Changing Mercy In Aotearoa New Zealand,
2026
College of the Holy Cross
Changing Mercy In Aotearoa New Zealand, Anna Nicholls Victoria University Of Wellington
Journal of Global Catholicism
This paper examines the evolving expression of Catholicity within the Mercy organization in Aotearoa New Zealand. It explores the impact of Vatican II, demographic shifts, and societal changes. Through interviews with lay leaders in Whānau Mercy Ministries, the religiosity, inclusive approach, and the tension between traditional Catholic identity and pluralism in the organization are explored. A pertinent discussion concerns how the organization uses a more secular portrayal of Catherine McAuley as a unifying figure for the religiously diverse audience. The author argues that while secularization influences the organization, it fosters human flourishing and community engagement, offering opportunities for growth rather …
Ancestral Rites And Tablets As A Site Of Contestation Between Confucian Filial Piety And Catholicism: The Cases Of Chinese Confucian Yan Mo And Korean Catholic Yun Ji-Chung,
2026
Georgetown University
Ancestral Rites And Tablets As A Site Of Contestation Between Confucian Filial Piety And Catholicism: The Cases Of Chinese Confucian Yan Mo And Korean Catholic Yun Ji-Chung, Mideum Hong
Journal of Global Catholicism
This essay examines how the Confucian practice of filial piety, particularly as expressed through ancestral rites and tablets, became a focal point of contention in the encounters between Confucianism and Catholicism. Focusing on the cases of the Chinese Catholic Yan Mo and the Korean Catholic martyr Yun Ji-chung, I argue that the different historical and cultural contexts in China and Korea significantly shaped how each figure understood and responded to the practice of ancestral rites. While Catholicism spread globally, local converts developed distinct theological interpretations rooted in their respective cultural traditions. Although Yan Mo and Yun Ji-chung reached divergent conclusions …
The Untameability Of The Sacred: Votive Traditions At Notre Dame De Lourdes And El Santuario De Chimayó,
2026
Fordham University
The Untameability Of The Sacred: Votive Traditions At Notre Dame De Lourdes And El Santuario De Chimayó, Gabrielle Bibeau
Journal of Global Catholicism
This article compares divergent votive practices at Notre Dame de Lourdes in France and El Santuario de Chimayó in New Mexico. Lourdes’ embrace of modern aesthetic values—simplicity, order, and functional clarity—has led to the removal and tight regulation of most ex-votos. By contrast, Chimayó’s roots in Latin American Baroque aesthetics, with its emphasis on abundance, drama, and hybridity, create space for a vibrant proliferation of offerings. Drawing on Jacques Rancière’s theory of aesthetics and politics as the “distribution of the sensible,” the article shows how aesthetic judgments intertwine with clerical power to curate, constrain, and authorize pilgrims’ access to the …
“Enslavement By Unbridled Passions:” Catholic Magisterial Institutional Attitudes Toward Homosexuals In Poland Between 1945 And 1989,
2026
University of Warsaw
“Enslavement By Unbridled Passions:” Catholic Magisterial Institutional Attitudes Toward Homosexuals In Poland Between 1945 And 1989, Agnieszka Laddach
Journal of Global Catholicism
During Communism, the Polish bishops presented a narrative about (homo)sexuality with in order to create the image of a righteous moral and social life that was to influence the Catholics. In my research I conduced a thematic analysis of this narrative. I highlight the doctrinal and Polish social-religious context to foreground tendencies in the formation of Church teaching about homosexuality as well as the importance of the Church in Poland to its formation. Then, I show the factors that characterize the episcopal discourse’s content and language about homosexuality, recognizing that components of episcopal discourse suggest a specificity of Church potential …
Overview & Acknowledgments,
2026
College of the Holy Cross
Overview & Acknowledgments, Mathew Schmalz
Journal of Global Catholicism
This Introduction overviews the work of contributors from the Graduate Symposium sponsored by the Journal of Global Catholicism and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. The Introduction also highlights the independent peer reviewed submission from Dr. Agnieszka Laddach of the University of Warsaw.
