Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Combatting Human Extinction: Biblical Archetypes And Environmental Apocalypse In Contemporary Dystopian Fiction, Elizabeth Hurley

Honors Theses

This project examines through recreations of Biblical archetypes the cause and effect of environmental apocalypse and potential human extinction in contemporary dystopian novels. The goal of this thesis is, in part, to argue that near-future dystopian fiction is speculative, since the fictional reasons behind the downfall are akin to Anthropocenic (that is, pertaining to the age of the Anthropocene, the contemporary world where humans have severely altered the Earth) environmental and ecological concerns. In examining The Year of the Flood (2009) by Margaret Atwood, Parable of the Sower (1994) by Octavia Butler, and The Maze Runner (2009) by James Dashner, …

Families And God-Human Interactions In Genesis, Josias A. Flores

Honors Theses

This study carefully analyzes the themes found in various interactions between God and humans in the book of Genesis, viewing them through the lens of family. The majority of the texts that record direct verbal communication between God and humans reveal that God initiates such encounters in order to develop and define healthy families. Themes found in the God-human interactions parallel previous conclusions in family studies research regarding family rituals. Motivated by insights from the behavioral sciences, this work contributes to the scholarly discussion surrounding families from a theological perspective and also provides practical implications for modern-day families.

Finding Christ In Cinema: Examining Secular Film Theologically, Evan Wheatley

Honors Theses

For me as a teenager, secular films were merely a form of entertainment. A trip to the movies meant the chance to escape to a “galaxy far, far away,” to stand alongside Harry Potter in his latest confrontation with Lord Voldemort. I did not realize at the time the parallels between the Force in Star Wars, and the Christian God, or how Harry and Voldemort’s cinematic struggle can be seen as an allegory for the fight between good and evil.

At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, I was introduced to how God can use secular film to challenge our …

Exploring Paul As The Anti-Jonah In Acts, Collin Battaglia

Honors Theses

Biblical authors often employ literary techniques to communicate their messages with enhanced force. They were not, for example, interested in theology or historiography alone, but also in aesthetics. In other words, their focus was not directed solely on simply presenting information, but also on how the material was presented literarily. Authors would utilize many techniques in their writing such as repetition, chiasms, and typology to connect stories, to emphasize themes, and to flesh out nuanced truths. This paper will argue that Luke, in the Book of Acts, implements the aesthetic technique of allusion and typology to enrich his narrative. More …

The Exoneration Of Job: A Discussion Of The Joban And Yahwistic Speeches, Robert Edwin "Mack" Mcgehee Iii

Honors Theses

This study aims to determine whether Job, staunchly established as innocent in the prosaic introduction of the book, maintains his blamelessness throughout the lengthy poetic corpus. The speeches of the dominant characters, Job and Yahweh, will be examined in order to determine whether Job is in the end exonerated by Yahweh's poetic words despite the harsh statements made in the man's own speeches.