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The Stromata Vol. 53, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

5- Here I Am by Scott De Young

7- A Brief Breviary of Sin by Dylan O’Brien Pahman

15- The Prohibition of Sorcery in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Law by Daniel J. Vos

43- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in a ‘Sea of Gospels’: An Apologetic for the Four Canonical Gospels by Mark VanderWerf

57- John Calvin and the Authority of the Fathers: An Interaction with A. N. S. Lane’s Ancillary View by Joshua C. Smith

77- The Hardening of the Heart in the Conquest Narrative: Reconsidering the Identity of הצרעה in Joshua 24:12 by Samyung …

Music As A Bridge: An Alternative For Existing Historical Churches In Reaching Young Adults, David B. Parker

Doctor of Ministry

The problem of young adults leaving the existing historical churches has
caused many churches to look for ways to communicate the message of the gospel in new
ways. New churches are springing up around the country in an attempt to minister to
younger generations. Churches large and small are using technology to communicate in a
new era, but one tool has been relatively untapped by existing historical churches when
trying to continue ministry to younger generations. Music is a critical piece of the
ministry in the twenty-first century and churches need to see the gift of music not as a …

Performing Religiously Between Passion And Resistance, William Robert

Religion - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Joseph Smith, Romanticism, And Tragic Creation, Terryl Givens

English Faculty Publications

Joseph Smith, as I think historians readily recognize, has much to commend him as a Romantic thinker. Personal freedom was as sacred to him as to the young Schiller, his emphasis on individualism invites comparison with Byron and Emerson, his view of restoration as inspired syncretism is the religious equivalent of Friedrich Schlegel's "progressive universal poetry," his hostility to dogma and creeds evokes Blake's cry, "I must create my own system or be enslaved by another man's," and his celebration of human innocence and human potential transform into theology what Rousseau and Goethe had merely plumbed through the novel and …

Journal Of Mormon History Vol. 38, No. 2, Spring 2012

Journal of Mormon History

CONTENTS

LETTERS

--Augusta Adams Cobb Young: Priesthood Holder Connell O’Donovan, vii

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

--“Not as a Stranger”: A Presbyterian Afoot in the Mormon Past William P. MacKinnon, 1

TANNER LECTURE

--Mormon Stories: A Librarian’s Perspective George A. Miles, 47

ARTICLES

--From Doctor to Disciple: Willard Richards’s Journey to Mormonism Devery S. Anderson, 67

--New Ways In: Writing Interdisciplinary Mormon History Introduction Rachel Cope, 99

--Shifting the Plot: Possibilities in Mormon Women’s History Rachel Cope, 100

--History through Liturgy: What Worship Remembers Matthew Bowman, 108

--A Shared Historicist Enterprise: Mormon History through a Literary …

The Construction Of Belief : Reflections On The Thought Of Mohammed Arkoun, Abdou Filali-Ansari, Aziz Esmail

Independent Volumes

Mohammed Arkoun was one of the most prominent and influential Arab intellectuals of his day. During a career spanning more than thirty years, he was revered as an outstanding research scholar, a bold critic of the theoretical tensions embedded within Islamic studies and an outspoken public figure, upholding political, social and cultural modernism.

This festschrift honours Mohammed Arkoun’s scholarship, bringing together the contributions of eleven distinguished scholars of history, religious studies and philosophy. It offers a comprehensive selection of critical engagements with Arkoun’s work, reflecting on his considerable influence on contemporary thinking about Islam and its ideological, philosophical and theological …

Full Issue, Number 35, Spring 2012

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Number 36, Fall 2012

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Beguiling Religion: The Bifurcations And Biopolitics Of Spirituality And Medicine, M. Therese Lysaught

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Political Competition, Relative Deprivation, And Perceived Threat: A Research Note On Anti-Chrstian Violence In India, Chad Bauman, Tamara Leach

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

A preliminary subnational statistical analysis of violence against Christians in contemporary India, this article suggests that whereas the data provide very little support for simple, demographic explanations of this violence, they do more robustly support theories emphasizing the relative status of ethnic and religious minorities (vis-à-vis majorities) and the perception, among Hindus, that Christians (and other minorities) represent a threat to their numerical, political and economic strength.

Romans 1:18-2:11 And The Substructure Of Psalm 106(105): Evocations Of The Calf?, Alexander James Lucas

Dissertations

Employing an architectural metaphor inspired by C. H. Dodd and utilizing methodology that draws from Richard B. Hays and Francis Watson, this dissertation presents a primary proposal and secondary sketch. The primary proposal is that both constitutively and rhetorically (through ironic, inferential, and indirect application), Ps 106(105) serves as the substructure for Paul's argumentation throughout Rom 1:18-2:11. Constitutively, Rom 1:18-32 (especially vv. 22-32) hinges on the triadic interplay between "they (ex)changed" and "God gave them over," an interplay that creates a sin-retribution sequence with an a-ba-ba-b pattern (vv. 22-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32). Both elements of this a-ba-ba-b pattern derive from …

A New Light On Elias Hicks, Stephen W. Angell

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Mission And Catholic Identity [Booklet], Office Of Mission And Catholic Identity

Mission & Culture Publications

‌The Office of Mission and Catholic Identity at Sacred Heart University has as its primary purpose the articulation, promotion and transmission of the Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Tradition.

