David C Wang
Biographic Data
| ID | 200882 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David C Wang |
| GIVEN NAMES | David C |
| FAMILY NAME | Wang |
| SIGNATURE | WANG D C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Fuller Theological Seminary |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6777-7602 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 46 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 46 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Spiritual Formation of Religious Leaders: An Analysis of The Association of Theological Schools’ Graduating Student Questionnaire Data
Recent research on mature alterity , or humbly engaging with others’ differentness, showed a negative relation with religiousness/spirituality. There were also mixed findings for the association between mature alterity and well-being. Using a sample ( N = 5,528; M age = 41.92; 55% male; 57% White) of graduating students at 151 North American institutions accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, we employed variable- and person-center…
Spiritual Formation Among Students at Christian Seminaries: Mature Alterity, Symptoms, and Well-Being
Mature alterity is a key marker of spiritual formation. We used person-centered data analytic techniques to empirically generate subgroups differentiated by their profile on dimensions of the relational spirituality model (RSM). Four RSM dimensions were derived from factor analytic techniques on fifty items from eight measures of religiousness/spirituality and self-regulatory strengths. We used a sample of students from eighteen North American se…
White Moral Distress and Injury: Exploring the Possibility of Race-Based Moral Distress and Injury Within White Americans
Discriminating the dimensions of humility: A validation study with religious identifying individuals
The Integration of Psychology and Theology Within Asian American Contexts
This special issue explores the intersection of psychology and theology within Asian American contexts. Asian Americans have faced immigration challenges, discrimination, and the complex development of their identities within the United States. Despite these experiences, little attention has been given to how psychology and theology can be integrated to address their unique struggles and strengths. The purpose of this issue is to bridge this gap …
Relationship between Mindfulness and Eudaimonic Well-Being in a Thai Adult Sample: Roles of Hope and Meaning in Life
We examine the relationship between mindfulness and eudaimonic well-being in Thai adults, a population largely overlooked in mindfulness research despite the strong influence of Buddhism within this culture. Specifically, we hypothesized that hope and meaning will account for variance in this relationship. Utilizing self-report measures for mindfulness, hope, meaning in life, and eudaimonic well-being, findings from a sample of 269 Thai adults re…
Authoritarianism, xenophobia, Christian nationalism, and theological conservatism among Christian leaders in the United States, during Covid-19
Global emergencies, such as pandemics, have historically inflamed racism and xenophobia against minority groups. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, as it has been associated with an increase in xenophobia, racial conflict, and hate crimes targeting Asian Americans. While research has identified empirical predictors of xenophobia, including Christian nationalism, group threat, and intergroup attitudes, little research has explored these relati…
Patterns of Christian Nationalist Engagement and Connections to Spirituality
Despite the increasing prominence of Christian nationalism within the United States and its associations with anti-democratic attitudes and racial bias, little is known about how emerging religious/spiritual (R/S) leaders engage with Christian nationalism. Moreover, while extant research has thus far examined demographic and political associations with Christian nationalism, the present study attempted to understand how emerging R/S leaders pursu…
Contrasting Experiences: Gender Disparities in Spirituality, Character Strengths, Mental Health, and Social Justice among Next-Generation Religious Leaders
Despite female religious leaders' substantial historic and ongoing contributions worldwide, their experiences remain poorly understood in male-normative contexts, especially from an empirical perspective. This lack of understanding leads institutions to overlook heterogeneity and perpetuate male-normed formative experiences, with virtually no empirical studies investigating gender differences among religious leaders, particularly regarding mental…
God image as a moderator of God concept’s relation to shame, depression, and existential well-being among seminarians
Black Liberation Integrative Psychology: Implications for Clinical Theory and Practice
Many of the frameworks that have guided our field on how psychology and the Christian faith can be conceptually and practically integrated have been critiqued for being so cognitively and rationally focused that they miss other avenues of knowing and being. These avenues include the experiential, relational, and embodied wisdom that is central to many non-Western cultures. Thus, there stands a profound need to consider additional and alternative …
