Digital Commons Network^™

Student Achievement Growth Before And During Covid-19: Comparing In-Person And Remote Learning In Catholic And Public Schools, Stephen Ponisciak, Julie W. Dallavis

Journal of Catholic Education

In response to COVID-19, U.S. students learned remotely from mid-March to June 2020. At the start of academic year 2020-21, many schools remained remote but others—primarily Catholic and other private schools—reopened. We consider Catholic schooling as a proxy for in-person instruction and use national data from Renaissance Star and MAP Growth assessments to compare the achievement of similar students pre-pandemic, during the height of mitigation strategies, and after most schools reopened. In a departure from pre-pandemic growth patterns, students in Catholic schools showed more growth than those in public schools during the height of mitigation strategies, suggesting the importance of …

“The Good Shepherd Discourse As Persuasive Speech (John 9:39-10:21)”, Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

The contributors to this volume move beyond 'standard' soteriological issues, addressing often-neglected aspects of the soteriology of John and Paul. They demonstrate how themes like wisdom, volition, freedom, and the role of angels form an integral part of soteriology.

Where Does The Church Stand In Today’S Mental Health Landscape?, Noah T. Mursu

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

Religious involvement in care for those living with mental illness has been going on for centuries, and perspectives on it have changed throughout the years. This literature review evaluates the place of religious groups, mainly Christian churches, in today's mental health situation by considering past and present involvement. It incorporates sources regarding different eras of mental hospital reform, modern perspectives of mental health clinicians and clergy, and the current gaps in mental health support among a variety of groups, including veterans, African Americans, and people in developing countries. This review then considers potential future involvement, especially considering how these gaps …

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Rediscovering Zoram: The Chief NaʿAr Of The Commander Of The Fortress, Kelly N. Schaeffer-Bullock

BYU Studies

There are several prominent figures in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon whose roles, responsibilities, and titles may have eluded the modern reader. As more is learned about ancient Israelite laws, customs, and culture through archaeological successes and academic research, previous biblical scholarship is reworked, refined, or totally redesigned. So too with academic scholarship on the Book of Mormon. The way readers understand the central figures in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon must be regularly reassessed as additional information is obtained. There is still a great deal more to discover about the people who played …

Can God Truly Forget My Sins?: Christian Temporality And The Possibility Of Repentance, James E. Faulconer

BYU Studies

When we think about repentance, we face a conundrum. On one hand, we are promised new life. As Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). On the other hand, the repentant person remains the same person that he or she was. In the younger Alma’s case, he is the person who “had murdered many of [God’s] children, or rather led them away unto destruction” (Alma 36:14). How can Alma be both a new person and the person who led many …

Decoding The Self-Tracking Symbols Of Wilford Woodruff’S Journals, Joshua M. Matson

BYU Studies

Wilford Woodruff’s journals have been celebrated as one of the greatest textual records of the Restoration. A prominent, yet almost entirely unexplored, component of Woodruff’s journals is his creating, implementing, and consistently drawing symbols and pictures alongside his near-daily autobiographical record. Within his fifteen-volume journal spanning more than a sixty-year period, Woodruff drew approximately nine thousand images. The first of these symbols appears in an entry dated March 23, 1837, and the final image is drawn on March 19, 1897. These images can be divided into two groups. The first are unique illustrations that appear erratically throughout the journals and …

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

“They’Re Just Rehearsing”: Gospel Methodology And The Humanities, Rex P. Nielson

BYU Studies

As BYU approaches the fiftieth anniversary of President Spencer W. Kimball’s landmark speech “The Second Century of Brigham Young University,” Church and university leaders continue to revisit this prophetic talk while reflecting upon the educational mission and potential of Brigham Young University. One notable phrase from President Kimball’s discourse that has gained currency at the university points to a potential difference between the educational efforts of BYU and the work of other universities: “Gospel methodology, concepts, and insights can help us to do what the world cannot do in its own frame of reference.”

