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Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

From The Editor, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

An Evangelical Theology Of Religions, Timothy C. Tennent

The Asbury Journal

This is a reprint of chapter seven of Dr. Tennent’s book Invitation to World Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications 2010) published with permission from Kregel Publications and Dr. Tennent. It provides an evangelical response to the issue of a theology of world religions, especially as a critique and corrective of the classical paradigm of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism as initially developed by Alan Race and later refined by Paul Knitter. Tennent argues that the paradigm itself is problematic and needs to be nuanced to include a broader theological framework beyond issues of soteriology as well as a recognition of …

Going Deeper: Cognitive Anthropology’S Contributions To Moving Beyond Cultural Competency In Mental Health Practices, Michael Bennett

The Asbury Journal

Modern mental health counseling aims to highlight a number of values, including multiculturalism and social justice. Such values are very important when dealing with counseling in many areas, but in this article, they are applied to counseling in the area of “trauma.” Cognitive anthropology provides a set of tools for understanding a client’s expectations and constructs of meaning, which are rooted in their lived experiences and cultural worldview. This paper will also introduce two areas of application where a cognitive anthropological approach can be applied to multicultural counseling in the areas of communication and treatment, which can help further improve …

“The Plain, Old Faith”: Theological Foundations For A Scientifically Informed Constructive Doctrine Of Original Sin In The Wesleyan Tradition, Logan Patriquin

The Asbury Journal

How should Wesleyans integrate modern understandings of science with theological commitments to the idea of original sin? After offering some historical context for Wesley’s engagement with the doctrine of original sin, this article aims to put contemporary socio- scientific discussions. The authority of scripture is engaged in light of Wesley’s “analogy of faith” and James K. A. Smith’s “Narrative-Arc” theological method. Insights of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology are then combined with Wesley’s understanding of universal human sinfulness and regenerating grace. The article explores Wesley’s holistic theological anthropology and contemporary emergence theory in their respective attempts to understand sin’s nefarious substance …

Book Reviews

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Imago Dei: A Theological Grounding For Discussions On Social Issues And Generational Cohorts, Gerardo Oudri

180 Symposium Publications

Discussing “social issues” and “Gen. Z” can be done from many angles and perspectives. While this is good and necessary, it seems imperative to provide a solid and cohesive theological foundation on which those discussions can stand. This paper proposes the biblical concept of the “image of God” as that platform, and argues that despite the differing views and understandings of “Imago Dei,” there is sufficient general consensus on fundamental points which provides both the foundation and the direction for a Christian perspective on “social issues.”

The Temple Past, Present & Future, Stephen D. Ricks, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Interpreter Foundation Books

Taken as a whole, 3 Nephi 19 presents us with a ritual sequence unlike anything else we encounter in ancient or modern scripture. Mormon’s account of the second day of Jesus’s threeday ministry among the Lamanites and Nephites at the temple in Bountiful (3 Nephi 26:13)1 begins with additive scenes of kneeling (3 Nephi 19:6, 18, 16–17), proskynesis (3 Nephi 19:19, 27), baptism (3 Nephi 19:11–13), temple prayer (3 Nephi 19:6–10, 17–18, 20–24, 20–35), Aaronic priestly blessing (3 Nephi 19:25), and high priestly intercessory prayer (3 Nephi 19:19–24, 27–29, 31–35).

Call And Response: How Christian Musicians Can Glorify God In Their Work, Sergio Gallardo Palma

Theses and Dissertations

While many Christians take up their work in the world in the context of formal ministry or by pursuing a career in worship music, there are also many musicians who are devout Christians who do not necessarily feel called to express their vocation in such contexts. Nonetheless, they can take up their work in the world through their craft and glorify God in countless ways that do not necessitate making overtly Christian music or leading worship at their church. This thesis will first explore a pneumatological theology of work. It will then explore the calling of the musician, focusing on …

World Enough, Tracy Fessenden

Mormon Studies Review

I value reviews that help me decide whether a book is likely to light up the classroom, so I will say it straightaway: Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon will. Classroom friendliness in the humanities feels especially pressing now, as the larger share of our students set foot in our fields to fulfill distribution requirements on their way to degrees in business or STEM. If your class in American literature or history or religious studies is the one experience of your discipline that students who take it are likely to seek, a semester’s offering built around this book will …

