Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mikveh: The Relationship Of Jewish Ritual Immersion And Christian Baptism, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

Most Christians understand baptism as an undeniable doctrine of early Christianity. What most don’t grasp is that this practice goes far beyond the confines of Jesus and John the Baptist to some of the earliest recorded stages of the people of God, meaning that it has always been a part of the plan of God for the redemption of mankind. In this book, Barry Fike goes back into the Hebrew background of the concept of Christian baptism into the Jewish understanding of this ritual of cleanliness to show that our present understanding needs to have some backdrop to correctly identify …

Praying For Our Leaders, Mark Caleb Smith

History and Government Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Christian Music Experiences In The Faith Development Of Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Winnie White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenology study was to discover how Christian music experiences affect the faith development of adolescents. The lived experiences are the on-going process in which adolescents develop through the stages of faith and how Christian music fits into that process. The participants were adolescents who participated in a youth group with an active music experience on a weekly basis. I used the transcendental phenomenology model which included the epoche, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis of texture and structure to collect, gather, and analyze the data. Data were collected from 11 adolescents utilizing observations, Fowler's Life …

Business As A Calling / Profit As A Virtue, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

This speech was delivered at a Symposium on Corporations, Capitalism, and Christianity sponsored by The Center for Lifelong Learning at Windsor Park Retirement Community in Carol Stream, IL. In it Pollard considers the integration of business and faith, focusing primarily on how leaders must cultivate the humanity of their employees while simultaneously maximizing profit.

Femininity, Masculinity, Gender, And The Role Of Shame On Christian Men And Women In The Evangelical Church Culture, Joy L. Hottenstein

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Previous research has suggested that individuals (men and women) who endorse more feminine characteristics according to Bem’s Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) are more prone to shame. There have been no known studies conducted to determine if this link also exists within the Evangelical Christian church. Shame, across the research literature, is linked to psychological maladjustment and is defined as a sense that one’s core self is defective and comes up short on expectations. The purpose of this study is to test the relationship between gender, gender role, and shame for men and women who are active in the Evangelical church …

What's Wrong With The Christian West, Joseph Studemeyer

Senior Theses

Western Christian groups are losing significant numbers of adherents in the area formerly known as Christendom (Western Europe and European-dominated former colonies), a trend which seems to be quickening with time. In addition, the same Western Christian denominations are in the midst of an unprecedented period of fragmentation, with many splitting over questions of doctrine and practice. More controversially, traditionalists both within the Western churches and outside of them have claimed that the Western denominations are also experiencing a qualitative decline, asserting that the Christianity of the West has been doctrinally compromised. This thesis posits an underlying philosophical reason for …

Awful/Awful: An Archive Of Light Embarrassments, Teysha Vinson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The difficulty of representing intangible religious ideas is at the core of Awful/Awful: An Archive of Light Embarrassments. Through an interest in how light is discussed in the Bible as a symbol for God and his fellowship, I make imagery that both repulses me and intrigues me but never do I get to the point where I feel the work encapsulates any answers. Instead, the photographs are questions, archived, unable to represent this light of God on their own without being trite or obtuse. The arranged work on the walls consists of these photographs plus a few ephemera from my …

Jesus Or Nothing, Dan Dewitt

Faculty Books

It’s time to make a choice.

Many young adults are abandoning the Christian faith, convinced that it's an outdated and uneducated belief system. Dan DeWitt counters these misconceptions and challenges us to think carefully about the choice between Jesus and nothing by comparing the Christian worldview with the notion of a godless universe devoid of true goodness and ultimate significance.

This winsome book describes the rock-solid foundation for life that Christians enjoy in and through the gospel—offering an explanation for our existence, grace for our guilt, and meaning for our mortality.

The Rhetoric Of Gay Christians: Matthew Vines And Reverend Nancy Wilson As Exemplars, Josu Miller

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

In the United States, there is a perception that the gay rights debate situates Christians against gay rights advocates. According to this perception, Christians oppose gay rights, because the Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin, and those who support gay rights do so using purely secular arguments. This perception of the gay rights debate is flawed and overly simplistic, because simply not all Christians oppose gay rights. In fact, there are multiple interpretations of biblical texts that support homosexuality and have caused a gay rights debate within the church that is as complex and intricate as gay rights debate outside …

Business As A Calling Of God (Dallas), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at Dallas Theological Seminary's Table Conference 2014, Pollard considers the integration of faith and work, noting in particular the need for both a transformation of leadership and new approach to educating future business leaders. For Pollard, what it means to lead cannot be divorced from questions of faith and God.

