This positive association enjoys significant support in current research; in fact, it could be considered the ĺldefault perspectiveĺl on the relationship between both phenomena. In this book, the authors claim that, although the dominant approach is legitimate and essential, it nonetheless falls short in grasping the full complexity of the interaction between religion and volunteering. It needs to be recognized that there are tensions between religion and volunteering, and that these tensions are intensifying as a result of the changing meaning and role of religion in society. Therefore, the central aim and contribution of this book is to demonstrate that the relationship between religion and volunteering is not univocal but differentiated, ambiguous and sometimes provocative. By introducing the reader to a much wider landscape of perspectives, this volume offers a richer, more complex and variable understanding. Apart from the established positive causality, the authors examine tensions between religion and volunteering from the perspective of religious obligation, religious change, processes of secularization and notions of post-secularity. They further explore how actions that are considered altruistic, politically neutral and motivated by religious beliefs can be used for political reasons. This volume opens up the field to new perspectives on religious actors and on how religion and volunteering are enacted outside Western liberal and Christian societies. It emphasizes interdisciplinary perspectives, including theology, philosophy, sociology, political science, anthropology and architecture Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Religion and Volunteering....Pages 1-20 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 Christian Calling and Volunteering....Pages 23-40 If I Am Only for Myself, Who Am I?....Pages 41-57 Philanthropic Virtue....Pages 59-74 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 Religiosity and Formal Volunteering in Global Perspective....Pages 77-96 A Cross-National Examination of the Motivation to Volunteer....Pages 97-120 Volunteering Among Church Attendees in Australia....Pages 121-143 Front Matter....Pages 145-145 Lost and Found in Secularization....Pages 147-167 Making Church Happen....Pages 169-190 Restorative Justice and Volunteering in a Secular Age....Pages 191-215 Short-Term Mission Voluntarism and the Postsecular Imaginary....Pages 217-237 Front Matter....Pages 239-239 Religion and Social Solidarity....Pages 241-261 ‘Your Prayer Moves God’....Pages 263-282 Faith-Based Organizations and Civic Engagement in Egypt....Pages 283-303 ‘Going Back to Our Values’....Pages 305-327 Volunteering in Religious Communities....Pages 329-343 Back Matter....Pages 345-352