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Discerning God’S Foreknowledge In Genesis 18:16–33, Devin T. Morris

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

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Welcome Home: A Comparative Study Of Home Altars As Agentive Mediators Of Religious Experience, Michael J. Horvath

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

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"Female Faithfulness Encouraged": Gendered Piety In Early American Print, Kadienne Sizemore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Following the American Revolution, membership in Baptist churches grew exponentially and the influence of the Baptist persuasion was significant. As one of the fastest-growing Protestant denominations in early America, Baptists and their interests were often indicative of larger trends in religiosity. Conceptions of piety, including beliefs surrounding submission, faithfulness, and duty, were central to the structure of Baptist congregations and their proximate communities. This paper explores the role of gender in the discussion, presentation, and justification of Baptist notions of piety in their publications during the Early American Republic. To build on the work of historians exploring female autonomy in …

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Transcendence In Kierkegaard And Barth, Andrew Myrick

Honors Theses

This paper examines the theological intersections and divergences between Karl Barth and Søren Kierkegaard, focusing on their conceptualizations of God's transcendence. Barth, influential in the twentieth century, viewed divine knowledge as accessible only through Jesus Christ's revelation, critiquing any historical or metaphysical bases for such knowledge. He was significantly influenced by Kierkegaard, who emphasized paradox and the "infinite qualitative distinction." This study traces Barth's evolving thoughts on transcendence across his works, including his critiques of Kierkegaard in his later years. While some scholars suggest a shared theological trajectory based on transcendence, this paper argues for nuanced differences, engaging with the …

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Mystical Life And Altered Consciousness: Comparing The Subtle Paths And Trance States Of St. Teresa And Patañjali, Dana Tarasavage

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

The study of mysticism is said to be the study of the ineffable, and thus by its nature, difficult to define. Yet the structured paths and trance states described by St. Teresa of Ávila in Interior Castle and Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtra demonstrate meticulous and thoughtful explanation of mystical practices and phenomena. This paper situates these texts, mystic guidebooks in their respective traditions, in conversation, examining and comparing the path towards, experience within, and the effect of mystical trances. It employs a balanced approach to essentialism and highlights the shared features of mystical life as a vantage point from …

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The Marketplace Of Ideas Quenched: Examination Of Christological Conflicts, And Their Outcomes, In The Early Christian Church, Brent Monnett

University Honors College

The first four centuries of church history were largely dominated by a diverse mix of philosophical arguments, theological debates, and seemingly intractable conflicts over the nature of Christ and his person. The paper presented here will endeavor to examine these through multiple lenses of understanding, historical, political, geographical, and theological. Perhaps the most defining conflicts of this period of upheaval were the gnostic controversy of the 2nd century, followed by the Arian controversy of the 4th century A.D (Pagels, 1974, & Haas, 1993). The theological kerfuffle's over Christ and his humanity considered against his deity were every bit as sociopolitical …

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Being Black And Buddhist, Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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Taylor Swift As Religion: The Deification Of An International Pop Music Superstar And The Ramifications Of Fame, With A Comparison To Vox Lux, Jessica Cotturone

Religion and Film

This paper explores the ways in which the culture surrounding pop music superstar Taylor Swift is a religion. Taylor Swift has had an indelible impact on her fans, who are known as Swifties, and this paper brings attention to the ways that she establishes a strong connection with her fans such that they come to view her as a religious figure. Definitions of religion proposed by scholars Clifford Geertz and Meghan Johnston Aelabouni are used to analyze how this popular music culture can fit into a broader conceptualization of religion. Special attention is given to the deification of celebrities in …

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Autism And The Body Of Christ: Understanding, Accommodating, And Accepting Autistic Believers In The Church, Kaitlyn Cook

Senior Honors Theses

Autism is a neurotype that causes a different set of strengths and weaknesses and thus should be embraced and accommodated within the church. Not only are autistic believers able to grasp Christian concepts, but they also have different perspectives and skills that can be instrumental in building up the church. Promoting a correct view of autism and accommodating neurodiversity within the church will allow autistic believers to follow God’s command to be part of a body and build up the church. The church can employ several strategies to create an accessible environment for believers on the spectrum, including creating sensory-safe …

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Family Discipleship: Forming A Biblical Worldview For Godly Decisions, Eric Spencer Mccrickard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project focuses on equipping parents to disciple their children in home-based worship, Bible study, and developing a biblical worldview. The problem at The Mission Church is poor decision-making from teens in the student group. The students make decisions from a malformed biblical worldview, resulting in decisions contrary to God’s Word. Further analysis of this problem revealed the need for home-based discipleship. Contemporary literature demonstrates the need for family ministry, specifically family-based discipleship. Thus, this research is critical to developing parents to teach their families God’s precepts (Deut 6:7-9). This thesis intervention seeks to instruct the parents about …

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Masonic Motifs In Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, Bradley Kime

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In Roald Dahl's classic story, Charlie Bucket is one of five lucky children allowed to tour Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. The tour is designed to test the character and integrity of each child. Ultimately only Charlie proves his virtue and commitment to keeping the secrets of the factory, while the tour itself reveals the character flaws of the other four children. Charlie's reward is to learn all of Wonka's "most precious candy-making secrets" and to eventually preserve and operate the factory as the candy-maker's heir.

