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Better Than Before, Makia Harper

Theses and Dissertations

Better than Before is an experiential art installation that profiles the life of James Isreal, a Vietnam vet who shares a spiritual journey that is filled with self-discovery, introspection, and hope in the midst of war and abhorrent racism. His poignant retrospective follows his struggle to find peace in the midst of trauma and disease, providing life lessons that transcend the pangs of adversity and the unknown.

Introduction To Quakers, Politics, And Economics (Volume 5 Of Quakers And The Disciplines), Thomas F. Head

Faculty Publications - College of Business

No abstract provided.

Jesus' Cross-Cultural Model Of 'Leader As Servant' In Luke 22:24-30, Debby Thomas

Faculty Publications - College of Business

This article presents a model of leadership proposed by Jesus that contributes to outstanding leadership in cultures throughout the world. A review of the literature on servant leadership and power distance reveal that although resisted, servant leadership is a desired and appropriate form of leadership even in cultures with high power distance. A socio-rhetorical interpretation of Luke 22:24-30 is presented focusing on Jesus’ command to ‘lead as a servant’. The modern-day conception of servant leadership is found to parallel Jesus’ teaching of leader as servant. Power distance, one of the dimensions in the GLOBE Study (Chhokar, Brodbeck, & House, 2007), …

'Not Cruelty But Piety': Circumscribing European Crusading Violence, Susanna A. Throop

History Faculty Publications

Was there such a thing as “crusading violence”? Traditionally the crusading movement has been sharply distinguished from other forms of Christian violence motivated, or at least justified, by religion. However, we have increasingly come to recognize the difficulties of drawing clear-cut boundaries between crusading and other aspects of western European culture in the Middle Ages. This chapter assesses the ways in which crusader violence was like and unlike other forms of medieval Christian violence.

The Influence Of Religious Homogeneity Upon Life Expectancy: A Cross-National Comparative Analysis, Donald J. Ebel

Sociology Department Publications

Research upon health and life expectancy has focused primarily upon individual and community level analyses, with extrapolations to national level data. In this study, the unit of analysis is shifted from individual health statistics to the national level. Life expectancy data for every nation and in the world (total n=191, restricted n=138) is explored, controlling for a variety of socio-economic factors. Two hypotheses are tested which offer the explanation homogeneity in both religion (H1) and ethnicity (H2), determines differences in life expectancy between nations. The first hypothesis, that religious homogeneity supports positive health outcomes is supported. The second hypothesis, that …

The Vocation Of The Missionary, E. Theodore Bachmann

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Trauma: How Do We Present Jesus To Those So Fractured?, Ingrid Slikkers, Orelia Daye

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Jesus uses sensory metaphors when he asks that Christians be a light to the world and not hidden, much like a flame. Trauma expert Bruce Perry states, “Fire can warm or consume, water can quench or drown, wind can caress or cut, and so it is with human relationships: we can both create and destroy, nurture and terrorize, traumatize and heal each other” (Szalavitz and Perry, 2007:16). He further supports the role of human connections by stating, “Surprisingly, it is often when wandering through the emotional carnage left by the worst of humankind that we find the best of humanity …

A Biblical Approach For An Inner Healing Discipleship Cycle For Migrants And Refugees, Diói Cruz

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Within the Adventist Church many immigrants struggle silently with the consequences of emotional pain, fear, failure, anxiety, stress, inadequate parenting, rejection, and abusive relationships. Many try to cope with the ongoing results of involvement in the occult or other false religions, and the effects of physical illness, accidents, and trauma continue to impact their lives. It is God’s desire that we prosper and be in good health (3 John 2) because he created us in his image. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Therefore, if we are to reflect his image we must …

Luther's Understanding Of Grace And Its Implications For Administration Of The Lord's Supper In The Lutheran Church Of Christ In Nigeria (Lccn), Yelerubi Birgamus

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis will describe Luther’s understanding of grace and its centrality for the Lutheran understanding of the Lord’s Supper. The thesis will also describe and analyze theological and pastoral problems of withholding the sacraments to non-communicant members by the LCCN, which claims to follow after Luther’s teaching. This thesis is not anti-church discipline, but rather, will argue for a better form of church discipline than withholding the Lord’s Supper from the excluded members of the church. The thesis will also provide some suggestions for a better form of church discipline than withholding communion from excluded members of the church. This …

Looking High And Low For Salvation In Luke, Matthew L. Skinner

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Better Together: Leadership That Enhances Ministry Collaboration, Kristine K. Bjorke

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project is an exploratory case study research project of three different collaborative efforts consisting of one or more congregations working together or a congregation and agency working together. Each entity operated independently prior to working together. Collaboration was understood through the theoretical lenses of adaptive leadership and collaboration theory as well as a biblical and theological understanding of the body of Christ and perichoresis. Qualitative research using interviews and focus groups was used to identify how leadership enhances ministry collaboration. Three findings emerged with regard to leadership: flexibility, proactive communication, and external support, each with internal and external indicators.

