Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Biblical Literacy: A Theological Exploration Of What God Says About Women Called To Pastor, Shannel K. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctoral Research Project aims to answer the question, Is there biblical awareness among the congregation about God’s acceptance and call of female pastors? The problem presented identifies a gap in biblical knowledge about women in church leadership due to the lingering effects of patriarchal influence. There may be resistance to church growth due to the uncertainty of the Scriptures, which sanction women to the call of God. This research project proposed to improve the Bible literacy of ten Christian men and women to cultivate spiritual growth and strengthen their theology. Historically, the conservative church taught that the Bible forbids …

Breaking Boundaries: Women In Mesopotamia, Eleanor Noble

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

We must examine women's contributions to society to comprehend women's roles and significance in ancient Mesopotamia. Women's roles in society and civilization are still frequently overlooked, both then and now. We must not ignore the importance of women's performance throughout history in these societies. Instead, we need to recognize these achievements made by women in the fields of politics, economic standpoints, and family life. We can distinguish the experiences of women in ancient Mesopotamia and contrast them with those of women in modern society by using textual sources and comparative analysis and research. Ancient writings, artwork, and literature can be …

Providing Biblical Knowledge To Women Ages 25–70 To Place Women In Ministry And Leadership Positions In The Church, Evelyn Diane Scott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide biblical knowledge to equip women to assume scriptural roles in church ministry and leadership. The project was conducted at The Word Ministry Church in rural Dallas County, Alabama. The writer reviewed women’s challenges and issues in the Christian community dominated by patriarchal theories. This project provides an overview of the study group and the training criteria for preparing women for ministry and leadership. The goal was to educate women not serving in leadership or ministry positions to obtain biblical knowledge to give them the confidence and support to accept their gift of …

Shepherding Sisters: Mentoring Within Residence Halls, Hallie Brenner

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Shepherding Sisters is a ministry which seeks to connect upperclassmen with lowerclassmen within all-female residence halls in a mentoring relationship. In order for spiritual formation and spiritual friendship to take place in all-female residence halls, upperclassmen will be trained and equipped in order to shepherd their sisters in Christ.

A Brief Analysis Of Contemporary Confucianism's Research On Feminine Topics, Jingzhi Pan

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although Confucianism has been recognized as a world religion for more than a hundred years today, recent research, which studies it as a religion, still seems numbed to or ignores day-to-day feminine topics like sexual crimes, domestic violence, male patronize, and even gendered religious value itself. More often, even if they announce they are studying the religion, people study Confucianism as a philosophy, an ethic, a phenomenon, a political strategy…everything else but a religion with transcendent values like other world religions. This essay will overview the research of contemporary Confucian feminine topics and analyze and argue their utilities in helping …

Efficacy Of A Christian Intervention To Promote Posttraumatic Growth In Women Recovering From Intimate Partner Violence, Jerra L. Dooley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative pretest-posttest design evaluated a biblically based personal development program (PDP) for promoting PTG in Christian women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). A convenience sample (N = 7) of volunteers included women within a large county in the Southeastern United States. Participants were recruited through numerous large and small Southern Baptist churches. Qualifications included being female, at least 19 years old, and having experienced IPV but not within the last 12 months, to reduce the possibility of reinjury by rumination. Participants completed pretest assessments, attended the 3-hour personal development program, and completed a posttest assessment. Data was …

Women: Radically Glorified, Oppressed, Or Set Free?, Easton Finger

Senior Honors Theses

A woman’s identity in society has often been debated, starting from the beginning of time. The answer to this identity question has been sought in systems ranging from oppression, slavery, radical feminism, and over-exaltation of power. This thesis suggests that the value of women and their role is not found in those systems but in the knowledge of their Creator. Two questions will be posed, including how women’s identity has been previously defined and can a woman’s identity be found in her Creator God. The history of women in biblical times will be reviewed, as well as how Christ valued …

Those Who Came Before Us: A Review Of Tell Her Story, Hannah Landman

Student Work

"Gupta’s book offers a refreshing look at women in ministry before, during, and after Jesus’s time on earth."

