Arts and Humanities Commons^™

“Secularization, Objectivity, And Enlightenment Scholarship: The Theological And Political Origins Of Modern Biblical Studies.”, Jeffrey Morrow

Jeffrey L. Morrow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

The Dao Of Qoheleth: An Intertextual Reading Of The Daode Jing And The Book Of Ecclesiastes, R. Heard

Chris Heard

Of all the world's literary works which may appropriately be labeled religious classics, the Hebrew scriptures and the Daode Jing stand out as two of the most popular across cultural and linguistic boundaries. One might suppose that the cross-cultural popularity of these classics would have brought them into frequent contact with one another. However, not much seems to have been done to relate the Bible to the Daode Jing in a constructive way. In this article, I seek to begin redressing this lack of conversation by offering a reading of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes using the Daode Jing as …

What Does The Mob Want Lot To Do In Genesis 19:9?, R. Christopher Heard

Chris Heard

Most English Bible translations render [Hebrew text A-B] in Gen 19:9 with some variant of “Stand back!” However, a very few interpreters recommend a translation along the lines of “Come closer!” more in keeping with the typical gloss on [Hebrew text A]. A detailed study of the syntax and semantics of both [Hebrew text A] and [Hebrew text B], as well as constructions similar to [Hebrew text A-B] demonstrates the strength of the minority suggestion.

Printing The Bible, Megan R. Wu

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Rivers Of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, And Muhammad As Religious Founders, David Freedman, Michael Mcclymond, Deborah Sommer

Deborah A. Sommer

In his introduction to Rivers of Paradise, David Noel Freedman explains how the book finds a guiding metaphor in a passage from Genesis (2:10–14) that relates how a river emerges from Eden and splits into four different rivers that flow to different parts of the world. He associates these five rivers with five “great personality religions of the world,” which are traditions “originating in and centering around the person, the life and experience, of a single individual—as it happens all of them men” (p. 2). These “founding fathers” are Moses, the Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad, in that order; …

"To Kick Against The Pricks:" An Examination Of The Oresteia And The Acts Of The Apostles, D. Luke Gonzalez

Senior Research Projects

The major themes found in the Oresteia and the books of Luke and Acts of the Apostles are compared. By focusing on the similarities found in the themes of Justice, Religion, and New versus Old, the reader may determine if the phrase in question is being used as a literary allusion in the book of Acts of the Apostles to the Oresteia trilogy. The author believes this to be the case and believes that to arrive at a full understanding of the literary meaning of the phrase in question, an understanding of the major themes of the Oresteia is necessary.

What Makes A Man: Gender And Sexual Boundaries On Evangelical Christian Sexuality Websites, Kelsy Burke

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This article examines how some evangelical Christian men create alternative meanings associated with gender-deviant sex in order to justify it within an evangelical framework. The author shows how Christian sexuality website users construct gender omniscience—a spouse and God’s all-knowing certainty about one’s ‘‘true’’ gender identity—to reconcile men’s interests in non-normative sex with their status as Christian patriarchs. By constructing gender as relational and spiritual, they simultaneously normalize their behaviors while condemning others who participate in similar acts but fail to meet the requirements of gender omniscience. Challenging common assumptions about evangelical sexuality, this article offers insights into the intersection of …

Gays And God Can Commune Together, Timothy Dustin Pepler

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Unbelief, Lawlessness, And Satan: Viewing The Freer Logion As A Scribal Response To Open- Ended Eschatological Themes In Mark, Seth Clark

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

The focus of my study is to demonstrate that major variants in the text of Early Christian Literature were purposely inserted into the text in light of theological controversies by scribes who represented a certain perspective on behalf of an Early Christian community. The text on which this paper is focused is the ending of the Gospel of Mark and the major textual variant known as the “Freer Logion.” I will argue that the Freer Logion was purposely inserted to conclude themes that were left open by the author of Mark and not addressed by the scribe who inserted the …

The Awakening Of Knowledge In The Heart Of Egypt: An Exegesis Of Exodus 7:1-5, Andrew Krawtz

Global Tides

Exodus 7:1-5 is the fourth reiteration of God’s commands to Moses regarding Pharaoh and the Israelites, with the others being in Exod 3, 4:21-23, and 6:1-13. With these passages and the resulting plagues, readers have raised questions regarding God’s powerfulness and good nature. For example, if God is all-powerful and good, why does he not just liberate the Israelites immediately, instead of dragging it out through ten plagues while manipulating Pharaoh, seemingly exacerbating the general suffering of people and land? My proposed answer to these concerns lies in the focus of this passage, which is God’s relationship with the Egyptians. …

An Observation On The Supreme Court Decision Of Prayer In Public Schools, Engel Vs. Vitale, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

This paper explores areas of the 1962 Supreme Court decision of Engel vs. Vitale on the subject of Prayer in public schools. There will be a discussion of the historical background, the arguments given, and the support given for the basis of the Court’s decision. There will also be a discussion on the dissenting view of the Court, and a discussion of whether or not this was a liberal or conservative approach to interpreting the Constitution of the United States.

Reconciling Science And Religion: One Christian's Perspective, Rodney Honeycutt

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Mission Between Religious Pluralism And The Postmodern Claim Of Truth: A Study Of Young Korean Protestant's Views Of Other Faiths, Suh Tae Yun

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Dissonant Bible Quotation: Political And Narrative Dissension In Gaskell's Mary Barton, Jon Singleton Ph.D.