The Thin Blue Line Of Theodicy: Flannery O’Connor, Teilhard De Chardin, And Competitions Between Good/Good And Evil/Evil, Sue Whatley

Faculty Publications

This essay explores the concept of theodicy in Flannery O’Connor’s works of fiction. O’Connor’s fiction complicates the subjects of good and evil, moving the reader through what seem to be competitions not only between good and evil, but also between actions of good and actions of evil. Characters align themselves with one force, then another, in a constantly fluctuating system, and there is no traditional pattern of Christian warfare that we would expect orthodox Catholic writing to produce. Sometimes, evil brings about the resolution of the narratives, and sometimes actions of good fail to redeem. It is only through the …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Mental Illness Stigma In The Abrahamic Religions, Emma C. Bushong

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Numerous studies have established and examined the critical interplay between religion and mental health. A systematic review of existing literature found that the endorsement of religious beliefs and frequent attendance at religious services were routinely associated with greater physical and psychological well-being (Koenig, 2012; Tsaousis, Karademas, Kalatzi, 2013). Yet, history has shown that religion can be a source of conflict and prejudice and that individuals fostering negative religious perceptions can exhibit poorer mental health (Lee & Newberg, 2005; Pargament, 1997). Because religious and spiritual beliefs often guide perceptions and affect behavior toward others, the present study examines such influence as …

Magazine: Alice: A Womanist Ethics Magazine, Lucy Kebler, Grace Dematteis, Karli Stankus, Laurin Hopping

Womanist Ethics

Alice is an academic magazine that focuses on the topic of womanism and one of its primary tenets, radical subjectivity. Incorporating both historical womanist content, and modern womanist perspectives, Alice brings a modern twist to the idea of radical subjectivity. The magazine concentrates heavily on current womanist celebrities, who bring womanism to the public. Alice maps out both straightforward and ambiguous instances so that the reader can better understand them. The magazine also incorporates interactive material, such as a womanist quiz, and two womanist recipes.

Sr. Lucy: Vocational Conflict, Cynthia Johnson

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Lucy in January of 2018 to explore her life experiences as a woman religious. This paper includes a portion of the interview in which she spoke about her vocational conflicts over the years, and how she overcame them.

Sr. Roseline: The Role Of The Family And Education, Autumn Loucks

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper contains the interview with Sr. Roseline, a woman religious, who works in education, and her theory as to why the number of young Catholics has declined.

Rita, Rita, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Rita Alkhaledy grew up in Sadr City, a poor suburb of Baghdad. Her father is an Iraqi Arab and her mother was Kurdish Iranian. Her mother lived in fear that she would be cast out of Baghdad as being an outsider in Iraq was frowned upon. Her father served in the Iraqi army in the 80s and was gone a great deal, leading to a strained relationship. Their relationship was mended when her mother died from cancer.

After the Iraq war, Rita and her brothers realized that their lives were in danger. They had to move from house to house …

Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurship: The Integration Of Faith And Business For Sustainable Social Impact, Christine Beech

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

Faith-based nonprofit organizations face myriad challenges in securing a sufficient donation base within a restricted pool of donors. This funding challenge often limits their ability to conduct their mission. To offset this challenge and model self-sufficiency, many faith-based organizations are looking to evolve into hybrid platforms that operate as faith-based social entrepreneurial ventures and manage to a triple bottom line of social good, financial impact, and spiritual mission. Yet even with the best of intentions, successfully merging a for-profit business model into a preexisting nonprofit organization often fails, even before the faith-factor is in play. This study of social entrepreneurship …

1890 Journal Of The Seventieth Session Of The Kentucky Annual Conference Of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Methodist Episcopal Church, South

