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Religious Tourism Versus Secular Pilgrimage: The Basilica Of La Sagrada Família, Estela Marine-Roig

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In recent decades, the number of tourists visiting religious buildings of special cultural attraction, mainly due to their exceptional architecture, has significantly increased. In such cases, it is hard to discern whether it is a question of religious tourism or of so-called secular pilgrimage. This paper analyses this issue by means of a paradigmatic case study: The Basilica of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Catalonia, a Roman Catholic church that receives over 3 million visitors a year; the part of the “unfinished cathedral”, built under the direction of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, was registered in 2005 as a cultural site …

Revisiting The Afterlife: The Inadequacies Of "Heaven" And "Hell", Christopher P. Davis

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

This paper deals with some of the ambiguities that are associated with the intermediate and final states after death. Whereas many in the church have dismissed these concepts as myths of the ancients, this discussion shows how the grounding of such beliefs in the Hebrew mindset was the key to Jesus’ own teachings about the afterlife. The argument begins by developing a biblical anthropology over against the modern naturalistic anthropologies that have largely dominated the philosophical and theological scenes. From here we look at the Old Testament concept of the afterlife, and how the modern view that the Hebrews were …

Our Master’S Legacy: Belief And Ritual In Mission De L’Esprit Saint, Dale Joseph Rose

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis is a folkloristic examination of the religious beliefs and rituals associated with members of a religious movement known as Mission De L’Ésprit Saint. Mission De L’Ésprit Saint is a Quebecois religious denomination which believes that their founder was the physical incarnation of the Holy Spirit, and the movement strives to continue the teachings which were laid down during his lifetime. The major components of Mission theology and history, as well as an introductory consideration of their cosmology and worldview will be the major focus of this document, as well as a consideration of the role that Folklore has …

The Nature Of Food: Indigenous Dene Foodways And Ontologies In The Era Of Climate Change, David S. Walsh

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Climate change leading to a drastic decline in caribou populations has prompted strict hunting regulations in Canada’s Northwest Territories since 2010. The Dene, a subarctic indigenous people, have responded by turning to tradition and calling for more respectful hunting to demonstrate respectful reciprocity to the caribou, including a community-driven foodways project on caribou conservation and Dene caribou conservation which I co-facilitated in 2011. In these ways the caribou is approached as a person. Dene responses to caribou decline can best be understood by ontological theories of an expanded notion of indigenous personhood. However, I argue these theories are inadequate without …

Scholarship In The Seminary, Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary

Current: Faith Meets Life and Culture

No abstract provided.

Occupy Judaism: Religion, Digital Media, And The Public Sphere, Ayala Fader, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This article provides an analysis of Occupy Judaism, an explicitly religious expression of Jewish protest, which occurred simultaneously with Occupy Wall Street, the direct-democracy movement of 2011. Occupy Judaism, like Occupy Wall Street, took place both in physical spaces of protest in New York City and digitally, through mobilizing and circulating debate. The article focuses on the words and actions of Daniel Sieradski, the public face and one of the key founders of Occupy Judaism, supplemented by the experiences of others in Occupy Judaism, Occupy Wall Street, and Occupy Faith (a Protestant clergy-led initiative). We investigate what qualified as religion …

Cubans In The United States, Antonio J. Lopez

Great Commission Research Journal

The term “Hispanic” is used in the United States for a large and diverse group of people. Cubans are among those that fall under this category, though they differ from other Hispanics. To understand some of the characteristic of Cubans, and to effectively reach them it is important to understand their history and culture. Mainly in Florida, Cubans are diffused throughout the United States, which requires flexibility and intentionality in reaching them. This article seeks to familiarize the reader with some of the historical, and cultural aspects of Cubans in order to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Monster Violence In The Book Of Job, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

In this paper, I explore the book of Job in terms of the symbolic and ideological warfare waged between God and the human protagonist, Job. Specifically, I argue that the invocation of various kinds of creatures under the “monster” rubric (such as Leviathan, Rahab, Yamm, the Twisting Serpent, and Behemoth) can be illuminated through a consideration of contemporary work—in the history of religions, literary theory, and film studies—that categorizes the monstrous in terms of ecological disorientation, metaphors of the torn human body, and the boundaries of the “home.” Moreover, I draw on the work of Marie Hélène Huet in her …

