Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Archbishopric Of Ohrid In The Mnemohistory Of The Church: A Bulgarian Historiographical Perspective, Ivan Yovchev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

After the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine rule in 1018, the Bulgarian Patriarchate was downgraded in rank by the decrees (sigils) of Emperor Basil II from 1019–1025. It was declared a Bulgarian autocephalous archdiocese with its seat in Ohrid, the last Bulgarian capital and the former seat Bulgarian patriarch. The diocese, its Bulgarian nationality, and the rights of its First Hierarch were defined by three sigils of Emperor Basil II, which outlined the rights of the Ohrid Archbishopric. In sources from the 11th-12th centuries, it is referred to as the Bulgarian Archbishopric. Its independence from the Patriarchate of Constantinople was …

Characteristics Of Growing Churches. Quantitative Analysis., Ago Lilleorg, Rein Murakas

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Abstract

This article presents a study of church growth using statistical analysis methods that identify the attitudes of members of a growing church with an analysis of them to understand the church growth process. The study of growing churches was conducted in nine protestant churches in Estonia with 350 participants. The article reveals four attitudinal characteristics that accurately describe growing churches: (a) the role of the church clergy in organizing the life and activities of the churches; (b) an open, encouraging, and positive atmosphere in the churches; (c) an active orientation towards serving the community; (d) a longing for God's …

The Forbidden Body: Sex, Horror, And The Religious Imagination, Tara Baldrick-Morrone

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Douglas E. Cowan, The Forbidden Body: Sex, Horror, and the Religious Imagination (New York: New York University Press, 2023).

Life Above The Clouds: Philosophy In The Films Of Terrence Malick, Pablo Alzola

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Steven DeLay, ed., Life Above the Clouds: Philosophy in the Films of Terrence Malick. (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2023).

Devotional Fanscapes: Bollywood Star Deities, Devotee-Fans, And Cultural Politics In India And Beyond, Ajiththa Suganthan

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Shalini Kakar, Devotional Fanscapes: Bollywood Star Deities, Devotee-Fans, and Cultural Politics in India and Beyond (Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2023).

Heretic, J. Barton Scott

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Heretic (2024), directed by Scott Beck and Brian Woods.

The Last Of The Sea Women, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Last of the Sea Women (2024), directed by Sue Kim.

My Father's Daughter, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of My Father's Daughter (2024), directed by Egil Pedersen.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024), directed by Laura Piani.

Hard Truths, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Hard Truths (2024), directed by Mike Leigh.

Conclave, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Conclave (2024), directed by Edward Berger.

The Room Next Door, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Room Next Door (2024), directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

Souleymane’S Story, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Souleymane’s Story (2024), directed by Boris Lojkine.

Fallen Leaves, Frederick Ruf

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Fallen Leaves (2023), directed by Aki Kaurismäki.

Civil War, Dennis Etzel Jr

Journal of Religion & Film

Alex Garland’s 2024 film Civil War exemplifies how film can be considered a modern mythology, using a war movie to tell the story of the hero’s journey with a mother archetype as the hero. Through an audience’s shared morals and values, an impartial point-of-view, symbolism, the Jungian mother archetype, transformational imagery, ethical dilemmas and collective fears, the film functions in the way mythology does while leaving viewers questions for their own lives.

Framing Immanence In Carl Theodor Dreyer’S Ordet And Carlos Reygadas’S Stellet Licht, Andre Fischer

Journal of Religion & Film

My article proposes the notion of the immanent frame to productively address film-theoretical and theological concepts at stake in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet (1955) and Carlos Reygadas’s Stellet Licht (2007). I believe my intervention to be significant for it shows how both films are not only related in their religious subject matter but negotiate it in formal terms through the notion of the immanent frame. Although both films have been analyzed alongside one another in the past, my article is the first to address the Mennonite migration history and notion of secularization (Taylor) to explain the function of the time-images …

Bodies Of Horror In Judges 19-21 And Evil Dead Ii (1987), Jennifer M. Matheny, Aaron Bohn

Journal of Religion & Film

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II (1987), a horror film, demonstrates key thematic parallels with Judges 19-21. Evil Dead IIidentifies with the film genres of “splatter horror” and “dark comedy” with a B-movie cult classic vibe. Placing the Bible’s body horror (Judges 19) and horror film in dialogue on their own terms creates an intertextual dialogue that can be fruitful when dealing with violent biblical texts that communicate an excess state of terror (Phyllis Trible). Through the lens of postbiblical intertextuality (Marianne Grohmann and Hyun Chul Paul Kim), this paper will explore thematic parallels and connections in conversation between Evil …

Enraptured By Rapture: Production Context, Biblical Interpretation, And Evangelical Eschatology In The Rapture, Left Behind, And This Is The End, Robert G. Joseph, Laura M. Tringali, Meghan R. Henning

Journal of Religion & Film

The Book of Revelation's place in the popular imaginary has been fueled by both its popularity within evangelical eschatology and its endless evocations within mainstream film and TV. Both evangelicalism and popular culture frequently equate the events of John’s Apocalypse with the rapture, a selective reading of New Testament verses which envisions God’s faithful being called to heaven in advance of the Tribulation. This paper analyzes three distinct films which mediate on both the rapture and Revelation: The Rapture (1991), Left Behind: The Movie (2000), and This is the End (2013). Analyzing these films within their respective modes of production …

The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon: A Buddhist Reimagination Of The Classic Tale Of Zhou Chu, Henry C.H. Shiu

