Religion Commons^™

Leading Like Christ: A Phenomenological Study Of The Biblical Shepherd Motif In Christian Parachurch Executive Leadership, Alex Sefton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Christian nonprofit parachurch organization executive leaders in southeastern Indiana (i.e., Decatur County and its adjacent counties). For the purpose of this study, executive leaders was defined as those who hold a top-level leadership position at an organization, and Christian nonprofit parachurch organization was defined as an organization designated under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) that advances biblical principles and social welfare. Shepherd-like leadership was generally defined as a leadership style that demonstrates relational care, personal guidance, and protection of well-being, as seen in Psalm …

Rosenzweig's Elements And Universal History, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper uses Rosenzweig’s conception of the three elements of God, World, and Human from The Star of Redemption in a model of universal history. The model also has some relation to Rosenzweig’s geopolitical essay, Globus, which is very different from the meta-historical Star. Based on a systems-theoretic schema of events and processes, the model views human history in terms of three linked processes: a primary process labeled “World” – the origin and development of human society embedded in nature, a secondary process labeled “God” – the origin and development of the Axial religions and philosophies, and a …

The Brethren In China: Cross-Cultural Relationships Within An Imperial Structure, Sebastian S. Kochall

History and Political Science Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Hearing The Mystery: Musical Diversity And The Search For Beauty, John Macinnis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"By shifting from primary reflection to secondary reflection in our thinking, from problem to mystery, we ensure that our aesthetic lives remain as expansive and vibrant as the diversity of creation."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­music appreciation from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Hearing the Mystery

Piranesi And Neptune: How Susanna Clarke’S Spellbinding Story Orbits Planet Narnia, Jennifer Agee

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This essay is a critical consideration and celebration of the novel Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. The book makes clear references to the Chronicles of Narnia; these connections have been noted and explored elsewhere. But what hasn’t been noticed is Piranesi’s connection to Dr. Michael Ward’s critical theory as described in Planet Narnia (2008). Ward claims that the Narnia books are secretly organized around a medieval planetary scheme that incorporates the atmosphere, imagery, and influence of the “visible planets,” which C.S. Lewis believed were spiritual symbols of permanent value. This essay briefly explains Dr. Ward’s theory and argues that Susanna Clarke …

From Maldon To Mordor: Hobbits And The Lord-Retainer Relationship In The Lord Of The Rings, Samuel A. Masters

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Content warning: this paper discusses suicide and suicidal thoughts.

Tolkien’s interest in Old Germanic heroism had a profound impact upon the hobbits of The Lord of the Rings, and the Christianised form of heroism that they represent. In his essays, ‘Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1936) and ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son’ (1953), Tolkien praises the loving, paternalistic relationship between a lord and his retainers in Old English poetry; this aspect of medieval heroism is retained in Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin However, Tolkien also highlights several shortcomings of the Old Germanic ‘Northern Courage’. In …

From Viðkenning To Valarindi: The Enigma Of Goldberry And The River-Woman, Derek Simon

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

THIS IS A TWO-PART ARTICLE. IN ORDER TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE OTHER PART, FOLLOW THE LINK AT THE END OF THIS ABSTRACT.

Building upon the previous examination of the eddic and skaldic contours of Goldberry’s River kenning names, this reading of Goldberry’s enigma focuses on the mythological referents of her kinship relations and their narrative consistency in the legendarium.  Tending to the intrinsic connection between “[t]he incarnate mind, the tongue, and the tale” (Tolkien, On Fairy Stories, 41), I contend that the poetics of kenning diction sustain if not demand a reading of the River-woman references mythologically through …

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Gethsemane: Christian Art And Tradition In The Passion Of Albus Dumbledore, John Anthony Dunne

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This essay contends that Professor Dumbledore drinking a potion from a goblet administered by Harry Potter in the cave from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince evokes Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane from the Gospels and his request that "the cup" be removed from him. Even though the Gospels portray Jesus all alone, and Dumbledore has Harry with him, I argue that Harry Potter evokes the expanded Lukan account of Gethsemane, which contains a textually uncertain passage about an angel ministering to him (Luke 22.43–44). I argue further that this Lukan text informs Harry Potter specifically as mediated through visual representations …

Community-Based Program To Support The Occupational Needs Of Middle Eastern Refugee Women Transitioning Into Western Society, Zuha A. Mohammad, Cassandra Nelson

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

Middle Eastern refugee women resettling in Western societies often experience barriers that disrupt participation in meaningful occupations, including language barriers, unfamiliar systems, financial challenges, and social isolation. These challenges can limit independence and community participation during the resettlement process. Occupational therapy is well-positioned to address these barriers through culturally responsive, occupation-based interventions.

