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Sufism At The Service Of Ḥadīth Commentary: Re-Framing Al-Kalābādhī'S Baḥr Al-FawāʾId In Fourth-Tenth Century Transoxiana, Fadhil Yunus Alsagoff

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Abū Bakr al-Kalābādhī’s (d. 380/990) understudied ḥadīth commentary, the Baḥr al-fawāʾid al-mashhūr bi-maʿānī al-akhbār. The first Anglophone study of the text as a whole, this thesis situates itself within the emergent literature on ḥadīth commentaries and challenges the prevailing scholarly tendency to reduce Sufi-authored commentarial texts to the ishārī method of interpretation and to treat them solely as repositories of Sufi themes. This thesis argues that, contrary to current perceptions of the text as primarily a work of Sufism, the Baḥr al-fawaʾid is first and foremost a work of ḥadīth commentary, its main intent being to …

Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon

Witness

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Practical Evangelism Seminar (PES), an eight-week training program designed to equip Christians to share their faith in the complexities of twenty-first century North American culture. Developed at Asbury Theological Seminary in partnership with Knox Fellowship,[1]the seminar addresses contemporary cultural complexities summarized by the acronym SPIRIT: secularism, pluralism, individualism, relativism, identity, and technology. Using pre- and post-seminar surveys from 112 participants between 2019 and 2022, along with qualitative feedback and participant observation, this study explores changes in students’ knowledge and confidence related to evangelism. Findings indicate measurable increases in participants’ confidence and …

Editorial, Thomas Seckler

Witness

No abstract provided.

Second Annual Beth Seversen Dissertation Award, Thomas Seckler

Witness

No abstract provided.

From Nones To Affiliation: Listening To Twenty-Somethings, Jay Moon, Bethany Harmon

Witness

This exploratory article describes the religious journeys of twenty-somethings (ages 20–29) who moved from no religious affiliation (“Nones”) to Christian affiliation. Over five years, four researchers conducted interviews across the United States and gathered 101 responses to questions about what drew participants toward Jesus, what pushed them away, which aspects of Christianity resonated most, and what advice they would offer to those sharing faith with their generation. While much evangelism in North America has assumed guilt, shame, or fear as primary entry points into gospel conversations, many participants described a different posture: indifference. Yet indifference often coexisted with a longing …

The Influence Of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media On Christian And Non-Christian Young Adults, Glen Bowman, Ruben Williams, Tyler Sheppard

Witness

This paper explores the influence of Christian faith sharing through social media on young adults, both Christian and non-Christian. Drawing on two qualitative descriptive studies using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the research synthesized codes and identified key themes regarding positively oriented Christian content on social media. The content generally appealed to young adults and frequently enhanced their spiritual thinking, motivation, and behavior. However, posts with a negative tone, poor scriptural use, or perceived hypocrisy tend to provoke adverse reactions, including negative thoughts about Christianity and “fight-or-flight” behavioral responses. The findings also reveal that young adults often underestimate the influence …

Gravedigger Missiology And The Crisis Of Evangelism, Jose Philip

Witness

This article argues that the crisis of evangelism in late-modern North America reflects not only disaffiliation and secularization but also a structural and Christological deficit. Evangelism is often "practiced as managed impact under the language of missio Dei rather than as participation in the living agency of Jesus Christ.” Developing Peter Berger’s claim that Christianity has been “its own gravedigger,” the article reads Berger in two registers. The Social Construction of Reality and The Sacred Canopy explain how plausibility structures sustain belief and how their erosion weakens inherited evangelistic models. The Precarious Vision exposes how religious roles and language can …

Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Jay Moon

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: At This Time: Dialogues In Theological Education, By Corwin Davis And Ted Smith, Eds., Christopher Robershaw

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: God Draws Near: Rethinking The Biblical Theology Of Mission, By Collin Cornell, Joseph Culbertson

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Shaping The Journey: Wesley, Merton, Mulholland, And The Spiritual Formation Movement, By Daniel Harris, Kenny Johnston

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Missional Imagination: Preparation For Kingdom Innovation, By Jay Moon, Mark Teasdale

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Baal And The Gods Of More: Rescuing Church Growth From Idolatry, By Andrew Root, Christopher Robershaw

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Disability And Evangelism:The Good News Of The Fullness Of God's Kingdom, By Rochelle Scheuermann, T.S. John

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Why Millennials Don’T Go To Church, By Helen Trainor, Robert Suarez

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Great Story And The Great Commission: Participating In The Biblical Drama Of Mission, By Christopher Wright, Nathan Clifton

Witness

No abstract provided.

