On the varying meaning of "open and affirming"

Some religious denominations offer programs where member congregations can signal their acceptance of all gender identities and sexual orientations. The United Church of Christ (UCC) created one of the earliest of such programs in the mid-1980s by which congregations can adopt an "Open and Affirming" identity. However, there has been little research examining this program and how it has evolved over time. Research suggests that organizational innovations like the Open and Affirming program often become institutionalized over time, leading to changes in how the program is expressed or conducted. We examine Open and Affirming (ONA) congregations in the UCC to see if the manner in which they express their ONA identity depends on when they adopted the identity. We find that early adopters of such programs are more likely than later adopters to focus on sexual orientation. While this could be seen as a troubling pattern, we argue that it could represent greater awareness of the Open and Affirming program's meaning, which has allowed for greater flexibility in its expression.     

Explaining Variations in the Nonprofit Founding Process

Although the organizational founding process is subject to various isomorphic pressures, significant variation is still found in the completion, ordering, and timing of founding events. Prior research on entrepreneurship suggests the importance of education and previous experience in determining who is best positioned to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities, which may explain some of the variation in the founding process. In this article the authors present an analysis of an original survey of recently founded religious nonprofits to better understand how founder, organizational, and contextual characteristics influence the founding process in this specific nonprofit context. Overall, the authors’ findings show that founder education and experience particularly affect the founding process as well as organizational characteristics; however, these effects vary across different dimensions of this process.     

In God We Trust: Religion and Optimism Toward Biotechnology*

Objectives. Biotechnology has been called a new industrial revolution. This revolution has and will produce many ethical and moral questions. Religion could have a significant role in these debates, yet little is known about how religion affects views of biotechnology. Methods. The 1997–1998 U.S. Biotechnology Study, a nationally representative data set resulting from telephone interviews, is analyzed to see how belief in a personal God and other religion variables affect scores on an optimism scale. Results. The analysis shows that church attendance and personal religiosity do not affect optimism. However, holding an image of a personal God who hears individual prayers produces a more optimistic view of biotechnology. Conclusions. I argue this finding is because holding an image of a personal and powerful God makes one more confident due to the safety net of having a God that could help guide biotechnology and protect against any negative consequences.     

探索建设社区生育文化的新路子

南京市鼓楼区的社区生育文化建设 ,在思路、体制和方法上创新 ,实施了优化人的发展环境 ,提高人的综合素质 ,提升人的生命价值三个工程 ,建成了有效的城市社区生育文化体系     

Google's Insights for Search: A Note Evaluating the Use of Search Engine Data in Social Research*

Objective. This research note presents and assesses the potential for Google's Insights for Search tool for use in social science research. Methods. Measures of social phenomena across time and across ecological units produced from search engine data are compared with existing data sources. Results. The comparisons show that the search engine data correspond quite closely with existing measures of issue salience and religious adherence. Conclusions. Given its relative lack of cost both in terms of money and labor, its flexibility, and its correspondence to other data, social scientists should consider the Insights for Search tool for research purposes.     

Identity and Government Funding in Christian Nonprofits*

Objectives. This article aims to understand if and how the expressed religious identity of Christian nonprofit organizations varies between those receiving and not receiving government funding and whether there is evidence that government funding produces such differences. Methods. I utilize a content analysis of narratives provided on tax forms of 1,900 of the largest national and international Christian nonprofits based in the United States. Results. Christian nonprofits receiving government funding are less likely to express a religious identity and tend to use more inclusive language when doing so. However, receiving government funding does not seem to be the direct cause of changes in expressed religious identity. Conclusions. Differences in expressed religious identity might better be understood as the result of long‐term changes that both alter the organization's identity and makes it more likely to acquire government funding.