The Spirit of Service : Exploring Faith, Service, and Social Justice in Higher Education

In The Spirit of Service , the contributing authors explore the intersection of faith, service, and social justice in higher education. Reflecting upon the role that higher education plays in preparing future generations of citizens and leaders, this book asserts that spirituality and values necessarily involve one's person—and that educators must begin to connect student learning with the human experiences of faith, service, and commitment to social justice.

Each of the authors describes a teaching experience in order to critically reflect upon the divide in academic culture between responsible, rigorous, intellectual competence and personal values. The authors' lessons in success and failure are meant to provide guidance for all institutions that are committed to preparing young students to lead lives of leadership and civic engagement. Divided into three parts, this book:

• Explores the meaning, practice, and implications of religions or spiritually motivated service
• Offers specific examples from faculty for integrating faith or spiritual perspectives with service, including what has worked and what dilemmas remain
• Focuses on specific dilemmas and implications for engaging in service for social justice

Containing a wealth of practical suggestions and strategies, The Spirit of Service represents a conversation in progress; it is an attempt to understand how to help undergraduates integrate service and spirituality for the purpose of social justice.

Brian T. Johnson serves as a chaplain at Gustavus Adolphus College. He is coeditor of Stories from Christian Neighbors: A Heart for Ecumenism (Liturgical Press, 2003) and recently completed, in addition to his M.Div. from Luther Northwestern theological Seminar, a Master's in Sacred Theology from Yale University.

Carolyn R. O'Grady is associate Professor of education at Gustavus Adolphus College, and a frequent workshop facilitator for schools and small organizations on issues of diversity, including race, gender, and sexual orientation. Her doctorate is from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in multicultural education. Her research interests include education for social justice, spirituality in education, and K-16 service-learning. She is the editor of Integrating Service Learning and Multicultural Education in Colleges and Universities (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000).