Religion Commons^™

Faith-Driven Impact Investing: Renewing A Belief That An Investment In Entrepreneurialism And Commerce Is Central To God's Plan Of Redemption And Human Flourishing, Jonathan Mark Halverson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the need for a renewed belief among faith-driven investors that investments in redemptive businesses is central to God’s plan of redemption and biblical human flourishing. The explosive growth of values-aligned investing, such as Socially Responsible Investing and impact investing, has opened the door to introducing values into investment decision-making. There are significant opportunities for Christ followers to align their biblical values with their investment strategies, and to “put to work” (Matt. 25:16) resources apportioned to them by God; however, they have been slow to embrace the opportunities. Research was conducted to understand the underlying biblical-theological beliefs of …

Recovering A Biblical Form Of Spiritual Formation In Contemporary Pentecostal Churches, Ernest Ronald Krantz

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The project addressed the problem of an inadequate theology of spiritual formation within the discipleship doctrine of a specific expression of North American Pentecostalism. The problem manifests most acutely at the local church level where ministry leaders are struggling with divorce, mental illness, moral relativism, and poverty. Pentecostalism is failing to measure up to its potential where the human experience intersects with religious life.This project took a multilateral approach to the problem. The first approach used a theological method to survey the biblical description of spiritual formation and the existential need for it with special emphasis on The Book of …

Kant The Buddhist: An Analysis Of Kantian Ethics, Metaphysics, And Philosophy Of Religion In The Context Of Christianity And Buddhism, Whitney Grimm

Honors Program Theses

This thesis analyzes Kantian ethics, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion within the context of Christianity and Buddhism. The first part of the paper is dedicated to an exegesis of Kant’s ethical theory and his philosophy of religion. The second part of the paper presents arguments for why Buddhism is closer to Kant’s ideal religion than Christianity. Specifically, this latter section analyzes Kant’s necessary postulates for pure practical reason within the context of each religion. The conclusion of this thesis is that Buddhism better aligns with Kant’s ideal religion with regard to both metaphysics and the ideal goal of religion: cultivating …

The Calvin Forum: Summer 2021, Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

CONTENTS - Vol. 28. No. 2, SUMMER 2021

Main Features: 3 - 25 years & Counting!

4 - Women-In-Office: What is the CRCNA position, how did we get here, and what does it mean?

8 - Partners in the Gospel

12 - Twenty-Five Years on: Just look at what God has done!!

18- My Calling

22- Following step by step

26- Moments in ministry formation 30- Songs of Redemption

Calvin Seminary News:32 - New Books

34- Distinguished Alumni

Politics Under Noah's Rainbow: David Vandrunen's Contribution To Reformed Political Theology, Matthew J. Tuininga

CTS Faculty Publications and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Phenomenology Of Death: The Religious Dimension In The Ethical Thought Of Emmanuel Levinas, Changhyun Kim

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores Levinas’s phenomenology of death in order to unveil the religious dimension in his ethical thought through examining the political moment of the third party. I argue that death is neither a pure phenomenon transparently intelligible in the noema-noesis structure of intentionality nor a mere non-phenomenon totally irrelevant to the phenomenological investigation. Rather, death is a para-phenomenon whose unfathomable feature calls into question Levinas’s two important philosophical precedents: 1) Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology, in a methodological sense, and 2) Heidegger’s ontological interpretation of death, in a thematical sense. On the one hand, Levinas faces in the para-phenomenality of death …

Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 71, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

Features:

• Director's column
• Documenting devotion during the pandemic
• Staff spotlight: Administrative assistant and office coordinator Shari Neilson
• Collections highlight: The gift of a medieval prayer book
• Recent acquisitions
• Giving Day success story: Conservation has begun on a deteriorating statue
• Digital conversion: Charismatic Conference cassettes
• Virtual scavenger hunt, interactive exhibits, web activities
• Virtual Advent wreath
• Word scramble activity

What In Hell Conflicts With God? The Divine Promulgation View Of Hell Confirms The Reality Of Hell Does Not Make God A Moral Monster, Kara Y. Harris