Ministry With Children: Navigating An Expanding And Deepening River Of Thought And Practice, Ron Bruner

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Parents and church leaders live in a unique moment in the life of the church that creates a powerful opportunity: shaping ministry with children in ways that more faithfully serve God’s ongoing purposes. A convergence of several important ongoing conversations unique to our time connects scholars, practitioners, and parents interested in children's spiritual well-being. These tributaries in thought include (1) an emerging theological vision of children, (2) improved understanding of the physical, mental, and spiritual capabilities of children, (3) developing research into the relational ecologies of family, church, and generations, and (4) ongoing developments in children’s ministry leadership, practice, and …

Localising Norms Of Moderate Islam: Lessons From Nahdlatul Ulama In Hong Kong And The United Kingdom, Rumadi Ahmad, Idris Masudi, Muh Afit Khomsani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This article examines how Nahdlatul Ulama localises moderate Islamic values abroad through its special branches (Pengurus Cabang Istimewa, PCI) in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Drawing on Acharya’s theory of norm localisation, it asks how PCI NU in each setting frames the Aswaja values of tasamuh (tolerance), tawassuth (moderation), and tawazun (balance), and how these values condition and account for the differences. The study uses a qualitative comparative design based on in-depth interviews with PCI NU leaders and a literature study. In Hong Kong, where members are mostly Indonesian migrant workers in a semi-authoritarian setting, the organisation operates …

Sanctuaries Of Resistance: The Prophetic Black Church As Fugitive Education, Charles E. Becknell Jr.

Occasional Paper Series

This paper examines the Prophetic Black Church as a living site of education within the ongoing struggle against historical erasure. It shows how sermons, testimonies, and rituals function as teaching practices that preserve cultural memory and build critical awareness. Using pastoral autoethnography, the study interprets everyday acts of worship and community life as forms of learning that join faith with freedom. Through a narrative case study and theological reflection, the paper highlights how grandmothers, elders, and youth act as “freedom teachers,” sustaining Black learning amid surveillance and exclusion. Drawing on endarkened feminist praxis and fugitive pedagogy, the analysis reimagines the …

The Non-Biblical Source Of Medieval Usury Prohibitions, Phil Gramm, Patrick Gray, Robert B. Ekelund

Journal of New Finance

Ecclesiastical and secular prohibitions of usury—often equated with any charging of interest on a loan—and their impact on commerce and economic progress in medieval Europe have long been recognized. In this paper we revisit one aspect of the debate, namely, the use of the ancient philosophical sources and the biblical texts by ancient and medieval writers. On the basis of a close reading of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and a review of the secondary literature devoted to it, we argue that in the New Testament Jesus attaches no moral stigma to moneylending. It is therefore surprising that …

A Wicked Humanity Original Sin In The Theology Of John Wesley And Jonathan Edwards, Vincent Andrew Sullivan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The source of human wickedness is not in a fault in our education, but a fault in our nature. Ignorance is not the root of human depravity; rather, there is an innate propensity in the human soul to gravitate, not towards the light, but towards the darkness. This truth, i.e., the doctrine of Original Sin, was fiercely maintained in the 18th century by John Wesley, the Father of Methodism, and by Jonathan Edwards, the last of the Puritans. Both of these men each wrote a large treatise on this same topic matter, that of Original Sin, and for the same …

Welcoming The Recovering To Worship At Westwood Baptist Church, Eric "Shawn" Stricklin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry project addressed the relational disconnect between participants in the Reformers Unanimous addiction recovery ministry and their integration into Sunday corporate worship at Westwood Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Although many individuals regularly attended the recovery ministry, they did not consistently engage in the broader life of the church. The purpose of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a Welcome Team Training Program designed to equip volunteers with theological understanding, relational skills, and ministry confidence to foster greater congregational integration. Ten participants completed the eight-week intervention, which included biblical instruction, addiction education, guided discussion, …

Beethoven, Caspar Peucer’S Commentarius, And Enchanted Nature, Nicholas Chong

The Beethoven Journal

The posthumous inventory of Beethoven’s library includes a late Renaissance treatise by Caspar Peucer (1525–1602) entitled Commentarius de præcipuis generibus divinationum (Commentary on the main types of divination). Peucer’s text is concerned mainly with methods of predicting the future through such practices as magic, astrology, and the reading of oracles. Neither Peucer nor his treatise is mentioned in any other source associated with Beethoven. The composer also had a limited knowledge of Latin and his copy of Peucer’s text was more than two centuries old.

