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"The Voice Of The Universe": Cosmic Immanence In John Elof Boodin’S Process Thought, What It Is And Why It Matters, Michael A. Flannery

Libraries Professional Work

For most, the way to process thought has been through mathematician-turned-philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947). However, his contemporary, Swedish–American philosopher John Elof Boodin (1869–1950), offers another path. While both clearly exposit a process-based philosophy/theology, there are important differences. The main purpose of this essay is to delineate those differences and highlight Boodin’s concept of cosmic immanence (CI) as a key feature separating him from Whitehead’s metaphysic. It is argued that CI can provide the heavy lifting for developing a coherent and satisfying process theology without the baggage attached to Whitehead’s difficult intricate interconnections and enigmatic neologisms. In other words, Boodin’s …

Maine School Of Wonder: Developing A School For Earth Skills And Sustainability In Maine, Leigha Hart

Capstone Collection

This research project explores the feasibility of establishing an earth skills and spirituality school in Maine, examining pertinent literature on adult environmental education, contemporary notions of work and leisure, earth-centered spirituality, and sustainable development. The study draws insights from interviews conducted with four distinct organizations across Maine engaged in similar initiatives. These include two farms hosting community events and workshops, alongside two retreat centers dedicated to fostering personal growth and skills development. These interviews provide diverse perspectives on the operational dynamics, required resources, and necessary skills for launching a new school aimed at creating inclusive, engaging, and sustainable learning environments …

An Examination Of “The Vine” Motif Through The Lens Of The Old Testament, The Books Of John And Revelation, And Peripheral Extrabiblical Sources, Ellsworth C. Huling Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Motifs and themes are interchangeable, used in everyday speech, and common in scholarly literature. Some scholars view motifs and themes as the two most used forms of narrative repetition. “The vine” motif contains multiple meanings throughout the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes, “the vine” readers misunderstand motif-specific referents. Research on “the vine” motif can clarify those specific passages of Scripture that utilize this motif. The interpretation of Scripture is not easy to understand without a proper understanding of the vine motif. Throughout Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, Israel is “the vine.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus is “the …

A Non-Experimental Quantitative Correlational Study Of Emotional Intelligence As An Effective Tool For Pastoral Leadership, Louis Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastoral leadership must understand their obligation to provide and promote healthy relationships in their personal, professional, and church ministries by utilizing the effective tool of emotional intelligence (EI) to become more effective (Goleman et al., 2013; Hendron et al., 2014; Chavous et al., 2023). The concept and usage of EI have experienced continued growth within the secular and academic organizational fields. However, there is little research on EI among the Christian pastoral leadership, the church, its associated ministries, and its educational institutions (Hendron et al., 2014). As noted by scholars, this gap in the literature and the credibility crisis of …

Modern-Day Idol Worship At Life Changers Church: How It Was Identified And Replaced With True Worship Of God, Franzetta L. Ivy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project ventures to establish and further a ministry design rooted in God’s Word that instructs, equips, and enhances Christian lives. The project offers a structure by which God’s Word can renew and transform people’s minds. The ten-week project intervention utilized a weekly Bible class, interviews, questionnaires, and observations to collect information from seven participants at Life Changers Church. The purpose was to examine the problem of modern-day idol worship and foster motivation, commitment, and reverence for God by applying spiritual awareness through teaching from an intentionally designed worship handbook. This action-based research project endeavored to link the application …

Biblical Choice Model: A St. Augustine-Inspired Approach To Behavioral Economics, Adebukola Adebayo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Economics as defined by Lionel Robbins (1932), is a science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. While human behavior relates to how wants and desires are coordinated given decision-making mechanisms, social customs and political realities of society, the natural end of individual human actions should be eudaimonia (human flourishing). However, since sin has affected both our emotive and cultural plausibility structures, thereby leading to a distortion in our wants and desires and ability to desire the good, this has led to a generation that is self-ruling, self-creating and self-evaluating. The …

