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There Are Two Sides To Every Story, Keith A. Erekson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article is the fifth chapter in his Real vs. Rumor: How to Dispel Latter-day Myths (Deseret Book, 2021), 62–76. Each chapter introduces a “Thinking Habit” that serves as an antidote to poor thinking. Along the way, the book also identifies applications for daily life in “Everyday Encounter” sidebars and each chapter ends with a summary section that identifies quick ways to identify poor thinking – the “Sniff Tests”—and restates important points from the chapter. Believing (and teaching) that “There Are Two Sides to Every Story” is an unhelpful mental framework—one of the “Myths within Us” that impede our thinking …

Global Bioethics In A Pandemic: A Dialogical Approach, Alexandre A. Martins

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

In this short essay, I present a work in progress of a research project on the COVID-19 pandemic and the ethical issues that this pandemic and the way it has been handled have raised for clinical practices and public health measures.

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.

Examining The Relationship Between Acculturative Stress And Religion/Spirituality Among International Students, Ly'jerrick Ward

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between acculturative stress and religion/spirituality of international students. This study utilized Sandhu and Asrabadi’s (1994) Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) as well as the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF) created by Plante and Boccaccini (1997). Much research exists on how international students adapt and acculturate to a host country. This research will add to the body of literature that exists regarding how international students use their religion/spirituality to deal with acculturative stress. Students in this study were asked a number of questions from the ASSIS …

An Exploration Of The Perception Of Faith Development At A Midwestern Public Institution, Zachary Sandoval

Masters Theses

Despite research indicating benefits to religious or faith involvement, there is an increase in individuals that claim to have no religious affiliation. Additionally, most research that has investigated faith development of college students has been conducted at private religious institutions. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews to examine students’ perceptions of various interactions on their faith development at a public, rural Midwestern institution. Moreover, this study investigated how the institution of interest can better support spirituality on campus and the role student affairs can have on spiritual development. Thematic material was developed through Parks’s (2000) theory of faith development. Results …

Workplace Spirituality: A Study Of Human Resource Practices Promoting Employee Engagement, Terri Denise James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace spirituality is a growing phenomenon, yet a research problem exists because many organizational leaders do not fully understand how workplace spirituality can be used to improve employee engagement, and no clear workplace guidelines exist for U.S. human resource (HR) professionals to follow. The study’s purpose was to examine how HR practices can support workplace spirituality and improve employee engagement. The research question focused on how HR professionals practice servant leadership to support employees’ internal and external workplace spirituality needs and promote employee engagement. A snowball sampling approach was used to select participants who are HR professionals with 5 years …

Qualitative Exploration Of Catholic Church Leaders’ Perspectives Regarding Counseling Parishioners With Anxiety, Amy Lynn Polster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little research addressing the mental health literacy of Roman Catholic clergy in their job as spiritual counselors for parishioners with anxiety. Devout individuals struggling with fear- or worry-driven anxiety often call on divine assistance for help as a frontline defense. Anxiety is a leading mental health problem, disturbing about 40 million U.S. adults aged 18 to 54 years. This study explored the mental health literacy perceptions of six Catholic clergy leaders and their awareness of fear- or worry-based anxiety, drawing upon the concept of the triune brain and using evolutionary threat assessment systems theory as a theoretical foundation. …

Introduction To Gen Z And Social Issues, Tracy Leon Wood, Vandeon Griffin, Armando Miranda

180 Symposium Publications

The 180° Symposium for 2019 focused on Gen Z and Social Issues. In North America, this age cohort consists of those born between 1995-2010. They share a number of the same social concerns as previous generations, but they also have certain issues that stand out more to them. Those who minister to Gen Z, whether they are in full-time ministry or serve as volunteers or who parent these young people, need to be aware of these issues and integrate this into their ministry to increase effectiveness in these unique times to this unique generation.

