Digital Commons Network^™

Ndas: How Should Christians Think About Non-Disclosure Agreements?, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The answer to forward-looking NDAs may be for Christians to write better ones, rather than abandoning them altogether."

Posting about the pros and cons of non-disclosure agreements from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/ndas-how-should-christians-think-about-non-disclosure-agreements/

"For You There Are No Strangers": Albert Schweitzer And The Ethics Of Necessity In Pandemic America, Joel (J.T.) Young

Faculty Scholarship

Claiming millions of lives and affecting millions more, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrust humanity into a period of intense reflection on the fragility of life. However, in this time when people have been encouraged to care for their fellow human beings by taking the precautions necessary to protect one another, many have asked the same question as one of Jesus’ antagonistic opponents in the Gospel of Luke: “and who is my neighbor?” In addition to the virus, though, the United States has been plagued by another adversary: non-necessity toward the other. By claiming no responsibility for the well-being and care …

Lasting Lessons And Legacy Influences: Christian Leadership Characteristics Of Southern Baptists Who Overcame Jim Crow, Aabram G. Marsh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The legacy of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement was the social change its protests inspired. However, its leadership and moral compass were set by Christian theologians and ministers. These leaders moved the nation to recognize the humanity of African-Americans, demonize the sin of racism, and motivate their fellow Americans to oppose Jim Crow segregation. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to examine and identify the Christian leadership characteristics of influential legacy leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (Henlee Barnette, Billy Graham, Thomas Maston, Acker Miller, and Foy Valentine) who supported desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement. Further, …

Voice Of The Villains: The Attraction Of And Response To Villain Retellings (Part 2), Lydia Jayaputra

Student Work

"While villain retellings show that perspective does indeed change our moral boundaries, theology begs us to remember that God’s perspective, being all-encompassing, cannot be wrong."

Posting about movie villains and their appeal from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/voice-of-the-villains-the-attraction-of-and-response-to-villain-retellings-part-2/

A Biblical-Theological Framework For Human Sexuality: Applications To Private Sexuality, Trent A. Rogers, John Tarwater

Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Publications

What are good sexual acts? It is not that surprising when cultural voices, without reference to God, argue for the inherent goodness of all “unharmful” sexual desires and acts. Regrettably, ethical pragmatism has influenced some Christian sexual ethics, and this influence is particularly evident with the issue of masturbation. What God defines as good sexual acts are those that fulfill his unitive and procreative purposes for sex within marriage. Given God’s unitive and procreative purposes for sex within the context of marriage, we argue that masturbation is a categorically impermissible act because it fulfills neither of these purposes, and we …

Earthkeeping And Character: Exploring A Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic (Book Review), Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Earthkeeping and Character: Exploring a Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic by Steven Bouma-Prediger. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020. 198 pp. ISBN: 9780801098840.

Mental Health Chaplaincy: A Guide For Geriatric Psychiatric Chaplains, Deena Anne Martinelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) evaluated the expanding roles of chaplains in mental health and identified the prevalent need for additional training among chaplains when integrating chaplaincy and mental health services. Literature revealed that chaplains were lacking in the skillsets and pastoral care practices needed to effectively care for elderly patients with mental health disorders. A gap remains in literature regarding the reported level of training and preparedness of chaplains who ministered to geriatric mental health patients within clinical settings, which this project sought to examine. Harter’s competence motivation theory and the Holy Bible served as …

Paper: Investigating The Work Of William Styron: The Perpetuation Of The Fantastic Hegemonic Imagination, William Sikich

Womanist Ethics

William Styron's Confessions of Nat Turner depicts a fictitious characterization of the historical Nat Turner. Styron, a white southerner, assumes Turner's perspective in order to tell a speculative story about his slave rebellion of 1831. Similarly, he tells the story of a fictional holocaust survivor in his novel, Sophie's Choice. The decision to take on these perspective evinces some arrogance on Styron's part, and the way in which he executes the narrative of each novel delivers their stories with varying levels of respect to their subjects: Styron's indirect telling of Sophie's story allows Styron some freedom to speculate, while …

Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Interventions And The Soul: Moral And Ethical Considerations, Bruce Vermeer

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Magazine: Alice: A Womanist Ethics Magazine, Lucy Kebler, Grace Dematteis, Karli Stankus, Laurin Hopping

Womanist Ethics

Alice is an academic magazine that focuses on the topic of womanism and one of its primary tenets, radical subjectivity. Incorporating both historical womanist content, and modern womanist perspectives, Alice brings a modern twist to the idea of radical subjectivity. The magazine concentrates heavily on current womanist celebrities, who bring womanism to the public. Alice maps out both straightforward and ambiguous instances so that the reader can better understand them. The magazine also incorporates interactive material, such as a womanist quiz, and two womanist recipes.

