Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Merriment Of Christmas, Leah Farish Esq.

College of Arts and Cultural Studies Faculty Research and Scholarship

Better than any greeting card or bright package was the news that Mary received that she was going to bear Jesus, the Savior. Her humble response—“Be it unto me according to Your Word”—is called “the Fiat,” or “may it be so.”

Then she ran off to share the news with her cousin Elizabeth. “Now follows,” says Calvin in his commentary on the gospel of Luke, “a remarkable and interesting song of the holy virgin….”

Book Reviews, Denise A. Austin, Jon K. Newton, Timothy B. Cremeens, Daniel Isgrigg, John Christopher Thomas, Robert K. Whitaker, Arden C. Autry, Henkholun Doungel

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Restoring Truth To The Intellectual Life: A Response To Rusty Reno, William Epperson

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Editor’s note. ORU English professor William Epperson drafted the first version of this response after reading two essays by Reno that faculty were asked to read before Reno addressed them. Encouraged by the response of several peers and the request of Spiritus, he revised his response, which Spiritus is pleased to publish.

Restoring Love To The Intellectual Life, R. R. Reno

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Editor’s note. Reno gave this address to the faculty of Oral Roberts University on January 9, 2017. It appears here in its original form.

The Good Life: Descriptors Of Change In Roma Pentecostal Communities In Serbia And Croatia, Melody J. Wachsmuth

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Studies in specific geographical contexts have shown that the spread of Pentecostalism’s impact on Roma communities is twofold: it is linked to social change including a rise of education levels, literacy, decrease in crime, better relationships with the majority culture, and also is instrumental in the fostering of a “trans-national” identity and revitalization of their respective Roma identities. However, Pentecostalism cannot be considered a formula that intersects with a Romani community with consequential predictable results— in fact, in Southeastern Europe, Romani Pentecostalism is growing at a much slower rate than that of its counterparts in Western Europe and in places …

Poverty Reduction As A Christian Call: A View On Microfinance Loans From Pentecostal Churches In Zambia, Irene Banda

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

The impact of microfinance activities in reducing poverty has received mixed reviews. Some studies show positive impact while others show increasing criticism towards practices considered deleterious to poor people’s welfare. There are similar opinions amongst Pentecostal churches in Zambia. These churches acknowledge the usefulness of microfinance, but because of negative experiences, they are concerned about its efficacy. The general observation of these churches is that spiritual maturity helps those living in poverty identify the root causes, and are therefore able to plan tangible ways out of poverty. They assert that when people grow spiritually and biblical principles like those in …

Jesus’ Mother “Treasured All These Words . . . In Her Heart” (Luke 2:19): On Using A Spirit Hermeneutic To Reflect Together About Mary, Sally Jo Shelton

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

A major issue over which many Evangelicals and Pentecostals differ from Roman Catholics is the status of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Evangelicals critique some of the Marian dogmas and practices as excesses that challenge Christ’s sole mediation and eclipse the Spirit, while Catholics warn that neglect of Mary potentially leads to failure to acknowledge Christ’s full humanity and divinity. This is a proposal to place Spirit hermeneutics into ecumenical service to bridge the gap between the Catholic and Evangelical Marys. The Spirit hermeneutics proposed here is built on Amos Yong’s (and other Pentecostal scholars’) Word-Spirit-Community epistemology, Catholic philosopher Bernard Lonergan’s call …

Wisdom Pneumatology And The Creative Spirit: The Book Of Wisdom And The Trinitarian Act Of Creation, Jeffrey Lamp

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Recent interest in Trinitarian theology has given rise to consideration of the act of creation as a Trinitarian act. Focus on the Father and the Son in the act of creation is abundantly attested in this scholarship. However, consideration of the place of the Spirit in the creative act is somewhat underdeveloped. Th is article delves more deeply into the Spirit’s role in creation by looking at wisdom and spirit language in the deuterocanonical Wisdom of Solomon. In the early chapters of the book, wisdom is characterized as a kindly spirit that brings life and penetrates all things, human and …

Tragedy Of Spirit-Empowered Heroes: A Close Look At Samson And Saul, Wonsuk Ma

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This study is motivated by the ongoing dilemma of the ethical failures among well-known leaders of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movements. Through a close look at Saul and Samson, the two charismatic leaders of the Old Testament who have the most frequent references to the Spirit of God, the study probes the internal and private layers of their experience with the Spirit of God. The intention of the Spirit’s presence includes both an internal transformation as well as external tasks. The scriptural evidence demonstrates that there is no less work of the Spirit for the internal working of the recipients than …

Oral Roberts: Son Of Pentecostalism, Father Of The Charismatic Movement, Vinson Synan

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts was one of the most important religious figures of the twentieth century. He was born and raised in the Pentecostal Holiness Church, hence, a “son” of the Pentecostal movement. He first became famous as a Pentecostal preacher who conducted large healing crusades under his huge tent. By the 1960s, he became the best known Pentecostal in the world, founding Oral Roberts University in 1965. In the last part of his life, Roberts became a father of the charismatic movement in the mainline churches through his television ministry. For nineteen years, Roberts was a member of the United Methodist …

Editorial, Jeffrey Lamp

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Spiritus Editorial Board

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Ages Of Grace, Leah Farish Esq.

