Digital Commons Network^™

The Critical Role Of Lutheran Higher Education In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Jose Marichal, Maya Goehner, Tyler Haug

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Search And Destroy: The U.S. Military's Contribution To The Victory Of The North Vietnamese Army, Mike Baer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On August 7, 1964 both houses of Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, placing congressional support behind the president in repelling "any armed attack against the forces of the United States." The president was also empowered to take, upon request from any nation in Southeast Asia, "all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist {that nation} in the defense of its freedom." This allowed the U.S. to circumvent the Geneva Accords of 1954, which had severely limited the U.S. troop contingent in South Vietnam and prevented any offensive military campaigns. Less than a year after passage …

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 …

The Rites Of Women: The Continuity Of Gender Roles In Roman Religion, Ariel E. Bybee

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The second-centrury B.C. historian Aulus Gellius recounts the ceremony by which a girl was inducted into the cult of the Roman goddess Vesta in his Attic Nights. A maiden between six and ten years of age and of aristocratic birth was selected from among her peers by the drawing of lots. The chief pontiff took her by the hand and declared, "I take thee, Amata, as one who has fulfilled all the legal requirements, to be priestess of Vesta, to perform the rites which it is lawful for a Vestal to perform for the Roman people, the Quirites." She was …

Honors Seminar: "Religion And The Sermon In Appalachia", Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

This presentation is kind of a sequel/follow-up to one I gave seven years ago in Baltimore, entitled “Four Case Studies in Teaching Sermons at a Public University.” I discussed

a gen-ed ENG class, a gen-ed class cross-listed with ENG & RST, a graduate seminar, and a class in the Honors College. The first three were one-offs, but the Honors class has lived on. I taught it again, in much the same form, the semester after that presentation, and again this past semester. The title was now “Religion and the Sermon in Appalachia” (for purposes of the online schedule, it had …

Children On The Mormon Trail, Jill Jacobsen Andros

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

While reflecting on her experience crossing the plains in a Mormon handcart company at age nine, Agnes Caldwell, recalled:

"Although only tender years of age, I can yet close my eyes and see everything in panoramic precision before me-the ceaseless walking, walking, ever to remain in my memory. Many times I would become so tired and, childlike, would hang on the cart, only to be gently pushed away. Then I would throw myself by the side of the road and cry. Then realizing they were all passing me by, I would jump to my feet and make an extra run …

Women's Reproductive Health: A Critical Appraisal Of Reproductive Justice And Magisterial Contributions To Responsible Family Planning, Kelly Olson

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

History reveals the degrading and traumatizing experiences of marginalized women harmed by unethical reproductive healthcare practices. Progress has been made; however divisive barriers still prohibit dialogue from resulting in a dignified approach to legislation that serves the diverse population of women in diverse situations of lived reality. Enhancing the theological dialogue with updated awareness of women’s reproductive healthcare needs and a renewed conversation of the benefit of expressed human sexuality in heterosexual marriage allows opportunity for the Magisterium to enhance teaching that aligns with Catholic tradition and grows with human understanding, in the spirit of aggiornamento. Improved clarity and wider …

Faith In Europe: De Gasperi, Adenauer And Their Visions Of Postwar Europe, Michael Griffitts

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

G ermany and Italy faced exceptional challenges after World War II. Their culpability in the outbreak of this devastating war made recovery an especially difficult task. Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) and Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954) had the unenviable jobs of rebuilding their respective nations after Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini had fallen from power. Both were Chri~tian Democrats who believed that the Christian tradition could provide an important foundation for Europe's rebirth. For both, the ennobling principles of Christianity and the transnational solidarity promoted by the religious tradition offered a refreshing possibility for peace and stability. Their commitment to greater European …

Review Of My Soul’S Journey To Redefine Leadership, Patricia Mische

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: An Apostolate Of Friendship: Recent Publications On The Letters And Conferences Of Thomas Merton, Paul Pynkoski

