American Families of Faith

Holy Envy: What We Learn By Studying Other Faiths | Audio Article 23

"The term holy envy was developed by the late Krister Stendahl, who was Dean of the Harvard Divinity School and then Church of Sweden Bishop of Stockholm. This concept is core to the multi-faith research my colleagues and I do in the American Families of Faith project.

"At the end of the semester, students write a paper on holy envy. This assignment asks students to “List and briefly discuss the 5 most important, personally meaningful, and/or helpful ideas you learned this semester about how those of other faiths practice their religion about which you felt some kind of holy envy.”

"I would like to share what students in one class from one university learned about one idea: holy envy."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Holy Envy: What We Learn By Studying Other Faiths" which was originally published in RealClearReligion on May 4, 2020.

What is Holy Envy? | Highlights 02

Dr. Loren Marks and Dr. David Dollahite, co-directors of the American Families of Faith project, share thoughts about how their study of various families of faith has led them to a sense of deep admiration or “holy envy” for religious practices from other faiths.

The "empathy wall" is an obstacle to a deep understanding of someone else that can make us feel indifferent or even hostile to those that hold different beliefs.

Our hope religiously, is that we will be able to foster and facilitate a deeper understanding of how persons and families in eight different faith communities live their lives. We strive to climb the "empathy wall" and hope you join us in developing a deep respect and "holy envy": to see in someone else, attributes and elements that others can envy in a holy, or righteous, kind of way.

This podcast features conversations about faith and family life between the Co-directors of the American Families of Faith project (http://AmericanFamiliesofFaith.byu.edu) Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks. This podcast is edited, syndicated, and marketed by Laura McKeighen, the Outreach Director for the American Families of Faith project.

If you’d like more insight into how religious families draw on their spiritual beliefs to strengthen their marital relationships and parenting, check out our public scholarship articles at Public Square Magazine.

Genuine Faith Practiced at Home Is a Powerful Antidote to Apocalyptic Fear | Audio Article 22

"The diverse families of faith we have interviewed practiced a wide range of religious rituals and activities at home. These practices reportedly deepened their faith in God and strengthened their sense of connection with their family members. Such patterns of home-based worship take on pointed relevance in our current COVID-19 context where houses of worship have been closed. 

"Prayer, studying scripture, singing hymns, lighting candles, discussing spiritual topics, storytelling, a shared meal—all of these shared acts can be elements of family worship. And service to others in the human family comprises yet another way for families to worship God together. "

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Genuine Faith Practiced at Home Is a Powerful Antidote to Apocalyptic Fear" which was originally published in Institute for Family Studies on April 2, 2020.

Holy Weeks in the Shadow of Death | Audio Article 21

"In my experience, both 9/11 and COVID-19 involve grief over profound losses, anxieties and fears about the future, suspicions of others, and divisions across political lines, as well as increased prayers for self and others, increased desire to understand those who are suffering or are different, and greater efforts to build bridges across various divides."

"To encourage hope during these difficult times, I would like to share some personal memories from the first Holy Week following 9/11."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Holy Weeks in the Shadow of Death" which was originally published in RealClearReligion on April 17, 2020.

Why This Project? | Highlights 01

Why the American Families of Faith Project: Enriching & Strengthening Families

In the social sciences there tends to be a focus on weaknesses and why things go wrong. The American Families of Faith Project brings a much needed balance to the study of marriages and families by focusing on the features and origins of relational strengths and health. 

 

This podcast features conversations about faith and family life between the Co-directors of the American Families of Faith project (http://AmericanFamiliesofFaith.byu.edu) Dr. David Dollahite and Dr. Loren Marks. This podcast is edited, syndicated, and marketed by Laura McKeighen, the Outreach Director for the American Families of Faith project.

If you’d like more insight into how religious families draw on their spiritual beliefs to strengthen their marital relationships and parenting, check out our public scholarship articles at Public Square Magazine.

Healthy Religion is Good for American Families | Audio Article 20

"A large body of social science research indicates that high levels of healthy religiosity provide many personal and relational benefits that merely nominal levels of religious belief and involvement does not. To settle for the dangerous single story that religion is bad may be at least as unfortunate as the provincial narrative that religion is an unmitigated good. Our carefully measured, double story is that high levels of healthy religion is good for America’s families while what James called “sick-souled” religion is bad for everyone."

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Healthy Religion is Good for American Families" which was originally published in DeseretNews on February 29, 2020.

Apocalyptic Fear and Authentic Faith | Audio Article 19

"Religious gatherings often bring a sense of peace and safety, but in this case, religious gatherings can spread the very virus everyone hopes they and their loved ones will avoid. Whether you believe that houses of worship should remain open during this trying time, or that they should close, our research has found that meaningful religious practice at home is both possible and beautiful."

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Apocalyptic Fear and Authentic Faith" which was originally published in MecatorNet on March 25, 2020.

Rock and Religion: The Pursuit of Everlasting Love | Audio Article 18

"For two decades, we have interviewed religious wives and husbands in long-term happy marriages and we asked them how they kept their love alive. We heard relational and religious answers that reflected a variety of wisdom.

"Like most Americans of our generations (X and the Boomers), we also grew up hearing the voices of classic rock and roll. Rock also has its own kind of wisdom about keeping love alive—though often profane and crass—and it too enshrines a kind of sacred quest for Everlasting Love. On Valentine’s Day these two visions of love collide, converge, and clash in unique and surprising ways."

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Rock and Religion: The Pursuit of Everlasting Love" which was originally published in Public Square Magazine on February 13, 2020.

Romantic Love and Religion—A Match Made in Heaven? | Audio Article 17

"Catholic thinker Michael Novak locates the myth of romantic love in our unfulfilled passion. He distinguishes romantic love from an embodied, other-oriented Christian love. But it’s worth exploring the possibility that elements of the same basic human desire lie at the core of both: a deep and abiding need for profound and lasting—indeed eternal—emotional and spiritual intimacy, the dream of shared meaning and unified fulfillment of our deepest hopes with the “one.”"

 

David Dollahite reads the article, "Romantic Love and Religion—A Match Made by Heaven?" which was originally published in RealClearReligion on February 14, 2020.

Why Do They Tithe? Perspectives on Giving Back to God | Audio Article 16

"In December, articles and blogs address various aspects of Christmas. We would like to address another important December event for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—tithing settlement. While few people have as many positive nostalgic memories of tithing settlement as they do of Christmas, there are profound spiritual aspects of tithing as a way of giving back to God in gratitude for what God has given us."

 

Loren Marks reads the article, "Why Do They Tithe? Perspectives on Giving Back to God" which was originally published in Meridian Magazine on December 10, 2019.