Religion Commons^™

Beyond Belief: Japanese Approaches To The Meaning Of Religion, James Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

For several centuries, Japanese scholars have argued that their nation’s culture—including its language, religion and ways of thinking—is somehow unique. The darker side of this rhetoric, sometimes known by the English term “Japanism” (nihon-jinron), played no small role in the nationalist fervor of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While much of the so-called “ideology of Japanese uniqueness” can be dismissed, in terms of the Japanese approach to “religion,” there may be something to it. This paper highlights some distinctive—if not entirely unique—features of the way religion has been categorized and understood in Japanese tradition, contrasting these with Western (i.e., …

Shulchan Arukh, Amy Milligan

Women's Studies Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] The Shulchan Arukh, literally translated as "The Set Table," is a compilation of Jewish legal codes. Written in the sixteenth century, it represents the first codification of Jewish law that is universally accepted by religiously observant Jews. It encompasses laws observed by both Ashkenazic Jews, those with German and eastern European roots, and Sephardic Jews, those with Spanish and Middle Eastern roots. Rabbi Yosef Karo composed the work in an effort to provide an authoritative legal text that would help to guide Jews in properly observing religious obligations. Although he composed the text before subdivisions of Judaism existed, …

Quest For Meaning Is About The Journey, Not The Destination, Tracy Tiemeier

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Engendering The ‘Mysticism’ Of The Alvars, Tracy Tiemeier

Theological Studies Faculty Works

This essay explores the relationship between gender, power, and mysticism through an examination of the Tamil Vaiṣṇava Ālvārs and how two scholars, Friedhelm Hardy and S.M. Srinivasa Chari, interrelate Ālvār mysticism, female voice, and the one female Ālvār, Āṇṭāḷ. Although both Hardy and Chari define Ālvār mysticism through female voice and uphold Āṇṭāḷ as mystic par excellence, they miss important nuances of Āṇṭāḷ's poetry that radicalise female voice and frustrate gendered expectations. Āṇṭāḷ's mysticism proves to be socially and theologically subversive, laying claim to authority even over the divine.

Amen And Amin: Faith And Muslims, Amir Hussain

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Faith And Culture, Amir Hussain

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Memory And Ministry: Young Adult Nostalgia, Immigrant Amnesia, Brett C. Hoover

Theological Studies Faculty Works

A problem with memory occurs in two ways that directly affect pastoral issues: when we reconstruct our history as a community of faith in a way that romanticizes the past and anathematizes the present (nostalgia) or when we reconstruct the past eliminating crucial information we would rather ignore (amnesia), particular for ministry to and with the young and immigrants. Drawing on J. B. Metz’s approach to Christian memory, ministers can engage the dangerous memory in a way that coincides with the needs of young people and our nation’s newest residents.

When Work Culture And Ministry Collide, Brett C. Hoover

Theological Studies Faculty Works

The article offers information on the implication of collision between the work culture and ministry. It informs that the parish leadership has been negatively affected by the work culture of the U.S. It explores the leadership renewal process called INSPIRE (Identify, Nurture and Sustain Pastoral Imagination through Resources for Excellence) and offers remedies for the culture of work of parishes and schools of ministry.

Faith Saved By A Mix Of Old And New, Tracy Tiemeier

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Christianity For Hindus, Tracy Tiemeier

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Catholic Feminism And Asian Religious Traditions: Rethinking Christ’S Offices Of Priest, Prophet, And King, Tracy Tiemeier

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Preferential Option For The Poor - Liberation Theology, A Call To Action, Megan Levy

Theology Conference Papers

Liberation Theology is a school of action which stems humanity of Christ which makes Him one with us, in suffering, in injustice, in loneliness, in poverty, and precisely because of them He understands and loves us deeply, keeping us company through the deserts of our lives. Although Stephen Pattison declares that the only way God can appear to a starving man is in “a loaf of bread, not in prayers or words of comfort.” He seems to speak from a very “first world – materialistic” view, away from Third World realities. It is then that a developed country pastoral theology …

Creating A Culture Of Community Involvement In The Adventist Church In Gugulethu Township, South Africa, Jongimpi Papu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Most Adventist churches in South Africa live in isolation from their communities. Christianity in general and Adventism in particular are becoming irrelevant to the needs of the church, with serious implications for church growth.

