Digital Commons Network^™

Pope Francis And The Culture Of Encounter, Angeli Francis S. Rivera

Loyola Papers

This paper investigates the development of Pope Francis’ “culture of encounter” as shaped by the people he has met throughout his life. These encounters form a “polyhedron” where diverse influences converge into a unified vision. The study explains that the culture of encounter responds to a weakening political and moral compass in contemporary society. It is concretized in four principles articulated in Evangelii Gaudium: time is greater than space, unity prevails over conflict, realities are more important than ideas, and the whole is greater than its parts. These principles provide a framework for dialogue, solidarity, and engagement. The paper highlights …

Amoris Laetitia: Its Teachings And Magisterial Authority, Archie R. Magarao

Loyola Papers

The article argues that Amoris Laetitia is an example of the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff befitting the response of a religious submission of the mind and will to the ordinary exercise of the Pope’s supreme teaching authority, even apart from a solemn ex cathedra judgment. Although it does not enjoy infallibility, it remains an authoritative teaching that the Pope offers as he exercises his office as Universal Pastor of the Church.

Empowering Laity To Engage In Pastoral Care Ministry: A Proposal For Capacity Building And Supervision For Larger Congregation With Special Reference To Kohima Ao Baptist Church, Nagaland, India., Tsuwainla Jamir

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis explores how to provide effective lay pastoral counseling in a large congregation, with particular reference to Kohima Ao Baptist Church in Nagaland, India.

There Is A Word: Using A Queer Hermeneutic Toward Liberative And Prophetic Biblical Preaching, Dewayne L. Davis

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Preaching to, for, and about LGBTQ people is too often characterized by ambivalence, homophobia, and microaggressions couched as speaking truth in love. And yet, the biblical text includes themes, images, and stories with liberating and prophetic messages for LGBTQ people that include and affirm them within the body of Christ. This thesis argues that preachers can proclaim a liberating, prophetic word for the LGBTQ people within their congregations by using a queer hermeneutic, the intentional and conscious interpretation of the biblical text using the experience, information, and knowledge about LGBTQ people as the lens through which to bridge the world …

Reaching The Diaspora: Streamed Worship And Preaching In The Lutheran Church Of Australia, Cultivating Koinonia And Ecclesia, Timothy Paul Stringer

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Streamed worship has been happening in the Lutheran Church of Australia since 2013. Who is it reaching? Where is it reaching? Is it connecting them to community and the church? Is the preaching reaching the people who gather outside of the physical church buildings? Is there anything we can do to improve the reach, the connection and the sense of belonging to the wider church even when living remotely or kept away from regular worship by illness, disability or work commitments? This exploratory case study seeks to find these answers and more and then to offer ways forward for the …

The Reflective Preacher: Effective Habits For Homiletical Self-Assessment, Brenda Froberg Legred

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Biblical preaching is the key to church growth and health. Research shows that people are choosing not to worship because of mediocre messages from the pulpit. Yet, people are hungry for what God has to say about their life and context. The pastor-preacher must take the preaching task very seriously, devoting time and energy to the endeavor and seeking to continually improve their craft. The problem is that most pastors do not develop effective habits for homiletical self-assessment. This researcher will offer strategies and tools for faithful preaching and ideas for becoming a more reflective preacher. There are acquired skills …

Invisible Poverty: Awareness, Attitudes, And Action, Joseph W. Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

In small-town rural America, we do not tend to see poverty. Poverty is relatively invisible, especially among our youth and children. Invisible Poverty explores the issues, challenges, stereotypes, and causes of small-town rural poverty while presenting possible solutions. Drawing from Alvin Luedke, Craig Van Gelder, Alan Roxburgh, Patrick Keifert, Cynthia Duncan, and Shannon Jung, Invisible Poverty presents a missional theology of accompaniment seeking justice and avoiding shame. In an effort to understand the complexity of rural poverty, Invisible Poverty asks; How might Action Research interventions affect awareness, attitudes, and actions of the congregation concerning the issues of poverty?

