Religion in Philanthropic Organizations: Family, Friend, Foe? - Paperback

by Thomas J. Davis (Editor)

Religion in Philanthropic Organizations explores the tensions inherent in religious philanthropies across a variety of organizations and examines the effect assumptions about "professional, scientific, nonsectarian" philanthropy have had on how religious philanthropies carry out their activities. The organizations examined include the American Friends Service Committee, the American Soviet Jewry Movement, Catholic Charities USA, the Salvation Army, the World Council of Churches, and World Vision (in global comparative context). The book also looks at Robert Pierce, founder of World Vision and Samaritan's Purse, and at matters not bounded by a single religious philanthropy: philanthropy and Jewish identity, American Muslim philanthropy since 9/11, and the complexities of the federal program that funds faith-based initiatives. These essays shed light on how religion and philanthropy function in American society, shaping and being shaped by the culture and its notions of the "common good."

Author Biography

Thomas J. Davis is Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He is managing editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation, editor of John Calvin's American Legacy, and author of the entry on philanthropy in the Encyclopedia of Religion in America.