Religion Commons^™

Geneva Statement On Heritable Human Genome Editing: The Need For Course Correction, Roberto Andorno, Françoise Baylis, Marcy Darnovsky, Donna Dickenson, Hille Haker, Katie Hasson, Leah Lowthorp, George J. Annas, Catherine Bourgain, Katherine Drabiak, Sigrid Graumann, Katrin Grüber, Matthias Kaiser, David King, Regine Kollek, Calum Mackellar, Jing-Bao Nie, Osagie K. Obasogie, Mirriam Tyebally Fang, Gabriele Werner-Felmayer, Jana Zuscinova

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

As public interest advocates, policy experts, bioethicists, and scientists, we call for a course correction in public discussions about heritable human genome editing. Clarifying misrepresentations, centering societal consequences and concerns, and fostering public empowerment will support robust, global public engagement and meaningful deliberation about altering the genes of future generations.

Anthropology & Apologetics: A Critical Analysis Of Contemporary Apologetic Method Through Their Anthropological Assumptions, Austin J. Spiller

Master of Divinity (MDiv)

This thesis argues that contemporary apologetic approaches correlate to, or derive their methods from, different anthropological models with various degrees of accuracy, and that an interdisciplinary study of humanity leads to proper conclusions for apologetic method. Three of the most utilized contemporary apologetic methods are Traditional Apologetics, Presuppositionalism, and Experiential/Narratival Apologetics. Each method reflects an assumption of human persons as thinkers, believers, or desirers, respectively. Interdisciplinary research from theology, sociology, psychology, economics, and neuroscience corroborates the anthropological assumption of humans as essentially desirers. This research leads to at least three important implications for apologetic method, including a focus on persuasion …

Mysticism And Syncretism On The Island Of Java, Ryan Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On the Indonesian island of Java, there is a religious tradition referred to as Kebatinan, which can be seen as the mystical branch of the indigenous religion of Java called Kejawen. However, unlike the mystical traditions of other religions, mysticism is critical to the entire popular practice of Kejawen and is not simply reserved for a select few. There are, on the other hand, a select number of people who fully understand the philosophical notions associated with Kebatinan and so can still be considered the “mystics” of the Kejawen faith. What these principles of mysticism have ultimately manifested as in …

The Vulnerability Of God: Toward A Biblical, Theological And Pastoral View Of Divine P Assibility, Garrett R. Sederholm

Masters of Theological Studies

The issues surrounding the debate of the aspect of God's passibility versus impassibility are important enough to give the topic its due respect and attention. Engaging with the debate itself promises to grant the hearer revelation of the nuances of who God is and how He works in the world. This author will in the end argue for divine passibility, but the intent of this work is not to stake a claim in the debate or merely contribute some nuance to one side of the discussion. Rather, it is to discover more richly a biblical, theological and pastoral vision for …

“Our Heaven Begun Below”: A Contemporary Theology Of Eucharistic Sacrifice In The Wesleyan Tradition, Geoffrey C. Moore

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

In 1984, The United Methodist Church adopted a new eucharistic rite which asserts that Christians “offer ourselves…as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us.” The language of sacrifice employed here is much stronger than that of any of the previous rites used by the Church, or any of its successors, as far back as the first English rite written by Thomas Cranmer. While the Cranmerian rite calls for a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, the new rite calls for the communicant to offer themselves as a “holy and living sacrifice,” a change which calls for …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 55 No 1 - April 2020), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

From the Editor: Karin Maag - 9 / Articles: John Webster: A Reformed Theologian on Revelation by Richard Fraser Brash - 11 / Psalm 88: A Validation to Vent by William L. Harris III - 41 / The Loss and Renewal of Calvin’s Eucharistic Theology in Reformed Churches by Leonard J. Vander Zee - 67 / Sermon: “Created to Be Like God”—A Sermon on Ephesians 4:22–24 by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. - 95 / Short Studies: The Role of the Letter and the Lector in Early Christian Liturgy: A Few Examples from Ephesians 1 by David Seal - 101 / The …

Universal Leadership Model, Derwin Lamont Hickman Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Great Commission is the call of Jesus to his people to go out into the world and make disciples. The universal leadership model presents an opportunity for disciples/leaders to step up and fulfill the Great Commission. The church should be involved in discipleship training, outreaches and supporting the issues that are aligned with Christian ideology and important to people in the communities they serve. An effective universal leadership model should include diversity, training, desired change, accountability and effectiveness of change. In so doing, the church can then find parishioners within the church who may be transformed into disciples/leaders and …

The Priority Of Homiletics In Preaching Teams: A Strategy For An Effective Homiletical Process For Christ-Centered, Gospel-Driven, Expository Sermons, Bob C. Greene

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to propose an effective strategy for preparing Christ-Centered, Gospel-Driven, Expository Sermons (CGES) by developing an effective methodology for redemptive sermon preparation. Many contemporary churches today often have multiple preaching pastors and preaching teams, many of which have little to no seminary training in homiletics, yet even those that do, recognize that a seminary education does not necessarily mean that competency in preaching exists merely due to the education or degree earned. Due to talented and gifted pastors with multiple approaches to sermon preparation, it is imperative that preachers have a proper homiletical process, …

