Digital Commons Network^™

The History And Manifestations Of The Metaverse In Contemporary Literature, Marlon Semuel Contantin Kansil, Wanting Sun

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

The metaverse, an interactive and immersive virtual world, has emerged as a critical theme in contemporary literature, significantly impacting narratives and character development. This paper explores the history and literary manifestations of the metaverse, investigating its influence on identity, space, and social interactions. We find that the metaverse supports flexible and individualistic identities, reshaping how characters and readers understand themselves. The digital space of the metaverse provides a dynamic setting for moral and emotional conflicts, enriching the literary aesthetics of space. Furthermore, literature plays a crucial role in both shaping and reflecting the concept of the metaverse, employing symbolism and …

Excavations On The Southwestern Margins Of Giv‘Ati Parking Lot, Jerusalem: Markers Of Byzantine–Early Islamic Transition (Pp. 303–338), Yana Tchekhanovets

'Atiqot

The small-scale excavation on the southwestern margins of Giv‘ati Parking Lot exposed important findings dating to the transition between the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. A flagstone-paved street dating from the Byzantine period was exposed, representing one of the major thoroughfares of Jerusalem that served an important pilgrimage route. This street ceased to exist at the beginning of the Early Islamic period when the function of the area changed from residential to industrial. The remains of a small-scale metallurgical workshop, including numerous copper alloy fragments, metal slags, pottery crucible fragments and large amounts of ash, were dated to the Umayyad …

“Jerusalem Ivories”: Iron Age Decorated Ivory Panels From Building 100, Giv‘Ati Parking Lot Excavations, And Their Cultural Setting (Pp. 57–74), Reli Avisar, Yiftah Shalev, Harel Shochat, Yuval Gadot, Ido Koch

'Atiqot

This preliminary report presents an assemblage of ivory items found in the precincts of the City of David National Park in Jerusalem. Such prestigious ivory items have only been found in prominent cities, such as Late Bronze Age Megiddo and Iron Age Samaria, where they originated in buildings recognized as part of palatial complexes. These items are the first of their kind to be found in Jerusalem, revealing the wealth of Jerusalem’s elite on the eve of the city’s destruction in 586 BCE. The findings shed light on the cultural and economic role of the city’s elite in the “global” …

Pottery And Small Finds From Burial Cave 900 In Naḥal Refa’Im, Jerusalem (Pp. 33–67), Lilly Gershuny

'Atiqot

A total of 107 pottery vessels were discovered in the cave, dating from the Intermediate Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age II. The Intermediate Bronze Age assemblage was found in situ and as such, is an important contribution to the study of this period in greater Jerusalem. The finds from this period include jars, a four-spouted lamp and a stopper. The MB II pottery includes piriform juglets, globular bowls, jugs, store jars and dipper juglets. Three unique specimens were found: an unusually decorated Tell el-Yahudiyeh juglet; a ring flask—the earliest of its kind in Canaan; and an intact bull-shaped rython. …

Coexistence, My Ass!, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Coexistence, My Ass! (2025), directed by Amber Fares.

Can Churches Exist In The Deconstruction Space? The Deconstruction Movement And The Decline Of The White Protestant Church In North, Dawn Dickieson-Léger

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Views Of Spiritual And Theological Reflection (2013-2023) Compared To Forty Years Ago: Analysis Of 32 Texts, Chris Brouillard-Coyle, Des Mcenaney, Joselin Zak, Thomas St. James O’Connor

Consensus

What are contemporary views on spiritual and theological reflection? We answer this question using a hermeneutical research method analyzing 32 texts from the current situation. The data indicate five themes: 1) experiences as sources for spiritual/theological reflection, 2) meaning making as key component for spiritual/theological reflection, 3) growth in spiritual reflection and overlap with theological reflection, 4. some flexible methods; many without explicit method, and 5) spiritual but not religious. Discussion, limitations, and areas for future research are provided.

