Digital Commons Network^™

Changing An Individualistic Cultural Identity Into A Christocentric Identity At Community Alliance Church Of The Christian And Missionary Alliance In Towanda, Pennsylvania, Jacob Samuel Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Jesus instituted a new way of doing community which would transcend all cultural backgrounds and creates a new belonging and identity. This thesis aimed to engage a small group of men from Community Alliance Church in a covenant community, establishing a christocentric identity. The small group of five men, including the facilitator, met for eight weeks to practice several spiritual disciplines together, including confession and accountability, to know what God says about whom they are in Christ, and how to live out that identity in every circle of influence. This mixed-method action research project included both entry and exit surveys …

New Embodiments Of Ancient Wisdom: How Green Spiritual Practices Of Simplicity Can Meaningfully Integrate Faith And Environmental Justice Among Emerging Adults, Falon Barton

DMin Project Theses

This March 2024 Doctor of Ministry Project thesis at Lipscomb University explores how green spiritual practices of simplicity provide opportunities for spiritual formation and missional participation, especially for emerging adults. This project synthesizes the biblical and theological foundations for creation care, overviews the sociology of emerging adulthood, offers a framework for Christian simplicity, and investigates how green spiritual practices of simplicity impact the lived experiences of average followers of Jesus. Through interviews with 20 participants between the ages of 18 and 35, this study outlines what green spiritual practices of simplicity are and offers an analysis of themes that demonstrate …

Cardinal Cahal Daly: A Vatican Ii Bishop Seeking The Kingdom Of God, Maria Power

The Journal of Social Encounters

Cardinal Cahal Daly (1917-2009) was the only member of the Catholic hierarchy in Ireland to hold office from the beginning of the conflict there in 1969 to the paramilitary ceasefires in 1996. He was well known for his pronouncements on the causes of the conflict and his use of Catholic social teaching to offer solutions. Political structures have played a key role in stabilising Northern Ireland since 1998 and Daly used Catholic concepts of democracy and statecraft to explore alternative possible futures for Northern Ireland in the years prior to their implementation. This article will show how much of his …

Displacement Of The Rohingyas Of Myanmar, Land Grabbing, And Extractive Capital, Afroza Anwary

The Journal of Social Encounters

Research on the displacement of the Rohingya from their property has paid little attention to how the government’s land policies encourage various actors to seize that land and extract resources. This research is based on interviews with Rohingya refugees, reports from the United Nations and humanitarian agencies, and published academic work. Economic, social, and political factors are responsible for the displacement of Rohingyas. To argue that a single factor is responsible for their displacement would be incorrect, as research reveals a more complicated interaction of social forces. However, this paper considers the unique dynamics of land grabbing, land laws, ethnic …

Anti-Blackness, Reparations, And Reconciliation: A Redemptive Call To The Altar, Mary J. Lomax-Ghirarduzzi

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Webinar Recordings and Conversations

Dr. Mary J. Lomax-Ghirarduzzi frames reparations for the descents of enslaved persons in the United States as a spiritual issue that requires social action. She has advanced equity and social justice as a professor and leader in California higher education for thirty years. This body of work, inspired by Black Liberation Theology and Catholic Social Teachings, is a unique contribution to the knowledge and resources on anti-Black racism and reparations. California is the first state in the nation to launch a comprehensive process to study and make recommendations on the negative effects of slavery to living African American descendants. Her …

The Soul Of A Leader: A Case Study In The Theory And Development Of A Reflective Instrument, Shelby Coble, Carson Reed

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This case study details the authors’ work to fulfill a consultative request from an elder group to do significant self‐reflection about their spiritual life and their practice of being good leaders. In response, the authors developed a rationale for considering resilience and spiritual vitality while exploring congregational leadership as vision work, relational work, and administrative work. With this theological grounding, the authors prepared an instrument that measures the capacity for resilience and spiritual vitality in the life of lay leaders. The instrument also creates reflection around three dimensions of leadership. The survey categories included: spiritual and personal life, a leader’s …

Evangelical Ressourcement: How Retrieving Our Sacred Roots Can Renew And Refocus The Global Evangelical Movement, Don Davis

Essays

No abstract provided.