Παράδοσις: A Comparative Analysis Of Paul And Oneness Pentecostals,
2026
Liberty University
Παράδοσις: A Comparative Analysis Of Paul And Oneness Pentecostals, John Calvin Carroll
Masters Theses
Tradition is an inescapable element of institutional life, including religious institutions. Traditions inevitably emerge whether in churches, corporations, families, or nations. Within the Christian faith, the critical issue is not the presence of tradition, but the authority and function ascribed to it. This study concerns itself with the role of tradition in both individual and communal expressions of Christianity. Traditions can foster cohesion and identity within Christian communities. However, their specific forms often vary across cultural contexts—for instance, between churches in North America and other continents worldwide. Traditions about men’s and women’s modesty may take on different forms between North …
Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Developing A Diverse Educational Curriculum For Truthwins.Com Supporting Its Global Prospective On Individual’S Spiritual Formation,
2026
Liberty University
Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Developing A Diverse Educational Curriculum For Truthwins.Com Supporting Its Global Prospective On Individual’S Spiritual Formation, Gaelyn Whitley Keith
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This portfolio presents the development of a diverse educational curriculum for Truthwins.com designed to support its global mission of fostering individual spiritual formation across cultural, social, and theological boundaries. The project integrates biblical principles, intercultural competency, and contemporary educational practices to cultivate rounded spiritual growth among learners worldwide. Drawing on theological reflection, qualitative research, and practical ministry applications, the study outlines a framework that embraces inclusivity, promotes critical engagement with spiritual formation, and equips participants to embody authentic discipleship in diverse contexts. The resulting curriculum aims to inspire transformative learning experiences that unify spiritual development with Truthwins.com’s commitment to truth, …
The Genuine Nature Of Worship In The Scriptures: Bowing Before God As An Act Of Submission,
2026
Liberty University
The Genuine Nature Of Worship In The Scriptures: Bowing Before God As An Act Of Submission, Michael Jones
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The various translations of the Scriptures use the word worship over 250 times in both the Old and New Testaments. Unfortunately, many Christians and even scholars do not understand the meaning of worship and the purpose for doing it. It is pivotal, however, for Christians to understand the meaning and purpose for worship when directed toward God so they may live in obedience to him. The thesis of this dissertation will be that although Christians presume that worship means to praise God, the Scriptures teach that worship means to bow before God as an act of submission as he establishes …
Sacred Space, Divine Presence, And Covenant: A Theological Trajectory From Eden To The Indwelling Spirit Across The Pentateuch And The Book Of Joshua,
2026
Liberty University
Sacred Space, Divine Presence, And Covenant: A Theological Trajectory From Eden To The Indwelling Spirit Across The Pentateuch And The Book Of Joshua, William C. Merry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation thesis is that sacred space, divine presence, and covenant are a theological triad that gives form to the canonical progression from Eden through the Pentateuch into Joshua and finds its eschatological orientation in the indwelling Spirit. The project as a whole, and its treatment of Genesis–Deuteronomy and Joshua in particular, maintains that the presence of God is never conceived independently of a covenantal relationship and is thereby always concretized, i.e., spatialized in and through the site or locale of the sacred space: Eden, the tabernacle, the land, and the sanctuary at Shiloh. Each of these stages in the …
Training The Church To Support Sufferers Of Mental Illness Through Comfort Clinics,
2026
Liberty University
Training The Church To Support Sufferers Of Mental Illness Through Comfort Clinics, Jonathan D. Blankenship
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The problem at Laurel Baptist Church (LBC) is the lack of trained members who are equipped to support those suffering from mental illness. The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to create Comfort Clinics, a structured program to train members to support sufferers of mental illness. Normative-sized churches are often uninformed on the topic of mental illness. Subsequently, in those environments, stigmas are nurtured, sufferers feel unseen, and church members lack the necessary training to provide the comfort and support that mental sufferers need. Building on the ecclesiastical call to “comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 …
Paul’S Use Of Μυστηριον In His Epistles To New Testament Churches,
2026
Liberty University
Paul’S Use Of Μυστηριον In His Epistles To New Testament Churches, Daniel G. Hutchins
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The world in which the apostle Paul ministered was not one where the religious landscape was blank and there was no competition for worldviews. Indeed, the cultural forces of Judaism, Hellenism, and Roman imperialism produced an environment where numerous religious belief systems were present including Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism, Greco–Roman mystery religions, and imperial worship. Paul found himself preaching a message that had to stand on its own merits in an environment that had been religiously conditioned for centuries. Typical of their parent culture, competing religious systems of Paul’s day took different views of Christianity. For Judaism, Christianity represented a …
From Divine Absence To Eternal Presence: Reframing The Jeremianic Temple-City Abandonment Motif From Its Ancient Near Eastern Roots To Its Fulfillment In Christ As The Ultimate Yahwistic Temple,
2026