Previous scholarship has not explored Beethoven’s ownership of this book in any detail, except to …

Profit Distribution Mechanisms For Investment Accounts In Malaysian Islamic Banks: An Analytical Study In Light Of Shariah And Accounting Standards, Fares Djafri, Ashraf Md Hashim, Zeynelabidin Hayat

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

This study examines the profit distribution mechanisms for investment accounts in Malaysian Islamic banks. It analyzes the Shariah and accounting foundations that govern the relationship between the bank and investment account holders. The study identifies a set of fairness parameters rooted in Islamic legal principles and Islamic accounting standards, most notably: the requirement to predefine profit-sharing ratios, adherence to the Shariah rules of loss-bearing in mudarabah, full transparency and disclosure, proportional profit allocation based on investment amount and duration, and the governance rules relating to the use of the Profit Equalization Reserve (PER) and Investment Risk Reserve (IRR) to ensure …

Diversifying The Investment Assets Of Waqf Institutions, Sakhr Abdullah Alasmari

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

The study aimed at researching the technical and economic factors that contribute to the formation of a good diversification of investments of waqf institutions, and finding a unified model for specific ratios for the distribution of waqf investment asset classes, or identifying factors that prevent this. The descriptive approach and the comparative analytical approach have been used to track and analyze the main concepts of the study topic and show the relationship between them, with the inclusion of a comparison of waqf investment funds in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on annual reports published in the Saudi Capital Market …

The Impact Of Digital Transformation On The Performance Of Islamic Banks In The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Roukia Bouhider, Assma Guerfi

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

This research aims to examine the relationship between digital transformation and the performance of 25 Islamic banks in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the 2015-2023 period using the Panel-ARDL model and relying on the descriptive approach. The main independent variable is the Digital Transformation Index, in addition to the cost-toincome ratio, the total asset, the deposit-to-asset ratio, the real GDP, and the inflation rate. Return on equity (ROE) is the main performance measure. The study concludes that digital transformation in Islamic banks in the GCC countries is in its early stages, but it is increasing following the Corona pandemic …

Financing Under The Income Share Agreement (Isa) Model: Towards A Shariah-Compliant Formula For Financing University Education, Asma Bint Mohammed Al-Amari

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

This study examines financing under the Income Share Agreement (ISA) model as a contemporary financing instrument and seeks to introduce it as a new model at the local level. It aims to enable beneficiaries to access education in return for consideration linked to their future income. The study seeks to develop a Shariah-compliant structure by identifying its jurisprudential characterization and Shariah parameters and analyzing its contractual elements. The study concludes that the subject matter of the contract is the educational benefit rather than the transfer of ownership of money, which distinguishes it from a loan and other forms of financing …

Enabling Smart Waqf Investment Sukuk Through Blockchain Technology For Resource Sustainability And Return Development, Siham Rahmani, Mohamed Djafar Henni

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

This study aims to examine smart waqf investment sukuk as one of the contemporary applications of Islamic financial engineering, based on the integration of waqf objectives, Sharia-compliant investment structures, and modern digital technologies. It seeks to highlight the potential of employing blockchain technology in developing their institutional and operational digital infrastructure. The study also aims to propose a smart waqf investment sukuk model based on the Murabaha to the Purchase orderer structure, identifying its components, the roles of its stakeholders, and the mechanisms for managing the rights and operations associated with it. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to establish …

Islamic Finance And Money Creation: SharīʿAh Issues And A Reform Proposal, Abdullah Al-Sulami, Ayman Saleh

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

This study highlights a fundamental problem confronting Islamic banking, namely the dominance of debt-based contracts, such as Murābaḥah and Tawarruq, at the expense of genuine partnership-based contracts, particularly Mushārakah and Muḍārabah. This dominance has, in turn, given rise to persistent criticism concerning the Shariah legitimacy of Islamic banking products. The study proceeds from the premise that this departure from the objectives (maqāṣid) of Islamic economics is not merely a technical or managerial choice, but rather an inevitable consequence of Islamic banks operating within a fractional reserve banking system and their inherent involvement in the mechanism of …

Science And Religion In The Imagination Of C.S. Lewis: The Quest For The Best Mental Model Of The Universe By Alister E. Mcgrath, Martina Juričková

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This is a book review of Science and Religion in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis: The Quest for the Best Mental Model of the Universe by Alister E. McGrath