Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Toward An Eco-Cosmopolitanism: Wendell Berry And Ecowomanism In Conversation, Wade Casey

Dissertations

Agriculture, Alice Walker, bell hooks, Ecology, Theology, Wendell Berry

A Feminist Political Theological Ethics Of Formation: Being And Becoming Christian In The Face Of American Christian Nationalism, Sara Wilhelm Garbers

Dissertations

Feminism, Formation, New Political Theology, Political Theology, Preaching, Theological Ethics

An Ethics Of Doctrinal Emergence: Reading Newman With Augustine And Contemporary Information Theory, Jeffrey John Campbell

Dissertations

Jeffrey J. CampbellLoyola University Chicago AN ETHICS OF DOCTRINAL EMERGENCE: READING NEWMAN WITH AUGUSTINE AND CONTEMPORARY INFORMATION THEORY The aim of this essay is to begin the process of a reconfiguration of the theological category of doctrinal development and to integrate an “emergent doctrinal ethics of belief” as an inextricable dimension of this category. Most scholarly writing on doctrinal development has taken place in the wake of the Enlightenment with its focus on epistemology, and doctrine is conceived of as “referencing” a quasi-metaphysical “res.” I attempt to “update” the guiding metaphors of doctrinal development with the goal of moving discussions …

White Enigma: Opacity, Perspective, And The Theological Formation Of White Subjectivity, Nathan David Pederson

Dissertations

I argue that examining the concept of “opacity” can hold together a growing tension in a contemporary phenomenology of whiteness: on the one hand, an insistence that whiteness is subjective and habitual; on the other, the insistence that whiteness is also an active, objective world horizon or ontologizing force that shapes the subject. In making this argument, I explain how the notion of opacity shapes a hermeneutical phenomenology of whiteness that can wrestle with how whiteness hides itself as benign through utilizing a symbolism of evil within theological discourse, even as it can come to function more concretely in the …

Soul As Paraphrase: The Formalism And Minority Of Prayer, Kimberly Matheson

Dissertations

Philosophical and theological treatments of Christian prayer regularly overlook its formal stakes. As a type of limit-speech, prayer can be thought alongside the class of logical dilemmas generated whenever an element of a total set refers to the very totality of which it is a part. These dilemmas are grouped together in what Graham Priest calls the “inclosure schema” and, moreover, exhibit a non-self-identical structure that is also the hallmark of robust metaphysical materialisms (i.e., the structure by which matter constitutively fails to coincide with itself). This dissertation sketches an immanent materialist account of Christian prayer by bringing these two …

Deep Deification: Soteriology For A World In Ecological Crisis, Kathleen Mcnutt

Dissertations

What might an adequate soteriology look like for a world in ecological crisis? This dissertation constructively addresses this problem at the intersection of contemporary ecofeminist theology and Patristic soteriologies of theosis or deification. I examine ecofeminist soteriologies, drawing on the work of Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sallie McFague, and Elizabeth Johnson in particular, and deification soteriologies, especially that of Maximus the Confessor, arguing that each of these trajectories offers both fruitful possibilities for a reconstruction of soteriology but that each also raises some problems. In bringing these two trajectories into conversation, I suggest directions for a constructive theology of salvation that …

Turn Not Thine Eyes: Holy Faces, Saving Gazes, And The Theology Of Attention, Jacob W. Torbeck

Dissertations

Jacob W. TorbeckLoyola University Chicago TURN NOT THINE EYES: HOLY FACES, SAVING GAZES, AND THE THEOLOGY OF ATTENTION Theoretical Theologies and Practical Theologies have historically been contrasted with one another as distinct but connected disciplines, a contrast with roots in the figures of Plato and Aristotle, or Mary and Martha. Over the centuries, with the increasing ability of theologians to specialize, theoretical theologians have accused practical theologians as ignoring spiritual realities, while practical theologians have accused theoretical theologians of ignoring material realities. This dissertation puts forward a theological exposition of the notion of contemplative attention that demonstrates the unity and …

William Of Auxerre And Thomas Aquinas On Simultaneous Faith And Knowledge, Jacob Joseph Andrews

Dissertations

In this dissertation I will consider how two 13th century theologians, William of Auxerre (1156-1231) and St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274), explored the question, "Whether the same thing can be known (demonstratively) and (believed by faith)" (utrum idem sit scitum et creditum). Both denied that this was possible, but they differed in the relative epistemic priority of faith and knowledge. Aquinas thought that demonstrative knowledge has epistemic priority over faith: for example, if someone knows a proof for God's existence, then they know that God exists, and it is impossible for them to have faith that God exists. Aquinas is a …