Posting about the book Tell Her Story 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/those-who-came-before-us-a-review-of-tell-her-story/

A Reconciliation Of Pauline Complementarian Theology And Egalitarian Narratives In The New Testament, Paul Andrew Morss

Masters Theses

The debate about women having authority over men or serving in leadership roles within the church is a controversial topic that has existed for some time. There are different interpretations of the complementarian and egalitarian debate surrounding specific areas in scripture. The Bible is a source of wisdom and truth that is used to direct the lives of Christians and the church. However, both sides point to the same text as the justification for their beliefs. The complementarian and egalitarian debate is far-reaching, but I plan to look at one subject within the larger debate. The scope of my thesis …

Through The Library: A Study Of The Importance Of Women In Philosophy, Isabell A. Bowling

Theology Undergraduate Work

While researching women, this author found that a large portion of philosophical writings didn’t meet the academic and theological standards set forth. The desire was to find writings about the philosophy of women as a separate gender with Christ at the center of the musings. With this in mind, Through the Library was imagined. It begins with a short story, wherein the main character, Darius, has a crisis of confidence and falls asleep in a library. He dreams a conversation with Lady Wisdom, who gives him philosophical ideas on women in regard to motherhood, success, and God. Then, the paper …

By The Power Vesta-Ed In Me: The Power Of The Vestal Virgins And Those Who Took Advantage Of It, Elena M. Stanley

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Vestal Virgins were high ranking members of the Roman elite. Due to the priestesses’ elevated standing, Romans made use of their inherent privileges. Through analyses of case studies from ancient authors and archaeology, I identify three ways Romans wielded Vestal power: familial connections, financial and material resources, and political sway. I end by exploring cases of crimen incesti, the crime of unchastity, which highlight all three forms. The Vestals were influential women who shared access to power in different ways. The Vestals were active participants in the social and political world of Rome.

Counseling Women In Prison On Forgiveness, Guilt, And Shame, Lashawnda Denise Key

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a lack of adequate counseling on forgiveness, guilt, and shame in the women’s prison. Without effective counseling on those subjects while incarcerated, there is potential for the female offender to reoffend. Adequate counseling could increase the recidivism rate. Counselors in the prison system address behavior issues, acclimation of prison life and rehabilitation programs. Addressing the issues that precipitates criminal behavior and helping the offender understand the factors that lead them to engage in criminal behavior are overly complex. With passable counseling the offenders have the propensity to release the hurt and pain they have lived with and become …

A Trinitarian Pattern Applied To Church Leadership Roles, Michael Don Rouleau

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is considerable debate in our society today, articles are written, and books are authored, all on the subject of a woman's role in ministry. With this topic being approached from multiple angles, the most straightforward approach is often ignored, overlooked, or marginalized. It will be argued that the Bible, interpreted according to the grammatical, historical method of interpretation using normal grammatical word usage, does not allow a woman to be appointed to or to occupy the role/office of an elder/pastor. In this paper, an examination of the Trinitarian model will be explored in terms of its roles and the …

Understanding And Equipping Female Leadership At Prosperous Temple Church Of God In Christ, Jonathan R. Hackett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Debates on whether women qualify to take up church leadership have persisted over the years. In 2016, there was an instance in Alabama where a woman was appointed as the assistant pastor of a church. Within three months of her service, the number of congregants dropped. Efforts by the church management to unravel the cause of the decline revealed that a majority of the people, particularly women, who canceled their church attendance were uncomfortable with women taking up leadership positions. The case informed this research, which will use the case study of Prosperous Temple Church of God in Christ. The …

Acknowledging Our Past: Race, Landscape And History, Alea Harris, Kaycia Best, Dieran Mcgowan, Destiny Shippy, Vera Oberg, Bryson Coleman, Luke Meagher, Rhiannon Leebrick Ph.D., Phillip Stone

Student Scholarship

This book is the product of nearly a year's worth of student research on Wofford College's history, undertaken as part of a grant by the Council of Independent Colleges in the Humanities Research for the Public Good initiative. The research was supervised and directed by Dr. Rhiannon Leebrick.

"Guiding Research Questions:

How did Wofford College and its early stakeholders support and participate in slavery?

How is the legacy of slavery present in the landscape of our campus (buildings, statues, names, etc.)?

How can we better understand Wofford as an institution during the time of Reconstruction through the Jim Crow era? …

Women In Ministerial Leadership Roles, Sherith Carline Gutzmer

Masters Theses

The literature shows that women in positions of leadership are more accepted in the realms of business and politics than in the church. There is an increase of women entering seminary programs and theological training centers in the pursuit of ministerial leadership roles yet, upon completion, job placement is challenging. There is still a polarized view of women in ministerial leadership that has led to inconsistencies, confusion, and the need for clarity. The purpose of this study is to identify the views of graduate students in Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity on women in ministerial leadership roles. The most …

Church Revitalization Through Effective Women’S Ministry, Dennis Jay Mccullough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

America’s churches are in crisis. Historically, women are the majority and have been the backbone of the American Church. They go faithfully to churches where their needs are often overlooked, not identified, and they are unfulfilled. They faithfully serve the ministry while they are suffering in silence and waiting for the church to respond. The following thesis explores church revitalization efforts through effective women’s ministry. A qualitative approach will be utilized to collect and analyze the data. The data will be collected through recorded personal interviews and observations. Some interview statements will be measured on a Likert scale to judge …