Bukit Kasih Kanonang As A Religious Tourism Site Based On Local Wisdom Of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Joesana Tjahjani, Sonya Indriati Sondakh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Bukit Kasih Kanonang (Kanonang Love Hill) is a place of worship for Christians of the Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, one of the provinces of Indonesia, which in its development has also become a popular tourist destination. As a site that blends Christian elements, local traditional elements and values of tolerance among the world’s major religions namely Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, this beautiful piece of land includes a number of sites such as a monument to tolerance, a house of worship for each religion, a giant crucifix, statues, and the faces of Minahasan ancestors carved into cliff faces. All these …

What Shapes Visitor Experience At Religious Destinations? Deploying A Systematic Review To Identify Visitor Experience Constructs, Priyanka Singh, Amit Kumar Singh, Anil Kumar Singh, Irfan Ahmed Ansari

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

While religious sites are identified as unique experience spaces, offering diverse experiences, discourse on what constitutes a visitor’s experience still seems unsettled, primarily due to the fragmented approach owing to the classic binary of pilgrim-tourist. However, post-modern theories emphasise de-differentiation and blurring of boundaries between pilgrim-tourist and stress the need to add a new perspective to enhance the understanding of visitor experience at religious sites to manage tourism at such destinations efficiently. Therefore, the present study is undertaken to respond to this call and aims to identify constructs that shape visitors’ experience at religious sites. Building upon the synthesis of …

The Marian Paths Of Portugal And Local Development, Eunice Almeida Duarte, João Caldeira Heitor

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to analyse the contribution of Marian Paths to the development of individual sites. The theoretical framework of the work is an empirical study which uses databases such as Science Direct, Emerald, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases to identify suitable themes for empirical evidence (2015-2021) on pilgrimage paths and local development. Based on this, 19 interviews were undertaken to develop an understanding of developments, particularly in the area of Fátima, Portugal. The contents of the interviews were analysed using NVivo. This article concludes that there is no management model implemented on the Portuguese Marian paths, more …

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Institute News

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Institute recently benefited from a generous gift of books and Mesoamerican artifacts from Jay and Ursula Krenusz. The donation of books, initially made to BYU's Harold B. Lee Library, was divided among the Lee Library, BYU- Idaho, and the Institute. The large collection of artifacts was donated to BYU's Museum of Peoples and Cultures.

Jbms Welcomes New Editor

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Institute welcomes S. Kent Brown as the new editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. A professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and former associate editor of the Journal, Brown is its third head editor.

New Volume Honors Truman G. Madsen

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The distinguished career of Truman G. Madsen has earned him wide respect in and outside of LDS circles as an outstanding teacher, scholar, researcher, speaker, university administrator, church leader, and religious ambassador. With the publication of Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen, the Institute pays tribute to this remarkable man whose many accomplishments include helping to advance Book of Mormon scholarship and related interests of the Institute.

“I’Ll Give Them All The Time They Need”: How Lgbtq+ Teens Build Positive Relationships With Their Active, Latter-Day Saint Parents, Sydney A. Sorrell, Emalee J. Willis, Jane H. Bell, G. Tyler Lefevor, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Student Research

Strong and supportive relationships with parents are key to promoting the mental health of LGBTQ+ teens. Overwhelmingly, studies have focused on ways to improve parental acceptance, largely neglecting understanding the parent–teen dyad as a unit and ignoring teens’ contributions to their relationships with their parents. To address this gap, we conducted 19 separate interviews with LGBTQ+ teens and their Latter-day Saint (LDS) parents (38 total interviews) to explore the ways that teens contributed to the development of positive relationships. Additionally, we explored teen-related factors that presented challenges to the parent–teen relationship. Thematic analyses suggested that LGBTQ+ teens engaged in several …

Classical Theism In John Wesley's Sermons, Francis Gayoba

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This article examines John Wesley’s sermons in order to assess whether his doctrine of God may best be classified in terms of strict classical theism or modified classical theism. His view of God’s nature is informed by his inherited Anglican theology, which is blended with his evangelical proclivities. Of relevance to the inquiry into Wesley’s theism are several key concepts: (1) the interrelated divine attributes of omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience; (2) divine eternity in relation to human time; and (3) divine love. Wesley’s sermons that discuss omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience appear to align closely with classical theism. However, in contrast …