Liminal Transformational Pastoral Leadership: A Case Study God’S Story, Our Story: Living In Times Of Change, Kara Carter

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Church, Chris Brouillard-Coyle

Consensus

What is pastoral leadership? How is, and can, pastoral leadership be embodied in the Church today? Who can and should participate in reflections on these questions? While engaging in a course on pastoral leadership, with the support of the professor, an idea arose to write a letter to the Church following the patterns of the Epistles in the Bible. The goal was to create something that could be read and studied by anyone, while ensuring that the academic rigour behind the contents was made available via the footnotes. The letter is intentionally written in the style of the Epistles, and …

C. S. Lewis: On Writing (And Writers): A Miscellany Of Advice And Opinions, Ed. By David C. Downing., Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

A review of C. S. Lewis: On Writing (and Writers): A Miscellany of Advice and Opinions, ed. by David C. Downing. (New York: HarperOne, 2022). 208 pages. $23.99. ISBN: 9780063276444.

Paths In The Snow: A Literary Journey Through The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Sarah R. A. Waters

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

A review of Jem Bloomfield, Paths in the Snow: A Literary Journey Through The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2023), 288 pages. £16.99. ISBN: 9781915412300.

Deeper Magic: Theology Of The Body In C. S. Lewis And John Paul Ii, George French

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

C. S. Lewis tells us that science and magic are “twins.” “They were born,” he says “of the same impulse”3 of man to master the natural world. We think of them very differently because science has succeeded where magic has failed, but that should not make us blind to their “strong family likeness.”4 Science and magic are intertwined for much of their history, and it is in the Enlightenment that the two begin to separate. While magic died and science survived, Lewis thinks that modern applied science still retains much of the “family likeness.” Unfortunately, not all of the family …

One Dominant Age: The Technological Singularity In The Abolition Of Man, Christopher Tissell

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

I doubt whether we are sufficiently attentive to the importance of the third part of C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man. Much ink has been spilled analyzing Lewis’s thoughts on the dangers of subjectivism as outlined in the first two parts of the book, but less so on the endpoint to which Lewis thinks subjectivism leads when whole societies succumb to it. Yet Lewis himself, or at least his editor, thought the final part important enough to name the lecture series after it, and dramatize it in a novel afterward. If Lewis saw the train leaving the station over …

A Unique Metal Object From Tiberias (Pp. 173–181), Myriam Rosen-Ayalon

'Atiqot

An uncommon metal artifact (a stand?) was uncovered in the course of public works in Tiberias. The object is an open cylinder, made of sheet-metal, perhaps bronze. Both the outer and inner surfaces are adorned with a band of painted decoration: the exterior surface depicts a scene of human figures, while the interior one is a beautiful inscription in kufic script. No parallels to Islamic painted metalwork have been yet discovered; however, our painted object should perhaps be seen within the wider context of the art of painting under the Fatimids.

Late Roman Funerary Customs In Light Of The Grave Goods From The Cemetery On Sallah Ed-Din Street, Jerusalem (Pp. 81–123), Tamar Winter

'Atiqot

The burial ground on Sallah ed-Din Street yielded many glass vessels and numerous gold, lead, copper/bronze, iron, glass, wood, shell and bone artifacts. The glass vessels and the various artifacts from the cemetery resemble finds from other Late Roman burials in Jerusalem and its vicinity. It can be inferred that some of the interred in the cemetery on Sallah ed-Din Street were foreigners, perhaps soldiers in the Roman army and their families.

“The Lord Will Roar From Zion” (Amos 1:2): The Lion As A Divine Attribute On A Jerusalem Seal And Other Hebrew Glyptic Finds From The Western Wall Plaza Excavations (Pp. 1*–13*), Tallay Ornan, Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, Shua Kisilevitz, Benjamin Sass

'Atiqot

A stamp seal bearing the image of a roaring lion and a Hebrew legend was found during the excavations of the Western Wall Plaza, Jerusalem. It is the first seal with a lion motif to be published from Iron Age II Jerusalem, and one of only a few from Judah bearing a lion motif. Two other glyptic finds include a fragment of a scaraboid, inscribed in Hebrew, and a bulla, with a palmette and traces of a Hebrew inscription. These finds are an important addition to the growing corpus of both inscribed and uninscribed seals that have been unearthed in …

Member In The Entourage Of Yahweh: A Uraeus Seal From The Western Wall Plaza Excavations, Jerusalem (Pp. 15*–20*), Tallay Ornan

'Atiqot

A seal engraved with a four-winged uraeus was discovered in the area near the Iron Age four-room house in the Western Wall Plaza excavations, Jerusalem. The rendering is schematic, emphasizing the unsophisticated workmanship of the seal. This seal joins quite a few similar late eighth- or seventh-century BCE representations from Judah, hinting at an association of the four-winged uraeus with Yahwistic symbolism.

