Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Beacon Of Hope In A Troubled Context: Sketches Of The Life Of Mons. Paride Taban, Shepherd And Bridge-Builder, Alberto Eisman Torres

The Journal of Social Encounters

Monsignor Paride Taban, Bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Torit in Southern Sudan, is a multifaceted figure. Apart from his role as pastor and religious leader, he is an outstanding peace builder and the co-founder of the New Sudan Council of Churches, one of the most significant civil society institutions during the second civil war (1983 – 2005). This institution spearheaded numerous ecumenical initiatives including development work, humanitarian relief, training of grass-roots leaders and last but not least peace mediation. He is a relentless fighter for peaceful coexistence and tolerance in an environment marked by violence, oppression and impunity and …

Review Essay: Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen: A Still And Quiet Conscience, William L. Portier

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma: Advocate Of Peace And Development, Loreta Navarro-Castro

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay describes the advocacy of Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, currently the co-president of Pax Christi Philippines and archbishop emeritus of the archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, Philippines, towards peace and development not only in Mindanao but also throughout the country. He is a strong proponent of interreligious dialogue and the importance of addressing the roots of the armed conflict so there can be an enduring peace in the Philippines and beyond.

Oscar Romero And Juan Gerardi: Truth, Memory, And Hope, Scott Wright

The Journal of Social Encounters

Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and Guatemalan Bishop Juan Gerardi were prominent defenders of human rights during the civil wars that characterized their two countries during the 1980s and 1990s. By their public proclamations and prophetic witness, they laid the foundation for the United Nations Truth Commission in El Salvador, the United Nations Commission for Historical Clarification in Guatemala, and the Recovery of the Historic Memory (REMHI) project in Guatemala. Inspired by the need to dignify the victims of state-sponsored violence by refusing to forget, and accompanying the survivors in their struggle for justice, Romero and Gerardi were instrumental in uncovering …

An Angry Shepherd: Sudanese Bishop Macram Max Gassis, John Ashworth

The Journal of Social Encounters

Bishop Macram Max Gassis is a near-legendary figure in Sudan since he first spoke out against human rights abuses in his country before a committee of the US Congress in 1988. Targeted by the Islamist military dictatorship which ruled Sudan for thirty years, for protesting enslavement, religious oppression, forced starvation and mass murder in Sudan, he lives in exile, bringing help and hope to his persecuted people.

This essay is condensed from the 2021 book by the same author with the same title.

Archbishop Denis Hurley: ‘Ecclesiastical Che Guevara’ Or ‘Guardian Of The Light’?, Anthony Egan

The Journal of Social Encounters

Archbishop Denis Hurley, OMI (1915-2004) was a major figure in mobilising the Catholic Church’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Rooted in Catholic Social Thought and an active participant and implementer of Vatican II, he led by example, moving the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) into one of the foremost religious defenders of human rights. His theological skills and personal courage translated in ecumenical and interfaith activities that served justice and peace. He supported conscientious objectors and faced prosecution for exposing state atrocities in Namibia.

The Church And Ethnopolitical Conflict In Kenya: 1982-2013, David Tarus

The Journal of Social Encounters

The chapter examines the role of the church in addressing the problem of ethnopolitical conflict in Kenya from 1982 to 2013. Though ethnocentrism within the Kenyan Christian community goes beyond the years cited to the colonial period and the immediate years following independence, the intensity of the problem after 1982 calls for special attention. The single event that marks political change in Kenya is the 1982 attempted coup. Although this was not successful, the coup heightened opposition against Moi’s rule and thus, 1982 marks the beginning of the recent history of Kenya, a history in which three phases may be …

Martin Luther King, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, And The Quest For Justice And Reconciliation, Hak Joon Lee

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper studies Marin Luther King, Jr.’s and Desmond Tutu’s strivings for justice and reconciliation as the leaders of movements against white racist systems in the US and South Africa. Despite their differences in terms of nationality, age, religious denomination, and geography, the paper demonstrates how King’s and Tutu’s quests were grounded in the distinctive communal ethics informed by their Christian faith and their shared spiritual heritage as African peoples, which emphasize community, the ubiquity of religion, the moral order of the universe, and hopefulness. Contrasting their communal approach to a secular rational ethical approach to justice and peace, the …

Closing Keynote At The Catholic Peacebuilding In Times Of Crisis: Hope For A Wounded World Conference, H.E. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Opening Plenary Address At The Catholic Peacebuilding In Times Of Crisis: Hope For A Wounded World Conference, H. E. Cardinal Charles Bo

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Introduction - Volume 6, Issue 2, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

A Linguistical Analysis Of The Greek Perfect Tense: A Defense Of “Causative Aspect.”, Malcolm Goh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Modern Greek studies have undergone intense debate over the past several decades regarding whether to and how grammarians and linguists should apply verbal aspect theory to Greek verbs. A significant portion of this debate has centered on the Greek perfect verb. Buist M. Fanning, Constantine R. Campbell, and Stanley E. Porter are three prominent voices in this ongoing debate. While traditional grammars have done well in describing the actions of the Greek perfect tense form, a consensus has proved challenging in describing the perfect tense form within an aspectual framework. Aspectual theorists agree that the perfect tense form concerns itself …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 64, No. 3

Restoration Quarterly

No abstract provided.

