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Reformed Worship (Rw) 120 - Beauty (June 2016), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Features

Worshiping with the Psalms by the Synodical Worship Planning Team....3

Strength and Beauty Are in God's Sanctuary by Lisa DeBoer....11

Commemorating the Reformation for the 500th Time by John Witvliet....38

Articles

Editorial: Why Beauty? by Joyce Borger....2

Beauty Revealed by Phil Schaafsma....20

Recovering the Power of Biblical Imagery by William Dyrness....27

Words of Life by Kari Kristina Reeves....34

For Pastors: Preaching in Tough Times by Scott Hoezee....36

Resources

Singing Like David by Becca Whitla....11

Come and See: From Brokenness to Beauty by Brenda Holtrop....23

Beauty in Children's Worship Spaces …

Vision, Summer 2016

Vision

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

VisionFinding Aid

Child Prostitution: Inadequate Response By The Church, Gabrielle Alexis

Masters Theses

Child sex trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained eighteen years of age. Based on that definition, there is an alarming number of children that are being sexually enslaved. This paper specifically focuses on child sex trafficking or child prostitution. It presents a detailed analysis of the extent of child prostitution worldwide, discusses the long-term effects of child prostitution, analyzes the adequacy of the Church’s …

Courage In Politics: The Challenge For Christian Politicians, Egbert Schuurman

Pro Rege

Editor’s Note: This article was presented by Dr. Egbert Schuurman as the annual Groen van Prinsterer Lecture for 2011, sponsored by the ChristenUnie or Christian Union, a political party in the Netherlands. The lecture series is named after Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer (1801–1876), the father of modern Dutch Christian politics. Egbert Schuurman, P.Eng., Ph.D., was senator for the Christian Union in the Dutch parliament from 1983 through 2011.

This text was translated by Herbert Donald Morton and edited by Harry Van Dyke.

Maimonides’ Yahweh: How His Via Negativa God Influenced Rabbinic Judaism And Its Subsequent Misunderstanding Of Incarnational Christian Theology, Amy Downey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The life of Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) remains a mystery to many within evangelical Christianity while he is lauded as a “Second Moses” within Modern Judaism. In many ways, Maimonides is deserving of the title as his understanding of the nature of God being that of via Negativa created a rationale for rejecting the Messiahship claims of Jesus in Rabbinic Judaism. However, and one of the purposes of this dissertation, is to illustrate that Maimonides in his desire to create an anti-Christian apologetic regarding the Incarnation fashioned a Judaism that does not reflect the truths of the Tanakh (Old Testament) …

The Importance Of Preaching For The Transformation Of Christians In Korea, Ho Jung Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Korean Christians have had a problem with the transformation of their values and life-styles following their conversion. This thesis project will attempt to prove that one of the most important factors in the transformation of new believers, is biblical preaching. It will further attempt to show that much of the preaching in Korea is non-Christocentric, and this is especially ineffective in transformation. To produce transformation in new believers, churches need Christocentric preaching. This thesis project will explore Christocentric preaching’s historical background, principles, and importance. This project will also present the advantage, need, and importance of doctrinal expository preaching, especially in …

Maimonides’ Yahweh: How His Via Negativa God Influenced Rabbinic Judaism And Its Subsequent Misunderstanding Of Incarnational Christian Theology, Amy Downey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The life of Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) remains a mystery to many within evangelical Christianity while he is lauded as a “Second Moses” within Modern Judaism. In many ways, Maimonides is deserving of the title as his understanding of the nature of God being that of via Negativa created a rationale for rejecting the Messiahship claims of Jesus in Rabbinic Judaism. However, and one of the purposes of this dissertation, is to illustrate that Maimonides in his desire to create an anti-Christian apologetic regarding the Incarnation fashioned a Judaism that does not reflect the truths of the Tanakh (Old Testament) …