A Sacred Mountain And Storytelling About Pilgrimage: Contemporary Religious Practice Of Incense Associations At Mount Tai, Ziqi Xuan

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

As a form of pilgrimage in China, the Chaoshan jinxiang (朝山進香, ‘offering incense towards the mountain’), is a ritual that has garnered significant academic attention. However, research on contemporary incense offering practices remains inadequate. Grounded in fieldwork conducted from September 2023 to January 2024, this paper delves into the pilgrimage practices of local incense associations at Mount Tai, a historical site steeped in profound religious significance for centuries. Within the framework of collective memory studies, the paper posits that the contemporary practices of incense offering used to connect with spiritual beings during the pilgrimage to Mount Tai highlight a shift …

Conservation Of The Ancient Boat From The Sea Of Galilee, Orna Cohen

'Atiqot

The Galilee or Kinneret Boat, also dubbed “Jesus’ Boat,” was found and excavated in 1986. The various degrees of deterioration of the wood, the wood species and the size of the vessel were factors that reflected on the choice of the conservation method. Iron elements, such as nails, were also treated, and biological and bacterial problems were addressed. This report describes the chemical process of the conservation treatment of the wood and iron nails; the overcoming of biological and bacterial problems; and additional technical aspects of the conservation process. The report also describes the stages of preparation of the boat …

The Phenomenon Of Islam Phobia: Concept, Causes, And Treatment, Enad G. Al-Ghananim

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Objective: This research came to study the phenomenon of Islam phobia in terms of concept and origin, and in order to identify the most important reasons that led to the emergence of this phenomenon, and then highlight objective scientific material to talk about it, and ways to treat it. Methodology: The researcher took more than one approach in order to reach his goal, including: the inductive approach: by tracking the issues and branches related to the topic, and then the descriptive approach: by describing the phenomenon as it is on the ground. The most important results: The research concluded that …

Using Technology Without Losing Ourselves, David J. Mulder

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The right role of technology in our lives promotes being more human, and not less, more loving, and not less."

Posting about managing digital technology from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Using Technology Without Losing Ourselves

Theological Themes And Musical Influences Of Worship In Indonesian Immigrant Churches In The United States, Agnes Keren Bale

Masters Theses

Beyond evoking emotional experience, theologically sound songs are crucial for evangelizing, edifying the church, and congregational spiritual growth. This study examines worship in Indonesian immigrant churches in the United States, analyzing recurring theological themes in the most regularly featured songs in the worship repertoire. Additionally, it explores the influence of Western worship music which shapes the blended identity of these churches. Via the data gathered through worship service observations from a few churches and a survey for platform ministers, twenty-two congregational songs were coded and analyzed for their theological themes. Findings included the omnipotence and sovereignty of God, victory/battle, faith, …

Witchcraft, Demons, And Spiritual Death: An Apologetic For The Bible's Prohibition Against Witchcraft, Joshua Dean Wrenn

Masters Theses

This paper attempts to apologetically defend the Bible's intolerance against witchcraft and other related activities that are prohibited in the Old Testament. It does so by showing that Witchcraft and other related activities gets one involved with demonic entities. It shows how demonic entities are deceitful, and how they are actually the ones behind the power of witchcraft. The paper starts by studying the history of ancient witchcraft, which is something that is useful for understanding the witchcraft of today. It then builds a profile of demons. The paper shows what demons physically do and what they attempt to get …

Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Addressing The Lack Of Christian Education In The Local Church Through Podcasting, Workshops, Flowcharts, And Advertisement For Ministry Launch, Tracy (Trey) Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Why Theology? The "Why Theology" question will be defended to highlight the truths of systematic theology. The truths of systematic theology within the biblical text are rooted in the doctrines of biblical truths. Answering the why question of theology within Christian education from a systematic theological perspective empowers the local church with doctrinal truths about God's nature, character, and identity. Introducing Christian education to the local ministry offers next-level learning opportunities and a learning center for theological education. Theological education may not solve the entire ministry problem of the local church, but theological education will answer the why and enhance …

What Hath Jerusalem To Do With Chile: Towards An Evangelical Understanding Of The Enneagram And Its Usage For Spiritual Development, Wesley E. Scholtz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Currently, it is estimated that the personality testing market is worth approximately $2 billion. The Church has expressed interest in understanding personality types through various testing methods. The Enneagram offers a possibly ancient method to help people understand who they are in a spiritual capacity, which can be an aid in connecting more closely with God. This dissertation addressed the research gap that exists within the current literature which is the lack of data concerning whether adults who are professional, ordained ministers are aware of, use, and may be skeptical of the Enneagram. The research method in this dissertation was …

Exploring The Concept Of Cultural Divinity In Supporting Religious Moderation In Indonesia, Andi Suhardiyanto, Tutik Wijayanti, Hendri Irawan

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

As a diverse nation, Indonesia often experiences clashes regarding diversity in life. The culturally embedded concept of divinity is believed to be a driving force in supporting religious moderation in Indonesia. This concept is crucial in religious pluralism in Indonesia, a country with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. This study adopts a qualitative approach through a literature review referencing national and international journals indexed in Scopus. The research findings indicate that maintaining harmony among religious communities and religious moderation serves as a strong foundation. Culturally embedded divinity refers to understanding cultural and religious diversity, a noble heritage of the Indonesian …

Sabbath For The Restless: Rediscovering God’S Gift Of Rest, Youngkhill Lee

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

God commanded his people to rest, embedding it in the fourth and longest of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20, he declared: “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work” (vv. 9–10). This command was not merely a rule but a reflection of God’s love and care. By blessing and sanctifying the seventh day (Genesis 2:3), God wove rest into the rhythm of life, pointing to its sacred significance.

An Iron Age Iib–C Hebrew Stamp Seal With Apotropaic And Prophylactic Properties From The Southwestern Corner Of The Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Filip Vukosavović, Ronny Reich, Navot Rom, Yuval Baruch

'Atiqot

An Iron Age Hebrew iconic stamp seal was uncovered near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The seal, made of black stone, depicts a winged genie and a personal name, Yehoʽezer son of Hoshaʽyahu. This is the first depiction of the winged genie iconography in the region found in an archaeological excavation. Influenced by Neo-Assyrian art, the seal was created in Jerusalem by a local artist for Hoshaʽyahu, a member of the Judean elite, during the Assyrian Century. Later on, the seal was inherited by his son, Yehoʽezer. In addition to being used as a stamp, the …

Go Figure: The Unique Trajectories Of Figurine Use And Religious Ideologies In The Middle- And Late-Bronze Age Southern Levant, Matthew Susnow, Joe Uziel

'Atiqot

This article explores the differences between cultic practices and religious ideologies as expressed in the material culture of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages in the Southern Levant. Whereas the periods share much in common in terms of material culture and political organization, we suggest that the cultic practices in the earlier period were dictated by elite ideologies aiming at social inclusion, unity, integration and group cohesion, while the Late Bronze Age viewed the distribution of such paraphernalia, particularly ceramic female figurines, as domestic in nature.

“Dead Stars” The Revolutionary Politics Of The Edenic Past, Rosario Cruz-Lucero

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia

This study undertakes a comprehensive, close reading of the original version of Paz Marquez Benitez’s (PMB’s) “Dead Stars,” published in the Philippines Herald in 1925. Previous critical essays have explicated selected aspects of the 1975 version edited and published by Leopoldo Yabes, based on some of its elements and techniques. On the other hand, this close reading is supplemented by empirical data gathered through historical research, including the cultural forms of the three Philippine traditions: indigenous, Hispanic, and colonial American. Weaving through the intertextual reading is the use of PMB’s biography, sources and influences, specifically the story’s historical context, milieu, …