Jesus Lives, But Should He Live In My Front Yard?, Christin N. Taylor

English Faculty Publications

As I drove home from church, I eyed the bright foam sign my 6-year-old daughter held. “Jesus is Alive” it read in kid scrawl. “We’re supposed to put them in our yards!” Noelle beamed, eyeing her creation proudly through pink-rimmed glasses.

I imagined our wide, open yard in Pennsylvania, the green grass stretching without fences from one neighbor to the next. Our best friends in the neighborhood, secular humanists, would easily see it. I cringed. What would they think? [excerpt]

More Than A Prophet: Jesus And Islam, Justin A. Farmer

Selected Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Reputation Of The Apostle Paul: Was He A Misogynist?, Melinda Nelson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The Apostle Paul is a fundamental figure in the history, traditions, and beliefs of Christianity, yet his thoughts are sometimes viewed as controversial. Through his letters, Christians for centuries have learned about early Christianity and have been guided by Paul’s writings into following the ways of Jesus as he is interpreted by Paul. However, Paul did not begin as a crusader for Christ; initially Paul was extremely opposed to this reform of Judaism and made his stance known through aligning himself with the Jewish Pharisees during the persecutions of Christians during the early years of Christianity. While Paul’s letters and …

Starting From Scripture, Thomas S. Mach

History and Government Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Appreciating The Mystery Of "Three Persons" And "One Substance": A Study Of Tertullian's Legacy Concerning The Historical Development Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity, Brandon Walker

Masters Theses

Tertullian of Carthage is hailed by many as the most influential Western theologian prior to Augustine, and his most impressive theological contributions involved Trinitarianism and Christology. This study is a thorough investigation of the extent to which Tertullian influenced subsequent Trinitarian theologians and writers in the Western tradition. It explores how Tertullian repeated and expanded existing arguments popularized by earlier apologists and theologians. It also identifies those original features of Tertullian's theological vocabulary and reasoning which subsequent Western pre- and post-Nicene theologians found most valuable as Trinitarian doctrine progressed toward its maturity. This analysis concludes with an evaluation of Tertullian's …

Post-College Transition: A Study Of Evangelical Spirituality In Emerging Adulthood, Katharine R. Pals

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the question: How are the spiritual lives of evangelical Christian FIU graduates affected during the two to four years following their college graduation? In twenty mini-case studies participants describe their patterns in prayer life, devotion, community service outreach, and ways that they understand their own growth process as evangelical Christian emerging adults.

A total of twenty FIU alumni from the classes of 2009-2012 between the ages of 23 and 34 were interviewed in this study. The sample population of evangelical Christian FIU alumni was identified by the graduates’ previous membership in on-campus Christian organizations, including Campus Bible …

Political Disciple: The Relationship Between James A. Garfield And The Disciples Of Christ, Jerry Rushford

Jerry Rushford

James A. Garfield (1831-1881), the only preacher to ever occupy the White House, was a product of the profound social, intellectual and religious ferment of the early decades of the nineteenth century which produced the American religious movement known as the Disciples of Christ. The first fifty years of Disciple history closely paralleled Garfield’s life. The purpose of this study is to focus on the intimate Garfield-Disciples relationship, and to show its reciprocal nature. Garfield was helped by Disciples in the building of a political base (he won ten consecutive elections in the Western Reserve), and they in turn shared …

"The Apollos Of The West": The Life Of John Allen Gano, Jerry Rushford

Jerry Rushford

The purpose of this thesis is the presentation of the life of John Allen Gano, a man important in the history of both early Kentucky and the Restoration Movement. Research toward that end resulted in the recovery of many important documents concerning the period. Basic materials are his own writings, whether in his “Biographical Notebook,” his frequent letters to the Millennial Harbinger, or that found reported to or copied in other brotherhood papers. In addition, a wealth of secondary sources are utilized to complete the overall picture of his life and times. Information gathered from primary and secondary sources is …

The History, Nature And Future Of Faith-Informed Research In English Language Teaching, Mary Shepard Wong

International Journal of Christianity and English Language Teaching

Although scholarship on Christian faith and education is well established (see Bleistein, Wong, & Smith, 2013), research of Christian faith and English language teaching (ELT) is just starting to emerge. As the recent volume edited by Wong, Kristjánsson, and Dörnyei (2013) demonstrated, what started as a debate on the dilemmas of imperialism in Christian missions (Wong & Canagarajah, 2009a), “has enlarged to include empirical studies that demonstrate the importance of faith to the motivation of language learners, the impact of faith on ELT pedagogical approaches, and the significance of faith for teachers’ professional identity formations” (Bleistein, Wong, & Smith 2013, …

The Theology Of Battlestar Galactica: American Christianity In The 2004-2009 Television Series, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.

