Ethics in Religion Commons^™

A Blueprint For Buddhist Revolution: The Radical Buddhism Of Seno’O Girō (1889–1961) And The Youth League For Revitalizing Buddhism, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

In the early decades of the twentieth century, as Japanese society became engulfed in war and increasing nationalism, the majority of Buddhist leaders and institutions capitulated to the status quo. One notable exception to this trend, however, was the Shinkō Bukkyō Seinen Dōmei (Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism), founded on 5 April 1931. Led by Nichiren Buddhist layman Seno’o Girō and made up of young social activists who were critical of capitalism, internationalist in outlook, and committed to a pan-sectarian and humanist form of Buddhism that would work for social justice and world peace, the league’s motto was “carry the …

Jewish-Christian Studies On The Graduate Level, Lawrence Frizzell

Selected Works of Lawrence E. Frizzell

This report reflects on work that prepares the next generation for their role as educators in Jewish-Christian studies and relations and was delivered at the Meeting of the Consultors of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and Representatives from Bishops Conferences Responsible for Dialogue with the Jews in Vatican City on October 30, 2012.

Things We Never Preach About, Part I: Gluttony, Dirk G. Lange

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

About My Father's Business: Pastoral Succession From Father To Son, Clifford Hartley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A son who follows in his fathers' footsteps is not unique to many situations but it is to the office of pastor of the local church. Such a succession raises several questions: Is this a call of God, or the passing on of a dynasty? Is this a healthy transition for a church to consider? What are the associated problems and benefits? What biblical foundations should be considered? Are there common factors that make this transition successful? It is evident that unique planning and caution is necessary that is different from other successions patterns of pastoral ministry. This paper will …

Extending Story Listening As A Practice Of Communal Formation At The Lake Orion Church Of Christ, Eric R. Magnusson

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that explores the potential for extending a practice of story listening as a way of forming community across social circles at the Lake Orion Church of Christ in Lake Orion, Michigan. The intervention involved guiding a group of six participant-researchers, each of whom had previous experience in story listening, through six sessions in the fall of 2011. Each phase of the project was informed by a participatory social Trinitarian theology. The first three sessions were designed to empower participant-researcher pairs to facilitate story listening groups of four to five …

Review Of: Thompson, J. Milburn, Introducing Catholic Social Thought, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This book enters a crowded field. There are many books on Catholic social thought (CST), as suggested by this book’s select bibliography of over 200 items. Most religious studies publishers—especially those of a Catholic orientation—have one or more books on the topic. There are roughly thirty to forty texts in print that a college professor would consider when teaching a course or a module on Catholic social thought. Nonetheless, J. Milburn Thompson’s Introducing Catholic Social Thought is a welcome addition to the field. Thompson has written a clear, informative, and fairly engaging book for college students and others wanting to …

The Ten Commandments 2.0, Adam J. Copeland

Faculty Publications

Since the Ten Commandments still enjoy a primary place in both church teaching and cultural debate, it will be both helpful and faithful to interpret them anew in the light of our new media and new technologies. Adam Copeland does just that in this article.

Tradition-Based Rationality, Brad Kallenberg

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

The term “tradition-based rationality” derives from the works of Alasdair MacIntyre. Human reasoning, argued MacIntyre, is both tradition-constitutive and tradition-constituted. By the first phrase, he means that all reasoning, especially moral reasoning (i.e., thinking about what “good” means), involves people sharing a conceptual language (rather than a natural language like English or Chinese).

For example, think of how widely three persons may differ on their use of the word “good” when applied to their jobs. The driver of a beer truck will claim his job is “good” because he is paid well; he is resoundingly welcomed wherever he goes; and …

Effectively Ministering To Congregants With Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Jason Whitehurst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A survey of recent medical studies show a rise each year in the number of people diagnosed with A.D.D., or Attention Deficit Disorder. However, pastors have not been adequately educated on how to effectively communicate, counsel, and minister to those with A.D.D. The goal of this project is to educate pastors and church leaders about the nature of A.D.D., the statistics, the symptoms, so that they may better understand how to minister to these people in their congregation. Medical statistics, findings, and new approaches to preaching and ministering will be utilized in this project to fulfill the goal.

