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The Meaning Of Christian Suffering In Aquinas, Pedro Cardoso Figueiredo Santiago

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis investigates the theological meaning of Christian suffering in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. While much attention has been given to Aquinas’s treatment of the problem of evil, little has been written on the positive and salvific meaning of suffering as it appears in his Christology, sacramental theology, and moral theology. This study aims to demonstrate that for Aquinas, suffering—when united to Christ—acquires a redemptive value that transforms human pain into a means of configuration to the crucified and risen Lord.

The first chapter develops the Christological foundation of Christian suffering. Drawing primarily from Summa Theologiae III, q. 69, …

Gerard Manley Hopkins, Sj: Master Architect Of The Company Of Poets, Timothy J. Wesley

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

It has been 107 years since the first collected Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ were published by the poet-scholar’s friend and confidant Robert Seymour Bridges. Literary commentators, historians, and theologians have sought to understand the great poet of the Jesuits since the posthumous release of the poetry to the wide world in 1918. Of the many angles on Hopkins’s life that have been analyzed and examined, we could name a few: his sublimated sexuality, his identity as a religious priest, the poet’s placement within The Victorian Period, a voice of apologetic theology within Modernity, a political eco-centric voice, and …

A Religious Etiology Of Genito-Pelvic Pain And Pain With Penetration, Emily L. Carlson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Pelvic pain during penetration (PPDP) has been described using various diagnostic terms, including vaginismus, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia. The most recent and comprehensive classification is Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) which is characterized by psychological distress associated with pain during or in anticipation of vaginal penetration (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). The etiology of PPDP is multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and relational factors. Religious and cultural influences may play a significant role in shaping individuals’ experiences of sexual pain. This study investigated the etiology of PPDP in relation to the religious influences among women raised in Judeo-Christian …

“Falling Short Of Our Humanity”: Shame And Queer Catholic Families, M.T. Davila

Religious & Theological Studies Faculty Publications

Queer Catholic Families (QCF) negotiate a complicated landscape of belonging and exclusion in the church that they love. In this dynamic, shame figures as a theological and moral qualifier of their experience when observed through the lens of the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality and gender. Understanding how shame is experienced in these families, how it deepens a rift between families and the community, and how families find ways to nourish and preserve their links to the Church, ought to be a primary ethical and pastoral task of the Church.

The Influence Of Colonialism On The Development Of Religious Life In Timor Leste, Abdul Kadirsyam Salampessy, Rahadjeng Pulungsari Hadi

International Review of Humanities Studies

Timor-Leste is the youngest country in the world with unique religious dynamics. The Catholic population increased rapidly after independence, while the Muslim population decreased drastically due to political dynamics. The presence of Mari Alkatiri, an Arab-descended Timorese Muslim who became Prime Minister (PM) twice, is a depiction of the presence of Islam in a Catholic-majority country. The long history of colonialism in Timor-Leste has greatly influenced the landscape of religious life there. In its development, the people of Timor-Leste live harmoniously and democratically.

This journal uses a qualitative research method that focuses on the social and cultural phenomena of the …

Editor’S Introduction, Eryn Reyes Leong

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Volume 8 of Say Something Theological is dedicated to Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV, and the future of the Catholic Church. It features the work of Loyola Marymount University’s graduate theology students and staff, who offer thoughtful and well-reasoned papers that probe theological and pastoral questions relating to the Christian tradition and the concrete practice of the Christian faith.

Discord From Within: Challenges Facing Catholicism In The United States And The Road Ahead, Amber Montgomery

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

As membership in the Catholic Church continues to decline in the United States, there are less parishioners or those interested in religious life. Two contributing reasons for this include the Church’s stance on the use of contraception and the role of women within ministry. Explored here is a brief survey of these issues based on Scripture, papal documents, feminist theology, and the perspective of clergy and lay persons. These two topics are of particular interest as the United States grapples with women’s rights over their bodies and wrestle with women’s place within the Church. While the Church has taken an …

Voices Of Protest: Women Who Sing The Blues, Deborah Kaufman Giordano

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper explores the biblical and historical continuity of women’s voices “singing the blues” in social protest across different contexts. The blues as a musical genre spans a myriad of themes, including social protest. Black female blues songs such as Bessie Smith’s “Poor Man’s Blues” and Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” were the blues songs of lament and social protest, protesting economic injustice and the brutality of lynching respectively. This paper explores how two biblical women — Hannah in “Hannah’s Song” (1 Samuel 2:1-10) and Mary in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) — sang the blues of social protest. These biblical women, …

