CSR co-sponsors 2010 conference, “Reformed Mission in an Age of World Christianity”
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CSR is pleased to be a co-sponsor with other Calvin College Centers and Institutes of the 2010 Reformed Mission in an Age of World Christianity conference; follow this link to read more about it. Open to all, the June 15-17, 2010 conference immediately precedes the inaugural meeting of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) on Calvin's campus. Register now! Then read on for more about CSR's plans for a focus group research project at the conference. |
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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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New CSR Student Research Assistants
It’s a little delayed, but we’re pleased to announce that two new members have joined our student research assistant team. These two began working here in January, and they have been diligently entering data, sending out surveys, and otherwise learning the ropes.
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Tony Ditta Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI Year at Calvin: 2nd Majors: Economics & Mathematics Minor: Computer Sciences Favorite research software: Access |
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Kelsey McCallops Hometown: Hudson, Ohio Year at Calvin: 2nd Major: Psychology Favorite research software: Inquisite |
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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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Note from CSR Director, James Penning
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The 2008 presidential election was all about the economy, right?
Not so fast.
In a recently published book, The Disappearing God Gap? Religion and the 2008 Presidential Election (Oxford University Press, 2010), five scholarly colleagues and I challenge this assumption.
The key finding of the book is that religion mattered greatly in that election. While voting patterns among various religious groups did not differ markedly from patterns found in other recent presidential elections, religious groups were certainly forces to be reckoned with in 2008. Once again, conservative, evangelical Protestants proved to be a key, perhaps the key, component of the G.O.P. voting bloc. The predicted shift of evangelicals from Republican to Democrat support was modest at best. On the other hand, Barack Obama and the Democrats fared exceedingly well among the nation’s large and growing groups of Hispanic Protestants and Catholics.
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