Burnout, racial trauma, and protective experiences of Black psychologists and counselors
Results from this study suggest that BMHPs may be more susceptible to burnout and race-based traumatic stress as a result of their work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Religious Coping, and Congregational Support among Black Clergy and Religious Leaders
Limited studies have empirically investigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among Black clergy and religious leaders despite their status as helping professionals who are implicated in times of crisis. In light of cultural considerations that position African American churches as trusted institutions linking local communities of color with various social services, African American religious leaders are particularly implicated…
The Spirituality of Deconstruction in United States Theological Schools
Building on a movement within the sociology of religion to better situate studies of spirituality in relation to contexts, practices, and power relations, the current study examines shifts in spiritual practice associated with "deconstruction" among graduate students within theological education. We rely on new interview data with a cohort of 30 students at time 1 (2020) and follow-ups with 22 of those students at time 2 (2022), comparing student…
Latent Profiles of Seminary Students' Perceptions of Sense of Community Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
Existing research on sense of community in educational contexts shows positive associations with well-being and negative associations with mental health symptoms. However, exploration of students' sense of community within the seminary context is minimal. Drawing on the relational spirituality model, which posits oscillating experiences of dwelling and seeking in a dialectical growth process, we framed sense of community as horizontal dwelling. W…
Spiritual Formation in Theological Education: A Multi-case Exploration on Seminaries and Student Development
In recent decades, theological schools have demonstrated increased interest in educational models that not only transmit knowledge and skill to students, but also prepare them to have the character and virtue dispositions needed to successfully navigate the moral challenges that await them in future ministry settings. This shift is reflected in the most recent 2020 accreditation standards of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which hig…
Purity Culture: Measurement and Relationship to Domestic Violence Myth Acceptance
Though discussed extensively in popular culture, purity culture, a conservative Christian movement that builds on traditional sexual ethics by proscribing additional rules and regulations to govern sexual behaviors and prioritize virginity, has scarcely been examined from a psychological perspective. The present study was designed to develop and validate a measure of purity culture, the Purity Culture Beliefs Scale (PCBS). We explore and confirm …
Mental health, substance use, and the importance of religion during the Covid-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has impacted all areas of life, with lasting effects on physical, mental, and societal health. Specifically, COVID and related losses have exacerbated prolonged grief responses and mental disorders including depression and anxiety. These mental health concerns are associated with increased detrimental coping strategies including substance use. In this study, we analysed secondary data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDU…
Compassion and Humility as Predictors of Justice and Diversity Commitments Among Seminary Faculty
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Religious Coping, and Medical Mistrust among African American Clergy and Religious Leaders
Previous research has investigated the prevalence and impact of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among those working as helping professionals. However, limited studies have provided clear and coherent information about STS among clergy, pastors, and other religious leaders, despite their status as helping professionals who are implicated in times of crisis. STS is particularly salient to African American religious leaders due to cultural factors …
(Re)Framing Resilience: A Trajectory-Based Study Involving Emerging Religious/Spiritual Leaders
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique circumstance for the study of resilience, and clergy resilience has garnered increased research attention due to greater recognition that religious/spiritual leaders are at risk for elevated levels of anxiety and burnout. We examined longitudinal patterns of change during the pandemic in a sample of emerging leaders (N = 751; Mage = 32.82; SD 11.37; 49.9% female; 59.8% White). In doing so, we offered a …
The Influence of Experiential Avoidance, Humility and Patience on the Association Between Religious/Spiritual Exploration and Well-Being
Longitudinal associations for right-wing authoritarianism, social justice, and compassion among seminary students