The Acts Way: Returning To The Original Plan A Of Church Planting, Joshua D. Sorrows

Great Commission Research Journal

This article examines the question: Is there a way to plant gospel-centered churches faster? Building off of Donald McGavran’s homogeneous unit theory, this article explores the biblical basis, the varied methodologies, and the successful implementation of a micro-church planting strategy in the Colorado Rockies. It evaluates the validity of micro-church planting alongside our current methods of church planting. The article calls for consideration to return to the Acts model of church planting through disciple-making that will help the Church go deep and reach wide.

Book Review: L.E.A.R.N. Evangelism Handbook: Giving Away The Greatest Gift By Marshall Windsor, Sanejo Leonard

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Remission: Rethinking How Church Leaders Create Movement By Gary Comer, Jim Roden

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Something Old, Something New: How New Churches Are Embracing Liturgy, Winfield Bevins

Great Commission Research Journal

The movement toward ancient church tradition has been well documented; however, there has also been a steady rise of new churches that are embracing church tradition and liturgy. The first part of this article will examine the history behind this movement and the factors that have contributed to its development. Next, it will look at four case studies of new churches that are embracing liturgy, which I refer to as neo-liturgical churches. It will end with an exploration of the promise that this may hold for reaching young adults.

Musical Worship: The New Sacrament?, Elsen Portugal

Great Commission Research Journal

Music has been present in the worship practices of Christian communities as far back as the early days of the Church. Its presence has not been merely tolerated but intentionally integrated into liturgical practices, sometimes reflecting practices under the old covenant, and at other times adopting other shapes. Music’s meaning and power have also been variously evaluated by theologians and laypeople through the centuries. In certain segments of Christianity, music has even developed a theological relationship to concepts of sacrament. Such a relationship has penetrated the “worship event” in the latter part of the twentieth century and has frequently become …

That All May Hear: How Indigenous Church Music Encourages Church Growth In Africa, Trevor Yoakum

Great Commission Research Journal

This article demonstrates how indigenous church music can be an effective tool in promoting healthy church growth. After defining indigenous church music through the insights of ethnodoxology, the author explains how it engages local hearers through their own conceptual categories. This cognitive interaction is relevant in that it augments comprehension of biblical themes and content. But it also impacts hearers through the various levels of their worldview. The article ends with a case study of how a consortium of African theological institutions and IMB missionaries are developing orality-based indigenous music to teach, refute heresy, and evangelize the continent.

The Song Of Cuba’S Great Awakening: Music In Baptist Worship And Witness, Michael Sharp, Ed Steele

Great Commission Research Journal

From the 1990s to the present, Cuban Baptists have witnessed a time of unparalleled church growth. During that time frame, musicians have participated in ministries aimed at church growth by organizing largescale public musical events, compiling a Cuban hymnal that included indigenous Cubano worship songs, developing new programs of leadership training for church musicians, and employing music in missionary projects both at home and abroad. This article explores what can be learned from the Cuban Baptists’ experience regarding music as an effective tool in evangelism, the value of musicians reaching musicians as a mission strategy, the importance of ethnodoxology in …

Clark Memorandum: Spring 2020, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The Clark Memorandum

• Of Rights and Responsibilities: The Social Ecosystem of Religious Freedom
• I am the Woman Who Can
• Flashes of Light: Thoughts on Circumstantial Evidence
• Capital Markets and Human Flourishing

Read on Issuu

The Sword & The Mask: Toward A Confessional Lutheran Account Of Spiritual Warfare, Jon Furgeson

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Furgeson, Jon C. “The Sword and the Mask: Toward a Confessional Lutheran Theology of Spiritual Warfare.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2020. pp. "[Number of pages]"

This dissertation, a work in Trinitarian & ecclesial theology, seeks to recover the foundations of a full doctrine of spiritual warfare. Considering seeming disparate voices such as Walter Wink, C. Peter Wagner, John Kleinig, Gustav Wingren, and Leopoldo A. Sánchez, this dissertation asserts a constructive and integrative approach to spiritual warfare wherein the warfare is only enacted by the fallen powers of the sinful nature, the fallen world, and the fallen angels. This warfare is …

“Lift Up Your Eyes”: Case Study Of Journey Church, Tucson, Jim Roden

Great Commission Research Journal

The receptivity principle of church growth discerns who in the local population is generally responsive to the gospel. The biblical warrant for this principle is seen in Jesus’ instructions to his disciples (Mark 5:11) and in Paul’s ministry (Acts 14:19-20). Donald McGavran emphasized, “Evangelism can be and ought to be directed to responsive persons, groups, and segments of society…. Correct policy is to occupy fields of low receptivity lightly.” The experience of anxiety typifies gospel-receptive groups; when their anxiety dissipates, their gospel receptivity diminishes. The special-needs population and those who are close to them experience unrelieved chronic anxiety that predisposes …

