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The Role of Structure Versus Individual Agency in Churches’ Responses to HIV/AIDS: A Case Study of Baltimore City Churches

Journal of Religion and Health volume 50, pages 407–421 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper examines the activities of churches in Baltimore, Maryland, concerning the issues of sexuality, whether they potentially stigmatize persons with or at risk for HIV/AIDS, and to what extent individual agency versus institutional forces influence churches in this regard. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 leaders from 16 churches and analyzed using a grounded theory methodology. Although many churches were involved in HIV/AIDS-related activities, the content of such initiatives was sometimes limited due to organizational constraints. Church leaders varied, however, in the extent to which they responded in accordance with or resisted these constraints, highlighting the importance of individual agency influencing churches’ responses to HIV/AIDS.

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Notes

  1. Examples of mainline Protestant denominations include: American Baptist Churches in the USA, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist.

  2. Examples of evangelical denominations include: Assemblies of God, Independent Baptists, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Presbyterian Church in America, and Southern Baptists.

  3. Congregational “adherents” include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Grant #: R01 AI49530).

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Affiliations

  1. Sociometrics Corporation, Los Altos, CA, USA

    Shayna D. Cunningham

  2. Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Deanna L. Kerrigan

  3. Department Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Clea A. McNeely

  4. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jonathan M. Ellen

  5. 170 State Street, Suite 260, Los Altos, CA, 94022, USA

    Shayna D. Cunningham & Deanna L. Kerrigan

Authors
  1. Shayna D. Cunningham
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  2. Deanna L. Kerrigan
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  3. Clea A. McNeely
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  4. Jonathan M. Ellen
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Correspondence to Shayna D. Cunningham.

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Cunningham, S.D., Kerrigan, D.L., McNeely, C.A. et al. The Role of Structure Versus Individual Agency in Churches’ Responses to HIV/AIDS: A Case Study of Baltimore City Churches. J Relig Health 50, 407–421 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-009-9281-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-009-9281-7

Keywords

  • HIV/AIDS
  • Stigma
  • Faith-based