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Demystifying Mysticism, Matthew Alexander Rae

Religious Studies Student Scholarship

The title of my 2024 Academic Conference student presentation is “Demystifying Mysticism.” My work is based on my “Christian Mysticism” tutorial with Fr. John Gavin, S.J., in the Religious Studies Department. I studied Carmelite Mysticism in the Roman Catholic Christian tradition, and how it can be applied to the prayer life of every Catholic. The Carmelites are a Contemplative order of religious sisters and brothers who live lives devoted to active prayer to God, following the Blessed Virgin as the model of faith. My thesis is that the Carmelite tradition provides vocabulary and images in order to share the inexpressible, …

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Let My People Go: A Biblical Theology Of Liberation In The Exodus Motif, Lou Ann Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Liberation theologians view political liberation as the central theme of the historical Exodus event due to their interpretation of the text through the perspective of the oppressed and the oppressor. I reject the postmodern stance of liberation theologians, which overemphasizes political liberation and fails to consider the links between Yahweh’s supernatural actions on behalf of the Hebrews in light of Yahweh’s covenantal obligations to Abraham’s descendants. This study argues against the use of liberation theologies as the paradigm for interpreting the historical Exodus event and asserts that a biblical theology of the Exodus motif reveals “covenant” as the interpretive key …

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The Spiritual Prodigy, The Reluctant Guru, And The Saint: Mirabai And Collaborative Leadership At Hari Krishna Mandir, Nancy M. Martin

Religious Studies Faculty Articles and Research

This article explores the life and influence of Indira Devi Niloy (1920–1997) who in 1949 began to encounter the sixteenth-century saint–poet Mirabai during her meditative trance states. She would recount songs, stories, and teachings that the saint gave to her as well as scenes from Mirabai’s life that she witnessed as an observer and at other times experienced directly as a participant. Their ongoing relationship would have a tremendous influence on Indira Devi as well as her guru Dilip Kumar Roy (1897–1980) and the increasingly international community that grew up around them. Their interactions and Indira Devi’s reports in turn …

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Abraham Smoot: Complexity In Context, Molly Hansen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 2019, a Salt Lake Tribune article described pieces of Abraham O. Smoot's slaveholding past. The article raised controversy over the administration building on BYU campus, which bears Smoot's name. After that Salt Lake Tribune article brought Smoot's negative history into a more public eye, outcry from the general public, the BYU community, the Latter-day Saint community, and the Smoot family themselves erupted. Questions like 'Why do we have buildings that honor slaveholders?' and 'Was he even a slaveholder?' and 'Do we unname or rename the Abraham Smoot Building at BYU?' were raised, and are still being asked in public …

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“The Spirit And Power": Max Weber And The Study Of Prophecy And Authority In The First Three Centuries Of The Church, Coleman S. Kimbrough

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Originally written as a research essay for Dr. Charles Bobertz's Patristics course in the Spring term of 2023, this paper examines the role that prophecy played in the early Church, especially in the Montanist movement of the late second and early third centuries. However, the paper takes prophecy and its authoritative role in the early Church as a springboard to reflect on the study of the early Church from an academic perspective, probing the ways in which twentieth-century scholarship utilized the sociological theory of Max Weber to make sense of the gradual "institutionalization" of the Church from its more charismatic …

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Marveling Religion: Critical Discourses, Religion, And The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jessica Knippel

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Jennifer Baldwin and Daniel Hodge White, eds., Marveling Religion: Critical Discourses, Religion, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Ladham, MD: Lexington Books, 2022).

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The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, And Demonic Belief, Sena Nurhan Duran

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Joseph P. Laycock and Eric Harrelson, The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, and Demonic Belief (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2023).