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that God is not morally at fault for humans consigned to eternal punishment in hell. In this work, I contribute to the ongoing conversation of hell in the following ways: (1) I provide an exposition on the words translated as hell in the Bible; (2) I uncover the progressive nature of the doctrine of hell as sin increases and God advances His plan of salvation to rescue humans from such an eternal fate; (3) I argue that Christianity and the biblical doctrine of hell are bound principally as Christ’s work on the …

Investigating And Increasing The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of The Children’S Ministry At Victory Church Of Melbourne, Florida, Stanley R. Patton

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the children’s ministry at Victory Church of Melbourne, Florida, a growing multicultural and multigenerational church. Conversations with the children’s ministry team, parents, child participants, and the senior pastor of Victory indicated that changes needed to be implemented in order to grow the ministry. This project used a case study methodology, focusing on a church with similar demographics as Victory, to discover the underlying factors needed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Victory’s children’s ministry. To test the working theory that an increase in resources, team leadership, …

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 …

The Traditional Latin Mass Movement And The Unity Of The Church, Dennis M. Doyle

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Pope Francis' recently imposed restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass need to be understood in relation to the emergence of a Traditional Latin Mass movement, that movement's antagonism toward the liturgical and ecclesial reforms of the Second Vatican Council, and important points of consistency in the efforts of various popes to safeguard the unity of the church. Those in the movement often offer valid points of critique, but in our present age of polarization they have become ever more an extremist group. They are encouraged to give up their devotion to a now antiquated form of worship, …

"Sapiens Dominabitur Astris": A Diachronic Survey Of A Ubiquitous Astrological Phrase, Justin Niermeier-Dohoney

Arts and Communication Faculty Publications

From the late thirteenth through late seventeenth centuries, a single three-word Latin phrase—sapiens dominabitur astris, or “the wise man will be master of the stars”—proliferated in astrological, theological, philosophical, and literary texts. It became a convenient marker denoting orthodox positions on free will and defining the boundaries of the scientifically and morally legitimate practice of astrology. By combining the methodology of a diachronic historical survey with a microhistorical focus on evolving phraseology, this study argues that closely examining the use of this phrase reveals how debates about the meanings of wisdom, free will, determinism, and the interpretation of stellar influence …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 63, No. 1

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 63, No. 1.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

Challenging Bias Against Women Academics In Religion, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

In today’s world, people access knowledge instantaneously on Internet-connected devices such as laptops, smartphones, and smart televisions. We can ask Siri and Alexa any question imaginable while driving or cooking a meal. The source for this readily accessible information is a changing array of digital, tertiary knowledge-sharing platforms. The day-to-day decisions we make, along with our opinions and views of the world, are shaped by the knowledge we glean from these sources. Bias exists on these digital platforms and matters, especially to underrepresented and oppressed populations, such as women and people of color. This volume attends to bias in knowledge …

The Rural Church As Community Support For Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren, William Shane Cassida

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A growing trend in rural communities located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, as well as across much of the United States, is the significant increase in the number of grandparents that are being forced to accept the responsibility of raising their grandchildren due to a crisis within the family structure. The US Census Bureau cited in 2016 that over 2.5 million grandparents are helping with the responsibility of raising their grandchildren, and that 7.8 million children live in homes owned by their grandparents. This accounts for almost 10% of all children nationally. There is a current ministry need for churches …

Saving Our Planet Through Faith: A Buddhist-Christian Response, Guillermo Gonzalez

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

The main topic of this essay is how certain attributes and teachings from Christianity and Buddhism can inform us of what path we can take to combat global climate change. Although environmental work is not limited to these traditions, this paper aims to point out the teachings that help understand our role as humans as interconnected within these two traditions. One of the main points that are made for Christianity is a reinterpretation of Imago Dei which is explained in detail in the first section. In short, Imago Dei is the idea that human beings are made in the image …