Gen Z And Their Rights To Participation, Michelet William

180 Symposium Publications

One defining characteristic of Generation Z—those who are currently collectively under the age of 25, is their concern for social justice. They fight for themselves, their friends, their classmates, and others they see treated unfairly, whether due to issues of gender, sexuality, race, pay, or environmental. Yet a major social justice concern for Gen Z and youth, in general, is limited participation or lack of access to processes that affect their lives. This paper argues that meaningful participation of young people is vital because 1) Young people have always been key players in God’s mission; 2) Youth participation is a …

Take Me Home: Practical Ways Young People Can Respond To Human Trafficking, Kate Case, Steve Case

180 Symposium Publications

Injustice, such as human trafficking, leaves an unnerving sense that something is wrong. Due to an inadequate Christian response, we need to re-think, re-imagine, and restore a theology of a good God and a good Gospel in a bad world. We need a response that is personal yet broad; one that explains but also responds. The Bible reveals a good God intervening in a world gone bad. Our response today needs to include awareness of human trafficking and those opposing it, purposeful prayer practices to connect with God, lamentation to express true empathy, advocacy on behalf of those who suffer, …

The Three Angels’ Messages: A Call To Religious And Social Justice, Michael Nixon

180 Symposium Publications

Birthed in the 19th century Great Advent Awakening in America, the Seventh-day Adventist Church saw the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14 as its calling and purpose. And while the early Adventist pioneers championed a number of social justice issues, the ensuing generations of leaders moved toward the status quo rather than challenging it. As a result, the Three Angels’ Messages became words more than actions, as exemplified in how the Adventist Church related to racism between Whites and Blacks. Yet the messages from each of the Three Angels contain social justice callings.

The Lgbt+ Divide: Identity, Shame, And Equality Before God And The Church, Curtis J. Vanderwaal, David Sedlacek, Nancy J. Carbonell, Shannon M. Trecartin, Stephen Yeagley

180 Symposium Publications

Navigating one’s sexual and/or gender identity can be a difficult and complex process for Christian LGBT+ youth, leaving many of them at high risk for poor mental health outcomes and self-harming thoughts and behaviors. Seventh-day Adventist families and congregations are just beginning to grapple with how they should respond to their LGBT+ children. This survey of 310 Seventh-day Adventist adult Millennials explored perceived levels of their families’ acceptance or rejection of their sexual orientation or gender identity during their teen years. Other variables included recent levels of self-esteem, social support, depression, substance abuse, high-risk sexual activity, and suicidal thinking or …

Religion’S Impact On The Mental Health Of Seventh-Day Adventist College Students, Alina M. Baltazar, Amanuel Dessie, Duane C. Mcbride

180 Symposium Publications

Depression and anxiety rates among college students are increasing around the world. This paper will examine results of a 2018 survey that found high rates of depression and anxiety among Adventist College students as well as results from a focus group follow-up study that helped to explain those results. Our objective is to examine the positive and negative influence of religion on the mental health of Seventh-day Adventist college students.

Evaluating The Moral Framing Of Disaffiliation: Sociological And Pastoral Perspectives On The Rise Of The “Nones”, Brett C. Hoover

Theological Studies Faculty Works

The wave of religious disaffiliation that began in the 1990s in the United States has gone from a concern of pastoral leaders to perhaps the concern of pastoral leaders. This article examines a moral framing of religious disaffiliation—where disaffiliation is seen as a symptom of larger moral struggles in society. After a review of contemporary sociological research on the phenomenon of disaffiliation, its roots and causes, the article explores the thinking of the influential Catholic bishop and media entrepreneur Robert Barron as an example of the moral framing of religious disaffiliation. Barron operates as a “moral entrepreneur” in today’s media-rich …

Ambition And Leading Teams Effectively, Nicholas R. Ruport

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem that this project addressed was the impact of ambition and ambitious leaders in relation to team effectiveness. In response to this problem the researcher explored the biblical foundations of ambition and ambitious leadership, with special interest in one’s ambition being aimed at knowing God more fully, fulfilling God’s mission, and glorifying God. He reviewed literature related to CliftonStrengths, team leadership, and the practice of the first-among-equals in teams with attention to the CliftonStrength of Competition and its connection to ambition. He conducted two case studies by way of interviews with four pastors who had Competition as a top …