Journal of Religion & Film

This article examines the Buddhist inspirations underlying the contemporary reinterpretation of the classic, Zhou Chu Chu Sanhai (Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Scourges) in the Taiwanese film entitled The Pig, the Snake, and the Pigeon. Beyond the obvious reinterpretation of the “three scourges” in the original tale as the “three poisons” of greed, hatred, and delusion in the film, one also finds a deeper connection with the notion of “skillful means” (upāya-kauśalya) and the Parable of the Burning House in the Lotus Sūtra as well as the tension between established religious beliefs and new religious …

Televangelism And Religion In Star Trek V And Licence To Kill, Robert Revington

Journal of Religion & Film

In June 1989, both Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the James Bond film Licence to Kill were released in theatres within days of each other. This study analyzes how story elements in both films were directly inspired by recent televangelist scandals in the United States. The Star Trek film was also intended to have a deeper examination of the nature of God and the Devil. Nonetheless, both films were also intended to appeal to a mass audience. To that end, these films' explorations of religious issues were watered down to avoid offending Christian denominations or churches (though not …

Zeami's Buddhism And Noh In Kurosawa's Ikiru, Ronald S. Green

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper explores the influences of Noh drama theorist Zeami Motokiyo on Akira Kurosawa's 1952 film Ikiru. While Kurosawa's adaptations of traditional Japanese arts are well documented, this study uniquely demonstrates how specific Noh aesthetics shaped this film. It analyzes how Kurosawa's direction of actor Takashi Shimura embodies Zeami's aesthetic principles of awareness of impermanence (mujō), profound mystery (yūgen), and no-mind (mushin), which are performative expressions of Buddhist philosophies. Kurosawa employs four methods developed by Zeami: the use of masks, sparseness in settings and costumes, singing, and the application of an …

Learning To See: Wittgenstein And Perception In Terrence Malick’S The Thin Red Line, Luke H. Roberts

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper reflects on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s influence on the work of filmmaker Terrence Malick. After calling attention to the connection between the American director and the Austrian philosopher, I note central components of Wittgenstein’s philosophical aims, particularly highlighting his comments on “aspect change,” his methodology of difficulty, and his linking of the ethical and aesthetic as “transcendental.” With these insights in hand, and following recent scholarship on Malick’s cinematic ethics, the paper examines Malick’s 1998 film The Thin Red Line as an exemplary case for considering Malick as a filmmaker fundamentally concerned with ways of seeing the world. The analysis …

The Sudden Deluge: Parasite, Matthew 24:36-51, And Immanent Apocalyptic Imagery, Diana Abernethy

Journal of Religion & Film

Bong Joon Ho’s 2019 film Parasite shares significant imagery with the apocalyptic teachings in Matthew 24:36-51. Both feature oblivious carousers before a flood, sleeping homeowners, and domestic workers caught unaware by a returning homeowner. This article argues that this shared imagery gives Parasite an apocalyptic edge that intensifies the film’s warnings about potential consequences of extreme economic disparities in capitalism. This article develops this argument by (1) highlighting the apocalyptic features of Matthew 24:36-51; (2) describing the convergence of imagery between Parasite and Matthew 24:36-51; and (3) exploring how the film’s apocalyptic edge illuminates urgent and latent dangers of extreme …

The Fight For Purity: Hiram Evans And The Second Ku Klux Klan, Ava Jackson

English: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The Klu Klux Klan of the 1920s, known as the second Klan, built its three to six million members quicker than any previous group. The Klan continued the traditions of earlier generations, including the notorious robes, masks, and racist attitudes toward African Americans. In addition, anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism grew, which further increased animosity and reshaped what it meant to be a terrorist in America. Through the leadership of Hiram Wesley Evans, a small-practice dentist, who quickly rose in the ranks to later become Imperial Wizard of the Klan in 1922, the Klan was altered in a way never seen before. …

Bridging Thought And Action: History, The Digital Humanities, And Building The Foundations Of Asian/American Political Thought, Vivian Yan-Gonzalez

Asian American Studies Faculty Articles and Research

This article argues that understanding the historical contours of Asian American electoral engagement provides an essential foundation for studying Asian/American political thought. However, historians have tended to adopt a broad understanding of "politics" beyond traditional civic and electoral politics, due to limited historical sources on Asian American electoral engagement and the longstanding interest among Asian Americanist scholars in alternative politics. I reintroduce Asian American electoral history as a vital and viable subject of study by exploring how scholars can use digital humanities tools and methods to build the archives of Asian American politics and to explore new insights and questions.

Childhood Hand Games, Ashlyn Hanson

English Student Projects

"Childhood Hand Games" explores the duality of innocence and danger in childhood experiences. It reflects on the allure of seemingly sweet moments that mask underlying pain, revealing how innocent actions can lead to pain and turmoil. The work invites reflection on the tension between playful joy and harsh realities of childhood.

Flowers, Emily Grace Hartman

English Student Projects

This poem is about someone finally seeing the beauty and gathering peace before passing. We think of things that aren't beautiful and things that are painful, but we can also see the beauty in them, even if it feels too late.

The Picnic Tree, Abbie Kubat

English Student Projects

This is a short story written for a creative writing course at Taylor University.

Bereavement, Abbey Schmidtgall

English Student Projects

This piece was written to answer the question 'If we never had to feel bad emotions, would we take that opportunity?' I wanted to explore how all of our emotions contribute to our way of being and are necessary to develop us as people. I hope to flesh out this work into a longer piece of fiction someday, but right now it is a short story.

My Favorite Tree, Noelle Yew

English Student Projects

My story is about a tree that hates the spring. The tree is crotchety and doesn't enjoy the budding life that comes with the changing of the seasons. It enjoys winter, because it knows that winter is where it will always end up. The tree is bitter because it is so old. It has seen and experienced so much death in its life, that it hates the hope of life that spring brings with it. It has resigned itself to death and gloom.