Ethics in Religion Commons^™

What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality? An Exercise In Biblical Hermeneutics, Matthew Lehrer

Denison Journal of Religion

Lehrer argues for the importance of a close hermeneutical study of the Bible in order to understand most fully the statements made about homosexuality. Through his study, Lehrer posits that no condemnations are made against homosexuality, with the exception of the two statements made in Leviticus, both of which deal with Hebraic purity laws, many of which are no longer followed. Instead, the passages most frequently deal more explicitly with issues of hospitality (the story of Sodom) or idolatry (the letters of Paul.) Therefore, homosexual relationships are placed at the same level as heterosexual relationships. As long as the relationship …

Organized Women In Afghanistan: The Key To A Universal Understanding Of Human Rights, Stephanie Hinkle

Denison Journal of Religion

Hinkle connects the non-Western world with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, released by the United Nations in 1948. The author disproves the assumption that this declaration is only applicable in the West through the example of Afghani men and women, particularly those who have devoted themselves to the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA.) The crimes being committed against women in Afghanistan were frequently ignored by the wider world, particularly before the United States launched its military campaign there. Feminism, Hinkle argues, has an unfortunate history of believing itself to be a construction of the West, and applicable …

The Nature Of Sex: Sacred Or Profane?, Michael Decesare

Denison Journal of Religion

The Catholic Church is obviously uncomfortable with the level of blatant sexuality that characterizes American culture. In fact, Catholic leaders often claim that this constant presence of sexuality that bombards Americans desacralizes the act. This essay asks if it is possible, however, that the Catholic Church is also involved in desacralizing sexuality? DeCesare states that the emphasis that the Church places on conception as the only reason for sex, and the ease with which the Church condemns any sexual act outside of the bonds of a Church-sanctioned marriage, overlook the sexual act as one which also unites people, and exposes …

Reinhold Niebuhr And The War On Terrorism, Daniel Rohrer

Denison Journal of Religion

Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, the government of the United States has understandably been taking steps to protect its citizens. This essay questions whether the steps taken by the government are the most appropriate and just. Applying Reinhold Niebuhr's theology and social ethics to the War on Terrorism exposes the actions of the United States as a "witch-hunt" that fails to complicate the governmental, social, and economic factors that governed the political climate of the time. Because the United States government responded to the attacks of September 11th with an overpowering sense of self-righteousness, its actions immediately became …

Hagar: An African American Lens, Emily Peecook

Denison Journal of Religion

Emily Peecook links the story of Hagar to African-American slave women in the antebellum, and the community of African-American women who continue to fight for their rights today. The narrative of Hagar is one with which African-American women have long identified. Hagar's story is rife with abuses that were very familiar to slave women during the antebellum. Both were used as sexual and maternal surrogates, and both were deprived of supportive men in their life"be it a father or a husband. Hagar's survival through the many difficulties she faced has made her an inspirational figure to the community of African …

The Strong Survive: A Series Of Ten Prints, Ryan James Zamberlan

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

The Virgin Mary: A Liberator For Women, Egan Rachel

Denison Journal of Religion

The Virgin Mary has had several titles in her long history, and these titles correlate with how she is understood by Catholics. During the Second Vatican Council, there were some who wanted to add the title of co-redemptrix to the long list of names associated with her, but the effort did not succeed. The Council explained its decision by claiming that there was biblical evidence of Mary being within the Church, but not above it. Egan asks how one can base this decision on iblical evidence when the stories and opinions associated with Mary differ so greatly. In the Gospel …

Sexuality: Confronting Religion's Taboo, James Boyd

Denison Journal of Religion

Sexuality has become ubiquitous in mainstream media and culture. Despite this, or maybe because of it, sexuality remains a topic on which religion passes judgment. Because of this, many people find a tension growing in their lives when they attempt to enjoy their sexuality and remain a part of their faith community. This tension is inspiring scholarship and reflection that is trying to establish a new sexual ethic. This article focuses, in part, on Lewis B. Smedes, who promotes sexuality as an intimate communion between two married people by claiming that they are physical beings as much as they are …

"New Elemental Force": The Necessity Of An Engaged Poetry, Mary Ann Davis

Denison Journal of Religion

This essay explores the undeniable influence Zen Buddhism has had on American poets and poetry of recent years. The poets who are often recognized for the influence of Buddhism in their work are, however, frequently only white men. Despite this, a new emphasis on social issues and human rights is coming to the forefront in Buddhism. This influence is becoming so strong in some circles that many are claiming it is a new form of Buddhism, socially engaged Buddhism. Will this incarnation of Buddhism begin to influence American poetry to create an engaged poetry that is inherently about social change? …

Freedom, Knowledge And Relationship In The Genesis Story Of Temptation, Kelly Riggle

Denison Journal of Religion

The narrative of "the Fall" is the one of the best known Bible stories. Over the centuries, it has provided a religious and cultural understanding of humanity and how we relate to each other and to divinity. This essay asks if the notion of sin and punishment frequently associated with the story is the only interpretation available for Genesis Chapter 3. Riggle argues that understanding this story as a temptation narrative instead of the pinnacle moment in humanity's "fall" offers a new example of the relationship that exists between humanity and divinity. Viewing the story through the lens of temptation …

Abraham Joshua Heschel And Theology After The Holocaust, Matthew Eanet

Denison Journal of Religion

This essay explores Abraham Joshua Heschel's post-Holocaust theology as a hopeful, worship-oriented option that can continue to be a source of comfort and inspiration to men and women struggling through tragedies today. The memory of the Holocaust can easily inspire a crisis of faith. In fact, post-Holocaust theology is frequently defined by this crisis.

