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To Encounter The Other? How Journalists Make Catholic Faith-Based Organizations In Mexico And Russia (In)Visible, Xochiquetzal Luna Morales

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Catholic Faith-Based Organizations (CFBOs) in Mexico and Russia are unique entities of study and comparison to understand the power dynamics between majority/minority institutional religions and their media representation. Although both countries recognize their religious diversity, Catholicism is still the major religion in Mexico, not only because of its large number of adherents but also its significant cultural and political capital. In contrast, in Russia, Catholicism is considered a minority religion and is often viewed as foreign to Russian values and traditions. These conditions influence how CFBOs have been featured in the news media in both countries. However, no single factors …

“We’Re Here, We’Re Queer, And We’Re Not Going Away” Student Policies And Lgbtq+ Students’ Experiences On Canadian Christian Campuses, Angela E. Gallo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research highlights that Christian campuses are often unwelcoming and hostile spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexually diverse (LGBTQ+) students. Yet, research, including emerging Canadian research, often overlooks how institutional policies shape LGBTQ+ students’ experiences. Further, little attention is given to the affirming experiences LGBTQ+ students encounter on Christian campuses. Through a collective case study of two Canadian Christian universities involving document analysis and interviews, I explored the discourses that school policies constructed concerning gender and sexuality, LGBTQ+ students’ experiences of exclusion and affirmation, and how policy, alongside other factors, shapes their experiences and well-being. …

Sunrise In The Heartland: The Ahmadiyya Movement And The Foundations Of African American Islam, Hazel Videon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

During the early 1920s, an immigrant missionary from colonial India named Muhammad Sadiq established headquarters in Chicago for a branch of Islam called the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (AMI). The AMI became the first institutional expression of Islam in the United States to draw a significant number of American converts and was particularly popular among African Americans. Following the Second Great Migration, Black migrants to the urban Midwest sought new ways to express their identity, fulfill both spiritual and material needs, and resist racist violence. The AMI became attractive to them as an alternative to respectability politics and drew upon …

Embodying Jesus' Mission: Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care, Melanie Cole

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to ascertain the need for trauma-informed training in pastoral preparation programs. To achieve this goal, the researcher examined the main components of Jesus’ mission manifesto as detailed by Luke in his gospel narrative. The researcher evaluated the main components of Jesus’ programmatic speech in Nazareth including, but not limited to, the key Isaianic reference Jesus reflects on and the people his mission was geared towards. Subsequently, the researcher conducted a contemporary literature review on trauma. The researcher defined trauma, assessed the impact of trauma and investigated the healing process for victims of trauma. The …

From Affirmation To Equity: The Spiral Of Congregational Empowerment For Women In Baptist Congregations, Heather E. Deal, Will Ward, Gaynor I. Yancey

Funded Scholarship

Patriarchy has long structured Christian life and practice. In many Baptist settings, even formal affirmations of women in leadership leave a gap between stated commitments and women’s lived experience. This study investigates how Baptist congregations cultivate empowering environments for women by tracing the interplay of beliefs, practices, and processes through which theology is enacted in congregational life. Drawing on feminist theology and lived-religion perspectives, and using constructivist grounded theory, we conducted nine semi-structured interviews with 15 women clergy across seven U.S. Baptist congregations. Analysis proceeded through iterative initial, focused, and theoretical coding with attention to reflexivity and trustworthiness. Findings highlight …

Clinical Implications For Helping Professionals Learned From The Pastoral Care Of Lgbtq+ Youth, John Willis Ward, Heather Deal, Gaynor Yancey

Funded Scholarship

This qualitative article is informed by queer theory, and more specifically queer theology, and explores how youth ministers in various denominations care for LGBTQ+ teenagers in their congregations. Seven youth pastors from three major denominational groups were interviewed from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), Alliance of Baptists, and Presbyterian Church, USA (PC-USA). Participants had to identify as LGBTQ+ affirming, though their congregations could be in various states of affirmation. Thematic analysis found the following significant categories: confidentiality, implications of whole church engagement, student-led engagement, theology/image of God, and degree of support for identity development.

