<p> This project in ministry concentrates on the new evangelization for pastoral workers in an increasingly secular environment. The new evangelization calls upon pastoral ministers to respond to signs of the times. The Church by its very nature is missionary, and the new evangelization brings to the forefront in the hearts and minds of ministers awareness of the on-going missionary activity of the Church. The spirit of the new evangelization calls for more creativity and renewed verve in promoting the Gospel to those who do not know Christ and to those who have separated themselves from the Church, and to exercise greater pastoral care to those who belong to the local worshipping community. This project concentrates on ministering proactively to couples desiring to have their child baptized in their local parish and for the parish staff to build a relationship with young families. My pastoral experience has shown that the vast majority of parents seeking the sacrament of Baptism have not been associated with a parish for a number of years. </p><p> I examine the foundational causes of the growing decline in organized religion in the United States. The extensive research of Dr. Linda A. Mecadante helps to explore the increasingly popular &ldquo;I am spiritual but not religious&rdquo; ethos. This project also provides detailed analysis of the growth of secularism in the West, in particular, the intellectual and spiritual contribution of Pope Benedict XVI.</p>

<p> The main purpose of this research was to explore the ways the members of church-based small groups of various denominations in Southern California have experienced transformative learning, and to identify the factors that contribute to that experience. </p><p> A qualitative research was conducted. Purposeful sampling was used, and the data was collected by semi structured interviews between May to September 2015. The interviewees had at least two years of experience in a church-based small group and had experienced a major change in their worldviews and values. A total of 22 people from six different churches were selected. Data was analyzed using the program NVivo 10. </p><p> The data analysis was done in two main sections. In the first section the transformative learning experiences of the participants were discussed. Some of the transformative learning experiences of the participants had started outside the small group, but the small group supported the person during the hard time of transformation. In the second section factors that fostered transformative learning were discussed. Ten major themes came up: relationships, Bible, God, good examples, problems, ministry, Christian literature, willingness, preaching of the church and church retreats. The most prominent theme was relationship, which had two main subcategories: Small group and one on one relationships. Small group in itself had nine subcategories: praying, discussion, love, sharing, accountability, transparency, support, fellowship and safe environment. </p><p> Implications of the study were presented: the church should faithfully teach the Bible; the church should provide opportunities for the members to get connected and develop relationships; to foster transformation within the small group, besides studying the Bible, the leader should provide room for discussions, sharing and fellowship; to support the members during transformation the group should be a safe haven, the Bible should be taught, but also relationships should be nurtured by sharing, praying for each other and holding each other accountable; role models should be available; serving should be encouraged; the members should be exposed to Christian literature; joining sermon-based small groups should be encouraged ; the group leaders should be attentive to the Spirit&rsquo;s works and flexible to adapt their plans.</p>

<p> Every summer, hundreds of college athletes attend The Ultimate Training Camp (UTC), at which Athletes in Action offers a curriculum entitled, <i> The Principles of Competition</i> (aka <i>Five Principles</i>). The intent is to teach a Christian perspective of sports so that athletes would learn both the philosophy and the skill of competing <i>Christianly. </i> Both the <i>Principles</i> and the camp pedagogy have been refined over several decades to become what seems to be an effective methodology, but refinement has been based on informal evaluation without access to more empirical data. The purpose of this study is to observe, measure, and evaluate the level of learning acquired by camp participants&mdash; including consideration and application of Dallas Willard&rsquo;s learning framework of <i>vision, intention,</i> and <i>means</i> (VIM)&mdash;in order to better understand how the <i>Principles</i> are perceived, and to establish a model for future studies. An evaluative survey was developed, administered online, and responded to by over forty UTC alumni. Results revealed that certain Principles were remembered to a much greater degree than others, but overall response to the VIM model was favorable, and factored into the students&rsquo; continued Christian growth. Further evaluation led to some suggestions for possible changes in UTC methodology, and more complete data collection. Further studies in this vein are recommended.</p><p>

<p> Performance-based identity and sexual scripts play a critical role in shaping the masculine identity of young adult Christian males, undermining their spiritual formation. Young men&rsquo;s perceptions of, and interactions with, family culture, non-Christian peers, and society at large further intensify the impact of these scripts. The negative results of these influences include a license for premarital sex, the delay of marriage, and a view of manhood inconsistent with the good news of salvation by grace through Christ Jesus. Through interviews with eleven young adult men these scripts were identified and labeled to capture the characteristics of these sexual narratives. Eight scripts were discovered and named such as Stud, Venus, C.R.E.A.M, and Bachelor Pad among others. For instance, the Stud script is a young man who has achieved experiential wisdom and self-confidence from having lost his virginity. Most Studs typically experience a time of high sexual activity before moving into monogamous sexual relationships. The benefit of being initiated into the script removes any regrets from having engaged in premarital sex even though most were only teenagers. Ironically entry into the status of Stud occurred through the initiation of a Venus. Venus describes the assertive young lady, for most a fellow teenager, who was the co-initiator in the loss of virginity. Venus however was not a one-time sexual relationship but also the description of the sexual desires and expectations of their female counterparts.</p>

<p> The purpose of writing An Evaluation of The Journey Within: Soul Care in the African American Context to implement an eight week curriculum of intentional and experiential practice of spiritual formation/soul care to determine the impact of the Journey Within: Soul Care on a Christian believer&rsquo;s emotional health and spiritual maturity in the African American context. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p>

