The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice

650 Pages·2012·4.875 MB·English

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion
to Religion and Social Justice
Wiley - Blackwell Companions to Religion
The Wiley - Blackwell Companions to Religion series presents a collection of the most recent
scholarship and knowledge about world religions. Each volume draws together newly -
commissioned essays by distinguished authors in the fi eld, and is presented in a style which is
accessible to undergraduate students, as well as scholars and the interested general reader. These
volumes approach the subject in a creative and forward - thinking style, providing a forum in
which leading scholars in the fi eld can make their views and research available to a wider
audience.
Recently Published
The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics
Edited by William Schweiker
The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality
Edited by Arthur Holder
The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion
Edited by Robert A. Segal
The Blackwell Companion to the Qur’ ā n
Edited by Andrew Rippin
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Edited by Ibrahim M. Abu - Rabi ’
The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture
Edited by John F. A. Sawyer
The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism
Edited by James J. Buckley, Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt, and Trent Pomplun
The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity
Edited by Ken Parry
The Blackwell Companion to the Theologians
Edited by Ian S. Markham
The Blackwell Companion to the Bible in English Literature
Edited by Rebecca Lemon, Emma Mason, John Roberts, and Christopher Rowland
The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament
Edited by David E. Aune
The Blackwell Companion to Nineteenth Century Theology
Edited by David Fergusson
The Blackwell Companion to Religion in America
Edited by Philip Goff
The Blackwell Companion to Jesus
Edited by Delbert Burkett
The Blackwell Companion to Paul
Edited by Stephen Westerholm
The Blackwell Companion to Religion and Violence
Edited by Andrew R. Murphy
The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics, Second Edition
Edited by Stanley Hauerwas and Samuel Wells
The Wiley- Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology
Edited by Bonnie J. Miller - McLemore
The Wiley-Blackwell
Companion to Religion
and Social Justice
Edited by
Michael D. Palmer and Stanley M. Burgess
A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication
This edition fi rst published 2012
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Limited
Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwell’s publishing
program has been merged with Wiley’s global Scientifi c, Technical, and Medical business to form
Wiley-Blackwell.
Registered Offi ce
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
Editorial Offi ces
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offi ces, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for
permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/
wiley-blackwell.
The right of Michael D. Palmer and Stanley M. Burgess to be identifi ed as the authors of the editorial
material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of
the publisher.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may
not be available in electronic books.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand
names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in
regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in
rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of
a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Wiley-Blackwell companion to religion and social justice / edited by Michael D. Palmer and Stanley M.
Burgess.
p. cm. – (Wiley-Blackwell companions to religion)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4051-9547-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Social justice–Religious aspects. I. Palmer, Michael D., 1950- II. Burgess, Stanley M.,
1937- III. Title: Companion to religion and social justice.
BL65.J87W55 2012
201'.7–dc23
2011046000
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDFs 9781444355369; Wiley Online Library
