Christian Research Association

Educating For A Purposeful Life Conference

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:53:10 +0000

This conference was held on 5th and 6th August. It brought together a great variety of speakers on the themes of:

young people’s spirituality
developing passions and interests
the mental health of young people
developing leadership for a better world.

The presentation for the opening address by Philip Hughes is now available. Click here.

The

Program For Roundtable On ’shaping Australia’s Spirituality’

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:17:34 +0000

Shaping the Spirituality of the Nation

Tuesday 31^st August 2010

9.00 – 9.15	Opening Liturgy	Maria George (Elwood Catholic Parish)
9.15 – 9.30	Opening	Geraldine Doogue (ABC presenter of Compass)
9.30 – 10.30	The National Spirit	Philip Hughes (CRA), Alan Black (ECU) and Ruth Powell (NCLS)
Morning tea
11.00 – 12.30 pm	Plenary Discussion on the National Spirit	Rod Pattenden (Blake Prize for religious art chair) Des Cahill (professor of International Studies, RMIT) Colleen O’Reilly (Anglican Priest, St George’s) Norm Habel (Prof Flinders University) James Haire (Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture)
Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 pm	Small Group Discussions	Spirituality in the Public Service (Doug Hynd, DFAT) Spirituality in a Globalising Society (Des Cahill, RMIT) Spirituality of the Environment (Norm Habel, Flinders Uni) The Church in Public Life (James Haire) Wellbeing and the Approach to Life (Alan Black)
2.30 – 3.30 pm	Small Group Discussions	Spirituality and Art (Rod Pattenden) Spirituality in the National Midi-Narrative (Philip Hughes, CRA) Spirituality in the National Media (John Cleary, ABC) The Church’s Public Voice (Archbishop Philip Freier, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne) Aboriginal Spirituality (Vicki Clark, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry)
Afternoon Tea
4.00 – 5.00 pm	Closing Plenary – The Day’s Discussions

Day 2. Wednesday 1^st September.

The Spirituality of Youth

9.00 – 9.30	Opening Reflections: Bible Principles and the Spirituality of Young People	Rev Denise Nicholls (ACCESS Ministries)
9.30 – 10.30	The Spirituality of Youth: Research	Philip Hughes, Claire Pickering (CRA), and Kath Engebretson (ACU)
Morning tea
11.00 – 12.30 pm	Plenary Discussion on the Spirituality of Youth	Ruth Pinkerton (SU, Tasmania) Sue Kloeden (Lutheran Education, Queensland) Malcolm Hart (Youth Ministry, Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference)
Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 pm	Small Group Discussions	Teaching Spirituality (Ruth Pinkerton, SU Tasmania) Understanding the World of Contemporary Young People (Mark Slater) Religious Education in Schools (Kath Engebretson, ACU) Training Youth Workers (Phil Dougherty, Tabor) Evangelising Youth (Grant Bickerton and Dave Huddleston, Campus Crusade for Christ)
2.30 – 3.30 pm	Small Group Discussions	Training Chaplains (Dave Fuller) Spirituality among Young Australians (Claire Pickering, CRA) Christian Education in Government Schools (Denise Nicholls, ACCESS Ministries) The Ministry of Faith-based Schools (Sue Kloeden, Lutheran Education (Queensland) World Youth Day (Malcolm Hart, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference)
Afternoon Tea
4.00 – 5.00 pm	Closing Plenary – The Day’s Discussions

Day 3. Thursday 2^nd September

Shaping Spirituality in Family, Workplace and Community

9.00 – 9.30	Opening Reflections: Bible Principles and the Spirituality of Family, Workplace & Community	Rev Dr Gordon Preece (UrbanSeed)
9.30 – 10.30	The Spirituality of Family, Workplace and Community: Research	Philip Hughes, Stephen Reid (CRA), and Lindsay Carey (Chaplaincy)
Morning tea
11.00 – 12.30 pm	Plenary Discussion on the Spirituality of Family, Workplace and Community	Lindsay McMillan (Converge International) Theresa Vassarotti (ACU) Rick Brouwer (Total Wellbeing) Terry Butler (Avondale College)
Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 pm	Small Group Discussion	Spirituality and Work-life Balance (Lindsay McMillan, Converge International) Men in the Church (John Farquharson, Salvation Army) Health Care Chaplaincy (Lindsay Carey) Health and Faith (Terry Butler, Avondale College)
2.30 – 3.30 pm	Small Group Discussion	Spirituality and Work (Gordon Preece) Women, Spirituality and the Church (Therese Vassarotti) Building Social Capital (Philip Hughes) A Ministry of Total Wellbeing (Rick Brouwer)
Afternoon Tea
4.00 – 5.00 pm	Closing Plenary – The Day’s Discussions