On The Varieties Of Religious Experience In Latter-Day Saint Temples, 1836–1940, Jared Gage Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

From 1836 to the present, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have constructed and undertaken rituals in buildings called temples. In the first temple in Kirtland, Ohio, its 1836 dedication was the scene of visions and speaking in tongues, much like those the apostles had at Pentecost in Acts 2. The second temple in Nauvoo, however, had none of these, and the third set of temples built in Utah, with the first completed in 1877, again saw a number of religious experiences but of a radically different form: mainly the appearance of the spirits of …

Does The Doctrine Of "Separation Of Church And State" Matter?: Examining The Experiences Of Black Christian Families In Massachusetts Public School System, Stephanie Denise Okwudi

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Students have full freedom under the law to practice religion in public schools. This is especially important for Black students, for whom religion has been shown to improve academic achievement and to mitigate many stressors they face. However, due to misinterpretations of the “separation of church and state” (or the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment), schools may inadvertently suppress the religious freedom of students instead of actively providing a safe space for religious practice. For this research, a single embedded intrinsic case study was conducted to determine how the separation of church and state doctrine manifested in the experiences …

The Riddle Of Religious Language, Luke Hillman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following project analyzes religious life through the lens of religious language. Motivated by ideas of Wittgenstein and Wittgensteinians, religious language is shown to be nonsensical, and yet significant. Wittgenstein connects how we understand language with how we understand life, and this connection extends to religious life. This project offers an answer to how religious language is unique by comparing religious language to riddles and the process of answering riddles. In addition, religious language becomes understandable with imagination, a relationship with the transcendent, and an understanding of the kinds of language present in religious discourse. These ideas are solidified with …

Can Human Rights Be Reconciled With Citizenship: Reconsidering Marx's Zur Judenfrage Today, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This essay critically re-examines Marx’s youthful analysis of the separation of church and state and his complex views about the function of rights in the modern state. I argue that Marx’s condemnation of Christian nationalism and endorsement of citizenship for Jews is consistent with his view that the modern, secular state cannot emancipate itself entirely from religiosity, as evidenced by the continuing legacy of nationalism and cultural identity politics today. Although Marx correctly follows Hegel in identifying modernity with a structural differentiation between civil society and state, I argue that he misunderstands the nature of this separation and, along with …

Good Order And Decolonizing: Blessings And Challenges, Kayko Driedger Hesslein

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Segundo Congreso Internacional De Iconografía Precolombina, 2023. Actas, Victòria Solanilla Demestre

Zea E-Books Collection

El objetivo de este II Congreso fue, como en el anterior, abrir un espacio de reflexión propositiva y multidisciplinaria para que, a partir de análisis de objetos plásticos u otras manifestaciones concretas, así como de documentos escritos, se pudiera replantear la importancia de la imagen y de la interpretación iconográfica como fuente de conocimiento de las culturas precolombinas. Es el momento de seguir aceptando nuevos enfoques pluridisciplinares o si se quiere más “humanísticos” que nos den una visión lo más completa posible, a través de la iconografía, del pasado precolombino tan rico en imágenes y símbolos.

Contribuciones de Luz Adriana …

The Preeminent Biblical Role Of The Father: A Qualitative Action Research Project, Frank Wilhelm Heilmeier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Fathers have a biblical role to teach their children commandments, statutes, judgments, and God's Law. The father's duty to teach his children should be handed down from generation to generation. The assumption is that fathers do not teach their children as God commanded. When fathers do not teach their children, they risk becoming an absentee father which leads to fatherlessness, ultimately ending in a broken home. To address this issue and offset this risk, a qualitative action research project was conducted. This intervention implemented two small group training sessions for fathers with children ages six and under. The sessions were …

