Digital Commons Network^™

A Critical Evaluation Of John Hick's Religious Pluralism In Light Of His Eschatological Model, Haejong Je

Dissertations

Introduction to the Problem

The philosophy of John Hick, who is famous for his religious pluralism, has received vigorous study in terms of its epistemology, authority, the concept of God, and Christology. However, less attention has been given to his pareschatology. As explained below, initial investigation shows that there is a need for in-depth study of Hick’s religious philosophy in this area.

The Problem

Based upon preliminary research, Hick’s religious pluralism seems to reveal a critical problem with external correspondency, as follows. His pareschatology, which is an attempt to accept all eschatologies of major world religions as valid, may as …

Strategies And Themes Of Luke, Center For Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University

Center for Catholic Studies Faculty Seminars and Core Curriculum Seminars

No abstract provided.

Using "Chaos" In Articulating The Relationship Of God And Creation In God's Creative Activity, Eric Michael Vail

Dissertations (1934 -)

Out of dialogue with Old Testament studies and the sciences, there has been a rise in recent years in the use of "chaos" language by theologians in their articulation of a theology of creation. There has been little uniformity in how the word is used among the fields, or even within some fields—especially by biblical scholars doing ancient Near East comparative studies. Under the umbrella of this popular terminology, some ideas have found refuge whose theological implications warrant evaluation.

Within this dissertation the range of ideas that fall under "chaos" within the physical sciences, Old Testament studies, and theology is …

Advent Devotional Guide 2009, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Communal Lament Psalms And The Treaty-Covenant Formula, Dan Belnap, Daniel L. Belnap

Faculty Publications

Within the corpus of psalms in the Hebrew Bible is a group known as the communal laments. Characterized by their use of the first person common plural pronoun, some type of calamity experienced by the community, and a petition to God, these psalms incorporate similar imagery, terminology, and structure. This study explores these psalms and suggests that they relate closely to the Hittite treaty-covenant formula found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, yet differ in that they reflect an ongoing covenantal relationship rather than the establishment of such. Thus, these psalms emphasize Israel’s expectation that God, as the senior covenantal party, …

Rethinking Advaita: Who Is Eligible To Read Advaita Texts?, Anantanand Rambachan

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

My most recent work, The Advaita Worldview: God, World and Humanity, exemplifies two related movements. First, I join the growing stream of scholars who are making efforts to distinguish the interpretations of Sankara from later Advaita exegetes. The uncritical equation of Sankara's views with those of later exegetes needs to be challenged. Second, I contend that Advaita reflection and scholarship cannot limit itself to the clarification of Sankara's interpretations. These interpretations must also be critically evaluated in order for the tradition to be relevant and creative. It is problematic to assume that Sankara was immune from historical influences, cultural …

Book Review: "The Experience Of God: Icons Of The Mystery", Joseph Prabhu

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

A review of The Experience of God: Icons of the Mystery by Raimon Panikkar.

Christ's Interpretation Of Isaiah's 52'S "My Servant" In 3 Nephi, Gaye Strathearn, Jacob Moody

Faculty Publications

When the Savior appeared to the “more righteous” of the Nephites and Lamanites, he used many teachings that modern readers readily recognize from the Old and New Testaments. Some critics have suggested that Joseph Smith merely lifted these teachings from his copy of the Bible.1 While some of these quotations are very similar to the accounts in the King James Bible, there are some significant differences that strongly suggest that the process was more complex and nuanced than these critics allow.

Preaching To The Court House And Judging In The Temple, Nathan B. Oman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Consolation As Theme In Luther's Sermons And Correspondence: Insights Into His Theological Ethics, Robert H. Cubillos

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Much "To-Do" About Nothing: Hale's Skeptical Relativism, And Basic Doxastic Perspectives, Mark Mcleod-Harrison

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

No abstract provided.

Pentecostal Theology According To The Theologians: An Introduction To The Theological Methods Of Pentecostal Systematic Theologians, Christopher Adam Stephenson

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation is a twofold argument that 1) existing pentecostal systematic theology can be interpreted according to four analytical categories and that 2) future pentecostal theological method should incorporate a form of lex orandi, lex credendi for the benefit of pentecostal theology and spirituality.

