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A Religious Etiology Of Genito-Pelvic Pain And Pain With Penetration, Emily L. Carlson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Pelvic pain during penetration (PPDP) has been described using various diagnostic terms, including vaginismus, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia. The most recent and comprehensive classification is Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPPD) which is characterized by psychological distress associated with pain during or in anticipation of vaginal penetration (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). The etiology of PPDP is multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and relational factors. Religious and cultural influences may play a significant role in shaping individuals’ experiences of sexual pain. This study investigated the etiology of PPDP in relation to the religious influences among women raised in Judeo-Christian …

Tradition, Critque, And The Modern Moral Lingua Franca: A Lutheran Articulation Of Human Rights Language, Christian B. Dollar

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The language of subjective, individual rights has become the primary way of speaking about the rights and wrongs of human life together. Since the end of World War II, one subset of this language—that of human rights—has achieved a global influence. The various Christian traditions of the west have, in large part, adopted this language of human rights to articulate and supplement their assorted social teachings. Yet, the adoption of human rights language has been contested by a dedicated cadre of Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians concerned about the potentially anti-Christian implications inherent in the grammar of rights. Christian rights …

Why Seek Profits?: A Missional Perspective On Business, Jooho Lee

All Faculty Open Access Publications

There are plenty of good reasons to be suspicious about profit-seeking. There are also good reasons to be suspicious about attempts to justify the pursuit of profits by focusing solely on the value of profits or of the work that produces the profits. Nevertheless, there is a good reason for the Christian to engage in profit-seeking: it can be a way to participate more fully in the missio Dei. Profit-seeking plays a central role within the market process by communicating and incentivizing a certain way of relating to the material and social world. When we realize profits in ways that …

Buddhism For Thinkers, Chang-Seong Hong, Sun Kyeong Yu

MSU Authors Collection

This book is an introduction to Buddhist philosophy. It uses the methods of analytic philosophy to approach the major topics of Buddhism.

An Examination Of The Purity Culture Beliefs Scale And The Interaction Of Religiosity, Purity Culture Beliefs, And Pornography Use In A Census-Matched United States Sample, Kaelyn R. Griffin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The impacts of purity culture have been documented in the prevalence of abstinence-only sex education, perception of personal value tied to virginity, and shame and guilt related to sexual behavior. Similarly, models of moral incongruence often examine religiosity as a contributor of distress related to sexual behavior and pornography use, likely tapping into the influence of purity culture without directly naming its presence. This distinction is crucial due to the variety of religious beliefs and practices, some including purity culture and those without sexually restrictive beliefs and practices. Despite this, standardized measures for researching purity culture are limited. Ortiz (2018) …

Considering The Implications Of Tariffs, John Visser

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"As we continue to evaluate the role of tariffs, we should do so in the context of broadly improving the global trading system."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­ethical economic policies 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.

Considering the Implications of Tariffs

Understanding The Role Of Drug Offenses And The Death Penalty In Iran, Cyrus Zarganj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been governed by Islamic laws devised by Shia Muslim clerics, significantly influencing the nation's legal framework in both criminal and civil contexts. The death penalty in Iran covers a broad spectrum of offenses, many of which would not be considered capital crimes or even crimes globally. This extensive application of the death penalty is an instrument of social control during periods of political tension, indicating a direct relationship between the regime's stability and the enforcement of extreme punitive measures. Despite some reduction in the visibility of executions due to international …

Stewardship, Generosity, And Percentage Giving Changing Attitudes On Financial Generosity Through Bible Study Concerning The Tithe For The New Testament Christians Of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church In Kingman, Az, Timothy A. Barkett

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The Church today finds itself navigating a landscape shaped by economic uncertainty, generational shifts, and a growing sense of spiritual indifference. Within this context, generosity continues to serve as a profound expression of both faith and mission. The research presented in this project affirms that when generosity is taught with a spirit of grace, rooted in Scripture, and exemplified by leadership, it has the power to bring renewal—not only to individual believers but also to entire communities. In an era characterized by financial anxiety and spiritual consumerism, the biblical and theological foundations of stewardship and generosity provide both a necessary …