A Phenomenological Study Of Church Revitalization In Coastal North Carolina, Paolo Engle Santos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastors and ministry leaders share the important responsibilities of church growth and revitalization. This research focused on overcoming decline and moving towards a season of strength and multiplication. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore church growth and revitalization within Southern Baptist churches in coastal North Carolina. The theory guiding this study was Rainer's (2020) central thesis about revived churches, which suggests that churches must adapt to cultural shifts and actively engage with the changing world. The study sought to gain insights into the perspectives and mindsets of full-time pastors and ministry leaders regarding numerical expansion, spiritual awakening, …

A Decade Of Earth-Centered Scholarship And Activism, Elizabeth Allison

CIIS Faculty Publications

Origin stories reveal the myriad causes that converge to birth a new initiative. On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, this essay looks back to document the context and intellectual lineage out of which the Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion graduate program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) emerged in 2013, and suggests some possibilities for the future of transdisciplinary education and the fields of religion and ecology (e.g. Tucker and Grim 2001), religion and nature (e.g. B. Taylor 2010), and spiritual ecology (e.g. Sponsel 2012) more broadly.

The Theological Method Of Thomas Aquinas In The Beatific Vision, Kent T. Maitland

Liberty Theological Review

This essay posits that Thomas Aquinas’s Beatific Vision may not be a biblically accurate conception of the Christian’s eternal destiny because it is grounded in a problematic theological method. For Aquinas, theology is a science for deducing the saving knowledge of God, which can only be discovered through Scripture. The integrity of Scripture’s place of prominence, however, is undermined by the apparent usefulness of other sources for interpreting Scripture’s meaning. His use of other sources in interpreting Scripture is justified by a hermeneutic that emphasizes the importance of Scripture’s figurative meaning over the literal in determining its usefulness for theological …

Modern Qoheleth: An Evangelical Appraisal Of The Theology Of Stanley Hauerwas, Nathan Cantu

Liberty Theological Review

“Jesus is Lord, and everything else is bullshit.” No other phrase better encapsulates Stanley Hauerwas’ unique blend of polemic, provocation, and piety. Formed in Protestant Liberalism, and fiercely critical of Fundamentalism, Hauerwas is a polarizing figure in evangelicalism. Is Hauerwas an ally of evangelicals, or should he be anathema? This article examines the four primary themes of Hauerwas's theology—character, narrative, church, and politics—and offers an evangelical appraisal.

Communal Lament In Jeremiah, Phoebe C. Chetsas

Theology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Eb-Asombrosa Personalidad De Jesús, Marcos Kempff

Estudios Bíblicos

ES-Asombrosa personalidad de Jesús

Las Posadas-Manual Español, Krysia Heimer, Marcos Kempff

Liturgias

(nuevo) Las Posadas-manual español

Food Insecurity & Gendered Vulnerability – Sarai/Sarah And Rebekah In Genesis, Maricel S. Ibita

Theology Department Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sabbath As A Healing Place: Alleviating Anxiety, Worry, And Depression In Gen. Z, Christopher Stephen

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

"Sabbath as a Healing Place: Alleviating Anxiety, Worry, and Depression in Generation Z" delves into the restorative capacity of Sabbath observance as a mechanism to reduce anxiety, worry, and depression, within Generation Z. Generation Z's unique socio-cultural landscape is characterized by pervasive digital interconnectedness and significant exposure to multiple global crises. Within this context, observance of the Sabbath provides an opportunity to experience a physical and psychological respite. The research aims to explore the potential of Sabbath observance as a mechanism for alleviating anxiety, worry, and depression among individuals in Generation Z. Nine participants within the Generation Z demographic underwent …

Of Light And Shadows: Buddhism, Cinema, And The Question Of Diffused Religion In Modern China, Teng-Kuan Ng

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

While the scholarship on premodern Chinese Buddhism has explored the tradition’s rich diffusion throughout various realms of sociocultural life, the study of modern Chinese Buddhism leans heavily towards its monastic, institutional, and overtly “religious” forms. This split mirrors the logic of modern secularization, whereby religion should be rationally differentiated from the broader social fabric, institutionalized, and delimited within its own discrete functional sphere. This article rethinks the putative rupture between Chinese Buddhism’s past and present incarnations. Through the prism of cinema, a technology that arrived on Chinese shores at the same moment as the Western concept of religion, I illuminate …