Thursday Evening 6.30 pm – 9.00 pm Conference Dinner – Novotel Hotel, Glen Waverley

Speaker: Rev Dr Bruce Kaye (former secretary of the Anglican General Synod and one of the founders of the CRA)

Also – Launch of the 3rd edition of Australia’s Religious Communities CD-Rom by Dr Trevor Batrouney

Day 4. Friday 3^rd September

Shaping the Spirituality of the Church

9.00 – 9.30	Opening Reflections: Bible Principles and the Spirituality of the Church	Dr Merrill Kitchen (past principal of the Churches of Christ Theological College)
9.30 – 10.30	The Spirituality of the Church: Research	Philip Hughes (CRA), Bob Dixon (PPO), Ruth Powell (NCLS) and Darren Cronshaw (Baptist Union of Victoria)
Morning tea
11.00 – 12.30 pm	Plenary Discussion on the Spirituality of the Churches	Bruce Kaye (Anglican Church) Rob Steed (Seventh-day Adventist) Tim Hein (Uniting Church, Adelaide) Brendon Roach (Principal, Harvest Bible College)
Lunch
1.30 – 2.30 pm	Small Group Discussion	Emerging Churches (Darren Cronshaw, Baptist Union of Victoria) Factors Contributing to Vitality in the Catholic Church (Bob Dixon, Pastoral Projects Office, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference) Possibilities for Urban Churches (Tim Hein, Uniting Church, South Australia) Educating Lay Leaders (Jenny Byrnes, Uniting Church) How do we act out our critique of society? (Bruce Kaye)
2.30 – 3.30 pm	Small Group Discussion	Common ground: how churches provide forums for engaging spirituality (Ruth Powell, NCLS Research) Mentoring Church Leaders (Rob Steed, Seventh-day Adventist, chair of CRA) Possibilities for Rural Churches (Philip Hughes, CRA) Welcoming Migrants and Refugees into Australian Churches (Brenda Hubber, Melbourne Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office) Training Leaders (Brendon Roach)
Afternoon Tea
4.00 – 5.00 pm	Closing Plenary – The Day’s Discussions

Bible Engagement Among Australian Young People

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:50:59 +0000

Conservatively interpreted, the surveys show that around 4 per cent of young people read the
Bible daily, another 6 per cent read it weekly, and 15 to 20 per cent read it very occasionally.
About 70 per cent never read it. The frequency of Bible reading is a little greater among older
young people, although this is probably a result of changing history patterns over generations and
not related to age.
Of those who read the Bible daily or weekly, most attend church services and youth activities, such
as a Bible study group. Most also have parents and friends who attend church frequently. Those
who read it frequently are mostly involved in Protestant Evangelical or Charismatic
denominations, such as the Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Seventh-day
Adventists.
For a full account of Bible engagement among young people, click here to read the full report which was commissioned by the Bible Society (South Australia).

Shaping Australia’s Spirituality – National Roundtable 2010

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:17:51 +0000

There is still time to register for the national Roundtable on ‘Shaping Australia’s Spirituality’. Registrations close on Friday 27th August at 12 noon.

We invite you to participate in four days of conversations on faith within the Australian context, now and into the future. Each day will bring together an exploration of Christian principles with contemporary research and reflection on Christian ministry and mission. In the afternoon, small groups will explore the variety of contemporary forms of ministry.

Program

Tuesday 31st August: Spirituality in the Nation.
Wednesday 1st September: Spirituality of Youth.
Thursday 2nd September: Spirituality in Family, Workplace and Community.
Friday 3rd September: Spirituality in the Church.

The Roundtable will be held at the Glen Waverley Uniting Church and the Ibis Hotel, both of which are located on Kingsway, Glen Waverley, Victoria.

Book on-line at www.cra.org.au/spirituality_roundtable.

