Digital Commons Network^™

“But How Could We Sing A Song Of The Lord In A Foreign Land?” An Esl/Esp Class For Catholic Immigrants, Mary C. Tillotson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The U.S. Catholic population has a larger proportion of immigrants than the U.S. population at large. The majority of Catholic immigrants come from Latin America and are not native speakers of English. In this qualitative study, I interviewed nine Catholic immigrants from Latin America to better understand their experiences of navigating their Catholic faith in the United States and the role an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) class could play in helping them successfully adjust to United States Catholicism. Findings suggest that, beyond a general ESL class, an English-for-specific-purposes class, capitalizing on the universality of Catholicism and specialized for Catholic prayer, liturgy, sacraments, …

Worldviews: Concepts Or Narratives? An Integrative Definition To Assess Their Controlling Effect In The Biblical And Atheistic Evolutionary Models, Flavio Prestes Iii

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

What are worldviews? What are their characteristics? How do they work? This article offers tentative responses to these questions through the integration of concepts and narratives. Using the biblical and the atheistic evolutionary narratives as case studies, it also seeks to show how worldviews have a significant, though not absolute, controlling effect on one’s perception of reality.

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Age

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

One way to define a disciple is “a follower of someone’s words.” In a pluralistic age, there are many words beckoning would-be disciples to particular ways of life, all promising some kind of wellness. These word-ways are ingredients of worldviews, a program or map for orienting oneself in the world. Worldviews answer core questions about human existence, often in the form of a story. This essay argues that contemporary pluralism is the result of abandoning the Bible as our control story, a loss that is as much a failure of what Charles Taylor calls the social imaginary. If this diagnosis …

Sanctuary/Temple In Genesis 1–3: A Reevaluation Of The Biblical Evidence, Jahisber Peñuela-Pineda

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar [Review] / Van Der Merwe, Christo H. J., Jacobus A. Naudé, And Jan H. Kroeze, Eds., Oliver Glanz

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

God’S Library: The Archaeology Of The Earliest Christian Manuscripts [Review] / Nongbri, Brent., Christopher R. Chadwick

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Doubt, Faith & Certainty [Review] / Thiselton, Anthony C., Rebecca Murdock

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

The Quest Of Vision: Visual Culture, Sacred Space, Ritual, And The Documentation Of Lived Experience Through Rock Imagery, Aaron Robert Atencio

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This document will approach the multifaceted concepts that arise through the study of rock art and the cultivation of culture and belief through vision. Through this document the audience will encounter conceptual ideas regarding belief systems, ritual, experience, cognition, sacredness, and space/landscape — and how these are all essential dynamics that take place in the processes that cultivate the Shoshone visual culture. This document will employ an anthropological lens on the mentioned subject matters, while also approaching these concepts with an interdisciplinary curiosity of how they intermingle; creating a cohesive experience that focuses on these processes which empowered these people[s] …

Country Snapshot Serbia, Belgrade Open School

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A brief summary of the history and current status of religion in Serbia.

In Pursuit Of ‘Twin Toleration’: Democracy And Church–State Relations In Serbia And Montenegro, Marko Veković

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper explores the relationship between church and state in Serbia and Montenegro by examining the development of ‘twin toleration’. In particular, it aims to explain why there is still no ‘twin toleration’ in these states, and why it is important to impose such institutional arrangement in church–state relations. The ‘Twin toleration’ concept suggests that institutional arrangements between the state and religious communities in a democratic society should be based on mutual autonomy, in which the state should not interfere in the matters of religious communities, and vice versa. However, since the fall of communism and resurgence of religion, both …

The Struggle Of Kosovo Policymakers To Upgrade The Law On Religious Affairs, Jeton Mehmeti

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Apart from guarantees over freedom of religion, in the last two decades, authorities in Kosovo have made little progress in advancing its legal framework to accommodate the emerging needs of religious communities. The only law that regulates religious affairs in Kosovo is the 2006 Law on Freedom of Religion. The law is framed in very broad terms, and has received a lot of criticism for failing to properly regulate the status of religious communities. Representatives of these communities have consistently asked for changes to legislation that would grant them the status of legal entities. Without legal entity status, religious communities …

Born Again With Trump: The Portrayal Of Evangelicals In The Media, Eun-Young Julia Kim

Faculty Publications

Since Trump’s ascendancy in American politics and his subsequent election, a number of articles have surfaced in the media trying to explain evangelical voters’ support of Trump. This paper analyzes common descriptions and conceptions of evangelicals by identifying recurring descriptions of evangelicals in 110 online articles published in a two-and-a-half-year period surrounding Trump’s presidential campaign and election. The results indicate that the answer to the question as to why evangelicals support Trump resides not so much in their theology, but in their aspirations for America and assumptions of what America should be like. This paper argues that it is crucial …

Christmas 1 Series C 2018, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

This PDF comments on the Propers for the First Sunday after Christmas, Series C and offers ideas for proclamation and preaching.

