Research On Religion » Hurricane Katrina

Jamie Aten on Religion and Disasters (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 08:00:28 +0000

When disaster strikes your community, who ya gonna call? Churches and other religious organizations, that’s who! As an integral part of civil society, religious congregations are often the best positioned to be first responders in an emergency, and to be the organizations that can offer long-term recovery assistance long after other emergency responders have moved on. Prof. Jamie Aten, the Rech Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, discusses his experience with natural and man-made disasters and what churches can do to assist in such emergencies. We begin with Jamie’s own incredible story of how he came upon this topic, moving to southern Mississippi in the late summer of 2005, mere days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. His experience with that storm, and his ability to cull together his research team to study how congregations responded to that event, led him to focus on how religious groups play a role in disaster planning and recovery. Prof. Aten emphasizes that disaster assistance isn’t merely about tangible resources such as water bottles and blankets, but involves a network of relationships. He draws upon a variety of examples from his research and personal experience to show how churches need to understand their own ministerial strengths, and play to those in developing an emergency response plan. For example, congregations that devote a great deal of attention to elderly care would best be situated to help with senior citizens during a crisis. He also talks about the importance of developing a disaster response plan and involving members of the congregation who have relevant skills; laying all the planning and coordination on the shoulders of a pastor is not necessarily a good way to go about this task. Jamie raises the example of a “chainsaw ministry” that helped with tree clearing and construction-related issues following one storm. He further talks about experiences in other parts of the world including Japan, where there is not a strong Christian culture, and the Philippines, where asking poor communities to plan for disasters is not a realistic option (as storing food amongst a starving population is not the best use of resources). Throughout our discussion, Prof. Aten mentions the role of resilience and fortitude, and connects this to how churches — as members of a community — are often best situated to provide these needed emotional and spiritual resources. Moreover, unlike government agencies or non-governmental organizations that often must leave an affected area by a certain date, local religious groups can continue to provide community support over the long-term, including the celebration of anniversaries that are important for people to cope with traumatic events. We finish with Jamie’s personal reflection on his cancer diagnosis and what he has learned over the course of his academic career. Recorded: August 1, 2016.

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton.

Disaster Ministry Handbook, by Jamie Aten and David Boan.

Spirituality and the Therapeutic Process, by Jamie Aten and Mark Leach.

Spiritually Oriented Interventions for Counseling and Psychotherapy, by Jamie Aten and Mark McMinn.

Culture and the Therapeutic Process, by Mark Leach and Jamie Aten.

RELATED PODCASTS

Melissa Matthes on Sermons after Tragedies.

Jim McGuffey on Church Security.

Jamie Aten on Religion and Disasters

tonygill — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 08:00:03 +0000

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton.

Disaster Ministry Handbook, by Jamie Aten and David Boan.

Spirituality and the Therapeutic Process, by Jamie Aten and Mark Leach.

Spiritually Oriented Interventions for Counseling and Psychotherapy, by Jamie Aten and Mark McMinn.

Culture and the Therapeutic Process, by Mark Leach and Jamie Aten.

RELATED PODCASTS

Melissa Matthes on Sermons after Tragedies.

Jim McGuffey on Church Security.

Art Carden on Christian Ethics & Economics (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 09:00:22 +0000

We’re taking a short break, but will return with some fresh episodes soon. In the meantime please enjoy this popular interview from the past.

How does a Christian economist approach the religious charge of helping one’s neighbor? We talk with Art Carden, assistant professor of economics at Samford University and a senior research fellow at the Institute for Faith, Work and Economics, about the relationship between Christian ethics, economic growth, and the best way to help one’s neighbor. The podcast starts out with a dose of good news in these troubling times, and we try to figure out why the past two centuries have been truly unique in human history. Art reveals some of the basic institutions that have arisen to help promote a phenomenal growth in living standards. These institutions include private property rights, honest government, competitive markets and free trade. But economic growth is more than just “getting the institutions right.” Prof. Carden points out that it is also about “getting the rhetoric right.” We delve into this topic by looking at how seemingly well-intentioned policies often have unintended consequences. This discussion is peppered with a number of different examples including laws against price gouging during a disaster, minimum wage laws, donating clothing to earthquake victims, and even holding toy and food drives at church. Prof. Carden then discusses the work he is doing with the Institute of Faith, Work and Economics in trying to help theologians and other Christians gain a better understanding of basic economics, and how this might help them achieve their goals of alleviating the plight of the suffering. He ends on an optimistic note about these efforts with a thankful nod to the internet and podcast series like this one. Recorded: October 29, 2012. (It should be noted that several of the predictions about anti-gouging laws that we made in the run-up to Hurricane Sandy have turned out to be true in its aftermath, including shortages of gasoline and other essential supplies.)