Some Ethical Principles For A Follower Of Jesus Christ Seeking To Lead In The Marketplace, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In these seven principles Pollard outlines what is required of a disciple of Christ in the marketplace.

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands But Most Christians Have Never Really Tried (Review), Richard Crane

Biblical, Religious, & Philosophical Studies Educator Scholarship

In this book, Ron Sider breaks no new scholarly ground. But that was not his purpose. Sider’s purpose is to motivate his intended audience—Christian leaders of churches, denominations, parachurch bodies, and other ecclesial groups—to make a bold and sustained commitment to nonviolent activism on a grand scale.

Fundamental Differences: How The Legal Lineage Of Obergefell Can Help Us Frame A Response To It, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Bible Stories No One Talks About, Mark Verbruggen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"These are real people, messed up and sinful people, and yet they are the ones used by God to advance his Kingdom of grace and truth in Jesus Christ."

Posting about dealing with ­­­­­­­­the unpleasant narratives in the Bible from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/bible-stories-no-one-talks-about/

The Truth Of God's Way, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this speech at John Brown University's 2015 commencement exercises, Pollard encourages graduating students to build their future vocational endeavors upon God's truth as well as a commitment to servant leadership.

Excellence, Success, And The Protective Function Of Common Grace In Accounting, Jason Stansbury, Marilyn Stansbury, Debra Snyder

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

The sustainability of the accounting profession depends on both internal goods (excellences) and external goods (successes) supported by the practices and institutions of accounting. While both types of goods matter, a virtuous organization must hold them in tension. Failure to do so risks violating the public trust and damaging accountants integrity. The accounting professions management of this MacIntyrean tension exemplifies the protective function of common grace. Accounting helps to protect business from the effects of sin (e.g., negligence, opportunism, and malfeasance), as well as to enable business to meet human needs through both meaningful employment and goods and services that …

The Priority Of Life, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this short devotional, Pollard muses on the significance of prioritizing the kingdom of God while leading a large public corporation.

Supporting Football: The Physical Damage Of The Game, Greg Youngblood

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"How ethical it is to support football since it is a sport that 'wreaks devastation on brains and condemns many players to diminished brain functioning, premature dementia, and the like.' ... Instead of asking if supporting football is moral or not I believe we should be asking ourselves as players, coaches, and fans how can we use the gifts, talents and abilities God has given us to create a culture in sports where we demonstrate the spirit of God and work for his glory."

Posting about the morality of supporting football as well as ethics in football from a Christian …

Outline For Interact And Other Talks And Teaching Lessons - Outline Of The Tides Of Life Chapters 1, 2, And 3, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

These pages serve as an outline for various talks Pollard gave as well as for the first three chapters of his The Tides of Life: Learning to Lead and Serve as You Navigate the Currents of Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014).

Outline For Interact And Other Talks And Teaching Lessons - Outline Of The Tides Of Life Chapters 7, 8, And 9, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

These pages serve as an outline for various talks Pollard gave as well as for chapters 7-9 of his The Tides of Life: Learning to Lead and Serve as You Navigate the Currents of Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014).

Outline For Interact And Other Talks And Teaching Lessons - Outline Of The Tides Of Life Chapters 4, 5, And 6, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

These pages serve as an outline for various talks Pollard gave as well as for chapters 4-6 of his The Tides of Life: Learning to Lead and Serve as You Navigate the Currents of Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014).