Innovating Chaplaincy Education: Integrating Nonreligious Spiritual Care Interventions To Serve A Diverse Patient Population, Dianne Dragon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The transformation to the curriculum taught in chaplain training in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) will now address the spiritual needs of a more diverse, nonreligious, and interfaith population in the United States. Historically rooted in religious frameworks, CPE curricula are evolving to incorporate non-religious spiritual care interventions and promote research literacy among chaplains. This dissertation study uses descriptive analysis to present a study surveying CPE educators across over 300 U.S. based CPE centers to explore teaching practices and adaptation strategies. Findings reveal that integrating evidence-based methods and interdisciplinary collaboration is key to addressing inclusivity and professional competency in chaplaincy. By …

The Divine Invitation To Co-Creation: The Effects Of Creative Practice On The Vocation Of Clergy In The Anglican Church Of Canada, Dawn Dickieson-Leger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Creative practice has been confirmed as having benefits for health and well-being for people as well as an effective spiritual practice aiding in discernment. Clergy find their purpose in their sense of vocation, often formed and discerned in the context of seeking ordination. The researcher, an Anglican priest and amateur artist, presents a renewed idea of vocation as co-creation with God by engaging in creative practice. Throughout the dissertation she offers reflections from her own experiences in art, health recovery, and ministry. Fifteen Anglican clergy were interviewed about their vocation, ministry, and creative practice. Each of these clergy met the …

Suicide Awareness And Crisis Planning: Trauma Responsive Techniques For Educators, Dustin Young, Shannon Trecartin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Suicide Awareness And Crisis Planning: Trauma Responsive Techniques For Educators, Dustin Young, Shannon Trecartin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Education And Eschatology: Why Theological Education Is Necessary, Jiri Moskala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Healer's Call: Helping Clients In A Secular World With Spiritual Problems, Brent Taylor

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Issues In Religion And Psychotherapy Volume 42 Number 1

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

President's Message: An Eternal Perspective, David T. Seamons

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Editorial Message

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling For Bereavement, Wayne A. Benner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The topic of this action research is Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling for grief and bereavement. The need for the research completed is for hospice chaplains to have a workable tool to use for grief and bereavement. The problem is that many hospice chaplains do not have a framework to use for counseling in grief. The action researcher worked on the thesis of if chaplains use Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling for grief they will be more effective. The research was completed using Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling to counsel six participants in grief. Each participant completed a pre-counseling questionnaire and a post-counseling questionnaire to assess …

Submit Yourself: Religious Beliefs, Gender Roles, Self-Control, And Alcohol Use’S Influence On Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence, Carina J. Pawlak

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Religious beliefs bear a great significance in many individuals’ lives, as they shape our personal belief systems and affect our relationships with others. Limited research has explored the relationship between religion and intimate partner violence (IPV), an increasingly prevalent issue that persists in our society. The traditional values, such as male gender roles associated with patriarchal societies and traditional religious beliefs, may magnify the prevalence of IPV perpetration. Other variables that may be associated with positive attitudes toward IPV include self-control, alcohol intake, and belief in divine control. This analysis used preliminary data from the Crime, Health, and Intimate Partner …

The Dying Art Of Dining Together: What Has Happened To Mealtimes?, Erin Olson

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"we... need to work to protect these precious and valuable times with our families around the table."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­prioritizing our relationships by eating together 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.

The Dying Art of Dining Together

Sunday Schools And Identity Formation: Perceptions And Experiences Of Religious Education Leaders In Karachi, Pakistan, Munir Mehboob Lalani

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This research project attempts to explore the perceptions and experiences of Christian religious education leaders regarding the role of Sunday Schools in forming the socio-religious identity of Christian students in Karachi. Employing case study design within the qualitative paradigm of educational research, this study seeks to explore how leaders visualize their role and contribution in shaping the socio-religious identities of the children through Sunday Schools. The data was collected from the three participants through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the data facilitated an understanding of the dynamics of leadership function, including challenges, limitations, and opportunities. The findings highlight the need …

Building Hope In Outreach Ministry, Preston W. Boerner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Churches and faith-based organizations may discover their role in fulfilling the Great Commission seems to be overshadowed by their efforts to provide other forms of relief and support. Central Florida, like many different regions in the United States, is facing an epidemic of homelessness and addiction. Natural and manmade disasters also present urgent and existential threats. The researcher believes that building true and lasting hope in Jesus is key to facing these challenges in the long term. He hypothesized that intractable barriers may create hopelessness and shift the focus of ministry away from inspiring hope. He conducted purposive interviews and …

