Digital Commons Network^™

A Modus Vivendi? Sex, Marriage & The Church, William L. Portier, Nancy Dallavalle, Christopher C. Roberts, Tina Beattie, R. R. Reno, Patricia Hampl, Luke Timothy Johnson, Leslie Woodcock Tentler, Paul Baumann

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

During the 1960s, nearly 80 percent of adult Americans were married. A recent analysis of U.S. census data reported that only 52 percent of adult Americans were married in 2009. That is the lowest percentage reported in the 100 years the Census Bureau has collected such information. The reasons for this dramatic cultural shift are well known: high rates of divorce; changing attitudes toward premarital sex; social acceptability of cohabitation; the weakening of the stigma surrounding out-of-wedlock births and single parenting; the postponement of marriage and children for academic or professional reasons.

Among those with only a high-school education or …

Inviting And Encouraging Racial, Cultural, Ethnic, And Generational Diversity Within Ecclesial Community, Matthew D. Deames

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Critical Thinking, Center For Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University

Center for Catholic Studies Faculty Seminars and Core Curriculum Seminars

No abstract provided.

The Difference Creation Makes: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Christian Realism And Augustinian (?) Liberalism, Peter Iver Kaufman

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Surely there is enough kindling lying about in the Bible and in subsequent moral theology to fire up love for neighbors and compassion for countless “friends” in foreign parts--and in crisis. And, surely, the momentum of love’s labor for the just redistribution of resources, fueled by activists’ appeals for solidarity, should be sustained by stressing that we are creatures made for affection, not for aggression. Yet experience, plus the history of the Christian traditions, taught Reinhold Niebuhr, who memorably reminded Christian realists, how often love was “defeated,” how a “strategy of brotherhood . . . degenerates from mutuality to a …

"Written On Their Hearts": Thinking With Luther About Scripture, Natural Law, And The Moral Life, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

Those who ignore Luther’s critical agility in moral reasoning based on natural law in favor of a reactionary turn to a regime of biblical law create “misery and tribulation,” as Luther lamented, and seriously enfeeble the Christian faith for life today. Christians rightly use their God-given powers of reason to work out affairs in the present order.

Chauvet And O’Connor: An Encounter Of Sacramental Life And Aesthetics, Betsy Cunneen

Obsculta

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: April 2010, John W. Cooper, Scott Hoezee, Calvin Van Reken, Ronald J. Nydam

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Reflections on Death and Dying
3 - What Happens When We Die? by John W. Cooper
5 - “As in Adam …” by Scott Hoezee
7 - A Hard Waiting for the Lord by Calvin Van Reken
9 - The Fear of Facing Death by Ron Nydam
11 - Growing Through Grief An interview with Robert C. DeVries and Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge

Departments
14 - Formation for Ministry
15 - News

God And Time: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Unlocking Catholic Social Doctrine: Narrative Is Key, William J. Wagner

Scholarly Articles

The argument of the present essay is that the pragmatic pressures of contemporary circumstances that lead to Catholic social doctrine – as set out in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, for example, – to being strongly emphasized in Catholic law schools should not be permitted to create a doctrinal hegemony severing doctrine from the contextualization from which it draws its meaning. Catholic social doctrine depends, for its coherence and truth, as do all of the doctrinal formulations within Catholicism, on its relation to both philosophical and theological understanding and, for the purposes of my present …

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: April 2009, John W. Cooper, Ronald J. Nydam, John Rottman, Mary Hulst

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Reflections on Prayer
3 - Can Prayer Really Change Things? by John W. Cooper
5 - God Hears the Prayers of Many by Ron Nydam
6 - A School of Love and Prayer by John Rottman
8 - “Amen!” by Mary Hulst
10 - Praying Around the World Roundtable Discussion

Departments
14 - Making Connections
15 - Continuing Education

The Trinity In Theology And Philosophy: Why Jerusalem Should Work With Athens, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Modern Usury: The Moral Challenge Of Credit Cards In Light Of Catholic Teaching And Practice In The Past And The Present, David R. Smoker

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

No abstract provided.