Fire Of Divine Unity: Col 1: 24-7, Sr. Pia (Kimberly) St. Romain

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Paul invites all people into a oneness with Christ and each other. It is a requirement in the Christian journey. The Holy Trinity is a communion of persons as One and we as the church are a communion of persons as one body of Christ. It is only by God’s Love that we can share in the inner life of the Holy Trinity, participating in a holy intimacy beyond our imagination. This Divine unity with the Holy Trinity and others is made possible through Mary’s heart, the Eucharist, and our willingness to undergo unavoidable sufferings for the sake of Christ …

Deaf Pastor Cohort: Self-Care For Deaf Pastors, Karen R. Bregman

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Researcher observed posts on social media from deaf pastors sharing their experiences of personal and professional struggles with suicide, depression, and mental health challenges with their close circle of pastors, colleagues, and congregation. These are tremendous burdens for both Deaf and hearing pastors. The scriptures cited for this research were 1 Kings 19, Psalm 23, and Mark 7:31-37; these Scriptures provide the theological basis that God provides self-care. The recipients became healthier emotionally, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. The recipients were able to recover and minister to their respective congregations and communities. The Researcher conducted a qualitative case study …

Gregory The Great On The Balance Of The Christian Life Of The Clergy, Isaias D'Oleo Ochoa

CTS Student Publications and Creative Works

In Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care the balance of the Christian life of the clergy not only permeates Gregory’s discussions in each major section of the book but also this theological motif served him to challenge the tendency of the clergy of his times to have a negative attitude towards the active life.

How Bavinck Responds To The Challenges Of The Theory Of Evolution: The Primacy Of Biblical Revelation, Isaias D'Oleo Ochoa

CTS Student Publications and Creative Works

In his discussion of evolution, Bavinck offers a modified theory of development, rooted not under a mechanistic and naturalistic worldview, as Darwin does, but under a “theistic-friendly” framework. This article argues that Bavinck’s discussion of evolution as a whole endorses a modified Aristotelian/ Thomistic framework in order to understand the theory of development, and thus overcomes the challenges raised by Darwin’s naturalistic worldview to biblical revelation.

Religious Naturalisms, Carol W. White

Other Faculty Research and Publications

This article focuses on recent developments in religious naturalism in the twenty-first century, building on Jerome Stone’s 2008 study of its resurgence in the mid-twentieth century. I introduce religious naturalism as a synthesis of naturalistic ideas that often depart from traditional forms of religious thinking, defining it as a capacious, ecological religious worldview grounded in the observational conviction that nature is ultimate. I also describe different models of religious naturalism, focusing on the key ideas found in the influential publications of contemporary religious naturalists (e.g., Ursula Goodenough, Donald Crosby, Loyal Rue, among others). While acknowledging specific points of emphasis, I …

Religious Non-Affiliation: Expelled By The Right, William Vance Trollinger

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

For the past century, the bulk of white evangelicalism has been tightly linked to very conservative politics. But in response to social and cultural changes in the 1960s and 1970s, conservative white evangelicalism organized itself into the Christian Right, in the process attaching itself to and making itself indispensable to the Republican Party. While the Christian Right has enjoyed significant political success, its fusion of evangelicalism/Christianity with right-wing politics—which includes white nationalism, hostility to immigrants, unfettered capitalism, and intense homophobia—has driven many Americans (particularly, young Americans) to disaffiliate from religion altogether. In fact, the quantitative and qualitative evidence make it …

Latin American Immigrants: A Cry For Liberation, Julio César De León

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

The United States, due to its economic stability and abundant opportunities (among other reasons), has attracted many immigrants from across the globe, but particularly those from Latin America. The reality is that while many immigrate under more favorable circumstances, the majority of Latinos/as (usually the ones most in need) embark on a dangerous journey, overcoming the difficulties they encounter on the way. Although there is great hope in having arrived to the U.S., for those who make it to the other side of the frontier, their suffering often continues as their social status becomes that of undocumented immigrants. Through the …