<p> This study explored and sought to understand the factors that lead to students&rsquo; spiritual development at a secular institution. I focused on examining the perceptions of the students in determining the factors that facilitated individual spiritual growth. The rationale behind conducting this research was that colleges and universities desire for students to have a transformative and holistic experience. Knowing the factors that facilitate growth might enable university officials to intentionally create environments that stimulate growth for all students. Using a qualitative research design, I utilized methods for establishing a grounded theory because I sought to explain how students use their social, spiritual, and emotional experiences to impact their spiritual development. I interviewed 18 upper-division, Christian students of two regional secular state-assisted universities. All interviewed students were involved with local chapters of the nationally established parachurch college student organization. The data displayed a distinct difference between the first year of a student&rsquo;s academic career and subsequent years. The students detailed the first year being a time of confusion and turmoil while the upper-division years were calmer for them a period in which context is important during a time of disruption. Choices consisted of the themes of involvement and authenticity, or aligning behaviors, because of opportunities for reflection. Finally, the change category provided rich data about triggers or internal dialogue that followed from students&rsquo; experiences with disruptions to their routine thinking. Relationships, mentoring, or reading created disruptions in routine thinking. The data suggested that for students to experience growth in their spiritual identity, they must undergo a trigger that disrupts their normal thinking patterns. The reflective disruption model emerged from the vertical structure that was built from the bottom to the top with the themes of context, choice, and change. The four areas comprising the matrix&rsquo;s four concept horizontal matrix are relationships, authenticity, involvement, and spiritual actions. The reflective disruption model provides a foundation upon which future research may be built.</p>

Adolescent spiritual formation continues to decline despite the intentional efforts of religious organizations, including Christian schools. Christian schools remain tasked with fostering spiritual development in the lives of students with spiritual formation strategies (SFS), despite generational changes. The following qualitative single-case study examined how 20 Generation Z students perceived their personal spiritual formation and the influence of SFS within a single Christian school in the southwestern United States. Fowler’s stages of faith theory and Westerhoff’s spiritual development theory served as the frameworks in this study to examine the spiritual development of adolescents. Through purposeful sampling, the case unit of analysis for this study included Grade 10 and 11 Generation Z students. Three sources of data included school documents, questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Clarke and Braun’s thematic data analysis strategy was used to develop codes and themes. Nine themes that emerged as findings from the data: faith community, relationships, Bible relevancy, owned faith, personal awareness, faith matters, faith requires action, faith must be owned, and faith involves trust. Results indicated that the SFS of Christian schools could reach all stages of faith development. However, SFS that included mentoring relationships with teachers, relevant Bible teaching and application, support during spiritual struggles, and authenticity served as the greatest spiritual catalysts in the lives of Generation Z students. These results implicate that Christian schools do not need to adopt new SFS for Generation Z, but rather they need to modify and change the approach of these SFS. Keywords: Generation Z spiritual formation, adolescent spiritual development, Christian education, spiritual formation strategies, spirituality, Bible classes

The purpose of this study was to bring more clarification to the concepts of spirituality and happiness, their meaning, attainability, and position in the field of Multicultural Education. In general, people think they will find joy and happiness if they graduate from a post-secondary educational institution with an undergraduate or graduate degree, find a good work environment, position, salary, living standards, status, etc. Yet, in the real world there may be a different way to find genuine happiness and joy which is fair, simple, easy and equal for all human beings even those who cannot afford higher levels of education. In order to present the data, the study discussed the life, philosophy and teachings of Imam Sheikh Iskender Ali Mihr, president of Mihr Foundation in Turkey, International Mihr Foundation in the United States and University of Allah in Virginia, and utterly an Ottoman. The review of literature was also included to assist the readers to grasp the different perspectives of the subject matter. Education should be inclusive and equal for all and so should joy and happiness! In today's world where diversity is the key factor for almost every community, it is important for educators (teachers/instructors/administrators) to know what shapes students' lives. This study encompassed the idea that only educating our students' minds and bodies is not enough, and without spirituality the education is not complete. As Pamela Leigh (1997) stated, "...acknowledging that people come to work with more than their bodies and minds, they bring individual talents and unique spirits" (p. 26). Students also come with their unique spirits and we should take them as a whole and value them with all the qualities they possess. Nurturing their spirit should be part of our school system. No matter if they believe in God or not, educators should be ready to address the aspect of spirituality and religion. The research was to bring a greater understanding to questions such as how we can better accommodate students' different spiritual beliefs, what the pros and cons are of bringing them together or keeping them separate. In order to answer these questions in a fashionable manner, we need to know "how much the spiritual beliefs of these students shape their cultures and their lives." In a greater context, the questions like; what we really know about 'true' Islam as one of the fastest growing beliefs in the U.S., is it any different than other beliefs or is it the same, is there a way to eradicate the Islam-phobia that occurred after the 9/11 attack, what was the Ottoman Islamic model, were also answered. As educators, how do we cope with students who hear voices and start shooting around in a schoolyard, or students who binge drink or get suicidal? Even more importantly, how do we help the remaining population live a healthy and happy life without thinking of ending their own or others' lives, as these examples turn out to be a daily life for us all! The remainder of this study looked at the "neutrality" of the school systems in the United States. Should educators stay neutral or not will be each individual's decision to make.