Blessing, Well-Being, And Salvation: Should Lutherans Learn To Dance To Another Tune?, Guillermo C. Hansen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Paul And Asceticism In 1 Corinthians 9:27a, Kent L. Yinger

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Amidst the resurgence of interest in Paul and asceticism relatively little focus has been put upon one Pauline text with seemingly obvious ascetic potential: “I beat my body” (1 Corinthians 9:27a). After a brief introduction to the discussion of asceticism and an ascetic Paul, this article will survey the Wirkungsgeschichte of this text, especially in the patristic era, engage in exegesis of 1 Corinthians 9:27a, and draw conclusions as to the relevance of the text for discussion of Pauline asceticism.

Looking At Conflict Diamonds Through The Lens Of Catholic Social Teaching, Heather Cherpelis

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Since 1991, more than 50,000 people have been killed and over one million persons displaced in Sierra Leonedue to civil war. In Angolathe average cost of lives is at least 500,000, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the estimated cost is over 3 million lives, and finally in Liberiathe cost of lives is at least 200,000 all due to civil war (The Truth About Diamonds, p. 1). And what funded these wars? Diamonds. Conflict Diamonds to be exact. The United Nations defines conflict diamonds as “rough diamonds which are used by rebel movements to finance …

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: October 2006, Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Calvin Van Reken, John Rottman, Richard E. Sytsma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Reflections on Sin
3 - Sin by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
5 - The Calling of Matthew by Calvin Van Reken
7 - Get Rid of Sin in Church by John Rottman
9 - The Threads of Guilt and Shame in the Gospel Message by Richard E. Sytsma
10 - Sin and Grace in Pastoral Care Class by Kathy Smith

Departments
12 - Formation for Ministry

On The U.S. Aversion To Ritual Behavior And The Vocation Of The Liturgical Theologian, Martin F. Connell

Theology Faculty Publications

This three-part essay reflects on the vocation of liturgical theologians in a culture in which there is a general antipathy toward the influence of religious rituals on personal formation and decision-making.¹ Part ι considers a few foundational nineteenth-century authors of the American Renaissance for reflections on the aversion to Christian ritual behavior. Part 2 takes up the sermons of a few nineteenth-century revivalist preachers. Part 3 suggests five challenges to liturgical theologians who teach and think in the complex social and religious environment of the United States.

The Strange New World In The Church: A Review Essay Of 'With The Grain Of The Universe' By Stanley Hauerwas, Brad Kallenberg

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Hauerwas's refusal to translate the argument displayed in With the Grain of the Universe (his recent Gifford Lectures) into language that "anyone" can understand is itself part of the argument. Consequently, readers will not understand what Hauerwas is up to until they have attained fluency in the peculiar language that has epitomized three decades of Hauerwas's scholarship. Such fluency is not easily gained. Nevertheless, in this review essay, I situate Hauerwas's baffling language against the backdrop of his corpus to show at least this much: With the Grain of the Universe transforms natural theology into "witness." In the end, my …

Development Of Catholic Moral Doctrine: Probing The Subtext, M. Cathleen Kaveny

Journal Articles

A discussion on the contribution of Judge John T. Noonan’s works on moral doctrine to the study of Catholic moral theology. Professor Kaveny argues that Noonan’s writings have aided the development of Catholic moral doctrine by examining its rich living history and tradition. She notes that Noonan views the subject as a social historian who is interested in how Catholics have interpreted moral theology over time, tracing continuities and changes in their positions, and as a lawyer who is interested in learning how they have tried to find a balance between human dignity and the common good. Professor Kaveny addresses …

Calvin Seminary Forum: April 2001, Ruth A. Tucker, Henry Zwaanstra, John W. Cooper, Henry Demoor