This capstone project developed and implemented a community-based program designed to support Middle Eastern refugee women during early resettlement. The program focused on key areas including system navigation, financial literacy, home safety, stress management, self-advocacy, and community engagement. Educational sessions and practical activities were used to promote skill …

Jubilee In The Eternal City: Serving Catholic Pilgrims At The Pontifical Irish College In Rome For The 2025 Jubilee, Hannah Depuydt

Humanities Program Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Implementing Retrieval And Distributed Practice In A Rotating Block Schedule: Boosting Students’ Memory And Metacognition, Terra A. Caputo, Kaitlyn C. Hoffmann, Cindy Reagan, Guy D. Savastano, Brandon J. Foster, Kathryn Hallal, Kristin Miller-Gecsi, Thomas A. Yarcusko

Journal of Catholic Education

An all-boys secondary Jesuit Catholic school in the Midwest, recently transitioned to a rotating block schedule with the goal of supporting deeper learning for all students. Though the transition to longer class meetings helped achieve this goal, less frequent class meetings presented a new challenge in that it tended to exacerbate the natural “forgetting curve.” Retrieval practice, one of the most widely cited high-impact learning strategies to boost student memory, is most beneficial when used alongside spaced practice. A team of teachers implemented and tested the impacts of retrieval and distributed practice on memory in a rotating block schedule. Our …

Rest For The Weary Soul: A Mixed Methods Psychospiritual Exploration Of Faith As A Path To Mental Health Recovery Among Students, Fremativo A. Vergara, Melvin G. Barete, Evan P. Taja-On

Journal of Catholic Education

Many individuals turn to faith for strength, guidance, and resilience, particularly at times of emotional hardship. As concerns continue to grow about mental health, particularly that of students, exploring how faith influences coping mechanisms and recovery offers valuable insights into alternative approaches to emotional wellbeing. The study found that students exhibit high levels of resilience and spiritual intelligence, suggesting that faith-based beliefs are crucial in students’ ability to cope with adversity. A strong positive correlation between resilience and spiritual intelligence indicates that students who integrate faith into their lives are more likely to develop the psychological strength needed to navigate …

Effective Leadership Of Catholic Microschools, Jill Wierzbicki

Journal of Catholic Education

This study aimed to understand effective school principals’ perceptions of their leadership of Catholic schools. It focuses on Catholic schools with student populations of fewer than 150 students and addresses which attributes of their successes may be replicable for other small Catholic elementary school leaders, with focused attention on operational vitality. It is a phenomenological, qualitative research study accomplished through interviews with Catholic school principals whose schools have seen success during their period of leadership.

The Beauty Of Diversity: A Fuller Vision For The Reformed Tradition, Kyle J. Dieleman

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"A diversity of Christian traditions within the unity of the Christian faith, including within the Reformed tradition itself, can open us up to the depths of the Christian faith and lead us to love more deeply God and one another."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­respecting other theological practices and traditions from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

The Beauty of Diversity

A Study Of Zomi Pentecostalism In Its Social, Cultural, And Political Context: A Pentecostal Quest For The Lost Paradise, Thang San Mung

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

This dissertation examines the paradisal quest of the Zomi people, an ethnic Christian minority in Myanmar, through the lens of Pentecostal spirituality. Historically, the Zomi have experienced political displacement, loss of their ancestral homeland (Zogam), and ongoing marginalization. While existing scholarship has primarily interpreted Zomi struggles in terms of ethnic identity, nationalism, and socio-political resistance, this study offers a theological reorientation by interpreting Zomi paradisal longing through the Spirit-Restored Paradise framework, a Pentecostal theological model developed here. Employing a qualitative ethnographic methodology grounded in contextual theology, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with twenty-four Zomi Pentecostal participants from Myanmar and …

Learning To Read In Color, Jennifer Fortosis

CTS Student Publications and Creative Works

Over the past five years, I received an unexpected gift that came at an unlikely time. I had stepped away from my role as a worship director to be home with my growing family. When the opportunity to study theology arose, I said yes—one of the costliest “yeses” of my life. Completing the master of divinity at Calvin University demanded much from me and my family, but God’s provision met us at every step.

The “How” Of Christian Scholar’S Review: Addressing Two Academic “Integration” Problems, Matthew D. Lundberg

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Over the past two weeks, my colleagues Margaret Diddams and Perry Glanzer have articulated the mission of Christian Scholar’s Review by considering the “why” and “what” of the journal. In this blog post, I will explore the “how” question—how CSR approaches its mission. (As you might expect, the “how” overlaps considerably with the “what” and “why.”) How does CSR do its work? By taking on two distinct but related “integration” challenges that face Christian scholars and Christian academic institutions.

Overcoming Apathy And Complacency Through Discipleship Micro-Groups At Spencer Church Of Christ, Jerrard A. Davis

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Storied Life: Biblical Metanarrative And The Human Experience, Samantha Jones

25th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2026)

The storytelling animal. This eclectic title was coined by Alasdair MacIntyre in his famous philosophical work After Virtue. Notice MacIntyre does not call man “the working animal who also tells stories,” nor the “rule following animal who enjoys the trivial pursuit of narrative.” He calls man the storytelling animal because he has discovered that stories are not the just one characteristic of the human experience, they are so much more. To be a human is to be a storyteller, and to be a storyteller is to be human. This claim is not specific to philosophers like MacIntyre, but is an …

Is Diversity Good?, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Even where we get it wrong, God shapes Creation so that the riotous diversity of our world, whether in complimentary or contrasting tones, cannot fail to highlight His glory."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­using discernment in promoting diversity from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Is Diversity Good?