Faithful Stewards, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Christotechtonics: Dildonic Prostheticity In Theological Formulation, Evan Taylor Marsolek

Dissertations

This dissertation asserts the following claim: Christ is a dildo. This project brings Paul B. Preciado into conversations with contemporary philosophies of religion and interrogates a hegemonic Christian theological political matrix. This project articulates a hermeneutic of christotechtonics, which studies appearance, formation, and utilization of Christ. This project is twofold. It begins with a transdisciplinary exploration that entangles queer and trans theories, religious studies, secular studies, and philosophy of religion to position reading queer and trans theories as forms of counter political theologies. The work then transitions into dildonic prostheticity in theological formulation. The 2019 Vatican document “Male and Female …

Pastoral Prose And Civic Engagement: Crafting The Call To The Public Square, Christopher Ian Thoma

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores the relationship between creative writing techniques employed by pastors and congregational engagement in the public square. The central thesis posits that if pastors incorporate creative writing methods in extended weekly communications with congregants, then the necessary factors for engagement in the public square will be fostered, leading to attitudinal shifts demonstrated by increased congregational interest or participation in civil affairs. Through an extensive literature review, the thesis fairly examines historical and contemporary views of church and state, the Two Kingdoms doctrine, concepts relative to public square participation, Christianity’s waning cultural influence, communication science, developmental theory, literature familiarity, …

The Dialectics Of Faith: Kierkegaard, Irony, And Conversion, Douglas Zimmerman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher, offers a profound perspective on conversion. According to him, conversion isn't a mere external change, but a deeply personal and internal transformation. It's about moving from a state of despair to faith. Kierkegaard believed that true conversion involves a passionate leap of faith, where an individual confronts their own subjectivity and makes a conscious, often paradoxical, choice to align themselves with their authentic values and spiritual beliefs. In his view, conversion is a constant process, requiring introspection, struggle, and a commitment to live authentically in the face of life's uncertainties. In order to communicate this …

Reconciling Moral Dissonance: A Framework For Re-Integrating Moral Orientation With Life Agency During Warfighters’ Struggles With Military Moral Injury, Jeffrey L. Zust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses case studies to critically examine the Three Mirror Model (TMM) as a framework for understanding the formation and healing of Military Moral Injury (MMI). I adapt the work of Stephen Brookfield and Neal Krause to evaluate using the TMM as a methodology for dealing with the complex issues of MMI within a military deployment cycle (training, warfighting, and healing) (Brookfield 2012, 2017; Krause 2022). Specifically, I use theorists, researchers, healers, and warfighters as key stakeholders to identify and critically examine the intersections of disciplines and the subsets of models where warfighters’ moral orientations and moral agency form …

Saint Brigit And Her Habits: Exploring Queerness In Early Medieval Ireland, Jacqueline K. Stephenson

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Saint Brigit's behavior and reception by society highlight an avenue by which women in the early medieval period could escape societal strictures, exercising agency over their bodies and their romantic choices, and carve out a distinct and unexpected place for themselves in a Christian patriarchal society. In Saint Brigit’s case, this is especially demonstrated by the breadth of her portrayed power as not just a nun but a saint, her extreme resistance to marriage, and her frequent comparisons to men. Indeed, her hagiography, written by Cogitosus in the seventh century, positioned her as one of the three principal and earliest …

Salvation Of The Nations In Isaiah, Isaiah M. Gillette

NEXUS: The Liberty Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

In the book of Isaiah, a key theme that is present is the salvation of the nations. This salvation is in the form of peace on earth, peace in the millennium, and salvation of the soul through the Messiah Jesus Christ. Articles are looked at that discuss specific passages about the salvation of the nations in Isaiah. The passages themselves are also studied to determine what they say about the salvation of the nations. Some authors of the articles argue for different views on certain passages, like that it is of judgment of the nations instead of salvation of the …