Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Interplay Between Agency, Perception, Structure, And Faith, Hannah Morris

The International Undergraduate Journal For Service-Learning, Leadership, and Social Change

No abstract provided.

The Contributions Of Faith-Based Organizations To Development And The Humanitarian Field: An Adra Case Study, Alexandra Raney, Joel Raveloharimisy

Interdisciplinary Journal of Best Practices in Global Development

The purpose of this paper is to explain the contributions of faith-based organizations (FBOs) to development and the humanitarian field. To do this we used mixed methods research to conduct a case study of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), evaluating its mission, mandate, organizational resources, and activities conducted in 136 countries around the world. We argue that the contributions of FBOs to development and the humanitarian field are explained by the interplay of their identity, resources, and opportunities to do good. The paper concludes with recommendations for FBOs as we move toward the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, while …

Christian-Stoicism: Exploring The Relationship Between Christianity And Stoicism And Constructing A Manual Of Christian-Stoic Wisdom, Trevor Kelly

Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.R.S. Theses)

While the theological assumptions of Christianity and Stoicism may seem disparate, their philosophies are highly compatible. This compatibility is one of the reasons that early Christian authors looked to pagan Stoic authors for support and inspiration. Many Stoic and Christian authors compiled manuals for right living. The historical connections and conceptual similarities between the two schools of thought suggest the viability and value of constructing a combined Christian-Stoic manual of wisdom. Such is the constructive task of this thesis. Passages from Christian and Stoic sources are brought together to illustrate major common themes. The passages are followed by original commentaries …

Challenging Students At Fort Worth Christian School To Engage The Economically Disadvantaged In Their Community, James Hensley

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This doctor of ministry thesis presents a project in which I led a group of students at Fort Worth Christian School in experiences that challenged them to be more engaged with the economically disadvantaged in their community. The problem I identified at the outset of the project was a lack of such experiences along with troubling attitudes about poverty. Many students initially demonstrated ambivalence or even outright hostility toward the notion of helping people who live in poverty. I found such attitudes to be contrary to the teachings of Jesus and to my central beliefs as a Christian. I believed …

Obligations Of Grace, Mark E. Roberts

Empowered21 Scholars' Consultations

Grace obliges recipients to respond in gratitude and obedience to God, the giver of grace. While the New Testament emphasizes God's grace given through Jesus Christ in a New Covenant with believers, the Old Testament emphasizes grace more than many Christians recognize. Grace is expressed in the Old Testament especially through God's free choosing of Abraham as the "father of the faithful," through divine covenants with Abraham, with the divinely constituted nation of Israel, and with the governing house of David. Such grace abounds when God's covenanted people fail to keep their covenant, yet God, after disciplining the covenant people …

How To Impact A Nation: Leadership Lessons Learned From Jerry Falwell And The Moral Majority, George Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project seeks to enhance the leadership development of the next generation by considering the perceived strengths and lessons to be learned from Jerry Falwell and the leadership of the Moral Majority (MM). The commands of Christ call the Christian to engage the culture (Matthew 5:13-16). The trend in church leadership today is too often looking forward without having looked back. Wise church leaders do both and stand on the shoulders of great leaders who have gone before, thus accomplishing “greater things” (John 14:12) for the kingdom of God. Through a survey of current church leaders, and a sampling of …

Proposal For A Local Church Ministry To Mentally Ill Addicts, Terry Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a significant sub-culture of mental health patients who are addicted to prescription drugs, whose needs are not being met by the mental health rehabilitation system. These individuals are incapable of functioning or working normally and exist solely on welfare and community charities. This thesis will investigate this nationwide problem to determine existing ministry approaches, to create a reproducible ministry strategy for reaching this segment of our society with the gospel, by implementing Christian growth, and providing God’s hope for recovery from addiction. The writer has experience with such a ministry, including a church ministry home in the community, …

Centralization And Its Discontents: Exploring The Relationship Between Measures Of Moral Development, Happiness And Technology Driven, Centralized Ways Of Being, Kirsti Svendsen

Ph.D. Dissertations (Open Access)

This interdisciplinary, qualitative dissertation offers an exploration into possible intimate relationships between recently expanding, technology driven forms of centralization of our social institutions and a supposed decline in moral development and happiness among Americans today.

According to Jacques Ellul, technology in itself is not the problem. Instead, he believes the tragedy is that the new idea or spirit of technique , technical efficiency and economic progress, which may have started with the Industrial revolution, and has become the western world s new "religion", the new salvation for humanity. Ellul and other thinkers suggest that the single-minded focus on material progress …

The Essential Nature Of Humility For Today's Leaders, Jerry D. Breedlove Jr.