Book Review: Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed An Unlikely Generation And How He Can Do It Again Today By Greg Laurie And Ellen Vaughn, H. L. Ward Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Igniting Hope Among Gen Z, Billy Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

Generation Z is the future of the Church. We need to begin equipping followers of Jesus to welcome them home. This article explores the seven common characteristics of Generation Z. It will also dive into research done among current youth workers from around the country and then provide some strategies on how to engage Generation Z based on that research. About 90 million young Americans fit into the age bracket of Generation Z. As the Church, we need to understand their worldview. As they emerge into adulthood, it will be vital to the health of the Church overall to equip …

The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Leaving A Legacy, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

As the Church Growth Movement continued to develop, it gained strength and respect. The establishing of the McGavran Chair of Church Growth was a red-letter day, which established the CGM as an academic discipline. Donald and Mary McGavran slowly backed away from direct ministry, but continued to follow the movement’s impact. This except reports the final years of McGavran’s life and ministry

The Christian Family: Implications Of Familial Language For The Identity Of The Church, Rebekah Lukas

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Lukas, Rebekah L. “The Christian Family: Implications of Familial Language for the Identity of the Church.” M.A. thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 85 pp.

The family is a prominent image for the identity of the Church. Biblical language reflects the truth that the Church is a family, and God’s promises include familial rhetoric. For Christians, God is “Our Father who art in heaven,” and Jesus is our brother. Christians are made “sons of God” through Baptism, becoming a member of the whole family of God. These are essential aspects of the Christian’s identity. When the Church neglects its use of this …

Dancing Theology - A Construction Of A Pneumatology Of The Body, Kristin Kissell

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Dance is the language of the soul. Dance, as a theological source, can remind us of who we are in and with the living perichoresis of the Trinity. Dance, as embodied art, can provide us with a new way of viewing and discussing pneumatology and that we too, in our incarnate reality, participate in perichoresis. Within this work I seek to answer the questions of how dance is a source of theology, why a pneumatology of the body is significant, and how dance provides a framework for a pneumatology of the body. The creation of a pneumatology of the body …

The Imago Dei As A Response To Consumerism And Individualism Within The Church, Carine George

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The pastoral problem being addressed has to do with the culture of consumerism and individualism that have influenced the culture of the Church. Within Western society, the “ism” culture, consisting of factors such as: hedonism, consumerism, materialism, secularism, relativism and individualism, has become very prominent. Christians often operate no differently than non-Christians, and this is problematic since Christians are called to be salt for the earth and light for the world (Matthew 5:13-16), a people set apart. In John 15:19, we are told that we were not made to be of this world, so we need to stop being influenced …

The Conceptions Of Self-Evidence In The Finnis Reconstruction Of Natural Law, Kevin P. Lee

St. Mary's Law Journal

Finnis claims that his theory proceeds from seven basic principles of practical reason that are self-evidently true. While much has been written about the claim of self-evidence, this article considers it in relation to the rigorous claims of logic and mathematics. It argues that when considered in this light, Finnis equivocates in his use of the concept of self-evidence between the realist Thomistic conception and a purely formal, modern symbolic conception. Given his respect for the modern positivist separation of fact and value, the realism of the Thomistic conception cannot be the foundation for the natural law as Finnis would …

An Abundance Of Good Things : Paul Ricoeur's Cultural Imagination And A Phenomenology Of Deuteronomism, Tad C. Blacketer

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Censorship And Banned Books From A Christian Perspective, Sarah D. Jenkins

Selected Honors Theses

Removing material due to controversial content has been a common practice for much of recorded history. This action is often done in concern for the psychological and emotional well-being of viewers, especially if these viewers include children. However, this does not necessarily mean this practice is always warranted. Many researchers have studied this topic as well as its effects, expanses, and connections to religion. Research shows that exposure to certain material can potentially cause changed behavior in individuals who do not possess the maturity needed to process them effectively. Individuals who are more mature or emotionally stable show no lasting …

Touro Torah Volume 4 Issue 11, Lander College For Women

Yearbooks and Newsletters

Divrei Torah Newsletter, Nissan Edition 5780

Intellectual Humility As It Pertains To Self-Knowledge, Nicholas S. Grounds

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Apocalypse And Eschatology In John Ford's The Grapes Of Wrath (1940), Nancy Wright

Journal of Religion & Film

John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath (1940) visualizes conventions of the apocalypse genre to represent not simply a particular historical setting, the Great Depression, but also a vision of history to be interpreted in terms of eschatology. Expressionistic photography transforms the characters’ experiences into enigmatic visions that invite and guide interpretation. A comparison of montage sequences in Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath and Pare Lorentz’s The Plow That Broke The Plains (1936), a Farm Security Administration documentary, clarifies how Ford’s narrative film aligns spectators within and outside the mise-en-scène.