Date
12-2012
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Chair
Judy Shoemaker
Primary Subject Area
Religion, General; Sociology, Criminology and Penology; Psychology, General
Keywords
campus, Christian, Christ-like Spiritual Growth, crime, spiritual maturity
Disciplines
Christianity | Criminology | Ethics in Religion | Psychology | Religion
Recommended Citation
Rickert, Paul, "Examining Crime among College-Aged Christians: Are Christian Religious Beliefs Associated with Low Levels of Criminal Activity?" (2012). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 631.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/631
Abstract
The purpose of this correlational study into crime among college-aged Christians in the United States is to determine if indicating higher levels of Christian spiritual growth is associated with lower levels of criminal behavior. A convenience sample of college aged Christians was given an online survey to measure self-reported criminality measured by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports Part I and Part II and self-reported religious convictions as measured by Bufford et al.'s Christ-like Spiritual Growth Scale. This quantitative study then analyzed data generated from 57 respondents and found that reporting higher rates of Christ-like spiritual growth was negatively correlated to reporting lower rates of law violating behaviors, but only slightly.
Included in
Christianity Commons, Criminology Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Psychology Commons
