Digital Commons Network^™

(Dis)Locating Meaning: Toward A Hermeneutical Response In Education To Religiously Inspired Extremism, Farid Panjwani

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

A key epistemological assumption in the ideologies of many of the groups termed extremist is that there is an unmediated access to a Divine Will. Driven by this assumption, and facilitated by several other factors, a range of coercive actions (including violence) to force others into submission to the perceived Will of God are seen as justified by some of these groups. A consideration of how religion is discussed in various contexts, from seminaries and schools to media and policy discourses, shows that this assumption about unmediated access to Divine Will is widely shared and that most children grow up …

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Evangelical Scholars Recognize Lds Scholarship

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A recent article by two evangelical scholars will be of interest to FARMS subscribers. "Mormon Scholarship, Apologetics, and Evangelical Neglect: Losing the Battle and Not Knowing It?" evaluates contemporary Latter-day Saint scholarship and finds it erudite, sophisticated, and rigorous, providing a robust defense of the Mormon faith-and thus meriting serious attention from the evangelical community.

Review Looks At Recent Books On Ancient America, Benjamin's Speech, Temple Symbolism

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The latest issue of the FARMS Review of Books (volume 11, number 1) commends recent studies on ancient America, Benjamin's speech, and temple symbolism. It also features two extended articles that are notable contributions in their own rightone complementing the work of Hugh Nibley, the other countering anti-Mormon criticisms.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Nibley Fellowships Assist Rising Scholars

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

For a number of years FARMS has sponsored a graduate fellowship program that gives financial aid to students pursuing advanced degrees in fields of special interest to FARMS. Named in honor of eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, the Nibley Fellowship is made possible by generous donations from individuals committed to helping further the mission of the Foundation.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Nibley On The Infancy Gospels

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A mass of popular fables and miracle stories about Jesus' childhood have come down to us as the "Infancy Gospels." In Mormonism and Early Christianity, Hugh Nibley calls these stories unabashed daydreams in which Jesus is always the "super-boy" whose tricks are the dread and envy of all his fellows.

Sermon On The Mount Symposium Convened

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

At a FARMS symposium held on the BYU campus on 6 February 1999, John W. Welch discussed his newly revised and updated book, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple and Sermon on the Mount: An Approach to 3 Nephi 11-18 and Matthew 5-7. He also responded to comments from a panel of five BYU professors who explored the implications of his thesis that the Sermon on the Mount is best understood in a temple context.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Early Study Of Fraudulent 'Michigan Relics' Available

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Now available from FARMS is a reprint of Dr. James E. Talmage's 1911 report that goes a long way toward exposing the "Michigan relics" as forgeries. From 1874 through 1920, hundreds of archaeologically anomalous objects-including tablets, tools, weapons, vessels, and ornaments-bearing crudely rendered inscriptions were reportedly dug up from various sites near Detroit, Michigan. The inscriptions somewhat resembled characters from cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian, and Phoenician alphabets. Moreover, some of the objects contained pictographic representations that suggested ties to Hebraic peoples.

Redesigned Farms Review Of Books Released

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Sporting a new cover design and format, the latest issue of the FARMS Review of Books (vol. 12, no. 1) looks at an array of recent books related to Mormon studies, biblical studies, and scripture study. In the editor's introduction, Daniel C. Peterson sets the record straight concerning a particularly infamous example of contemporary anti-Mormon rhetoric. His remarks set the stage for much of the nearly 500-page Review, which in addition to several positive book reviews, includes a thorough debunking of another anti-Mormon publication, the Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

New Review Focuses On Mormon Studies

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In his introduction to the latest FARMS Review of Books (vol. 12, no. 2), Daniel C. Peterson argues that Latter-day Saints and other Christians differ in the way they think about their faith. Rooted in Semitic traditions rather than Greek philosophy, LDS religious science is history, not theology. Accordingly, this edition of the Review features commentary on several books about the Book of Mormon and Mormon studies, most of which shed additional light on the historicity and geography of the Nephite record.