Faculty Pub Night

No abstract provided.

Spiritual/Religious Issues In Therapy At A Community Mental Health Clinic, Courtney Elizabeth Mcconnell

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the growing area of spirituality and religion in counseling. The American public values religion; and the American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledges religion/spirituality as a vital area of diversity. With APA calling for specialized training in religious diversity, it is important to consider what religious/spiritual issues arise in a community counseling setting. This study was designed to determine whether clients or therapists raise religious issues, and whether clients who self-identify as religiously affiliated spend more time discussing religious/spiritual topics in session. In addition, researchers hoped to learn about what religious content was …

Faith In The Humanities, Karen Swallow Prior

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Soul Of Korean Christianity: How The Shamans, Buddha, And Confucius Paved The Way For Jesus In The Land Of The Morning Calm, Colin Lewis

Honors Projects

Whether one is speaking of its progressive elements or its charismatic characteristics, Korean Christianity exhibits a vibrancy that stands out among the religious traditions of modern East Asia. Its evangelistic zeal and enormous growth have led to its being a locus point of Christian faith for those in non-Western contexts. In light of its vibrancy and prominence, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the church in Korea is proof that Christianity may thrive outside of the West.

At the same time, the reasons for Christianity’s success on the Korean peninsula are more difficult to pin down. Why …

The Lord Of The Rings And The Weight Of Two Worlds: An Exploration Of Faith In Fantasy, Danielle Myers

Honors Projects

This project is two-fold. The first section attempts to determine what it is that makes Tolkien’s writing, specifically within The Lord of the Rings, stand out against other Christian fantasy, particularly within modern evangelical culture. The purpose of this is to determine how he uses faith within his fantasy differently, and makes that faith-based writing meaningful to his readers without leaving them feeling preached-at. The second section is an excerpt of my own novel, The Weight of Two Worlds, in which I have attempted to use Tolkien’s methods to incorporate faith in my fantasy writing.

Faith In The Humanities, Karen Swallow Prior

Karen Swallow Prior

No abstract provided.

Renewing Our Shared Purpose: Considering Ernest L. Boyer’S General Education Vision For Christian Colleges And Universities, Cynthia Wells

Higher Education Faculty Scholarship

This article considers the significance of Boyer's work on general education for Christian colleges and universities. After beginning with a synthesis and analysis of Boyer's vast body of work on general education, this article then identifies the challenges facing those concerned with renewing the general education program in Christian colleges and universities. This piece concludes by illustrating how Boyer's ideals for general education relate to the educational aims of Christian colleges and universities and also provides concrete examples of how Boyer's ideals are evident in Christian higher education today. This article argues that Boyer's vision for general education is fully …

Essence Of The New Testament (Portuguese), Elmer Towns, Ben Gutierrez, Edward Hindson, Gary E. Yates

Towns Foreign Language Book Collection

No abstract provided.

Faith In The Humanities, Karen Prior

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Piecing It Together: Spiritual Tinkering From An Orthodox Perspective, R. C. Miessler

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Book Summary: Churches in the U.S. are grappling with unprecedented change. Financial challenges, globalization, the digital revolution and church-dividing topics are taking a toll on the institution and membership. Americans are increasingly not affiliating themselves with any religion, including one third of adults under 30.

In light of all this, what is the future of the churches? In For Such a Time as This: Young Adults on the Future of the Church, Christian young adults offer an invigorating, new, and timely word on issues such as eco-justice, immigration, interfaith relations, peace and justice, and inclusivity of those on the …

Christian And Muslim Mutual Relatedness And Directedness As Our Common Destiny In The Balkans, Marko Djurić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The author gives his own religious perspective about mutual relatedness and directedness between Christians and Muslims in the Balkans. According to him, the relatedness and directedness between Orthodox Christians and Sunni Muslims in the Balkans were never at the level of which one could be proud. The contemporary historical moment it is important to improve contacts not only between Christians and Muslims, but also between their religious institutions. This relation would not harm their identity, but would only enrich and help building religious peace among believers on the Balkans. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to know the …