Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mary In Islam, Zeki Saritoprak

Zeki Saritoprak

In the Qur’an, Mary has a unique place. As the only woman mentioned by name, the mother of Jesus, and a pious servant of God, she has inspired Muslim men and women since the beginning of Islam. In this chapter, there will first be a short overview of Mary’s place in the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet, that is, Hadith. Following this, the importance of Mary in Islamic theology and spirituality generally as well as Mary’s historical place within Islam will be outlined. The views of important Muslim mystics, theologians, and various other scholars will be examined. There …

Reconsidering Christianity As A Support For Secular Law: A Final Reply To Professor Calhoun, Wayne R. Barnes

Wayne R. Barnes

This symposium has revolved around Professor Calhoun’s article, which posits that it is completely legitimate, in proposing laws and public policies, to argue for them in the public square based on overtly religious principles. In my initial response, I took issue with his argument that no reasons justify barring faith-based arguments from the public square argument. In fact, I do find reasons justifying the prohibition of “faith-based,” or Christian, arguments in the public square—and, in fact, I find such reasons within Christianity itself. This is because what is being publicly communicated in Christian political argumentation is that if citizens comply …

Review Of The Sacrifice Of Jesus: Understanding Atonement Biblically, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

Article reviews the book "The Sacrifice of Jesus: Understanding Atonement Biblically," by Christian Eberhart.

Review Of Teachings Of The Odd-Eyed One By David P. Lawrence, Sucharita Adluri Ms.

Sucharita Adluri

No abstract provided.

Review Of Indian Thought And Western Theism: The Vedanta Of Ramanuja, Sucharita Adluri

Sucharita Adluri

No abstract provided.

Sabda Pramana As A Theological Category In Vedanta Desika's Tattvamuktakalapa, Sucharita Adluri Ms.

Sucharita Adluri

This article considers the Sravaisnava theologian Vedanta Desika's (14th-century CE) understanding of sabdapramana and deference to sabdapramana that is evident in one of his most important expositions the Tattvamuktakalapa and its commentary the Sarvarthasiddhi. For Desika, deference to sabdapramana is motivated by belief in a particular view of reality. This would be the acceptance of Visnu as the Brahman of the upanisads, his connection to authoritative scripture, and its propagation. Furthermore, to defer to sabdapramana requires membership in a community and the requisite pedagogical training that confers the authority needed to speak for the tradition.

Theological Foundations Of Pastoral Care In Catholic Universities, Thomas V. Gourlay

Thomas V. Gourlay

One defining element of life in any Catholic educational institution, whether it be primary, secondary, or tertiary, is the focus on pastoral care for staff and students. This paper provides a distinctly Catholic definition of the term ‘pastoral care’ and briefly examines the theological foundations that underpin this concept, particularly, in relation to its application in the Catholic university. The paper traces the motif of pastoral care through the Scriptures and, building on insights from St. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) and the broader theological anthropology of the Vatican II Council. The …

Whosoever Will: A Review Essay, C. Fred Smith

Fred O. Smith Jr.

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.: His Words And His Witness, Anne-Marie Rose Kirmse, Michael M. Canaris, Cardinal Theodore E. Mccarrick

Michael Canaris

In his nearly 50-year career teaching philosophy and theology at Fordham and other distinguished universities, Avery Cardinal Dulles wrote and traveled extensively, writing 25 books and more than 800 articles, book reviews, forewords, introductions, and letters to the editor, translated into at least 14 languages and distributed worldwide. This work serves as a companion to the previous volume of McGinley Lectures, published as Church and Society (Fordham, 2008), and also provides an independent research guide for scholars, theologians, and anyone interested in American Catholicism in the decades immediately before and following the Second Vatican Council.

From his poems and reflections …

The Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).Pdf, Charles Sabo

Charles Sabo

Swipe Left: A Theology Of Tinder And Digital Dating, Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy

The juggernaut of digital culture, which really has hatched the biggest cultural metamorphosis since Gutenberg’s printing press, affects every aspect of late modern life in fundamental ways—ways, moreover, that are often obscured from our perception. After all, the hardest chains to break, the saying goes, are the ones you can’t see.

Review Of Piety And Responsibility: Patterns Of Unity In Karl Rahner, Karl Barth, And Vedanta Decika, Hugh Nicholson

Hugh Nicholson

The article reviews the book Piety and Responsibility: Patterns of Unity in Karl Rahner, Karl Barth, and Vedanta Desika by John Sheveland.

Bryan Ball As Historian, Daniel Reynaud

Daniel Reynaud

This chapter evaluates Seventh-day Adventist theologian Bryan Ball’s contribution to studies of Puritanism in Elizabethan and Stuart England. Ball locates the origins of many distinctive Seventh-day Adventist beliefs in various thinkers during the period, on a continuum from the main stream to the marginal. His work is innovative among SDA scholars in plumbing the origins of SDA thought long before the movement actually began.