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Relational Leadership And Governing: Somali Clan Cultural Leadership, Farhia Abdi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This research is focused on exploring the distinction between theories of leadership and more contemporary visions of relational leading. In order to do so, the specific case of traditional clan structure seen in the Somali state will be examined, and parallels between the two will be drawn. This paper argues that the old Somali tradition shares much in common with current writing on relational leadership (Uhl-Bien, 2006) and, therefore, can expand our understanding and support for a form of leadership that transcends traditional, individualist, hierarchical leadership. This argument will be supported by a detailed investigation into clan politics, leadership, and …

On Dialogue And Beyond: Positive Environmental Peacebuilding In Palestine, Elsa Barron

The Journal of Social Encounters

In Palestine, environmental management has been used as a tool of military occupation and oppression. Yet even within that context, many community-based organizations have established programs relating to environmental peacebuilding. Of these initiatives, environmental dialogue programs have received significant attention and resources, even more so since the war in Gaza began in October, 2023. However, a deeper interrogation of these programs reveals the danger that dialogue and collaboration devoid of a critical analysis of power and injustice further perpetuates systemic oppression. Moving these programs into the realm of positive environmental peacebuilding requires a willingness to engage in this structural analysis. …

Trinity And Creation: Bavinck On The Vestigia Trinitatis, Gayle E. Doornbos

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Engaging recent scholarship on Bavinck’s revitalization of the vestigia trinitatis and its connection to the organic motif, this essay identifies and examines two aspects of Bavinck’s account that remain underdeveloped with scholarship on this topic. First, it explores the lingering importance triads within Bavinck’s account of the vestigia. Bavinck may have developed a primarily non-numerical account of the vestigia, but he still acknowledges the place of triadic analogies, especially in humanity. Second, it contextualizes Bavinck’s appropriation of the vestigia within his understanding of creation as relative, divine, self-communication in order to illuminate how creation can bear the imprint of the …

At The Intersection Of Religion, Spirituality, And Clinical Psychology: A Conversation With Two Jewish Psychologists, Robert A. Demayo, David A. Levy

Psychology Division Scholarship

This article presents a dialogue between two Jewish psychologists who share their respective personal and professional journeys on how spirituality and religious affiliation impacts their work as clinicians. They address the following questions: How would you identify your cultural background with respect to your religious or spiritual history and identity? How do you manage the competing demands of respecting both individual cultural identity and group cultural identity? How did your early experiences with Judaism influence your professional practice? What were your earliest academic influences on the question of spirituality in psychology? How have religion and spirituality manifested in your clinical …

Pastoral Care During Widespread Disruptions : Pastoral Care Practices In Small Rural Churches During Widespread Disruptions, Jerry L. Dicks

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Revisioning The Shawnee Prophet: Revitalization Movements, Religious Studies, And The Ontological Turn, Douglas L. Winiarski

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Historians invariably frame the early life of Laloeshiga, more commonly known as Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet, as one of unmitigated chaos and disorder. He emerges in scholarly literature as a ne'er-do-well: failed hunter and warrior, adulterer and wife beater, penurious healer, and dissolute alcoholic. A near-death experience during the winter of 1805 triggered visions that led to his rapid rise to religious authority in the revitalization movement he led with his brother, the famed Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Newly discovered sources and systematic review of older ones reveal a vastly different origin story. None of the supposed facts of the Prophet's …

The Assault On Protestants And Other Minority Faiths In Russian-Occupied Ukraine, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 Russian forces have been responsible for damaging or destroying at least 660 churches and other religious structures, including at least 206 belonging to Protestants.1 The largest number of Protestant churches damaged or destroyed have been Pentecostal (94), Evangelical Christian-Baptist (60), and Seventh-day Adventist (27).2 And what Russians have not destroyed or seized they have closed and banned for purposes of worship.3 For example, in the portions of the Luhansk Region under Russian and pro-Russian separatist control not a single Protestant church remains open for worship, and in Russian-occupied Donetsk Region, only …