A Unified Vision: Hermeneutics Of Hunger And Feminist Ethics Of Care As Means For Approaching International Relations, With An Examination Of U.S. Political Involvement In Liberia, Joy Parker

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Global Church Growth Through Multicultural Mission Teams, Parnell M. Lovelace Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

The globalization of ministry outreach is emerging as the church is expanding its reach beyond the local community. As a result, many congregations have embraced multicultural mission team development. As models of leadership are capturing opportunities to develop strategic liaisons globally with various nations politically, educationally, financially, and socially, there appears to be an opportunity to implement or receive initiatives that mutually benefit both the hosting country and the serving organization. These opportunities are available to the local church or a consortium of local churches. The growth of the church and its impact is readily observed through the implementation and …

The Kingdom Of God And The Holy Spirit: Eschatology And Pneumatology In The Vineyard Movement, Douglas R. Erickson

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation explores the relationship between eschatology and pneumatology in the Vineyard movement. The Vineyard movement is a growing expression within the evangelical Protestant tradition that seeks to combine the core doctrines of Evangelicalism with the experience of the gifts of the Spirit that is often associated with Pentecostalism. As a relatively new faith expression, the Vineyard has not received a great deal of academic interest, and thus much of its core theological commitments have not yet been explored. I shall argue that the central theological distinctive of the Vineyard is their understanding of the inaugurated, enacted, eschatological kingdom of …

Summary And Initial Response To The Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The primary components of this decision depend on both a narrative of continuity and change."

Posting about the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage ­­­­­­­­from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/a-summary-and-initial-response-to-the-same-sex-marriage-ruling/

Moses And Liminality, David J. Krouwer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marked by two significant water crossings, the Hebrew Bible establishes the wilderness period in the Pentateuch as a liminal period marking rites of passage for the Israelites. Using a narrative critical approach and an anthropological understanding of liminality, this paper shows that Moses was depicted with an abundance of liminal characteristics and these made him the ultimate transitional tool for God to use in the maturation rites of his people. Further, known Essene beliefs and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the texts of the religious community that inhabited the site of Qumran in the latter half of the second temple period, …

Spiritual Care As Creative Interruption: Exploring A Generative Metaphor For Intercultural Healthcare Chaplaincy, Jamie Beachy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public healthcare institutions are increasingly culturally diverse, creating ethical challenges that arise from the complexities of competing values and beliefs. The ethical responsibility of chaplains to provide spiritual care in diverse healthcare contexts necessitates a re-visioning of deeply held beliefs and practices that prioritize togetherness and mutual understanding over engaging difference. Creative interruption as a theological metaphor for spiritual care can serve as a generative framework for engaging the cultural and religious other in the context of healthcare chaplaincy and education, building on the recent work of pastoral theologians concerned with intercultural care (Doehring, 2010, 2012, 2015; Lartey, 2003, 2006). …

Interreligious Dialogue In 'A Secular Age', Mark Ryan

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This paper traces how Jewish philosopher Martin Kavka’s response to Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age, a major work by a significant Christian philosopher, influenced my own reading of Taylor’s work. In addition, Kavka’s reading of this text spurred me to explore further my own concerns about what Taylor had done in terms of the habits of Christian exegesis that might represent a temptation for Christians. In addition to exploring what may be wrong with Taylor’s work, and comparing certain Jewish and Christian reading habits, the essay tries to point to a way that interreligious encounters can be fruitful.

