Religion Commons^™

Thomas Merton : Evil, Suffering, Zen And The Purified Soul Theodicy., David Edward Orberson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thomas Merton was one of the most important Catholic writers of the 20th century. Hundreds of scholarly books and articles have been written about various facets of his life and work. However, one area of personal interest that has not been adequately addressed in Merton’s work is the theodicy question. Merton never wrote a book or even an article dedicated to the problem of evil. In this project, I examine Thomas Merton’s work to determine if he espoused any kind of theodicy. More specifically, I review Merton’s entire canon, i.e., books, journals, correspondence, articles and talks he gave to novice …

Disability And The Theodicy Of Defeat, Kevin Timpe, Aaron D. Cobb

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Marilyn McCord Adams argues that God’s goodness to individuals requires God to defeat horrendous evils; it is not enough for God to outweigh these evils through compensatory goods. On her view, God defeats the evils experienced by an individual if and only if God’s goodness to the individual enables her to integrate the evil organically into a unified life story she perceives as good and meaningful. In this essay, we seek to apply Adams’s theodicy of defeat to a particular form of suffering. We argue that God’s goodness to individuals requires that God defeat the suffering to which a range …

Stewardship In The Church : The Theology And Practice Of Tithing, Offerings, And Stewardship In Evangelical Churches Of Russia, Sergey Chervonenko

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reintroducting The Doctrine And Experience Of Christian Perfection To United Methodists, Matthew Hatcher Johnson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of The African Traditional Religion Worldview On The Communication Of The Gospel In The Churches In Bamenda, Cameroon, Ncham Godwill Chiatoh

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Discerning Lay Leaders' Biblical Understanding Of Same-Sex Relationshiops : A Theological Review And Study Of Traditionalists' And Revisionists' Understanding Of Same-Sex Relationships, Benjamin Reil Greenbaum

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Leadership Influence : Building Respect And Credibility In Church Leadership To Transform Members' Lives, Lawrence K. Dena

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Democracy And Equal Distribution Of Resources In Kenya : A Study Of All Saints Cathedral Nairobi, Paul Kibirech Korir

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hispanic United Methodist Church Growth : The Factors That Impact Growth In Hispanic United Methodist Churches Within The Kentucky Annual Conference, Iosmar Alvarez Alfonso

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Deification Of Body And Soul In Athanasius Of Alexandria : A Present Foretaste Of Resurrection, Peter J. Smith

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Faith And Health Transformation To Wholeness And Restoration To The Imago Dei, Deborah K. Huckaby

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Missional Leadership : A Case Study Of The Representative Congregations Of Methodist, Presbyterian, And Other Churches In Tahan-Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region, Lal Thla Muana

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Open Itineraries : Engaging Charles Taylor In The Evangelical Church, Zachariah Scott Motts

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Letter To Sardis And Eternal Security, Tory Arnesen

Masters Theses

Does the letter to Sardis threaten eternal security? The research concerning the context of the letter, word studies for overcome, Book of Life, and an exegetical analysis reveal that the letter is both a warning and a comfort. The warning is directed to the lost people in the church as well as those without assurance, and the comfort is for the genuine believers. Eternal security is not threatened, but an exhortation to ensure that one is in the faith is present in the letter.

A Church Planting Church In South Korea: A Case Study On Missional Outreach, Deokjong Bang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Gallup Korea, in 2015, reported that 30% of people under 30 years old had stopped attending churches in South Korea during last ten years. The primary reasons that young people leave a church is secularization of growth-oriented churches represented by huge buildings, power-oriented pastors and lack of morality of Christians. Therefore, a new church model that will engage young people is required for Korean Christianity. The missional church movement can be an alternative model for churches in South Korea. That is because the movement pursues a small church, a non-power-oriented pastor, and real life as a disciple of Jesus. Based …

Schizophrenia And Its Effects On An American Family: A Call To Action For The 21st Century, Cynthia Newton Captain

Senior Theses

Our country’s healthcare system is at a moral crossroads. The way we treat those whom we call “the homeless” is deplorable. The majority of the homeless are mentally ill and need treatment. Our country needs to treat those with the severe brain diseases of schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, and bi-polar disorder just as we would Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Those with severe mental illness, who have no insight into their illness, should not be allowed to dictate their own treatment. If a homeless person is brought to San Francisco General Hospital and is found to be a schizophrenic in psychiatric …

Lacerated Lips And Lush Landscapes: Constructing This-Worldly Theological Identities In The Otherworld, Meghan Henning

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

When Irenaeus juxtaposed "tradition" and heresy, he moved away from the Pauline usage, which centered primarily upon incorrect behavior (See 1 Cor 11: 19, Gal 5 :20). lrenaeus' definition of heresy, however, does not indicate that all early Christians prioritized belief over behavior, or even maintained orthodoxy and orthopraxis as separate categories. In the otherworldly spaces of the apocryphal apocalypses doxa and praxis seem to be intertwined, and little or no distinction is made between belief and behavior. Instead, in the Otherworld the categories of primary importance are righteous/unrighteous, good/evil, Christian/Other. The Otherworld is a place in which sins can …

Evolution: A Divine Interaction Between God And Creation, Hanna V. Larracas

Selected Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework through relational theology for understanding the randomness evident in genetic variation which is an element within evolution. I propose that evolution can be incorporated into a theology of creation by placing evolution in context of the interaction of love between God and creation when interpreted through a framework of relational theology. Relational theology, as engaging God as primarily self-giving and holistically hospitable (towards God’s self in the Trinity and towards creation), provides space for a theological understanding of randomness genetic variation and mutation within the evolutionary process. Chapter 1 discusses …

Neues Testament Und Märchen: Tolkien, Fairy Stories, And The Gospel, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1943 claim in “On Fairy-stories” that the Christian Gospel is a fairy story which “has entered History and the primary world” stands over against significant (and widely publicized) elements of Liberal Protestant biblical interpretation of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, exemplified in Rudolph Bultmann’s 1941 essay, “New Testament and Mythology.” Tolkien’s position, which seems to have influenced C. S. Lewis and Austin Farrer, owes something to G. K. Chesterton but has yet more direct parallels in Thomas Aquinas and Gregory the Great.