Teaching High School Students An Apologetic Curriculum On Relativism, Ryan G. Willert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to develop and teach an apologetic curriculum on relativism to the high school students at Eastern Hills Church. The research project will measure the student's prior knowledge of relativism and show that an apologetic curriculum on the topic can be used in order to grow their knowledge of the worldview that inhabits their generation. There were twenty total student participants. Eight total male students ranging from 9th grade to the 12th grade level. There were twelve female students ranging from the 9th grade to the 11th grade level. Each student was given …

Developing A Community Chaplaincy Ministry: Through A Need Satisfaction Care Model For A Native Language Church, Shanti Samuel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Believers in Jesus Christ are mandated to "go" into the world, and caring for people is part of the seeking. God has provided models and processes of His care in the scriptures. A chaplain holds spiritual care functions outside the church's four walls on the field. Unfortunately, many Asian Indian Americans in the booming immigrant population have not received care. Therefore, this action research thesis assumes need-based church training to build a culture-sensitive model of care to provide care. This research project explored the causes and impediments to care through participative sessions with the spiritual care provider volunteers of the …

The Clapham Saints: A Correlational Study Between A Christian's Level Of Commitment To The Christian Faith And Their Engagement In Human Trafficking Political Matters, Charles L. Carpenter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational study is to determine if a relationship exists between the commitment level of Christians who attend a church in the Northern Shenandoah Valley portion of Virginia that falls under the covering of Abba’s House––Chattanooga, Tennessee as assessed by the Belief into Action (BIAC) scale, and their level of engagement in human trafficking political matters, as assessed by the Human Trafficking Political Engagement (HTPE) scale. Every year, millions of individuals become victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking victims are created in God's image, leaving Christians obligated to protect them. William Wilberforce and the Clapham Saints’ political …

American Military Cemeteries: Temples Of Nationalism And Civic Religion, Kyler James Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Beginning with the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg and the address given by Abraham Lincoln, American military cemeteries would have a dual objective to honor nationalism and expand civic religion. Military cemeteries have been on the leading edge of accomplishing ideals such as equality during their construction, implementation, and development. As military cemeteries were created both domestically and on foreign soil between 1860-1960 they became temples to honor nationalism and civic religion.

Sex In Church: The Christian Vocation Of Sexuality Within The Ecclesial Community, Sarah Talena Rusche

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Rusche, Sarah Talena. “Sex in Church: The Christian Vocation of Sexuality Within the Ecclesial Community.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2023. 71 pp.

Sex is characterized as an individualistic endeavor by both Christian and non-Christian thinkers. The culture of the world gives license to every individual to choose what kind of sexual experiences they would like to give and receive, while the culture of Christianity isolates individuals navigating the complexities of sexuality. In response to this individualism, this thesis argues that a faithful sexual ethic orders itself according to God’s will for His creation by considering the needs of the ecclesial …

تماسك النص القرآني عند علماء التفسير المتقدمين: أدواته وتطبيقاته The Coherence Of The Qur’Anic Text According To The Advanced Scholars Of Interpretation: Its Tools And Applications, Waleed Ibrahim Al-Haj

Jordan Journal of Islamic Studies

ملخص

قام الباحث في بداية هذه الدراسة بتعريف مفهوم النص لغةً واصطلاحاً وما يرتبط به، كخطوة تمهيدية نحو الولوج إلى عالم الدراسات النصية، ثم انتقل البحث في خطوة تالية ليعرض أبرز الأدوات والوسائل التي اعتمد عليها علماء التفسير المتقدمون، بخلفياتهم النحوية أو البلاغية أو غيرها، في تحليلاتهم النصية للقرآن الكريم. حيث لم يُغفل البحثُ الحديث عن أدوات الربط وما لها من أثر في إحداث التماسك والترابط بين أجزاء النص، فتم ابتداءً دراسة العطف بنوعيه: عطف الجمل وعطف القصة، مروراً بدراسة الحذف والسياق، وانتهاءً بدراسة الإحالة بأنواعها الضميرية، والإشارية، والموصولية. ولم يغفل البحث رفد التنظير بالتطبيق؛ من أجل التوصل إلى تطوير …

Story Communion: A Guidebook For Creating Sacred Space To Foster Kinship Amid Diversity In Christian Communities, Amber Hogan Jones

