- Collection:
- Interdenominational Theological Center Theses & Dissertations Collection
- Title:
- The exploration of religious symbols for their liberating or oppressive characteristics among African-American residents of the Jonesboro North and South housing projects located in Southeast Atlanta, 1990
- Creator:
- Galloway, Ralph E.
- Date of Original:
- 1990-01-01
- Subject:
- Dissertations, Academic
Degrees, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- What social impact is religion having on a specific group of low-income African-American tenants of two housing projects? The research findings of this project answer the question by indicating a dual impact. The empirical exploration of five religious symbols suggest that four of them brought a liberating effect. In contrast, one symbol, the God Symbol, was on the borderline between liberating and oppressive. Its liberating characteristics were encouraging but the nature of the oppressive elements may hinder the positive aspects of this Symbol as well as the liberating orientation of the other symbols. Chapter One set forth the problem in terms of the liberating or oppressive influences of religion in the lives of residents in the Jonesboro North/South Housing Complexes. It defined the purpose as exploring these potential affects through the weighing of religious symbols. It also gave some historical background to life in these Complexes. In Chapter Two basic presuppositions, a church model, and definitions were elaborated to provide criteria that determined the fundamental categories for evaluating religious symbols as liberating or oppressive. Controlled by the parameters of the hermeneutical framework, Chapter Three constructed a theological and sociological theory of religious symbols based upon the models of Tillich, Geertz, and McQuire. Relying mainly on an adaptation of Charles Osgood's Semantic Differential, Chapter Four outlined the development of a social science research survey designed to retrieve important data. This data begins to suggest possible characteristics belonging to the religious symbols adopted by Joneboro residents. Employing presuppositional and theoretical aspects, Chapter Five assumed the task of analyzing the most salient results of the research findings. Those results began to point to a religious profile that appeared in most general terms liberating and encouraging. However, when broken into smaller units of examination, the profile evidenced what might be some potentially serious contradictions. Liberating religious symbols indicating proclivities toward action for social justice may be stymied by a fragmented and ambiguous Symbol of God. One significant example rests with two of the key responses that may indicate that respondents believe that divine providence lies behind the current American socio-economic system. Finally, Chapter Six presents the outcome of a workshop intervention designed to interact with the Jonesboro leadership, and other significant representatives over the project purpose, survey results and related implications. Generally, workshop dynamics tended to reinforce the survey findings and positively influence the Jonesboro leadership.
Date of award: 1990-01-01
Degree type: dissertation
Degree name: Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Granting institution: Interdenominational Theological Center - Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/itc.td:1990_galloway_ralph_e
- Holding Institution:
- Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta, Ga.)
- Rights: