Factors Contributing to the Transformation Toward Progressive Social Justice Consciousness Among Evangelical Christians
Author | : Melanie Keillor |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 198 |
Release | : 2007 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:231634829 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (29 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: As a conservative, Evangelical Christian, the Social Justice and Equity class at Hamline University awakened me to the realities of injustice. As I shared my new understandings with other Evangelicals, responses varied from acceptance to rejection. These contradictory responses generated my question, "What factors contribute to a transformation of progressive social justice consciousness among Evangelical Christians?" In addition to works by many Biblical scholars, the work of philosophers including Mezirow, Freire and Kohlberg laid for me a theoretical foundation of transformation. My goal was to discover how others are experiencing transformation. By interviewing and analyzing the experiences of transformed Evangelical leaders, I was able to elicit an understanding of what factors led to their transformation as it relates to social action. As a result, I identified what motivated change for my participants, what factors played a role in their transformation, and what characteristics are displayed in their work today.