Avoiding "Silent Fall": Ethics And The Future Of Hunting, Derek Larson

Headwaters

No abstract provided.

Table Rites And Animal Rights: Revisiting The Animal Question In The 21st Century, Vera Theisen

Headwaters

No abstract provided.

Good Without God? The Necessity Of A Theistic Basis For Morality, Willie E. Honeycutt

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Between Capitalism And Socialism: Religion And Distributive Justice, Nicole Guarnieri '12

College Honors Program

Takes up the issue of “devout Catholics” who seem to have forgotten the significance of traditional Catholic ethics, or obligations to society as a whole. Capitalism is the most appropriate economic system, however this thesis will re-address ethics and morality in relation to our current situation, because capitalism today is lacking something that the capitalism of Adam Smith was not.

The Initiation Of Growth-Focused Relationships Involving Healthy Accountability At The Carbondale Church Of Christ, Stephen Shaffer

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

After several years of transition, the Carbondale Church of Christ is in the early stages of becoming a spiritual growth-focused community. However, the emerging growth community appears to reflect the prevailing cultural assumptions that growth is a personal, private, and an individual task. To shape this emergent growth culture, this project initiated a group of congregational opinion leaders, organized in pairs, into the practice of growth-focused relationships involving healthy accountability. The initiation involved a theological orientation followed by a four-week healthy accountability praxis.

The theological framework of the project involved three main aspects. First, the project used the body image …

The Truth Shall Set You Free: The Bible, The Revolution, And The Debate Over Slavery In The American South, Kevin Simon

Masters Theses

Before the slavery debate pushed a divided American nation to the brink of civil war, the argument divided the family of God. By the time cannon fire erupted at Fort Sumter, Christians had already staked out positions based on sophisticated lines of argument they used to justify or condemn chattel slavery. The generation coming of age during the Civil War era witnessed a debate more intense and contentious than their ancestors had seen, but in terms of the arguments employed, it broke very little fresh ground. Contrary to the assumption that antebellum apologists in the South invented the defense of …

Review: Christopher Ives, Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen’S Critique And Lingering Questions For Buddhist Ethics (Uhp, 2009), James Mark Shields

Other Faculty Research and Publications

Review of Christopher Ives, Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen’s Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics (UHP, 2009)

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 47 No 1 - April 2012), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: Revisiting the Psalm of Jonah by Amanda W. Benckhuysen - 5 / Calvin's Theological Appropriation of His Philosophical Sources: A Note on Natural Law and Institutes 2.2.2 2-23 by Charles D. Raith II - 32 / Vos and Berkhof on Union with Christ and Justification by J. V. Fesko - 50 / Groen van Prinsterer: Godfather of Bavinck and Kuyper by Harry Van Dyke - 72 / It's About Time: Opening Reformational Thought to the Eschaton by Nicholas Ansell - 98 / Reforming Public Theology: Two Kingdoms, or Two Cities? by James K. A. Smith - 122 / …

An Examination Of Newbery Medal Books From The 1920s Through The 2000s: Biblical Perspective, Kimberly Fleming

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Content analysis was conducted to determine the frequency of the presence of positive Biblical virtues and paired opposite traits across 18 Newbery Medal books from the 1920s through the 2000s because the Newbery Award is a prestigious honor bestowed upon children's literature, and the criteria for selection among books specifically precludes the necessity of good character. The fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 served as the rubric by which the characters' thoughts, dialogue, and actions were measured. Consensus data was recorded, and chi-square tests of independence were conducted after three readers examined the presence and frequency of each …

The Dilemma Of Genocide In The Old Testament, Daryl Neipp

Masters Theses

The Old Testament command to destroy every breathing thing within the cities of the Promised Land has long been a problem for those who seek to understand God. In some cases this has become welcome fodder for those who desire to question the credibility of Scripture, while for others it just creates an ethical gap that is simply too far to cross. This thesis will address the challenging issue by demonstrating how God's command to destroy the Canaanites was an essential component of his redemptive plan in that it brought to fruition the goals of the Abrahamic Covenant and established …

Knowledge, Wisdom, And Service: The Meaning And Teaching Of Professionalism In Medicine, Matthew K. Wynia

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Papers presented for the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Western Michigan University. Presented September 29, 2011.