Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Aquifer Analysis: Told And Untold Stories In Warwick Churches, Vaughan S. Roberts

Vaughan S Roberts

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.

Hanging On To One String, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

This article provides six suggestions based on the Bible's teachings for keeping positive and overcoming adversity.

Do We Speak Where The Bible Speaks?, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

A meditation on the expression: "We speak where the Bible speaks, and are silent where the Bible is silent."

Mikveh: The Relationship Of Jewish Ritual Immersion And Christian Baptism, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

Most Christians understand baptism as an undeniable doctrine of early Christianity. What most don’t grasp is that this practice goes far beyond the confines of Jesus and John the Baptist to some of the earliest recorded stages of the people of God, meaning that it has always been a part of the plan of God for the redemption of mankind. In this book, Barry Fike goes back into the Hebrew background of the concept of Christian baptism into the Jewish understanding of this ritual of cleanliness to show that our present understanding needs to have some backdrop to correctly identify …

A Theology Of Worship, University Church Of Christ, Malibu, California, N. Hanks, Carolyn Hunter, Rich Little

N. Lincoln Hanks

No abstract provided.

The Sin Of Ham, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

Is the sin of Ham simply Ham looking at Noah's Nakedness or is it something more?

Theology, Politics, And Antimodernism In Nazi Germany: Problematizing Theological Rhetoric And Political Theology, Brent A. R. Hege

Brent A. R. Hege

A review essay of: Hitler’s Theology: A Study in Political Religion. By Rainer Bucher. Translated by Rebecca Pohl. Edited and with an introduction by Michael Hoelzl. London: Continuum, 2011. xx+140 pp. $120.00 Cloth, $34.95 Paper Theological Tractates. By Erik Peterson. Edited, translated, and with an introduction by Michael J. Hollerich. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2011. xxx + 256 pp. $75.00 Cloth, $24.95 Paper

Arguing With God: An Honest Conversation, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

For the Jew, “I beg to differ” has been an enduring tactic of achieving and affirming identity. The Jew had addressed the same caveat to God—not in self-contradiction, but in dialectic aiming at attainment of fuller realization of who he is, as Jew and as human being. In asking about God, we examine our own selves: whether we are sensitive to the grandeur and supremacy of what we ask about, whether we are wholeheartedly concerned with what we ask about. Unless we are involved, we fail to sense the issue.

An Introduction To Philosophy And Theology Within Catholic Liberal Education, Angus Brook

Angus Brook

God Is His Own Interpreter, And He Will Make It Plain, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

Religion, in its mystical, emotional or practical expression is, to me at any rate, of little value if divorced from intellectual integrity. I think that the reason “many believers” are so repulsive is that they don’t really have faith but a kind of false security. They operate by the slide rule, and the Church for them is not the body of Christ but the poor man’s insurance system. It’s never hard for them to believe because actually they never think about it. Unfortunately the reality is simply that it is not easy to get vast masses of men to think …

The Fate Of The Unevangelized, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

The debate of what happens to those who never hear the word of God. Do they go to Heaven or Hell? This topic can also be referred to as the Unevangelized Debate.

The Niebuhr Brothers For Armchair Theologians, Scott Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

This volume offers a compelling introduction to the life, times, and theological thought of H. Richard and Reinhold Niebuhr--the two most important American theologians of the twentieth century. Although the Niebuhr brothers shared the same heritage and experienced many of the same formative moments, their thought diverged at key points as their lives and careers developed. Scott R. Paeth's expert introduction to the Niebuhr brothers explores this history and the enduring influence of the Niebuhrs on religious and political thought. This lively introduction, which includes witty illustrations from Ron Hill, is an essential resource for understanding these enduring theological figures.

Shaping Public Theology: Selections From The Writings Of Max L. Stackhouse, Scott Paeth, E. Harold Brietenberg, Hak Joon Lee

Scott R. Paeth

Max L. Stackhouse is one of the most prolific and influential American theologians of the last half century, and he has been widely recognized for his contributions to the emerging field of public theology. This volume compiles some of Stackhouse's most significant shorter writings. These selections make clear his central role in the development of public theology as a distinct disciplinary perspective in the fields of Christian theology and theological ethics. Shaping Public Theology serves as an introduction to Stackhouse's extensive corpus; readers will see the depth and breadth of his comprehensive public theology while also gaining insight into his …

The Doctrine Of Baptism And Its Controversies, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

Throughout the history of Christianity, Baptism has been a topic of strong debate both theologically and practically. There are two major sections of debate that are currently fought in Christian circles. The first is the question of for whom is baptism intended? The second question is how should one be baptized? The questions have long been argued for both sides and there are favorable evidences for the various positions on all sides. The sides can be divided into two main groups, Protestants and Catholics. However, within the two main groups there are also sub-groups that add many beliefs to the …

In The Beginning, Was It So? Who Says?, Barry Fike

Barry D. Fike

Subservience and women seemed to go together as ‘peas and carrots’ – at least in the conservative brotherhood that I was raised in. Yes, women had their place in the body of Christ – so long as they stayed in a classroom with children – not in their teenage years – and sat piously simple and didn’t raise a question in a class of mixed company (meaning men and women). How much more simply could Paul have said it? "Women, keep silent, if you have a question ask your husband at home." End of discussion – it’s in the Bible? …

"The Responsibility To Lie And The Obligation To Report, Scott Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

This article is an examination of the moral complexity of the act of whistleblowing in the context of corporate corruption. Whistleblowing may be a morally admirable act underataken by morally ambiguous agents, but can only be fully understood in context. Using German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s essay “What Does It Mean to Tell the Truth?” This essay will examine how the kind of deception sometimes necessary in whistleblowing cases can be testimony to a larger and more profound truth.