“Guard Your Virtue With Your Life”: Purity Expectations And Dynamics Of Purity And Gender-Based Violence For Latter-Day Saint (Lds) Girls And Women, Reilly H. Brady

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

This study investigates purity expectations directed towards girls and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), approaching a largely underresearched topic and establishing findings such as the mutual embeddedness of purity and gender-based violence for girls and women in the LDS Church. Through a discourse analysis, this study creates a historical timeline of over 100 years of documents, including church-produced media as well as separate writings by LDS women, focusing on how purity has changed and has been politicized over time within various historical moments. While most survey participants in this study described never having heard …

Ethics Of Plausible Deniability, John A. Van Til

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Image Of Women In Islam: Maqāsid Approach For Correct Interpretation, Maher Haswa, Man Baker, Moath Alnaief

All Works

The current study attempted to outline the necessity of using the purposes method (al-manhaj al-maqāṣidi) to understand the correct meaning of Islamic religious texts, particularly those related to the image of women, by analysing a set of Prophetic Hadiths in the canonical works of al-Bukhari and Muslim. When the purposes method is not utilized, these texts are typically understood as hostile towards women, leading many to question their validity. The current study employed the analytical and critical methods derived from holistically viewing the religious texts. The study argued that the purposes method should be used by gathering all the texts …

The Techniques And Applications Of Hitler's Propaganda, Kelly Stone

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In March of 1924, Adolf Hitler and forty of his associates were convicted of treason for attempting to overthrow the Weimar government in the failed "Beer Hall Putsch." Hitler was sentenced to five years in the Landsberg fortress, but was released in less than a year. During his eight month incarceration, Hitler wrote a remarkable book, Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"), in which he recounted his life, proclaimed his ideology, and described in detail his plans (upon attaining power) for Germany's future. Mein Kampf is not a literary masterpiece. Winston Churchill describes it as "turgid, verbose, [and] shapeless." Mein Kampf's importance …

Private Christian Education And Utilization Of Evangelism Curriculum, Amy N. Mcbrayer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to develop and implement curriculum for equipping students to communicate their faith and the gospel interculturally. The central focus of this DMIN research project to introduce a novel World Religions course to the curriculum at Angleton Christian School in order to provide the students with practical training for cross-cultural evangelism and apologetics. There were eleven total participants, all who were either junior and senior-level students at the start of the 2023 fall semester. Each student was assessed using the same theological assessment and world religion survey on both the first day …

The Effect Of Music On Spiritual Well Being Among Hospice Patients, Mathai Abraham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The life expectancy of a hospice patient is approximately six months or less. Hospice care is not for the cure of the disease. It is the care provided to the patients for the symptom management of the disease. Hospice care, known as end-of-life care, is very important for a comfortable and peaceful passage. Holistic care for the hospice patient is the goal of the hospice care plan. A hospice patient’s spiritual well-being can be maintained by spiritual support through a spiritual presence and spiritual conversation; all hospice care institutions' disciplines can provide adequate spiritual aid through their interaction with patients, …

Differentiating Magic: A Call For A Differential Approach, Weston L. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper seeks to propose an alternative approach for studying magic. It is often the case inacademia, when studying magic, scholars use an understanding of modernity which favors a scientific perspective. When doing so, some scholars have concluded magic has become extinct in our modern society; despite recent research suggesting magical practice is thriving. Likewise, this scholarship promotes an idea of magic grounded in fear, ignorance, superstition, and fraudulence. The goal of this paper is two-fold. First, I seek to advocate for an approach to magic that allows for a plurality of perspectives to be acknowledged, not just a scientific …

Determinants For Acceptance And Use Of SharīʿAh Banking Digital Services In Indonesia: Applying Utaut 3, Trust, And SharīʿAh Compliance, Ade Sofyan Mulazid, Desmadi Saharuddin, Muhammad Khaerul Muttaqien, Ahmad Tibrizi Wicaksono, Fatmawati Fatmawati, Fauzan Fauzan

