Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Book Review: A Short History Of The Georgian Church [SakʻArtʻVelos Eklesiis Mokle Istoria], Paul Crego

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Metropolitan Archbishop Anania Japaridze (1949-present) is a member of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in Georgia and has served as a bishop in that church since 1991. He has published several books, mainly on the history of the Orthodox Church in Georgia, but also books on how Georgians have been converted to other Christian denominations or religions, and, thereby “converted” to other ethnicities. The thesis of one such book is that Georgian converts to Islam in the northwest part of historical Georgian territories lost their Georgian language and national identity and became Abkhazians. (Apʻxazetʻi: kʻartʻveltʻa "gaapʻxazeba" = Abkhazia: …

Frontmatter (Volume 39, Issue 6), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Leadership And Commitment In Pentecostal Churches, Jason T. Whitehead

Doctor of Ministry

A goal of pastors is to grow their ministries with individuals who are committed to God. Church growth is a phenomenon by itself but central to the study of church growth and retention is church leadership. The pastor seeks to shepherd individuals and develop them into faithful Christians in the service of God. Church growth speaks to transforming an audience into a body of believers. A metric of church growth is the number of faithful congregants that attend service regularly. In order to understand the local church an understanding of leadership styles is important due to the multiplicity of leadership …

The Church's Lament: Moving The White Church From Grief Of Complicity To Lament, Kristin Hamilton

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation begins with the presupposition that leaders and members of the white, evangelical church are aware that there is an ongoing racial struggle in the United States, and in the church. Beginning with the theory that the church is in denial regarding historical complicity toward racism and white supremacy, this paper uses Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s Grief Stage model to explore how the white church has become stuck in the early stages of grief (denial and anger). This exploration reviews historic and current examples in which white Christians have been complicit with systematic oppression against Black people and non-Black persons of …

The Effects Of Language Brokering Among The Korean Population, James J. Kim

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Children of immigrant families frequently are immersed in a process called language brokering (LB) in which they interpret and translate between various linguistic and cultural parties for their families. Previous studies that investigated correlations among LB, mental health and behavioral outcomes revealed both positive and negative effects of well-being and development. The current study expanded this research by examining the relationship of LB, acculturation, hope, and resilience among 53 Korean adults. This study revealed a significant negative relationship between the frequency of LB and levels of hope. Additionally, the results did not demonstrate any significant relationships between the frequency of …

Eldercare In China: Lessons From The Trenches - One Organization's Experience Planning, Training, And Consulting To Open A Continuing Care Retirement Community In Beijing, Mark A. Steele

Doctor of Ministry

The need for not for profit organizations to develop new paradigms to care for the elderly is increasingly important, given the challenges of a rapidly aging population across the globe; and particularly in China. Concerns related to this growing age wave are compounded by political and social shifts within society. Over the past few decades, China has experienced immense demographic shifts and changes in terms of long-term care needs for older adults. For example, a recent report by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics published that there was an estimated 185 million people over the age of 60 (Shobert, Senior …

Contributors -- Quaker Religious Thought No. 133

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Affirmation Mysticism: The Activist Theology Of Rufus Jones, Christy Randazzo

Quaker Religious Thought

In 1917, the American Friends Service Committee was formed as a unified effort across the Anglo-American Friends world to respond to the ravages of the First World War. Rufus Jones was only one, amongst many, who devoted significant time and attention to that effort. Jones was the person selected as the Committee’s first Chairman, however, and remained its Honorary Chairman until his death in 1948.1 Jones’s prominent status amongst Friends internationally both as a writer and a weighty Friend influenced this choice. While his academic work likely played a role in building his “weight” amongst Friends, much of it was …

Henry Cadbury, The Peace Testimony, And The First World War, James Krippner, David Harrington Watt

Quaker Religious Thought

How did twentieth-century Friends understand the nature of the so-called Peace Testimony? That is, of course, a very large question. In this brief essay we hope to shed what is admittedly a very thin sliver of light on it by exploring the life and thought of Henry Cadbury (1884-1973). The essay is divided into four sections. The first presents a brief overview of Cadbury’s life. The second looks at Cadbury’s general approach to peace. The third explores how it was that Cadbury’s strenuous opposition to the First World War led to his being forced to resign from the faculty of …

