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Potentials, Actuals, And The Logical Problem Of Evil, Stephen Thomas Irby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

J.L. Schellenberg has recently formulated a new logical problem of evil that is claimed to avoid Alvin Plantinga’s Free Will Defence. I begin my argument against this new formulation by analyzing the grounding for some of God’s maximal perfections. God’s maximal moral perfection, for example, is grounded in virtuous potentialities that are disposed to the actualization of virtuous actions. From this account, I argue that Schellenberg’s logical problem of evil fails due to one of the following two reasons. First, some good actualizations of good potentialities require evil but compose the best worlds. Second, both (1) good actualizations that require …

2019: Religious Freedom Laws, C. J. Rhodes, Eleanor Ruffner, Richard Howorth, Sarah Moses, Matthew Hall, Amy Mcdowell

Policy Talks

The common reading resource (see additional documents below) for this event is the Honors thesis of Religion major Samuel Brassell, "The Baptist Tradition and Religious Freedom: Recent Trajectories." This 2019 thesis provides an analysis of religious freedom laws in the state of Mississippi. We encourage all attendees to read this common reading resource prior to the event for a more focused conversation during the Q and A session and during the reception.

Osvobození Jako Revoluční Praxe: Opĕtovné Promyšlení Buddhistického Materialism, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

In this article, first published in English in the Journal of Buddhist Ethics 20 (2013), pp. 461–99, James Mark Shields analyzes the possibilities and problems of a “Buddhist materialism” constructed along Marxian lines, by focusing in particular on Buddhist and Marxist conceptions of “liberation.” Although it is only in recent decades that scholars have begun to reconsider and problematize Buddhist conceptions of “free- dom” and “agency,” the thought traditions of Asian Buddhism have for many centuries struggled with questions related to the issue of “liberation”—along with its fundamental ontological, epistemological and ethical implications. With the development of Marxist thought in …

In Celebration Of Notebooks (December 2018) By Schubert M. Ogden: Avoiding The Partialist Fallacy In Theology, Especially In Liberation Theology, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

As an ethicist, and especially a theological ethicist, and more especially as a liberation theologian, what I most appreciate about Schubert M. Ogden’s “revisionary theology”* is his appreciation of Charles Hartshorne’s neoclassical theology, including especially panentheism (all-in-theos-ism), and his insistence that such appreciation is essential to adequately formulated theology and ethics, including liberation theology. And insofar as Ogden is contributing something essential to liberation theology, he might be called a neoclassical liberation theologian, or at least a wanna-be-helpful neoclassical theologian.

Return To Me: Lenten Reflections From Holy Cross (2019), Office Of Mission, College Of The Holy Cross

Office of Mission Publications

This reflection booklet was prepared by the Office of Mission at the College of the Holy Cross to serve as a prayer aid throughout the liturgical season of Lent. Within these pages are the unique voices of many people from the Holy Cross community: faculty, staff, students, alumni, administrators, members of the Board of Trustees, benefactors of the College and Jesuits. Each contributor reflects on the readings prescribed for the Mass of the day and while we hope that their own prayers help you to pray, we hope, too, that the reflections contained herein might also help you to return …

The Matthew 16:13-18:20 Chiasm As The Fountainhead Of Matthean Proto-Ecclesiology, Nicholas A. Dodson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The only two instances of the Greek term ἐκκλησία (usually translated “church”) found in the Gospels are in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. These two passages have been examined, debated, and interpreted in a number of ways by various scholars. The present dissertation presents considerable exegetical evidence that these two uses of ἐκκλησία are actually part of a larger literary structure called a chiasmus, which connects the passages in which Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 are found. Because these are highly significant ecclesiological passages, this study further develops the connection of the chiastic structure to other foundational ecclesiological passages, namely the Matthean …

Mackie's Arguement For The Infinite Man, Abigail J. Basile

Quaerens Deum: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal for Philosophy of Religion

