Christians in secular youth work
Harmony and tension in the expression of faith
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15434779 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Fagg (0000-0002-0946-435X, Deakin University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 281-301 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work Social Thought (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1542-6432 • E-ISSN: 1542-6440 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15426432.2023.2193938 |
| OpenAlex | W4361218757 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 27 |
The youth sector in Australia has secularized considerably over the past five decades, yet many active Christians choose to work within it. Despite Australia’s increasingly multi-faith society, little Australian youth work research exists that would explain how these Christians understand the relationship between their personal faith and their professional role, nor how they integrate the two in practice. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 29 Christian youth workers, this article seeks to remedy this gap. It asks: (1) How do Christians in the secular youth work sector understand the place of their faith within their professional role?; and (2) how do they practice “care” and “dialogical evangelism” as practical expressions of their faith? The article finds that Christians in secular youth work tend to view the nexus between faith and youth work through the theological motif of imago Dei. They see the practical expression of their faith, first, as one of “care” which flows from their theological belief of imago Dei. Second, they value conversation about faith with young people, but place the agency of young people at the center of these discussions, in a practice of “dialogical evangelism.” The article concludes by discussing the implications for educators and academics
Conversation · Dialogical self · Evangelism · Faith · Political science · Secularization · Sociology · Theology · Youth work · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious studies · Social Psychology · Religious Studies
The Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale for Educators
Public Religions in the Modern World
Secularization, R.I.P
Secularization as Declining Religious Authority
Promoting Tolerance
Youth work and faith
Youth work, performativity and the new youth impact agenda
The reality of relationships with young people in caring professions
Social Work Communication with Parents Who Are Practising Christians
Are the Profession’s Education Standards Promoting the Religious Literacy Required for Twenty-First Century Social Work Practice
The Religious Crisis of the 1960s
Expressing religious identities in the workplace
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Religion and Spirituality
Denominations as Dual Structures
Generations of Decline
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |