Digital Commons Network^™

Learning From People Of Other Faiths, Joshua M. Sears

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Among all the religions in the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unique in providing Restoration scripture, apostolic leadership, priesthood keys, the covenants and ordinances constituting the new and everlasting covenant, and a distinctive understanding of the plan of salvation.[1] However, when the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles released the bicentennial proclamation “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” in April 2020, their affirmation of the unique gifts of the Restoration opened by declaring that “God loves His children in every nation of the world.”[2] Implicit in this declaration …

Capitalism And Distributive Justice: Musings Of A Mormon Economist, Shinji Takagi

Mormon Studies Review

In this forum essay, I discuss capitalism and distributive justice from the standpoint of a neoclassical economist. I am motivated by the conflict between the purported virtues of a free-market system (and the income inequality such a system is known to generate) and the egalitarian principles espoused by Latter-day Saint scripture. This is a complex subject upon which no easy closure can be expected. Part of the difficulty comes from the fact that capitalism itself is an ill-defined concept. I use capitalism and free-market system almost interchangeably, consistent with the way they are generally understood in everyday discourse. It bears …

Bibliography, James W. Barker

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by James W. Barker.

The Word According To Flannery O'Connor, Eamon Maher

Articles

In her relatively short life (1925-1964), one that was greatly curtailed as a result of being diagnosed with lupus (a disease from which her father also died in 1952), Flannery O’Connor managed to leave behind a literary legacy that continues to fascinate scholars and general readers alike. This is all the more surprising when one considers that the work consists of just two novels, Wise Blood (1952) and The Violent Bear It Away (1960), along with 31 short stories.

Toward A Biblical And Missiological Framework For Transformational Advocacy In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Michelet William

Dissertations

Problem

Adventists have been inconsistent in dealing with inequality and injustice in society, swaying between silence, accommodation, positional statements, and direct advocacy approaches. Although advocacy has become more prominent among Adventist thinkers since the end of the twentieth century, there is a lack of empirical data which answer questions related to contemporary Adventists' beliefs and practices in relation to advocacy in the context of mission. Concomitantly, there does not yet exist a documented or articulated Adventist missiological perspective on advocacy.

Research Questions

(1) What part, if any, has biblically-based social advocacy played in Adventist mission history? and (2) What do …

Between Script And Scripture: Performance Criticism And Mark's Character(Ization) Of The Disciples, Zechariah Eberhart

Dissertations

This project reimagines a first-century reception of the Gospel of Mark within a historically reconstructed (yet hypothetical) performance event. In particular, it considers the disciples' character and characterization through the lens of performance criticism. Questions concerning the characterization of the disciples have been relatively one-sided in New Testament scholarship, in favor of their negative characterization. This project demonstrates why such assumptions need not be necessary when we (re-)consider the oral/aural milieu in which the Gospel of Mark was first composed and received by its earliest audiences. In this project, I demonstrate that despite its "relative" newness, the primary tenets of …

Artapanus And Greek Colonial Poetics, Scott Harris

Dissertations

The fragments of Artapanus have proven to be enigmatic for most scholars over the years and as such have not been treated in significant detail. Most scholarship has been restricted to two separate lines of enquiry: genre and ethnicity. I suggest that the resonance between Greek colonial poetics sheds new light on Artapanus's literary agenda: namely, that Artapanus is constructing and representing the memory of Jewish cultural and political foundations using broader Greek poetics which were used to describe the civic, cultic and geographic foundation of a colony. In this way, Artapanus is no longer an outlier within the Hellenistic …

Paul's Attitude Towards Empire, Matthew Kwabena Appiah

Master's Theses

The concept of imperialism has come to stay in the study of Paul and his letters. However, does contextual analysis of his selected texts support such claims of him being anti-imperial? Various arguments arise to challenge Paul to have used hidden codes and imperial ideology to counter the imperial propaganda of the Roman empire of his day. However, contextual analysis of Paul and his letters suggest otherwise. His pastoral care duties, coupled with a desire to win his natives, namely, the Jews, to accept Jesus Christ as the messiah prophesied in the Old Testament is key in his letters. Proponents …

A Portrait Of The Leadership Of Women In Early Christianity: An Archaeological Study In Light Of The Historical And Socio-Cultural Contexts, Carina Prestes

Dissertations

Problem

The participation of women in the Early Christian communities is widely accepted. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on what was their role in these communities. Until now the study of women in the Early Christian communities has focused mostly in the writings of some ancient authors and a few biblical texts. These studies have been done mostly by theologians and historians. Such studies rarely take a deep look at the Greco-Roman background and at the historical, socio-cultural contexts. This contextualization can be quite fruitful and should be informed by recent archaeological discoveries of the first centuries of Christianity. Thus, …

Writing, The Bible & Me, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Caring For The Sufferers Among Us : Job Through The Lens Of Classical Rhetoric And Modern Psychological Trauma Studies, Abbie F. Mantor

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A New Identity For Anatolia : Investigating The Abutment Of Oikos Texts On Jewish Temple Imagery (1 Pet 2:4-10) And A Greco-Roman Haustafel (1 Pet 2:11-3:12) Visualized Through The Intersection Between Social Identity Approaches And The Social Character Of Paraenesis, Robert Andrew Barlow

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Of Heroes, Kings, And Emperors : Royal And Heroic Christology In The Apocalypse, John Randolph Wright

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Wrestling With Disturbing Bible Passages : A Trinitarian Approach For Adults At Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church That Engages Family Systems Theory And The Twelve Steps, Jason L. Baxter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Formation In Christ Through Conflict : Discerning God's Gifts In Group Spiritual Direction, Luke B. Richards

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Choose Your Own Adventure : Best Practices For Emerging Adults In The Salvation Army, Paul Cain

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Aquinas’S Four–Fold Senses Of Scripture: Harnessing Metaphysical Analogy For Theological Exegesis, Susanna Edmunds O.P. Sr.

Theses

This thesis seeks to contribute to the integration of exegesis and theology called for by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in his 1988 Erasmus address, “Biblical Interpretation in Crisis.” While much progress towards this integration has been made, limited attention has been given to Ratzinger’s recommended philosophical framework, the metaphysics of participation and analogy as formulated by St. Thomas Aquinas. This thesis builds on the contemporary revival in Aquinas’s approach to Scripture to propose a metaphysical framework for theological exegesis. This framework will be based on three claims. First, that the hermeneutic of faith adopted by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, among others, …

"Love Divine: A Systematic Account Of God’S Love For Humanity" [Review] / Wessling, Jordan."

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review.

Calvin Theological Seminary Academic Catalog 2023-2024, Calvin Theological Seminary

Seminary Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Jeremiah’S Portrayal Of War As Worship: Hollow Form Of Holiness, Oliver Glanz

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

From an anthropological perspective, the acts of war and worship share similarities. Both are mission-driven, exercise rituals and liturgies, use songs, and have calls to duty. As such, the ultimate legitimization of war uses elements of sacred language usually found in the context of worship. The study of Jeremiah’s language usage provides a critical perspective on this typical anthropological phenomenon: the legitimization of war employing sacred language. When tracing Jeremiah’s vocabulary with the help of valence analysis, it can be argued that the prophet purposefully unmasks human war as a potential form of idol worship. Human war can, therefore, be …

The Sabbath In The Old Testament, Dana M. Pike

Faculty Publications

The scriptures consistently depict the significance of sacred space and sacred time in the lives of the Lord’s covenant people. Sacred time is still experienced today, as in the past, through commemorations and celebrations on specific days that are dedicated to God and thus regarded as holy. These days punctuate the passing of ordinary or common time and are intended to help bring focus and clarity to relationships with the divine.

"War In Ukraine: Religious, Geopolitical And Cultural Dimensions Of Value-Worldview Clashes At The Beginning Of The 21st Century": International Theological Conference, Vladyslav Fulmes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

On June 15, 2023 Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy (Lutsk, Ukraine) held an international theological conference “WAR in UKRAINE: Religious, Geopolitical and Cultural Dimensions of Value-worldview Clashes at the Beginning of the 21st century”. Brief information about this international scientific conference is given.

Modern Applicability Of The Book Of Leviticus For Joyful Obedience, Roy Gane

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Pharisees: Their History, Character, And New Testament Portrait, Kent T. Maitland

Liberty Theological Review

Yinger, Kent L. The Pharisees: Their History, Character, and New Testament Portrait. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022. ISBN 978-1666723786. $29.00.

A Reappraisal Of The Johannine Well Scene In Light Of Recent Research, Donald C. Mcintyre

Liberty Theological Review

Previously, Donald C. McIntyre has argued for a reappraisal of the typology of the Old Testament Well scenes contrary to popular interpretations espoused by Alter and Sailhamer.[1] This reappraisal has implication for John 4:1-45 with the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Evangelical theologians have typically failed to apply their understanding of the Old Testament well scenes consistently to the text of John 4:1-45 because of the implications that would have on Christ’s marital desires. Other theologians, particularly feminist theologians, have been more consistent in their application of the type scenes of the Old Testament …

How To Fight Evil: Lessons For The Church On Spiritual Warfare From Bram Stoker’S Dracula, Bronwyn M. Gray

Liberty Theological Review

Dracula by Bram Stoker is an amazing piece of writing that is often misrepresented. Some Christians dismiss it because of the skewed belief that to enjoy life and literature is somehow less holy, and Dracula is also dismissed because of the judgment that books with blood, horror, and monsters cannot possibly grow us in holiness or teach us anything good. Not only is it forgotten that God created us to enjoy beauty, but also, to the second reason, the Bible itself contains blood, horror, and monsters; indeed, the Bible contains much more! Another unfortunate reality is that in the Western …

The Theological Method Of Friedrich Schleiermacher, Jordan P. Ballard

Liberty Theological Review

What Friedrich Schleiermacher is most known for is his theological method of deriving doctrine from religious experience. He believed that religious piety is to be found in the “feeling of absolute dependence”, and all subsequent doctrines must be discovered through reflection upon religious experience. Understanding and critiquing Schleiermacher’s theological method requires examining his theological influences, his “feeling of absolute dependence,” and a few examples from his systematic theology. In the end, Schleiermacher’s theological method is ingenious but misguided because it is based on a faulty religious epistemology of human experience. What is needed instead is an objective standard of truth …

Silent Horror: The Complexity, Monstrosity, And Ubiquity Of Evil In Faulkner’S Sanctuary, Bronwyn M. Gray

Liberty Theological Review

In a culture of moral relativism, Faulkner's novel Sanctuary shocks us with an ancient perspective on the nature of man. Not only is the villain Popeye evil, the "good guy" is infected as well, and this is seen through Faulkner's comparison of our hero Horace with Popeye, parallels drawn between Horace's festering desire for his stepdaughter and Popeye's lust for his rape victim Temple Drake. But it is not only the adult men who are at fault. Temple Drake herself is shown to be in the throes between childlike innocence (temple) and evil desire (drake, meaning dragon or serpent). Perhaps …

Shepherds And Hirelings In John 10: An Intertestamental Correction, Donald C. Mcintyre

Liberty Theological Review

This article will examine the Good Shepherd discourse attempting to analyze whether the Pharisees were in purview as false-shepherds as commonly assumed and finding that interpretation lacking. Given the events of inter-testamental history, septuagintal usage of μισθωτὸς, and the setting of the discourse occurring during the feast of dedication, this article will find that Jesus is drawing a contrast between the foreign false-shepherds found in the political rulers, as well as the hireling pharisee and himself as the true shepherds. Through a careful reading of the text, it becomes apparent that Jesus is not solely disappointed in the Pharisees actions, …

The "Write" Stuff: The Plausible Capability Of Jesus’ Followers To Author The Gospels, Charles D. T. Miller

Liberty Theological Review

It is common for critics of the New Testament to cite William Harris’ 10% literacy rate for first-century Greco-Romans as evidence for the implausibility of Jesus’ followers to write, publish, and circulate the New Testament. This “evidence” is often used to dismiss the entire New Testament as a second-century fabrication that cannot accurately represent the true teachings of Jesus. Is this an accurate portrayal of Galilee during the time of Jesus? The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Jesus’ followers possessed the “‘Write’ Stuff”—the ability to read, write, and memorize, as well as, access to the technology needed …