A Missiology Of With: The Catalyst For Missionary Effectiveness In The 21st Century, Jennifer Williamson

Doctor of Ministry

The world is a very a different place than it was a century ago, and while the modern missionary movement has slightly evolved through time, many of the accepted standards and approaches are predicated on realities that no longer exist. Global connectivity, the ease of travel, and shift of the global center of Christianity mean that practices which may have been effective even fifty years ago are becoming outdated and fruitless. Nevertheless, mission agencies continue to employ these archaic practices, burning-out missionaries, alienating nationals, and wasting Kingdom resources.

This dissertation proposes cross-cultural collaboration as the needed paradigm for missionary effectiveness …

Book Review: R. Scot Miller. Gospel Of The Absurd: Assemblies Of Interpretation, Embodiment, And Faithfulness (Wipf & Stock, 2017), Cherice Bock

Quaker Religious Thought

Although Quakers have long been known as a peculiar people, would we go as far as to call ourselves absurd? R. Scot Miller in his Gospel of the Absurd: Assemblies of Interpretation, Embodiment, and Faithfulness invites Christians to try on this identity, arguing imperial Christendom coupled with modernist rationalism has often tamed the radical gospel message of Jesus. Miller does not write to a specifically Quaker audience, but he self-identifies as a Quaker and studied at Earlham School of Religion. Through this text, he presents a Christian ethic based in the Bible and that belies his Friends perspective: made up …

Contextual Intelligence: One Intelligence To Serve Them All, Michael Adam Beck

Doctor of Ministry

The purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of Contextual Intelligence (CI) and suggest a Contextual Intelligence Framework (CIF) for its cultivation in local churches. This will be accomplished by learning from both practitioners of pioneer ministry and inherited congregations, as well as researching the literature. While possessing CI has been shown to be a critical competency for leaders across multiple fields, it is yet to be explored theologically or assessed for practical application ecclesiologically. Amid symptoms of decline, a new breed of leaders first identified by the Church of England as “pioneers,” are planting “fresh expressions of …

Learning In The Midst Of Action: Phronesis In The Seminary, Kyle J. Chalko

Doctor of Ministry

The U.S. Assemblies of God Cooperative Fellowship (AG) remains one of the least educated, and least interested in education, denominations. A perceived disconnect between graduate-level learning and practical application deters many AG pastors away from continuing their education, leading to a nationwide trend of not being “welleducated.” AG pastors have a different set of values than mainstream evangelical denominations. Thus, the pastors seek their pastoral development from sources other than mainstream higher education. If universities can create more opportunities for practical training within typical course work, provide wisdom and character development, and facilitate mentoring relationships, then AG ministers would be …

Book Review: Craig G. Bartholomew, Contours Of The Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction, Bob Goudzwaard And Craig G. Bartholomew, Beyond The Modern Age: An Archaeology Of Contemporary Culture. Reviewed By Travis Pickell, Travis Ryan Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Craig G. Bartholomew, Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017). xiv + 363 pp. ISBN 978-0-8308- 5158-4

Bob Goudzwaard and Craig G. Bartholomew, Beyond the Modern Age: An Archaeology of Contemporary Culture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017). xii + 313 pp. ISBN 978-0-8308-5151- 5

Abraham Kuyper stands as a giant of politics, theology, and social philosophy in the Dutch Reformed context. Serving as a pastor, journalist, educator and university founder, political activist, theologian, author, and prime minister in his time, his legacy continues through the neo-Calvinist tradition (sometimes called ‘Kuyperianism’), …

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought No.133, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

In this issue we are fortunate to have another delightful lineup of authors. The papers authored by James Krippner and David H. Watt, Christy Randazzo, and Cherice Bock were presented at the November 2018 Quaker Theological Discussion Group session on the theme of “Early 20th Century Quaker Theologies of Service.”