Augustine’S Ethics And Authentic Happiness, Ignatius C. Williams

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Finding happiness is a fundamental human goal, despite the fact that it varies between cultures, philosophical systems, and religious beliefs. But how mankind pursues happiness as the greatest good and how it is reached in that process are considered because not all endeavors ultimately lead to true or authentic happiness. In light of this, Augustine’s notion of ethics and authentic happiness are examined, along with some essential principles for living an ethical life that is congruent with true happiness. Three topics are explored. First, I examined Augustine’s theory of happiness as well as moral requirements centered on grace, love, and …

Table Of Contents

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

No abstract provided.

The End Of Faith, The Beginning Of Glory, Maria Lai C.S.J.

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

On April 21, 2025, Pope Francis passed away after twelve years of remarkable service to the Catholic Church and to the world. This reflection centers on Francis’ papacy and legacy, asking important questions related to the meaning and purpose of life and inviting us to contemplate his discipleship as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Unearthing Evidence For St. Augustine’S Racial Blackness And Paralleling Augustine’S Christian Mystical Religion To Traditional African Religion’S Mysticism, Dillon Cook

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This article undertakes two projects rendering significant ramifications for philosophy/theology, if my assertions are correct. First, the philosopher/theologian known as St. Augustine of Hippo is most saliently recognized as a “white man”; if not a white man, “a European”; if not European, “a man of Rome”; or “Mediterranean”; etc. Outside the intellectual sphere, this is how he is often depicted in art, Penguin Classic books, and so on. Yet ironically, images of Augustine rarely circulate, if at all, as a Black-African-Indigenous person. Was Augustine nonwhite? Evidence is rendered that this is indubitably the case. Could Augustine have been modernly categorized …

Reaching The Young And Hopeless: Rooting For Redemption At A Residential Treatment Center, Christian P. Newton

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This article reflects on my experiences as an educator at a Residential Treatment Center, observing the spiritual battles being fought by some residents as they attempt to rectify their lives after their involvement in sexual abuse. It will review literature that has been successful in my classroom with helping young people change their mind concerning their irredeemableness and that can also improve how evangelical attempts across Christian dominations pastor to those who feel scorned by God. Due to the mentality of some residents who have deeply struggled with the concepts of forgiveness and regret, literature is offered as starting point …

From Glory To Glory: The Analogy Of Being In The Thought Of Karl Barth And Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Philip Micele

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In response to Karl Barth’s rejection of the analogia entis as “the invention of the Antichrist,” Erich Przywara insists that the great Protestant theologian’s criticisms are essentially of no avail, “because for him this biblical Christianity came, in fact, to assume the shape of a system of ‘ever greater dissimilarity,’ which is to say it fell under the spell of the very analogy he sought to flee.”[1] Przywara further stresses that “it is precisely in the analogy, understood as the ‘analogy of ever greater dissimilarity,’ that God is mighty and declares himself – the God who, ‘if you comprehend …

Toward A Biblical And Missiological Framework For Transformational Advocacy In The Seventh-Day-Adventist Church, Michelet William

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

איהה תעה The Hebrew Bible And Its Role In Daniel 12:1 A Diachronic And Synchronic Study On The Semantics Of Narrative And Prophetic Temporality, Araica Roger David Ruiz.

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

Dominion Shifts In Biblical Apocalyptic Literature: A Narrative Reading Of Daniel 7 And Revelation 12–14 Vis-À-Vis Genesis 1–3, Flavio Prestes Iii

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

An Analysis Of Herbert Douglass And Woodrow Whidden’S Use Of Ellen G. White's Writings On The Human Nature Of Christ, Cyril Marshall

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

Prophetic Reuse And Chronotope: The Reuse Of Prophecies And The Representation Of Time And Space In Daniel 10–12, Felipe A. Masotti

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

Indicators Of Typology In The Narrative Of Elijah: An Investigation Into The Predictive Nature Of The Typological Use Of The Old Testament In The New Testament, Jônatas De Mattos Leal

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.