Theists and non-theists alike have toiled with the characteristics of the Judeo-Christian God and how they may or may not be contradictory with the existence of evil. Some philosophers, such as J. L. Mackie, have decided that God and evil cannot coexist, mainly because the existence of evil means that any God is unable to keep evil and suffering away from His beloved creation, and such a limited God is no God at all. But Mackie’s argument rests on flawed foundation. Mankind is necessarily finite because even the infinite God cannot do the logically impossible and create the infinite—nothing infinite …

Truth-Makers And The "Grounding Objection" To Molinism, Tyler Crown

Quaerens Deum: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal for Philosophy of Religion

One of the most discussed topics on the nature of God, in Christian circles today, is the subject of God’s knowledge. There are a few popular positions today that are engaged in a serious debate as to what the true biblical and philosophical position on the nature of God’s knowledge is. One such position, which has become increasingly popular and has found support among many leading Christian philosophers, such as Alvin Plantinga, Thomas Flint, and William Lane Craig, is called Molinism. While Molinism does have an abundance of supporters, there are many detractors as well. Calvinist’s, Thomists and open theists …

God’S Faithfulness To Promise: The Hortatory Use Of Commissive Language In Hebrews, David Ripley Worley

ACU Brown Library Monograph Series

David Worley's 1981 Yale University dissertation--revised with foreword by James Thompson and bibliographical addendum by Lee Zachary Maxey--explores the use commissive language, promises, and hortatory literature in the book of Hebrews. The author concludes that the use of commissive language in the book of Hebrews was not prompted by criticisms within the church over a delay in God’s promise keeping; rather that our author seized upon God’s commissive activity and the behavior of promisees of scripture as a way of emboldening a people tempted to withdraw from one another and from God to endure social and financial difficulties and to …

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Academy

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This essay examines two senses of what it means to be biblical in a pluralistic academy. The first is to examine the Bible as a document of the university, susceptible to many kinds of critical probing. The rest of the essay explores the second way, which is to use the Bible as the authoritative control story that articulates how Christians view Jesus Christ as the ground, grammar, and goal of both the university and the universe itself. I examine how biblical authority should and should not be deployed in the academy by looking at the natural and human sciences. I …

Hope As A Strategy: Messianism In The Philosophy Of Emmanuel Levinas, Gary Ray Sunshine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This essay is an explication of the role of messianism, often expressed as hope, in the work of Emmanuel Levinas. Levinas's single philosophical project from 1933 until his passing in 1996 was to establish ethics as first philosophy. This effort was in opposition to the primacy of ontology in the work of Martin Heidegger. Levinas uses a phenomenological method similar to Heidegger's to establish messianic hope as a fundamental human motivation. Throughout Levinas's work, he borrows a religious vocabulary from his Jewish heritage that he resets into a philosophical domain. He takes a religious concept of messianism, specifically Jewish formulations …

2019 Graduate Theological Studies Journal And Newsletter

Graduate Theological Studies Journal and Newsletter

Graduate Theological Studies is published by the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.

The Stromata Vol. 61, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stromata (1956-2020)

Inside This Issue

5- Finding Hope while Struggling by Isaias D’Oleo-Ochoa

7- Liturgical Theology in the Psalter by Andrew J. Belcher

22- Plantinga’s Ontological Argument of God by Jung-Yao Wang

43- Worshipping with Our Children by Sewon Jang

Heroes In The Midst Of Gods: A Narratological Study Of Heroes And The Divine In Mesopotamian, Greco-Roman, And Abrahamic Otherworldly Journeys, Zachary James Dey

MA in Religion Theses

The project at hand uncovers two dominant morals of Western otherworldly journeys: herocentrism and theocentrism. The former moral stresses the heroism of the protagonist; the latter stresses God’s presence and power in the universe. Although otherworldly journeys from various traditions present certain similarities, the underlying morals provide profound differences that warrant consideration. Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” and this thesis’ proposed Otherworldly Paradigm bring to light these underlying morals. This thesis demonstrates that Mesopotamian and Greco-Roman otherworldly journeys present a hero-centered moral, as shown through the monomyth, and the Abrahamic traditions present a Divine-centered moral, as shown through the proposed storyline.