The New Perspective On Paul And The Correlation With The Book Of James, Zach M. Scott

Senior Honors Theses

The New Perspective on Paul is a new theory of how to interpret the Pauline epistles through the lens of first century Judaism. Three of the leading scholars that hold to the New Perspective are E.P. Sanders, James D.G. Dunn, and N.T. Wright. These men have done their best to defend the New Perspective of Paul, but have not adequately used, or explained the arguments set forth in the book of James, specifically found in James 2:14-26. The New Perspective fails to either give an analysis of James through the proposed lens of the New Perspective, or show how the …

Arminianism And Molinism On Divine Foreknowledge, Nathan S. Justice

Senior Honors Theses

Evidence is examined concerning the coherence of divine foreknowledge as defined by Arminianism and Molinism. Arminianism argues that God has complete and infallible knowledge of the future, and attempts to simultaneously maintain a strong view of libertarian freedom. Molinism agrees with the Arminian stance on foreknowledge and human freedom, but argues that middle knowledge must also be posited for God to have strong providential control over His creation. It is argued that Molinism better accounts for the biblical data and provides a more coherent theological and philosophical position, since Arminianism cannot provide a strong theory of providential control. Subsequently, a …

The Interconnection Between Law And Christianity In Medieval England, Maria Isabel Caplazi

Young Historians Conference

In England, the influence of Christian morals and beliefs grew rapidly during the medieval era. Religious beliefs were evident in literature, laws, as well as social hierarchy. The extent of religious influence on medieval English law is undeniable, however historians have yet to attain a full understanding of religious reach because of institutionalized relativism -- the concept that varying environments affect how social regulations are established in their area. This paper discusses two of the most prominent ways Christianity influenced medieval English law -- through direct influence on laws themselves as well as religious impact on the individual administrators of …

Jesuit And Feminist Hospitality: Pope Francis’ Virtue Response To Inequality, Kate Ward

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope and has made economic inequality a theme of his pontificate. This article shows that Pope Francis diagnoses economic inequality as both a structural problem and a problem of virtue, and that the virtue he calls for in response is what James F. Keenan, SJ has called Jesuit hospitality. Reviewing contemporary theological work on hospitality, I show that Francis’ Jesuit hospitality shares many features with hospitality as described by feminist theologians. Namely, it is risky, takes place across difference, acknowledges the marginality of both host and guest, and promises mutual benefit to each party. …

Spirituality: Take Me To A Higher Place, Kane Stanglin, Alexandra Mendez, Laura A. Eads, Kyle Crosslin

Collin College Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Student Research Conference

Panel Chair: Marta Moore

Papers Presented:

"The Acceptance of Fate from a Man of God" by Alexandra Mendez

"Acceptance Is Peace" by Kane Stanglin

"Hindu Beliefs in Bhagavad-Gita" by Laura A Eads

"Analysis of 'The Sovereignty of Goodness of God'" by Kyle Crosslin

Touro Torah Volume 2 Issue 6, Lander College For Women

Yearbooks and Newsletters

Pesach Issue; Divrei Torah Newsletter

“To See My Home Before I Die”: The Trip To Bountiful, Memento Mori, And The Experience Of Death, Margaret Sullivan

Journal of Religion & Film

This article analyzes the portrayal of death in Peter Masterson’s 1985 film The Trip to Bountiful. My claim is that the experience of death, in the film, functions as a tool both for the elderly main character’s increased self-understanding and for her conscious, ethical action. I enter this discussion through an examination of late deconstruction’s ethical turn and the argument that aporetic unknowing, if experienced and endured, leads to the chance for real, authentic action. I then demonstrate how the film depicts such an aporetic encounter with death, and do so, in large part, by focusing on the film’s final …

How To Attain Liberation From A False World? The Gnostic Myth Of Sophia In Dark City (1998), Fryderyk Kwiatkowski

Journal of Religion & Film

In the second half of the 20th century, a fascinating revival of ancient Gnostic ideas in American popular culture could be observed. One of the major streams through which Gnostic ideas are transmitted is Hollywood cinema. Many works that emerged at the end of 1990s can be viewed through the ideas of ancient Gnostic systems: The Truman Show (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Others (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001) or The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003).

In this article, the author analyses Dark City (1998) and demonstrates that the story depicted in the film is heavily indebted to the Gnostic myth of …

Relational Power, Music, And Identity: The Emotional Efficacy Of Congregational Song, Nathan Myrick

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Relational Power, Music, and Identity: The Emotional Efficacy of Congregational Song

The power of congregational song to unify (or divide) people along various lines is well documented. Yet, how this process of uniting or dividing is accomplished has proven necessarily difficult to document. This paper examines the complex and polyvalent factors that contribute to the meaningfulness of congregational music making, seeking to offer a synthetic, conceptual framework with which to engage this often murky milieu.

Employing interdisciplinary research techniques drawn from sociology, ritual studies, and ethnomusicology, I construct a conceptual framework with which to understand the profoundly formative power of …

Faith Formation In A Secular Age, Andrew Root

Faculty Publications

Many theologians have focused on faith formation as a means of countering the trend toward disengagement from Christian belief among people today, especially among young adults. Using the insights of Charles Taylor, Andrew Root argues that many such programs are inadequate to the task, because they do not go to the heart of the matter.

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 65, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.