A Forensic And Historical Look At John Taylor’S Watch: Evidence Of Divine Mercy, Brian A. Warburton

BYU Studies

In June 2023, the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the public availability of forensic and historical research recently completed on the pocket watch of John Taylor. Taylor, an Apostle of the Church at the time, was present when Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in the Hancock County Jail in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. During the attack, Taylor was shot four times, and his watch was damaged. This artifact has long held a special place in the hearts of many members of the Church as …

It’S Not The End Of The World; It’S Just The Apocalypse: The Book Of Revelation In The Book Of Mormon, Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph M. Spencer

BYU Studies

Among the Book of Mormon’s most remarkable characteristics is its consistent interaction with the Bible. The Bible haunts this book, showing up in subtle allusions and type scenes as well as direct quotations both short and long. Further, the Book of Mormon explicitly reflects on the Bible’s historical origins, canonical shape, and scriptural destiny. As has long been recognized, the Book of Mormon’s most sustained interest is in the book of Isaiah. But at least one other biblical focus deserves detailed notice because it has a place of some privilege in the Book of Mormon: the book of Revelation. Indeed, …

Jesus And The Torah In Matthew Beyond Replacement Theology, Jordan Lavender

BYU Studies

The book of Matthew is a first-century Jewish text that reflects the debates and concerns of Second Temple Judaism, a period of Jewish religious practice lasting from the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in the sixth century BC to its destruction by Roman forces in AD 70. The Gospel of Matthew’s position on the observance of the Torah, or Jewish law, has been the subject of scholarly debate, with some claiming that Matthew advocates for the observance of Jewish law and others arguing that the Gospel proposes abandoning the observance of Jewish law. This paper follows the scholars in the …

Lines For The Forgotten Familiar Living With Loss: My Spouse To Alzheimer’S, Dixie L. Partridge

BYU Studies

Tight as a bulb, I wait in the dark,

wanting only the dark. But I’ve dreamed

the scent of sage, the smell of plowed soil,

a movement of wildflowers coming and going.

Fall Semester, Large Midwestern University, Kevin Klein

BYU Studies

Across acres of parking lots we walk

in thick silence, the first snow

this year, the first ever to stick

Lehi Tries To Explain, John Alba Cutler

BYU Studies

How the liquid branches of that burning tree

whipped upward as if trying to shake

themselves free of the nothing

they consumed, as if they remembered

or anticipated spirits shucking

off bodies, finding a lighter form

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Anti-Nephi-Lehi Mothers: What They Taught Their Stripling Sons, Julie A.P. Frederick

BYU Studies

When I first saw this shirt (see fig. 1), I was immediately taken with the contrast of the shirtless warriors in bodybuilder-type poses and the claim that these men with six-packs and bulging muscles were “momma’s boys.”1 I have always loved a clever juxtaposition, and this one was so delightful that I remember it from years ago. I was a student walking down the main hallway of Orem High School, and I actually stopped in the middle of the hallway to stare at it, then continued down the hall laughing to myself. What made the shirt even more wonderful was …

Sariah’S Sons, Rachel Terry

BYU Studies

And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. 1 Nephi 2:12

This poem was a finalist in the 2024 BYU Studies Poetry Contest.

Conclusion Latter-Day Saints And Perfectionism, W. Justin Dyer

BYU Studies

This special issue on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and toxic perfectionism seems long overdue. Although there has been some research in the past, many misleading narratives about Latter-day Saints and perfectionism—narratives promoted by professionals and nonprofessionals alike—were pulled into that research vacuum. Prior to the research presented in this issue, there were no studies that revealed how Latter-day Saints compare in perfectionism to those of other religions and those of no religion, and there was no longitudinal research that provided evidence for the sources and consequences of perfectionism over time for Latter-day Saints. Without …

Project Portfolio: Raft: Rise Above The Flood Of Tears A Mental Health Resource, Rebecca Hald

Doctor of Leadership

Struggles with mental health have had a history of being ignored, condemned, or relegated to a lack of faith by the Church. Rather than finding a place of hope, those who struggle have often found a place of condemnation. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise globally in mental health struggles. Pastors faced a unique challenge ministering during this season and there has been a great toll on the mental health of pastors. Considering the historic stance of the church on mental health, rise in mental health struggles in pastors post- COVID, and having been …

40-Day Fit, A Journey For Heroes, Michael B. O'Neill

Doctor of Leadership

This project is a collective portfolio of discovery and development that explores the intersection of societal health and the vitality of the church, recognizing a state of decline in both areas. This critical, yet often overlooked issue, is the foundation of this research-driven initiative. It is a practical process of diagnosis and treatment of a problem or an opportunity, in context, leading to application. The portfolio project represents a journey of discovery and reframing, where research methods, strategic objectives, and project milestones guide the identification of needs, problems, and opportunities. These elements serve as the driving forces behind crafting solutions …