Will And Grace: The Essence Of The Pelagian Debate, Steve Curtis

Steve Curtis

The early centuries of the Christian church saw a number of clarifying councils and theological treatises directed at objective doctrines such as the triunity of God and the hypostatic nature of Christ. By the late fourth century, the discussions were becoming more subjective: to what extent does man possess a free will? What is the cause of sin? What are the theological implications involved in salvation, and to what extent does the grace of God hold sway? Such questions naturally led back to the very beginning of time and to the nature of Adam and the consequence of his sin …

The Profanation Of Revelation: On Language And Immanence In The Work Of Giorgio Agamben, Colby Dickinson

Colby Dickinson

This essay seeks to articulate the many implications which Giorgio Agamben’s work holds for theology. It aims therefore to examine his (re)conceptualizations of language, in light of particular historical glosses on the ‘name of God’ and the nature of the ‘mystical’, as well as to highlight the political task of profanation, one of his most central concepts, in relation to the logos said to embody humanity’s ‘religious’ quest to find its Voice. As such, we see how he challenges those standard (ontotheological) notions of transcendence which have been consistently aligned with various historical forms of sovereignty. In addition, I intend …

Children Of A Lesser God: Truth As Bodiliness And Forgiveness, Glenn J. Morrison

Glenn J Morrison

The article aims in two parts to develop a sense of truth as bodiliness and forgiveness. In bodiliness, we suffer by the suffering of the other and in forgiveness there arises an existential journey of sensibility and feelings. Together, bodiliness and forgiveness provide a relational horizon to journey towards truth. Part I of the article sets out to establish a theoretical background for Part II to engage theology with the study of the film, Children of a Lesser God (1986). Given that films today are popular mediums for encountering revelation and the sacred, the application of film to theology provides …

10 Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Sikhism, Simran Singh

Simran Jeet Singh

Despite being one of the world’s largest world religions, Sikhism remains one of the most unknown traditions in America. The lack of understanding has led to serious consequences, including discriminatory policies, bigoted stereotypes, traumatic school bullying and violent hate crimes.

Here is a list of 10 things that the global community ought to know about its Sikh neighbors.

God Is His Own Interpreter, And He Will Make It Plain, Barry 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 Jewish Nature Of The First Century Church, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

“When men realized that the teaching of God was no heritage that one accepts passively but rather a heritage that has to be won, they began to see this relationship to the Bible as a religious obligation. It became a supreme commandment to “study”, to explore the Scriptures. To explore means to consider the Bible as a challenge rather than a gift…..The duty to “explore” requires further rethinking: each end becomes a new beginning and each solution a new problem…Once Today’s Church is fully aware of the vast importance of learning, it too will realize that it cannot afford to …

Does Donald Trump Need To Repent?, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

The Bible, Same-Sex Sexual Activity, And The Parameters For Flourishing (Part 3), A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

The Bible, Same-Sex Sexual Activity, And The Parameters For Flourishing (Part 2), A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

The Bible, Same-Sex Sexual Activity, And The Parameters For Flourishing (Part 1), A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

A Theology Of Vacation, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

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 …

A Theology Of Good Works: The Apostle Paul’S Concept Of Good Works Within The Context Of Second Temple Judaism, Martin E. Sheldon

Martin E Sheldon

The apostle Paul lived and ministered within the context of Second Temple Judaism. Following just over three decades of adherence to and immersion in Pharisaic Judaism, Saul of Tarsus converted to Jesus Christ and in consequence, conducted several missionary journeys proclaiming the gospel of Christ and writing letters to the newly established churches. While the Hebrew Scriptures provided the theological foundation for the apostle Paul’s teaching, his concept of good works was forged within the historical context of Second Temple Judaism. Inasmuch as this is the case, it is essential to explore the concept of good works within the OT …

“Robert Zemekis’ Contact As A Late Twentieth-Century Paradiso.”, Gregory M. Sadlek

Gregory M Sadlek

The film Contact employs a plot and literary motifs that are in many ways parallel to those in Dante's Paradiso. Although the film's philosophical and theological content has received mixed reviews, the film has deep significance because it not only seeks to convey a religious experience but also offers a kind of existential consolation similar to that offered by Dante. This is true even though the film is grounded in a vision of the numinous that is congruent not with the Dante's cosmos but with late twentieth-century science and cosmology. Contact, then, is a Dantean film that can be embraced …

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, …

Psalms 69 And 117, Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy

Medievalism And The Subject Of Religion, Richard Utz

Richard Utz

Assesses the reasons for the relative disregard of scholarly work on studying the continuity of religious thought and faith by scholarship in Medievalism Studies over the last 25 years. Postulates that medievalism scholars have an ethical obligation to investigate and historicize religion and theology, at least in its temporal manifestations.