Taylor’s A …

Narrative, Social Identity And Practical Reason: On Charles Taylor And Moral Theology, Mark Ryan

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This article seeks to discern what moral theologians can learn from Charles Taylor, particularly his work on the modern self and the conditions surrounding belief in the modern, secular age. In recent work, Taylor has gone further than before in bringing into play his own Christian faith, making an intra-Christian dialogue with him possible. There is an opening here for drawing out some of the implications of his arguments for moral theology. Taylor would seem to offer rich ground to the work of the Catholic moral theologian, insofar as he resists naturalist accounts of human action and explores the role …

Facilitating A Pastoral Leadership Model For The Ulysses Church Of Christ, Warren Baldwin

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project intended to train leaders in principles of character-based leadership. I applied five principles drawn from Proverbs to the current situation of the Ulysses Church of Christ. The principles included community development, integrity, listening, ministering to the marginalized, and shepherding. I intentionally focused this character-based leadership training more on theological principles found in Proverbs than on skill development or leadership theories from the social sciences. I paid some attention to skill development and incorporated some principles from the social sciences, particularly psychology, but I placed greater emphasis on learning what …

The Challenges Of Missionary Training In The 21st Century: A Manual For Training Of Missionaries, Kola Aiyedogbon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project is a case study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God that has more than 600 parishes in the United States and mission work in over 130 countries of the world. The study will involve the local mission Board members; trainers in the mission school, missionaries on the mission field in more than 400 parishes, and a sample of two mission churches. It will explore the global reverse mission enterprise and the gap in the training of missionaries from Africa in reaching the nationals of the mission field. This project will be action based and inter-disciplinary. It …

"Only That Man Who Governs Himself May Govern Others": Jan Amos Comenius And His Anthropological Assumptions Of Moral Politics, Jan Habl

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

The Incompatibility Of Open Theism With The Doctrine Of Inerrancy, Stuart Mark Mattfield

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this thesis is to show that the doctrine of open theism denies the doctrine of inerrancy. Specifically open theism falsely interprets Scriptural references to God's Divine omniscience and sovereignty, and conversely ignores the weighty Scriptural references to those two attributes which attribute perfection and completeness in a manner which open theism explicitly denies. While the doctrine of inerrancy has been hotly debated since the Enlightenment, and mostly so through the modern and postmodern eras, it may be argued that there has been a traditional understanding of the Bible's inerrancy that is drawn from Scripture, and has …

'Sing Unto The Lord A New Song--Just Not That One!' A Case Study Of Music Censorship In Free Will Baptist Colleges, Jon Edward Bullock

Masters Theses

Like so many of the world’s other religious institutions, the Christian church has a long and well-documented history of using music to enhance and enliven the spiritual experiences of believers. Many of the church’s greatest champions throughout history have spoken about the inherent power of music, but as history always seems to demonstrate, along with power comes the need for control. As long as church leaders have used music to attain spiritual progress, they have also censored music that threatens to impede that progress. Even today, many church leaders still rely on music censorship to protect the future and identity …

A New Project In Systematic Theology, Robert M. Doran

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The article explores the possibility of a new collaborative venture in systematic theology based in the work of Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran. A prospectus is offered of five volumes intended as texts to be used at the level of MA and MDiv students.

Corruptions, Imitations, And Innovations: Tropes Of Ibn Taymiyya's Polemics, Faris Al Ahmad

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Most of the Mamluk theologian Taqī al-Dīn Ahmad ibn Taymiyya's opinions had a polemical nature. This paper traces certain common tropes of Ibn Taymiyya's polemics such as tahrīf (corruption), taqlīd (imitation), and bid`a (innovation) that he repeatedly used in some of his judgments that targeted Christians, Jews, Sufis, mutakallimūn, philosophers, and Nusayris. The paper argues that what connects all of these groups in Ibn Taymiyya's polemics is the tropes of corruption, imitation, and innovation that he identified in their thought and practice. When investigating Ibn Taymiyya's polemics within the broader array of religious polemics, a consideration of his commentaries …

Assessing The Christian's Response To The Annihilating Self-Communication Of A Suicide Bomber, C. A. Chase

Obsculta

In a world, where cartoonists and grocery shoppers are gunned down in Paris, and journalists are beheaded on Youtube, the annihilating self-communication of a suicide bomber serves as a ready-made opportunity for a radical claim at sovereignty, if only for a moment. To bomb is to communicate an absolute immanence. Such bombing is a demand for a response.