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The New Testament Use Of Sacred, Cultic Imagery As A Foundation For Understanding Christian Worship: An Exegetical Analysis Of Extended Metaphor In 1 Peter 2:4-10, Eric Brandell

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

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Accounting For The Gift: Theology And Ethics In Accounting, Daniel Sebastian

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Accounting is often assumed to be a neutral presentation of the facts of economic activities and actions. Its double-entry system means that it is always in balance and comports to the rigor of mathematical formulas, and it is taken to be a matter of empirical counting that lends it certainty as well. The dissertation argues that this description of accounting is inadequate. Accounting is better seen as a political tool and technology for producing trust that can help resolve social conflicts. As such, accounting is not value-neutral but carries within it a particular sociality that has moral implications. These moral …

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Religious Security: Its Essence And Main Factors (Ukrainian Context), Olena Predko, Denys Predko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Religious security is the protection of the religious space from internal and external threats, which is a particularly important issue in Ukraine today. In the premodern era, the idea of security was formed, which ensured, on the one hand, the development of a certain system of practices as auxiliary factors of neutralizing fear, insecurity, etc., and on the other hand, contributed to strengthening the protective function of various gods and forces as a means of preserving human integrity. In contrast, in the Christian worldview, chain interdependence is built between the concepts of “prayer,” “religious faith,” and “religious freedom,” the totality …

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Harvest Workers Ministry: Creating Passionate Life-Long Disciples By Nurturing Faith Development And Individual Callings Of Adolescents, Sam Wolowski

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

“6 out of 10 twentysomethings who were involved in church during their teen years will fail to maintain their active spirituality during their years of adulthood” (Robbins 17). Even the majority of adolescents involved in the church eventually separate from their faith and faith community. David Kinnaman, the president of Barna Group, explains that more than 50 percent of teenagers and young adults who are not committed Christians report that their former faith community (e.g., church, parish, etc.) did not help them understand their purpose and view their gifts and passions as part of God’s calling (159). The separation of …

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Evangelship: Mobilizing A Culture Of Discipleship That Leads To Evangelism In A Multiethnic Latino Context, Lawrence D. Perez

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Discipleship and evangelism in America today are eroding. Where traditionally the church sees discipleship and evangelism as separate entities, this research project argues for the unification of the two. This project explores “Evangelship,” the uniting of evangelism and discipleship, to see if the combined approach and perspective could offer a better way to engage the North American population. The driving question for this project is “Can the integration of evangelism and discipleship create a culture that accelerates and advances the Great Commission at U-Turn Covenant Church (U-Turn)?” To answer this question, the study aims to establish a discipleship framework that …

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Faithful In Friendship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Self-Perception As Portrayed By His Relationship With Eberhard Bethge, Greer Bates

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Shortly before Christmas 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer sat at the desk in his cell at Berlin's Tegel Prison to pen letters to the loved ones he left behind when the Gestapo arrested him on charges of conspiracy against the Fuhrer. Bonhoeffer recently passed the eight-month mark since his arrest, and he had given up hope of being released to his family in time for the holiday. "There's probably nothing for it but to write you a Christmas letter now to meet all eventualities," he opened a note to his parents, explaining that he had accepted the fate of not spending Christmas …

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Editor's Introduction, Marc R. Loustau Ph.D.

Journal of Global Catholicism

Introduction by Managing Editor Marc Roscoe Loustau to Towards an Economic Anthropology of Catholicism in the Age of Pope Francis

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The Crucifixion And Death Of Jesus In The Qur'an And Islamic Scholarship: The "Swoon Theory" And The Medical Perspective, Emmanuel K. Asante

Masters Theses

The crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ is a profound event that holds immense theological significance within Christianity. However, the Islamic perspective as presented in the Qur'an, offers a distinct portrayal of this event, giving rise to an argument known as the Swoon Theory. This theory suggests that Jesus did not die on the cross but instead survived the crucifixion, prompting various interpretations and implications. This thesis aims to explore the depiction of the crucifixion and death of Jesus in the Qur'an, focusing specifically on the swoon theory and its relationship with the medical perspective. By examining relevant Qur'anic verses …

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The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence In Online Education For Recruitment, Retention, And Sustainability Of Religious Organizations, Gordon Vaill Barrows

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explored the applicability of AI chatbot technology in the context of a church environment where it was used to promote an accessible and engaging online learning platform for education and ministry training. The primary objective was to develop an AI-powered chatbot to increase recruitment, improve retention, as well as support organizational sustainability as it relates to church membership. The research includes a comprehensive literature review on AI chatbot technology and its relevance to online education within the context of a religious organization. The literature review establishes the fundamentals for a theoretical framework, exploring the association between educational technology, …

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Preparing The Next Generation For Faith Ownership By Training Fathers In The Biblical Worldview, John D. Embrey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Several modern factors increase families’ difficulty training children in the Christian faith. Time commitments outside the home have increased, and a decline in faith practice has made parents less comfortable and confident with knowledge of the Christian faith. These factors fueled an increase in teenagers leaving the Christian faith as they moved into adulthood and a decline in the number of adults with a biblical worldview. The underlying assumption of this DMIN project is that if fathers are trained with a biblical worldview and mentoring skills, they will become more comfortable and prepared to share their faith with their children …

