Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Modern Critiques Of The Kalam Cosmological Argument, Colby D. Crawford

Masters Theses

The Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA), like all other arguments for the existence of God, is constantly under a microscope. Individuals are continuously struggling to undermine its validity, and until recently they have generally failed in demonstrating that the KCA is irrelevant. Since William Lane Craig revitalized the Kalam in 1979, scientists and philosophers have offered objections against it from all perspectives. However, due to the KCA’s modesty and simplicity it has stood the test of time against its critics. That is, it has until now.

Mythos And Meaning: Medieval Appropriations Of Mythological Types In The Consolation Of Philosophy And Later Western Literatures, Francis J. Hunter

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Often referred to as the last Roman and first medieval, Boethius, author of The Consolation of Philosophy, has been widely received as an unoriginal philosopher who sought to preserve Platonic thought as the Western Roman Empire fell. However, this essay features an investigation into the literary originality of Boethius who initiates a line of Christian and Platonic literatures to follow in the medieval European tradition. Boethius demonstrates himself to be a poet who makes great use of philosophy rather than as a philosopher writing poetry. Boethius’ poetic influence is felt most strongly in major aspects of Dante’s Divine Comedy and …

A Picnic At Mount Nebo, Alex Smith

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

As a scout, Cpl. Drew Waterson had been the first Union man to spot Stonewall Jackson’s Second Corps before they hit the Union camp. Or so he told anyone who would listen at any social event or gathering that the old man was invited to (or more often, simply showed up at). That had been at Chancellorsville, 2nd of May in the year of our Lord 1863, he was always like to add as kind of a final statement to his story. Short at least, the story was. He never elaborated much, and most he talked to were pretty content …

A Prayer For The Seminarian, Joshua Fields

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

A Prayer for a Seminarian

Our Longing Satisfied, Rory Fry

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Our Longing Satisfied

Pride Comes In The Fall (And Spring), Jason Dulworth

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Pride Comes in the Fall (and Spring)

The Son Of David And The Spirit Of Wisdom, Kyle Moellenhoff

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

What role does God’s wisdom play in the life and work of Jesus Christ? The traditional answer that most Nicene Christian theologians have given is that the person of the divine Logos, who is eternally begotten of the Father and incarnate in the person of Jesus, simply is God’s wisdom without further discussion.1 This answer is consistent with an orthodox Logos Christology. I will argue in this paper, however, that this answer, while helpful, is incomplete, and that Spirit Christology can help to illuminate a complementary model within Scripture for how divine wisdom is related to the person of Christ. …

God Will Be All In All: The Visio Dei In The Theology Of Gerhard In The Early Church, Zach Eshelman

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The beatific vision is a curious doctrine in Lutheran circles. Luther, Pieper and modern commentators all affirm the teaching that “eternal life consists in seeing God.” Nonetheless, the doctrine enjoys only passing reference when it is discussed. Potential reasons for such silence could be a study within itself, but it is worth taking time to look at what is likely the most robust articulation of the doctrine from a prominent Lutheran theologian.

The Powerful Image Of The Passion, Jonathan Kraemer

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Of all the images which depict Jesus, perhaps the one that deserves extended and in-depth contemplation is that of the passion of our Lord. This image is both rich in meaning and communicates different things to different people based upon their context and their pastoral need. This becomes clear when Martin Luther considers how one should meditate upon the cross of Christ in two different works written just months apart in 1519. The first, written in April, is called Meditation Upon Christ’s Passion1 and the second A Sermon on Preparing to Die2 was penned in November. Despite being written so …

Grapho 2025, Kyle Moellenhoff

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The theme for this year’s journal, “With Eyes of Faith,” was selected to fit with the Seminary’s theme for the academic year, “Let us Fix our Eyes on Jesus.” As I pondered this theme it was the word “eyes” that stood out most. The Lutheran tradition, with its rich theology of the proclaimed Word, tends to focus heavily on the ears. After all, Paul says that “faith comes from hearing” (Rom 10:17). But with all this salutary emphasis on hearing, we should not neglect the role that the eyes play in the life of faith.

