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What Does Nature Mean In The Abolition Of Man? Or, The Participatory Ontology Behind The Sublime Waterfall, Chris R. Armstrong

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

If Lewis’s Abolition of Man is simply an argument for objective moral value, or what we have called “the natural law,” then why begin with waterfalls that demand of us certain kinds of aesthetic judgment,[1] and end by saying that technocrats who take Nature in their own hands to control others with it have stepped outside of something larger than moral law, viz. the Tao, the Real itself, and thereby lost their very humanity?[2]

What, that is, is Nature in the Abolition? Certainly, it is not nature as construed in philosophical naturalism after Jane Austen, after the advent …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Understanding The Social Ministry Of The Orthodox Church Of Ukraine In The Context Of Christian Theology And Socio-Humanitarian Sciences, Rostyslav Didukh

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article presents a comprehensive interdisciplinary scientific and theological analysis of the social ministry of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the context of Christian theology and socio-humanitarian disciplines. Modern approaches of Orthodox theology to the social mission of Christianity ensure the integrity of the development of the human and society. The need to ensure the coherence of theological concepts of the Orthodox Church social teaching with the existing church and parish life, church educational mission, theological education, and social work is emphasized. Special attention is paid to the interdisciplinary connections of Orthodox theology, religious studies, psychology, pedagogy and …

Religion At The Bedside: Institutionalizing Medical Chaplaincy In Ukraine’S Secular Healthcare Space And Its Moral Tensions, Iryna Horokholinska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The author conceptualizes medical chaplaincy in Ukraine as a phenomenon of significance for society and its value sphere. It is emerging at the intersection of the secular healthcare system, the social functionality of religion, wartime trauma, and the growing need for spiritual and existential care. The study demonstrates that, in the context of full-scale war, the social relevance of medical chaplaincy is not merely a pragmatic response to psychological and moral challenges, but also a systemic manifestation of the post-secular transformation of the public sphere characteristic of both Ukraine and the contemporary world.

The article further examines the legal and …

The Autonomy Of Bulgarian Theological Scholarship: Institutional Control And Discursive Transformation Under The Communist Regime (1944–1960s), Diana Petrova Tyurkedzhieva

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the autonomy of theological scholarship in Bulgaria under the communist regime as part of the broader problem of academic freedom under authoritarian rule, focusing on 1944 to the 1960s. While existing research has primarily addressed the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the State through institutional restriction and political repression, this study analyses how theological scholarship was transformed institutionally and discursively. It combines historical and institutional analysis with an examination of speeches, public statements, and academic publications in ecclesiastical and theological periodicals. The article argues that the separation of the Faculty of Theology from Sofia University in …

Justice After War: Jus Post Bellum And The Ethics Of Peace: A Review, Lubomir Martin Ondrasek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of David Chiwon Kwon Justice after War: Jus Post Bellum and the Ethics of Peace. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2023. xviii+294 pages. $29.95 (paperback). ISBN 978-0-8

Dialogue Between The Eastern Orthodox Church And Armenian Community In Bulgaria, Kostadin Kirilov Nushev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Relations between Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria and the Armenian community date back centuries and are based on deep historical ties. This is mainly due to the Armenian diaspora, which took place on Bulgarian territory for centuries, and to the amicable encounters between Bulgarians and Armenians over the centuries. Most recently, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has maintained healthy, fraternal inter-church relations with representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church at the official level. These relations were built and developed within the framework of the traditional inter-church relations between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox churches.

Review Of Discussing Mere Christianity: Exploring The History, Meaning, & Relevance Of C. S. Lewis’S Greatest Book (Dvd), Jeff Gissing

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

A review of a DVD and discussion guide: Devin Brown, Discussing Mere Christianity: Exploring the History, Meaning, & Relevance of C. S. Lewis’s Greatest Book (Grand Rapids, 2015). 120 pages. $12.99. ISBN: 9780310699842. Eric Metaxas (host), Discussing Mere Christianity: Exploring the History, Meaning, & Relevance of C. S. Lewis’s Greatest Book, DVD (Grand Rapids, 2015). 170 minutes. $49.99. ISBN: 9780310699859.

