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This article examines the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) and its connection to abortion rights and religious freedom in the United States. The RFMA was passed in response to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's concurring opinion to the Dobbs v. Jackson case which revoked federal abortion rights and suggested the Supreme Court reevaluate similar decisions based on due process, like Obergefell which guaranteed the federal right to same-sex marriage. This article showcases how the passage of the RFMA is a masterclass in U.S. policymaking and discusses the implications of the RFMA as well as considerations should Obergefell go the way of Dobbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family Planning Services and Pregnancy Options Counseling (POC), often provided by licensed clinical social workers and registered nurses, have been a vital intervention for women and families for decades and continues to remain an important public health focus. Recent Title X Policy changes have altered service delivery of POC in many family planning clinics across the country. This paper explores Family Planning, POC, the new Title X regulations and their intersection with the evangelical, Christian faith and social worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers who are Christians and work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) clients may struggle with their own faith perspectives and how best to respond to their clients. Historically, there have always been examples of social workers who experience incongruence and even dissonance with their own competing values, with the values of the profession, and with the values of society or the culture. In those cases, the challenge and the opportunity is to maintain client self-determination, commitment to justice, and personal integrity. This paper explores the social work experience of value incongruence and dissonance, particularly for social workers whose religious values may seem to be incongruent with an affirmative approach to homosexuality. Included is a discussion of social work education in religiously-affiliated universities to address challenges in a polarized world, the integration of faith and social work practice, and principles and tips for working with value incongruence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counselors practice with older adults whose religion and spirituality may be factors in assessment and treatment. TheDSM-5includes religion and spirituality as part of pathology or culture. This approach is supported in counselor education. Religion as a cultural derivative only reflects the human aspect of religion, not including a client’s perception of divine actions possibly beyond the human experience, i.e., a miracle. How does the clinician discern if a client’s experience reflects pathology or the possibility of some sort of miracle? This article includes strengths and limitations of a cultural definition of religious and spiritual experience with case applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic quarantines, stay-at-home orders, and other precautionary measures impacted the ability of individuals to engage in group religious practices associated with positive religious coping, a protective factor for community resilience following disaster. The aim of this cross-sectional survey of Christian congregations in the U.S. was to 1) assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on congregation members' coping strategies, and 2) evaluate any changes to Christian coping behaviors. Paired samples t-test identified changes in coping behaviors associated with avoidance, as well as resilience. Implications for Christian congregations and social workers in responding to these changes are discussed in the context of the ethical integration of faith and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a grounded theory design and methods, 65 key informants in 15 faith-based organizations having promising programs in four urban areas were interviewed. Respondents were asked what makes their direct service programs faith-based. A story emerges, motivated by mission-driven visions tied to forces beyond local programs and steeped in deep traditions. A major implication of the findings is that in teaching people about the various practices of diverse religious groups, we are only giving them the visible elements. While the expressed values of acts and faith are integral in the faith-based discussion, they do not tell the full story. The deep drivers of human behavior and practice are found in the specific beliefs and interpretations of individuals who are involved either as leaders or participants in faith-based organizations. For many of these individuals in faith-based organizations, mission and accountability to God trumps secular or professional expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]