Harvesting Hope: Biblical Preaching With People Of The Land, Catherine Belles

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project seeks to customize generic preaching skills to better serve rural Midwest churches in a time of great transition. “What seeds are we planting that our harvest will be hope in Jesus Christ? Does the Word of God affect our response, and are we transformed by that change, so that hope becomes part of our faith DNA?” Seeking to encourage prophetic visioning, preacher, leaders, and members to live into God’s ongoing new creation. Harvest is a major theme in rural communities and biblical narrative, a metaphor of grace and judgement. Preachers are encouraged to glean the faith stories of …

Brief For New Ways Ministry Et Al. As Amici Curiae Supporting Plaintiff, Koenke V. Saint Joseph University, Leslie C. Griffin

Supreme Court Briefs

No abstract provided.

Student Handbook 2020-2021, Southern Adventist University

Student Handbooks, Undergraduate

No abstract provided.

General Chapter 2020: Instrumentum Laboris (English), The Spiritan Congregation

General Chapters

No abstract provided.

Report Of Superior General And His Council (English), The Spiritan Congregation

Superior General Reports

No abstract provided.

Annual Report 2020: Community Benefit, Lehigh Valley Health Network

LVHN Annual & Statistical Reports

No abstract provided.

Stress Perception And Measurement In Missionary Populations, Laurie A. Tone, Fernando Garzon, John C. Thomas, Brigitte Ritchey, Mike Malek-Ahmadi

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Christian missionaries experience numerous stressors across multiple domains. To understand their unique experiences, a targeted assessment is required. There is no known psychometrically tested measure that captures the nuances of stress for this population. To that end, as part of a larger study, the quantitative CHOPS Stress Inventory, a new tool for measuring missionary stress was developed and showed good initial psychometric qualities when compared to an established stress measure. Furthermore, the Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of survey findings on 267 cross-cultural evangelical missionaries noted that both age and sex demonstrated significant effects on perceived stress scores. Implications for missionary …

Nurturing Emotional Intelligence To Encourage An Increase In Compassion Among The Members Of Ecclesia Baptist In Asheville, North Carolina, Aileen Mitchell Lawrimore

Doctor of Ministry Projects

God’s infinite chesed for humanity, embodied in Jesus, calls Christians to claim their inherent brokenness and their infinite beauty and to offer the same grace to others. This chesed, experienced as compassion, enables Christians to extend compassion to themselves and others. To encourage this behavior among members of Ecclesia Baptist, this project paired psychology with theology and biblical study to nurture emotional intelligence (EQ). Participants attended five two-hour sessions and spent time on reflection and practice outside of meetings. Results indicated that increased EQ boosts confidence in compassionate behavior and increases intentions to continue practices formed from the study.

Spirituality And Prayer On Teacher Stress And Burnout In An Italian Cohort: A Pilot, Before-After Controlled Study, Francesco Chirico, Manoj Sharma, Salvatore Zaffina, Nicola Magnavita

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Teaching is a stressful profession that exposes workers to the risk of burnout. Techniques involving higher mental functions, such as transcendental meditation and prayer, have been used in stress and burnout prevention programs. In this study, we report the results of an experience conducted in a group of teachers of a religious institute, in which prayer was used as a technique to prevent burnout.

Conceptualizing Therapy As A Spiritual Discipline, Kristen M. White

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Psychological literature is in the beginning stages of reflecting the Church’s shift toward spiritual formation, incorporating theory and research regarding how spiritual disciplines might be relevant to the practice of therapy. This work may be expanded by viewing therapy itself as a spiritual discipline, particularly for the client. This article makes this connection by clearly defining spiritual disciplines and highlighting how therapy is or can be made congruent with them. It further discusses how therapy may be a very useful spiritual discipline within the Church today. Lastly, this article discusses the implications for viewing therapy as a spiritual discipline for …

Silent Holy Spirit, January 2020

Silent Holy Spirit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in St. Louis, MO

Silent Holy Spirit Finding Aid

Brokering Access, Belief And Opportunities: A Phenomenology Of Black Principals’ Leadership Through A Racialized Lens, Natalie Denise Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The educational landscape of the twenty-first century currently faces several significant challenges, including widening academic opportunity gaps. These gaps suggest that there is need to examine the perspectives of leaders in the role of principals more deeply. However, as leadership theories continue to develop, there has been limited research conducted on the impact of principals’ racialized experiences and their approach to leadership. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to center race by exploring the essence of Black principals’ understanding of their racialized experiences and its meaning to their leadership and school communities. Findings indicate that Black principals’ (a) understanding …