Religious/spiritual communities in the United States hold significant differences in the relative valuing of social order and progress toward social justice, and religious/spiritual leaders play an influential role in fostering those values. This recognition has prompted calls for theological education to revise the process of student formation, equipping them to address an increasingly diverse social world and the social disparities within their…
The Impact of Financial Health on the Spiritual, Mental, and Relational Health of Christian Graduate Students
Experiential Avoidance Mediates the Relationship between Prayer Type and Mental Health before and through the Covid-19 Pandemic
The practice of prayer has been shown to predict various mental health outcomes, with different types of prayer accounting for different outcomes. Considering the numerous stressors facing seminary students, which have only intensified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, prayer may be a common coping strategy for students who study theology, spiritual growth, and leadership. The present study investigates the role that different types of prayer may…
An Examination of Color-Blind Racism and Race-Related Stress Among African American Undergraduate Students
This study examined the role of color-blind racial ideology among a sample of 152 African American undergraduate students in relation to race-related stress. We hypothesized that those who endorsed relatively higher color-blind racial attitudes would experience greater race-related stress because experiences with racism would be interpreted as more taxing without an operating framework of extant racism in the United States. Contrary to our hypoth…
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Religious Coping, and Medical Mistrust among African American Clergy and Religious Leaders
Previous research has investigated the prevalence and impact of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among those working as helping professionals. However, limited studies have provided clear and coherent information about STS among clergy, pastors, and other religious leaders, despite their status as helping professionals who are implicated in times of crisis. STS is particularly salient to African American religious leaders due to cultural factors …
(Re)Framing Resilience: A Trajectory-Based Study Involving Emerging Religious/Spiritual Leaders
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique circumstance for the study of resilience, and clergy resilience has garnered increased research attention due to greater recognition that religious/spiritual leaders are at risk for elevated levels of anxiety and burnout. We examined longitudinal patterns of change during the pandemic in a sample of emerging leaders (N = 751; Mage = 32.82; SD 11.37; 49.9% female; 59.8% White). In doing so, we offered a …
Experiential Avoidance Mediates the Relationship between Prayer Type and Mental Health before and through the Covid-19 Pandemic
The practice of prayer has been shown to predict various mental health outcomes, with different types of prayer accounting for different outcomes. Considering the numerous stressors facing seminary students, which have only intensified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, prayer may be a common coping strategy for students who study theology, spiritual growth, and leadership. The present study investigates the role that different types of prayer may…
The Experience of Financial Well-Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students
Modeling the racial and ethnic implications of admissions policy changes in the pursuit of tier one status
University of HoustonThe present study sought to examine both how the diversity of admitted students haschanged over time, as well as how increasing selectivity of admissions criteria mightchange the racial/ethnic composition of admitted students at two aspiring Tier One insti-tutions in Texas. Data included Þve years of institutional records for Þrst-time-in-college(FTIC) applicants. Findings indicated that both universities consistently attract…
The Xinjiang question of the 1940s: The story behind the Sino‐Soviet treaty of August 1945
(1997). The Xinjiang question of the 1940s: the story behind the Sino‐Soviet treaty of August 1945. Asian Studies Review: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 83-105
Xinjiang of the 20th century in historiography
(1995). Xinjiang of the 20th century in historiography. Central Asian Survey: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 265-283
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Religious Coping, and Congregational Support among Black Clergy and Religious Leaders
Limited studies have empirically investigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among Black clergy and religious leaders despite their status as helping professionals who are implicated in times of crisis. In light of cultural considerations that position African American churches as trusted institutions linking local communities of color with various social services, African American religious leaders are particularly implicated…
The Spirituality of Deconstruction in United States Theological Schools
Building on a movement within the sociology of religion to better situate studies of spirituality in relation to contexts, practices, and power relations, the current study examines shifts in spiritual practice associated with "deconstruction" among graduate students within theological education. We rely on new interview data with a cohort of 30 students at time 1 (2020) and follow-ups with 22 of those students at time 2 (2022), comparing student…