The Black Church: Using Social Capital To Reach The Unchurched And Community, Teresa Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPrevious studies on the Black Church have focused on its history as an institutional hub, its ability to generate social capital, the decline in its membership, as well as the connection between attendance and associational life. However, it is unknown how the Black Church is using its social capital to re-engage inactive members and remain connected to the community. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how Black Churches in West Palm Beach, Florida are using their social capital to re-engage unchurched members, as well as engage their community. Robert Putnam’s social capital theory was used to …

The Experience Of Recovery From Childhood Sexual Abuse Among Black Men, Zeneth Myrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) can result in consequences that are devastating and long lasting. Differences in the nature of CSA for males and females potentially influence recovery and the role of moderating factors, such as spirituality. Studies of recovery from CSA, especially men's experiences of recovery, are relatively few indicating that this is an under researched area. This lack of studies is particularly evident for ethnic minority groups. While addressing the gap in the literature, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of recovery from CSA among African, Caribbean, Black identified male survivors of CSA living …

Preaching To Millennials: A Content Analysis Of Preachers' Communication As It Relates To Millennial Congregants, Matthew Joel Hastings

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American church is facing a decline in attendance (Barna, 2014). This truth is especially prevalent in the millennial generation, the largest yet also the least religious American generation. Many of whom describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. The church has a unique opportunity through the weekly sermon that other organizations do not have. This opportunity provides the ability to verbally communicate in person with the entire organization at one time. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis study was to better understand how preachers who led the fastest growing churches in the Southern Baptist Convention used communication tactics …

A Missional Resurgence: Helping Bridges Church Rediscover Her Missional Purpose Resulting In Vibrant Growth, Patrick Headen Norris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church in America is facing difficult times. The majority of churches are experiencing plateaued or declining attendance and a lack of spiritual vitality. While every church is unique in her own experience, there are some common factors that can lead to new life and vibrancy. The purpose of this study was to understand how to lead a specific church, Bridges Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to rediscover her missional purpose and discover vibrant growth, as individuals and as a corporate body. This study utilized the REVEAL for Churches Survey, an online survey that is both descriptive and prescriptive in …

Ambivalence Over Emotion Expression And The Effects Of Religious Coping In African American Christians, Anya Loraine Dobbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are 10% more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to report having serious mental health issues from psychological stressors. Mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety, that arise from psychological stressors, are more than likely to go untreated in African Americans. African Americans are more likely to turn to religion- their church, their pastors, and fellow parishioners to address these concerns. Religion and religious coping has influenced African Americans’ attitudes regarding help-seeking and mental health treatment, with the “Black Church” historically being a source of many things, including mental health care. Pargament’s theory of religious coping served as a …

Perceived Effectiveness Of A Mentoring Program For Training Adventist Chinese Evangelists, Terry Man-Yuen Tsui

Dissertations

Problem

The fact that evangelism in the Unorganized Territories of the Chinese Union Mission was done mainly as personal evangelism and that public evangelism was limited to a one-day seed sowing meeting had led to a serious need for equipping pastors in effective public evangelism methods. It required a model of public evangelism, which is adaptable to the local Chinese culture, and a mentoring program that accompanies evangelists, who were still developing their skills in public evangelism.

Method

This study used a parallel mixed methods design to measure the perceived effectiveness of selected methods in the mentoring program. This design …

Understanding Catholic School Attrition: Catholic Elementary School Students’ And Parents’ Perceptions And Matriculation Decisions, Thomas Gasper

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study shed light on the issue of attrition within Catholic education and points to opportunities for leaders to improve the effectiveness of elementary and secondary schools as well as identify barriers impacting access to poor and vulnerable populations. The purpose was to: describe factors eighth-grade Catholic school students and their parents consider in choosing a high school; determine correlations between degree of satisfaction with Catholic elementary schools and perceptions of programs in Catholic high schools; and understand the extent students’ and parents’ identified attributes corresponded to their high school selection.