The Holy Imagination Of God: An Invitation To Dissent: Fostering Inclusive Theology For Holistic Understanding, Justice, And Liberation, Daron George

Doctor of Leadership

The Western American Evangelical theological tradition has been marred by expressions of homophobia, misogyny, racism, and a problematic alignment with political power. This prevailing theological stance, lacking in inclusivity and imagination, has hindered a holistic understanding of faith and justice, precipitating a crisis within many evangelical churches. This project proposes a novel pathway for those disillusioned with or departed from the evangelical church, commonly referred to as ex-evangelicals.

Central to this project is the exploratory question: “What was in God’s imagination in the beginning?” While not claiming to discern God's intentions definitively, this inquiry has yielded insights valuable to the …

Arianism Revised: The Re-Emergence Of An Infamous Heresy, Mia K. Hardy

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Arian heresy, a Trinitarian heresy that suggests the members of the Trinity differ in essence, function, and rank, has existed in Christianity for centuries but hasn't often recaptured the mainstream discussion of orthodoxy. That is, until the 1970s. Since then, the available literature surrounding the subjects of complementarianism, eternal subordination, the Holy Trinity, and Arian philosophy has grown, and the overlap between these factors cumulated into what was arguably one of the most divisive theological debates within modern Evangelicalism. What factors contributed to the reemergence of this centuries-long debate in modern times? The overarching goal of this work is to …

Integral Human Development: Hurling Into The Soul, Glenn J. Morrison

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

The article offers a reflection on the relation between integral human development and integral ecology to create a lens for an incarnational spirituality of the soul. Grounded in and through God’s word and questions “hurling” into the soul, we are invited into the “play” of the Spirit, offering opportunities for memory, grace and hope to resound through the “seasons” of life and death. Through boldness, endurance and devotion to “the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor 9: 12), the hurling depths of the soul arises to witness to “become all things to all people” (1 Cor 9: 22). The article concludes …

Redeemed Through The Blood, Or, The Power Of God To Save The Fallen : A Book Of Testimonies By Those Who Have Been Saved, And Some Of My Experience In My Work Among The Fallen, Jonnie Jernigan

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 66, No. 1

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 66, No. 1.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

The Role Of A Leader: Establishing Psychological Safety In The Church, Gaylen Sheree Pearl Jones

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abuse is an intentional attempt to cause harm to others. Within any environment there is the possibility of abuse; abuse can be physical, sexual, psychological, and more. This project addressed the phenomena of psychological safety in the church to reduce psychological abuse. Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse, is a form of abuse that induces fear and intentionally affects one’s emotional health. Psychological safety in the church is a phenomenon that needs to be addressed. This project examined biblical and psychological resources to gain a better understanding on how to create psychologically safe environments that will discourage emotional …

Year Book Of The Holiness Union : Containing A Full Report Of The Holiness Convention Held At Memphis, Tenn., October 11-14, 1904, H. W. Bromley

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Holistic And Holy: An Inward Journey Toward Healing And Wholeness, Chad Mcswain

Doctor of Leadership

There are two ubiquitous challenges to the modern church in North America: declining church attendance and the mental health crisis. This is an opportunity for the modern church to take up the missional imperative by providing access to mental health resources to meet the mental and spiritual needs of those they serve, while creating a positive connection to those who do not currently attend church.

This doctoral project seeks to address both challenges by providing a podcast called, Holistic and Holy, Listener Guide, and website that creates conversations at the intersection of mental health and spirituality. This approach uses traditional …

Paideia: A Mentorship Framework For Training Aspiring Pastors To Lead In Our Changing World, David Beavis

Doctor of Leadership

There is a pastoral leadership crisis in the US. With the convergence of pastors aging out, burning out, moral derailment, or simply choosing another career outside of pastoral work, there is a great need to raise up the next generation of pastors. However, traditional institutions for training pastors (such as seminary or bible college), though important, are not sufficient in and of themselves for producing future pastors. We live in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world with novel pastoral challenges perpetually emerging. But our normative pastoral training assumes a world (Christendom) that no longer exists.

What is required is …