The Book Of Hours For A 21st Century World, Francesco Fimiani

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This ‘Book of Hours’ project begins on the Monday hours of the Dead all the way to the Sunday Hours of the Trinity and is inspired almost entirely by the 1440 Book of Hours of the Dutchess Catherine of Cleeves. This project is the sum product of a semester’s worth of instruction from my Medieval Religious Thought and Practice class taught by Professor Anna Harrison. The main purpose of this art installment is to show that even though they originate from a society highly unlike ours today, facing issues that medieval people couldn’t even begin to imagine, they can be …

Following The Example Of Monseñor Romero: Following The Way Of Jesus Christ, Macy Genenbacher

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

To truly follow Christ requires more than a profession of belief; following Christ requires a commitment to walking in his footsteps, acting as he did. As a follower of Christ, one must commit themselves to bearing the fruit of Jesus’s legacy, which requires one to look honestly at the reality of the world and the injustices that exist. The life of Monseñor Óscar Romero provides an example for following the model of Jesus Christ. Romero’s own life and ministry in El Salvador bore the fruit of Jesus’s legacy. In dedicating his life to the people, especially those on the periphery, …

Can A 12th Century Monk Teach Today’S Non-Profit Leaders?, Carlos Cruz-Aedo

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Is it possible that a 12^th century monk can teach anything of relevance to today’s non-profit leaders and their organizations? The monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, was an exemplary monastery leader throughout Western Europe. Bernard’s successes during the 12^th century could serve as a model for non-profit organizations and their leaders due to the challenges that some non-profit institutions face today. Additionally, a Bernardine model is more applicable in connection between Bernard’s ideas and non-profit organizations since they each have altruistic similarities. One of the similarities is that they both have a “higher-calling” based on core values, whether for …

The Body Of Christ As Community: Does A Patriarchal Hierarchy Make Sense For The Body Of Christ?, Cindy Kozal

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper examines what it means to be Church. It looks briefly at the idea of what was Church prior to Vatican II and then addresses the vision of Vatican II’s Church by looking at the document Lumen Gentium. It then turns to the 2014 document Sensus Fedei, which builds upon some of the discussion of the People of God. Richard Gaillardetz offers an important vision of Vatican II and a model of the noncompetitive church. While pneumatology is not the main focus, it can hardly be avoided as Lumen Gentium is filled with references to the working of …

God In Our Image: Race Reflected In The Black Christ Of Daule, Jessica Leu

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper examines El Cristo Negro de Daule in the context of theological aesthetics. It explains El Cristo Negro as a religious symbol that evokes asombro, or wonder, that then dismantles the illusion of control and omnipotence in us as described by Cecilia González-Andrieu’s Bridge to Wonder: Art as the Gospel of Beauty. As a religious symbol that reconstructs perceptions of the world and one another, this is a paper influenced heavily by liberation theology. The paper also analyzes the impact of a White Christ on Black peoples of the U.S, and it operates within the framework of …

The Right To Healthcare – Does The Social Doctrine Of The Catholic Church Assist Or Inhibit The Implementation Of Universal Healthcare In The United States?, Leonardo D. Mendoza

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

In recent years, American society has placed an emphasis on the right to healthcare. In the American political arena, the debate over healthcare has caused division between the political left and right. It has created factions within political parties and social movements. The healthcare debate was one of many prominent issues in what is perhaps the most consequential election in modern American history. This paper will focus on the right to healthcare from the perspective of the Catholic Social Tradition. It will evaluate the ways in which the Catholic tradition can influence the public discourse on the right to healthcare …

A Brief Theology Of Inculturation: A Pastoral Method To Understand And Ease The Generational Tension Between Vietnamese Immigrants And Their U.S.-Born Children, Ho Thi Nguyen

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Encountering different languages, cultures, living conditions, and so on, many immigrants face challenges when arriving to a new country. They often live in-between their native culture and the new culture they are forced to adapt to. They experience both belonging and not belonging, and they are sometimes considered strangers or aliens in a new land. In particular, the generational tension between Vietnamese immigrants and their U.S.-born children produces difficulties within their families, faith communities, and daily life. This leads to specific pastoral concerns in the Church, forcing us to ask how pastoral ministry can cater to different generations effectively especially …