Minutes of the Kentucky Annual Conference

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Formation In The Graduate School Of Clinical Psychology At George Fox University, Rodger K. Bufford, Nancy S. Thurston, Kathleen Gathercoal, Marie-Christine Goodworth, Lynn H. Holt

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

At its inception, the training model in the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology (GSCP) at George Fox University was informed by the approach inaugurated at Fuller Theological Seminary School of Psychology in the 1960s. In the original model, training in Christian religion/spirituality and theology accompanied training in professional psychology. In the interim, our culture, psychological knowledge, perceived psychological needs, and training programs have changed greatly. Here we report changes in religion/spirituality (RIS) training and integration over the last two decades. We describe our current spiritual formation structure and process, and program evaluation efforts. Over the past several years the GSCP …

Transforming Organizational Climate After A Transitional Change In Leadership At The Unitarian Universalist Church Of Catawba Valley, Elizabeth Lee Braun

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the summer of 2016, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Catawba Valley saw the retirement of its long-time minister and the hiring of a quarter-time consulting minister. In the 3-5 years leading up to that, the church had been experiencing a drop in general attendance, a decrease in overall membership, minimally functioning committees, defunct committees, and low morale.

Applying Morgan’s (2006) metaphor of organizations as cultures, which shows “how organization ultimately rests in shared systems of meaning, hence the actions and interpretive schemes that create and re-create that meaning” (p. 138), and which allows organizations “another means of creating and …

On How The Infused Virtues Differentiate Christian Friendship From Natural Friendship, Maureen Mcneill

Theology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Center For Spiritual And Religious Life End Of Year Report 2017-2018, Lawrence University

Spiritual and Religious Life Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

75th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Harbor: The Spirit Filled People Of God (2018), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 75th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 1-4, 2018. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

1891 Minutes Of The Seventy-First Session Of The Kentucky Annual Conference Of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Methodist Episcopal Church, South

Minutes of the Kentucky Annual Conference

No abstract provided.

Changing Behavior And Renewing The Brain: A Study Of College Students, Mark Maddix, Glena Andrews

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The field of neuroscience and religion continues to explode as researchers seek to understand religious experiences in the brain. Studies in religious experience, called neurotheology, attempt to draw conclusions about the truth of these religious experiences from the study of biological brain events. Given the substantial research on the science of religion, this article explores the physiological changes of college students engaged in regular spiritual practices. Students were asked to engage in intentional spiritual formational practices, such as prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, and contemplation, to see if these practices impacted their physiological activities, including brain wave, heart rate, skin response …

How Does The Presence And Management Of Leadership Tension Affect Leaders And The Organizations They Lead?, Aaron A. Cole

Doctor of Ministry

Many leaders inside and outside the church struggle with the weight of leadership demands, feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the tension that comes with leadership. It is not a lack of calling, clarity, or vision on the part of leaders but the tension of moving people toward achieving mission. Such tension, caused by the function of leadership and not necessarily the leader, is a crucial area that tends to cause a leader to rise or fall. Unfortunately, many leaders eject or struggle without success due to a lack of understanding and the skill set necessary to effectively manage leadership tension. …

A Multiple Motives Theory Of Church And Missionary Relationships, Kenneth Nehrbass, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This grounded theory study examines the motives for relationships between local churches and missionaries: What motivates churches to enter into a relationship with a missionary, to continue this relationship, and to end it? Similarly, what motivates missionaries to begin, continue, or end relationships with a local church? We used purposive stratified sampling to select 17 missionaries and church mission leaders to interview for this study. We performed semi-structured interviews with both groups to discover their understanding of why they form, maintain, and dissolve relationships with each other. Multiple motives influenced all participants. These motives can be broadly categorized as either …

Multisensory Sabbath School: A Possible Solution To Fragmented And Low-Brain Stimulus Learning, Cory Wetterlin

180 Symposium Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of When Race, Religion, And Sport Collide: Black Athletes At Byu And Beyond, By Darron T. Smith, Richard Kimball

Mormon Studies Review

On the cusp of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March 2011, Brigham Young University announced the suspension of star center Brandon Davies for violating the school’s honor code. Until that point in the season, the African American Davies had helped the Cougars to a number-three ranking in the national polls and had established himself as an outstanding sophomore center. The suspension became fodder for commentators on every side and spent a short time in the national spotlight. Davies’s reinstatement for the following season prompted

much less discussion and seemed to forestall further dialogue about the handling of the suspension …