Out Of The Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

In this volume, stories about the experiences of women in remote regions like Mongolia and Zangskar appear alongside essays on philosophy and history. The fact that so many different voices are included and valued is profound testimony to Buddhist women’s diversity in terms of their educational background and approach to social concerns. It is an immense privilege to honor the hard work that these women are doing to benefit society, even against great odds. We are pleased to highlight these achievements, so that readers can learn more about the Buddhist traditions and the vibrant communities of Buddhist women practitioners around …

The Theological Significance Of The Relations Of Freedom And Time In The Sciences And Humanities: An Evaluation Of The Contributions Of David Bohm And Pauli Pylkko, Michael F. Younker

Dissertations

The concepts of freedom and time underlay all other philosophical and theological questions. This dissertation addresses the natures and relations of freedom and time and their impact upon theological reflection, primarily through the works of the philosopher of science, David Bohm and the philosopher of the humanities, Pauli Pylkkö. These two representatives come from the two competing cultures of the sciences and humanities, which illustrate the deep philosophical conflict that has emerged between these cultures concerning the natures of freedom and time. Specifically, the paradigmatic contributions of Albert Einstein's four-dimensional 'timeless space-time' (with timeless freedom) alongside Bohm, on the one …

The Homecoming Of The Negro Spirit: Black Spiritual Intelligence As A Structural Form Of Intelligence, Quincy Brown

CMC Senior Theses

In Is Spirituality an Intelligence? Motivation, Cognition, and the concern of Psychology of Ultimate Concern, Robert Emmons develops a case for spirituality as a form of intelligence. His thesis claims that spiritual intelligence is a “set of capacities and abilities that enable people to solve problems and attain goals in their everyday lives”: “the capacity for transcendence; the ability to enter into heightened spiritual states of consciousness; the ability to invest everyday activities, events, and relationships with a sense of the sacred; the ability to utilize spiritual resources to solve problems in living; and the capacity to engage …

Advent Devotional Guide 2019, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Moses: An Overview, Dan Belnap

Faculty Publications

During the last week of his life, Christ was confronted by a group of Jewish authorities who asked him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36). Christ’s answer, that one should love God with all one’s heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5), as well as one’s neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18), was then followed by the assertion “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Clearly, in Christ’s day the law of Moses was regarded as providing crucial instruction regarding one’s behavior both with one’s fellow man and with God, and …

The Baptist Tradition And Religious Freedom: Recent Trajectories, Samuel Kyle Brassell

Honors Theses

For my thesis, I have focused on the recent religious freedom bill passed in Mississippi and the arguments and influences Southern Baptists have had on the bill. I used the list of resolutions passed by the Southern Baptist Convention to trace the history and development of Southern Baptist thought on the subject of religious freedom. I consulted outside scholarly works to examine the history of the Baptist tradition and how that history has influenced modern day arguments. I compared these texts to the wording of the Mississippi bill. After conducting this research, I found that the Southern Baptist tradition and …

The Role Of The Black Church In Addressing Collateral Damage From The U.S. War On Drugs, Donald L. Perryman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research is a qualitative examination of African American pastors from urban communities who address the needs of congregants and/or local communities affected directly, or indirectly by mass incarceration. The Black Church, because of its unique sociocultural location and historic role as resource for Black social and economic problems, must help supply the answers to the devastating collateral damage of mass incarceration that primarily affect children and families. The study sets out to understand urban pastors’ perceptions of the role of the Church in the post mass incarceration era. Specifically, the study examines the unique contributions of the African American …

Shoemaker, Stephen J. The Apocalypse Of Empire: Imperial Eschatology In Late Antiquity And Early Islam. Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion. Philadelphia: University Of Pennsylvania Press, 2018. 272 Pp. Hardcover Usd 59.95., Andre Reis

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Schenk, Christine, Csj. Crispina And Her Sisters: Women And Authority In Early Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017. Xx + 459 Pp. Softcover. Usd 29.00., Carina O. Prestes

