Calvin Institute Receives $100,000 Grant

April 25, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

The Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin
College has received a $100,000 grant from the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry
Bradley Foundation to study the role of religion in shaping civic
responsibility in American life.

Calvin professor Corwin Smidt, also director of the Henry Institute, says the
topic is an interesting one especially because of the role of religion in the
recent U.S. presidential election (in which President Bush defeated Senator
Kerry).

"Clearly," he says, "in light of the media and public response in the wake of
exit polls conducted on election day,the American public, the mass media,
scholars, as well as policy analysts and policy-makers need to develop a better
and deeper understanding of the role of religion and moral values within
American public life."

Smidt notes that people's religious connections and civic ties are often
closely connected.

"Roughly speaking," says Smidt, "almost half of all personal philanthropy is
religious in character, and half of all volunteering occurs in a religious
context. In addition people are more likely to give money and time, even to
secular efforts, if they are church members, and they are also significantly
more likely to vote if they are church members."

Smidt notes too that religion's contribution to democracy is not limited
simply to its social ties and communitarian vision.

"Religion and religious life also foster important civic skills among those
who participate in its structure," he says, "as church involvement provides
opportunities to practice skills such as organizing and leading a committee,
that can be applied to civic life."

But in this new study Smidt wants to go beyond involvement. He wants to study
responsibility, and says the distinction between the two is important.

"A study of civic responsibility," he says, "broadens the analysis to assess
both attitudinal, value-rooted commitments and behavioral responses - as well
as the interplay between the two. Since civic responsibility entails moral as
well as behavioral dimensions, one might well anticipate that religion would be
even more strongly related to civic responsibility than it is to civic
engagement. But, since no such study has been conducted to this point, it is
unclear whether this is the case empirically."

Smidt also wants to probe more deeply the nature of religion in relationship
to civic responsibility and involvement. Prior research in this area has found
religious factors to be important variables, without clearly identifying what
specific facet of religion most directly contributes to civic engagement.

"Is it religious beliefs, religious commitment, religious networks or some
combination of such factors," he wonders. "Are certain religious traditions or
certain types of people within a religious tradition more likely to manifest
high levels of civic engagement and responsibility? No effort has yet been
made to ascertain what is proposed here."

Smidt will be the project director. His team of research fellows will
include: Stephen Monsma (Henry Institute Research Fellow); James Penning
(Calvin professor of political science); Doug Koopman (Calvin professor of
political science); Kevin denDulk (Grand Valley professor of political
science); and Calvin student fellows yet to be selected.

Smidt notes that each of the research team members has recently published a
major scholarly work on religion and public life.

Contact Smidt at 616-526-6233 or see www.calvin.edu/henry

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Received on Mon Apr 25 15:59:31 2005