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

Digital banking is one of the services of sharīʿah banking, so the quality of these services needs to be considered. This study investigates the determinants of intention and use of sharīʿah banking digital services by Indonesian Muslims, using the modified unified theory of technology acceptance and use (UTAUT) 3 model with sharīʿah compliance and trust variables. The model was empirically tested in the Jakarta Metropolitan area using 129 responses from a field survey. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that habit, personal innovativeness, and trust significantly influence the intention to use …

“A Noise Of Great Good Coming”: C. S. Lewis’S Dymer As A Spiritual Autobiography, Norbert Feinendegen

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

C. S. Lewis is no doubt one of the most recognized Christian prose writers of the twentieth century. The same, however, cannot be said about his pre-Christian attempts to make a name for himself as a poet. His two volumes of poetry, Spirits in Bondage (1919) and Dymer (1926), received few positive reviews and found even fewer readers at the time of publication, and sadly they didn’t receive much attention after Lewis became famous as a Christian apologist and novelist.

I am going to argue that Dymer is a symbolic narrative in which every event on the level of the …

A Relational-Cultural Approach To Examining Concealment Among Latter-Day Saint Sexual Minorities, Samuel Skidmore, Sydney A. Sorrell, Kyrstin Lake

Psychology Student Research

Sexual minorities often conceal their sexual identity from others to avoid distal stressors. Such concealment efforts occur more frequently among sexual minorities in religious settings where rejection and discrimination are more likely. Using a sample of 392 Latter-day Saint (“Mormon”) sexual minorities, we assess (a) the effect of religious affiliation on concealment efforts, (b) the relationship between social support, authenticity, and religious commitment on concealment, and (c) the moderating effect of authenticity on religious commitment and concealment. Multi-level model analyses revealed that religious affiliation alone accounted for over half (51.7%) of the variation in concealment efforts for Latter-day Saint sexual …

The Role Of Endowments In Achieving The Goals Of Security And Freedom, Eiman Alhashmi

All Works

This research explores the expansive concept of freedom within Islamic endowments, or Waqf, emphasizing liberation from societal constraints like poverty and disability. It asserts that moral constraints restrict human freedom, necessitating a call to Allah for liberation. Historical examples, such as Al-Azhar University, highlight endowments' pivotal role in fostering independence from state pressures, particularly in the realms of thought and education. Endowments are depicted as vital in sustaining and liberating society, offering financial autonomy to scholars and educational institutions. The text also delves into the economic impacts of endowments, detailing their role in employment, income redistribution, and fostering various industries. …

Congenital Disabilities And Gender Nonconforming Identities As Parts Of God’S Intended Creation, Loren Haarsma, Kevin Timpe, Liran Naranjo- Huebl, Emily Helder

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Haarsma, Loren, Kevin Timpe, Linda Naranjo-Huebl, and Emily Helder, "Congenital Disabilities and Gender Nonconforming Identities as Parts of God’s Intended Creation" Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 76.3 (2024): 190-206.

The Role Of Muslim Women In Nigeria’S Socioeconomic Development Through The Implementation Of The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Faqiat Afolake Adeaga

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the often underestimated yet pivotal role of Muslim women in propelling socio-economic development in Nigeria, specifically focusing on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary research question seeks to comprehend the transformative impact of faith-based women-led NGOs, including Ansar-ud- Deen, Nawair-ud-Deen, FOMWAN, and NASFAT, on Muslim women's empowerment and their contribution to SDG1 (extreme poverty), SDG3 (health), SDG4 (education), and SDG5 (gender equality) in Nigeria. Simultaneously, the secondary research question explores successful strategies employed by these organizations in empowering Muslim women, with a keen focus on potential areas for improvement. Incorporating research …