Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Turning “Bad Jews Into Worse Christians”: Hermann Adler And The London Society For Promoting Christianity Amongst The Jews, Robert Ellison

Robert Ellison

This paper explores how sermons contributed to Jewish-Christian relations in Victorian England. I begin with a rhetorical analysis of sermons preached on behalf of the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, the largest and best known missionary organization of its kind. I then examine a collection of sermons in which Hermann Adler, then rabbi of London’s Bayswater Synagogue and later Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, pushes back against their efforts, offering the “true explanations” of passages which, in his view, had been improperly employed by Christian preachers. Finally, I trace a kind of “feedback loop” in which …

God And The Executioner: The Influence Of Western Religion On The Use Of The Death Penalty, Davison M. Douglas

Davison M. Douglas

In this Essay, Professor Douglas conducts an historical review of religious attitudes toward capital punishment and the influence of those attitudes on the state's use of the death penalty. He surveys the Christian Church's strong support for capital punishment throughout most of its history, along with recent expressions of opposition from many Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish groups. Despite this recent abolitionist sentiment from an array of religious institutions, Professor Douglas notes a divergence of opinion between the "pulpit and the pew" as the laity continues to support the death penalty in large numbers. Professor Douglas accounts for this divergence by …

If Separation Of Church And State Doesn’T Demand Separating Religion From Politics, Does Christian Doctrine Require It?, Samuel W. Calhoun

Samuel W. Calhoun

This Essay responds to comments by Wayne Barnes, Ian Huyett, and David Smolin on my prior Article, Separation of Church and State: Jefferson, Lincoln, and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Show It Was Never Intended to Separate Religion From Politics. Part II, although noting a few disagreements with Huyett and Smolin, principally argues that they strengthen the case for the appropriateness of religious arguments in the public square. Part III evaluates Wayne Barnes’s contention that Christian doctrine requires separating religion from politics.

Slow Scholarship: Do Bloggers Rush In Where Jesus’ Wife Would Fear To Tread?, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

No abstract provided.

A Divine Selection: An Exegetical Analysis Of Vocational Calling, Timothy Nguyen

Timothy Nguyen

Edward Elbridge Salisbury, 1814-1901, Robin Dougherty

Roberta L. Dougherty

No abstract provided.

Secular Humanism And Christianity.Docx, Stenislos Daniel

Stenislos Daniel

No abstract provided.

Internal Renewal And Dissent In The Early Christian World, Sheila E. Mcginn

Sheila E McGinn

No abstract provided.

Open-Mindedness As A Christian Virtue?, Jason Baehr

Jason Baehr

No abstract provided.

Cross-Cultural Sharing Of Spirituality, John Skrzypaszek

John Skrzypaszek

This paper explores the nature of the Australian Aborigine and Christian spirituality. It demonstrates that the indigenous spirituality shows a strong tie between the spiritual realm and life's journey. The cultural symbolism, which reflects cosmology, shows that the mystical nature of the spiritual journey is deeply immersed in the totality of the Aboriginal life and consciousness. The study recognizes that the Aboriginal and Christian worldviews are distinctly different. However, it argues that the Aboriginal Christian spirituality may be enhanced by the qualities embedded in its indigenous roots. The study demonstrates that, at the point where propositional creed-based structure of the …

The Tapestry Of Early Christian Discourse: Rhetoric, Society And Ideology [Review], Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

In this book Vernon Robbins, Professor of Religion at Emory University, provides the most in-depth and systematic discussion to date of the method of Biblical interpretation known as socio-rhetorical criticism, a method he has been developing through numerous articles and books since the publication of Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of Mark in 1984. It should be noted that his Exploring the Texture of Texts: A Guide to Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation, a book similar to the one being reviewed, also appeared in 1996. Although both books contain a very similar outline, Exploring the Texture of Texts is intended to …

The Reception Of Luke And Acts In The Period Before Irenaeus [Review], Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

In this book, a revision of the author's 2001 Oxford dissertation, Andrew Gregory has set for himself the daunting task of determining when we can definitively say that the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are being used by later Christian authors. The greatest contribution of this book is that it treats in one study a broad range of texts and scholarly discussion on this question–according to the author, the first time this has been done.

Memory, Tradition And Text: Uses Of The Past In Early Christianity [Review], Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

The aim of this collection of essays is, at least in part, to remedy the lack of attention that studies of early Christianity have paid to recent developments, in the fields of sociology and anthropology, in the study of memory. An excellent introductory survey by Alan Kirk of recent developments in memory studies is followed by eleven essays applying some aspect of the approach to various texts or problems in the study of early Christianity, and then by responses by Werner Kelber and Barry Schwartz. While the various contributions interact in different ways with the relevant theories and models, all …

Paul The Reluctant Witness: Power And Weakness In Luke's Portrayal, Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

That the Acts of the Apostles includes three slightly different accounts of Paul's Damascus road encounter with Jesus has long presented a challenge to interpreters. In this book Blake Shipp seeks to understand the function of the three accounts in Acts 9, 22, and 26 within the larger narrative sweep of Acts by means of a rhetorical analysis. Critical of what he calls the chaotic state of current rhetorical criticism, Shipp also proposes guidelines for the application of rhetorical analysis of the New Testament, something he terms a "literary-rhetorical" method. The bulk of Shipp's analysis of Acts consists of the …

Lost Christianities: The Battles For Scripture And The Faiths We Never Knew [Review], Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

