Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Utilizing Narrative Theory And Life Review In Healthcare Chaplaincy, Joshua M. Fagin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In healthcare chaplaincy, narrative theory can help the patient separate themselves from their grief or terminal illness. It has been said that chaplaincy is a “ministry of presence,” however, just showing up is a low-level intervention. The purpose for this Doctor of Ministry thesis is to equip chaplains with a comprehensive framework for apply narrative theory and life review in the healthcare chaplaincy context. This thesis seeks to explore and define biblical models of storytelling and spiritual narratives. This thesis will encourage chaplains to have meaningful, engaging and longer visits in individual and group visits. If the spiritual care department …

Leadership Succession In The Missionary Baptist Church, Roger Bush

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leadership succession planning is often overlooked in many church organizations. Failure to create succession strategies causes organizations to face uncertain futures during leadership transitions. An absence of succession planning can repress an organization’s financial growth, congregational morale, and spiritual growth, and in some cases, result in permanent dissolution. The purpose of this project is to examine the state of leadership succession planning within the Kenansville Eastern Missionary Baptist Church Association. This thesis project employs surveys and comprehensive interviews of senior pastors of local churches within the Kenansville Eastern Missionary Baptist Church Association to explore succession planning and leadership transitions perspectives. …

St. Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin, August 29, 2021

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Cleveland, OH

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, August 29, 2021

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

The Emergence Of The Legitimacy Of Religious Healing Knowledge In Taiwan, Wei-Cheng Chiu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how religious healing knowledge has been defined and used by scholars, physicians, and New Agers and how religious healing knowledge emerged as a legitimate area of knowledge in Taiwan. The key position of religious healing knowledge within the entanglement between religion and spirituality is also examined. After the martial law was lifted in 1987, Taiwan’s society had rapidly diversified, and its religions were at the transition point between the old and the new. Meanwhile, the new spirituality culture was introduced into Taiwan in the 1980s and got popular in the 1990s, and it inherited the trend of …

St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin, August 22, 2021

Saint Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Chicago, IL

Saint Francis Brogia Deaf Center Church Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, August 22, 2021

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin, August 21, 2021

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Cleveland, OH

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, August 15, 2021

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin, August 14, 2021

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Cleveland, OH

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin Finding Aid

Yosuf, Yosuf, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Yosef and his family of four are from the Herat Province in Afghanistan. The eldest child used to sell potatoes with Ibrahim, the middle child, who was killed by a landmine planted by counter-revolutionaries. As a result, the eldest child, Ismail, developed severe nerve and mental issues, and the wife, who is now pregnant, frequently has seizures. They sold their home to treat Ismail, but doctors say nothing can be done. Ismail’s condition continues to worsen, but he refuses to leave to see a doctor because he is afraid of the police for an unknown reason. Yosef says he is …

The Catholic Peacebuilding Network: Lessons Learned, Gerard F. Powers

The Journal of Social Encounters

As one of the world’s largest transnational institutions, the Catholic Church is deeply engaged in a wide variety of peacebuilding activities at all levels through many different types of institutions and organizations. This essay examines one of these entities, the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN), a network of university institutes, episcopal conferences, development agencies, and independent peace organizations. It considers CPN’s mission, activities, contributions to the Catholic community’s wider work for peace, and the challenges it faces as it seeks to accompany the Catholic community in areas of conflict. By looking at this one actor, this essay offers insights into Catholic …

St. Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin, August 8, 2021

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Cleveland, OH

Saint Augustine Parish Sunday Bulletin Finding Aid

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, August 8, 2021

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: Exploring The Effectiveness Of A Person-Centered Disability Awareness Seminar In A Congregational Setting, Joshua H. Jones

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

People with disabilities and their families frequently experience barriers toward inclusion and belonging in multiple spheres of life. These barriers are also present in Christian congregations. However, many congregations express a godly desire to love people with disabilities and their families without these obstacles.

The Old and New Testaments provide examples of how God’s people sought to love people with disabilities in their midst creatively and intentionally in response to God’s gracious actions, invitation, and command. Recent research in disability studies routinely highlight the necessity of being attentive to the uniqueness of each person with disabilities and his or her …

Young People And Full Time Pastoral Ministry In The Church Of Pentecost U.S.A., Inc, Frank Asirifi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The shortage of young pastors to replace the aging and retiring pastorate is an alarming reality confronting Christian churches regardless of location, size, and denomination. This research project's primary objective was to explore the factors discouraging young Christian adults born in the United States of America from responding obediently to God's call into full-time pastoral ministry and create corporate awareness of the holistic nature of the problem and seek a collaborative solution plan to motivate young Christian adults to obey God’s call into full-time pastoral ministry. The project focuses on young American-born adults in the ministry context of The Church …

Sexual Identity, Mental, Emotional, And Religious Stability: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Religious Lived Experiences Of Heterosexual Men Who Once Identified As Gay Or Bisexual, Mccay Martin Moiforay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aims are to fill the gap in research with regards to how to successfully provide religious support to men who once identified as gay or bisexual, who currently identify as heterosexual and religious. The research purpose is to share these men lived experiences regarding their sexual identity journey from gay or bisexual to heterosexual within the religious setting. The research plans to help understand what religious support is needed to provide those who desire sexual identity change from gay or bisexual to heterosexual and how this same religious support can be used in maintaining their heterosexual identity. These …

A Study On The Essence Of Worship In Online Worship Groups Under Covid-19 Pandemic: Focus On Korean Ministers In The Northern Virginia Area, Nakjung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to review the current needs regarding online worship that were conducted by Korean ministers in the Northern Virginia area under the COVID-19 pandemic and thereby supplement the found needs through establishing a theological basis and a summary of essential elements of worship that should be applied to online worshiping groups. Thirty-three (N = 33) Korean ministers in the Northern Virginia area who conducted online worship under COVID-19 participated in this survey. Results showed that the dominant need in online worship was an education on the essence of worship followed by technical support and ways …