The Visitor, Joshua Fields

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Take and drink.” The command, rehearsed countless times before, nevertheless rolled forward slovenly, tripped on the edge of Privett’s tongue, and tumbled over his sharp chin into the ears of his parishioner. The recumbent old woman, still chewing with the monotonous motion of an outdated machine, bent her neck awkwardly. Privett lowered the cup. Through a gap in the blinds, a ray of sunlight momentarily caught hold of it, arresting the glass midair. The suspended wine glistened with shards of gold. Then Privett’s arm moved again, and the room’s habitual shadows extinguished it. Like a tiny blind organism creeping toward …

The Eye Of The Beholder, Nathaniel Pekari

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The Eye of the Beholder

A Chaucerian Portrait Of The Theologian, Jason Dulworth

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

A Chaucerian Portrait of the Theologian

Apocalypse, Matthew Vatthauer

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Apocalypse

Individualism And A False Christ, Benjamin Wagner

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

I once sat down with a well-read church historian to inquire about what makes the American Church distinct from those of the past two millennia in Christian tradition. Instead of rambling on about megachurches, televangelists, the prosperity Gospel, Christian liberalism, or anything of the sort, I received a rather blunt and uneventful answer. Immediately after my mouth closed, the historian replied, “The American Church is very individualistic.” From there, the conversation drifted into the fall of Christianity in the West, the rise of secularism, and the general spiritual deadness permeating the atmosphere of America. In the Historian’s mind, there was …

Letter From The Chairman, Kyle Moellenhoff

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The theme for this year’s journal, “With Eyes of Faith,” was selected to fit with the Seminary’s theme for the academic year, “Let us Fix our Eyes on Jesus.” As I pondered this theme it was the word “eyes” that stood out most. The Lutheran tradition, with its rich theology of the proclaimed Word, tends to focus heavily on the ears. After all, Paul says that “faith comes from hearing” (Rom 10:17). But with all this salutary emphasis on hearing, we should not neglect the role that the eyes play in the life of faith.

A Hegelian Theory Of Divine Revelation, Jason D. Barton

Philosophy ETDs

Through an intensive examination of the second volume of G.W.F. Hegel’s oft-neglected Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I demarcate and elucidate a Hegelian theory of divine revelation. The second volume of these Lectures advances a series of configurations for religious consciousness through which absolute spirit passes in order to gain awareness of itself in the register of representation. While Hegel identifies divinity with absolute spirit in its moments and movements indicative of an odyssey, Hegel also ventures to painstaking lengths for the sake of authentically capturing how world-historical religions respectively portray(ed) the divine. Such a distinction between …

Frozen Ii And Girls’ Spiritual Formation: How The Music Of An Animated Musical Resonates With Girls And Women, Cristen Mitchell

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Frozen II (2019) is a popular Disney animated movie for children and depicts striking spiritual elements while weaving in feminist practices such as justice and equity, and feminist theology through representations of female spirits and connection to the earth. Through this movie, its themes, and the historical exclusion of women in the church, this thesis seeks to show that representation of women in the divine is an important, and necessary part of the spiritual and psychological development of girls and women. The methods of this thesis include exploring the following synchronicities:

1. Parallels between feminist issues in the church and Walt …

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The Ecclesiology Of Catalino G. Arévalo: Inculturation, Mission, And Liberation In The Philippine Context, Zachary Ryan Dehm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catalino G. Arévalo, S.J., was an eminent Filipino ecclesiologist of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through his work for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in particular, he played a significant role in the reception of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in Asia and in the development of inculturation as a theological norm. Yet, Arévalo offered no systematic articulation of his theology of the church. By examining his work spanning seven decades, this dissertation traces the development of Arévalo’s ecclesiology and offers five foundational principles necessary for gaining a systematic understanding of his thought: (1) ecclesiology must be situated within …

Cultural Diversity In The Body Of Christ: An African American Theological Reading Of The Book Of Revelation, Charles Gilmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study will attempt to facilitate a more helpful reading of the text of John’s Apocalypse by placing it in an appropriate literary and historical context, deploying an African American hermeneutic, informed by the work of African American commentators such as Brian Blount, Allen Dwight Callahan, Clarice Martin, and Shanell T. Smith to develop from the text of the Apocalypse its ecclesiological content for a contemporary audience. As the church writ large (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and indigenous expressions) wrestles with its increasing global presence and the cultural and linguistic diversity which that expanded presence creates, this study will attempt to …