Womanpriest: Tradition And Transgression In The Contemporary Roman Catholic Church, Jill Peterfeso

History

This book is openly available in digital formats thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

While some Catholics and even non-Catholics today are asking if priests are necessary, especially given the ongoing sex-abuse scandal, The Roman Catholic Womanpriests (RCWP) looks to reframe and reform Roman Catholic priesthood, starting with ordained women. Womanpriest is the first academic study of the RCWP movement. As an ethnography, Womanpriest analyzes the womenpriests’ actions and lived theologies in order to explore ongoing tensions in Roman Catholicism around gender and sexuality, priestly authority, and religious change.

In order to understand how womenpriests …

Islam, Democracy, And The Leadership Role Of Women In Government, Leea Collard

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between Islam, democratic government, and the governmental leadership of women in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT). In order to understand female leadership in this region, the compatibility between Islam and democracy is analyzed. This occurs through the examination of Sharia Law and democratic principles within Islam. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of the successes of democracies in the region will be presented. Each nation will be categorized by the constitutional provisions entrusted to its female citizens. Thus, this thesis will present the legality of the political participation of women in each of the …

Spiritual Exploration: Gender, Human Frailty And Interfaith Realities, Elizabeth Iobst

Charles Rice Post-Graduate Research Fellowship

This collection of essays details personal experiences, religious beliefs, gender roles and interviews conducted during a research fellowship in England and Israel.

Servant Leadership At Servicemaster: A Commitment To Love, Development, And Diversity, Helen H. Chung

Pollard Research Fellowship Papers

In recent years, servant leadership has gained currency as a promising pathway for inclusive organizations, where individuals can experience a sense of belonging and participate in decision-making. Given the framework’s significant attitudinal and behavioral demands, potential servant-leaders may need to consider the costs and benefits of the servant leadership mantle. Drawing from a conservation of resources theory, I propose that both individuals and organizations will increasingly need to consider the personal and environmental conditions (i.e., resource caravans) that support servant leader behaviors. Specifically, I examine servant leadership from a critical lens, asking the question of how women and members of …

Stella Thompson Nelson And Effie Thompson Harlan Papers, (1898-1925), Stella Thompson Nelson, Effie Thompson Harlan

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Stella Nelson and Effie Harlan Papers, (1889-1925).

Perry Collection (Mss 676), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 676. Letters, papers, photographs and scrapbooks of the Perry family, principally Gideon Babcock Perry, rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and his children, Reverend Henry G. Perry, Chicago, Illinois, and Emily B. Perry, Hopkinsville.

Deconstructing Purity Culture: A Review Of Pure, Erin Olson

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"So how can we teach kids to respect and protect and value their sexuality without leading to feelings of shame and guilt around their normal urges and impulses?"

Posting about the book Pure 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/deconstructing-purity-culture-a-review-of-pure/

Mind Over (What Doesn’T) Matter: De-Stigmatizing Mental Health From Senegalese Women’S Perspectives, Jenna Marks

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a matrilocal and collectivist society, Dakar is an urban space where the woman is at the center. With this in mind, it is possible to understand all the pressures women in urban Senegalese society face. Women are the center of the household, thus being responsible for the family, finances, and the social aspect of welcoming visitors. In addition to these factors, women in Senegal also deal with community expectations and responsibilities since there is larger emphasis on the community, rather than the nuclear family in Senegalese society. This paper examines how these two aspects of Senegalese society (matrilocality and …

Sr. Jean : God Just Put Me Here, Dominick Haubner

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Jean in January of 2019. One thing that she was particularly proud of was how God put her in positions to comfort others. This paper will describe the events of her life where she felt this most.

Finding Aid For Bonnie Deal Packer Papers, (1918-1920), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Bonnie Deal Packer Papers

Finding aid for Bonnie Deal Packer Papers, (1918-1920).

Finding Aid For Ila Duncan Sewell Papers, Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Ila Duncan Sewell Papers

Finding aid for the Ila Duncan Sewell Papers, (1921-1924).

Finding Aid For Ethel Lorraine Webb Small Papers, (1960-1980), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Ethel Lorraine Webb Small Papers

Finding aid for the Ethel Lorraine Webb Small Papers, (1960-1980).

Sr. Irene: Teacher And Friend, Mary Ade

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes a short piece from interview conducted in December 2018 with Sr. Irene, who has worked in education for 40 years. She recalls her experiences as a sister in her congregation since entry.