Christianity and Social Work: Readings on the Integration of Christian Faith and Social Work Practice (Fifth Edition)

The fifth edition of Christianity and Social Work is written for social workers whose motivations to enter the profession are informed by their Christian faith, and who desire to develop faithfully Christian approaches to helping.

Christianity and Social Work is organized around four themes: a) 1. Christian Roots of the Social Work Profession; b) 2. Christians Called to Social Work: Scriptural Basis, Worldviews and Ethics; c) 3. Human Behavior and Spiritual Development in a Diverse World; d) 4. Christians in Social Work Practice: Contemporary Issues. Chapters address a breadth of curriculum areas such as social welfare history, human behavior and the social environment, social policy, and practice at micro, mezzo, and macro levels.

Containing 19 chapters and more than 400 pages, this revised edition of CSW (IBSN 978-0-9897581-1-6) include six new chapters and six extensively-revised chapters in response to requests by readers of previous editions, including chapters on working with clients from the LGBT community, evidence-based practice (EBP), congregational social work, military social work, human trafficking, and spiritual assessment.

NACSW provides college faculty and trainers upon request (info@nacsw.org) an accompanying electronic resource entitled Instructor Resources for Christianity and Social Work (2016) by Mary Anne Poe at no cost. This resource offers outlines, suggestions regarding specific core competencies found in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education, summaries of key concepts and terms, learning objectives, discussion questions, suggested class activities and assignments, teaching notes for the three decisions cases in CSW, and annotated bibliographies for each chapter.

In organizing this 5th edition, NACSW has carefully considered the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) from the Council on Social Work Education. It is important for schools of social work to show how they prepare students to demonstrate specific competencies in social work practice. To help with this integration CSW includes Appendices with charts that guide readers toward potential connections. These tools will be a helpful guide for both instructors and students.

Linda Plitt Donaldson, MSW, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, and Associate Professor at the Catholic University of America, writes: The editors have put together a marvelous compendium of articles about the integration of Christian faith and social work. The book deepens (and often corrects) our understanding of the Christian contribution to the history of social welfare, and it explores the role of values, ethics, calling, and the Christian worldview in shaping social work practice. The collection also provides a range of tools in the area of assessment, case vignettes, and case studies to support both Christian social work practice and education. Many sections of these chapters read like a prayer, and therefore feed our mind and soul in our efforts to more sensitively and competently integrate Christian faith and social work practice.

Mary P. Van Hook, PhD., Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Florida School of Social Work, writes: The Fifth Edition of Christianity and Social Work is a treasury of valuable readings for social work students and social worker practitioners. It addresses important social work concerns through a combination of theoretical knowledge, practice wisdom, and research findings. As a social work practitioner and educator, I appreciated the theme throughout the book that the issues and decisions facing social workers are complex and require self-reflection as well as understanding of others.

Co-editor T. Laine Scales, Ph.D., is Professor of Higher Education and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Baylor University. She has published 9 books and over 40 articles and chapters in the areas of teaching in social work, faith and social work practice, rural social work, and higher education.

Co-editor Michael S. Kelly, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work. He has published over 50 articles, book chapters, & books on school social work, evidence-based practice, and the intersection of Christianity and social work practice. He was a section editor for The Journal of Family and Community Ministries and now serves as Assistant Editor of Social Work and Christianity.