Finding The Child: Exploration Into Pedagogical Foundations In The Roman Catholic Church, Erica L. Saccucci

Dissertations

Children are important members of society. Their membership as participants in humanity has gotten lost at times throughout history. Children have a particular type of dependency in relationships with the adults around them. This means that adults need to understand children in a different light; from the perspective of the child. In Roman Catholic social ethics, children are always understood as under the authority of their parents. Rarely are children understood in a way that gives them dignity in their subjectivity. This work provides a historical review of the theological ethics of child in the Roman Catholic Church from both …

An Eco-Theology For Korean American Presbyterian Churches, Yale Park

Dissertations

Although Asian perspectives and philosophical heritage may carry ecological values, the Korean American Protestant Churches (KAPC) seem uncaring the current global climate crisis. Nor have their theological views on nature been developed adequately. I hypothesize that one of the reasons for the disinterest is KAPC’s anthropocentric views on humans. The Korean American immigrant churches, taught by traditional and conservative theology, recognize humans as disconnected from the rest of creation. Humans are treated and emphasized almost as the telos of God’s whole creation. The worthlessness of humans before God is affirmed, but ironically humans are always seen higher than any other …

Slavery, The Enslaved, And The Gospel Of Matthew: A Narrative, Social-Scientific Study, Jonathan Hatter

Dissertations

This project combines social-science methodology with a narrative critical reading strategy in order to explore the use of slave language in the Gospel of Matthew. I argue that the core of Matthew's slave metaphors is not the rendering of service (to God or to others) or “slave” as an honorific title but rather "slavery" serves primarily as a metaphor for obedience and radical humility. Adopting sociologist Orlando Patterson's definition for slavery as a base model, I show that Matthew's portrayal of enslaved characters tends to conform to the prevailing views of the larger Hellenized Roman world (that is, slavery is …

The Genre Of A Meal: The Prototypical Instantiation Of The Lord's Supper In 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34, Paul Olatubosun Adaja

Dissertations

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 contains the earliest reference to the celebration of the official meal of the early Christians, commonly known today as the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist. In this passage, Paul addresses what he considered to amount to abuses of this Christian practice (1 Cor 11: 17-22). The idea that the Lord's Supper as it was celebrated in the city of Corinth is a variant of the Greco-Roman meal tradition is a well-established position among scholars today. It is also a position I agree with, but only partially. The contribution of this dissertation to scholarship in this field will …

God And Rescuer, Clinton Neptune

Dissertations

I argue that the best concept of God, for the purposes of inquiring into God's existence and nature, is one derived from considering the human predicament and how to satisfy the existential yearning of human inquirers. Other popular methods of conceiving of God, such as some perfect being theologies and scriptural theologies, miss this vital motivational component in their God-concept construction. The concept of God on offer in this project, God as Rescuer, characterizes a being who is willing and able to rescue humanity from the predicament of the possibility of personal death, moral failure, and apparent gratuitous evil. It …

Sabbath And Ecological Crisis: Inoperativity In Political Theology, Andrew John Blosser

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the significance of ritual inoperativity for political theology. Drawing from representative interpreters of biblical/traditional sources, contemporary philosophical reflection, and practical analysis of rituals, this study argues that rituals such as Sabbath, vigil, shmita, and fiesta paint a unique image of human identity and authority in the world. This image is starkly opposed to the common political-theological framework in which God is defined through action, and human beings are similarly defined as action-producing beings. in contrast, ritual inoperativity depicts God's identity and authority as one who gives rest or €œlets be.€ for this reason, human identity and authority …

Economy Of Condescension: John Henry Newman's Trinitarian Theology, Matthew Kemp

Dissertations

John Henry Newman (1801-90) did not write any systematic treatise on the doctrine of the Trinity, yet it consistently pervades his theological writings. Not only does he frequently treat the doctrine directly, but it also influences how he writes about other areas of theology, so that there is arguably a Trinitarian €œframe€ around all of Newman's thought. Yet there has been surprisingly little scholarship on Newman's theology of the Trinity. This is problematic because it leaves unexplored a major component of his thinking, one that seems essential to a fuller understanding of his theology. in this dissertation I provide a …

Theology And The City In Africa: The Significance Of Contemporary African Urban Experience For Theological Reflection, Dominic Fungai Tomuseni