Anticipating The Year 2000: Howard Nielson, Byu, And Statistics, Natalie J. Blades, G. Bruce Schaalje

BYU Studies

In the 1950s, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considered creating BYU satellite campuses around the western United States and asked BYU President Ernest Wilkinson to recommend locations. At the same time, Stanford researcher Howard Nielson created a careful projection of future demand for wood in America that drew much attention. Wilkinson hired Nielson to create a projection of future growth of the Church and demand for a BYU education. Upon learning that Nielson was a member of the Church, Wilkinson invited him to join the faculty of BYU, and the BYU Department of Statistics was …

The Medical Practice Of Dr. Frederick G. Williams, Frederick G. Williams

BYU Studies

Frederick Granger Williams (1787-1842) was a leader in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but also served as a justice of the peace, scribe, editor, and medical practitioner. In the early nineteenth century, the medical profession was in its infancy, beginning a slow shift from barbaric practices (generally bleeding and calomel) to herbal treatments that were at least mild if not particularly effective. Dr. Williams conscientiously followed the botanic methods and theories of Samuel S. Thomson, who published a book (The Thomsonian Materia Medica) and sold patents to those who read his …

Public Theology For Global Development: A Case Study Dealing With "Health" In Africa, Gregg A. Okesson

The Asbury Journal

This article makes a simple assertion. The problems faced by global societies require a multi-disciplinary approach, in which theology actively engages other disciplines, such as politics, health, economics, science, and cultural studies, for the purposes of helping the Church of Jesus Christ accurately represent "the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Eph 1:23). This reflects the writings of John Wesley and involves a process of reinterpreting the Asburian heritage of "the whole Bible for the whole World" for relating the Gospel to such issues as poverty, disease, famine, ecological disaster, and other facets of development crisis. In …

The Tabernacle And Contextual Worship, Craig Keener

The Asbury Journal

Christians today sometimes debate the propriety of contemporary worship styles. Examining features of Exodus's tabernacle in light of cultures surrounding ancient Israel offers one biblical model for contextual worship. These features reveal that this model was relevant to its cultural setting Some contextual elements fit Israel's setting merely out of necessity or expediency. Other elements employ existing forms, sometimes even from non-Israelite religious practices, to communicate a point intelligible within that cultural sphere. Still other elements show striking contrasts with surrounding cultures, contrasts highlighted all the more conspicuously by the aforementioned similarities. Noticing which elements are similar and which elements …

Christian Sensitivity In Interreligious Relation, Paul D. Numrich

The Asbury Journal

This essay reflects on the implications of my mandate to guide seminary students "to think creatively and responsibly about how to proclaim the Christian gospel in multi-cultural contexts with a sensitivity to interfaith perspectives." I ask the question, What does it mean for Christian seminarians--and Christians generally--to engage adherents of other faiths with sensitivity to their perspectives? I offer a general definition of "sensitivity" and distinguish Christian sensitivity from other kinds, in that it is informed by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit in the living heritage of the Christian faith. …

Atheist Scripts In A Nation Of Religiosity: Identity Politics Within The Atheist Movement, Jacqueline Frost

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the use of identity politics within the atheist movement at both the national and individual levels. I conducted a content analysis of two national atheist groups and three best-selling atheist authors in order to assess the use of atheist identity politics at the national level. I then conducted 15 in-depth interviews with a sample of atheists in Portland, Oregon about their atheist identity and their reactions to and identification with national atheist movement strategies. Findings suggest that national atheist organizations and atheist authors are using a strategy of identity politics that encourage atheists to "come out" as …

Virtue, Friendship, And Polis: A Reading Of Paul's Letter To The Philippians, Le Chih Hsieh

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Immaculate Condemnation, Corey Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My work is a continuously evolving self portrait formulated by a combination of past experiences and influences. The Immaculate Condemnation body of work is a cathartic reaction that confronts Catholic Sin and rebels against gender conformity. As both a confirmed Catholic and transgender woman, I speak from an authentic voice that seeks open conversation regarding these topics. I also hope to demystify the transsexual body for the non-transgendered viewer. Additionally, I use allegoric imagery to communicate my interpretation of beauty, power, horror, and sex. I combine performance, photography, sculpture, video, audio, and graphic design to execute my installations. I intentionally …

Biblical Curses And The Displacement Of Tradition (Book Review), Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Britt, Brian Biblical Curses and the Displacement of Tradition Bible in the Modern World 34 Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2011. Pp. x + 309. ISBN 9781907534119.

