Understanding context is at the core of our profession and the historical
context of the religion/social work tension illuminates our current struggle.
Early on, the struggle was often about distinguishing social work from
religion and its connection to various Jewish and Christian social movements
(Bullis, 1996; Krieglstein, 2006). Addressing individual and community needs
and perceived social injustices in the United States was first initiated from the
pulpits of organized religion and carried out by ministry members and
volunteers with a desire to serve God by helping the poor (Larsen, 2011).