Methodology

Tembalethu Adventist church in Gugulethu Township in South Africa was used to pilot a community services program by adopting a school nearby. A mixed approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. This consisted of structured interviews, both personal and by telephone, and questionnaires. An analysis of a government census was also done.

Results

Tembalethu started an after-care program which was attended by …

The Historical Reflection Of The Integration Of The Minority Groups Within The Adventist Church In Zimbabwe Between 1985 And 1994, Jonathan Tapera Nzuma

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The integration of minority groups into the mainstream of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe has been resisted. In the power struggle that ensued, rooted in complex issues of multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism, the church has gone through a schism. Little reflective thought has been given to how this schism may have been avoided and how to address similar issues in the future, as well as seeking to embrace wounded members back into the larger Adventist Church.

The Method

A theological foundation was laid for this project by examining the biblical doctrine of unity in diversity as portrayed in both …

The History Of The Emergence Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The State Of Manipur, India, Cornelius Kamei

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist church emerged in the state of Manipur, India, through a lay-led church planting movement. Currently, no written account exists of the early history of this work in Manipur. Today, the work in Manipur is clergy-dependent and growth in this region has stagnated. In order for the work to move forward successfully, there is a need to remember the early history of the work in this region.

Method

In the absence of earlier written works on the rise of Adventism in Manipur, oral sources were relied upon as primary sources for accuracy. The sources were gathered through …

A Strategy To Mobilize Seventh-Day Adventists In Lusaka In Response To The Hiv/Aids Crisis, Harrington Simui Akombwa

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

While Zambia is rated the 7th country worst affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide, the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, an Faith Based Organization (FBO) well respected nationwide for its concern about people’s physical health because of its hospitals and clinics around the nation, is seemingly standing by doing close to nothing. What could be the problem?

Method

To uncover the possible causes of Adventists’ perceived noncommittal stance on the AIDS issue, a survey designed around a descriptive and exploratory social research model utilizing quantitative research techniques for data collection and analysis was conducted. The survey was conducted in 2 of the …

Desarrollo De Un Seminario De Predicación Para La Iglesia Adventista Del Séptimo Dia Hispana De Charlotte En Carolina Del Norte, Carlos Gerardo Molina

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

On September 27, 2008, the body of fourteen elders from the Charlotte Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Carolina had a meeting where they indicated that it was necessary to develop a preaching seminar to prepare and train the twenty-three active preachers and church members willing to participate in such a program. These preachers had not had previous academic training or instruction on how to prepare and deliver sermons. This need, identified by the local church elders as urgent, provided the basis for the present D.Min. project.

Method

The procedure for the development of a preaching seminar took various …

The Transition Of The North Botswana Field To Conference Status: Three Critical Factors, Galenakgosi M. Orapeleng

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Since being organized in 1984, the North Botswana Field (NBF) has been aspiring to become a conference but had been hindered by a number of factors. However, in 2008 it managed to qualify for conference status. This project was to evaluate the prevailing circumstances in North Botswana Field between 2005 and 2008 to discover critical factors that contributed to the rapid growth of the work in North Botswana Field, resulting in it qualifying for conference status in May 2008.

Method

The methodology used for gathering information in this project was not intended to be scientific or to be used …

The Role Of The Pastor In A Multi-Church District In East Zimbabwe Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Robert Muzira

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Some Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Chiremba West District, Harare, East Zimbabwe Conference, complained that 1, the district pastor, was not ministering to them effectively. The district has a total of seven organized churches and a membership of 5.135 (E.Z.C. Church Membership Record Book, 2008). Despite the high membership, members' expectations are that I attend all family or church programs. The purpose of the project was to discover the professional role for the pastor in a multi-church district, and also to uncover the expectations that church members have of their pastor in a multi-church district. Defining those expectations enables …

Re-Imagining African Christologies: Conversing With The Interpretations And Appropriations Of Jesus Christ In Contemporary African Christianity, Victor I. Ezigbo

Faculty Books

"Who do you say that I am" (Mark 8:29) is the question of Christology. By asking this question, Jesus invites his followers to interpret him from within their own contexts-history, experience, and social location. Therefore, all responses to Jesus's invitation are contextual. But for too long, many theologians particularly in the West have continued to see Christology as a universal endeavor that is devoid of any contextual influences. This understanding of Christology undermines Jesus's expectations from us to imagine and appropriate him from within our own contexts. In Re-imagining African Christologies, Victor I. Ezigbo presents a constructive exposition of the …