Unfolding: University Chaplaincy in Practice
The purpose of this journal is to provide public-oriented content written for practitioners and to represent the scholarship of our membership. This includes methodological research, poetry, liturgy, campus-wide faith services, art, case studies, and more. While we welcome research based writing, the main focus of the journal is to provide relevant and replicable resources.
Association of Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education (ACSLHE)
Spirituality and Religion in Higher Education
This literature review synthesizes current empirical evidence on spirituality and religion in higher education to inform institutional practice and policy. First, religion and spirituality are defined. Second, the benefits of spirituality and religion among students in higher education are outlined and the struggles are highlighted. Third, how spirituality and religion are conceptually understood and assessed within a higher education environment is explored. Lastly, applications are presented, accompanied by recommendations for institutions.
Copyright (c) 2026 Unfolding: University Chaplaincy in Practice
Open Encounter: Designing and Assessing Interfaith Engagement at a Secular University
Short Abstract: At a secular university with an interfaith staff, the Open Encounter framework shapes interfaith engagement. This article details three signature programs: the Interfaith Council, the Affiliates Network, and the Flagship Seminar. Outcomes are monitored using belonging-centered metrics, anchored by survey evidence from academic year 2024 to 2025. Long Abstract: This article advances a single claim. On secular campuses, interfaith engagement is most credible when it pairs authentic fidelity to one's tradition with structures that protect agency for all participants. The article introduces the Open Encounter framework, illustrating its application through the student Interfaith Council, the distributed Affiliates Network, and the Flagship Seminar. Assessment focuses on being seen and belonging, with companion indicators for identity reflection, purpose, and wellbeing. Survey results suggest gains on these targets. The approach builds on interfaith leadership scholarship and research on belonging and persistence, noting lessons learned through shortcomings and refinements.
In response to increased anxiety and fear about the future, two chaplains created a discernment workshop for students on their campus. This case study explores how the need for the workshop arose, the content of the workshop, and key takeaways and participant anecdotes.
Improving Campus Climate for Students of all Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Identities: The INSPIRES Index as a Best Practice in Chaplaincy
The Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Campus Climate Index (INSPIRES Index) is a free tool that assesses a campus's dedication to fostering an inclusive environment for students of diverse religious, secular, and spiritual identities. When used by chaplains, INSPIRES can enhance student experiences and support more effective advocacy for important changes to administrators.
The Pause Retreat was a new initiative at Southern Methodist University designed to address student stress, burnout, and overcommitment through a 24-hour off-campus experience focused on rest and wellness. Supported by a Student Affairs grant, the retreat aimed to engage 50 students but ultimately drew only a limited number of participants, revealing barriers such as scheduling conflicts and lack of financial investment. Despite low turnout, post-retreat surveys indicated meaningful growth in participants’ understanding of rest and appreciation for connection and reflection. This case highlights the tension between student busyness and wellbeing efforts, offering key insights into timing, accountability, and communication for future programs. The Pause Retreat underscores the importance—and challenge—of helping students slow down in a culture that rarely allows it.
This reflective essay explores the tension between rationalism and mysticism in spiritual care, focusing on the Enlightenment and its impact. Drawing on Hindu traditions, evolutionary cosmology, and personal experience, it explores reclaiming mystical ways of knowing—intuition, embodied wisdom, and direct encounter with the Divine. By honoring multidimensional spirituality, validating non-linear journeys, and creating supportive spaces, the essay envisions holistic care that integrates science and mysticism, affirming mystery as essential to human flourishing.
The second book in the Theology Without Walls series, this volume traces the last decade of developments in a conversation that seeks to generate wisdom across religious traditions. Theology with walls seeks to be a “cooperative, constructive, transreligious theological project” generating new knowledge and new understandings of extant knowledge in the field. Divided into three sections, the book lays out the conceptual groundwork for TWW through a series of short essays by a variety of theologians. Chaplains who engage in multifaith or interfaith programming may find answers and thought partners for the many questions that arise from deep engagement with traditions that are not one's own.
With the Best of Intentions:Interreligious Missteps and Mistakes presents a wealth of perspectives on the perils and promises of interfaith relationship building. Ranging from fundamental methodological insights to vulnerable retellings of personal mishaps, this volume aims to catalyze conversation by reframing interreligious errors as opportunities for growth and the creation of more resilient interfaith (and intrafaith) relationships, communities, and collaborations.
The introduction to the 2026 issue.
A list of contributors to this issue of Unfolding: Chaplaincy in Practice