Good Samaritans: Applications Of Social Christianity By Southern Baptists During The Early Twentieth Century, Alyson Marie Fagan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the early twentieth century, the Social Gospel movement sought to spur Christians to serve their neighbors through social and political reform, often through ecumenical groups. However, Southern Baptists remained distant from this movement because they were weary of the liberal Christianity expressed by Social Gospel leaders that appeared to replace the power of the Gospel with acts of service. Instead, the Southern Baptist Convention formally addressed social reforms and civic engagement by creating the Social Service Commission and Committee on Civic Righteousness. These groups expressed the need to reform the home and advocated civic engagement while remaining true to …

Using Statistics In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Although the proper use of statistics is challenging for most people, including researchers, aggregated numeric data is often the strongest evidence that a researcher can present to support an idea. This is because statistics is such a powerful tool for detecting trends that can be observed in complex contexts such as churches. Church researchers need to understand two classes of statistics: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics describe the different variables that are measured in a study and include the mean, the standard deviation, and confidence intervals. They also include correlations showing how these variables are related to each …

The Operation Of The Holy Spirit In Pastoral Counseling And Chaplaincy, Elizabeth Canfield

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The operation of the Holy Spirit in pastoral counseling and chaplaincy is a topic that is difficult to quantify. How and where the Holy Spirit moves is often a mystery. This dissertation seeks to understand the movement of the Holy Spirit in pastoral counseling and chaplaincy in the form of a theological and literature review looking into the history of soul care/pastoral counseling and the development of chaplaincy. It also looks at who the Holy Spirit is, how the Spirit operates, and develops a theology of the Holy Spirit within pastoral counseling and chaplaincy with a focus on spiritual gifts. …

Crisis Of Youth Homelessness In Birmingham, Alabama, Velma Annette Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The economic and educational conditions of Jefferson County, Alabama, have contributed significantly to the increase of homeless families with children (LaGory et al., 2018). The failures of the foster care system have exponentially increased the population of homeless youth ages 19 to 26 (Burge et al., 2021). The lack of efficient public transportation emergency and affordable long-term housing has created a permanent population of homelessness (Kelly, 2020). Within the homeless culture, the increased incidents of violence, substance abuse, and sexual and physical abuse combined with functional illiteracy create an environment that breeds repetitive behaviors that reproduce the homeless outcomes (Burge …

Peace Bishops: Lessons From Dom Hélder Câmara In Brazil: Inquiry, Teaching, And Aesthetics, Louis Edgar Esparza

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay explains how Dom Hélder Câmara, archbishop of Olinda and Recife, used the traditions of critical inquiry, Catholic social teaching, and cultural aesthetics to advocate for the poor in the northeast of Brazil during the military dictatorship of 1964-1985. It details the adversity that Câmara and others in his position faced, providing some historical context for those events. Drawing from social movement and theological sources, the article then proceeds to highlight critical inquiry, Catholic social teaching, and cultural aesthetics as driving forces in Câmara’s work.

Unity In The Church Across Traditions: How Abraham Kuyper's Ecclesiology Helps Further Contemporary Ecumenical Engagement Between Protestants And Catholics, Vincent Keane

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Pastoral Perceptions Of Formal Mental Health Training In The Black Church, Monique Bethea-Covington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This purpose of this phenomenological study is to broadly explore the role of the Black Church in providing mental health support by facilitating linkages to professional mental health services by exploring pastoral perceptions of mental health through examination of their experiences with church members. Ten African American pastors of Black Churches in North and South Carolina completed semi-structured, qualitative interviews describing their backgrounds, attitudes, and their mental health experiences within the church. Many of the respondents reported having members of their congregation disclose challenges or difficulties with their mental health. Most of the pastors reported that they understood the need …

Educational And Charitable Activities Of Baptist Christians: On The Example Of The Religious Organization Of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church Of The Nativity,' In Zhytomyr, Nataliia Kovtun, Iryna Vitiuk, Olena Polishchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Over the past three decades, and especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2014-2024), Ukrainian Evangelical Christian Baptists have been actively engaged in charitable and educational activities. The article examines this activity through content analysis and statistical analysis of the statutory documents, website, and YouTube channels of the Church of the Nativity of Evangelical Christians Baptists (ECB) in Zhytomyr (Ukraine).

The study found that the church's charitable activities are carried out in several areas: the ministry of parishioners and elders of the Nativity Church of the Baptist Church of Zhytomyr within the framework of the Christian Center for Social …