Religion Commons^™

Human Rights And The Search For Common Ground: A Comparative Study Of Islamic And Christian Thought, Joseph Prud'homme

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Common Ground: Islam, Christianity, and Religious Pluralism. By Paul Heck. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. 2009.

Living Water In Indian Cups: A Call For Cultural Relevance In Contemporary Indian Missions, Prabhusingh Vedhamanickam

The Asbury Journal

There has been a concentrated effort in contemporary India to stereotype Christianity as a western agent involved in destroying Indic religions, desecrating Indian cultures and destabilizing the nation. While there have been some attempts to contextualize the gospel in Indian missions, in the theological and missiological realms, there is an urgent need to incarnate the gospel in culturally relevant ways due to three critical factors: The cultural diversity of the nation, the rise of Hindu nationalism and the paradigmatic shift from Indian cross cultural missions to local, indigenous movements. While the multinational companies in India are tailoring their strategies according …

Irish Clergy And The Deist Controversy: Two Episodes In The Early British Enlightenment, Scott Breuninger

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

D uring the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, an important question facing Anglican divines was the relationship between reason and religion. Initiated by the publication of John Toland's Christianity Not Mysterious (1696), the controversy concerning deism raged across both sides of the Irish Sea and called into question the sanctity of revealed religion, forcing believers to articulate more "rational" defenses of Christianity. Closely associated with the problematic origins of the "English Enlightenment;' Toland's provocative tract valorized reason in matters of religion and drew heavily upon the ideas of natural philosophy. Although viciously attacked for its heretical tenets, Toland's position …

From Nominal To Radical Discipleship: One Church’S Approach To Disciple Making, Wayne Berk Walters

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The majority of mainline denomination churches in America have experienced decline in membership, worship attendance, and vitality for over fifty years. As well, church members’ lifestyles, commitments, and habits tend to be not all that unlike Americans who do not attend church. Many church members live relatively nominal Christian lives when compared to the nature of the Christian life and discipleship described by Jesus in the gospels of the New Testament. This nominal understanding and adoption of the Christian life makes church membership and involvement unnecessary or secondary to the many other demands in modern life. Denominational officials, church pastors, …

Changing Hearts: The Future Of The Environmental Movement, Emily Casey

Global Tides

For many, the environmental movement is a consumer fad with very little intellectual or emotional investment. Generally, sustainability is deemed a “good thing” but given low priority at both the personal level and the public policy level. In this paper, I argue that environmentalism must be modified to meet the needs of the general populace in order to gain momentum as a contemporary political movement. In other words, I examine how the environmental movement can attract the massive number of active members necessary to change public policy and conclude that this movement will need to adapt to the public in …

The Journey To Jesus: John 4:19-26, Andrew Hagen

Global Tides

John 4:19-26 is a part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. This portion of the conversation includes Jesus’ first revelation of himself as the Messiah and the only way to the Father in what Eric John Wyckoff calls an “astonishing self-revelation unparalleled in its explicitness.” Jesus’ later claims develop these ideas further (John 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5) but this scene serves to not only reveal Jesus as the Messiah-Christ but also to demonstrate how Jesus transcends all the expectations which are associated with the title.

Social Transformation Through Pastoral Transformational Leadership : A Case Study Of Mombasa Synod, Pius N. Kagwi

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Life And Teachings Of The New Testament Apostles, Gaye Strathearn, Joshua M. Sears

Faculty Publications

In the well-known 1842 Wentworth letter, Joseph Smith included thirteen statements about the beliefs of The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known today as the Articles of Faith. The sixth statement says: "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth" (Articles of Faith 1 :6). Later, Elder James E. Talmage wrote: "In the dispensation of the meridian of time Jesus Christ established His Church upon the earth, appointing therein the officers necessary for the carrying out of the Father's purposes.

Institutions, The Rise Of Commerce And The Persistence Of Laws: Interest Restrictions In Islam And Christianity, Jared Rubin

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Why was economic development retarded in the Middle East relative to Western Europe, despite the Middle East being far ahead for centuries? A theoretical model inspired and substantiated by the history of interest restrictions suggests that this outcome emanates in part from the greater degree to which early Islamic political authorities derived legitimacy from religious authorities. This entailed a feedback mechanism in Europe in which the rise of commerce led to the relaxation of interest restrictions while also diminishing the Church's ability to legitimise political authorities. These interactions did not occur in the Islamic world despite equally amenable economic conditions.

Native-Led Contextualization Efforts In North America 1989-2009, Richard L. Twiss

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Last Shall Be First: Human Potential In Genetic And Theological Perspectives, M. Therese Lysaught

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The notion of “human potential” provides a fruitful window through which to explore the competing conceptual frameworks of contemporary genetics and Christianity. The contemporary cultural frame of genetics conceives of human potential in a broadly positive manner: the source of personal and societal flourishing is located within individual bodies, waiting to be identified and unleashed by genetic science and medicine for the good of persons and society. In the Judeo-Christian narrative, human individual, biological potential is far less relevant—and, in fact, may be construed as an impediment to the achievement of personal and social flourishing. Implications for the dialogue between …

Equipping The Laity Through Discipleship Training In A Korean Church, Yijoon Chang

ATS Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to evaluate how effective discipleship training enhanced the spiritual maturity of lay believers and transformed them into churchbuilding leaders. The particular context of this study is Korean Madisonville United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nashville Korean United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and Sarang Community Church in Anaheim, California. This was an evaluative study using questionnaires and personal interviews to assist in measuring the effectiveness of discipleship training to enhance the spiritual maturity of lay believers.