9781444355390; ePub 9781444355376; Mobi 9781444355383
Set in 10/12.5 pt Photina by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited
1 2012
Contents
Notes on Contributors ix
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction 1
Part I Major World Religions 13
Introduction 15
1 Buddhism: Historical Setting 17
Mavis Fenn
2 Buddhism: Contemporary Expressions 30
Steven Emmanuel
3 Christianity: Historical Setting 46
Stanley M. Burgess
4 Christianity: Contemporary Expressions 61
Curtiss Paul DeYoung
5 Confucianism: Historical Setting 77
Joseph Chan
6 Confucianism: Contemporary Expressions 93
Stephen C. Angle
7 Hinduism: Historical Setting 110
O.P. Dwivedi
8 Hinduism: Contemporary Expressions 124
Amita Singh
vi CONTENTS
9 Islam: Historical Setting 137
Hussam S. Timani
10 Islam: Contemporary Expressions 153
Erin E. Stiles
11 Judaism: Historical Setting 170
Moshe Hellinger
12 Judaism: Contemporary Expressions 190
Eliezer Segal
Part II Religious Movements and Themes 205
Introduction 207
13 Bahá’í Faith 210
Christopher Buck
14 The Quest for Justice in Revival, a Creole Religion in Jamaica 224
William Wedenoja
15 The Muhammadiyah: A Muslim Modernist Organization
in Contemporary Indonesia 241
Florian Pohl
16 The Role of the Chief in Asante Society 256
Yaw Adu-Gyamfi
17 Tibetan Monastics and Social Justice 268
Derek F. Maher
18 Sangha and Society 280
Hiroko Kawanami
19 G’meelut Chasadim (Deeds of Kindness) 292
W.E. Nunnally
20 Hospitality 306
Ana María Pineda
21 Zakat: Faith and Giving in Muslim Contexts 319
Azim Nanji
22 Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue 330
Barbara Brown Zikmund
Part III Indigenous People 345
Introduction 347
CONTENTS vii
23 Africa: Religion and Social Justice among the Diola of Senegal,
Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau 350
Robert M. Baum
24 Australia: Religion and Social Justice in a Continent
of Hunter-Gatherers 361
Robert Tonkinson
25 Central America: A God for the Poor – Folk Catholicism
and Social Justice among the Yucatec Maya 373
Christine A. Kray
26 Europe: The Roma People of Romania 388
Sorin Gog and Maria Roth
27 Middle East: The Kurds – Religion and Social Justice
of a Stateless Nation 402
Charles G. MacDonald
28 New Zealand: The Māori People 412
Rawinia Higgins
29 North America: Ojibwe Culture 425
Gregory O. Gagnon
30 Southern Asia: The Gonds of India – A Search for
Identity and Justice 438
Sushma Yadav
Part IV Social Justice Issues 451
Introduction 453
31 Colonialism 456
Brigid M. Sackey
32 Abundant Life or Abundant Poverty? The Challenge
for African Christianity 469
T. John Padwick
33 AIDS, Religion, and the Politics of Social Justice
in Sub-Saharan Africa 482
Afe Adogame
34 Religion, Civil Rights, and Social Justice 496
Paul Harvey
35 Human Rights: The South African Experience 507
Glenda Wildschut
viii CONTENTS
36 The “Double-Conscious” Nature of American Evangelicalism’s
Struggle over Civil Rights during the Progressive Era 519
L.B. Gallien, Jr.
37 Gender and Sexuality in the Context of Religion
and Social Justice 535
Mary E. Hunt
38 Beginning of Life 547
Andrew Lustig
39 Death and Dying 561
Courtney S. Campbell
40 Religion’s Infl uence on Social Justice Practices Relating
to Those with Disabilities 575
Ruth Vassar Burgess
41 Ecology and the Environment 591
Laurel Kearns
42 Christianity and Nonviolent Resistance 607
Celia Cook-Huffman
43 Building Peace in the Pursuit of Social Justice 620
Mohammed Abu-Nimer
Index 633
Notes on Contributors
Mohammed Abu - Nimer , PhD (George Mason University), is a Professor at American
University ’ s School of International Service in International Peace and Confl ict Resolu-
tion in Washington, DC. He is the Director of the Peacebuilding and Development
Institute. Dr. Abu - Nimer is also the Founder and Director of the Salam: Peacebuilding
and Justice Institute, and the co - founder and co - editor of the J ournal of Peacebuilding
and Development . He has written, edited, and co - authored many books, including P eace -
Building By, Between and Beyond Muslims and Evangelical Christians ; Reconciliation, Coex-
istence, and Justice: Theory and Practice ; Unity in Diversity: Interfaith Dialogue in the Middle
East; and P eacebuilding and Nonviolence in Islam .