An Independent Identity, Brion Patrick Hardink

Theses - ALL

Much of my time in graduate school was spent pondering the very basic question, "what is art?" My experience was that certain distinctions separate the Illustration and Fine Art disciplines. This is something I have wrestled with. One common component between the disciplines, however, is the aspiration to communicate ideas and feelings. It is not so much the medium or mode of expression that is important as is the content. To this end, mortality is the one universally relatable truth all human beings share. The opposing ways in which different cultures have understood, accepted, and expressed this is something which …

Sympathy For The Devil: Belief In Satan And Moral Beliefs, Scott A. Desmond, Tom Clark, Christoper D. Bader

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Previous research suggests that religious service attendance, biblical literalism, images of God, and other measures of religion are related to moral beliefs (i.e., that certain behaviors are wrong or deviant). Given previous theory and research on spiritual appraisals (particularly demonization and desecration), we argue that belief in Satan should also predict moral beliefs. Using the first four waves of the Baylor Religion Survey, we tested the association between belief in Satan and belief in the wrongfulness of twelve different behaviors related to abortion, family matters, sexuality, and substance use. Although religious service attendance and biblical literalism were consistently related to …

Three Reasons To Praise The Creator From Psalm 8: A Biblical Theology With Attention To Intertextuality, Donald Mcintyre

Liberty Theological Review

Psalm 8 serves as the first creation hymn of the Psalter, and as such is worthy of an exegetical and theological analysis. This analysis will begin with an exegesis of the text, since exegesis rightfully precedes theologizing.[1] The exegesis will include a translation, examination of the historical and literary contexts, the genre classification, structure, and discussion of the literary features with special attention given to parallelism and conclude with a brief exposition. After the requisite exegetical analysis has been completed, a theological synthesis will be commenced progressing from the psalms location in its microstructural setting to its use in …

The Volition Of Faith And Appreciation Of Pragmatism And Existential Contributions, Sterling Courtney

The Hilltop Review

Propositions of belief depend on some degree of factual basis. Philosophical arguments vary as to whether certainty is necessary to form beliefs which can lead to compelling faith. Furthermore, if faith is a criteria for salvation, the volition of faith would be fundamental in ones’ culpability for having faith. Idealism represents the antithetical position of pragmatism and involves factual accounts in which to base beliefs, however, this paper intends to provide various considerations for pragmatic and existential philosophies by examining concerns of William James, Blaise Pascal, Soren Kierkegaard, and others. I.e., “Pascal’s Wager” is a philosophical idea used to demonstrate …

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Kenneth Parker, Mathew N. Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

Mathew N. Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Catholicism, interviews Kenneth Parker, Ryan Endowed Chair for Newman Studies, Professor of Catholic Studies and Historical Theology, and the inaugural Chair of the Department of Catholic Studies at Duquesne University.

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: Paul D. Murray, Mathew N. Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

Mathew N. Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Catholicism, interviews Paul D. Murray, Director of the Centre for Catholic Studies and Professor of Systematic Theology at Durham University, about his own intellectual journey and building a global Catholic studies program at Durham.

Interviews In Global Catholic Studies: William T. Cavanaugh, Mathew N. Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

Mathew N. Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Catholicism, interviews William T. Cavanaugh, Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology at DePaul University.

Cura Personalis: The Incarnational Heart Of Jesuit Education, Catherine Peters

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Cura personalis is one of the distinctive characteristics of Jesuit education, but the precise meaning of this phrase can sometimes be difficult to discern. Often translated as “care or education of the whole person,” the expansiveness of its formulations can lead to an overlooking of what should be central: the care of a person in their full personhood and a reminder of the person’s ultimate end. To understand cura personalis in a way that retains its distinctive character, I propose a return to Ignatius of Loyola himself, focusing especially on the importance of the Incarnation. I maintain that the …

The Development And Validation Of The Practicing Faith Survey, Albert Cheng, Beth Green, David I. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

We introduce a new instrument, called the Practicing Faith Survey (PFS), to assess faith formation among students in K-12 Christian schools. We begin by describing the conceptual and theological background of the PFS, underscoring the ways it differs from existing instruments of faith formation because of its particular focus on Christian practice within the context of learning and the vocation of the student. We then describe the procedures behind developing the PFS and its five domains: Intellectual, Relational, Introspective, Beneficent, and Formational Practices. We then provide evidence of validity and reliability based on a pilot study that involved 1,200 US …

