Religion Commons^™

A Newcomer's Guide To Kabbalah, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review

Kabbalah is a mystical and highly spiritual form of Judaism. Popularized by its endorsement by high-profile celebrities like Madonna, the average layperson knows enough about Kabbalah to recognize it as a vaguely familiar term, but not much else. This article strives to serve as an entry-point for both an intellectual and a popular audience to help familiarize readers with core components of Kabbalah and to help to begin fostering an appreciation for this very sophisticated faith. Matters of history, philosophy, science, doctrine, and more pertaining to Kabbalah will be discussed in this article

Review Of Islam Instrumentalized: Religion And Politics In Historical Perspective, Jared Rubin

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

A review of Jean-Philippe Platteau's Islam Instrumentalized: Religion and Politics in Historical Perspective.

Re-Playing Maimonides’ Codes: Designing Games To Teach Religious Legal Systems, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

Lost & Found is a game series, created at the Initiative for

Religion, Culture, and Policy at the Rochester Institute of

Technology MAGIC Center.1 The series teaches medieval

religious legal systems. This article uses the first two games

of the series as a case study to explore a particular set of

processes to conceive, design, and develop games for learning.

It includes the background leading to the author's work

in games and teaching religion, and the specific context for

the Lost & Found series. It discusses the rationale behind

working to teach religious legal systems more broadly, then

discuss the …

Book Reviews, Spiritus Editorial Board

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

R E V I E W S

• Graham Twelftree, ed. The Nature Miracles of Jesus: Problems, Perspectives, and Prospects. Jeffrey Lamp.
• David K. Bernard. The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ: Deification of Jesus in Early Christian Discourse. Joseph H. Howell.
• Vinson Synan, ed. The Truth About Grace: Spirit-empowered Perspectives. Daniel Thimell
• Margaret English de Alminana and Lois E. Olena, (eds). Women in Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministry: Informing a Dialogue on Gender, Church, and Ministry. Lisa M. Millen.
• Nimi Wariboko, The Split God: Pentecostalism and Critical Theory. David Bradnick.
• Jon Bialecki. A Diagram of Fire: Miracles …

Oral Roberts: A Brief Bibliography, Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article contains the first published bibliography of works by Oral Roberts and published studies of his life and ministry. Included in this bibliography is an account of the holdings of primary and secondary source works available to researchers at the Holy Spirit Research Center at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

Oral Roberts’ Impact On The Korean Healing Movement, Yeolsoo Eim

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts casts a large shadow of influence upon the healing movements and theology of Korea. Oral Roberts University’s outreach to Korea through the Doctor of Ministry program impacted the local Korean church with the message of healing. Today, there are over 200 ORU alumni in Korea, many of whom graduated from the Doctor of Ministry program during 1992–2012. This article will reflect on the impact of the ORU Doctor of Ministry program in Korea through the stories of several of the most significant graduates.

Oral Roberts: A Man Of The Spirit, Daniel D. Isgrigg

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article explores the role that the experience of the Pentecostal baptism in the Holy Spirit played in shaping the ministry of Oral Roberts. It charts the development and importance of his experience from his early life and ministry, his launch into healing evangelism, and the founding of Oral Roberts University.

Oral Roberts’ Theology Of Healing: A Journey From Pentecostal “Divine Healing” To Charismatic “Signs And Wonders” To Spirit-Empowered “Whole Person Healing”, Thomson Mathew

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This paper traces the development and articulation of Oral Roberts’ theology of healing through three discernible stages. From the perspective of a participant observer during the final stage of Roberts’ healing ministry, the author examines Roberts’ writings to show that his healing theology moved from a classical Pentecostal theology of divine healing of his roots to a theology of “Holy Spirit in the Now” that emphasized signs and wonders befitting the Charismatic Movement he led, to a final stage that might be characterized as a Spirit-empowered theology of whole person health. Attention has been given to Roberts’ conceptual and linguistic …

The Pentecostal Roots Of Oral Roberts’ Healing Ministry, Vinson H. Synan

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article delves into the development of the healing doctrine of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in which Oral Roberts was born, raised, and ordained to the ministry. Attention is given to the roots of healing teachings from both Europe and America, which were adopted by the Pentecostal movement. The main part of the paper describes the doctrinal statements on healing in the founding documents of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, the widespread acceptance of the Alexander Dowie position on refusing the use of doctors and medicine, the division over the use of remedies that produced the Congregational Holiness Church, and the …

Oral Roberts And The Spiritual Dna Of Oral Roberts University, William M. Wilson

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

William M. Wilson, President of Oral Roberts University, shares his thoughts on Oral Roberts and his impact on the spiritual DNA of Oral Roberts University.