C.S. Lewis, Public Intellectual, Samuel Joeckel

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Despite such hints and evocations, it appears that no one has attempted a systematic analysis of Lewis as a public intellectual. That is, no one has methodically employed extant theories on the concept of the public intellectual to assess how (or even whether) he fits the bill. No one has used these theories as an interpretive lens for analyzing Lewis’ writings. No one has analyzed the historical conditions during Lewis’ lifetime that pushed him into the role of public intellectual. No one has explored how Lewis adheres to the conventions of public discourse, the language of the public intellectual. And …

A Discourse Of Modernization Of Religion In The Soviet Ukrainian Study Of Religion, Oleg Kyselov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The paper explores the Soviet scientific atheism discourse on the evolution of religion in the modern world. The author argues that the modernization of religion was a key concept for Soviet scholars, which was used to criticize religious trends of that time.

The article focuses on the published works of Soviet Ukrainian scholars, which discussed the definition of modernization of religion, its reasons, and the spheres of its manifestation. The current research focuses on the modernization of religion and the peculiarities of scientific atheism in Soviet Ukraine.

The author argues that there were no differences between religious modernism and modernization …

The Security Dimensions Of Religious Life In Ukraine: A Focus On Orthodoxy In The Cross-Border Chernivtsi Region, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Iryna Horokholinska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the modern tendencies in the religious space of Ukraine with a focus on the processes that are taking place in Orthodoxy in the context of transformations in the self-identification of the faithful. Changes in the jurisdictional affiliation of the Orthodox communities in Ukraine are taken into account. The dynamics of these processes are analyzed against the background of the full-scale war that Russia has unleashed and is waging against Ukraine. Special attention is paid to the situation in Chernivtsi border region, in particular, from the point of view of the Ukrainian-Romanian geopolitical and church relationships. A number …

"O, I Have Ta'en Too Little Care Of This": What Lear Learns In The Storm, Gary L. Tandy

Faculty Publications - Department of English

No abstract provided.

Value Vectors Of The World Local Orthodox Churches Position Regarding Russia's War Against Ukraine, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Iryna Horokholinska, Mykola Lahodych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article deals with the religious contexts of the modern civilizational crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Among the multitude of thematic lines of this set of problems, the article’s authors focus their attention precisely on the position of the world Orthodox Churches regarding this war. The concentration of such attention is objectively determined by the fact that the majority of Ukrainian citizens position themselves as Orthodox by faith, and therefore, are particularly sensitive to the opinion of the leaders of the Orthodox Churches of the world. The article examines the value aspects of the problem of …

The Virtue Of Solidarity: A Profile And Intervention, Marshal P. George

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The lack of communal warmth and increased polarization across the globe add urgency to the call for renewed efforts to develop relationally-focused persons and communities. Solidarity, understood as a virtue, is conceptualized to cultivate group-minded individuals able to embody values, motivations, and behaviors inherent to developing social harmony and equity. After conceptualizing solidarity as a virtue, this study implemented an intervention to increase the solidarity virtue trait. The intervention was a 5-day educational and reflective exercise. Analysis of results assessed the relationship between individuals pursuing community flourishing and the intervention via multiple regression. Results were consistent with the theory of …

Clergy Social Activity During War Conditions: The Case Of Western Regions Of Ukraine, Ihor Lutsan, Iryna Horokholinska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In this article, the authors analyze the impact of Russia-Ukraine war on church-religious life and the state of public consciousness in Ukraine and identify the main trends and contradictions in public reactions to threats to their lives and spirituality. The research focuses on religious communities of the western regions of Ukraine and their socially significant activities. The primary empirical source of the article was the study (by questionnaire survey) of the opinions of the clergy of this religious organization on the characteristics of parish life and the role of the pastor in the conditions of war. Three defining vectors that …

Defining And Assessing Spiritual Formation: A Necessity For Christian Schooling, James Drexler, Amy H. Bagby

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Assessing Spiritual Formation Abstract

Virtually every Christian school promises a “Christian” this, a “God-centered” that, or a “biblical” something else in its mission and philosophy statements. These commitments are used in marketing, and are regarded as educational outcomes for each school. Christian schools are fairly skilled with their assessments of academic outcomes, but many are not even trying to assess the spiritual formation of their students. With the development of qualitative research methods over the past few decades, Christian educators now have reliable, robust, and usable methods to complete this important evaluation of their programs and practices. This article explores …