Cosmic Hamartiology: Using An Apocalyptic Paul Hermeneutic To Exposit Chaos Monster Passages, Peter Terrell Bingham Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ancient mythology, precisely that of the Ancient Near East, includes the treacherous characters of chaos monsters who cause disorder due to their destructive supernatural influence in the natural world. Scripture includes chaos monsters of various sorts that cause the same destruction in the wake of their cosmic work. While an array of methodologies has been developed to study chaos monsters in the Ancient Near East considering their sources—i.e., Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Akkadian, etc.—there is a lack of a Biblical hermeneutic to adequately exposit chaos monster passages in Scripture. In the Apocalyptic Perspective on Paul, scholars have sought to develop a way …

The ‘Temple Of The Holy Spirit’ & Christian Identity: Old Testament Echoes In 1 Corinthians, Sr. Amata Christi Lippert O.P.

Theology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

A Companion Guide For The Discipleship To Missional Community (D2mc) Program, Jedidiah T. Maschke

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Doctor of Ministry (DMin.) Major Applied Project (MAP) offers a companion guide for the discipleship training program called D2MC (Discipleship to Missional Community) taught by PLI, a leadership development organization that works primarily with the LCMS. The D2MC program is based on the training pioneered by Mike Breen through 3DM. The companion guide shows how the methods and practices taught by PLI are soundly based in Scripture and confessional Lutheran theology and offers some personal insights and devotional thoughts. The companion guide was distributed and field tested with volunteer participants through and with the approval of PLI. Participants in …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 3

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 3.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

The Leadership Effectiveness Of The Judean Kings/Queen, Charles H. Gaulden

PhD in Organizational Leadership

In this study, the leadership effectiveness of the Judean kings/queen during the divided kingdom was examined. The research methodology utilized was a multi-case study of the Judean rulers through an exegetical analysis of 2 Chronicles 10-36. A multifaceted method was utilized for genre inquiry to explore the unique properties of the book of Chronicles. The study placed biblical literature into the history genre through the Chronicler’s varied conveyance methods. The textual units linked with the narrative analysis of the discovered location, repetition, and themes. Some intertextual engagement overlapped with archaeology, Kings’ records, and prophetic literature. The researcher identified seven leadership …

Best Bible Study Methods For Discipleship Formation: How Bible Study As A Spiritual Discipline Shapes Believers, Sandy Chery

Master of Divinity (MDiv)

Because the Christian faith depends upon Christ's life, teachings, death, and resurrection, believers should strive to become more like Him daily. In this regard, the late theologian C.S. Lewis would argue that every Christian should become a “little Christ.” According to research conducted by Barna Research Group, four of five Christians list personal spiritual development and having a deep commitment to Christ as a priority. However, only one in five Christians is involved in any spiritual development activities outside of attending church services. Thus, few Christians are actually investing energy into their spiritual growth. Discipleship formation, known interchangeably as spiritual …

The Great Rebellion And The Mystery Of Lawlessness In 2 Thessalonians 2,1-12, Ranko Stefanovic

Faculty Publications

This article provides an expository study of 2 Thessalonians 2,1-12 in which Paul delineates the Christian history from his day until the Second Coming. The apostle contends that the Christian history will be characterized by a great spiritual rebellion against God organized by Satan. The apostle points to the central roles of two entities in that great rebellion, which he defines in terms of “the man of lawlessness” as the agent of Satan and “the restrainer” who for some time holds back the full revelation of that lawless figure on the world scene. Bible commentaries offer various proposal on the …

Pentecostal Health: The Intentionality Of Being A Spirit-Filled Ministry, Johnny L. Manning

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The premise of this research project asserts that a disconnect exists between what Pentecostal churches profess to believe and what is experienced and practiced by their congregations. The purpose of this project was to discover if this disconnect exists. Secular philosopher Franz Brentano popularized the concept of intentionality. Jesus demonstrated intentionality regarding the partnership with the Holy Spirit and his followers, expecting them to be empowered with the Holy Spirit for Christian living and witness. Jesus always intended for his Church to be filled with Pentecostal people. Jesus’ intention can be perceived by observing what He said about the Holy …

Christ Our Passover (Pascha Nostrum), Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

Work was originally written for the Congregation of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Irving, TX) in 2021, but not completed till 2023. Given in honor of Canon Victoria Heard's Distinguished Service and Retirement in Spring 2023. (9 pages). [Based off of texts from 1 Corinthians and Romans].

Review: Christian Intercultural Communication, Andrew J. Ondo

Liberty Theological Review

A Review: Chang, C. Tim, and Ashley E. Chang. Christian Intercultural Communication: Sharing God’s Love with People of Other Cultures. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2021. 277 Pages. $82.11.

Review Of "Come, Lord Jesus", H. Michael Shultz Jr.

Liberty Theological Review

This review examines John Piper's 2023 Come, Lord Jesus. The book is shown to be a valuable contribution to the broader eschatological field, and a particular contribution to the Historic Premillennialist camp.

Approbation: An Annotated Bibliography, Grace Morris

Liberty Theological Review

Annotated Bibliography

The Influence Of The Gospels Of Matthew And Luke On Carl F. H. Henry’S Kingdom Theology, Michael Cunningham

Liberty Theological Review

Carl F.H. Henry was a leading theologian of American Evangelicalism and prominent voice in the Neo Evangelical movement of the twentieth century. His prominent book The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (1947) persuaded conservative evangelicals to avoid the separatist inclinations of fundamentalism. He, instead, championed a biblically based brand of cultural engagement rooted in the kingdom theology found in the Gospels. Harnessing the “Already, but not yet” view of the kingdom popularized by Herman Ridderbos and George Ladd, Henry effectively engaged culture during a tumultuous twentieth century. This paper will begin with a survey of the historical legacy of Carl …

Platonism’S Influence On The Hermeneutic Of Augustine: Exploring The Philosophical Roots Of Augustine’S Interpretive Approach, Kent T. Maitland

Liberty Theological Review

This paper contends that Augustine was a significant contributor to the “Spiritual Vision Model” of the Christian conception of heaven described by Craig Blaising. This model is premised on the Platonic understanding of perfection in which the soul unites with the Good, and heaven is primarily a cognitive state in which the individual possesses perfect spiritual knowledge. This model also provides a rational basis for favoring a figurative or spiritualized interpretation of Scripture over its literal meaning. Augustine’s early life and conversion reflects a commitment to the SVM’s Platonic ideals, as demonstrated in his deference to Cicero, his journey into …

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: A Classical Critique, Michael W. Cunningham

Liberty Theological Review

In 2005, American sociologist Christian Smith coined the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” in his book, Soul Searching, The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. At the time, this phenomenon was heralded as a new “religion” for emerging generations, yet it ascribes to no formal text, deity, or doctrine. It serves as a self-focused compilation of secular philosophy, politics, culture, and spirituality flavored with fragments from popular religions. While there is no formal MTD doctrine, there are five affirmations: (1) A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on Earth, (2) God wants …

Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine From The Temple: Joel’S Interpretation Of The Epilogue Of Amos, John Anthony Dunne

Seminary Faculty Publications

This essay argues that the parallels between the endings of Joel and Amos suggest that Joel has interpreted Amos, including the esoteric reference to “David’s Tent.” Both prophetic endings anticipate an era of fecundity with mountains dripping with sweet wine (עסיס‎), which is a rare term in the Hebrew Bible, occurring only five times. Both address the fate of Edom, and both point to the recipients of the respective oracles being secure in their land forever. In Joel, it is God’s presence within the temple that creates these realities, whereas in Amos 9.11, it is “David’s Tent.” This suggests that …