Oregon Yearly Meeting And The Peace Testimony, Part I: Navigating Evangelicalism And Quakerism, 1938-1954, Cherice Bock

Quaker Religious Thought

After forming in 1893 and joining Five-Years Meeting at its inception in 1902, Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (OYM) left Five-Years Meeting in 1926 then joined with others to form the Association of Evangelical Friends in 1947. In the same decades, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) formed in 1917 with the intention of helping those displaced, hungry, and injured in Europe during World War I. OYM partnered with the AFSC for a while, though the relationship was often strained. In 1938 it left the AFSC, continuing to partner with AFSC projects during World War II. In 1954, OYM …

The Concept Of Hierarchy And Doing Ministry In The Church: Evaluating The Roles Of Leaders And The Use Of Authority In Quakerism, Oscar Lugusa Malande

Quaker Religious Thought

The authority existing within the hierarchy of leadership in the church, if not well exercised, can create deficiency and imbalances in the running of church affairs. In Quakerism, the expectation is that everyone equally participates in doing ministry. As people gather in the presence of God for service in worship, all barriers of inequality have to be brought down. Conflicts and disagreements of who is supposed to be in authority among church leaders should be discouraged. Therefore, there is need to share about definitions of hierarchy, ministry, and authority, the historical background of church leadership, role of church leaders, evaluations …

Book Review: Andrew R. Murphy, William Penn, A Life (New York: Oxford Universit Press, 2019), Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

William Penn (1644-1718) needs little introduction among Quakers. After his convincement in the mid-1660s Penn quickly rose through the Quaker ranks as a prolific author, capable debater, and a staunch advocate for religious freedom. Beginning in 1681, he became a colonizer and traveled widely to recruit emigrants to his colony. While Penn is often touted among Friends, and sometimes reviled for his slave-owning and colonialism, Andrew R. Murphy does a great service in producing a comprehensive biography of Penn that is free from both the ahistorical anxieties and accolades Quakers sometimes resort to when considering this controversial figure. Indeed, Murphy’s …

Book Review: Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn, Timothy Peat. Heaven On Earth: Quakers And The Second Coming. Twentieth Anniversary Edition. Philadelphia: Plain Press, 2018., Jay Miller

Quaker Religious Thought

The provocative arguments in this unique book about the centrality of the second coming to Quakerism are challenging to summarize but easy to recommend: this is a work that many Friends could benefit from reading. That it has not been widely read is, I suspect, one of the reasons for its reprinting, two decades after its initial publication. While the insights offered by Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn, and Timothy Peat in Heaven on Earth have appeared elsewhere in separate and better known studies by the same authors, here they come together with a particular force and urgency. The book …

Religion And Volunteering In Marital Relationships, Young-Il Kim, Jeffrey Dew

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

Married people are generally more religious and do volunteer work more frequently than unmarried people. However, little is known about which religious characteristics or domains predict volunteering behaviors among married couples. Using data from a U.S. national sample of heterosexual married couples, we examine which aspects of couples’ religiosity predicted husbands’ and wives’ reports of volunteering. Results from actor-partner interdependence models indicated that performing religious observances in the home was associated with wives’ reports of volunteering. Attending religious services regularly with one’s spouse was associated with higher levels of volunteering for both wives and husbands. Other domains of religiosity, such …

Field Theory Toward A Post Critical Theory Of Metaphor, Lori Wagner

Doctor of Ministry

Metaphor studies have become vogue in postcritical culture among the scientific and socio-scientific communities, in advertising and in the political arena. In fact, advertisers and marketers for years have known the power of a resonant metaphor to change minds and hearts. Once relegated to the realms of literature and linguistics, metaphor studies today represent the cutting edge of research in nearly every discipline. However, the church and the Biblical Studies academy have essentially ignored this trend, still engaging predominantly in close critical analyses of texts and refusing for the most part to engage in popular culture.