Lausanne Conference A Success

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:05:42 +0000

The fifth Lausanne Researchers’ Conference was heldin April 2008. Around sixty interested attendees came from around the world to participate. If you are interested, some of the papers presented are now published on the Lausanne Researcher’s International Network website:
www.lrin.org

The next Lausanne Researchers’ Conference will be held in Sao Paulo in April 2011. Details will be posted on this website soon.

Christian Education In The Uniting Church

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:49:41 +0000

The CRA undertook a major study of Christian Education in the Uniting Church. The first part of this study involved focus groups at around 30 churches in most states of Australia. It was followed by a survey of more than 4800 Uniting Church attenders in approximately 240 congregations.

A Maze Or A System?

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:48:41 +0000

A Maze or a System? explores the changes that have occurred since the 1970s in the ways Australians have seen the world. It argues that the worldview has changed from ‘a system’ to ‘a maze’. It looks at implictions of this change in worship, education and theology. Please feel free to download this sample Research Paper.

Research Papers are supplied in Adobe Acrobat format and require an appropriate reader to view.

Maze or System

Reaction, Introspection And Exploration: Diversity In Journeys Out Of Faith

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:47:18 +0000

This research paper, written by Zina O’Leary, tells the story of people who have moved out of religious faith.

It reats the process of rejecting Christian faith, referred to in this paper, as ‘apostasy’, as a product of social change. Apostasy is not seen as merely an aberration or problematic rupture in religious socialisation. Rather, apostasy is explored in relation to dissatisfaction with, and resistance to, traditional forms of religion that are no longer meeting the emotional needs or providing satisfactory values or ways of seeing the world.

Data was derived from in-depth interviews with 80 Australians from two groups: 40 who gave up religious beliefs prior to 1967 and 40 who gave up beliefs post 1982, with an eye towards understanding recent changes in Australian society.

A typology was constructed based on the nature of the processes through which people moved away from faith. Three types were found in both groups: anomic apostasy in which the process was a reactionary or rebellious response to a particular event; egoistic apostasy in which the journey reflected an intense intellectual exercise in confusion and detachment; and postmodern apostasy in which the quest for knowing was based on a desire to explore options of spiritual possibilities beyond immediate experience.

An examination of how those types varied between the two groups suggests that the experiences in moving away from faith of younger generations may vary significantly from those of their forbears. Implications of these findings are highly significant and offer important information about the shifting needs and desires of many Australians not met through traditional Christianity.

Price: $7.95 including postage. Order through the CRA.

Social Capital And Religious Faith

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:46:58 +0000

This paper was written by Philip Hughes (CRA), John Bellamy (NCLS) and Alan Black (Edith Cowan University). It was published by Zadok, but is available from the CRA. The paper explores the nature of social capital and the ways in which religious faith contributes or fails to contribute to it.

It notes the failing levels of trust in people and confidence in organisations in Australian society as measured by the World Values Surveys of 1983 and 1995.

Drawing on the Australian Community Survey (1998) conducted by ECU and NCLS, it explores some of the factors which contribute to social trust:
altruism, desire to understand people and an openness to people of different backgrounds. It notes how personal vulnerability contributes to lack of trust.

It finds that there is no evidence of increased trust in others among people who describe themselves as religious. Indeed, some times theological perspectives in which the world is seen as ‘evil’ hinder the development of trust. It argues, however, that a recognition of God’s creative activity in every part of creation can form the basis for seeking to build a better and more trusting society.

Price $7.95 including postage from the CRA.

Values And Religion: A Case Study Of Environmental Concern

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:46:41 +0000

Written by Philip Hughes, this paper explores the relationship between attitudes towards the environment and Christian belief among Australians. It uses data from the 1994 National Social Science Survey.

Statistically, it would appear that religious beliefs and practices make very little difference in themselves to attitudes and actions about the environment. Upon deeper analysis, however, it is apparent that religious beliefs and practices make a considerable difference, but Christian traditions work in a variety of ways. While respect for God as creator does mean respect for creation, this translates into action in different ways for different people. For some it means that creation is there for human use, while for others it means respect for the inherent spirituality of nature. For some it means leaving the environment alone, while for others it means management for human purposes.

The study looks at the implications of this particular example for the dynamic relationship between religious beliefs and values in general. People do not simply develop their values as local deductions from their beliefs. Rather, they come to affirm a variety of different beliefs and from different sources, and the process of working out how these beliefs and values should relate to each other is, for many, a life-long quest.

Price: $7.95 including postage.
24 A4 pages. Available from the CRA.