College of Arts and Cultural Studies Faculty Research and Scholarship

Do you ever wonder about our sisters in Christ who lived in other ages–and about what we have in common with them? Our church decided to offer a women’s retreat with the title “Ages of Grace,” in which the teaching was by various characters who came to us with costume and music of their era.

The first talk began as the retreatants were settled on a Friday evening at a retreat lodge about 10 miles from our church. Candles were lit, and some recorded music suggesting the chants of the early church ushered in one of our members, wearing a …

Pentecost Journal Of Theology And Mission, Vol.2, No.1, August 2017, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Kirsteen Kim, William Kay, Andrew Davies, Emmanuel Anim, Ruth Wall, Amos Yong

Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission

We are pleased to share with you the second edition of the Pentecost Journal of Theology and Mission (PJTM). We are indeed delighted and encouraged by the enthusiastic uptake of our frst issue, July 2016, on Pentecostalism, Migration and World Christianity. An aim of the PJTM is to provide a space for critical reflection on contemporary issues of theology and mission from Pentecostal perspectives that will have practical and transformative impact on the life of the individual, the church and society. The Editors have discovered that such a “space” does not exist without its creation, and the work of creation …

A Woman’S Response To The Benedict Option, Leah Farish Esq.

College of Arts and Cultural Studies Faculty Research and Scholarship

Columnist Rod Dreher has written The Benedict Option to stimulate Christians to consider how evangelism and community can be lived out in 21^st-century America. He assumes the dominant culture is hostile to Christianity and pernicious to it, especially to children, and is going to become more so. Thus he harks back to the example of St. Benedict, who wrote his Rule of monastic life in about 530 A.D. as he withdrew from the corruption of Rome on one side and the pagan hordes on the other.

Dreher said in a recent interview that “This is not our culture …

Full Issue

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews And Subscription Form, Robert G. Tuttle Jr., James Allen Hewett

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Integrating The Problem-Solving Task And Divergent Professional Values, J. David Pierce

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

In the cross-pollinated approach to healing, implicit and underlying value structures of the "healers" need to be made explicit and correlated with the task at hand. A theoretical model and an example are presented that clarify the professional roles and associates values; further, the complementarity needed in a coordinated healing effort is explicated.

Bondageanalysis, Burrell Dinkins

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Bondageanalysis is as concerned about history as with other therapeutic systems. It assumes that persons trapped in bondage participate in some way in their own bondage, even when they appear to be victims of oppression. The dynamics of this are the primary concern.

For The Healing Of The Nations, John M. Miller

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

In this article, John M. Miller argues that the culminating portrayal of God's eternal purpose for the church provides a powerful paradigm by which to establish missional priorities. Guided by the primary text, he addresses three critical missiological issues: 1) the lack of missionary interest in the church; 2) tire problem of defining the unfinished task; and 3) the crucial character of healing in ministry for the world.

Origins Of The Divine Healing Movement In America, Paul G. Chappell

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

The American divine healing movement was born and nourished during a period in which the nation wrenched its soul over the moral evil of slavery. The birth arid nourishment of the movement was also during a time when the spiritual stabilities of life were being tampered with by the forces of modern science and biblical criticism. With a vigorous expectation on the part of the people, this new manifestation of the supernatural began.

Healings: Sign Or Gift, Howard M. Ervin Jr

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

As signs of the kingdom "at hand," healing is a divine response to repentance and faith. Can the same be said of healings within the household of faith, the church? Or must other criteria be applied to the interpretation? It is here that current charismatic exegesis must be scrutinized rigorously

Front Matter

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Relating Christian Faith To Physics For Scientists And Engineers, Dominic Halsmer, Calvin Roso, P. Wesley Odom

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

As part of an initiative by the new Center for Faith and Learning at Oral Roberts University, an introductory college-level physics course for scientists and engineers was reconfigured to facilitate the integration of physics and Christian faith. Regular readings from a popular book, Einstein and Religion (Jammer, 1999), on the compatibility between physics and Christian doctrine were assigned. Questions based on the readings were then posed and a small fraction of class time (10%) was reserved for discussion of these issues. The students also submitted book reports summarizing their perspectives at the end of the course. A detailed rubric was …

Effectiveness Of Content Order In Improving Ethical Communication Choices In Oral Communications, Rhonda Gallagher, Mary Lou Miller, Calvin Roso

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

Ethics is a concern within the field of communication (Canary, 2007; Cheney, 2008), and ultimately, the spiritual intent of oral communications at a Christian university is for students to relate biblically with other people. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine if change in content order improved integration of Biblical ethics into student knowledge and understanding in an oral communication course.

The hypothesis for this study was as follows: There is a difference in the ability to integrate Biblical ethics into knowledge and understanding in an oral communication course between those students who are taught using content focused …

Reviewing Shadow & Light, William Epperson, Kay Meyers

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Guest Editorial: A Tribute To Dr. Kay Meyers, Ardith Baker

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Accreditation In A Christian University: Its Real Purpose, Timothy D. Norton

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor: Reflecting The Image Of Christ In Our Scholarship, Timothy D. Norton

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

No abstract provided.