Worship across the Racial Divide

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychological distress and can have devastating consequences for individuals and their loved ones. Decades of research have shown that there are many possible causes of depression, and one of those causes involves problems with self-regulation. Self-regulation involves setting and pursuing important personal goals - put simply, the process of trying to be the kind of person you want to be. Self-System Therapy for Depression: Therapist Guide provides a thorough description of Self-System Therapy (SST)-a motivational approach to treating depression that helps decrease feelings of disappointment and failure and increase feelings of pride and accomplishment, by improving the process of self-regulation. Clinical studies have shown that SST is effective in reducing depression and anxiety. The treatment program is structured within a 16-session plan, and strategies andtechniques for each phase of treatment are presented in detail, along with case vignettes and examples. The core strategies of SST focus on identifying appropriate and reasonable personal goals and standards (including coping with perfectionistic standards), evaluating and improving the effectiveness of goal pursuitstrategies, and adjusting goals in order to improve opportunities for positive emotions. The accompanying Client Workbook explains the basics of self-regulation in simple terms and provides worksheets to help illustrate and implement these strategies.Many scholars and church leaders believe that music and worship style are essential in stimulating diversity in congregations. Gerardo Marti draws on interviews with more than 170 congregational leaders and parishioners, as well as his experiences participating in worship services in a wide variety of Protestant, multiracial Southern Californian churches, to present this insightful study of the role of music in creating congregational diversity. Worship across the Racial Divide offers a surprising conclusion: that there is no single style of worship or music that determines the likelihood of achieving a multiracial church. Far more important are the complex of practices of the worshipping community in the production and absorption of music. Multiracial churches successfully diversify by stimulating unobtrusive means of interracial and interethnic relations; in fact, preparation for music apart from worship gatherings proves to be justas important as its performance during services. Marti shows that aside from and even in spite of the varying beliefs of attendees and church leaders, diversity happens because music and worship create practical spaces where cross-racial bonds are formed. This groundbreaking book sheds light on how race affects worship in multiracial churches. It will allow a new understanding of the dynamics of such churches, and provide crucial aid to church leaders for avoiding the pitfalls that inadvertently widen the racial divide.