This paper assesses the Christian’s response to the use of such bombing-as-communication. It does so by first considering the agent of the response, and her self-identity as Christian, and then bombing as a form of self-communication, from: the perspective of its nature, …

Strengthening Biblical Historicity Vis-A`-Vis Minimalism, 1992–2008 And Beyond. Part 2.3: Some Commonalities In Approaches To Writing Ancient Israel’S History, Lawrence J. Mykytiuk

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This series of articles covers scholarly works in English which can, at least potentially, be associated with a generally positive view of biblical historicity regarding periods preceding the Israelites’ return from exile. Part 2 covers works that treat the methodological issues at the center of the maximalist–minimalist debate. Parts 2.1 and 2.2 selectively survey the works of 24 non-minimalist scholars during two decades. In the absence of consensus, this article analyzes the works in Parts 2.1 and 2.2, tracing elements of approach that are held in common, at least among pluralities of non-minimalists (possible majorities are not noted). The first …

Ritual Embodiment: The Body Remembers Through Ritual, Ayesha Mohyuddin

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Ritual externalizes religious belief through physical embodiment and codified performance that allows it to be shared through a community. In a post 9/11 American society where Muslims are subject to increased scrutiny,. In a secular society that regulates religion to the private sphere so as not to conflict with the identity of the state, externalized religious identity can become problematic, especially as a Muslim living in post 9/11 United States. Ritual thenritual becomes a way to otherize a community based on shared practices. an identity under increased scrutiny. However, looking beyond the framework that the specific rules of ritual creates …

Confirmation Of Prophecy By Proxy: Audience Anticipation And Reception Of The 2014 Movie Left Behind And Its Relevance To The Dispensational Premillennialist Worldview, Andrew R. Burns

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Media has the potential to legitimize or spread a belief system to the general public. The 2014 movie Left Behind is an example of a deliberate attempt at promoting the belief system referred to as dispensational premillennialism (DPM), or belief in the imminent rapture of Christians. Producers of Left Behind (2014) sought to promote DPM to the general public, hoping for a mass conversion. Online discussion and interviews were gathered and interpreted qualitatively. Content analysis of audience anticipation and reception show believers were as concerned with the conversion of the general public via this movie than the movie itself. Differences …

'Mater Ecclesiae': History, Theology, And Consequences, Johann G. Roten

Marian Studies

Ecclesiology involves an ongoing study of the Church that will be fruitful for understanding its present only if one explores the Church’s past in search of the future. The ecclesiology of the mid-twentieth century rediscovered the close relationship between Mary and the Church, culminating in the title and the reality of Mater Ecclesiae (Mary, Mother of the Church).

A Way Forward: An Alternative Way For Understanding What The Bible Is And How It Is Understood, Joshua Scott

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Christianity in America is in decline. Millennials are leaving the evangelical churches of their youth in droves, but they aren’t leaving the idea of God or spirituality. Statistics show that the theology of the fundamentalist/conservative evangelical church is contributing to this exodus of Millennials, particularly when it comes to issues of environment, sexuality, and violence. This thesis explores the roots of fundamentalist theology—particularly their understanding of what the Bible is, and how it is to be understood—and how this theology is practically worked out in their approach to the three issues mentioned above. Finally, I offer an alternative framework for …

Embodying God's Final Word: Understanding The Dynamics Of Prophecy In The The Ancient Near East And Early Monotheistic Tradition, Naila Z. Razzaq

University Scholar Projects

This thesis studies the various forms of oral and literary prophecy in the Ancient the Ancient Near East and Second Temple Judaism. After an introductory background section on the dynamics of prophecy in Ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia, I problematize the nineteenth century concept of the “cessation of prophecy” after Malachi, the last prophet in the Tanakh.

Too often prophecy is seen as a punctiliar process with a determined beginning and end. I complicate this simplified view by discussing the following questions while analyzing several key primary sources from the Second Temple period: In what forms does prophecy continue even after …