History of Christianity Commons^™

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 …

“‘Bere We Þe Cros’: The Persistence Of The Cross In English Ritual And Religious Practices From Bede To The Reformation”, David Black

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Long before Christian missionaries arrived in England in the 7^th century, the pagan population recognized the cross as a potent magical symbol. As a result, proselytizers shrewdly used the population’s familiarity with the cross, and their understandings of its power, to encourage converts to the new religion. Over the ensuing centuries of English Christian dominance, the magical aspects of the cross continued to develop both mythologically and theologically, without ever losing connection to their pagan origins. The Crusades, both through the propaganda of preachers and the massive influx of True Cross Relics, contributed in a substantial way to new …

The Devil In Cartagena: Slavery, Religion And Resistance In Seventeenth-Century Caribbean Colombia, Daniel James Dawson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis examines the role of religion in African communities in seventeenth-century Caribbean Colombia, and the tensions between the system of racial and religious hierarchy imposed by the Catholic Church and Spanish authorities and the everyday religious life of free and enslaved Africans and their descendants. It will examine interactions between African religion and Christianity and African resistance to Spanish Catholic authority. It will examine Spanish-Catholic thought on African spirituality, and investigate the relationship between African subjects and Catholic authorities in the Spanish Atlantic. It explores the goals of Catholic authorities in relation to African subjects, and the various methods …

The Presbyterian Enlightenment: The Confluence Of Evangelical And Enlightenment Thought In British America, Brandon S. Durbin

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Eighteenth-Century British American Presbyterian ministers incorporated covenantal theology, ideas from the Scottish Enlightenment, and resistance theory in their sermons. The sermons of Presbyterian ministers strongly indicate the intermixing of enlightenment and evangelical ideas. Congregants heard and read these sermons, spreading these ideas to the average colonist. This combination helps explain why American Presbyterians were so apt to resist British rule during the American Revolution. Protestant covenantal theology, derived from Protestant reformers like John Calvin and John Knox, emphasized virtue and duty. This covenant affected both the people and their rulers. When rulers failed to uphold their covenant with God, the …

The Second Great Awakening And The Making Of Modern America, Kerry Irish

Faculty Publications - Department of History and Politics

In the decades before the Civil War which began in 1861, the Second Great Awakening was the most powerful social movement in America. It inspired the conversion of millions of Americans to faith in Jesus Christ. And that faith motivated many of those people to attempt to transform the moral habits of the nation. Slavery was ended, consumption of alcohol reduced, women’s rights, though often opposed by people of faith, were set on a path that would result in woman’s suffrage in the early Twentieth century. A host of other reforms, too many to list, were instigated. It is not …

Iñigo To Ignatius: The Spiritual Foundation Of The Society Of Jesus, Lee T. Holden

Student Scholarship

When one thinks of the accomplishments of Ignatius of Loyola, it is hard to imagine that he is, to most moderns, little more than a name. Most people know at least something about the Society of Jesus, often called the Jesuits, but what about its founder? Though he is a canonized saint, he did not apply his own name to his order, as did Benedict, Francis, and Dominic. This, perhaps, tells us more about Ignatius than many scholars could. Following his ‘conversion’ he was a man who relentlessly deflected credit for his doings away from himself. Though he was the …

Between Piety And Polity: The American Catholic Response To The First Atomic Bombs, Emma Catherine Scally

Of Life and History

No abstract provided.

From Putrefecation To Sanctification: John Wesley's Understanding Of Original Sin And Theology Of Grace, John Scheuer

Obsculta

John Wesley’s sermons and writings about Original Sin are filled with lengthy and extreme descriptions of the depravity of humanity. This essay will explore examples from Wesley’s writings that use Scripture to describe humanity’s condition, and whose interpretation is supported by the tradition of the church. This exploration will layout Wesley’s unique theology of grace which provides a remedy for Original Sin by arguing humanity’s only path to redemption is through accepting the resistible grace of God.

Rohmann's "Christianity Book-Burning And Censorship In Late Antiquity: Studies In Text Transmission" (Critical Book Review), Joseph Baumstarck Jr.

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Hurtado's "Ancient Jewish Monotheism And Early Christian Jesus-Devotion: The Context And Character Of Christological Faith" (Book Review), Kenneth Litwak

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Hoklotubbe's "Civilized Piety" (Book Review), Rebekah Phillips

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Laing's "Retrieving History: Memory And Identity Formation In The Early Church" (Book Review), Rusty Tryon

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

A Startling Injustice In The Protestant Reformation: The Contrasting Theologies Of Martin Luther And Thomas Muntzer As Seen In Their Responses To The Reformation Of The Common Man, 1525, Tonya Toutge

Obsculta

Compares the theologies of reform held by Thomas Müntzer and Martin Luther specifically as their theologies played out in re-sponse to the Peasants’ War of 1525. Müntzer and Luther. This comparison places Müntzer over and against Luther.

One From The Beginning: A Proposed Apologetic For The Growth Of The Church From Ad 30-250, Douglas Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

“The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.” Why Christianity from its inception grew in numbers has remained a relatively stable and uncontested topic. Moreover, recent history has seen a move by some scholars to claim not one but multiple Christianities existed in the first three centuries. No study, however, has approached the growth of Christianity as being a result of positive apologetics and then defended that there was but one Christianity from the beginning through the use of Root Cause Analysis. After proposing an early fixed understanding …

A Survey Of Christian Missions In China And The Chinese Term Controversy, Christopher Vossler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Vossler, Christopher, P. “A Survey of Christian Missions in China.” S.T.M. thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 121 pp.

This thesis surveys the history of Christian mission work in China from the (legendary) mission of the Apostle Thomas up to the present day, including the upheavals resulting from the Communist Revolution. The lens through which this history is presented is the Chinese Term Controversy, a centuries-long conflict regarding the proper translation of the term “God” in the Chinese language. Every major missionary effort in China wrestled with this question to some extent, and many found themselves torn apart due to their different …

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 …

From Orphan To Child Of God: Pentecostal Theologizing As A Channel Of Social Transformation In Mozambique, Jeremy Bone, Samuel Lee

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Heidi and Rolland Baker, founders of Mozambican-based Iris Global, have been influential in developing a distinctively pentecostal framework for holistic mission. While evangelism and social work are now widely seen as integrated processes, pentecostalism demands attention also to the supernatural. This paper posits that the theological convictions of the Bakers have served as a launching pad for their holistic care of orphans in Mozambique. Because pentecostal movements are rooted in experience, pneumatic theologizing presupposes praxis. This paper will initially examine three theological impulses at the core of Iris Global: pentecostalism, revivalism, and incarnational love. These theological impulses are then weaved …

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 …