What's Up Newsletter, January 2020

What's Up Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Milwaukee, WI

What's Up Newsletter Finding Aid

Exploring Challenges Of Hospital Chaplains In Transdisciplinary Teams, Stephen A. Spates, Catherine Y.Kingsley Westerman, Leslie A. Laam, Ryan Goke

College of Arts and Letters

Hospital chaplains experience obstacles in contributing to team objectives when a part of transdisciplinary teams. This case study explores the communication challenges of membership on transdisciplinary teams for hospital chaplains, using a fictional account based on data from a previous study. Chaplain David Howard is one of three chaplains at Grace Hospital and is assigned to the newly formed palliative care transdisciplinary team. The purpose of this team is to work towards providing quality care to patients in the upcoming integrative medicine wing. Although the team is tasked with improving the quality of life for patients, David notices that his …

The Demise Of The American Holiness Movement : A Historical, Theological, Biblical, And Cultural Exploration, Darius L. Salter

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Academic Catalog 2020-2021, Calvin Theological Seminary

Seminary Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Calvin Bibliography 2020, Paul Fields

Calvin Bibliographies

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: January 2020, Julius T. Medenblik, Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Jeffery A. D. Weima, Shannon Jammal-Hollemans

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Main Features
3 - Hurting Churches & Hurting Pastors by Jul Medenblik
4 - Grief & Doubt in the Christian Life
8 - Christian Triumphalism by Gibson Danjuma
12 - Dementia & Wilderness by Mary L. Vanden Berg

Q&A: The Hurting Church
16 - Are Christians Allowed to Grieve the Death of a Loved One? by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
18 - Where Does Pastoral Care End? by Shannon Jammal - Hollemans
20 - What to Do When Church Leadership Feels Lonely? by Cecil Van Niejenhuis

Calvin Seminary News
22 - Calvin Seminary Names New Canadian Church Relations Liaison: Shawn …

Validating The Chinese-Translated Version Of The Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (Shalom) Amongst The Chinese Youth Populations In 2010 And 2018, Joe Pong, Chi Hung Leung, Ching-Leung Lung

Faculty of Management & Hospitality (THEi)

This cross-sectional study validated the Chinese-translated version of the Spiritual Health and Life-orientation Measure (SHALOM) in two samples of university students in Hong Kong. The first sample comprised 546 Chinese university students who were educated under the old educational system (i.e. 3 + 2 + 2 + 3 scheme) and are known as ‘Generation Y’. Data for this sample were collected in 2010 for Fisher and Wong. The second sample involved 474 Chinese university students educated after educational reform in 2009 (i.e. 3 + 3 + 4 scheme) collected in 2018. Results in both years revealed high internal consistency. Whereas …

Our Silent News, January-February-March 2020

Our Silent News

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Fort Worth, TX

Our Silent News Finding Aid

Icda-Us Mid-West Young Adult Newsletter, January 2020

ICDA-US Mid-West Young Adult Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

Daily Devotions For The Deaf, January-December 2020

Daily Devotions for the Deaf

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Council Bluffs, IA

Daily Devotions for the Deaf Finding Aid

Attitudes Of Religious Leaders Toward Integrating Psychology And Church Ministry, Adam S. Hodge, Joshua N. Hook, Don E. Davis, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Although psychology and religion deal with overlapping subject matter, the relationship between psychology and the church has a tumultuous history. The current study examined religious leaders’ attitudes toward integrating psychological science into church ministry. Religious leaders (N = 394) completed measures of (a) congregants’ mental health and social concerns, (b) attitudes toward psychological science (i.e., perceived barriers of integration, compatibility with church ministry), and (c) hypothesized predictors of attitudes toward the integration of psychology and church ministry (i.e., political conservatism, intratextual fundamentalism, religious intellectual humility, emotional intelligence). Overall, religious leaders expressed both positive and negative attitudes toward psychology. Conservative political …