The theology of Abraham Joshua Heschel, an Eastern European Jew who barely escaped the death camps, however, continued to assert the active existence of God. By exploring religion in terms of polarities"Sinai (the starting place of his people) and Auschwitz (a deplorable end for many of …

Immanent Frames: Meiji New Buddhism And The 'Religious Secular', James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

The secularization thesis, rooted in the idea that “modernity” brings with it the destruction—or, at least, the ruthless privatization—of religion, is clearly grounded in specific, often oversimplified, interpretations of Western historical developments since the eighteenth century. In this article, I use the case of the New Buddhist Fellowship (Shin Bukkyō Dōshikai 新仏教同志会) of the Meiji period (1868–1911) to query the category of the secular in the context of Japanese modernity. I argue that the New Buddhists, drawing on elements of classical and East Asian Buddhism as well as modern Western thought, promoted a resolutely social and this-worldly Buddhism that …

Evaluating Missionary-Care Responsibilities: A Guide For Sending And Supporting Churches, Donald Hall

Masters Theses

A thoughtful approach to global missions requires a team of support personnel. This team, composed of the sending church, the supporting churches, the missions agency and other supporters, is effective when it works together to recruit, train, and maintain a healthy missionary workforce, but a sub-standard support structure jeopardizes the mission. Sadly, many sending churches do not properly understand or fulfill their missionary-care roles and responsibilities. This project provides a biblical, philosophical, and practical methodology by which churches can properly evaluate their responsibilities and address gaps in their missionary-care ministry. In the model presented in this paper, the sending church …

Divine Utilitarianism, Jimmy Lewis

Masters Theses

This work addresses the subject of God and ethics and aims to answer questions concerning why God does what he does and whether God is a utilitarian in his ethics. In order to answer these questions, God’s nature is explored through the lens of classical theists such as Anselm, Thomas of Aquin, and Augustine. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s conceptions of utilitarianism are also explicated so that there is no confusion regarding the definition of utility which is used in Divine Utilitarianism. Finally, Divine Utilitarianism is juxtaposed to Divine Command Theory and the explanatory power of each is considered. …

The Impact Of Anthropocentrism On Christian Environmentalism, Alexis Grasse

Dialogue & Nexus

This paper will discuss the effects of anthropocentrism in Christian theology, doctrine, and environmentalism. The development and history of Christian environmentalism will be examined, with emphasis on the time since the 1960s, when environmentalism came to the forefront in the Western world. Alternative interpretations and worldviews, mainly ecocentrism and biocentrism, will be considered and compared to the prevalent anthropocentric view. I will close with a presentation of two possible means for developing a Christian ecological theology without anthropocentrism. An environmental position most coherent with Christian principles will be left open to the reader; my purpose is to examine the impact …

Volume 3 Editorial, Daniel Brannan

Dialogue & Nexus

No abstract provided.

Time Travel, Labour History, And The Null Curriculum: New Design Knowledge For Mobile Augmented Reality History Games, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This paper presents a case study drawn from design-based research (DBR) on a mobile, place-based augmented reality history game. Using DBR methods, the game was developed by the author as a history learning intervention for fifth to seventh graders. The game is built upon historical narratives of disenfranchised populations that are seldom taught, those typically relegated to the 'null curriculum'. These narratives include the stories of women immigrant labour leaders in the early twentieth century, more than a decade before suffrage. The project understands the purpose of history education as the preparation of informed citizens. In paying particular attention to …

Ethical Dilemmas And Challenges, Annetta M. Gibson

Faculty Publications

Presentation for the SPD new CFO orientation program, May 15, 2017

Toward A Framework For Interfaith Leadership, Barbara A. Mcgraw

Engaging Pedagogies in Catholic Higher Education (EPiCHE)

Today there is a need for a vision of the world that takes account of religious, spiritual, and non-faith orientations in a way that promotes cooperation and resolves conflict. Educational programs that employ this article’s proposed four-dimensional interfaith leadership framework can contribute to that vision. Through dialogue for understanding and compassion, lens bias reflection and cognitive-affective frame-shifting, religious literacy, and leadership theory and practice, students can become socially conscious leaders who effect positive change in religiously diverse environments. This interfaith leadership framework is especially salient for Catholic institutions of higher education, but is readily extendable for use in other institutions.

A Theological Retrieval Of Communal Parenting As A Moral Response To Baby Stealing And Childlessness In Nigeria, Henry U. Omeike

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

This thesis proposes the practice of communal parenting in the Igbo culture as critical to strengthening the godparent/godchild bond by way of offering a moral response to baby stealing and childlessness in Nigeria. It examines how practices such as spiritual intercession, catastrophic fertility expenditure, extramarital conception, baby stealing, and baby factories are impacting Igbo Christian families. It exposes the Igbo beliefs about marriage and fertility; explores the meaning of Igbo marriage, marital fruitfulness, and progeny, as well as the Igbo tradition of co-parenting and how this practice has responded to childlessness. It highlights how the Igbo society's shift from "co-parenting" …