Quantitative data was generated from surveys of …

Building An Ignatian Ummah: The Experience Of Muslim International Students At An American Jesuit University, Csilla V. Samay

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In 2020, over a million international students enrolled at universities in the United States. A significant percent come from Muslim-majority countries whose governments sponsor their education abroad. As overall international enrollments decrease, recruiting this population remains attractive to U.S. institutions. International students face the challenge of entering higher education in a foreign country and culture, navigating their education during a time of political battles over immigration and issues of diversity. Muslim students face prejudice and exclusion due to Islamophobia in the U.S. Universities have a responsibility to understand and fully support students from whom they benefit financially.

This study examined …

Puerto Rican Crisis Migration : A Pastoral Response To Hurricane MaríA Crisis Migrants, José E. RodríGuez-Sanjurjo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Emerging Dimensions Of Mission In A Global Body : Tracking And Evaluating Partnerships Between American Congregations And Their Global Counterparts, Daniel Richard Hunter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What’S The Church’S Official Position On Official Positions?: Grappling With “Truth” And “Authority”, Trevan Hatch

Faculty Publications

In the previous essay, Dr. Rabbi Peter Haas considered how some of our Jewish friends have approached the issue of authority in their search for truth. During my engagement with such approaches as a student at Baltimore Hebrew University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago, I have wondered how this approach might inform my own quest for truth within the context of my faith tradition. As a Latter-day Saint, what authorities should I consult? Where do I turn for truth? How can I know whether a certain claim is an “official position” of …

Womanists Leading White People In Intergroup Dialogue To End Anti-Black Racism: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Tawana Angela Davis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Womanism is a term curated by Alice Walker (2004) that centers Black women’s lived experiences, past and present, encouraging Black women to no longer look to others for their liberation (Floyd-Thomas, 2006). Soul 2 Soul Sister’s Facing Racism program is facilitated by Womanist instructors, who work with groups of mostly white people to address anti-Black racism. This qualitative study explored the experiences of white participants who took part in this program, Facing Racism, which holds Womanism as its central guiding principle. Although pre- and post-surveys were routinely conducted over the years about participants’ experiences with Facing Racism, this study sought …

Religious Racial Socialization: The Approach Of A Black Pastor At An Historic Black Baptist Church In Orange County, California, Shandell S. Maxwell

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This case study explored and developed the religious racial socialization (RRS) approach of a Black Baptist pastor in Orange County, California. The aim was to assess how the pastor’s direct messages about race influenced and transformed members’ racial and social views and actions and examined the message alignment between what the pastor said and what church members and the leadership team heard. This study took a multimethod exploratory approach, examining multiple sources of data gathered from a Likert scale members’ survey, leadership team interviews, and archival materials. To support triangulation of the data, a word query and emergent thematic analysis …

Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Adults’ Experiences With Supportive Religious Groups, Rachel Grossman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative research study was designed to explore lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults’ views about how being a member of supportive and affirming religious places of worship and social groups influenced their self-acceptance, as well as their ability to integrate their religious and sexual minority identities. In this study, six in-person interviews were completed with participants who (a) were 18-24 years old; (b) identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; (c) were members of supportive Jewish and Christian religious groups; and (d) identified as cisgender. The data from the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to tell cohesive stories …

52 Life Changing Devotional Thoughts: Spiritual Food For The Journey, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

Over the last twenty years that I have worked as a professor of Church History at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University, I have given a short devotion to my students at the beginning of each class period to inspire and encourage them in their faith journey and to affirm them in their call to ministry. I have gathered up these precious devotional thoughts and put them in this small book, so there will be a permanent record of these spiritual reflections. Enclosed you will find short scriptural reflections, homilies, inspirational poems, bible readings, and common-sense instructions. I hope …