Ethics in Religion Commons^™

Star Spangled Saints: Ritual Practices That Legitimate War And Violence In The American Church, Terry Dewayne Shoemaker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The objective of this research is to analyze the ways in which the conservative,
American church has been ideologically and ritualistically shaped by an imperial culture enamored with war, the military, and violence; and how those positions and practices, in effect, legitimate war and the military. While many authors have surveyed historical Christian positions regarding war and the current nationalistic tendencies of conservative Christians, little research has been conducted to assess the effects of violence, nationalism, patriotism, and military enchantment on Christian rituals, practices, and ethos. Within this research, I argue that contemporary, conservative Christians have surpassed previously held nuanced ...

Wesleyan Theology And Christian Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship - Theology

This presentation provides an overview of the intersection between Wesleyan theology and Christian ethics, essentially sketching the contours of Wesleyan moral theology. Of all the available options for framing Christian ethics, Wesleyan theology’s doctrines of: 1) sin, 2) prevenient grace, 3) revelation, and 4) sanctification make it best suited for virtue ethics. In essence, conscience (i.e., practical reasoning) and moral transformation are the primary means to pursuing the goals of moral purity, wholehearted love for God and others, and acting in ways that glorify God and edify others. Nevertheless, like other versions of virtue ethics, Wesleyan virtue ethics ...

The Intricacy Of Death And Destiny, Christopher Rogers

Undergraduate Publications

It is our eternal shadow and our ultimate judge. It is our shared destiny and greatest fear; death. The conceptualization of death has always been a fascination of man; we have forever explored it, pondered it, dissected it, but never conquered it. We know how to live, but yet very few of us know how to die.

Two of the most brilliant explorations of this dynamic are vastly different yet inherently important works. The genius of both George Orwell’s political satire 1984, and Albert Camus’ The Plague is their accessibility to the imagination regarding dying, the authors ability to ...

Protest, Alexandria Abel

Undergraduate Publications

Protest is a method used to oppose power or enact change. It is a multifaceted idea in that the type of protest used depends directly on the attainability of the goal. I will discuss the properties of protest and then show how individuals in Enrique’s Journey and Dorothy Day's Loaves and Fishes approach the act of protesting differently based on the actuality of the goals to be accomplished.

Understanding The Complexities Of The Gay Marriage Issue, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship - Theology

The goal of this paper is to help frame the issue of gay marriage in a constructive way, without the rhetoric and the oversimplifications that are too often prevalent. It is the author’s contention that this issue is not ultimately about legal rights; it is about legitimation. In order to support this claim, it is first necessary to clarify the various aspects of the issue, namely, homosexuality itself, the role of marriage in society, and the hermeneutical challenge of formulating a Christian response. The paper also briefly considers some of the more common arguments that are made for or ...

Talking And Not Talking: Sexual Education And Ethics For Young Women Within The Evangelical Movement In America, Kate Sargent

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

Evangelical culture is a juggernaut, and has now permeated every level of American society. Much of the culture’s strength is due to the powerful youth movement within Evangelical denominations. A great deal of its propaganda is aimed at “youth” and “youth culture” in the form of music, books, and technology. Young people are the “heart and soul” of the Evangelical movement. They embrace it, and then perpetuate it. “Evangelical” is an admittedly elusive term. The Oxford English Dictionary (2011) defines evangelical in two ways, both as an adjective, “1 of or according to the teaching of the gospel or ...

Marriageable Age In Islam: A Study On Marriageable Age Laws And Reforms In Islamic Law, Jeremiah J. Bowden

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

One area of Islamic law that has been subject to much criticism as of late is the practice of child-marriage. Some, preferring to view Islam suspiciously, tend to create a caricature of Muslims as morally depraved individuals who force young daughters into marriages to old men for financial gain. Several polemicists commenting on this practice have hurled virulent epithets toward the Prophet Muhammad, whom they believe to be the originator of this abhorrent practice. After exploring instances where child-marriage still occurs, I will examine how this practice is currently being reformed in a way consistent with Islamic law. Ultimately, I ...

Wendell Berry's Imagination In Place: Affection, Community, And Literature, Joseph Wiebe

Open Access Dissertations and Theses

This thesis argues that Wendell Berry’s idea of a healthy community and his understanding of membership is embodied in his fiction. The imagined community of Port William is neither an ideal blueprint for instantiating a new form of collective life in modern society, nor is it a nostalgic recreation of lost rural communities for representing an alternative culture. Berry’s imagination—both the creative process and its material products—is a funding current for both analyzing North American democracy and its failings as well as cultivating pluralities of communities that address these inadequacies. The form and discipline of Berry ...

Where I Am, William L. Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Where I Am (2013) directed by Pamela Drynan.

Examining Crime Among College-Aged Christians: Are Christian Religious Beliefs Associated With Low Levels Of Criminal Activity?, Paul Rickert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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 ...

About My Father's Business: Pastoral Succession From Father To Son, Clifford Hartley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A son who follows in his fathers' footsteps is not unique to many situations but it is to the office of pastor of the local church. Such a succession raises several questions: Is this a call of God, or the passing on of a dynasty? Is this a healthy transition for a church to consider? What are the associated problems and benefits? What biblical foundations should be considered? Are there common factors that make this transition successful? It is evident that unique planning and caution is necessary that is different from other successions patterns of pastoral ministry. This paper will ...

Effectively Ministering To Congregants With Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Jason Whitehurst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A survey of recent medical studies show a rise each year in the number of people diagnosed with A.D.D., or Attention Deficit Disorder. However, pastors have not been adequately educated on how to effectively communicate, counsel, and minister to those with A.D.D. The goal of this project is to educate pastors and church leaders about the nature of A.D.D., the statistics, the symptoms, so that they may better understand how to minister to these people in their congregation. Medical statistics, findings, and new approaches to preaching and ministering will be utilized in this project ...

Avoiding "Silent Fall": Ethics And The Future Of Hunting, Derek Larson

Headwaters: The Faculty Journal of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

No abstract provided.

Table Rites And Animal Rights: Revisiting The Animal Question In The 21st Century, Vera Theisen

Headwaters: The Faculty Journal of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

No abstract provided.

Good Without God? The Necessity Of A Theistic Basis For Morality, Willie E. Honeycutt

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.