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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
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Mission Statements: Evaluating Faith-Based Organization’S Missional Effectiveness In Monrovia, Liberia, Jessica Kryzer
Mission Statements: Evaluating Faith-Based Organization’S Missional Effectiveness In Monrovia, Liberia, Jessica Kryzer
Masters Theses
Mission statements of faith-based organizations in Monrovia, Liberia are essential to carrying out the Two Great Commandments and the Great Commission within the work of the organizations. By presenting and evaluating the presence of the TGC and the GC within the statements it can be determined whether the programs and funding are sufficiently affected by the solidity of the mission statement and core values.
Cultural Influence Of Storytelling: An Examination Of The Use Of Narratives In Political Campaigns, Charla Bansley
Cultural Influence Of Storytelling: An Examination Of The Use Of Narratives In Political Campaigns, Charla Bansley
Masters Theses
Television has changed political discourse. The thirty second commercial has replaced typography and rhetoric. After losing the popular vote in 5 of the last 6 presidential elections, the Republican National Committee concluded that the GOP has lost the ability to persuade. Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm states that meaningful communication is in the form of storytelling, which enables public discourse to observe not only differences, but commonalities. In a postmodern culture that does not believe in absolute truth, this study asked the following question: Are conservatives still using statistics and facts to communicate conservative principles? The rhetorical research conducted here examined …
Canonical Development And The Early Church Fathers: Establishing The Validity And Elevating The Weight Of Accurate Textual Citations, Chris Davis
Masters Theses
The predominant theory of textual criticism known as “reasoned eclecticism” often engages the NT manuscripts in a manner that is not truly eclectic. Instead, the modus operandi is often to overlook textual witnesses from manuscript families that do not agree with the favored Alexandrian text-type. At the same time, in cases where the early church fathers seem to cite passages from these other known families, their words are often discounted and removed as evidence for a particular reading. This thesis deals predominantly with the second issue, and it addresses a number of foundational issues that lead to such a flawed …
Jazz And Puerto Rican Traditional Music: A New Generation Of Musical Exploration, Pedro Lavezzari
Jazz And Puerto Rican Traditional Music: A New Generation Of Musical Exploration, Pedro Lavezzari
Masters Theses
Many musical styles around the world have been born from struggle and search for cultural identity. The same idea applies to Jazz and the Afro-Caribbean music created within the African diaspora and influenced by Latin and European styles in the United States. More recently, the meaning of diaspora has been used to refer to a group of people and some aspects of their culture (Rivera 2010, 104). For older and newer generations of Puerto Rican musicians two traditions have intersected to create a modern form of expression that reaffirms Puerto Rico’s musical creativity and contemporary tendency. In 1989 Warren Pinckney …
How Church Commitment To At-Risk Black Male Youth Helps Prevent Them From Being Incarcerated At Percentage Rates Higher Than Other Races, Barbara Pierson
How Church Commitment To At-Risk Black Male Youth Helps Prevent Them From Being Incarcerated At Percentage Rates Higher Than Other Races, Barbara Pierson
Masters Theses
Between the years 2006 and 2014, the percentage of young Black men between the ages of 13 and 21 in Ohio prisons increased more than any other race according to statistics given by the Department of Youth Services (DYS) located in the city of Columbus, Ohio. While the entire Black race only consisted of 12.5% of the population in Ohio, 56.7% of Black males were imprisoned as opposed to 43% of White males, and 3% of all other races that were incarcerated during the same time period. Young people are more involved with the justice system which allows a greater …
The Spirit Molecule: Dmt, Brains, And A Theoneurological Model To Explain Spiritual Experiences, Shaun Smith
The Spirit Molecule: Dmt, Brains, And A Theoneurological Model To Explain Spiritual Experiences, Shaun Smith
Masters Theses
This thesis attempts to address the philosophical implications of the N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) research of Dr. Rick Strassman. Strassman concludes that the psychedelic properties of DMT represent a proper biological starting point for discussing spiritual and near-death experiences. My research attempts to incorporate philosophical elements from the philosophy of mind and philosophy of religion/mysticism to give an accurate account of some of the philosophical issues worth exploring for future research. One of the essential patterns in this thesis is to trace the research and conclusions of Strassman, compare them with the philosophical issues in the contemporary philosophy of mind and …
Mad Hero In A Box: Christianity, Secular Humanism, And The Monomyth In Doctor Who, Sabrina Hardy
Mad Hero In A Box: Christianity, Secular Humanism, And The Monomyth In Doctor Who, Sabrina Hardy
Masters Theses
Doctor Who is a long-running, incredibly popular work of television science-fiction, with a devoted fanbase across the Western world. Like all science fiction, it deals with the weighty questions posed by the culture around it, particularly in regards to ethics, politics, faith/belief, and the idea of the soul. These concepts are dealt with through the lens of the Secular Humanist ideology held by the showrunners and by many of the people who watch the show; however, in many areas, elements of the Christian worldview seep through. The conflict between these two worldviews has serious ramifications for the show itself, as …