The review of selected literature focuses on what the church is, who the pastor is, who the laity …

Coaching Pastors Of Faith Evangelical Church Of The Philippines Churches For Church Growth, Brent Hunter Burdick

ATS Dissertations

Research has shown that one effective means of improving leader effectiveness in business and education is coaching. Coaching involves asking questions, exploring options, providing guidance, and training in skills. Ministry is enhanced by coaching. This research explored the impact coaching six pastors in the Faith Evangelical Church of the Philippines churches had on the numerical and spiritual growth of the churches they pastor. The study focused on the key leadership factors of preaching, personal spiritual maturity, and multiplication of small groups plus two survey-determined factors. The hypothesis was that as the pastor advanced in leadership skills and effectiveness in these …

Breaking The Culture Of Ethnic Hostility In Kenya, Geoffrey Kamau Njuguna

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Practices, Faith, And Pedagogy In "Teaching And Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith And Learning", David I. Smith, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Buried Treasure?, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Practical Theology: An Introduction By Richard R. Osmer And Studying Christian Spirituality By David Perrin, Glenn J. Morrison

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

The future of Christianity is a concern at the heart of being and faith. In the passivity of encountering people’s faces, dreams and hopes, we can be exposed to feelings of loneliness, failure, suffering, outrage and brokenness. And it is here, in the face of our neighbour, that we begin to appreciate the depth of the Church. The future of Christianity may remain secret, yet the extent to which we journey into another’s life, offer a welcome and benediction of peace, gives hope to envision a messianic era and a future world of ethics, prayer and love. And it is …

The Roman Empire: The Defender Of Early First Century Christianity, John Toone

Senior Honors Theses

All of the events, authors, and purposes of the books in the New Testament occurred under the reign of the Roman Empire (27 B.C.—A.D. 476). Therefore, an understanding of the Roman Empire is necessary for comprehending the historical context of the New Testament. In order to fully understand the impact of the Roman Empire on the New Testament, particularly before the destruction of the Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, Rome’s effect on religion (and the religious laws that governed its practice) must be examined. Contrary to expectations, the Roman Empire emerges from this examination as the protector (not persecutor) of …

The Existential Compromise In The History Of The Philosophy Of Death, Adam Buben

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I begin by offering an account of two key strains in the history of philosophical dealings with death. Both strains initially seek to diminish fear of death by appealing to the idea that death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. According to the Platonic strain, death should not be feared since the soul will have a prolonged existence free from the bodily prison after death. With several dramatic modifications, this is the strain that is taken up by much of the mainstream Christian tradition. According to the Epicurean strain, death should not be feared since the …

Pedagogical Rhythms: Practices And Reflections On Practices. In Smith James K. A. & Smith David (Eds.), Teaching, Learning, And Christian Practice, Rebecca Konyndyk Deyoung

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Vulnerability And Joy Of Commitment, Viv Grigg

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

Highway Religion: Truckstop Chapels, Evangelism, And Lived Religion On The Road, David Brett Greenberg

Honors Papers

This study examines manifestations of Christian faith found along the highways of the United States, particularly in the form of truckstop chapels. Through ethnographic research and social-historical/theoretical analysis, this study seeks to explore the ways in which Evangelical Christianity, when combined with certain cultural and social particulars of the trucking profession, may be markedly re-contextualized, giving rise to distinctive approaches to ministry, worship, and religious life.

By identifying widespread and often codified specializations among trucking ministries and examining the ways in which the trucking-specific evangelism of such ministries may be applied and lived out by individual drivers of faith, this …

Dealing With Suffering: A Comparison Of Religious And Psychological Perspectives, Emily R. Pimpinella

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

One of the main tasks of psychologists is to help clients deal with suffering. In order to assist the client, a therapist needs to have an understanding of the client’s beliefs about suffering. Due to the importance of religion for much of the general population, and considering how beliefs influence clients when dealing with suffering, it is essential that psychologists be mindful and respectful of religious beliefs in order to provide competent service. In order to do this, therapists need to have knowledge about the religious doctrine that their client observes. Therapists also need to be aware of their own …

Asbury Theological Seminary Chapel Service (1999, Nov. 2), Reginald Johnson

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

John D. Witvliet Interviewed By Jerry Rushford, Jerry Rushford

Jerry Rushford

John D. Witvliet is the director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and teaches worship, theology, congregational studies, and music at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary. Witvliet sat down with Jerry Rushford, director of Church Relations, on the occasion of his Frank Pack Lecture concerning the importance of disciplining the creativity of music and the arts in Christian worship.