Tony Carnes on A Journey through NYC Religions

tonygill — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:00:29 +0000

Religion in New York City? Say it ain’t so! Well, we talk with journalist Tony Carnes, who over the past three years has been working on a project to document every nook and cranny of The Big Apple in a search for that city’s spiritual lifeblood. His multi-media endeavor, known as A Journey through New York City Religions, has uncovered a remarkably vibrant spiritual lanscape that is constantly changing as the city finds itself in the throes of constant immigration and emigration. We start our interview with a look at (East Coast) Tony’s life, discussing his upbringing in small town Texas as well as his first visit to NYC wherein he was pleased to find out he could order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at The Four Seasons restaurant. He then explains his own personal religious development from a kid more interested in hot rods than in the Bible and how this changed while he was at the University of Texas. His journey then takes us around the globe, including a pit stop to study under Frances Schaeffer at L’Abri in Switzerland, until he finally lands a job as a journalist, contributing to such notable publications as Christianity Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Newsday. Our discussion probes a theme that has arisen several times before on this podcast series, namely why the mass media tends to overlook the nation’s religious life or portrays it in ways that are incongruent with people’s daily experience. Mr. Carnes then gets into the details of how he set up A Journey through NYC Religions based upon the changes he saw taking place in internet media and how that could be harnessed to explore stories that were largely being ignored. Our conversation then moves to a discussion of New York City itself and how it has changed over time, from what was once considered “Sodom and Gomorrah on the Hudson” in the late 19th century to its “burned out days” in the 1960s and ’70s, to what it has become today. He provides some interesting data on how religion, which appeared to be on the decline in the ’50s and ’60s, makes a remarkable turnaround in NYC starting in 1978, particularly with the growth of evangelical churches being founded in the city. We then discuss how Tony goes about this project including his initial plan for covering the 6,400 miles of roads in the city and what questions he asks of his religious subjects that he encounters. He also reveals the journalistic philosophy that undergirds his reporting, something known as “sympathetic objectivity,” and how this differs from “accountability journalism” that most other news outlets practice. (If you listen carefully at this point in the interview you can hear RoR’s very own canine mascot, Rocky Barkington, weigh in with his opinion.) We finish our interview with a few stories of Tony’s adventures, including trodding through one of New York’s biggest snowstorms to find a pastor’s house, his discovery of a Mayan evangelical church, and Tony’s reflections on what he has learned over the years of doing this project. Contrary to secularization theorists, or those folks who think secular culture is trumping religion, Mr. Carnes sees an awakening of spiritual fervor facilitated by the mixing of new people always feeding into this great metropolis. Starving to hear more specific stories of religion in New York, (West Coast) Tony invites (East Coast) Tony back on the show, to which Mr. Carnes gracefully agrees. Stay tuned. Recorded: April 19, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Tony Carnes’s profile on A Journey through NYC Religions

A Journey through NYC Religions main website.

Values Research Institute.

New York Glory: Religions in the City, edited by Tony Carnes and Anna Karpathakis.

Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries, edited by Tony Carnes and Fenggang Yang.

ProPublica, as mentioned in the podcast.

David Wills on Religious Charity and Taxes

tonygill — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:00:05 +0000

(While your host is taking a short break, we rebroadcast this interview from two years ago. The issues remain as timely today as they were then!)

David Wills, president of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) and a lawyer specializing in charitable giving and estate planning, joins our program to discuss the relationship between charitable giving, taxation and other government regulations. Our discussion starts on a broad philosophical level, examining how our society decides to allocate resources to solve various social problems — either via private charity or government intervention. We center our attention on disaster relief but observe that the pincipals we discuss apply to a wide range of social services. David reviews how his foundation operates and facilitates the relationship between donors and charitable organizations, which include both religious and secular organizations. Surprisingly, we discover that the NCF not only serves large philanthropic donors, but regular folks who might be donating just a couple thousand dollars each year. Tony notes that the NCF represents a unique entrepreneurial institution that allows individuals to make the most efficient use of their giving. We then discuss whether increases in taxation and government services have affected level and nature of charitable giveing. David provides an interesting grassroots perspective on this issue that contrasts with an earlier podcast we had with Daniel Hungerman. Our conversation turns to tax laws and other regulations affecting charitable organizations. David discusses how both tax rates and the regulatory defnition of what constitutes a charity can have a large impact on religious charity. He provides some insight into some potential legal and tax code changes on the horizon that may have a large impact on NGOs and donors. Anybody who runs, or donates to, a charitable organization will want to listen closely to what is happening as these changes are not widely discussed in the news media. Tony asks David about his thoughts on the Bush Administration’s Faith-Based Insiative. David finishes with some interesting observations about the role of megachurches with respect to these potential legal changes and his views on the future of megachurches contrasts with that of our previous guest, James Brettell. Recorded: March 23, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

The National Christian Foundation.

Investing in God’s Business, by Terry Parker, Gregory Sperry, and David Wills. (Free selection here.)

Family.Money: Five Questions Every Family Should Ask about Wealth, by David Wills, Terry Parker, and Gregory Sperry. (Free selection here.)

RELATED PODCASTS

Dan Hungerman on Religious Charity and Crowding Out.

Jay Hein on the Faith-Based and Community Initiative

Art Carden on Christian Ethics, Charity, and Economics

tonygill — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:00:15 +0000

David Wills on Religious Charity and Taxes

tonygill — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:00:45 +0000

RELATED LINKS

The National Christian Foundation.

Investing in God’s Business, by Terry Parker, Gregory Sperry, and David Wills. (Free selection here.)

Family.Money: Five Questions Every Family Should Ask about Wealth, by David Wills, Terry Parker, and Gregory Sperry. (Free selection here.)

RELATED PODCASTS

Dan Hungerman on Religious Charity and Crowding Out.

Jay Hein on the Faith-Based and Community Initiative.