Liberty University
From Divine Absence To Eternal Presence: Reframing The Jeremianic Temple-City Abandonment Motif From Its Ancient Near Eastern Roots To Its Fulfillment In Christ As The Ultimate Yahwistic Temple, Patrick Stewart
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation offers a canonical-theological and comparative study of temple destruction, divine absence, and the logic of return by tracing a five-stage “temple-city abandonment” motif across two corpora: the Sumerian City Laments (and related balag̃ material) and the biblical canon. The Sumerian laments depict the catastrophic loss of temple and city within a deterministic world where divine decisions often appear opaque, emotionally volatile, and only tenuously repairable through ritual lament and reconstruction. By contrast, the biblical narrative interprets the same crisis within a covenantal grammar: Jerusalem’s fall is grounded in articulated covenant breach, responsibility is named and confessed through prophetic …
Community Of Open Hands: Reimagining The Classroom Through Beauty,
2026
Calvin University
Community Of Open Hands: Reimagining The Classroom Through Beauty, Eunsub Cho
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
One of the boldest decisions that I have ever made as an educator was taking twenty-four middle school students on a camping trip at the end of the school year. We had made our way through a couple of months of astronomy and what better way to conclude the project than to celebrate our learning by gazing at the celestial bodies with our own eyes! My time in the Midwest should have informed me that this was a naive plan, as Michigan skies have a mind of their own. Despite detailed planning, it started drizzling by the time our tents …
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 39. What About Wallace's 'Agnosticism'...?,
2026
Western Kentucky University
Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 39. What About Wallace's 'Agnosticism'...?, Charles H. Smith
Faculty/Staff Personal Papers
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823−1913) seems to have distinguished his earlier years of agnosticism from his later period as a spiritualist, but a closer look at the situation suggests he actually remained an agnostic all the way through to the end of his life. The confusion is occasioned by a lack of terminology that can be applied to his position, which most closely resembles a Spinozian manner of thinking.
Making Sense Of And Responding To The Good And Bad Within Psychology: Common Grace And Antithesis As Tools For Psychology,
2026
Calvin University
Making Sense Of And Responding To The Good And Bad Within Psychology: Common Grace And Antithesis As Tools For Psychology, Tyler Greenway, Cory B. Wilson
University Faculty Publications and Creative Works
As psychologists and students of psychology make sense of and respond to the good and bad within human behavior and its study, theological tools benefit their discernment. This paper presents two Neocalvinist theological concepts — common grace and antithesis — as tools for psychologists. These concepts help psychologists recognize God’s common gifts to humanity while also identifying what must be corrected. Such applications benefit psychologists in clinical cases and as they consider theoretical frameworks. When used together, these tools encourage us to anticipate both the true, good, and beautiful things in the world and the need at times for redirection. …
Does Deference To Religious Authority Predict Support For Political Violence?,
2026
Chapman University
Does Deference To Religious Authority Predict Support For Political Violence?, John W. Compton, Ann Gordon
Political Science Faculty Articles and Research
Does deference to religious authority undermine support for democratic norms, including those forbidding the use of violence for political ends? Scholars have struggled to answer this question, in part, we believe, because they have typically employed proxies for religious deference (e.g. Biblical literalism, worship attendance, and self-reported religiosity) instead of measuring it directly. We develop a new measure of deference to religious authority in politics (DRAP), using the 2024 Chapman Survey of American Fears. We find that (1) DRAP is strongly correlated with support for political violence; (2) other common measures of religiosity (e.g. Biblical literalism and self-reported religiosity) are …
Week 6: “I Believe In The Holy Spirit...”,
2026
Calvin University
Week 6: “I Believe In The Holy Spirit...”, Calvin University
Campus Ministries Resources
No abstract provided.
Authentic Malleability: Zen Buddhism And The Justification Of Japanese Cultural Superiority During World War Ii,
2026
Fordham University
Authentic Malleability: Zen Buddhism And The Justification Of Japanese Cultural Superiority During World War Ii, Pj Wise
Senior Theses
Throughout history, religious traditions have been mobilized to justify nationalist violence and claims to cultural superiority. In modern Japan, Buddhism underwent a dramatic transformation, becoming one of the most sophisticated ideological justifications for Japanese imperialism during World War II. How did Zen Buddhism come to justify Japanese claims of cultural superiority during the Pacific War? Examining Buddhist institutional practices, philosophical texts, and wartime propaganda from 1941-1945, this thesis analyzes three mechanisms through which Buddhism legitimized Japanese superiority: claims to spiritual supremacy through Zen philosophy, militarization of Buddhist practice, and use of Buddhism as cultural imperialism in occupied territories. I argue …
Week 2: “…In God, The Father Almighty, Creator Of Heaven And Earth.”,
2026
Calvin University
Week 2: “…In God, The Father Almighty, Creator Of Heaven And Earth.”, Calvin University
Campus Ministries Resources
No abstract provided.
Week 4: “He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, And Was Buried; He Descended To Hell.”,
2026
Calvin University
Week 4: “He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, And Was Buried; He Descended To Hell.”, Calvin University
Campus Ministries Resources
No abstract provided.