Cybersecurity: Digital Stewardship In A Violent World, Rocky K. C. Chang

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

This paper defines cybersecurity based on the principle of biblical stewardship. The focus of this principle is God, not the technologies, who is the creator and owner of cyberspace and everything in it. Humankind is called by God to steward them by protecting the digital property of our neighbors in cyberspace from malicious attacks. In the context of cybersecurity, a neighbor can be any individual cyber user, practitioner, educator, organization, tech company, or even hacker. However, as argued from the perspectives of human sin and human finitude, the defending stewards can never win over evil in this spiritual battle. Instead, …

A Place For Ancient Philosophy In Axial Age Historiography, John R. Shook

Comparative Philosophy

Long-standing debates over historiographical approaches to the Axial Age have distracted the history of philosophy from its own disciplined inquiry into the breadth and depth of ancient thought beyond the Greeks. The philosopher Karl Jaspers offered a vista for seeing commonalities among ancient innovations and discerning continuities along history to modern times. That dual agenda divided Axial historiography with the question of whether axiality reflects creativities of ancient systems or have modern reflections created images of axiality. A singular chronology for humanity encourages a mode of philosophical history open to providential designs, epochal turns, spiritual evolutions, psychological leaps, or cognitive …

Moral And Ethical Nature In Confucian Liang-Zhi And Islamic Fitra: Comparative Perspectives On Innate Morality, Yanrong Shi

Comparative Philosophy

This article offers a comparative philosophical analysis of Confucian liang-zhi (innate moral knowledge) and Islamic fitra(primordial nature), focusing on their accounts of innate morality and moral epistemology. Drawing on classical Confucian sources—especially the praxis-oriented interpretation of Wang Yangming—and foundational Islamic texts and commentary, the study demonstrates that both traditions posit an inborn moral faculty grounding ethical universality and responsibility. Wang Yangming’s liang-zhi is conceived as an innate moral principle that, under the imperative of zhi (to actualize or extend), is continually activated through moral practice. In parallel, fitra is understood as a God-given orientation to truth, cultivated and safeguarded through …

Understanding Tariffs, John Visser

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Posting about how tariffs work­­­­­­­­ 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.

Understanding Tariffs

Book Review: "Lamb Of The Free: Recovering The Varied Sacrificial Understandings Of Jesus's Death", Nathan Cantu

Liberty Theological Review

Book Review for Andrew Remington Rillera's Lamb of the Free.

Visio Dei, Vision Pro: Beatific Vision And Technological Singularity, John Paul Arceno

Liberty Theological Review

This paper offers a retrieval of the classical Christian theology of beatific vision. The reason behind this is the challenges posed by the progress of digital technology, including Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and robotics, which are prevalent today. This rapid progress somehow threatens the classical view of beatific vision with its version of technological singularity. Hence, the retrieval of the beatific vision, which is grounded in divine ontology, is much needed. The paper is divided into three parts: (1) Visio Dei, which discusses the doctrine of beatific vision, (2) Vision Pro, which discusses technological singularity, and (3) conclusion, which …

Biblical Church Governance: Returning To Plural-Elder Congregationalism From Policy-Based Governance Models, Jacob R. Ray

Liberty Theological Review

This paper critiques the growing adoption of policy-based governance models in local church contexts and argues for a return to plural-elder congregationalism as the most biblically faithful and historically rooted model of church government. While policy-based governance, derived from John Carver’s framework for nonprofit leadership, offers administrative strengths such as consistency, accountability, and efficiency, its application within the church often results in the diminishment of biblically mandated roles—particularly the deacon—and fosters a corporate rather than ecclesial culture. The author contends that such models misunderstand and misapply the New Testament offices of elder and deacon, violating the biblical pattern of shared …

The Marriage Metaphor Of Jesus And The Samaritan Woman: A New Interpretative Reading Of John 4:1-45, Bao B. Vang

Liberty Theological Review

This paper explores the marriage metaphor in John 4:1–45, arguing that Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman is a symbolic representation of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Through an exegetical analysis of the text, the study examines key elements such as the double entendre of the well motif, living water, and the concept of worship. The results of this study reveal the depth of John's narrative strategy in intentionally presenting Jesus as the Messianic Bridegroom, illustrated through his explicit use of Old Testament marriage motifs. The study concludes that the episode of Jesus and the Samaritan woman functions …

The Tabernacle Hermeneutic: Mosaic Permission From Ex 25:40 To Behold Christ, Christopher G. Miller