Doctor of Ministry

Christian communities are deeply divided theologically, socioeconomically, ethnically, and politically; thus, the popularity of the saying: “The most segregated time in America is on Sunday mornings.” Though there is wide consensus that this is problematic due to God’s clear desire for kinship among God’s people, most Christians are unsure what to do about this problem. This project aims to remove common barriers to diverse Christian communion by offering an affordable, easily repeatable, portable model for transformational connection across diverse Christian communities. Utilizing a blended methodology that draws upon bibliographic resources, data derived from stakeholder collaboration, and human-centered design and iteration …

The Dwell Bible Listening App As An Effective Tool To Habituate Daily Bible Engagement In The Local Congregation, Daniel Russell Prugh

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Prugh, Daniel R. “The Dwell Bible Listening App as an Effective Tool to Habituate Daily Bible Engagement in the Local Congregation.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2023. "115" pp.

Congregational members desire to engage the Bible daily. However, oftentimes there are barriers to this goal. One of the most important barriers is that people do not regularly read. This is problematic if the church desires for people to read the Bible daily. In addition, people encounter a tsunami of information every day, that makes it hard to prioritize regular engagement with the Bible. However, the church can …

Where Disruption And Vocation Meet: One Path Toward Teaching Reproductive Justice In Challenging Times, Lena R. Hann

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Use Of Sources In Ancient Compositions, James W. Barker

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

This essay contextualizes the Synoptic Gospels in terms of ancient writing materials and processes. Greco-Roman writers predominantly used waxed tablets and bookrolls, although codices emerged in the first century CE. Authors could recall texts from memory, but writers could also maintain visual contact when studying, collating, copying, quoting, or paraphrasing sources. Previous scholarship has highlighted the difficulties of interweaving multiple sources and rearranging their sayings and narratives. However, neither operation was unprecedented or overly complicated, as evinced by Septuagint recensions, Josephus’s Antiquities, and Tatian’s Diatessaron. Some writing processes were more complicated than others, but ancient authors did not always work …

Constructing A Theological Framework That Revitalizes The Missional Nature Of Churches Of Christ In South Australia, Mark Daniel Riessen

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the need for a theological framework that revitalizes the missional nature of Churches of Christ in South Australia. The problem identified within this ministry context was a lack of clear theological principles that informed a common understanding of identity for missional engagement. The purpose of the project was to create a study guide that informs common theological commitments and grounds congregations for missional vitality. A research and development team made up of seven Church of Christ ministers from different backgrounds was assembled to design a curriculum that addressed the problem. Through eight two-hour sessions over four months …

An Inward Mission Of The Fourth Gospel And Its Reflection In The Ge'ez Rite Divine Liturgy, Brother S. Bdeho

Theses

Various themes of the Fourth Gospel have been explored by scholars. The exploration of its concept of mission and worship is also present. However, the missionary method and its inseparability from worship have not been examined adequately. This thesis examines this unique feature of the Gospel in three major sections. First, the Catholic Church’s contemporary teaching on mission is reviewed based on Ad Gentes (AG) and Redemptoris Missio (RM), which offer the core teaching. The findings show the ad extra missionary praxis is inspired by the s Gospels (AG) while RM shows a move towards ad intra missionary praxis inspired …

The Marianists’ History Of The Evolution Of Ud’S Center For Christian Renewal, The Institute For Pastoral Initiatives And Contribution To The Mission Of The Catholic Church (1972-2023), Angela Ann Zukowski

Documents and Publications of the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives

In 1972, the Marianists established the Marianist Institute for Christian Renewal, later called the Center for Christian Renewal (CCR), under the auspices of the University of Dayton. The goal of the Center was to be a bridge between the University and the Catholic Church in dialogue and pastoral service. During the next fifty years to the present, the centers and institutes established under the initial CCR connected the University with the Catholic Church in the spirit and charism of the Marianist tradition. The areas of connection include support for social justice issues in Africa and West Dayton; Catholic elementary …

Project-Based Internationalization: Providing Accessible And Equitable High-Impact Education, Kayli Hillebrand

Doctor of Leadership

Inequitable access to global education has long excluded populations of students that are unable to participate in models that require travel away from their home institution. This is especially felt at institutions with a Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) designation. Factors that contribute towards this end are varying familial and economic systems, financial models, lack of accessible educational accommodations when not at the home institution, mobility restrictions at the host institution, student ability to travel or obtain proper documentation to travel at the state, federal, or international government levels. Considering inequitable access to global education for university students, embedding Project-Based Internationalization …