Hope And Wonder In The Wasteland: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction As Tolkienian Fairy Story, Alfredo J. Mac Laughlin

Journal of Tolkien Research

J. R. R. Tolkien’s four functions of fantasy stories, as developed in his Andrew Lang lecture “On Fairy Stories” (1939), have become a key conceptual tool for discussing human beings’ attraction to fantasy stories, particularly when attempting to push the analysis beyond the literary into the aesthetic, and beyond the aesthetic into the existential. Applying this interpretive key to an analysis of the expanding genre of post-apocalyptic fiction reveals that post-apocalyptic stories, despite superficial differences, are surprisingly close to fairy stories in their aesthetic core and orientation, and that post-apocalyptic stories are well-suited to fulfill—albeit with their own distinctive aesthetic …

Spirituality, Well-Being, And The Role Of Oneness, Kelly S. Erickson Albonico

Psychology ETDs

Spirituality is generally found to have a significant but small positive association with well-being; however, the associations between spirituality and well-being vary greatly. One organizing framework for understanding the varying associations may be the degree to which spirituality and well-being measures capture connection, the pinnacle of which may be conceptualized as Oneness. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to begin exploring this hypothesis by examining the associations between beliefs in Oneness and dimensions of subjective well-being and to test possible conflating and contributing factors in the associations between beliefs in Oneness and subjective well-being. Results indicated preliminary support for …

Guided By The Spirit: A Comparative Study Of The Ministry Of Reverend Seen-Ok Ahn With Paul’S Mission In Light Of Acts 16:6-15, Hongyeol Kim

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

Acts 16:6-15 records Paul’s second missional journey begins with the divine guidance. By obeying the Spirit, Paul went to Macedonia where he never planned to go to preach the Gospel. Back then, a man was led by the Spirit in an unanticipated way. About two thousand years later, a similar event happened to a woman, Rev. Seen-Ok Ahn. By the guidance of the Spirit, Ahn went in a direction she had not previously planned, and expanded the Kingdom of God in South Korea. Thus, how can contemporary Christians understand the divine guidance of Spirit based on these two experiences?

The …

Sin And Grace, Bruce D. Baker

SPU Works

The theological lens of sin and grace gives a broader and deeper viewpoint than mere ethics. Ethical analysis is of course useful and necessary, but ethics alone is not enough. Ethics apart from a robust, holistic understanding of humans as persons-in-communion will remain mired in reductionist thinking about human dignity and morality. Therefore, this final chapter addresses the ethical issues of AI through the lens of sin and grace.

Automation And Apocalypse: Imagining The Future Of Work, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

This chapter provides an orientation to the history of technology, work, and the theology of work and then explores three visions of the future of work—a literary dystopia, a philosophical utopia, and a theological apocalypse—as resources for understanding the significance of work and imagining its future. In the first vision, found in Kurt Vonnegut’s speculative novel Player Piano, automation leads to the end of meaningful work and nearly renders humans obsolete. This dystopic vision reveals the value of human work but remains skeptical about our ability to preserve it against the advances of automation. The second vision comes from …

Introduction, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

Artificial intelligence is rapidly and radically changing our lives and world. This book is a multidisciplinary engagement with the present and future impacts of AI from the standpoint of Christian faith. It provides technological, philosophical, and theological foundations for thinking about AI, as well as a series of reflections on the impact of AI on relationships, behavior, education, work, and moral action. The book serves as an accessible introduction to AI as well as a guide to wise consideration, design, and use of AI by examining foundational understandings and beliefs from a Christian perspective.

Tools For Salvation, Sahmyja Jones

XULAneXUS

Poverty and oppression are elements of society that have persisted through different vehicles of power and dominance. In the contemporary situation, we suffer from forms of hierarchy that are not wholly new, as we exist in a global society that utilizes classical theological frameworks that perpetuate the subjugation of certain groups of people. Theologians have crafted theories and concepts to address these conditions, however, these concepts seem incomplete or contradictory in completing the task on their own. By combining some of these frameworks with concepts from critical theorists, we can generate stronger and more holistic models that address the conditions …

A Strategy To Transition A Traditional African American Church To A Multicultural Church Where All People Are Welcome To Worship, Darold A. Ingram Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose for this action research thesis is to develop a strategy to transition the MHBC from a traditional African American church to a multicultural church. Looking at the temperature of our country, civil unrest has reached an all-time high. Our society has been separated by every aspect of life and this is not how God intended for us to live out our lives. While the battle amongst cultures thrives, the only thing that can change this climate is Christ, by way of His church. In the following pages you will be exposed to a strategic plan that will help …