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “Walking Away from Faith” - Ruth A. Tucker
3 - “Calvin Seminary: Yesterday and Today” - Henry Zwaanstra
4 - “Prove It! A Reformed Perspective on Faith and Reason” - John Cooper
6 - “Office and Ordination: Another Round” - Henry DeMoor
8 - “Real Heros” - Calvin Van Reken

Calvin Seminary Forum: January 2001, Andrew Bandstra, Henry Zwaanstra, Roger S. Greenway, James A. Dejong

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “God Who Called You is Faithful” - Andrew Bandstra
2 - “Calvin Seminary: An Historical Sketch 1876-2001” - Henry Zwaanstra
4 - “Calvin Seminary and the CRC: Changes and Challenges” - Roger S. Greenway
6 - “Trends and Challenges” - James A. De Jong

What Shall We Talk About Today? Righteousness As An Issue Of Christian And Islamic Dialogue, Marko P. Djuric

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Calvin Seminary Forum: April 2000, Henry De Moor, Henry Zwaanstra, Carl Zylstra, Calvin Van Reken

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “A One-Week Synod?” - Henry De Moor
2 - “Women in Office: Where we are.” - Henry Zwaanstra
4 - “The Changing World of Education for Ministry” - Carl Zylstra
6 - “Compassion at the End of Life” - Calvin Van Reken

Gambling On Faith: A Holistic Examination Of Blaise Pascal's Wager, Jan Van Vliet

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Over three centuries after the publication of the Wager the sense of shock and dismay that meets Blaise Pascal's unorthodox tool of apologetics is matched only by attempts to reinterpret and reconstruct it or by out of hand dismissal of Pascal's claim to be Christian.This essay attempts to take a close and holistic look at the Wager - its premises and claims, as well as some attempts at reinterpretation. Do the reinterpretations stretch the integrity of the model or are they successful endeavors to push out the boundaries? We offer a tentative suggestion for conceptual and statistical extension of the …

Calvin Seminary Forum: October 1999, Lyle D. Bierma, James A. De Jong, John Bolt, Alton J. Danks

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “Dispensationalism and the Reformed” - Lyle D. Bierma
3 - “Reflections on the Future” - James A. De Jong
4 - “The Armageddon Imagination” - John Bolt
6 - “The Church and Y2K” - Alton J. Danks
7 - “Facing, Not Fearing, The Future” - Calvin P. Van Reken

Calvin Seminary Forum: April 1998, Calvin P. Van Reken, Henry Zwaanstra, Ronald J. Feenstra, Henry De Moor

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

1 - “Christian and Reformed” - Calvin P. Van Reken
3 - “Being Reformed” - Henry Zwaanstra
4 - “What Makes Reformed Theology Distinctive” - Ronald J. Feenstra
6 - “Truth Within Four Walls” - Henry De Moor
8 - “The Worship Service” - Jacob D. Eppinga

Freedom And Truth In Veritatis Splendor And The Meaning Of Theonomy, Lois E. Malcolm

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Calvin Seminary Forum: January 1997, John W. Cooper, David Holwerda, Harry Boonstra, Arie C. Leder

Calvin Seminary Forum (1994-2001)

Contents
1 - The Lord's Supper: Christ's Real Presence - John Cooper
3 - Christ’s Presence and Church Unity - David Holwerda
4 - At Banquet - Often - Harry Boonstra
6 - All the Kings’ Horses and All the Kings’ Men - Arie C. Leder
8 - Preaching the Word - Calvin Van Reken

Christianity And The Civil Law: Secularity, Privacy, And The Status Of Objective Moral Norms, William J. Wagner

Scholarly Articles

This article will address three specific questions within a Catholic framework: 1) What is the justification for asserting that objective moral norms apply to the content of the civil law?; 2) Why is not the law's "secular" character a barrier to enactments, based on objective moral norms?; and 3) Why is not the "private" character of reproductive and other activities a barrier to the enactment of legal regulation affecting them?