Capital In The Twenty-First Century: A Tale Without Morality, Bruce D. Baker

SPU Works

Thomas Piketty has given economists a lot to argue about, but their arguments miss the point of the book’s success. “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” is not a bestseller based on its economic merits. It’s a bestseller because it speaks to a deep moral anxiety. Confidence in capitalism has been shaken. The crisis of 2008 exposed weaknesses in the financialization of our economy. Piketty makes a valiant contribution to economic theory and history, but his empiricism succumbs ultimately to the same flaw John Paul II diagnosed in Marxism—it leads to an incoherent statement of moral order.

The Buddhist Coleridge: Creating Space For The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Within Buddhist Romantic Studies, Katie Pacheco

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The popularization of academic spaces that combine Buddhist philosophy with the literature of the Romantic period – a discipline I refer to as Buddhist Romantic Studies – have exposed the lack of scholarly attention Samuel Taylor Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner have received within such studies. Validating Coleridge’s right to exist within Buddhist Romantic spheres, my thesis argues that Coleridge was cognizant of Buddhism through historical and textual encounters. To create a space for The Rime within Buddhist Romantic Studies, my thesis provides an interpretation of the poem that centers on the concept of prajna, or wisdom, …

Jesus, I Trust In You: St. Thomas Aquinas' Jubilee, John A. Sohl

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of “Life Reporting” is a completely new idea, at least in terms of how I have experienced it. In today’s world of blogs and social networking, it is essential for broadcast journalists to embrace their own lives in the same world of professional and ethical reporting. As I describe my experience of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Jubilee, I have no choice but to provide the context and build-up of this intense passion toward my overarching point. Working through all the communities of which I have been a part, from attending St. Luke Catholic Church all the way to the …

Review Of: Andrew R. Murphy (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion To Religion And Violence, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Blackwell Companions, and instalments from similar series, should be initially sized up according to their purpose and audience. Such hefty tomes present themselves first as reference books—as collections of articles by scholarly experts that treat the key methods, topics, historical developments, etc., in the field. Second, each Companion is addressed to students and teachers as a state-of-the-field resource that provides several benefits: a sound picture of the field, assessment of various theories and methods used in the field, a sense of the innovative developments and open questions, and plenty of information to follow up on. Finally, some Companions give primacy …

Examples Of Calling And Work, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Originally entitled "Business as a Calling," this document serves as the outline for a speech Pollard delivered at the 2012 Emerging Leaders Conference in Philadelphia.

Review Of: T. J. Gorringe. The Common Good And The Global Emergency: God And The Built Environment, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Tim Gorringe follows up his positively reviewed 2002 book A Theology of the Built Environment with this offering from the same publisher. The former book was notable as a sustained attempt to think theologically about the ‘built environment’. The built environment is the context that humans construct for themselves through their industry and technology; it comprises all types of physical settlements (cities, suburbs, towns, and villages), roads and transportation systems, parks and outdoor spaces, and buildings of every sort. It matters to humans how we build social spaces, for this influences our individual flourishing and the common good. While any …

Theism And Psychological Science: A Call For Rapprochement, Michael J. Vogel, Tyler A. Gerdin, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The authors offer two arguments for the inclusion of theism in natural science. First, an argument against excluding theism is offered. Though early roots of science promoted a view that it is a way to accumulate knowledge that is untainted by presuppositions and traditions, postmodern critiques call this into question. Scientists have sometimes rejected religion as a context-dependent, tradition-based way of knowing, yet science itself is also context-dependent and tradition-based. Second, an argument for including theism in psychological is offered. Theistic beliefs are relevant insofar as they are part of human experience for many, they represent a form of human …

Ethics As Relational, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Theology

This essay explores the relational nature of ethics. Rather than envision ethics as an abstract set of rules, goals, virtues, etc., we should understand ethics as part of the process of establishing and fostering relationships both with God and with others. Consequently, promoting the well-being and happiness of others is a central part of ethics.

Where Should Wesleyan Ethics Go From Here? A Response To Eric Manchester, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Theology

[Response to comments by Eric Manchester regarding the author’s book, Salvaging Wesley’s Agenda (2008).] Manchester has accurately articulated the concerns which drive the book, especially the criticisms that I leveled against Wesleyan developments that have outlived much of their usefulness and need to be replaced with a new paradigm. It was my hope from the beginning that this project might spur meaningful discussion about fruitful ways to develop Wesleyan models of moral development.