Reconciliation: All Our Relations, Kelly Laurila

Consensus

The author shares the national, community (local) and individual discourses taking place as they pertain to the reconciliation process that is happening with Indigenous and Settler peoples in Canada. Importantly, the author sheds light on a multitude of local efforts of reconciliation happening that have not yet made it to academic discourses and publications, but which could be instrumental in contributing to reconciliation. A key component emphasized in these reconciliation efforts and which could be the catalyst for change, is the importance of relationships. Stemming from an Indigenous epistemological perspective, the creation of positive relationships with others and ‘all our …

Exploring Pathways To Reconciliation, Kathleen E. Absolon, Akiesha E. Absolon-Winchester

Consensus

No abstract provided.

What The Trc Reveals About The Churches, Mark Mcdonald

Consensus

No abstract provided.

To Know Salvation: Marian Consecration As Antidote To New Gnosticisms, Maura Hearden Fehlner

Marian Studies

In this essay, the author initiates a discussion about key ways in which the theology behind and practice of Marian consecration as developed by St. Louis de Montfort both refutes the errors of and fulfills the longing indicated by the emergence of strong gnostic currents in contemporary thought. To accommodate the parameters of this project, discussion is limited to three categories of “new Gnosticisms”—political, New Age, and technological—and key theological concepts.

The Theology Of Reparation To The Immaculate Heart Of Mary, Arthur Burton Calkins

Marian Studies

The Theology of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a topic barely considered in modern theology, but strongly brought to the fore in the apparitions at Fatima and the subsequent apparitions to Sister Lúcia, the last surviving seer of Fatima and other mystics. The analogy or “likeness in difference” between the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the consecration to their Hearts, the Heart of the God-man and the Heart of the most perfect creature, is primary. In “Miserentissimus Redemptor,” Pius XI taught that just as in his agony Jesus not only …

The Heart Of Mary In Light Of A Biblical Anthropology: Mother, Mystic, And Prophet, Virginia M. Kimball

Marian Studies

The biblical emphasis of Vatican II and later developments, such as the address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Marian Congress of 2012 about studying the Blessed Mother from many different perspectives, have led mariologists to a new appreciation for a determined biblical-anthropological approach. This approach has great significance for understanding the heart of the Woman who “held all these things in her heart.” Mary’s heart connects all of us to her--as woman, mother, mystic, and prophet—to her who holds the Lord in her heart, a heart completely united to the heart of her Son, Jesus the Christ.

Theological Foundations For Devotion To The Hearts Of Jesus And Mary According To St. John Eudes (1601-1680), Robert Fastiggi

Marian Studies

St. John Eudes united devotion to Mary with devotion to her Son, Jesus Christ. For Eudes, the hearts of Jesus and Mary are inseparable. He recognized that the union of their two hearts is the most intimate union that ever existed. The heart of Jesus dwells in his Mother’s heart, forming a perfect union of the two hearts as one mystical heart. Eudes promoted the Feast of the Admirable Heart of Mary and the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in order to express the mystical union of the two hearts.

Female Role Models In Bukusu Folktales: Education At The Mother’S Hearth, Namulundah Florence

Publications and Research

Folktales serve a descriptive, as well as prescriptive role, by consistently depicting societal and cultural norms. Sexist portrayals sanction the marginality of Bukusu women, particularly when these reflect prevailing gender roles and expectations. However, contests over identity and representation are as ancient as (unwritten) history. The analysis of tales From Our Mothers’ Hearths: Bukusu Folktales and Proverbs, offers a wide range of role models for women; some of which depict female agency in exacting circumstances (Florence, N., 2005. From our Mothers’ Hearths: Bukusu Folktales and Proverbs. NJ: Africa World Pres/The Red Sea Press). Further, females as narrators, protagonists, and the …

“Recognizable Goodness” A Response To Beversluis’ Understanding Of God’S Goodness, Emily Mccarty