Visual Grandeur, Imagined Glory: Identity Politics And Hindu Nationalism In Bajirao Mastani And Padmaavat, Baijayanti Roy

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper examines the tropes through which the Hindi (Bollywood) historical films Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018) create idealised pasts on screen that speak to Hindu nationalist politics of present-day India. Bajirao Mastani is based on a popular tale of love, between Bajirao I (1700-1740), a powerful Brahmin general, and Mastani, daughter of a Hindu king and his Iranian mistress. The relationship was socially disapproved because of Mastani`s mixed parentage. The film distorts India`s pluralistic heritage by idealising Bajirao as an embodiment of Hindu nationalism and portraying Islam as inimical to Hinduism. Padmaavat is a film about a legendary …

‘Love-Jihad’ And Bollywood: Constructing Muslims As ‘Other’, Nadira Khatun

Journal of Religion & Film

In the postcolonial nation state that is India, cinema has become an important tool for propagating the idea of nationalism. In recent times, one of the most controversial components of Hindu nationalism has been the hate campaign against what is termed as ‘love-jihad’, which is deployed as a weapon to mobilize, polarize, and communalize citizens. The Indian Hindi-language film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, has also become a controversial site. In this paper, I argue that if ‘Indian nationalism’ is to be represented as ‘Hindu nationalism’ and ‘Indian culture’ as ‘Hindu culture,’ it logically follows that this majoritarian construction needs …

A Model Of Prophetic-Liberation Communication Behavior: The Explanative Study Of E-Literacy And Information Behavior Among Islamic Academics In Indonesia, Ade Abdul Hak, Tine Silvana Rachmawati, Agus Rusmana, Asep Saeful Muhtadi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research investigated a model of the effect of information literacy, media literacy, moral literacy, and learning & thinking skills as the construct of e-literacy maturity level through information behavior (IB) on prophetic-liberation communication behavior (P-LCB). The model was constructed based on social cognitive theory (SCT) and uses and gratifications theory (UGT). P-LCB is an applied model of ethical values in the Qur’an that liberates humans from social injustice and misuse of information and communication technology. In this case, e-literacy as a personal characteristic factor will influence a person's P-LCB through IB. The study employed an explanatory-quantitative analysis. A total …

The Father Of Pan‐Africanism: Rev. Edward Wilmot Blyden, Rafi Rahman

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Rev. Edward Wilmot Blyden was born in the Virgin Islands, was ordained a Presbyterian minister, and became a leader in the Pan- Africanism movement. This paper argues that Rev. Blyden is an important figure within contemporary Black Church Studies because of his sui generis posture towards Islam, Pan-Africanism, and Black Nationalism. The felicitous Pan-African accolades attributed to Rev. Blyden by the Black Church are a result of his novel Afro-centric and inclusive interfaith hermeneutical posture and writings from the period of Reconstruction through the Progressive Era. Rev. Blyden’s acceptance of non-Christian faith traditions within a Pan-African context supported and, more …

Blended With The Savior: Gregory Of Nyssa's Eucharistic Pharmacology In The Catechetical Oration, John David Penniman

Faculty Journal Articles

Humankind, for Gregory of Nyssa, was poisoned through a primordial act of eating the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. As a result, the toxin of sin and death has been blended into the body and soul of each person, dispersing itself throughout the component parts of their nature. If eating and drinking initiated the spiritual and physical degradation of humanity, Gregory argues, then it must also be through eating and drinking—namely, through the Eucharist—that humanity will be healed. This article proposes that Gregory's instruction on the Eucharist in his Catechetical Oration should be understood as more than merely …

The Eclipse Of Elegance: Towards A Contemporary Lutheran Aesthetics Of Discipleship, Andrew Whaley

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

WHALEY, ANDREW D. “THE ECLISPE OF ELEGANCE: TOWARDS ACONTEMPORARY LUTHERAN AESTHETICS OF DISCIPLESHIP.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2018. 214 pp.

It is no secret that, from the time of the Reformation Iconoclast controversy through the period of Pietism, and even into the twentieth century, aesthetics has had a troublesome existence in many, if not most, protestant denominations. This, of course, includes my own denomination, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. In such cases, aesthetics has unfortunately been forgotten, ignored, or viewed with such deep suspicion that its place in theology has been outright denied. The result is that the aesthetic aspect of …

Compassion: A Way To Live In Community, Michael Lee Spangle, Richard Marsceau

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Beginning with a discussion about the meaning of compassion and its Judaic and Christian foundations, this article provides an understanding of how compassion builds and sustains community. It includes a model of the compassion process, a discussion of the barriers that prevent compassion from being expressed more freely, and examples about where compassion may need greater expression in our world

The Role Of Music In Worship Among Deaf Culture Christianity, Mallory Ruth Dunn

Masters Theses

Throughout the Word of God, we are called to worship our Creator through music. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--shout for joy before the Lord, the King" (Psalm 98: 4-6 [NIV]). It has been said that music is a universal language: but all cultures use it differently and therefore it is not a universal language but a universal phenomenon. What about the individual who cannot hear the music or …

The Gabriel Revelation (Hazon Gabriel): A Reused Masseba Forgery?, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

The Gabriel Revelation (Hazon Gabriel) is a large limestone stele that contains a lengthy Hebrew text in two columns. The smooth side of the stone with the composition known as the Gabriel Revelation has forty-seven horizontal guidelines, four vertical lines bordering the columns, and eighty-seven lines of writing in ink on stone. Much of the composition is incomplete or partially preserved. The Gabriel Revelation is of unknown provenance. Its current owner purchased the artifact from a Jordanian antiquities dealer around the year 2000.