The Incompatibility Of Open Theism With The Doctrine Of Inerrancy, Stuart Mark Mattfield
The Incompatibility Of Open Theism With The Doctrine Of Inerrancy, Stuart Mark Mattfield
Masters Theses
The primary purpose of this thesis is to show that the doctrine of open theism denies the doctrine of inerrancy. Specifically open theism falsely interprets Scriptural references to God's Divine omniscience and sovereignty, and conversely ignores the weighty Scriptural references to those two attributes which attribute perfection and completeness in a manner which open theism explicitly denies. While the doctrine of inerrancy has been hotly debated since the Enlightenment, and mostly so through the modern and postmodern eras, it may be argued that there has been a traditional understanding of the Bible's inerrancy that is drawn from Scripture, and has …
The In Situ Meaning Of "To Observe All" In Matthew 28:20 (Nasb), David Samuel Gifford
The In Situ Meaning Of "To Observe All" In Matthew 28:20 (Nasb), David Samuel Gifford
Masters Theses
Christian leaders often bemoan the typical American believer for his lack of commitment to Jesus' commands. Wanting the blessing of God, she looks for it in all the wrong places. The Great Commission, however, commands Church leaders to teach their disciples "to observe all" (terein panta) that Jesus commanded. This thesis has the underlying assumption, therefore, that diminished faithfulness to commandments may stem from exegetical oversight. First, Christians may be overlooking the full meaning and significance of the verb terein. A literature review revealed that the word implies four independent concepts, the primary one being observation; the others are guardianship, …
A Culture In Change: The Development Of Masculinity Through P.G. Wodehouse's Psmith Series, Allison Thompson
A Culture In Change: The Development Of Masculinity Through P.G. Wodehouse's Psmith Series, Allison Thompson
Masters Theses
P. G. Wodehouse offers a serious and sustained critique of English society using the game of cricket as he follows the lives of two memorable characters, Mike Jackson and Rupert Psmith. Yet Wodehouse has frequently been accused of existing as too innocent of a bystander to understand the underpinnings of society, let alone to offer a critique. For example, Christopher Hitchens in a review of a Wodehouse biography by Robert McCrum states, "Wodehouse was a rather beefy, hearty chap, with a lifelong interest in the sporting subculture of the English boarding school and a highly developed instinct for the main …
Mad To Be Sincere: Authenticity, Irony, And Kerouac’S Response To Modern Reality, Jonathan Michael Devin
Mad To Be Sincere: Authenticity, Irony, And Kerouac’S Response To Modern Reality, Jonathan Michael Devin
Masters Theses
This project explores the qualities of sincerity, authenticity, and irony in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road. The thesis asserts that that On the Road is neither ironic nor authentic, but, rather, that it both possesses aspects of traditional sincerity and anticipates the New Sincerity movement in contemporary literature. Through observing the characteristics of traditional sincerity and New Sincerity in the novel, the thesis amends the novel's critical position by showing a level of complexity, foresight, and nuance in the text. Ultimately, the thesis shows Kerouac's response to modern reality, presenting the limitations of authenticity and irony while esteeming the …
The Many Paths Of Cyberspace: William Gibson's The Sprawl As Prototype For Structural, Thematic, And Narrative Multilinearity In New Media, Erik Marsh
Masters Theses
William Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy helped set a new direction for science fiction, but his work is also a valuable tool for examining changes in the approach both readers and writers began to take to approaching literature as the text medium began its rapid evolution with the introduction of electronic hypertext. In this examination of Gibson’s fiction, a pattern of multilinear truth emerges, showing how Western culture began to fully embrace Postmodern approaches to truth claims as a default, how even a pre-electronic text can exhibit hypertext-like aspects, and how this shift in interpretive response to literature is important for Christians …
Flannery O'Connor's Redemptive Violence In Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club And Invisible Monsters, Caitlin Elliot
Flannery O'Connor's Redemptive Violence In Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club And Invisible Monsters, Caitlin Elliot
Masters Theses
Underground fight clubs, transsexuals, shotguns: these are the images that come to mind when one thinks of Chuck Palahniuk’s fiction—for many critics and readers, merely the stuff of pulp fiction. However, many of Palahniuk’s novels use violence to critique American culture while offering hope for the redemption of his characters and society as a whole. Thus, the violence in his works serves a purpose beyond mere shock value. The function of Palahniuk’s violence, I argue, reflects the poetics of Flannery O’Connor. Her works contain culturally-driven narratives with strange and grotesque circumstances that lead her characters to moments of redemption, and …
'Sing Unto The Lord A New Song--Just Not That One!' A Case Study Of Music Censorship In Free Will Baptist Colleges, Jon Edward Bullock
'Sing Unto The Lord A New Song--Just Not That One!' A Case Study Of Music Censorship In Free Will Baptist Colleges, Jon Edward Bullock
Masters Theses