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

In her rebuttal to John Beversluis’ C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion, Emily McCarty makes the following arguments. Lewis maintains throughout these three works that God’s goodness is recognizable. In The Problem of Pain, what seems unlike or even not good to us, is upon reflection, good. In fact, there are similar human examples that show God’s goodness is not so very unlike our own. In “The Poison of Subjectivism,” Lewis does not empty good of meaning: rather he sources that meaning in the divine so that our morals have enduring meaning. In A Grief Observed …

Interfaith Youth Core: Theology And Religious Commitment In One Of America’S Most Prominent Youth Interfaith Organizations, Megan A. Weiss

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

This thesis project explores the role of faith and theology in the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), one of the most prominent youth interfaith organizations in North America in order to determine whether this organization is aptly titled. Through the lens of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s assertions about the role of faith in interfaith dialogue and relations, and in light of Diana Eck’s definition and explication of religious pluralism, it analyzes IFYC’s methodology and programs in terms of whether they the foster personal religious commitment and engender the deeper theological dialogue that Heschel and Eck believe are necessary in interfaith work. …

The Catholic Obligation To Educate, Neil G. Mccluskey, S.J.

The Catholic Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Which Side Are You On? : Prosthetic Vaginas, Cross-Dressing Madonnas, And Queer Theology In Virgin Of The Flames And Narcopolis, Nasreen Hannah Khan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Chris Abani describes a scene where his main character Black and Sweet Girl, a transsexual dancer, have intercourse for the first time. Black hesitates as he begins to penetrate her anally because, “he couldn’t become her this way. He knew this thing, this intimacy he craved wasn’t about love, or even sex, but about filling himself.” (275). Black does not want sex, he wants, as Sweet Girl does, to transcend boundaries of gender and the physical dimensions of sex. Similarly Thayil’s narrator Dimple, a castrated biological male prostitute living as a woman, expounds on the nature of sex after a …

‘Untruths And Propaganda’ – Churches Of Christ, Darwinism, And The 1985-1986 Acu Evolution Controversy, Paul A. Anthony

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1985-1986, Abilene Christian University endured what one observer called the worst attack in “size, nature and intensity” on a university affiliated with Churches of Christ. The flashpoint was whether two biology professors were teaching evolution as fact without refutation. The university denied it, but the controversy raged for two years. Left unanswered was the most basic of questions: Did ACU professors actually teach evolution without a creationist rebuttal? Which leads to another: Why in 1985 – 130 years after the publication of On the Origin of Species and 60 years after ACU had fired a professor who questioned readings …

The Road To Racial Progress In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church: A Survey Of Counsel And Policy From 1890-1920, Jon Ruhumuliza

Andrews Research Conference

The SDA church entered the South during a tumultuous period in American history. As a product of its time, the church adopted policies that limited the effectiveness of black outreach while seemingly unaware that it had accepted cultural norms towards African Americans. While the ambitions of the church expressed the inclusiveness of its Christian message, in practice it hindered itself due to prejudice by the membership along with inconsistent policies. Because of this the road to full integration of African Americans and the execution of Black Missions moved slowly. Regardless, African Americans progressed due to strong commitment to the message.

‘Perfect’ In Matt 5:48: A Case For Mandatory Retirement, Kent Yinger

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

The English gloss “perfect” is used less and less to translate Heb tam and Gk teleios in biblical texts referring to human beings (e.g., Noah, Job). Understandably so, since it strikes most readers (and exegetes) as out of place to refer to flawed human beings as “perfect.” In one place, however, this gloss stubbornly persists; namely, in Matt 5:48 (“be ye therefore perfect”). This paper will examine the interpretive background to this translation, possible reasons for its persistence in Matt 5:48, and will suggest alternatives for future translators.