Liberty Theological Review

Ex 25:40 is a hermeneutic used by Moses which gives the reader permission to behold Christ and “heavenly things” (τῶν ἐπουρανίων) in the tabernacle instructions (Ex 25-40). This Mosaic hermeneutic is highlighted by the author of Hebrews (Heb 8:5). The overwhelming textual and thematic connections between the tabernacle instructions and the creation account (Gen 1-3) demonstrates that this tabernacle hermeneutic (Ex 25:40) may be useful in other contexts in the Pentateuch. This tabernacle hermeneutic should be used on passages that share words, plot, and ceremonial practices with the tabernacle instructions. The use of “horn” (qeren) is analyzed in each major …

God And Indiana Jones, Andrew Hronich

Liberty Theological Review

This article explores the implications of the divine authorial analogy in relation to theological determinism, offering in place of the divine authorial analogy the divine playwright analogy. The divine playwright analogy brings into conversation issues regarding informed consent in conjunction with the problem of involuntary suffering. Understanding God in terms more akin to a playwright than an author thereby bestows greater dignity and autonomy upon God's creatures, allowing for improvisation within the broad parameters of God's providence. Hence, the divine playwright analogy maintains the beneficial aspects of the divine authorial analogy, such as the commitment to God's ontological priority over …

The Problem Of Selective Miracles, Andrew Hronich

Liberty Theological Review

The problem of evil designates an umbrella of similarly related arguments linked together by family characteristics. Within this larger genus, the problem of selective miracles stands apart as a particularly underdeveloped species of argument that analytical and philosophical theologians have failed to adequately reckon with. By contextualizing this peculiar argument within an adequate metaethical framework, this article synthesizes a deontological framework with the elucidating work of John Peckham and his cosmic warfare theodicy. It further repudiates alternative approaches to the problem of selective miracles proffered by consequentialists and process theologians. In sum, the article contends that Peckham's cosmic warfare theodicy …

Deuteronomy And Ane Worldview Apologetics In A Postmodern Context, Eric Mcconnell

Liberty Theological Review

Postmodern Christianity seeks to divorce the miraculous and divine elements from Scripture and shape biblical morality in a way that relates to postmodern culture. Responding to Postmodern Christianity’s errors requires a consistent literal hermeneutic in one’s exegesis and a sound biblical framework in one’s apologetic method. The message of Deuteronomy presents a possible paradigm for this task, as its contents present a culturally-relevant polemic against false maxims and errant religion that God’s people faced within their own milieu. Moses’ polemic in Deuteronomy 4 presents a paradigm that would be employed by the prophets to counter the faulty syncretistic worldview that …

Taking A Closer Look: Research As Worship And Service, Angela Kroeze Visser

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"... as we learn about the world we live in, we also learn about the one who has created and upholds it."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­looking deeply and thinking critically 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.

Taking a Closer Look

In Grief We Need Each Other, Derek Schuurman

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In the face of grief, human connections provide a far deeper comfort than new AI developments.

Tracing חֶסֶד And Ἔλεος: A Prototype Theory And Componential Analysis Of Covenantal Loyalty And Divine Mercy Across The Pentateuch, Septuagint, Targums, And New Testament, Jarritt B. Tadlock

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the semantic and theological dimensions of the Hebrew term ḥesed and its Greek counterpart eleos through a comparative intertextual and linguistic analysis. Utilizing prototype theory and componential analysis, the study examines occurrences of ḥesed in the Masoretic Text and Targum Onkelos, alongside eleos in the Septuagint and New Testament, to trace the development of divine-human relational language across textual traditions. The findings reveal that ḥesed consistently embodies covenantal loyalty and divine mercy, while its frequent rendering as eleos in the Septuagint emphasizes compassion within a Hellenistic framework. In the New Testament, eleos both preserves and reconfigures ḥesed’s …

Echoes Of Redemption: What Typology Reveals About The Significance Of Isaac In The Aqedah, Jacob A. Lugo

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I outline a problem of logical consistency within the typological interpretation of the Aqedah narrative in Genesis 22. I also attempt to provide a more consistent interpretation that still seeks to remain faithful to the text while recognizing how this account fits into the overall narrative of Scripture.