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Using socio-rhetorical criticism and analysis, the author explores the inner-textual and intertextual texture of 1 timothy 3:1-7. In particular the author draws out how the apostle Paul’s leadership requirement of not being a recent convert is less about the timing of a conversion to christianity and more about the adverse effects of pride on the ability of a leader to lead in a healthy manner. In so doing, the author provides support and insight into the ways in which humility as an essential virtue is applicable to leadership in secular settings as well as christian environments. Furthermore, the author strengthens …

Consumerism: A Challenge For Christian Leadership?, José A. Aleby, Hugo Ernesto Quiroga

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

This article is motivated by an academic work and a field research project developed by Hugo E. Quiroga (2012; personal communication, 2015) on oneomania as a challenge for christian leadership. Our intention is more to raise questions than to provide easy-sounding answers. The term oneomania may not be well known in theory, but its practical effects are recognized around the world. Oneomania, from the Greek onéo = to buy + mania = insanity, mental disorder (Taylor, 1950), is the scientific and technical term for the disease of consumerism, for the compulsive desire to shop, which is a progressive addiction to …

The Heart Of Justice: An Augustinian Ethic Of Relational Responsibility, Kathleen Bonnette

Th.D. Dissertations

This dissertation is a response to current justice-thinking that emphasizes fairness, equality and autonomy but neglects the internal aspects of justice – its character as a virtue. By not attending to the heart of justice, I argue, this thinking reduces justice to an anemic concept that is ineffective in promoting flourishing. Thus, I suggest an affective and relational approach to justice that grounds justice in love and the pursuit of right relations. The Augustinian doctrine of rightly ordered loves and modern Catholic social teaching provide the foundation for my account.

Chapter one examines the liberal accounts of John Rawls and …

The Germans And Their Nazi Past: To What Extent Have They Accepted Responsibility?, Martin Hille

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

No abstract provided.

The Gender Problem Of Buddhist Nationalism In Myanmar: The 969 Movement And Theravada Nuns, Grisel D'Elena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses transnational and Black feminist frameworks to analyze Buddhist nationalist discourses of gender and violence against religious and ethnic minorities in Myanmar. Burmese Buddhist nationalists’ marginalization of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority is inextricably linked to their attempts to control Buddhist women. Research includes interviews with U Ashin Wirathu, the leader of the monastic-led nationalist group, the 969 Movement, and with other monks of the organization, as well as with non-nationalist monks, nuns and laywomen. I also analyze Theravada textual discourse as read by my subjects in light of the history of Myanmar to understand the ways the …

Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Vs. Alternative Stem Cell Research: Is There A Compromise?, Halle Herringshaw

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

The Secular Transformation Of Pride And Humility In The Moral Philosophy Of David Hume, Kirstin April Carlson Mcpherson

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation I examine Hume’s secular re-definition and re-evaluation of the traditional Christian understanding of pride and humility as part of his project to establish a fully secular account of ethics and to undermine what he thought to be the harmful aspects of religious morality. Christians traditionally have seen humility, understood as receptivity to God, to be crucial for individual and social flourishing, and pride as the root of individual and social disorder. By contrast, Hume, who conceives of pride and humility immanently in terms of our self-appraisals, sees pride as a key virtue that serves as the ultimate …

Theo-Dramatic Ethics: A Balthasarian Approach To Moral Formation, Andrew John Kuzma

Dissertations (1934 -)

What role does beauty play in our moral formation? What difference does the perception of beauty make to the way we live our lives? In order to answer these questions, I look to the twentieth-century Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. Relatively little has been written about Balthasar’s ethics. He is, perhaps, best known for his retrieval of beauty as a transcendental property of being. Balthasar, though, never set down an extended account of his ethics or moral theology. While he had no explicit ethic, he certainly thought that his theology could be lived. The Theo-Drama, for instance, discusses the …

Breaking Free From Cults: A Guide For Pastors To Lead Individuals To A New Christian Identity, Brandon Waters

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The spiritual scars inflicted on individuals who severed relationships with religious cults or legalistic institutions are widespread. This research will show former cultist experienced spiritual, mental and physical abuse in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). Through a survey of 150 former members of the WCG and thirty evangelical local pastors, this research will validate the need for support for those individuals seeking personal recovery and the formation of a new spiritual identity. This thesis project produced a manual to assist pastors in understanding the needs of former cultists, specifically in assisting them in developing a new spiritual identity.

Ministry Partners: Ten Key Characteristics Of A Healthy Marriage In Ministry, Arlen Pfenninger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the beginning, God created a partner for man to have as they live their lives together. This partnership was created so they could work together for the kingdom God created. There has been literature written about the unhealthiness of some marriages in ministry because the pastor has neglected his or her family for the cause of Christ. There are others who have advocated a partnership in marriage ministry where the husband and wife work together as a ministry team. This thesis project presents an understanding of the healthy characteristics couples portray as they partner together in the ministry in …

Conscience Collisions: The Search For Public Policy Solutions To The Problem Of Doctrine In Medicine, Christina M. Claxton

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

The Tensions Of Karma And Ahimsa: Jain Ethics, Capitalism, And Slow Violence, Anthony Paz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the nature of environmental racism, a by-product of “slow violence” under capitalism, from the perspective of Jain philosophy. By observing slow violence through the lens of Jain doctrine and ethics, I investigate whether the central tenets of ahimsa and karma are philosophically anti-capitalist, and if there are facets within Jain ethics supporting slow violence. By analyzing the ascetic and lay ethical models, I conclude that the maximization of profit and private acquisition of lands/resources are capitalist attributes that cannot thrive efficiently under a proper Jain ethical model centered on ahimsa (non-harm, non-violence) and world-denying/world-renouncing practices. Conversely, karma …

A Feminist Perspective On The Lack Of Full Ordination For Burmese Buddhist Nuns, Darbee Nicole Hagerty

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the position of Buddhist nuns (thila-shins) in contemporary Burmese society. The Sangha, a branch of the Burmese state, has disallowed them from seeking full ordination as bhikkhunis. Based on interviews and observations conducted in Myanmar in June-July 2015, the thesis examines the current socioeconomic status of thila-shins using a transnational feminist framework. It argues that Burmese Buddhist nuns are not simply passive victims of a patriarchal structure, but agents and actors within their own spaces who have their own agendas. The central questions are: How do thila-shins understand their social, economic, and religious position? How does ordination …

Ethical Decisions: The Slippery Slope/The Blurred Lines, Annetta M. Gibson

Faculty Publications

Presentation for the NAD orientation for new treasurers, March 31, 2016

An Ethnography: Discovering The Hidden Identity Of The Banilejos, Yehonatan Elazar-Demota

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During June of 2015, an anthropological and sociological study was conducted in the Dominican city of Bani. On the surface, the banilejo people appear to be devout Catholics. However, having had access to their personal lives, it was evident that their peculiar family traditions and folklore hinted at their liminal identities. This study involved interviewing 23 female subjects with questions found in the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitorial manuals. In addition, their mitochondrial DNA sequences were analyzed and demonstrated a high percentage of consanguinity and inbreeding within Bani's population. The genetic analysis of their mitochondrial DNA yielded genetic links with Jewish …

Astrobiology, Theology, And Ethics, Brian Patrick Green

Staff Publications and Research

Through his work, Ted Peters has given us a unique permission to dream¹-permission to dream about God's creation not only as it is right now on Earth, but also how it might be elsewhere in the universe both now and in the future. He has taken three of the grandest fields of human endeavor-astrobiology, theology, and ethics-and pioneered them into the new field of astrotheology.²

In this chapter I will present three areas in which Peters' work has motivated my own thinking. First, I want to consider the idea of convergent cultural, theological, and moral evolution between …

John Cobb’S Liberating Work From The Perspective Of Black Theology, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

John Cobb offers “a critical view of inherited theology” (1980), and an affirmative answer to the question “Has Europe become theologically barren?” (2002a). He prescribes listening to alternative theological voices, including black, feminist, Latin American and Native American voices demanding liberation from oppression and poverty. He is critically attentive to continuing connections to colonialism and slavery. He offers a Martin-Luther-King-Jr.-like witness concerning the abolition of poverty globally. Hence, John Cobb is doing liberation theology and liberation ethics.

Reframing The Imperative Of The Great Commission In The Haitian Context: Discipleship Strategies To Impact Haiti For Christ, Dieufort Dieujuste

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Haitians generally identify themselves as Christians. According to World Factbook, Haiti is 80% Catholic and 16% Protestant; however, nearly all the population practices or believes in Voodoo, which is now a national religion. Idolatry permeates every segment of life while the Haitian Protestant Church remains powerless and disengaged. The purpose of this thesis project is to develop key strategies of discipleship for Haiti in view of Matthew 28:18-20. The author proposes to survey 300 Haitian pastors, seminarians, and lay leaders in order to gauge the status of discipleship and to identify hindrances to the gospel in Haiti. The survey will …

Abortion In Paraguay Case Study, Eileen A. Ruppel

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

Ethical Aspects Of Prenatal Genetic Diagnostics, Hille Haker

Hille Haker

Starting with some basic distinctions, i.e. the distinction between an ethics of human self-fulfilment ,of individual and social values and of virtues on one hand, and an ethics of individual rights, of obligation and of social justice on the other, this paper explores the manifold scenario of the problems of prenatal diagnosis with respect to these different aspects of ethical analysis. This is followed by a normative evaluation of the status of the human embryo, and by an elaboration of different adressees of responsibility in the field of biomedicine and, especially, of prenatal genetic diagnosis. The author comes to the …

Learning To Think Ethically: Moral Development For University Students, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Theology

This short article briefly describes all of the different dynamics and factors that make moral theory rather complex. Some examples are provided to illustrate how these complexities can be addressed and explained in the classroom. The author also notes how social science informs ethics and how theological and biblical hermeneutics shape Christian ethics in particular.

The Trouble With The Death Penalty, Abigail Hood

Writing Across the Curriculum

For almost as long as the death penalty has been used, it has been a subject of debate.