Attitudes Of Medical Students Towards Artificial Termination Of Pregnancy And Euthanasia In The Context Of Christian Ethics, Iryna Vasylieva, Kateryna Hololobova, Olha Nechushkina, Viacheslav Kobrzhytskyi, Serhii Kiriienko, Anna Laputko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Medical students’ attitudes towards issues associated with the beginning and end of human life are analyzed using interdisciplinary approaches and empirical material (statistics, sociological surveys). The purpose of this article is to determine the peculiarities of Christian morality’s influence on the attitudes of contemporary Ukrainian medical students towards the issues of artificial termination of pregnancy and euthanasia. Based on a comparative analysis of the evaluative judgments of three groups of respondents (group 1 — those who consider themselves Christians; group 2 — respondents who are undecided about religious belief; group 3 — those who consider themselves non-believers), a complex relationship …

Ukraine Orthodoxy Autocephaly: Social And Value Challenges, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Iryna Horokholinska, Mykola Lahodych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to the relevant aspects of the canonical autocephalous status acquisition process for Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The resonant events of the last two years are considered when crucial decisions had been made that led to the emergence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as autocephalous on the basis of the Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its acting Primate Patriarch Bartholomew. Sociocultural, geopolitical, and moral aspects of the corresponding processes are conceived. The national and cultural role of the functioning of Ukraine Orthodox Church is considered. The authors analyze the current religious and political …

Long's "Truth Telling In A Post-Truth World" (Book Review), Julie E. Sweeney

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Reclaiming A Multiplying Discipleship: Fostering The Dance Of The Gathered And Sent Church, Matthew Lake

Doctor of Ministry

In the postmodern world, the local church has experienced significant decline as Christendom gives way to a more secular culture. Many shrinking denominational churches have missed imaginative opportunities and practices to produce multiplying disciples. This dissertation explores how declining denominational churches can embrace new opportunities for flourishing in a postmodern context through the development of a culture of multiplying discipleship. History—through examples such as the early church and Wesleyan movements—has shown that multiplying discipleship movements are possible in cultures not familiar with the Gospel. Such movements reveal new possibilities produced through the tension found between more formational offices of teaching, …

Tarvainen's "Faith And Love In Ignatius Of Antioch" (Book Review), Paul Hartog

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Gentle Space-Making: Christian Silent Prayer, Mindfulness, And Kenotic Identity Formation, Travis Ryan Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

The practice of mindfulness has reached an unprecedented level of prevalence in the US and the UK, both in terms of widespread popularity and in terms of institutional support and investment. One potential clue to this phenomenon may be found in the nature of the institutional contexts that are increasingly being filled with mindfulness practitioners and seminars: each is deeply embedded in and pervaded by what philosopher Charles Taylor calls the ‘modern identity’. This article provides an analysis of mindfulness as a practice of moral formation that challenges these late-modern notions of human agency and identity. It does so by …

The Hungarian Religious Leaders' Statements On The Migration From 2016 And 2017, Krisztina Barcsa, Sára Heidl, Kitti Sándor

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper is about the statements of Hungarian religious leaders concerning the issue of migration. The article is a continuation of a previous study in which we summarized articles and opinions published in the period from 2015 to the beginning of 2016. The statements that have been made since then are contained in this article. Different opinions can be found from the leaders of the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist churches, Jewish and Islamic leaders, and the Congregation of Faith and the Evangelical Brotherhood of Hungary. In addition to migration issues, cultural, ethnic, religious and moral differences and questions arise …

Julie Hanlon Rubio, Hope For Common Ground: Mediating The Personal And The Political In A Divided Church. Reviewed By Travis Ryan Pickell., Travis Ryan Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Julie Hanlon Rubio, Hope for Common Ground: Mediating the Personal and the Political in a Divided Church Moral Traditions series (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2016). xxi + 242 pp. ISBN 978-1-62616-306-5