Dissertations

In African theology, experience is the leading source for theological reflection, ahead of scripture and Tradition. Since the last quarter of the 19th Century, colonialism has shaped African experience such that today, it is a major factor in theological reflections and other intellectual enterprises from the continent. Much African theology understands contemporary African experience as one of disruption of a "true" or pre-colonial African experience by European colonial forces. Hence, Contemporary African Theology has been about recognition and recovery of pre-colonial African experience or rehabilitation of Africa from effects of colonialism. However, such a view of colonial experience excludes and …

The Spirit Of A Weak God: Reimagining Divine Providence After The Critique Of Ontotheology, Wendy Theresa Crosby

Dissertations

The question of this dissertation is whether and how divine providence can function within the framework of a weak God theology. While theories of divine providence traditionally depend on a powerful God capable of bringing all to a good end, I argue that providence remains essential to Christian hope and participation even if God is rethought as weak. This dissertation develops a concept of providence within weak God theology through an understanding of the Holy Spirit which is non-totalizing and dependent on creation's response. Therefore, providence empowers human action rather than ensuring victory despite our actions.

The dissertation begins by …

Noble Freedom: The Importance Of Freedom In The Theology Of Beatrice Of Nazareth And Hadewijch, Seth Alexander

Dissertations

The mulieres religiosae were a diverse group of women in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century who lived a variety of lifestyles. Two such mulieres are Hadewijch, a beguine, and Beatrijs of Nazareth, a Cistercian nun both outstanding thirteenth-century writers who exemplify the mystical theology characteristic of this dynamic group of women. The task of this study is to explore the writings of these two medieval authors to examine how they interpreted their experiences of union with God. To do this, I will investigate the ways in which these two particular women of the thirteenth- century Low Countries construct …

Earthly Destruction: Catholic Social Teaching, War, And The Environment, Daniel Cosacchi

Dissertations

For more than 1700 years in Christian theology, there has been a chasm between just war thinking and pacifism. Advocates of these two ideological positions have attempted to bridge this divide in a number of ways through the centuries. Some, such as Glen Stassen, have brought together thinkers on both sides of the divide to propose a just peacemaking theory. Others, such as Michael Schuck, Mark Allman, and Tobias Winright, have added new stages to just war thinking in order to make that existing tradition more robust. Some groups may identify as contingent pacifists. These would generally accept the criteria …

What Is Mortal Shall Be Swallowed Up By Life (2 Cor 5:4): A Critical And Constructive Engagement With John Hick's Theology Of Death In Death And Eternal Life (1976), Hongmei Zhao

Dissertations

The springboard for my investigation is John Hick’s theology of death or “par-eschatology” in Death and Eternal Life (1976), a postmortem soteriology rooted in Irenaeus’ teleological framework of person-making. I organize my project around the two constitutive aspects of human existence: time and space, or temporality and embodiment.

Regarding postmortem temporality, I present: 1) new scholarships in the New Testament, early Christianity, and Reformation studies, and 2) recent developments in ecumenical dialogues and the Justification-Sanctification Debate. Through this, I demonstrate a widely emerging emphasis–the centrality of sanctification in the Christian understanding of salvation. I argue that this crystalizing consensus lends …

Theology And Ideology Critique, Silas M. Morgan

Dissertations

In modern philosophy, the concept of ideology has been a problem for the relationship of theology to politics. Especially in its Marxist usage, “ideology” refers to a specific effect that theology has in modern society so as to conceal or hide the material facticity that shapes human life and practical activity. This is one of the many reasons why theology, even in its political form, has not taken up “ideology” as a matter inherent to its critical form. The absence of theoretical attention to ideology in theology itself has led to the deficit of immanent critique, especially in political theology. …

Uncertainty Before And After Faith: The Dynamics Of Belief In Theology And Literature, Brent Little

Dissertations

Although there has been much interdisciplinary scholarship surrounding the influence of various novelists' Catholic beliefs upon their work, there has been relatively little discussion about the nature of faith that emerges in their novels. For instance, is faith portrayed primarily as assent to conceptual statements of belief?

This dissertation will argue that faith, as portrayed by various Catholic novelists, is fundamentally a person's imaginative orientation to trust and hope in the presence of God's grace in creation and human life. I will approach this issue through the category of uncertainty, specifically uncertainty's relationship to faith, as this relationship emerges in …

Beyond Dialogue: Avenues Toward Christian Unity, Jeffrey Kirch

Dissertations

This project seeks to investigate the status of ecumenism following the Second Vatican Council. There is general agreement that work towards the unity of the Christian Church has come to a standstill. The ecclesiologies of Walter Kasper, Joseph Ratzinger, and Richard McBrien contribute to reinvigorating the ecumenical movement. Specifically, the place of ecumenical dialogue and an "ecumenism of life" show signs of promise. By taking contributions from each of the theologians an effective strategy for moving forward can be developed.