In times past, the literature on this topic has been saturated with the identification of Isaac as a type of Christ; this is seen most readily in the Early Church Fathers’ interpretation. I also explore other modern readings to demonstrate the multiplicity of understandings that have arisen regarding this …

Gender In Translation: How The Contemporary Bible Is Challenging Androcentric Language In Translation Through Gender-Accurate And Feminist Hermeneutical Lenses, Matthew T. Gennard

Masters Theses

This Thesis surveys the changing practice of gender-accurate translation from the late nineteenth century to the present, with special consideration for the three key principles of gender-accurate translation: Generic ‘he,’ androcentric lexemes, and pronoun substitution. These focus areas are derived from an analysis of the five translation guidelines produced during the late twentieth-century gender-neutral controversy. The loss of individuality when introducing pronominal interchange or the masculine representative hermeneutical lens has left scholars divided on gender-accurate practices. This study surveys the sociohistorical development of the feminist hermeneutical lens and the changing linguistic trends of contemporary language, which challenge androcentric assumptions in …

Pigs For The Dispossessed Goat Demon: Jesus’ Exorcism In Mark 5 And Animal Interest, Michael Joseph Gossett

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how a historical-literal reading of Mark 5:1-20 can be defended against objections that claim Jesus caused or allowed unnecessary animal suffering. Contextual insights gleaned from 2nd Temple Watchers Traditions and Greco-Roman polytheism illuminate plausible symbolic value present in the deaths of the Gerasene swine. The context of Mark 5:1-20 presents a supernatural conflict compatible with Christian theology and rebel angel theodicies. Jesus’ actions concerning the Gerasene pigs are not necessarily unjustifiable examples of animal mistreatment.

Pneuma And Logos: Strengthening Sermon Preparation Through A Spirit-And-Word Approach To Biblical Exegesis, Natalie Barnoske

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Powerful preaching results from honoring the Word and Spirit as active participants in the sermon preparation process. However, the influence of postmodernism and the lack of resources clarifying this convergence point have led to a polarization of perspectives in biblical exegesis. Therefore, this DMIN action research project designed, implemented, and evaluated a Pneuma and Logos Approach to biblical exegesis based on five essential pillars of hermeneutics, derived from William Oliverio’s Pentecostal Hermeneutics in the Late Modern World. By integrating inductive skills of biblical exegesis with holistic habits of Lectio Divina, this project proposes that stronger sermon preparation skills can be …

Jesus's Theology Of Human Value Through The Use Of Rhetorical Speech In Luke 15, Daniel E. Butler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study is framed by the concept of Jesus’s theology of human value as articulated through rhetorical speech, with a particular focus on the stories presented in Luke 15. It seeks to examine the narratives of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with his two sons, analyzing the rhetorical strategies employed by Jesus and the discursive constructions crafted by the evangelist Luke. Through this hermeneutical approach, the research explores how these stories convey theological messages concerning human worth, divine compassion, and the redemptive nature of God’s engagement with humanity. Rhetorical analysis, or rhetorical criticism, serves as a …

A Teleoisrael And The Μυστήριον Of Mercy: The Identity Of Πᾶς Ἰσραήλ And The Apocalyptic Realignment Of God’S Covenant People In Romans 9–11, James Matthew Nowotny

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the meaning of Paul's assertion in Romans 11:26 that "all Israel will be saved," situating it within the broader theological and literary context of Romans 9–11. The study addresses the complex question of Israel’s identity in Paul’s writings, arguing that Paul envisions a future eschatological salvation for ethnic Israel that coheres with God’s covenantal promises while incorporating Gentile believers into the redemptive plan through union with Christ. Utilizing exegetical analysis, intertextual engagement with the Old Testament, and investigation of Second Temple Jewish conceptions of Israel, the study proposes a nuanced model termed TeleoIsrael—a theological construct reflecting the …

The Apologetic Implications Of Paul's First Missionary Journey, Mark Garro

Masters Theses

This thesis takes a careful look at Paul’s first missionary speech in Acts 13 and the larger narrative of his first missionary journey in Acts 14, asking two main questions: What is Paul saying in his first recorded sermon, and what can the modern church learn from it, particularly when it comes to apologetics and suffering? Through literary and exegetical analysis, this study examines how Paul’s message fits into the broader narrative of Acts, paying special attention to the historical setting, rhetorical flow, and theological implications of the speech. The research is grounded in a wide range of scholarship and …