This dissertation agrees with …

The U.S. Workplace Is An Essential Environment For Christians To Evangelize Their Coworkers Who Do Not Know Jesus, Douglas Hurley

Doctor of Ministry

The workplace is an essential environment to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Due to the impact of postmodernism, fewer and fewer people are going to church; yet the Church (the Body of Christ) can take the message of Christ to the workplace. The workplace is where most people spend most of their time; therefore, it stands to reason that the Christian could have ample influence with their unchurched or dechurched coworkers. An unbeliever could take steps toward Christ because of the relational evangelism conducted by believing coworkers.

Educating church staff and laity on evangelizing wherever they …

Program Evaluation Of Integration Training, Megan Anna Neff

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This paper provides a brief historical overview of the integration of psychology and Christianity while highlighting some of the growing tensions within the movement. Integration of psychology and Christianity has been heavily influenced by training that occurs at APAaccredited programs which explicitly integrate psychology and Christianity as part of their training, making integrative training a salient component to evaluate when considering the future development of the integration movement. An overview of the current research on the effectiveness of learning integration among undergraduate and graduate populations is offered followed by exploratory questions addressing how these inputs may relate to students’ experiences …

Role Of Religion In The Western Balkans’ Societies - Full Text

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This is the entire volume of proceedings from the first regional conference on the role of religion in the western Balkans, held in Tirana, June 11-12, 2019, under the auspices of the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (http://idmalbania.org/).

Reproduced with permission.

Frontmatter (Volume 39, Issue 5), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

"Fault Lines In American Identity" Review Essay, Harrison Dietzman

Faculty Publications - Department of English

Anna Sorokin, an émigré fashion student of modest means, became a very wealthy woman simply by pretending to be one. Her brief life of the rich and famous abruptly crashed down when she racked up too much debt, but not before she successfully executed a series of con-jobs that netted her hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and left friends and associates with bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. After her conviction on three counts of grand larceny and her sentencing to four to twelve years in prison, Ms. Sorokin expressed to The New York Times that …

A Culturally-Sensitive Exploration Of Adversity And Resilience Among Trinidadians, Christabel Léonce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, household challenges, and neglect were linked to later health risks in life and overall well-being (CDC, 2019). Adverse experiences occur worldwide in a variety of culturally-specific ways. Research involving youth in Trinidad and Tobago outlines emerging concerns with violence in homes, communities, and schools (Baker-Henningham et al., 2009). Currently, however, there is limited data on adverse experiences and their long-term impact in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidadians (n = 79), born and lived in Trinidad till 18 years was surveyed, ranging from ages …

The Lord's Prayer: A Study In Christian Theology, Kerry Irish

Faculty Publications - Department of History and Politics

Introduction: "It is a sad truth, though not surprising, that Christians with little understanding of their Christian faith often have great difficulty maintaining their faith. It is equally true that the last kind of sermon most Christians want to hear is one full of theology; that is, they do not to want to develop a deeper understanding of Christianity. This is a recipe for a crisis of belief that often leads to giving up one's faith, especially when a personal tragedy occurs such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of financial security, disappointment with …

The Intertwining Of Religion And Nation: The Russian Administration’S Approach To Religious Life And National Identity, Beth Admiraal

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "The relationship between religion and nation that is promoted by a state will have tremendous effects on religious minority groups. For religious minorities in Russia, the forms that are most utilized by the state are exclusion and strong internalism. The former leads the state to cherry-pick troublesome religious groups for exclusion, for failing to be ‘Russian’ enough, leading to serious impairment for religious groups that are singled out by the state as threats to the nation. With regards to the latter formulation, the Russian Orthodox Church is the basis for a strong internalist mechanism, determining who is in and …

Is The East-West Political Bipolarity The Foundation Of The Ecumenical Movement? The Cold War As A Meta-Narrative Of The World Council Of Churches, Katharina Kunter

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "...the following remarks provide an overview of the role of churches during the Cold War. Very often, the role of churches will be represented by developments and discussions within the WCC, which can be understood as a sort of role model, because it provided the "bell" for similar developments in the Western and Northern European countries. Three topics were prioritized. First was the dilemma of an ecumenism between the East and West in the early phase of the Cold War during the late 1940s and 1950s, which accompanied the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948. Second, …