Equilibrium In Biblical Exegesis: Why Evangelicals Need The Catholic Church, Robert Andrews

Dissertations

In this dissertation I argue that American evangelicals need the Catholic Church in order to interpret Scripture well. Often, ecclesiology plays a minor role in evangelical hermeneutics. However, the greater need is for evangelicals to engage the Catholic Church specifically in the work of biblical exegesis. I call for a theological reassessment, from an evangelical perspective, of the necessity of ecclesiology, including sacred regard for the Catholic Church, for the work of biblical interpretation.

This dissertation produces a historical trajectory which demonstrates where evangelicals have departed from the long-standing axiomatic relationship between Church and Scripture, and especially highlights their enduring …

Social Justice And Ecological Responsibility: A Moral Case For International Collaborative Action On Environmental Degradation And Climate-Induced Displacement, James Stephen Mastaler

Dissertations

The contemporary ecological crisis, manifest in human-induced climate change, is a powerful form of structural violence against the poorest communities on the planet. As such, my research resides at the nexus of structural poverty, gender disparity, ecological degradation, and climate-induced displacement. The social justice implications emerging from this nexus require responsible moral deliberation and discernment over the international community's role in minimizing the human tragedies accompanying forced displacement and migration. While asserting the interconnectedness and dependency of all life upon mutual flourishing, responsible decision-making expands the range of felt moral concern to include ecological flourishing. Social justice is only possible …

Re-Thinking Anthropomorphism Through A Genetic Philosophy Of Time, Carolyn Jo Love

Dissertations

In the classical Christian theological understanding, God and time are tightly interwoven (e.g. time and eternity, the Incarnation, and liturgy) and inform how we comprehend the presence and absence of the Incomprehensible in our day-to-day lives. Yet the classical Christian understanding does not take into account scientific discoveries pertaining to time and how this influences our experience of time. It is within the fabric of God and time that this dissertation will argue that the concept of time contained within contemporary genetics provides a significant and innovative way of considering the Classical Christian theological notion of the presence and absence …

Down To Earth Ethics: Exploring Relation And Environmental Responsibility, Matthew Gowans

Dissertations

This dissertation is aimed at exploring the question of direct engagement with the natural world as a way of establishing certain moral and ontological truths, particularly those connected to our current environmental struggles. Contrary to the wave of much of modern Western thinking, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Buber and Aldo Leopold demonstrate an ethics that is relational in nature, action oriented, and bound up in inexpressible wonder. Consequently, these thinkers are also critical of a world which bases the whole of reality solely on the logic of rational investigation and the material facts of science. The heart of ethical responsibility in …

Towards A Roman Catholic Soteriology For The Sinned-Against Creature: An Intercultural Dialogue Between The Soteriology Of Edward Schillebeeckx And Korean-American Theologies Of 'Han', Kevin Patrick Considine

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to point towards a Roman Catholic soteriology for the sinned-against creature that uses 'han' as a fundamental theological source. This dissertation is concerned with two main areas--Roman Catholic soteriology and intercultural theological dialogue--due to their growing importance in the 21st century in which globalization continues to be the driving force that organizes the economic, social, cultural, and political structures of the world, for the benefit of some and the dehumanization of many others.

I argue that Korean-American theologies and anthropologies of 'han' provide one important resource for supplementing and developing the relatively inadequate Roman …

Hans Urs Von Balthasar And Kenosis: The Pathway To Human Agency, Timothy J. Yoder

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the kenotic motif in the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, particularly in light of his concern to protect human agency. This dissertation argues that Balthasar views kenotic spiritual practice as the pathway to achieve true human agency. This kenotic pathway to agency is placed in contrast to Balthasar's concept of original sin as an attempt by humanity to achieve agency on their own terms. The narrative of original sin results in two possible outcomes for Balthasar: a spiritual pathway toward the absorption of the self, which results in the annihilation of …

Hidden Treasure: The Epistemology Of Love According To Hans Urs On Balthasar, Timothy John Squier

Dissertations

Many contemporary thinkers have wrestled with the notion that Balthasar is unwilling to consider modern theology's starting point of the consciousness of the knower. Otherwise stated, some scholars argue that Balthasar's point of departure is the will (love) to the neglect of human consciousness (intellect). The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that a constructive analysis of Balthasar's doctrine of revelation brings to light an intricate epistemology that is critical to postmodern epistemological scholarship. By way of Neo-Scholasticism much conversation has taken place pertaining to the relationship between faith and reason within the human knower. Whereas the Neo-Scholastic tradition …