Between Law And Theology: Russia's Modern Orthodox Canonists, Vera Shevzov

Religion: Faculty Books

Chapter Abstract: This chapter surveys the Orthodox scholars who developed the academic study of church/canon law in modern Russia. The story begins in 1863 with the decision to establish departments of church law in the law faculties of Russian universities. The university-based pioneers were joined by peers in Orthodox theological academies, where parallel degree-granting departments of church/canon law were established in 1884. The chapter offers an overview of the family background, education, and career paths of the modern canonists as an identifiable, albeit diverse, professional group. Five of the most productive canonists are presented in greater detail with a focus …

A Theology Of Confirmation From The Canon Of Scripture, Peter Pellicaan

Theses

In the last forty years, scholars have commonly referred to confirmation as the “sacrament in search of a theology.” While various works have offered a theology of confirmation in recent years, they have not employed an explicitly biblical method. In contrast, the early Church Fathers and ecclesiastical writers engaged an biblical method by employing a typological interpretation of scripture in order to understand baptism and the eucharist. In this sense, circumcision, the crossing of the Red Sea and the waters referred to in the creation narrative have been understood as prefiguring baptism; the Passover inaugurated by Moses in Egypt is …

Is There A Catholic Theology Of Masculinity?, Peter Holmes

Theses

In recent times Catholic theologians have begun to speak of a ‘feminine genius’. Yet relatively little attention given to the unique and positive contribution of masculinity and manhood to relationships, the Church and society. This thesis aims to answer the question, “Is there a corresponding ‘masculine genius?” It attempts to synthesise a specifically Catholic understanding of masculinity from the magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church, to determine a basis for development of the Catholic understanding of masculinity and to propose some lines of development for Catholic theology in this area.

Chapter One will establish the need for and purpose of …

Religion And Theatrical Drama, Charles A. Gillespie Ed., Larry D. Bouchard Ed.

Catholic Studies Faculty Publications

With an introduction on how to redefine our thinking about religion and theatrical drama, these nine essays on contemporary and classic plays rehabilitate the link between theatrical performance and dramatic stories for the study of religion. These new and distinctively interdisciplinary perspectives will be of interest to scholars working in the fields of religion, theology, theatre and performance studies, literary studies, and philosophy.

From Quandary Cases To Ordinary Life: New Opportunities To Connect Social Ethics And Health Care Ethics, Conor M. Kelly

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

In Christian bioethics, the call for a greater integration of social ethics and medical ethics is a popular refrain, yet lasting progress toward this goal has been elusive, in part due to the traditional emphasis on quandary cases in medical ethics. This article develops an alternative approach to moral discernment in health care, employing a theological interpretation of solidarity to promote greater social consciousness in ordinary health care decision making. This shifts the ethical analysis from abstract scenarios to everyday choices, elevating the moral significance of seemingly mundane concerns like antibiotic use and diet and exercise.

The Role Of Islam In Establishing Women's Rights In The Muslim World, Assad Khan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper examines the literature surrounding women's rights in the Muslim world to determine the factors that have contributed to the oppression of women in the Muslim world and to understand the role that different interpretations of Islam can have on either restricting or improving the status of women in the Muslim world. The practices of Muslim people as a population deviate from what is prescribed by Islam in some cases, contributing to the misconception that the restrictive practices toward women in many Muslim-majority countries are founded in Islamic teachings. Factors such as individual levels of religiosity and adherence to …

Even Rocks Are Alive: Christian Animist Disruptions Of The Species Divide, Mark I. Wallace

Religion Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Religious Naturalisms, Carol W. White

Other Faculty Research and Publications

This article focuses on recent developments in religious naturalism in the twenty-first century, building on Jerome Stone’s 2008 study of its resurgence in the mid-twentieth century. I introduce religious naturalism as a synthesis of naturalistic ideas that often depart from traditional forms of religious thinking, defining it as a capacious, ecological religious worldview grounded in the observational conviction that nature is ultimate. I also describe different models of religious naturalism, focusing on the key ideas found in the influential publications of contemporary religious naturalists (e.g., Ursula Goodenough, Donald Crosby, Loyal Rue, among others). While acknowledging specific points of emphasis, I …