I analyze the theological methods of major past and present pentecostal systematic theologians and demonstrate that they have followed four basic patterns. First, Myer Pearlman, E. S. Williams, and French L. Arrington take the material for their theologies almost exclusively from the Bible. Second, Steven J. Land and Simon K. H. Chan center their theologies on …

Beyond Stewardship: Toward An Agapeic Environmental Ethic, Christopher J. Vena

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation is a work in theological anthropology and environmental philosophy. It seeks to provide a conceptual framework for a Christian environmental ethic rooted in love.

The heart of the crisis of ecological degradation is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960's it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human "dominion" over creation. This spurred a variety of responses designed to show that Christian faith was compatible with environmental care. A key theme emerging from this debate was the image of humans as Stewards of God's …

Asimilación : A Study Of Costa Rican Newcomers In Their Search For A Church, And The Church's Response To Them, Osias Segura-Guzmán

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Knowing Body, Moving Mind: Ritualizing And Learning In Two Buddhist Centres In Toronto, Patricia Q. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This book explores learning through ritualizing in introductory meditation courses offered at two Tibetan-based, western Buddhist centres in Toronto. Through interviews with several of the centres’ newcomers, experienced members and teachers, it explores students’ reasons for enrolling in meditation classes as well as their attitudes towards religion and ritual. The study's primary focus is on respondents’ experiences of learning through formal practices such as meditation postures and techniques. Ritualizing is interpreted in part through performance theory, an approach which highlights the performative elements of ritual and the physical enactment of ritualized postures and gestures. Learning through ritualized activities creates a …

Saltwater Sacraments And Backwoods Sins: Contemporary Atlantic Canadian Literature And The Rise Of Literary Catholicism, Andrew Peter Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the 1990s, Canadian readers were offered a new literary trend: the Atlantic Canadian Catholic novel. In this dissertation, I examine works from six authors whose writing reflects the scope of this trend and I argue for a consideration of their collective impact on our social imaginary. The bulk of my argument is devoted to an examination of the Catholic religious content in the five novels and one memoir: David Adams Richards’ Bay of Love and Sorrows (1998); Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Fall on Your Knees (1996); Lynn Coady’s Strange Heaven (1996); Wayne Johnston’s Baltimore’s Mansion: A Memoir (1999); Patrick Kavanagh’s Gaff …

St. Augustine's Learning For The Glory Of God: Adapting "Faith-Learning Integration" Terminology For The Modern World, Marie Valance, Jaliene Hollabaugh, Thu Truong

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The scholastic debate about use and interpretation of the phrase “faith-learning integration” has spanned over fifty years. Glanzer (2008) proposed that this phrase be discarded and that scholars adopt the terminology “the creation and redemption of scholarship.” This concept is not new to Christian dialogue: it can be found in the writings of St. Augustine. However, there needs to be further clarification of Glanzer’s language in order to make it accessible to people of all faiths, backgrounds, and education levels. This paper will attempt to support both Glanzer’s proposal and a new direction for the discussion and encourage educators to …

Singing The Word Of God: Five Hymns By President Frederick G. Williams, Frederick G. Williams

BYU Studies

Frederick G. Williams (1787–1842) was a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under Joseph Smith and served as his personal scribe. His descendant of the same name now examines evidence proving that the Church leader, historian, doctor, editor, and Kirtland landowner also composed hymns. The article discusses the subject matter of Williams's hymns, including Joseph Smith's vision of Enoch, Zion, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and Williams's own experience with the gift of tongues.

Response To Rambachan's "The Advaita Worldview" And Thatamanil's "The Immanent Divine", Michelle Voss Roberts

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

In light of postcolonial and feminist criticism, it has become good form for scholars to "locate themselves" with regard to their subject matter by laying out their values and presuppositions to the extent possible. Because supposedly "objective" or "neutral" scholarship often reflects hegemonic interests, this practice ideally brings self-awareness about the discourses we carry into the hermeneutical process. Postcolonial discourse since Edward Said's Orientalism (1978) instructs that if Western academics are to continue representing the so-called East, they must at least acknowledge the dominance of Western and Christian presuppositions in this scholarly tradition.