An Overview Of The Theology Of Oral Roberts, R. Samuel Thorpe

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts’ life and healing ministry were shaped by his theology of God. Roberts viewed God as good, who personally worked in the lives of people in the present, and who had good plans for each believer. The manifestation of these plans depended, however, on the faith of the individual believer. God was affected by events in time, was limited in his ability to act by the cooperation of the believer, and suffered emotional distress even as people do. The overriding element in all of Roberts’ message is that “Something good is going to happen to you.” Christians should expect …

“Where My Voice Is Heard Small”: The Development Of Oral Roberts’ Television Ministry, Jim E. Hunter Jr.

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts was a pioneer in the development of Christian television. This study traces the development of Oral Roberts’ television ministry from the early days of 1950s televised healing crusades, through the 1970s prime-time variety shows, and his later broadcasts that supported the various ministry endeavors, such as Oral Roberts University and the City of Faith.

A History Of Oru Healing Teams, Holy Spirit Research Center

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Healing teams were a revolutionary idea Oral Roberts began to formulate in the 1960s. The concept of the healing team developed from Roberts’ healing ministry, the university, and a vision to continue his healing ministry beyond his lifetime. He hoped to raise up students from the academic colleges within Oral Roberts University to be healers within their respective disciplines. The general healing teams concept involved a team of professionals from various disciplines such as medicine, education, business, law, social work, theology, and others that minister to the whole person and all of his or her needs. This article traces the …

Oral Roberts And The Hebrew Bible, Eric N. Newberg, Samuel Hogan

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts held a favorable view of Jewish people and viewed the restoration of the state of Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. This article recounts a key facet of the Jewish outreach of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the Hebrew Bible project. In collaboration with Myron Sackett, Oral Roberts sponsored the publication of a Hebrew Bible (Old and New Testaments) and distributed it in Israel and other countries. Roberts was motivated by a desire to play a major role in the conversion of the Jewish people in the last days. By means of exhaustive research of relevant source …

The Spirit Of Immense Struggle: Oral Roberts' Native American Ancestry, Timothy Hatcher

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts was proud of his blended white, Cherokee, and Choctaw heritage and spoke openly about it. To understand Roberts’ view of his own hybridized identity better, it is necessary to consider how his parents and grandparents negotiated the issues related to their mixed ancestry. His own view changed over time from conscious pride to overt activism on behalf of his fellow Native Americans. From the early years of the ministry, the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association engaged in a variety of creative outreaches to Native Americans where Roberts identified deeply with his brothers and sisters. Several Native American communities across …

An Early Account Of Oral Roberts' Healing Testimony, Daniel D. Isgrigg, Vinson H. Synan

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

The story of Oral Roberts’ healing is well documented. However, recently a discovery was made of an early testimony in the Eastern Oklahoma Conference News of the Pentecostal Holiness Church that provides new details about the early years of his life and ministry. This testimony from 1939 includes details from the first few years of his evangelistic ministry and a different account of both the nature of his sickness and the circumstances of his healing. This article will also explore the possible factors that contributed to the differences in this testimony from his later accounts.

Why Oral Roberts Studies?, Wonsuk Ma

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Wonsuk Ma, Dean of the College of Theology and Ministry at Oral Roberts University, provides an extended editorial essay for this special issue of Spiritus to mark the Centennial of the birth of Oral Roberts.

Editor's Note, Jeffrey S. Lamp

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Spiritus Editorial Board

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Spiritus 3.2 Full Issue, Holy Spirit Research Center

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Spiritus 3.2 (Fall 2018) is a special issue dedicated to Oral Roberts studies. For this issue, Wonsuk Ma, now Dean of the College of Theology and Ministry at Oral Roberts University, has collected a dozen studies covering several areas of Roberts’ life, thought, ministry, and legacy. All of the contributors have a connection to Oral Roberts University, whether as students, faculty, and/or administrators. So it is, in effect, an in-house offering to the university community and the Spirit-empowered community at large, a remembrance of a figure who, now gone, may get overlooked in today’s fast-paced world of Christian theology and …

David Lipscomb On Rebaptism: Contexts Of A Controversy, Mcgarvey Ice

Library Research and Publications

This paper sets David Lipscomb's position on rebaptism in three contexts.

