Research at Calvin
Subdivided by Faith? Mulder and Smith publish historical review
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Congratulations to Drs. Mark Mulder of Sociology and James K.A. Smith of Philosophy, whose recently published article, "Subdivided by Faith? An Historical Account of Evangelicals and the City" (PDF) in Christian Scholar's Review, considers the role of culture, and religion in particular, as factors that influence the discussions of anti-urban bias in American society.
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The CSR and FTAP
Recently, the city of Grand Rapids and the Center for Social Research have been working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fast Track Accountability Program.
FTAP is a diversion program for people charged with non-violent misdemeanors like shoplifting or vandalism; by admitting guilt, apologizing, paying some restitution to the victim, and working at least 20 hours of community service, those who have been charged can be diverted from the traditional criminal justice system and avoid having charges reflected on their permanent record.
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This program centers on the idea of restorative justice: attempting to balance the needs of the offender, the victim, and the community. The current system treats crime as something committed against the state. Restorative justice recognizes that crimes have victims, and believes that those victims should have a voice in proceedings. Instead of a court case ending with a “winner” and a “loser,” restorative justice engages both sides of a crime and works to find a mutually beneficial solution.
Restorative justice aims at assisting victims and healing community. Having more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in America does very little to restore losses to victims or bring communities together. Empowering victims to seek restitution instead of leaving the offenders with jail time leaves everyone better off, and the U.S. could cut back on the $68 billion that it spends on corrections every year.
In fact, America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, so the success of a program like this could have far-reaching effects. It could be that fewer people will have the specter of a conviction hanging over them as they go on with life and search for jobs, and fewer families will be left in need by an incarcerated parent. Add to that the possible benefits of growing trust in the criminal justice system and you’ll understand why many people are excited about FTAP.
On the other hand, there are significant risks and expenses associated with any such experiment, including the possibility that the program has unintended negative consequences on crime rates or for victims. The city wants to be sure that reforms are effective and efficient before committing to any long-term reform.
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Preliminary Analysis for Clergy and Public Affairs Survey 2009
Final analysis has begun for 2009 Clergy and Public Affairs Survey concerning political beliefs and clergy practices from ten denominations. This year's survey continues a series of post-presidential election surveys conducted since 1980 for the Southern Baptist Convention and since 1988 for other denominations. Answers to frequently asked questions about the survey and a list of denominations can be found here.
CSR student Research Assistants were an integral part of the data collection process, stuffing thousands of envelopes inviting clergy to participate in either online or printable versions of the survey. Research Assistants also entered over 1,500 paper surveys to add to the more than 1,200 online surveys submitted.
Comparative demographic information from 2001 and 2009 post-election surveys (excluding PCUSA data for early analysis) shows that gender, ethnicity, and community size reported by participants have not changed significantly since 2001, but age of respondents has increased. Nearly 61 percent of respondents in 2001 fell into the category of 34 to 54 years of age. In 2009, only 48 percent fell into this category, and the category of 55 and older experienced a growth of 12 percent, making nearly 46 percent of respondents fall into this category.
In the following table, we see that the clergy seem to be leaning toward a theologically orthodox viewpoint. In 2009, clergy reported consistently higher percentages of agreement on the following measures of theological conservatism. However, clergy agreeing with the statement concerning Christ’s physical second coming have decreased by 1 percent. Perhaps the most interesting change is the increase from 2001 to 2009 in both Evangelical and Mainline clergy in total agreement with the statement “Adam and Eve were real people” by 8.2% and 12.6% respectively. Evangelical denominations consist of the Assemblies of God, Southern Baptists, the Christian Reformed Church, the Lutheran Missouri Synod, and the Mennonites. Mainline denominations consist of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Disciples of Christ, and the Reformed Church of America.
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“Community-Based Reforms of the Justice System”
CSR is pleased to sponsor a presentation by David LaGrand, Calvin graduate and current Grand Rapids City Commissioner. Long interested in social justice issues, Commissioner LaGrand’s resume includes a law degree, working in the prosecutor’s office, and volunteering in the prison ministry program. A founder of the Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) and advocate of the Restorative Justice approach to misdemeanors, including a “Fast Track Accountability Program” (FTAP), Commissioner LaGrand will discuss his part in reforming our local justice system.
Join us for information and a conversation about restorative justice in Grand Rapids:
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Meeter Center Lecture Hall Thursday, November 19, 3:30 p.m. |
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“Clergy: Pay and Performance”
How does the interaction of faith and economic activity affect religious organizations? Becky Haney, Assistant Professor of Economics at Calvin College will present the results of her research in this area. Her specific research interests include an examination of the theological and economic implications for the clergy labor market as well as comparaing and contrasting the free market with the mission of Christian denominations.
CSR invites you to take part in the discussion: |
Thursday October 22, 2009 3:30 p.m., Meeter Center Lecture Hall Calvin College |
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