The Impact of Financial Health on the Spiritual, Mental, and Relational Health of Christian Graduate Students
Child Traumatic Stress and the Sacred: Neurobiologically Informed Interventions for Therapists and Parents
Children experience trauma and adverse experiences at an alarming rate. The negative impact of traumatic experiences on a child's developing brain is pervasive, adversely affecting one's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physiological reactions, and social relationships. Conversely, the nature, pattern, timing and duration of therapeutic experiences can change the brain in ways that support and cultivate therapeutic growth and healing. The purpose o…
Soviet citizenship in Xinjiang
Xinjiang of the 20th century in historiography
(1995). Xinjiang of the 20th century in historiography. Central Asian Survey: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 265-283
Soviet citizenship in Xinjiang
The Xinjiang question of the 1940s: The story behind the Sino‐Soviet treaty of August 1945
(1997). The Xinjiang question of the 1940s: the story behind the Sino‐Soviet treaty of August 1945. Asian Studies Review: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 83-105
The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: Volume I: To 1375
Book summary page views Book summary page views help Close Book summary page views help Book summary views reflect the number of visits to the book and chapter landing pages. Total views: 0 * Loading metrics
Modeling the racial and ethnic implications of admissions policy changes in the pursuit of tier one status
University of HoustonThe present study sought to examine both how the diversity of admitted students haschanged over time, as well as how increasing selectivity of admissions criteria mightchange the racial/ethnic composition of admitted students at two aspiring Tier One insti-tutions in Texas. Data included Þve years of institutional records for Þrst-time-in-college(FTIC) applicants. Findings indicated that both universities consistently attract…
An Examination of Color-Blind Racism and Race-Related Stress Among African American Undergraduate Students
This study examined the role of color-blind racial ideology among a sample of 152 African American undergraduate students in relation to race-related stress. We hypothesized that those who endorsed relatively higher color-blind racial attitudes would experience greater race-related stress because experiences with racism would be interpreted as more taxing without an operating framework of extant racism in the United States. Contrary to our hypoth…
A Simple Lesson about the Power of Collaboration
The spiritual development of emerging adults over the college years: A 4-year longitudinal investigation
Spirituality at a crossroads: A grounded theory of Christian emerging adults
A Brief History of Psychology and Missions in JPT: Looking Back, Around, and Forward
Beginning in 1983, the Journal of Psychology and Theology has published four special editions devoted to the topic of psychology and missions; on average, these issues were released at a rate of two per decade (i.e., 1983, 1987, 1993, and 1999). After a 17-year hiatus, this fifth psychology and missions special edition of JPT provides an opportunity to reflect on what we have learned thus far through the almost 70 articles published in JPT since …
Relational spirituality: An attachment-based model of spiritual development and psychological well-being
Mobilizing and Equipping the Church for Soul Care and Counseling: A Classic Resource Updated and Revised
Lay Counseling: Equipping Christians for a Helping Ministry (Revised Edition) by Siang-Yang Tan and Eric T. Scalise, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016. 318 pp. ISBN 978-0-310-52427-4, $19.99. Many years back, my inspiration willingly subject myself the five years of deprivation and torture associated with doctoral studies in professional psychology came from a relatively short stint as a college pastor. I had sensed a call shepherd souls, to equi…
Losing My Religion: Spiritual Discouragement amongst Christian Therapists due to Spiritual Immaturity in Christian Clients
This paper addresses the spiritual discouragement and religious doubt that can arise in the Christian therapist who repeatedly experiences spiritual immaturity and crisis amongst his or her Christian clients. While Christians certainly aren't perfect, they often fall so far short of that ideal that one can reasonably wonder whether the Christian faith possesses resources that effectively bring about positive growth and change. We contend that wit…
Students in Faith-Based Doctoral Psychology Programs: Religious/Spiritual Struggles Moderate the Effect of Distress from Clinical Work on Negative Affect
Objective: The present study assessed 96 doctoral psychology students at APA-accredited faith-based institutions to further understand the relationships between distress from clinical work, religious and spiritual ( r/s) struggles, and negative affect. Based on past research it was hypothesized that distress from clinical work would predict heightened r/s struggles and negative affect. Furthermore, we hypothesized r/s struggles would moderate the…