The Body Of Christ As Community: Does A Patriarchal Hierarchy Make Sense For The Body Of Christ?, Cindy Kozal

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper examines what it means to be Church. It looks briefly at the idea of what was Church prior to Vatican II and then addresses the vision of Vatican II’s Church by looking at the document Lumen Gentium. It then turns to the 2014 document Sensus Fedei, which builds upon some of the discussion of the People of God. Richard Gaillardetz offers an important vision of Vatican II and a model of the noncompetitive church. While pneumatology is not the main focus, it can hardly be avoided as Lumen Gentium is filled with references to the working of …

Ecological Repentance, Emmanuel Salem

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an age ripe with discovery and analysis regarding anthropogenic pollution and the resultant climate change, a causal ideological explanation is naturally sought. This paper seeks to delve deep into the Christian religion and its relationship to the current climate crisis, as well as discuss whether or not predictions and speculative assertions professed in the famous essay by Lynn White, Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, hold up when surveyed with a more critical and thorough evaluative lens. This conversation is undertaken under three core considerations: biblical cosmology, what has happened in the world of Christian bioethics since White’s time, …

Religion And Theatrical Drama, An Introduction, Larry D. Bouchard, Charles A. Gillespie

Catholic Studies Faculty Publications

Often, a lonely light bulb illuminates the edge of a stage outside of working hours. Part safety mechanism against falling in the dark and part theatrical tradition, the “ghost light” keeps the living alive and brightens up the place for any spirits still hoping to practice an old monologue. Stages juxtapose worlds, or fragments of worlds. The ghost light, then, would illuminate juxtaposed worlds, of the living and of the possibly otherwise. In some ways, this Special Issue of Religions takes theatrical juxtaposition as its premise. We invited papers working at intersections between studies of religious history, thought, and practice …

Modeling The Effects Of Religious Belief And Affiliation On Prosociality, Luke Galen, Ross Gore, F. Leron Shults

VMASC Publications

To what extent do supernatural beliefs, group affiliation, and social interaction produce values and behaviors that benefit others, i.e., prosociality? Addressing this question involves multiple variables interacting within complex social networks that shape and constrain the beliefs and behaviors of individuals. We examine the relationships among some of these factors utilizing data from the World Values Survey to inform the construction of an Agent-Based Model. The latter was able to identify the conditions under which - and the mechanisms by which - the prosociality of simulated agents was increased or decreased within an "artificial society" designed to reflect real world …

Interpersonal Forgiveness: An Approach To The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Gianna S. Volonte

Honors Papers

Finding peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has been a daunting and, thus far, impossible task for the past 75 years. Many countries have attempted to negotiate and mediate peace between the two conflict groups, including the United States, Norway, and most Arab nations. With each of these failed attempts, Israelis and Palestinians sank deeper into violence and destruction, believing that retributive justice was the only solution to this conflict. This paper addresses the possibility of a different, non-violent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – forgiveness. Forgiveness offers Israelis and Palestinians a path to peace, co-existence, and reconciliation through personal relationships …

Constructing A Hindu Black Theology, Akshay Gupta

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Subhedar’S Son: A Narrative Of Brahmin-Christian Conversion From Nineteenth-Century Maharashtra. By Deepra Dandekar, Arun W. Jones

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Untouchable Bodies, Resistance, And Liberation: A Comparative Theology Of Divine Possessions. By Joshua Samuel, Michelle Voss Roberts

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Bavinck's Doctrine Of God: Absolute, Divine Personality, Gayle E. Doornbos

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

The Other’S Humanity With Or Without The Other’S Religiosity, Retief Müller

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Taking Wentzel van Huyssteen’s work on early human uniqueness in relation to symbolic or religious awareness as a starting point, this article raises a question whether an implicit connection between humanity and the capacity for religiosity had anything to say about how one could evaluate the so-called other’s religion and their humanity. Does the recognition of the other’s full humanity demand an equal recognition of their religiosity, or are these separable? Rather than attempting to answer this hypothetically, the question is approached historically. The article touches on how the capacity to evaluate religion from the outside emerged in modernity and …