Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

Publication Title

Journal of Religion & Spirtuality in Social Work: Social Thought

Keywords

spirituality and social work, eco spirituality, sustainable development, social work practice

Abstract

Based on human experience and history we know faith and culture are distinct and different. Cultural expression is a fundamental aspect of one’s identity and a human right that must be protected. Culture is a universal phenomenon, that is shaped primarily by one’s socialization. All people have a culture and may belong to a particular faith/spiritual tradition. They may also relate to others who belong to a cultural group or identify with a particular faith/spiritual tradition. To live peacefully we must strive to understand each other’s cultural, faith-based, spiritual realities as well as methods of conflict resolution and survival stories. These are challenges inherent in having awareness of faith, spirituality, cultural dimensions, and competent communication. It is imperative that we mobilize our inner spiritual wisdom and life-enhancing aspects of culture and leverage them for change. This is urgent when considering sustainability and development. The authors propose a transactional model of faith, spirituality, culture, and development and provide a context for understanding of pursuit of sustainable development. With increased awareness of the implications of a globalized world, encouraging transformation of social development, social work practice, and knowledge building of the field is critical. Case scenarios included are guided by the transactional model presented in the paper.

Funding Source

This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Taylor & Francis.

DOI

10.1080/15426432.2025.2475900

Comments

First published in Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought (2025): https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2025.2475900

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.

Download

Included in

Social Work Commons

Share

COinS