The role of attachment to God and spiritual self-awareness in predicting evangelical Christians’ appraisals of suffering
The present study examined how attachment to God and spiritual self-awareness are related to evangelical Christians’ appraisals of suffering. Specifically, we were interested in whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance with God were related to the appraised meaning of stressful life experiences as transformational and whether spiritual self-awareness mediated this relationship. A national sample (N = 988) of students from Christian ins…
Measuring the Spiritual, Character, and Moral Formation of Seminarians: In Search of a Meta-Theory of Spiritual Change
Theological schools are well situated to create intentional cultures for the purpose of spiritual formation. Indeed, most schools of theology have this goal as an essential part of their mission as well as a requirement for continued accreditation. And yet, the measurement of spiritual formation over time is fraught with challenges. This article seeks to address some of these challenges by means of developing a meta-theory of positive change/grow…
The Behaviors, Benefits, and Barriers of Humanitarian Aid Leader Humility
This study explores how humility is contextualized in the culture of faith-based humanitarian aid leadership. Consensual Qualitative Research was used to synthesize the personal and observational experiences of 13 humanitarian aid leader exemplars. Characteristics and behaviors of humble leaders are discussed, along with the benefits of humble leadership on aid workers, local partners, and recipients of humanitarian aid services. A theistic dimen…
The Christian Sanctification of Suffering Scale: Measure development and relationship to well-being
Sanctification theory proposes that when people appraise an aspect of life as having divine character and significance, this can lead to a number of positive outcomes. While questions remain as to whether a negative aspect of life – suffering – can be sanctified, the Christian tradition supports a sanctification approach. In a series of three online cross-sectional studies with Christian participants, we report on the development of a Christian s…
Why humility is vital to effective humanitarian aid leadership: A review of the literature
Organisational scientists are paying increasing attention to humility, following a larger trend in scholarship highlighting the relational and interdependent nature of leadership and business. A growing body of evidence identifies humility as vital to effective organisational leadership, facilitating positive organisational outcomes, such as lower voluntary turnover and greater follower job satisfaction. To date, research on the subject has focus…
The Experience of Financial Well-Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students
Child Traumatic Stress and the Sacred: Neurobiologically Informed Interventions for Therapists and Parents
Children experience trauma and adverse experiences at an alarming rate. The negative impact of traumatic experiences on a child's developing brain is pervasive, adversely affecting one's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physiological reactions, and social relationships. Conversely, the nature, pattern, timing and duration of therapeutic experiences can change the brain in ways that support and cultivate therapeutic growth and healing. The purpose o…
The Influence of Experiential Avoidance, Humility and Patience on the Association Between Religious/Spiritual Exploration and Well-Being
Longitudinal associations for right-wing authoritarianism, social justice, and compassion among seminary students
Religious/spiritual communities in the United States hold significant differences in the relative valuing of social order and progress toward social justice, and religious/spiritual leaders play an influential role in fostering those values. This recognition has prompted calls for theological education to revise the process of student formation, equipping them to address an increasingly diverse social world and the social disparities within their…
The Impact of Financial Health on the Spiritual, Mental, and Relational Health of Christian Graduate Students
Experiential Avoidance Mediates the Relationship between Prayer Type and Mental Health before and through the Covid-19 Pandemic
The practice of prayer has been shown to predict various mental health outcomes, with different types of prayer accounting for different outcomes. Considering the numerous stressors facing seminary students, which have only intensified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, prayer may be a common coping strategy for students who study theology, spiritual growth, and leadership. The present study investigates the role that different types of prayer may…
Psychology (35 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (30 works) · Social Psychology (29 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Spirituality (16 works) · Political science (15 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Philosophy (14 works) · Psychotherapist (13 works) · Theology (13 works)