The Faith Factor in Fatherhood

By Don E. Eberly and David Blankenhorn - Contributions by David Blankenhorn; Don S. Browning; Dan Coats; Gordon Dalbey; Barrett Duke; Don E. Eberly; E Bernard Franklin; George Gallup Jr; Wade F. Horn; Diane Knippers; Richard Land; Robert Lewis; Larry Malo

Edited by founder and chairman of the National Fatherhood Initiative Don Eberly, The Faith Factor in Fatherhood addresses the key role that religious institutions can play in reviving what Eberly calls the 'sacred vocation of fatherhood.' In response to the wider debate regarding the increased expectations that are being placed by policy makers on faith-based institutions to serve important public purposes, contributors to this volume guide denominations, places of worship, and religious social agencies to recover the role they once played in reaching and supporting young men with a message of responsible fatherhood. Ecumenical in scope, the book addresses what each faith community can do to recover its particular heritage of engaged, involved fathering, through methods including instruction, rites of passage programs, stories, ceremonies, mentoring, and community outreach.

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Spririt of the Fatherhood Movement Part 2 The Story of American Fatherhood Chapter 3 The Collapse and Recovery of Fatherhood Chapter 4 Making Great Men and Fathers Chapter 5 What Americans Belive about Fatherhood and the Role of Religion Part 6 The Heritage of Fatherhood in America's Faith Communities Chapter 7 Fatherhood in the African American Church Chapter 8 Fatherhood in the Roman Catholic Tradition Chapter 9 Fatherhood in the Evangelical Tradition Chapter 10 Fatherhood in the Mainline Protestant Tradition Part 11 Fatherhood and Faith in the American Public Debate Chapter 12 The Rise of an American Fatherhood Movement Chapter 13 The Role of Marriage in Strengthening Fatherhood Chapter 14 Beyond Government to Faith-Based Community Strategies Chapter 15 Fatherhood as a Point of Convergence beyond Old Categories Chapter 16 The Idea of God as Father Chapter 17 Emerging Attitudes about Gender Roles Chapter 18 Men as Promise Makers and Keepers Chapter 19 Restoring Civil Society Through Fatherhood Part 20 Faithful Fathers: The Journey Back Chapter 21 One Denomination's Initiative Chapter 22 One Pastor's Personal Struggle Chapter 23 Recovering the Rites of Male Passage Chapter 24 One Son's Rite of Passage Chapter 25 The Power of Male Initiation Ceremonies