Hate Talk, Straight Thought And Wisdom: A Guide To Critical Thinking, Argumentation And Decision Making (Pdf), T. L. Brink

T. L. Brink

I Am The Light Of The World: An “I Am” Statement Of Jesus, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

The Gospel of John contains eight “I AM” statements of Jesus. “I AM” is the term God first used of Himself when speaking to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). By using this statement, Jesus was aligning Himself with God. One specific use of the statement in John comes in chapter 8 verse 12. Jesus states that He is the light of the world. His claim showed and declared that He has come to take away darkness from the world and give them the light of life. The statement showed His power, and His Deity and His relationship with …

The Signs And Miracles Of Jesus In John’S Gospel, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

The Gospel of John is also known as the “Miraculous Gospel” or the “Gospel of Signs.” In his book, John records 8 signs that prove the Deity of Christ. Jesus came to display His Deity to the world. Though the other Gospels record many other miracles, the eight that will be explored here are specific to proving that Christ is the Messiah.

Eight Is Enough?: The Ethics Of The California Octuplets Case, Scott Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

The recent California octuplets case raises a number of important issues that need to be addressed in the context of the increasingly widespread practice of in vitro fertilization. This paper explores some of those issues as looked at from the perspective of protestant theological ethics and public theology, examining the moral responsibilities of the various participants in the process, both before and after the octuplets’ birth, including the mother, her doctors, the health care bureaucracy, the wider society, and the media. Each of these participants failed in significant respects to consider the ethical implications of the births in this complicated …

The Great Recession: Some Niebuhrian Reflections, Scott R. Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

"This moment of economic crisis has intersected with another moment, one of renewed interest in the thought of Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr’s wide- ranging intellectual curiosity touched frequently on questions of ethics and economics, particularly during the period of his own economic crisis in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash. Niebuhr’s insights during that period, which formed the core of what came to be known as his “Christian realist” approach to issues of Christianity and public morality, have something to say to us as we grapple with the questions of justice, economics, and social reform in the wake of …

You Make All Things New, Scott R. Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

This article examines the way in which the theology of Jonathan Edwards can contrib- ute to the construction of a Christian approach to ecological ethics that maintains crucial elements of the Christian theological tradition. By way of comparison, the article begins with an examination of the work of Rosemary Radford Ruether, whose approach to dealing with the ecological implications of the Christian tradition diverges sharply from the perspective offered by Edwards, and provides a useful contrast to his approach. The article then turns to an extensive discussion of Edwards’ view of nature and the theology of creation, particularly the relationship …

The Need For An Augustinian Left, Scott Paeth

Scott R. Paeth

No abstract provided.

The Online Theology Classroom: Strategies For Engaging A Community Of Distance Learners In A Hybrid Model Of Online Education, Brent A. R. Hege

Brent A. R. Hege

The key to success in online education is the creation and sustenance of a safe and vibrant virtual community. In order to create such a community instructors must pay special attention to the relationship between technology and pedagogy, specifically in terms of issues such as course design, social presence, facilitation of sustained engagement with course material, specially tailored assignments, and learner expectations and objectives. Several strategies for accomplishing this goal are presented here based on the author’s experiences teaching second career students in hybrid introductory theology courses at a mainline denominational seminary.

Review Of Historicism: The Once And Future Challenge For Theology, By Sheila Greeve Davaney, Brent A. R. Hege

Brent A. R. Hege

Review of Historicism: The Once and Future Challenge for Theology, by Sheila Greeve Davaney

The Suffering Of God? The Divine Love And The Problem Of Suffering In Classical And Process-Relational Theisms., Brent A. R. Hege

Brent A. R. Hege

Not quite twenty-five years ago, theologian Ronald Goetz surveyed the landscape of late twentieth-century theology to find that “the ancient theopaschite heresy that God suffers has, in fact, become the new orthodoxy.”2 The shifting commitments and methodological assumptions contributing to this seemingly radical reorientation of Christian thought concerning the doctrine of God are varied and complex, but we might consider a few important questions to discern whether the theopaschite trend in contemporary theology powerfully and faithfully speaks good news in our time, and whether it does so more effectively than the classical doctrine of divine impassibility.

What We Talk About When We Talk About The Soul, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

The author discusses the popularity among college students of the concept of the soul, and attempts to place it in its proper context. He dispenses with orthodox theological arguments and New Age arguments as scientifically untenable. He takes a so-called Wittgensteinian approach, noting soul's linguistic significance. He analyzes expressions which use the concept of soul and concludes that they are qualitatively different from testable factual expressions. He notes that soul talk is about hopes and aspirations, inspiration, or feelings deeper than friendship. He assigns it meaning outside of scientific concepts. He likens expressions of soul to creative and ethical acts, …

Returning To The Sources: The Literature Of Christian Librarianship, Gregory A. Smith

Gregory A. Smith