Dayananda Saraswati And The Colonial Machines: Vedic Reformation, European Science, And Modernity In Colonial India, David Tauber

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The relationship between European science and religion has varied considerably through time and among different traditions. This monograph attempts to catalogue one such variant by exploring the context entrance of European science into the Indian subcontinent, at the beginning of the British colonial period, by focusing on how a single religion leader drew upon European notions of science in building his reformed Vedic theology. Dayananda Saraswati (1824-83) spent much of his life traveling northern India as an itinerate ascetic and ultimately founded an intellectual lineage that was instrumental in the Indian Independence movement. Despite having no formal British education included …

The Emperor's New Clothes: How The New Atheists Are Reminding The Humanities Of Their Place And Purpose In Society., David Ira Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will examine the social and intellectual impact of the so-called “New Atheism” as evidenced by the writings and public careers of its four principal protagonists: evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, philosopher Daniel Dennett, journalist Christopher Hitchens, and neuroscientist Sam Harris. I will argue that the New Atheists together provide an account of reality philosophically superior to that of theism, including those superficially sophisticated variations espoused in the writings of scholars William Lane Craig, John Lennox, Allister McGrath, Alvin Plantinga, etc. Yet, even if this were not so, I would still contend that the accessible, informative, and provocative style of …

Israel Redux: The Image Of Christ In The Gospel According To John, Geert Heetebrij

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Reconstructionist Judaism, Seth Schoenhaus

Denison Journal of Religion

This essay argues that Reconstructionist Judaism, though first and foremost a Jewish movement, was profoundly influenced by quintessentially American ideals, values, and figures that shaped the denomination’s foundations. In doing so, the paper pays special attention to Reconstructionism’s founder, Mordechai Kaplan, delving into his personal history as well as relevant European Jewish history to contextualize his ideas. Additionally, this essay explores modernity as it applied to early and mid-twentieth century American Jewish life and what that meant to the practice and evolution of the Jewish faith.

Seth Schoenhaus '18 is from Albany, NY and received his BA in Religion with …

Context For Confusion: Understanding Babel In The Book Of Beginnings, Douglas R. Osselaer

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

The meaning of the Tower of Babel episode in Genesis 11 proves to be continually elusive for both biblical scholars and pastors. While the results of this momentous event in world history seem obvious, owing to the racial and linguistic diversity present in the world today, the reason for God's judgment over the unified peoples who attempted to build together is far less clear. This has even led some to question the justice and wisdom of God, considering the challenges posed by racial division throughout history. As with most questions of biblical interpretation, however, the key to interpretation lies within …

Substance And Person In Tertullian And Augustine, Andrew P. Hillaker

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

The doctrine of the Trinity has been a focal point of Christian thinking throughout Church history. While the term “Trinity” does not appear in the biblical text, it is still a vital Christian doctrine. The doctrine, however, has not come without controversy. Various understandings of the doctrine have been presented throughout Church history. Tertullian (ca. 160-220 AD) and Augustine (354-430 AD) represent two of the foremost theologians to discuss the issue. Tertullian was one of the first to thoroughly examine the doctrine. He coined the terms “substance” and “person” in his discussion of the doctrine. These terms would come to …

How Public College Students Experience Biblically-Informed Literature Taught As Cultural Documents: A Transcendental Phenomenology, De'lara Khalili Stephens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenology describes the experience of public college students who study biblical or biblically-informed literary texts that are taught merely as cultural documents in literature and humanities courses. Two primary theories informed this study: transformation theory in adult learning and the theory of literary apologetics. Furthermore, qualitative methodologies of data collection included journaling, individual interviews with 13 public college students, and focus groups. Data analysis included epoche, member checks, and horizonalization. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How do public college students describe their experiences with biblical or biblically-informed literary texts when they are taught simply as cultural …

Situational Hermeneutics In The New Testament's Use Of The Old, William Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The New Testament’s use of the Old Testament presents some unique hermeneutical challenges. New Testament authors utilize Old Testament texts in ways that do not seem to strictly adhere to modern interpretive methods, and they seem to exhibit multiple hermeneutical methods in their usage of scripture. This study seeks to explore the relationship between these various ways of interpreting scripture, and to propose a consistent way of evaluating the hermeneutical validity of varying usages which can apply to the New Testament’s use of the Old as well as to modern interpretation of the Bible. It begins by discussing the problem …