Like so many of the world’s other religious institutions, the Christian church has a long and well-documented history of using music to enhance and enliven the spiritual experiences of believers. Many of the church’s greatest champions throughout history have spoken about the inherent power of music, but as history always seems to demonstrate, along with power comes the need for control. As long as church leaders have used music to attain spiritual progress, they have also censored music that threatens to impede that progress. Even today, many church leaders still rely on music censorship to protect the future and identity …
American Dreams And Dystopias: Examining Dystopian Parallels In The Great Gatsby And To Kill A Mockingbird, Samuel Nathan Harris
American Dreams And Dystopias: Examining Dystopian Parallels In The Great Gatsby And To Kill A Mockingbird, Samuel Nathan Harris
Masters Theses
In this study I consider the recent trend of dystopian fiction in literature—both the broader genre of dystopias of the past century or so, and the contemporarily popular subgenre of young adult dystopian fiction—and examine whether certain American novels, while not typically considered dystopias, can fit into this genre or at least be established as having some parallels with works of this genre. Based on certain shared archetypes of the genre, such as “speculative myth,” a governing “ritual habit,” and a dissatisfied narrator or protagonist, I here propose that other American classics, specifically F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and …
A Mainer From Rockland: Adelbert Ames In The Civil War, Michael Jack Megelsh
A Mainer From Rockland: Adelbert Ames In The Civil War, Michael Jack Megelsh
Masters Theses
Adelbert Ames, a Civil War general before he was thirty years old, exemplified the characteristics and embodied the elements of the essential solider. He, and other mid-level commanders like him, provided pivotal and instrumental leadership that helped the Union win the war. In short, Ames was one of the most talented and highly regarded young officers in the Union Army, and boasts perhaps the finest record of any "boy general" who fought for the North during the American Civil War. Ames was not just an average soldier or a mere participant in a large volunteer army. He was not a …
Spiritual Transformation And Its Implications For Christian Worship, Thomas Wayne Doss
Spiritual Transformation And Its Implications For Christian Worship, Thomas Wayne Doss
Masters Theses
The life change that Christ Jesus wants to produce in His children is nothing short of miraculous. His offer of salvation immediately transforms the accepting person, bringing him into a divine relationship with the Heavenly Father, but Christ desires to further transform the new believer into a person who more accurately bears the image of God and declares His greatness and glory to all. This is a progressive and life-long process that calls the Christian to a life that includes sacrificial worship, avoidance of worldly living, and renewing the mind with godly pursuits. Because this is the will of God …
Aquinas The Pacifist? A Comparative Study, Lloyd George Pemberton
Aquinas The Pacifist? A Comparative Study, Lloyd George Pemberton
Masters Theses
It is claimed by some scholars that when recent analytical tools of interpretation are placed upon the Summa Theologica, a presumption against harm emerges from the mind of Thomas Aquinas as he formulated his just war theory. This presumption against harm is thereby construed as Aquinas having an affinity toward pacifism. The present thesis offers a comparative study between two scholars, Richard Miller and Gregory Reichberg. Miller supports this claim while Reichberg finds it unjustifiable. The thesis lays out the arguments put forth by both, ultimately siding with Reichberg as making the better case. In addition, I offer my own …
The Romantic Egoist: Fitzgerald's View On Identity And Culture, Tara Bender
The Romantic Egoist: Fitzgerald's View On Identity And Culture, Tara Bender
Masters Theses
"Who am I?” is a question that not only each individual asks himself or herself at various points in the process of maturation from childhood to adulthood, but also society itself as it changes and grows. During the 1920s, Americans were asking themselves these defining questions. F. Scott Fitzgerald as one of the pre-eminent writers of that time period provides examples in his novels This Side of Paradise, Beautiful and The Damned, and The Great Gatsby of the immaturity of masculine figures. Amory Blaine, Anthony Patch, and Jay Gatsby exemplify the struggle of men in the 1920s to develop their …
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
Masters Theses
Natural selection seems to offer a compelling case for the development of evaluative judgments independent of evaluative facts. If such a case can be made, then how do moral judgments correlate to moral facts? It seems that there would be no tight connection from judgments to truth and moral judgments would be unwarranted. Gilbert Harman realized the implications of a probable non-moral genealogy. Richard Joyce goes on to provide a probable non-moral genealogy that would epistemically undermine moral judgments as Harman thought. Joyce argues that in a naturalistic world natural selection can account for moral judgments, but that the truth …
Samwise Gamgee: Beauty, Truth, And Heroism In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Christine Loraine Chichester
Samwise Gamgee: Beauty, Truth, And Heroism In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Christine Loraine Chichester
Masters Theses
The Lord of the Rings is a well-established part of fantasy's literary canon because of J.R.R. Tolkien's creative imaginary setting and his use of legendary characters. However, this story, and in particular, its use of the archetypal hero's journey deals not only in the Beauty of myth, but also in the universal Truth of Story. Tolkien combines aspects of well-established archetypes with unchanging Truth in order to create a fitting and ultimately Good depiction of heroism. This thesis seeks to examine how Samwise Gamgee, an unexpected hero, experiences or does not experience the stages of Joseph Campbell's Adventure of the …