Christianity and Volunteering

Paper Summary:

This paper examines an 1996 article in "Christianity Today" about volunteering in Robert Wuthnow's book "Learning to Care: Elementary Kindness in an Age of Indifference". The paper explains that the author questions whether the "mild morality" found in present-day volunteers is what society really needs. The paper looks at how, according to Wuthnow, the type of volunteering needed in the present society is different than that of past generations. The paper also points out that a milder type of volunteerism is necessary in a society like the one that exists today, which is so complex, but during the pioneer days for example, individuals needed be strong and virtuous, because they lived in such a lawless and unprotected world. The paper concludes that the churches' clergy and educators need to show the youth of today what heroes are doing.

From the Paper:

"Wuthnow argues that this milder type of volunteerism is necessary in a society like the one that exists today, which is so complex. To the contrary, during pioneer days for example, individuals needed be strong and virtuous, because they lived in such a lawless and unprotected world. "Temperance and prudence took the place of factory schedules and insurance schemes." Now, however, people can be "relatively weak" in their volunteering efforts, due to the strength of the government and business institutions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Christianity Today. Why Volunteerism Won't Save America. (1996) 40.5.

More papers on Christianity and Volunteering:

• Essay # 61754 : "The Jesuit Volunteer Corps"
• Essay # 67266 : "The Influence of Jack Hyles"
• Research Paper # 31574 : "Habitat for Humanity International"

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