This book is an introduction to the basic content of non-canonical early Christian texts, exploring them both as evidence for the diversity of early Christianity and for what they can say about the formation of the New Testament canon. It is divided into three sections. The first uses the concept of forgery to introduce a number of important extra-canonical texts (including Gospel of Peter, the Acts of Paul and Thecla, the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, and the Secret Gospel of Mark). The second section takes a closer look at some of the different forms of Christianity …

An Ecstasy Of Folly: Prophecy And Authority In Early Christianity [Review], Rubén R. Dupertuis

Ruben R Dupertuis

Nasrallah’s book is a valuable contribution to the study of prophecy and ecstatic manifestations in early Christianity, for its reading of representative Christian texts within the larger context of debates about such phenomena in the Greco-Roman world, and for viewing the materials through the lens of rhetorical criticism. Nasrallah focuses on three texts or authors: Paul’s discussion of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians, Tertullian’s defense of prophecy in De anima and related texts, and the Anti-Phrygian source, Nasrallah’s name for the late second—early-third-century source probably embedded in Epiphanius’ Panarion. Nasrallah argues that taxonomies of forms of …

How Jesus Became God: One Scholar’S View, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

Dr. James McGrath's brief analysis of early Christology. Originally presented as a seminar paper at the University of Michigan, March 19, 2015.

Evangelicals And American Foreign Policy [Review], Lauren Frances Turek

Lauren Turek

In Evangelicals and American Foreign Policy, Mark Amstutz seeks to respond to the recent efflorescence of scholarly work on the role that American evangelical Christians have played in shaping international affairs in the 20th century. Written from an evangelical perspective, the book sets out to dispel what Amstutz terms “prevalent misconceptions” about the nature and underlying motivations for evangelical political participation and engagement abroad (5). He includes among these the dynamics of evangelical support for Israel as well as conventional periodization that locate the beginning of serious evangelical political involvement in the post-World War II era. The book is …

Religious Rhetoric And The Evolution Of George W. Bush's Political Philosophy, Lauren Frances Turek

Lauren Turek

This essay surveys George W. Bush's public statements from 1993 to 2001 to examine the evolution of his religious and political rhetoric. Bush's personal religiosity and his use of religious rhetoric during his campaigns for the presidency and in his two terms in office have received extensive comment from the press as well as from scholars. Yet very little scholarly work has considered the role of religion in his earlier political career. Although Bush had evinced a deep and genuine evangelical faith for years before he launched his bid for the governorship, he did not begin his political career as …

Newspaper Editors’ Attitudes Toward The Great Awakening, 1740-1748, Lisa Smith

Lisa Smith

No abstract provided.

By Design: Ethics, Theology, And The Practice Of Engineering, Brad Kallenberg

Brad J. Kallenberg

Both engineering and human living take place in a messy world, one chock full of unknowns and contingencies. "Design reasoning" is the way engineers cope with real-world contingency. Because of the messiness, books about engineering design cannot have "ideal solutions" printed in the back in the same way that mathematics textbooks can. Design reasoning does not produce a single, ideally correct answer to a given problem but rather generates a wide variety of rival solutions that vie against each other for their relative level of "satisfactoriness." A reasoning process analogous to design is needed in ethics. Since the realm of …

The Decline Of Christianity In Modern Europe, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

Europe was once considered the epicenter of the Christian religion. For centuries Christianity was not only the main religion of Europe it was also a main political power. The Roman Catholic church, and in turn the Christian faith, enjoyed great power at various times throughout history in the European countries and influenced the culture in many ways. However, today there has been a moral and spiritual decline in Europe of staggering numbers. This short essay will explore possible reasons for Christianity’s decline in Europe in the last century and whether or not there is a possibility that the church could …

The First Crusade, Was It Christian?, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

On February 5th, 2015, President Barack Obama addressed the audience at the National Prayer Breakfast. During this breakfast he made comments about the Islamic State and the Crusades that sent waves throughout the religious world. In his speech, he claimed that just like the Islamic State is doing things, terrible things, in the name of Islam, we should remember that terrible things were done in the name of Christ during the Crusades. While it did not sit well with members of the church, the question must be asked. Was he right? This paper will examine the First Crusade, its cause, …

Pastoral Care: From Past To Present, Ann Marie Kerlin

Ann Marie Kerlin

According to the U.S. National Conference on Mental Health, “Nationally, an estimated 45 million Americans suffer from illnesses like depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress syndrome.” In a speech at this conference, President Obama stated that one out of five Americans experience mental illness in any year. A study published in 2013 surveyed prescription drug use and found that the second most common prescribed drugs were anti-depressants. Obviously there is a great demand for counseling and psychological care in the United States, and both secular and religious approaches to care are available. The purpose of this article is to review briefly …

What A Wonderful Idea!, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

A brief meditation on unity in the Christian church.

Does God Bend The Rules?, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

A brief meditation on Jonah and Hezekiah.

What Does The Mob Want Lot To Do In Genesis 19:9?, R. Christopher Heard

Chris Heard

Most English Bible translations render [Hebrew text A-B] in Gen 19:9 with some variant of “Stand back!” However, a very few interpreters recommend a translation along the lines of “Come closer!” more in keeping with the typical gloss on [Hebrew text A]. A detailed study of the syntax and semantics of both [Hebrew text A] and [Hebrew text B], as well as constructions similar to [Hebrew text A-B] demonstrates the strength of the minority suggestion.

The Time & The Place: Sundance London 2014 Review Article, Vaughan S. Roberts

Vaughan S Roberts

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 …