Ruth, Redemption, Covenant, And Christ, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

The book of Ruth is one of the most loved stories of the Old Testament. Yet sometimes it remains just that: a story from which some readers gain little in the way of doctrine or application. We identify with the story because the principal actors are neither kings nor prophets but the average people of a typical village. There are neither mighty warriors nor great conflicts, but there are intense struggles for surviving life's difficulties and genuine battles with grief. We love the story because it is so well told, because it has characters we can identify with, because it …

Encircling Astronomy And The Egyptians: An Approach To Abraham 3, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

Abraham 3 is one of the most enigmatic sections of the Pearl of Great Price. Teacher and student together sense there is something more to the text than the meaning they are drawing out of it. Each thorough exploration gently nudges another layer of understanding from the text, but we always feel we have unraveled only the smallest portion of what it has to offer. Though I do not pretend to have a great key to unlock this revelation, I believe there are some apperceptive principles that cast light on Abraham's night vision.

A Church Without Walls: Finding Community In Central Christian Church's Online Campus, Kayla Jo Gilmore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Churches today are expanding beyond the physical walls of a church building. They are now online and interactive. This study explores the differences and similarities of communities of online churches and their physical church locations. It incorporates Stanley Fish's interpretive community theory by looking at Thomas Lindlof's common elements of a community and characteristics of an interpretive community. Using an ethnographic approach, survey and interviews were conducted to collect the data. Conclusions include determining that Central's online and physical church communities are in fact interpretive communities and that the online church is not replacing the physical church, but supplementing it.

Book Review. Liberty: Rethinking An Imperiled Ideal By Glenn Tinder, Daniel O. Conkle

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Eternal Marriage And Family In The Old Testament, Michael A. Goodman

Faculty Publications

More than the sacred literature of any other people, the Torah is the story of family, of marriages, and not prettied-up versions, either, but the stuff of real marriages—love, romance, anger, deceit, honor, faithfulness, distrust, infidelity, companionship, intimacy. . . . Perhaps that explains why marriage becomes the ultimate paradigm for the relationship between God and the Jewish People.¹

At first thought, the Old Testament may not come to mind as a rich source from which to study marriage and its centrality to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, the words marry and marriage appear only six times …

Saint John Fisher College: What's The Connection? (First Friday Lecture, October 3, 2008), William Graf

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"In the year of our Lord 1535, at 5:00 on Tuesday morning, June 22^nd, the Lieutenant of the Tower of London awoke the sleeping John Fisher to deliver a message from King Henry VIII: the Bishop of Rochester was to be put to death that day before noon. Because the recently created Cardinal did not recognize Henry’s claim to be supreme head of the Church in England nor the validity of his marriage to Anne Boleyn, John Fisher was judged a traitor. In late May 1535, when …

Full Issue, No Author

Verbum

This is the full issue of Volume 6, Issue 1 of Verbum, published in Fall 2008 by the REST Club at St. John Fisher College. Articles from this issue are available as separate PDFs at http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol6/iss1/

'Purification Of Memory': The Ritual Acknowledgement Of Social Sin And The Penitential Celebration, Corran T. Pike

Theses

The Sacrament of Penance in the Australian Catholic Church is experiencing a pastoral decline. Concurrently, in the secular world, increasingly people are demanding and experiencing rituals of communal apology for social sin. Secular communal apologies (and rituals of forgiveness) appear to be speaking to people in a way that existing liturgical rituals in the church are not. There are no communal rituals for the acknowledgement of social sin currently included in the Rite of Penance. This is a lacuna in the church’s ritual complex that needs to be addressed. This dissertation will analyse several recent communal apologies for social sin …

A Comprehensive Retreat Program For High School Youth Ministry Students, Julie Therese Krug

Pastoral Institute

My pastoral project will encompass five retreats that I will work on in collaboration with a team of young adult volunteers and approximately 20 high school juniors and seniors. The "retreat season" will begin with a leadership retreat in September 2007, two Confirmation retreats (December 2007 and March 2008), a freshmen lock-in retreat (January 2008), and a junior high retreat (March 2008). The team will meet weekly for 8 weeks prior to a retreat, at times working on retreats simultaneously, to plan and prepare. The team's tasks will include leading ice breakers, small discussion groups, large group activities, praise and …

Preliminary Pages, No Author

Verbum

No abstract provided.

Survey On The Virgin Mary And Mary Magdalene, Larimee Cortnik

Student Scholarship

Twenty diverse responses to a survey on the beliefs about the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene. The survey was completed by Larimee Cortnik for Women in the Bible: Ethnographic Approaches to Rite and Ritual, Story, Song and Art (JDST - RLGN 268, Prof. J. Neulander) in Fall 2008.