Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Christian Socialism: A Critique, Sorrel Paris

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Robert Owen said in 1816, “Society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, with health greatly improved, with little, if any misery, and with intelligence and happiness increased a hundredfold; and no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance.” 200 years later, however, no such system exists. A society in which every need is met, every resource fully available, every talent fully utilized for good, may be considered the ideological pinnacle of human civilization, but the question of how to create such a utopia remains unanswered.

Many modern intellectuals favor socialism or its more extreme …

From Sin To Sensation: The Progression Of Dance Music From The Medieval Period Through The Renaissance, Jillissa A. Brummel

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

This research paper explores how dance music has been part of the foundation for musical art in world history and the key to unlocking information concerning societal atmospheres throughout history. With each age and progression of music came new genres, instruments and social beliefs that were woven through religious and secular culture, each of which impacted the production of dance throughout the centuries. As dance music infiltrated the social and religious scenes of the medieval period, the sacred value of dancing was questioned which are presented through historical sources on pagan culture in the medieval period. Further research on improvements …

Associations Of Religious Involvement And Mortality: A Critical Review, Thomas Fisher

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In this review we address the conflicts of previous research on associations between religious involvement and longevity. We will also discuss causes of conclusional variance within these studies. Our study of inconclusive research will equip individuals with insight about sources of disagreement and origins of variance within empirical studies on religiosity and longevity. A wide variety of sources were selected to represent the diversity of findings. Most selected studies identified psychosocial elements of religiosity and proposed a positive, negative, or no correlation with longevity. We reviewed the validity of each study and analyzed the proposed association with longevity. Numerous methodologically …

Tom Bombadil And Goldberry: Romantic Theology As Revelation In Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, Brandon Best

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

While the majority of literary critics suggest Tom Bombadil either subverts or dilutes the Rivendell’s against Mordor, this essay analyzes Bombadil and Goldberry through the romantic theology of Charles Williams, Tolkiens’ fellow Inkling. William’s romantic theology suggests romantic experiences reveals glimpses of perfection, suggesting the Hobbits’ stay at Tom Bombadil’s home within Withywindle reveals the ideal of salvation within The Lord of the Rings. Utilizing Williams’ Outlines of Romantic Theology, this essay shows how Tolkien’s vision for an ideal community guides Bombadil as the moral model for the rest of the free peoples to follow. While romantic theology clearly influenced …

From Silence To Golden: The Slow Integration Of Instruments Into Christian Worship, Jonathan Lyons

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

The Christian church’s stance on the use of instruments in sacred music shifted through influences of church leaders, composers, and secular culture. Synthesizing the writings of early church leaders and church historians reveals a clear progression. The early musical practices of the church were connected to the Jewish synagogues. As recorded in the Old Testament, Jewish worship included instruments as assigned by one’s priestly tribe. Eventually, early church leaders rejected that inclusion and developed a rather robust argument against instruments in liturgical worship. The totalitarian stance on musical instruments in sacred worship began to loosen as the organ increased in …

The Relationship Between Music Preference, Moral Competence, And Spiritual Well-Being In Christian College Students, Elizabeth Stokes, Gabrielle Metzler, Chi-En Hwang, Di Wu

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In this survey study, we examined the effect of Christian music with lyrics versus secular music with lyrics (written as “Christian music” and “secular music”) on the moral competence and spiritual well-being of college students. These students were taken from the population of Cedarville University and were aged 18-25. We hypothesized that Christians who listen to mostly Christian music have higher moral competence and spiritual well-being than those who listen to primarily secular music. Tested through an online survey using the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB), this study found no gender differences, therefore the subsequent …