Afe Adogame , PhD (Bayreuth University, Germany) is Assistant Professor in World
Christianity/Religious Studies at University of Edinburgh, UK, where he teaches Indig-
enous Religions, African Christianity, and Religion in the new African Diaspora. His
numerous publications include C elestial Church of Christ: The Politics of Cultural Identity
in a West African Prophetic -C harismatic Movement (1999); and, co - edited, European Tradi-
tions in the Study of Religion in Africa (2004); and Christianity in Africa and the African
Diaspora: The Appropriation of a Scattered Heritage (2008). His most recent books are,
co-edited, Religion Crossing Boundaries: Transnational Religious and Social Dynamics in
Africa and the New African Diaspora ( 2010) , and (ed.) Who is Afraid of the Holy Ghost?:
Pentecostalism and Globalization in Africa and Beyond (2011). He is General Secretary,
African Association for the Study of Religion; Member, International Advisory Board
of Journal of Religion in Africa and African Diaspora (Brill); and Associate Editor, Studies
in World Christianity (Edinburgh University Press).
Yaw Adu - Gyamfi , PhD (University of Sheffi eld, UK) is a Senior Lecturer of Biblical
Studies at Ghana Baptist University College in Kumasi, Ghana, where he regularly
teaches courses in the fi eld of Old Testament Literature, Biblical Interpretation, and
Gospel and Culture. Dr. Adu - Gyamfi has delivered numerous papers on topics related
to the Bible and African culture. Among his best - known works is L eviticus 16 and Asante
Odwira Festival , which deals with the biblical faith and Asante traditional religion.
x NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS
Stephen C. Angle received his BA from Yale University in East Asian Studies and his
PhD in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. Since 1994 he has taught at Wes-
leyan University, where he is now Professor of Philosophy. Angle is the author of H uman
Rights and Chinese Thought: A Cross - Cultural Inquiry (2002), Sagehood: The Contemporary
Signifi cance of Neo - Confucian Philosophy (2009), and numerous scholarly articles on
Chinese ethical and political thought and on topics in comparative philosophy.
Robert M. Baum , PhD (Yale University), an Associate Professor at the University of
Missouri - Columbia, is currently a Residential Research Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars, in Washington, DC. He is the author of numerous
articles on Diola religion, African religions, and indigenous religions. His best - known
work is Shrines of the Slave Trade: Diola Religion and Society in Precolonial SeneGambi
(1999), which received the American Academy of Religion ’ s Award for the best fi rst
book in the history of religions. He is currently writing a history of Diola prophetic
movements.
Christopher Buck , PhD (University of Toronto), JD (Cooley Law School), is a Penn-
sylvania attorney and independent scholar. He has taught at Michigan State University
(2000 – 2004), Quincy University (1999 – 2000), Millikin University (1997 – 1999), and
Carleton University (1994 – 1996). His publications include Religious Myths and Visions
of America: How Minority Faiths Redefi ned America ’ s World Role (2009); A lain Locke: Faith
and Philosophy (2005); P aradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the
Bah á ’ í Faith (1999); and S ymbol and Secret: Qur ’ an Commentary in Bah á ’ u ’ ll á h ’ s Kit á b - i
Í q á n (1995/2004).
Ruth Vassar Burgess , PhD (University of Missouri, Columbia) is Professor Emerita at
Missouri State University in Springfi eld, Missouri, where she taught courses relating to
communication disorders, assisting families with individuals with disabilities, and
methods of integrating positive inclusion strategies in society. Born and reared in India
in a context where Hindus, Muslims, and Christians resided peacefully, Dr. Burgess
brings a cross - cultural background into being. Two recent scholarly works are Changing
Brain Structure through Cross - Cultural Learning: The Life of Reuven Feuerstein (2008) and
Shantistan (2004). The latter is a peacebuilding curriculum that utilizes an interreli-
gion, mediated learning, dialogic approach.
Stanley M. Burgess , PhD (University of Missouri, Columbia), is Distinguished Profes-
sor of Christian History in the School of Divinity at Regent University, and Professor
Emeritus, Missouri State University. He teaches courses in the history of Christian
Spirituality in Ancient and Modern periods. His numerous publications include a trilogy
on the history of the Holy Spirit in Christian churches; three reference works on the
modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, R eaching Beyond: Chapters in
the History of Perfectionism , Christian Peoples of the Spirit: a Documentary Collection , and
(co - editor/contributor) Testimoni della fede nelle chiese della riforma ; and over 150 articles
in professional journals and collections of essays. Born and raised in India, he has a
special interest in social justice issues in underdeveloped countries.