First, to provide a historical context, it states the circumstances of his baptism

and examines how and to what ends he employed the narrative of it. Second, to

craft a theological context, it contours in a broad way his doctrine of baptism.

Third, to furnish an ecclesial context, it scrutinizes the practice of receiving

members at Nashville's South College Street Christian Church, where he served

as an elder.

C.S. Lewis And The True Myth: A Reconciliation Of Theology, Philosophy, And Mythology, Courage Lowrance

Masters Theses

C.S. Lewis was both a student of pagan philosophy and mythology and a Christian. He never was divided between these two pursuits in his life, though he gave the latter its proper priority. What allowed Lewis to keep this balance was his idea of the gospel as the True Myth, an idea that helped lead to his conversion and remained at the core of his thinking throughout his life. By this idea of True Myth, Lewis was able to not only unite the pagan myths to Christian truth, but also the rest of human thought as well. Thus, in order …

Keith W. Whitelam, The Invention Of Ancient Israel: The Silencing Of Palestinian History, Steven W. Holloway

Steven W Holloway

No abstract provided.

Karl Marx And Liberation Theology: Dialectical Materialism And Christian Spirituality In, Against, And Beyond Contemporary Capitalism, Peter Mclaren, Petar Jandrić

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This paper explores convergences and discrepancies between liberation theology and the works of Karl Marx through the dialogue between one of the key contemporary proponents of liberation theology, Peter McLaren, and the agnostic scholar in critical pedagogy, Petar Jandrić. The paper briefly outlines liberation theology and its main convergences with the works of Karl Marx. Exposing striking similarities between the two traditions in denouncing the false God of money, it explores differences in their views towards individualism and collectivism. It rejects shallow rhetorical homologies between Marx and the Bible often found in liberation theology, and suggests a change of focus …

Book Reviews, Arden C. Autry Phd, Edward E. Decker Jr, Christopher G. Foster, Robert W. Graves, Daniel D. Isgrigg, Jeffrey S. Lamp, Wonsuk Ma, Peter A. Reynolds, James B. Shelton, Andrew R. Williams

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Sexuality, Gender, And Marriage: Pentecostal Theology Of Sexuality And Empowering The Girl-Child In India, Brainerd Prince, Atula Walling

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Th e focus of the article arises from a case study of an Indian woman and her adopted child, Sunita and Komal. Th ere are three key issues that can be abstracted from the story of Sunita and Komal. Th e abandoned “girl-child” Komal raises the question of sex—what am I? What does it mean to be biologically female? What consequences are there for being born female? Sunita’s and Komal’s rejection from their families has led them to ask the question about their gender—who am I? What does it mean to be a girl or woman in a predominantly Hindu …

The Question Of Power In African Pentecostalism, Alex R. Mayfield

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Should the charismatic theology of anointing be considered a democratizing influence in Africa or a reiteration of mediatorial forms of power? Th is article seeks to answer this question by analyzing African traditional religious power structures in comparison to modern African theologies and practices of Pentecostal anointing. Th is comparison, however, highlights the problem of drawing direct lines from Africa’s past to its present; Pentecostal rupture from a traditional past is paradoxically both a break from and connection to pre-colonial conceptions of the self and community. Ultimately, this article argues that while both traditional religions and modern Pentecostal anointing favor …

A Historical And Hermeneutical Approach To The Vice-Lists: A Pauline Perspective, Mark Hall

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

The subject of homosexuality is controversial in the Church, even among Pentecostals; consequently, there has arisen a need for a historical and hermeneutical examination of the topic, especially in the Pauline corpus. The vice-lists of ancient literature along with the ones in the Pauline epistles provide insight into the apostle’s understanding of their purpose and function. Of the ones where Paul lists sexual sins, three specifically mention homosexuality: Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, and 1 Timothy 1:9–10. Th is article discusses Paul’s understanding of the connection between homosexuality and idolatry and provides an in-depth analysis of the Greek words μαλακοί …

“Your Miracle Is On The Way”: Oral Roberts And Mediated Pentecostalism In Africa, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts is perhaps the first North American Pentecostal preacher to have a truly global ministry. Th is article discusses his influence on Pentecostalism in Africa through the holding of evangelical healing crusades around the world and also hosting a worldwide media ministry through the use of radio, television, and the distribution of books and magazines. Th rough these visits and media ministry, Oral Roberts inspired and influenced many leading Pentecostal leaders in Africa, including the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa of Nigeria and Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams of Ghana. An important and enduring influence of the ministry of Oral Roberts in …

Editorial, Jeffrey S. Lamp

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.