Discernment-Oriented Leadership In The Johannine Situation—Abiding In The Truth Versus Lesser Alternatives (Chapter In Rethinking The Ethics Of John: Implicit Ethics In The Johannine Writings), Paul N. Anderson

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Excerpt: "Leadership within the Johannine situation has been approached from various angles, ranging from structures of leadership, to the location of Johannine Christianity with relation to other groups, to the identity/nonidentity of Johannine leaders. Common to these and other inquiries regarding leadership within the Johannine situation, however, is a focus on the character and operation of leadership that is proposed, both of which relate centrally to abiding in the truth. Further, the call to abide in the truth pits this value over lesser alternatives in ways apparent over the longitudinal span of the Johannine situation. It comes to a head …

Wherein Lies Virtue? Secular Matters And Godly Matters In The Works Of Sarah Fielding, Mary Ann Rooks

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

Like many writers of the eighteenth century, Sarah Fielding frequently proclaims that the function of her narratives, and of fiction in general, is to inculcate virtue through entertaining storytelling; in her novels she forthrightly intends, as she says in the introduction to The Cry, to "entertain and instruct:' In her prefatory and other critical materials, she tends to draw from an arsenal of commonly referenced classical poets and early modern philosophers, essayists, and literary masters to illustrate and defend her moral purpose. Indeed, one might be led to believe, based solely on reading the ancillary, nonfiction expressions surrounding Fielding's …

Not Quite At The Well: 2 Samuel 11 As An Inverted Betrothal Journey Narrative, David B. Ridge

Library Research Grants

No abstract provided.

A Strategy Toward Healing And Reconciliation Through Forgiveness Training For The Members Of The Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Glenford Baxter

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A focus group at the Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church, prior to the onset of this research, identified three key areas of conflict that must be addressed in order to improve its spiritual life and experience growth. One of the identified areas of conflict was the lack of forgiveness and a need for reconciliation among members. Unwillingness on the part of some members to both give and receive forgiveness has led to significant declines in attendance and loss of members over the past ten years.

Method

The project undertakes the development of a four-part biblical sermon series over two month …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Intervention Strategy In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Evans Nwachukwu Nwaomah

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Increasingly Seventh-day Adventist church families in the Port Harcourt area of Rivers Conference are experiencing domestic violence. During ministerial meetings, pastors express their growing frustrations and concerns about family quarrels which sometime result into physical attacks and such attacks then escalate beyond common understanding.

Method. This exploratory study utilized a survey questionnaire administered to 377 participants, ages 18 years and above, attending Seventh-day Adventist churches in PortHarcourt, Nigeria. The instrument for this research was adapted from the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979) and the National Violence Against Women Survey (NAVAW) (Tjaden & Thonnes, 2000). The CTS is a 39-item …

Religious Culture: Faith In Soviet And Post-Soviet Russia, Jerry Pankhurst

Russian Culture

The former Soviet Union is undergoing a religious revival. People inside and outside the Russian Orthodox church are reexamining its ancient ways, rediscovering its long-forgotten saints, searching its institutional memory for answers to urgent questions facing the nation. The Western reaction to this remarkable resurgence of religion in Russia has been mixed. All observers welcome the fact that free inquiry about religion and free religious worship have been restored in the Russian Federation. At the same time, many are concerned about the xenophobic tendencies that have accompanied the religious revival in Russia and that became especially evident after the liberal …

An Investigation Into The Neural Substrates Of Virtue To Determine The Key Place Of Virtues In Human Moral Development, Andrew P.J Mullins

Theses

Virtues, as described by Aristotle and Aquinas, are understood as dispositions of character to behave in habitual, specific, positive ways; virtue is a critical requirement for human flourishing. From the perspective of Aristotelian-Thomistic anthropology which offers an integrated vision of the material and the rational in the human person, I seek to identify the neural bases for the development and exercise of moral virtue. First I review current neuroscientific knowledge of the capacity of the brain to structure according to experience, to facilitate behaviours, to regulate emotional responses and support goal election. Then, having identified characteristics of moral virtue in …

Stanley Hauerwas’S Influence On Catholic Moral Theology, Jana Marguerite Bennett

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

One might begin considering the reception of Stanley Hauerwas’s work in Catholic moral theology by asking: why did both Commonweal and First Things opt to publish reviews of Hauerwas’s memoir Hannah’s Child? What is it about Hauerwas’s theological discussion of his own work that engages an educated Catholic audience of magazines putatively representing both ends of the spectrum? It is not only that both journals actively seek engagement with Protestant voices; nor is it only that Hauerwas has a degree of renown, thanks to Time magazine. It is also exactly what Peter Steinfels alludes to in his review, that Hauerwas …