Digital Commons Network^™

“Creator Of The First Day”: The Glossing Of Lord Of Sabaoth In D&C 95:7, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The calqued name-title “Lord of Sabaoth,” echoing James 5:4, occurs four times in the Doctrine and Covenants in revelations given to the prophet Joseph Smith from December 25, 1832 to August 6, 1833. Of these occurrences, only D&C 95:7 offers a gloss or interpretation for the name “the Lord of Sabaoth,” which is, by interpretation, “the creator of the first day, the beginning and the end.” Upon close inspection, this explanation makes excellent sense from an ancient Israelite etiological as well as (perhaps) an etymological standpoint. Past criticisms of the gloss in D&C 95:7 have focused on the wrongly assumed …

A Vital Resource For Understanding Lds Perspectives On War, Morgan Deane

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Even Unto Bloodshed: An LDS Perspective of War by Duane Boyce is a thorough and engrossing philosophical discussion describing the failure of secular and spiritual pacifism. Boyce provides a detailed summary of secular views regarding just war and pacifism, and systematic rebuttals of almost every major pacifist thinker in LDS thought. The text is far more brief describing the LDS theory of just war, but remains an essential resource for creating that theory.

The “Fiery Darts Of The Adversary” In 1 Nephi 15:24, Stephen O. Smoot

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

After receiving a revelation (1 Nephi 11–14) that clarified the meaning of his father Lehi’s dream (1 Nephi 8), Nephi explained to his rebellious brothers the significance of the various symbols of that dream. Concerning the “rod of iron,” which led to the tree of life, Nephi recorded, And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. …

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Ammonites Were Not Pacifists, Duane Boyce

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Although it is common to believe that the Ammonites were pacifists, the report of their story demonstrates that this is a mistake. Appreciating the Ammonites’ non-pacifism helps us think more clearly about them, and it also explains several features of the text. These are textual elements that surprise us if we assume that the Ammonites were pacifists, but that make perfect sense once we understand that they were not. Moreover, in addition to telling us that the Ammonites were not pacifists, the text also gives us the actual reason the Ammonites came to eschew all conflict — and we learn …

Were We Foreordained To The Priesthood, Or Was The Standard Of Worthiness Foreordained? Alma 13 Reconsidered, A. Keith Thompson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Alma 13:3–4 is often interpreted as Book of Mormon confirmation of the doctrine that all those who are ordained to the Priesthood on the earth were foreordained to receive that Priesthood in the pre-existence as a result of their exceeding faith and good works. That interpretation is inconsistent with the 1978 revelation on Priesthood. A contextual reading of the account of Alma2’s ministry to the people of Ammonihah also suggests that Alma2 was not telling the men of Ammonihah that they (or anyone else) had been foreordained to receive the Priesthood. Rather, Alma2 was teaching that what we now call …

Book Reviews, David Bundy, Moe Moe Nyunt, Brian Shockey, Michael Tavey, Zachariah S. Motts, Ryan K. Giffin, Bejamin D. Espinoza, Kevin Burr, Benson Gob, Shivraj K. Mahendra, Timothy J. Christian, Jeremy B. Griffin, Samuel Sidjabat, Rachel L. Coleman, Isaiah Allen, Babatunde Oladimeji

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

1894 Convention Report, Cleveland, Christian Endeavor Society

Books

No abstract provided.

Polemics And Patronage In The City Of Victory, Valerie Stoker

Books Authored by Wright State Faculty/Staff

How did the patronage activities of India’s Vijayanagara Empire (c. 1346–1565) influence Hindu sectarian identities? Although the empire has been commonly viewed as a Hindu bulwark against Islamic incursion from the north or as a religiously ecumenical state, Valerie Stoker argues that the Vijayanagara court was selective in its patronage of religious institutions. To understand the dynamic interaction between religious and royal institutions in this period, she focuses on the career of the Hindu intellectual and monastic leader Vyasatirtha. An agent of the state and a powerful religious authority, Vyasatirtha played an important role in expanding the empire’s economic and …

The Giant In A Thousand Years: Tracing Narratives Of Gigantism In The Hebrew Bible And Beyond, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

"This essay is an attempt to organize the Bible’s giants by category and to continue to elevate these figures as a rightful object of scholarly attention."

