Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Maintaining Religious Identity In The Wake Of Interfaith Dialogue, Teresa A. Crist

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The confrontation with difference is an especially large challenge when it comes to religion and religious beliefs. Because religion is integral to so many, it becomes a sticking point in negotiations, conversations, and policy development. Even for those without particularly strong religious convictions, religion must be considered in their interactions with those who do. It is precisely that interaction that I seek to further understand. Engaging in dialogue with those of different faiths or value systems brings to the surface myriad difficulties, chief among which is the challenge of simply coming together to begin the conversation. The most appealing approach …

No Mas Excusas: Parent Latino Initiative, Kimberly L. Mcglaughlin

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Immigrant Latino parents are invested in their children and have an authentic interest in assisting their children to acquire an education and to succeed in school, but many parents face socioeconomic, language, and cultural barriers. This qualitative study looked at a group of immigrant Latino parents whose children attend a high school that is composed of predominantly Caucasian students from well-educated, middle-to-upper-class backgrounds. The parents are involved in a program developed by the researcher and her colleague.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cultural beliefs and values of the program participants, the educational beliefs and values of …

Know Yourself And You Will Be Known: The Gospel Of Thomas And Middle Platonism, Seth A. Clark

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus and is primarily composed of rhetorical statements that were used to preserve the teachings of itinerant Greek philosophers. These collections were used to persuade individuals to join the philosophical schools represented, much like the early followers of the Jesus movement would use his teachings to convince others to join them as well. However, the theological background for the text is still debated because it contains esoteric and enigmatic references not fully understood by most scholars. This work argues that the theological and philosophical background for the Gospel …