It is no secret that we live in a time of intense polarization, perhaps especially in the American political context. This situation may be explained in a number of ways. Some will point to increasing economic inequality or socioeconomic and racial ‘sorting’. Others may point to the concurrent rise of ‘identity politics’ and the ‘politics of resentment’. Others will highlight the effects of technology, including the …

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam: The Jesuits In Albania, Ines A. Murzaku

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

When Pope Francis addressed students, teachers, and parents of the Jesuit schools of Italy and Albania in 2013, he discussed the core and the value of a Jesuit-Catholic education, which in essence follows St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits in all multifarious activities and apostolates put Jesus in the center, thereby making him the prototype. It was Jesus who had trodden a novel way for the Society of Jesus to follow and that meant to live a meaningful life, live well, and live joyfully among the people they were serving. …

Convergent Friends: The Emergence Of Postmodern Quakerism, C. Wess Daniels

Quaker Studies

Postmodernism is ushering in radical change for the Church. Some theologians argue that this change, especially given the discontinuities between modernism and postmodernism, affords new opportunities. Because of these changes there is a decline in many Christian traditions in the West, but there is also a renaissance of ' emerging churches'. The same can be said for Quakers who are experiencing a renaissance of their own. 'Convergent Friends' are a decentralized, international, body of Quakers seeking to renew their tradition through a growing awareness of the need to interact with culture missionally. Their origins and interactions are unique to Convergence …

Convergent Friends: The Emergence Of Postmodern Quakerism, C. Wess Daniels

Quaker Studies

Postmodernism is ushering in radical change for the Church. Some theologians argue that this change, especially given the discontinuities between modernism and postmodernism, affords new opportunities. Because of these changes there is a decline in many Christian traditions in the West, but there is also a renaissance of ' emerging churches'. The same can be said for Quakers who are experiencing a renaissance of their own. 'Convergent Friends' are a decentralized, international, body of Quakers seeking to renew their tradition through a growing awareness of the need to interact with culture missionally. Their origins and interactions are unique to Convergence …

Augustinianisms And Thomisms (Chapter Nine Of The Cambridge Companion To Political Theology), Eric Gregory, Joseph Clair

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Excerpt: "The standard linage of Augustine and Aquinas that emerges in twentieth-century textbooks of political philosophy is that of two fundamentally opposed theological approaches to the political. Augustine, in one corner, is the clear-eyed realist, convinced that political society is fallen, mired in the consequences of original sin and the contingent necessity to restrain evil, vice, and sin. Aquinas, in the other corner, is the more cheerful Aristotelian, who emphasizes the inherent goodness and naturalness of political society and its beneficial purposes for human flourishing.' These contrasting visions continue to animate diverse Christian understandings of the limits and possibilities of …

Political Affections: Civic Participation And Moral Theology. By Joshua Hordern. Reviewed By Travis Pickell., Travis Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Political Affections: Civic Participation and Moral Theology. By JOSHUA HORDERN. Pp. 336. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-964681-4.

“Fire tends upwards, stone downwards. By their weight they are moved and seek their proper place ... My love is my weight: wherever I go my love is what brings me there” (Augustine, Confessions 13.9). Augustine long ago recognized that affections are an inescapable dimension of human existence. Why, then, have emotions and affections been so largely neglected, even opposed, in political philosophy? In Political Affections, Joshua Hordern, University Lecturer in Christian Ethics at the University of Oxford and …

Victor Lee Austin, Christian Ethics: A Guide For The Perplexed: Reviewed By Travis Pickell, Travis Ryan Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Victor Lee Austin, Christian Ethics: A Guide for the Perplexed, Bloomsbury T&T Clark: London, 2012; 177 pp.: 9780567032195, £50.00 (hbk), 9780567032201, £14.99 (pbk), 9780567639998, £14.99 (ebook)

How does one write an introductory text without being overly reductive, on the one hand, or unnecessarily bogging down the reader with finer points, on the other? Imagine trying to make a topic as expansive as Christian ethics intelligible to the ‘perplexed’ among us. Victor Lee Austin, Theologian-in-residence at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (NYC), admirably navigates between these twin pitfalls in this useful and concise volume.

Inviting And Encouraging Racial, Cultural, Ethnic, And Generational Diversity Within Ecclesial Community, Matthew D. Deames

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.