Allan Aubrey Boesak, With Foreword By Nicholas Wolterstorff, Dare We Speak Of Hope? Searching For A Language Of Life In Faith And Politics. Reviewed By Travis Pickell, Travis Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Allan Aubrey Boesak, with foreword by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Dare We Speak of Hope? Searching for a Language of Life in Faith and Politics (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014). xiv + 202 pp. ISBN 978-0-8028-7081-0

‘Hope’ has become something of a catchword in contemporary civic and political dis-course. In 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama published The Audacity of Hope, his visionary manifesto, which was followed two years later by now-iconic presidential election campaign posters, boldly and simply proclaiming ‘HOPE’ to masses of American voters. Over the past decade, we have witnessed the powerful enthusiasm the promise of hope can bring …

Demonic Actions On Christian Leaders And Followers: The Reality Of Demons' Existence And Their Wicked Spirit World Of Abode And Kingdoms, Matthew Folorunso Olaniyi

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this project addressed is in the reality of the existence of demons’ in their wicked spirit world of abode and kingdoms coupled with the challenges that wicked activities of demons pose to the lives and ministries of Christian leaders and followers. In response to this problem, researcher surveyed the wicked activities of demons in the lives and ministries of some biblical leaders and followers in the Old and New Testaments. The researcher further reviewed the relevant literature and showed that many voices, especially in the Western academia, argue for the non-existence of demons. But, in spite of this …

Helping Young Adults Discern Christian Self-Actualization Through The Wisdom Of Those Who Have Gone Before, Jeff M. Chapman

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this thesis project addressed was the belief by many Christian young adults that the life wisdom advice of older Christian adults can be invalid. This assumption can make Christian young adults suffer unnecessarily because it can prevent them from benefiting from the experiences of older Christian adults who have successfully achieved Christian self-actualization in spiritual, relational and work-related challenges. To address this problem, the researcher (a) investigated Scripture as well as theological and biblical commentaries related to these themes; (b) reviewed relevant ancient and contemporary literature; (c) conducted qualitative and quantitative research that demonstrated the validity of advice …

The Online Journal Of George Q. Cannon, Richard Dilworth Rust

BYU Studies

A long-anticipated project is coming to completion. Much of the journal of George Q. Cannon, covering the last half of the nineteenth century, is now freely available online at www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-q-cannon/, and the remainder of the journal will soon be available. As with other Church Historian’s Press publications, meticulous attention has been paid to produce an accurate and reliable transcript. It has been prepared largely according to the editorial procedures developed by the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

Righting America At The Creation Museum, Susan L. Trollinger, William Vance Trollinger

English Faculty Publications

On May 28, 2007, the Creation Museum opened in Petersburg, Kentucky. Aimed at scientifically demonstrating that the universe was created less than ten thousand years ago by a Judeo-Christian god, the museum is hugely popular, attracting millions of visitors over the past eight years. Surrounded by themed topiary gardens and a petting zoo with camel rides, the site conjures up images of a religious Disneyland. Inside, visitors are met by dinosaurs at every turn and by a replica of the Garden of Eden that features the Tree of Life, the serpent, and Adam and Eve.

In Righting America at the …

"To Dress It And To Keep It": Toward A Mormon Theology Of Work, Walker A. Wright

BYU Studies

In the controversial film Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the protagonist, Brian, finds himself in the market square while being pursued by Roman centurions. In the speakers’ corner of the market, three different prophets are shown attempting to gain an audience with tales of Armageddon. One dust-covered wild man shrieks about “the beast . . . huge and black, and the eyes thereof red with the blood of living creatures, and the whore of Babylon shall ride forth on a three-headed serpent.” Next to him, garbed in red, a more refined preacher boldly pronounces that “the demon shall bear a …

Loyalty To God : An Earnest Word With Those Who Are Sincerely Seeking To Be Right With God And Man, William Telfer

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Kingdom Life And The Witness Of The Church, Art Mcphee

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Advent Devotional Guide 2016, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

Seventh-Day Adventism, Doctrinal Statements, And Unity, Michael W. Campbell

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of ... three statements of belief and how they contributed to the development of Seventh-day Adventist theology. This article will build on the research of others to emphasize the contextual and formative influences surrounding each of these statements. The process of [sic] behind the formation of Adventist statements of belief is instructive by revealing underlying assumptions about unity within the Seventh-day Adventist Church."

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide: The Religion/Genocide Nexus, Sexual Violence, And The Future Of Genocide Studies, Kate E. Temoney

Department of Religion Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In recent genocides and other conflicts—for example, the Sudan, Burma, and now Iraq—sexual violence and religion have received increasing but modest systematic treatment in genocide studies. This essay contributes to the nascent scholarship on the religious and sexual dimensions of genocide by providing a model for investigating the intersections among religion, genocide, and sexual violence. I treat the Rwandan genocide as a case study using secondary and primary sources and proffer the reinforcing typologies of “othering,” justification, and authorization as an investigatory tool. I further nuance the influences of religion on forms of sexual violation by arguing that religion …

The Two Witnesses Of Revelation 11:1-13: Arguments, Issues Of Interpretation, And A Way Forward, Ian R. Brown