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, August 1, 2021

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Newsletter Catholic Deaf Of Detroit, August 2021

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Detroit, MI

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit Finding Aid

Relationships Between Perceived Quality Of Life And Spiritual Beliefs, Education Level, Socioeconomic Status, Gender, And Ethnicity In Cancer Patients And Cancer Survivors, Eva Arjona

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify a relationship between perceived Quality of Life and religious/spiritual beliefs. Additionally, it aimed to explore relationships between perceived QOL and age, gender, ethnicity, education level, and Socioeconomic Status (SES). The research question examined in this study was: What is the relationship between perceived quality of life and spiritual beliefs, education level, socioeconomic status, age gender, and ethnicity in cancer patients and cancer survivors? A total of 100 cancer patients or cancer survivors were surveyed for this study. A regression analysis was conducted to explore relationships among the variables; the alpha level was …

Psychedelic Drugs And Atheism: Debunking The Myths, Wayne Glausser

English Faculty publications

Two recent surveys of people who took psychedelic drugs and reported “God experience encounters”, along with successful clinical trials using psychedelic therapy for depression, have given rise to public misconceptions about psychedelics and atheism. Specifically, three inferences have been drawn: (1) that the psychedelic experience tends to dissolve atheist convictions; (2) that atheist convictions, once dissolved, are replaced with traditional monotheist beliefs; and (3) that atheism and depression somehow correlate as afflictions for which psychedelic drugs offer relief. This paper argues, based on analysis of the studies and trials along with relevant supplemental evidence, that each of these popular inferences …

Effective Sermon Application In A Charlotte Exurb Baptist Church, David Keuss

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores an improvement in expository sermon application using two technical tools added to the sermon divisions of sermon series messages. The background of applicational improvements is explored, the problem at Sandy Plains Baptist Church of Gastonia is outlined, and the solution employed. The problem is a spiritual comfort or plateau among members with previous life applications of sermons. The goal was to provide two new resources that would overcome the spiritual status quo in Sunday worship attendee’s lives. This method was tested utilizing Likert scale surveys, unpaired T-tests, and facilitator notations. The thesis project provides guidance to other …

Restoration For A Traumatized World, Katelyn Campbell Weakley, Ingrid Weiss Slikkers

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Biblical Theology Curriculum For The Congregation Of Poplar Bluff First Baptist Church, Brandon Paul Spain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to educate the congregation of First Baptist Church of Poplar Bluff how to understand the biblical theology of Scripture. It is the belief that if the people of FBCPB receive proper training in the subject of biblical theology that they will begin to appreciate the grand narrative of the biblical story. It is the researcher’s hope that once the people begin to read the Bible through a gospel lens they will become eager to dive deeper into the Word of God. The researcher also has hope that a healthy biblical theology will not only …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Church Gatherings In The Philippines: A Policy Analysis, Grace Zurielle Malolos, Joseph Christian Obnial, Rena Mallillin, Pamela Bianca Pasco, Erika Ong, Arianne Andes, Faith Ann Apat, Emma Teresa Carmela Aportadera, Rafael Valencia, Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno Iii

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

The Philippines is the largest Christian-majority country in Asia. With church gatherings playing a vital role in the nature of Christianity in the Filipino culture, the advent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines posed challenges to public religious practices amid efforts to mitigate COVID-19 community transmission. Various policy pronouncements from both the government-led Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Diseases and the church-led Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) were issued. These guidelines were implemented in order to address the two-pronged problem on healthcare and religious obligations. While these guidelines were initially contributory to the mitigation …

Living Well In The Ordinary: A Review Of A Long Obedience In The Same Direction, Sam Ashmore

Staff Work

"Permission is given to not focus on our work and effort, but for God’s work to be at the center."

Posting about the book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/ordinary-inspirations-a-review-of-a-long-obedience-in-the-same-direction/?highlight=living%20well%20in%20the%20ordinary

Walking The Talk In A Vaccine Study, Carl P. Fictorie

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Scientists and engineers of all religious stripes and colors have helped bring about the amazing advances in science and technology that have improved our lives and well-being over the past few hundred years.."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­science as a reliable tool for understanding from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/walking-the-talk-in-a-vaccine-study/

Between Mysticism And Philosophical Rationality: Al-Ghazālī On The Reasons Of The Heart, Marilie Coetsee

Comparative Philosophy

In his seminal Orientalism and Religion (1999), Richard King argues that Western scholars of religion have constructed a conceptual dichotomy between “mysticism” and “rationality” that has caused them to systematically distort the claims and arguments of Eastern thinkers. While King focuses primarily on Western scholarship on the Buddhist and Hindu traditions, this essay shows that his argument can also be extended to apply to Western scholarship on al-Ghazālī, whose sympathy for Sufism and apparent rejection of Greek philosophy has often earned him the reputation of being a champion of Islamic mysticism. I argue that al-Ghazālī transcends the dueling categories of …

Covid-19 Impacts On University Research, Past, Present, And Future: A Case Study At Wilfrid Laurier University, Charity Parr-Vasquez, Jonathan Newman

Consensus

University research is one of the main drivers of knowledge creation, innovation, and economic development. In this essay, we examine the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Wilfrid Laurier University’s (Laurier’s) research community. We provide a firsthand account of events and actions taken to support our researchers through this challenging time. We also reflect upon the near-term future and longer-term prospects for the recovery of research at Laurier. Our university’s experience is not unique in either the Ontario or Canadian contexts. We offer this essay as both a historical accounting and a case study of the pandemic’s impact on …