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Identity And Territory: Jewish Perceptions Of Space In Antiquity [Review] / Ben-Eliyahu, Eyal., Rodrigo Galiza

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Religious Motivation, Priming And Their Effects On Sexist Language, Bridget Bard, Hank Rothgerber

Undergraduate Theses

This experiment delves into the potential effects of sexist language used in the Christian religious context on increased use of sexist language, and endorsement of sexism on an individual level. In order to demonstrate a relationship between these two variables, an experiment was designed. Participants were exposed to either a religious or neutral priming session and were then immediately asked to complete several scales and measures of sexist language, sexism, and their level of intrinsic religious motivation. The hypothesis was that participants who ranked lower on intrinsic religious motivation, and who received a religious prime, would generate increased sexist language …

Standing In Solidarity

St. Norbert Times

• News
  • Standing in Solidarity
  • Heid E. Erdrich Visits St. Norbert College
  • Shelby Rodeffer “Paints Out” Towards the Reality of Social Media
  • “God’s Got This”: The Story of the Decleenes
  • Building Hope for Homelessness Week
  • Hour of Power Honors Later Swimmer
• Opinion
  • The Holiday Spirit
  • A College Christmas List
  • Politics Today
  • Not Sorry
  • Thankful for the Athem
• Features
  • Political Diversity in WI Schools
  • The Season of Giving and Emptying Wallets
• Entertainment
  • Junk Drawer: Holiday Traditions
  • Sudoku
  • Trivia
  • 2018 in Music… so far
  • Review: “Devils Unto Dust” by Emma Berquist
  • Mother Knows Best
  • The Wild Kingdom of Black Friday Shopping
  • Review Corner …

The Father Of Pan‐Africanism: Rev. Edward Wilmot Blyden, Rafi Rahman

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Rev. Edward Wilmot Blyden was born in the Virgin Islands, was ordained a Presbyterian minister, and became a leader in the Pan- Africanism movement. This paper argues that Rev. Blyden is an important figure within contemporary Black Church Studies because of his sui generis posture towards Islam, Pan-Africanism, and Black Nationalism. The felicitous Pan-African accolades attributed to Rev. Blyden by the Black Church are a result of his novel Afro-centric and inclusive interfaith hermeneutical posture and writings from the period of Reconstruction through the Progressive Era. Rev. Blyden’s acceptance of non-Christian faith traditions within a Pan-African context supported and, more …

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 68, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

Features:

• Pope St. Paul VI's proclamation at the Second Vatican Council declaring Mary to be Mother of the Church
• Innovative projects of the Marian Library in its 75th-anniversary year
• Recap of October 18 concert by the Marian Consort, an internationally renowned early-music vocal ensemble
• Editor's column on Marian Antiphons
• Story behind the Marian Library's Guadalcanal Rosary
• Archivist describes the wax Nativity "Of Fragile Beauty" undergoing conservation with the support of two grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

“Where My Voice Is Heard Small”: The Development Of Oral Roberts’ Television Ministry, Jim E. Hunter Jr.

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Oral Roberts was a pioneer in the development of Christian television. This study traces the development of Oral Roberts’ television ministry from the early days of 1950s televised healing crusades, through the 1970s prime-time variety shows, and his later broadcasts that supported the various ministry endeavors, such as Oral Roberts University and the City of Faith.

Religion Crossing The Frontiers: Nigerian Pentecostal Dynamics In The Western World, Jacob Kehinde Oladipupo

Great Commission Research Journal

This article examines how the Pentecostal movements in Africa and most especially in Nigeria are experiencing fast growth and how African Pentecostals are speaking on the global scene, especially in Europe and America in the twenty-first century. This kind of Pentecostal reverse mission from Africa to the Western countries that brought Christianity to Africa in the eighteenth century is not without strengths and weaknesses. This article unveils the nature of the Nigerian Pentecostal movements in the diaspora and how much impact the movements are making in the Western cultures of Europe and America. The passion of the African immigrants’ churches …