Dissertations

The narrative of Rev 11:1-13 involves two prophet-witnesses. The question of the identity of the two witnesses of Rev 11:1-13 has been answered in a variety of ways. In the history of exegetical investigation, they have been seen as two actual people, a symbol for a larger group, or even a symbol for inanimate objects. Clearly, some proposals seem more plausible than others do; however, the debate remains open. Indeed, the possibility exists that a stronger case could be made for a previous proposal or that a new one could be found that is more agreeable to scholars of Revelation. …

A Ministry Response To Demonic Harassment And Possession Among Contemporary Hindus, Alexa Sharma

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

“Let Joy Size At God Knows When To God Knows What”: Gerard Manley Hopkins’S Struggle For Comfort, And The Illuminating Nature Of Unwarranted Suffering, Joel Kirk

CMC Senior Theses

Gerard Manley Hopkins suffered deeply. His “Terrible Sonnets” are confessional poetry that demonstrate his struggle with his God and with himself. This work analyses the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, starting Noah and ending with Jesus’s promise of a Paraclete, to analyze how both God and Man approach earthly and heavenly comfort. The work will then turn to Hopkins’s poetry to show that Hopkins’s unshakable faith and deep understanding of the Bible is both the cause and the cure of his suffering. This essay concludes that it is only through suffering that Hopkins, like Job, Jesus, and King Lear, …

Tracing Islamic Extremist Ideologies: The Historical Journey Of Jihad From The Late Antique Period To The 21st Century, Nikhil Kanade

CMC Senior Theses

Popular interpretations and academic scholarship tends to emphasize the relationship between jihad, military action, and communal violence. These reinforce a sense that violence is inherent to Islam. Investigations into the contexts where jihad has been deployed highlight how its use is often a call for unity believed to be necessary for political goals. Therefore, in order to deconstruct this belief, this thesis tackles instead the relationship between textual interpretations and historical actions, and how these varied across specific moments in time. The case studies examined range from the initial evolution of a theory of jihad in the late antique world, …

Playing God: An Analysis Of Video Game Religion, Joshua K. Boren

CMC Senior Theses

Video games offer a liberating, virtual-community building and meaning-making out-of-body experience for those that wholeheartedly engage in them. The lore and backstory of some of the most popular games (League of Legends, Kingdom Hearts, and World of Warcraft) are heavily influenced by all types of religion. In addition, and contrary to popular perception, a growing number of video games offer a global medium for instilling positive morals in society. As a result, video games become a religious placeholder or pseudo-religion for many of the most devoted gamers, because they offer many of the same experiences that religions do. …

“Arise From The Dust”: Insights From Dust-Related Themes In The Book Of Mormon Part 2: Enthronement, Resurrection, And Other Ancient Motifs From The “Voice From The Dust”, Jeff Lindsay

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In light of Noel Reynolds’ hypothesis that some material in the Book of Moses may have been present on the brass plates that Nephi used, one may wonder if Nephi or other authors might also have drawn upon the use of chains in the Book of Moses. Further examination of this connection points to the significance of the theme of “dust” in Lehi’s words and the surrounding passages from Nephi and Jacob, where it can involve motifs of covenant keeping, resurrection, and enthronement. Recognizing the usage of dust-related themes in the Book of Mormon can enhance our understanding of the …

“From The Sea East Even To The Sea West”: Thoughts On A Proposed Book Of Mormon Chiasm Describing Geography In Alma 22:27, Gregory L. Smith

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Jonathan Neville, an advocate of the “Heartland” geography setting for the Book of Mormon, claims to have identified a novel chiastic structure that begins in Alma 22:27. Neville argues that this chiasmus allows the reconstruction of a geography that stretches south to the Gulf of Mexico in the continental United States. One expert, Donald W. Parry, doubts the existence of a fine-tuned chiasmus in this verse. An analysis which assumes the presence of the chiasmus demonstrates that multiple internal difficulties result from such a reading. Neville’s reading requires two different “sea west” bodies of water: one “sea west” placed at …

Earthly Destruction: Catholic Social Teaching, War, And The Environment, Daniel Cosacchi

Dissertations

For more than 1700 years in Christian theology, there has been a chasm between just war thinking and pacifism. Advocates of these two ideological positions have attempted to bridge this divide in a number of ways through the centuries. Some, such as Glen Stassen, have brought together thinkers on both sides of the divide to propose a just peacemaking theory. Others, such as Michael Schuck, Mark Allman, and Tobias Winright, have added new stages to just war thinking in order to make that existing tradition more robust. Some groups may identify as contingent pacifists. These would generally accept the criteria …

"Homicide," Iv. Christianity, Hille Haker

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.