Daily Devotions For The Deaf, May-August 2016

Daily Devotions for the Deaf

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Council Bluffs, IA

Daily Devotions for the Deaf Finding Aid

Veritas Fax Ardens – Truth Is A Flaming Torch, Meret A. Luthi

Senior Theses

Based on the vast amount of truth theories that have been suggested by a myriad of thinkers from various disciplines, it can be inferred that the question of truth has occupied humankind since the beginning of its existence. Even though some of these theories appear more promising than others, it also seems that every suggested answer poses yet further questions about what truth really is. This seemingly endless stream of debates and contradictory theories further indicates that the nature of truth remains an enigma and subject to interpretation. Reflecting on Dominican University’s Latin motto “Veritas Fax Ardens” (Truth Is a …

Suffering In The Human Experience: An Examination Of The Book Of Job And King Lear, Allison Denton

English Department Student Scholarship

This thesis uses the Old Testament figure of Job and the Shakespearean character King Lear to examine how suffering calls us to question life and its meaning. These works were chosen because of their authors' demonstrated value of life despite their protagonists' pain. This project originated from a desire to answer questions about the meaning of life that had arisen during four years of study at the College of the Holy Cross.

Kenotic Effluent Panapotheism, Christopher E. Etter

Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.R.S. Theses)

In these times of changing and evolving scientific discovery, philosophy and theology are at a critical juncture where they stand to lose all relevance if they are unable to keep up with the wealth of new knowledge and discoveries. Among the recent attempts in philosophy and theology to reconcile the relationship between science and these fields is Process Theology. Process Theology owes its origins to the 20th Century American philosopher Alfred North Whitehead. Whitehead and the philosophers and theologians he has influenced have developed a myriad of new theologies that all attempt to incorporate the new sciences, such as Quantum …

Introduction: Theorizing The Secular In Tibetan Cultural Worlds, Holly Gayley, Nicole Willock

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This special issue on ‘The Secular in Tibetan Cultural Worlds’ originated in a panel on The Secular in Tibet and Mongolia at the Thirteenth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2013. To contextualize the contributions to this issue, spanning diverse temporal and geographic contexts, this Introduction raises theoretical concerns and discusses contested terminology regarding ‘religion’ and the ‘secular’ in Tibetan discourse. The authors situate local articulations of the secular within broader academic discussions of the varieties of Asian secularisms and offer a key intervention to complicate the secularization thesis and prevailing views of …

Obligations Of Grace, Mark E. Roberts

Empowered21 Global Network of Spirit-Empowered Scholars

Grace obliges recipients to respond in gratitude and obedience to God, the giver of grace. While the New Testament emphasizes God's grace given through Jesus Christ in a New Covenant with believers, the Old Testament emphasizes grace more than many Christians recognize. Grace is expressed in the Old Testament especially through God's free choosing of Abraham as the "father of the faithful," through divine covenants with Abraham, with the divinely constituted nation of Israel, and with the governing house of David. Such grace abounds when God's covenanted people fail to keep their covenant, yet God, after disciplining the covenant people …

Divining The Southwest: Liminality, Pragmatism, And Regionalism In "Death Comes For The Archbishop", Alex C. Blomstedt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work aims to explore the themes of pragmatism and liminality, particularly as they pertain to spirituality, in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop. By taking an interdisciplinary critical approach to the novel, I will synthesize its spiritual affect into a sensibility called “pragmatic liminality.” Finally, I will connect this sensibility to other works in the Southwestern literary canon and elucidate the foundational importance that pragmatic liminality has to the Southwestern “sense of place” and its role in the larger narratives of regionalism in American literature.

Gospel Encounter With Subaltern India , Stanish Stanley

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This work examines the role of religio-cultural resources in enabling the transformation of a broken community and people.

In the context of nineteenth and twentieth century British India, an oppressed community in India set out to explore the possibility of challenging and re-defining their own destiny. This oppressed section of Indians who lived in the margins of Indian caste defined society were considered socially and ritually polluting people and were subservient to various socio-economic and religio-cultural biases. The daily life routine of this oppressed community, called the Sambavars (Pariahs) of the Malayalam speaking princely State of Travancore in South India, …