English Faculty Research and Publications

Religious language exerted multivalent force in Victorian society, as this case study of Gaskell’s novel Mary Barton, Chartist political protest, and the weaponization of the Bible in contemporary social struggle makes clear. Scholars have established that different classes read the Bible differently; but I demonstrate how Gaskell makes the Bible read in several different ways for the same reader. Gaskell makes Bible quotations dissonant through her use of character and narration, in order to challenge the boundaries of readers’ political sympathies. This study shows how any religious utterance escapes the control and political interests of any class—and how its conflicting …

Scriptures, Vincent L. Wimbush

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Introduction

Interchangeable with holy/sacred book, “scriptures” is the English language term that is still popularly used to refer to a text or collection of texts deemed to be of special if not unique origins, authority and power. Users of the term also tend to assume that “the Bible” of the Jewish and Christian traditions represents either the only instance of such or the example par excellence among some others. A popular linguistic and rhetorical placeholder among cultures of Indo-European origins, the English term originally simply meant (from the Greek graphe/-ai, ta biblia; Latin, scriptura/-ae; Hebrew, ketav/-uvim) and continues to mean …

Toward Addressing Split-Level Christianity : A Study Of The Interaction Between Christianity And Folk Religions In Romania, Florin Paul Botica

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Does The Mob Want Lot To Do In Genesis 19:9?, R. Christopher Heard

Religion Division Faculty Scholarship

Most English Bible translations render [Hebrew text A-B] in Gen 19:9 with some variant of “Stand back!” However, a very few interpreters recommend a translation along the lines of “Come closer!” more in keeping with the typical gloss on [Hebrew text A]. A detailed study of the syntax and semantics of both [Hebrew text A] and [Hebrew text B], as well as constructions similar to [Hebrew text A-B] demonstrates the strength of the minority suggestion.

“The Bible In Captivity: Hobbes, Spinoza And The Politics Of Defining Religion.”, Jeffrey Morrow

Jeffrey L. Morrow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

A Rebellious Son? Hugo Odeberg And The Interpretation Of John 5.18, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

A solution to the difficult question of how to interpret John 5.18 appeared to have been provided with the publication of Hugo Odeberg's monumental work, The Fourth Gospel, published in 1929. Odeberg cited a rabbinic expression which characterized a rebellious son as one who 'makes himself equal with his father, and thus suggested that 'the Jews' are here making a similar accusation: they regard Jesus as rebelling against the divine authority. Subsequent scholarship for a long time cited Odeberg as a definitive demonstration of the background and meaning of John 5.18, and thus of the entire passage.

A Scientific Rationale For Belief In God?, Philip E. Graves

PHILIP E GRAVES

This paper presents a concise scientific rationale for the existence of God. The works of Ray Kurzweil and the many other artificial intelligence researchers provide a backdrop to the central thesis. An entity (computers or humans, it not mattering which) will eventually approach all-knowing. How much time passes before this occurs is not important. All-knowing is likely to be all-powerful insofar as knowledge leads to power, as has been our experience. One would suspect that this would be inclusive of time travel. The methods by which knowledge grows require “seed” facts to begin working. The seed facts can easily be, …

The Contextualization Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Among Bektashi Albanians, Richard William Shaw

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

My Story : Omar Alrikabi, Omar Alrikabi

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

Identifying Paradigms Of Conversion Operative In United Methodist Churches Of The Texas Conference, Kenneth Alan Munn

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Purpose Of Creation Accounts, Terry Ball

Faculty Publications

Jeopardy is a popular and longrunning TV game show in the United States. It is somewhat unusual in the world of game shows. In typical game shows, contestants are asked questions and then awarded money for providing correct answers. But, in Jeopardy that process is reversed: the contestants are given the answers and then receive money for correctly providing the questions. For example, contestants might be given the answer "a biblical measurement of volume approximately equivalent to eight gallons." The contestant who first correctly asks the question "What is an ephah?" would then be awarded money. Unlike much of what …

Ritual Legitimacy And Scriptural Authority, James W. Watts

Religion - All Scholarship

In this essay, James W. Watts explains the interdependence of texts and rituals with regard to ancient religions. Specifically, he outlines patterns of practice and developments in the ritual use of texts and the texual authorization of rituals in antiquity.

Watts also makes the case that beyond the interplay of texual authority and ritual legitimacy that most ancient cultures engaged in, Judaism was unique in elevating the Torah along with its other laws and stories to special "scriptural" status.

Can A Christian Be A Biblical Scholar? Searching For The Coherence Of Believing And Learning In Biblical Studies, James K. Mead

Faculty Tenure Papers

No abstract provided.

Shembe, Ancestors, Or Christ?: A Missiological Inquiry Into The Status And Role Of Jesus Christ In The Amnazaretha Church, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, Edley Joseph Moodley

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dictionary Of Contemporary Religion In The Western World: Exploring Living Faiths In Postmodern Contexts (Review), James F. Lewis

Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Works

When Samuel Clemens heard that a journalist had reported his passing, he quipped: “Rumors of my death, have been greatly exaggerated.” In a similar vein, the Dictionary serves to lay to rest the antiquated but oft-believed claim of secular elites concerning the imminent demise of religion. In 100 articles, written by 61 gifted contributors (18 of whom are from North America) the reader is informed of the staggering breadth, growing profusion and zealous tenacity of religion in modern human culture and its ability to ever morph into new and creative expressions. The authors are committed to the Christian tradition but …

Developing A Contextual Theology In Melanesia With Reference To Death, Witchcraft, And The Spirit World, Neville R. Bartle

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Taming Technology: Harnessing The Power Of Computers In The Ministry Of The Church, C. Milton Lowe

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.