Alan Keith-Lucas: Writing that Makes a Difference

Dr. Alan Keith-Lucas (Keith) is one of the earliest and most influential leaders of the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) and a seminal thinker and writer on the integration of Christian faith and social work practice. Many who knew him were both inspired by his understanding of faith and human behavior and energized by his practice wisdom as he valued every human being.

Dr. Keith-Lucas’ prescient and transformative thinking led to theoretical concepts and programs that continue to impact social work and children’s services more than 40 years later. He published numerous books and articles which are available in print. In nearly 30 publications with NACSW, Keith provided guidance for effective helping, encouragement for non-judgmental acceptance with loving accountability, and fierce support for the role of group home care in child services. After his death, Keith’s family donated his unpublished manuscripts to Roberts Wesleyan College, which shared them with the Garland School of Social Work. With the family’s copyright permission, and leadership from the GSSW's Dr. Helen Harris and Dr. Lawrence Ressler, retired from Roberts Wesleyan, Baylor University Libraries digitized the collection to make it available to scholars and practitioners.

Harris (2019) wrote that for Keith, a fundamental question was what difference it made to social work practice for the practitioner to be a Christian. We invite you to explore his perspective in these archives. We believe that the field will be enriched by Keith’s wisdom and insights and offer them with gratitude.

Enjoy his rich collection of writings HERE.

Image courtesy of Roberts Wesleyan Department of Social Work

(Story first appeared on the GSSW’s SERVE Project blog.)