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The Theoretical Epigenetic Relationship Between Complex-Ptsd And Adhd In Holocaust Survivors’ Descendants, Y. Sahara Brodsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When comparing ADHD and Complex-PTSD, these two disorders share many overlapping features in both areas of the brain that are affected and the behavioral aspects due to deficits in certain brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex. It is due to this similarity that I predict that c-PTSD is the precursor to the development of ADHD in later generations. Through epigenetic changes that are consistent with c-PTSD diagnosis, these changes to the brain are then passed down the generational line. When this is combined with trauma transference and generational trauma, it creates a situation where both the behaviors inform how …

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Apertures In Recollections A Mental Trauma Response To The Holocaust Experience, Nicole T. Broxterman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Apertures in recollections studies the interview process used with Holocaust survivors as a method of assisting them in filling the gaps in their memories. Holocaust survivors were subjected to life altering experiences that have caused holes in the memories they share with us. In this thesis I go over the efficacy of multiple session interviewing to enhance a trauma survivors’ memory of events. The methodology of Dori Laub and Henry Greenspan is used to enhance the way I witnessed a personal experience while transcribing Helen Kahan’s interview for The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Dimensions in Testimony exhibit. Using these perspectives I …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Discerning God’S Foreknowledge In Genesis 18:16–33, Devin T. Morris

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

Welcome Home: A Comparative Study Of Home Altars As Agentive Mediators Of Religious Experience, Michael J. Horvath

Yale Divinity School Theses

"Female Faithfulness Encouraged": Gendered Piety In Early American Print, Kadienne Sizemore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Transcendence In Kierkegaard And Barth, Andrew Myrick

Honors Theses

Mystical Life And Altered Consciousness: Comparing The Subtle Paths And Trance States Of St. Teresa And Patañjali, Dana Tarasavage

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

The Marketplace Of Ideas Quenched: Examination Of Christological Conflicts, And Their Outcomes, In The Early Christian Church, Brent Monnett

University Honors College

Being Black And Buddhist, Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Taylor Swift As Religion: The Deification Of An International Pop Music Superstar And The Ramifications Of Fame, With A Comparison To Vox Lux, Jessica Cotturone

Religion and Film

Autism And The Body Of Christ: Understanding, Accommodating, And Accepting Autistic Believers In The Church, Kaitlyn Cook

Senior Honors Theses

Family Discipleship: Forming A Biblical Worldview For Godly Decisions, Eric Spencer Mccrickard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Masonic Motifs In Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, Bradley Kime

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Demystifying Mysticism, Matthew Alexander Rae

Religious Studies Student Scholarship

Let My People Go: A Biblical Theology Of Liberation In The Exodus Motif, Lou Ann Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Spiritual Prodigy, The Reluctant Guru, And The Saint: Mirabai And Collaborative Leadership At Hari Krishna Mandir, Nancy M. Martin

Religious Studies Faculty Articles and Research

Abraham Smoot: Complexity In Context, Molly Hansen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

“The Spirit And Power": Max Weber And The Study Of Prophecy And Authority In The First Three Centuries Of The Church, Coleman S. Kimbrough

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Marveling Religion: Critical Discourses, Religion, And The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jessica Knippel

Journal of Religion & Film

The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, And Demonic Belief, Sena Nurhan Duran

Journal of Religion & Film

The New Testament Use Of Sacred, Cultic Imagery As A Foundation For Understanding Christian Worship: An Exegetical Analysis Of Extended Metaphor In 1 Peter 2:4-10, Eric Brandell

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

Accounting For The Gift: Theology And Ethics In Accounting, Daniel Sebastian

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Religious Security: Its Essence And Main Factors (Ukrainian Context), Olena Predko, Denys Predko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Harvest Workers Ministry: Creating Passionate Life-Long Disciples By Nurturing Faith Development And Individual Callings Of Adolescents, Sam Wolowski

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Evangelship: Mobilizing A Culture Of Discipleship That Leads To Evangelism In A Multiethnic Latino Context, Lawrence D. Perez

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Faithful In Friendship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Self-Perception As Portrayed By His Relationship With Eberhard Bethge, Greer Bates

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Editor's Introduction, Marc R. Loustau Ph.D.

Journal of Global Catholicism

The Crucifixion And Death Of Jesus In The Qur'an And Islamic Scholarship: The "Swoon Theory" And The Medical Perspective, Emmanuel K. Asante

Masters Theses

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence In Online Education For Recruitment, Retention, And Sustainability Of Religious Organizations, Gordon Vaill Barrows

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preparing The Next Generation For Faith Ownership By Training Fathers In The Biblical Worldview, John D. Embrey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Theoretical Epigenetic Relationship Between Complex-Ptsd And Adhd In Holocaust Survivors’ Descendants, Y. Sahara Brodsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Apertures In Recollections A Mental Trauma Response To The Holocaust Experience, Nicole T. Broxterman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations