Religion Commons^™

Exploring The Medieval Frontier: The Reconquista, Alex Wolfe

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This project focuses on material history, the study of objects and their role in history, and deriving meaning from artifacts in order to synthesize an applied historical thesis.

The objects studied in this research project are of particular importance to the study of the Reconquista, a unique frontier conflict in the Iberian Peninsula between Christians and Muslims that lasted from the eighth through fifteenth centuries.

The artifacts brought together in this digital exhibit bring into material focus the visible exchanges and borrowings between Christians and Muslims across the frontier of the Reconquista. In their material relationship, they demonstrate the unique …

A Curriculum Designed To Teach Elementary-Age Children In Diverse Settings The Kingdom Concept Of Loving One’S Neighbor, Abigail J. Flood

ELAIA

United States Census data from 2020 show that the country is becoming increasingly diverse and urbanized. Other research shows children are aware of race from an early age and can pick up biases and stereotypes by watching the adults around them. However, there are no children’s ministry curricula that specifically address how children should navigate differences from a biblical perspective. To fill this gap, a children’s ministry curriculum was written to model how children can love their neighbors like Jesus did, especially those who look different from themselves. The curriculum is comprised of an introduction for the ministry leader, five …

The Invitation Of Prayer: A Fresh Perspective On How To Fellowship With The Triune God, Simone Twibell

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Prayer seems intimidating to many Christians. We wonder if we are doing it right, or saying the right things, or praying often enough, or in the right way. In this paper, I propose that there is absolutely no wrong way to pray. Instead, opening ourselves up to prayer is opening ourselves up to receiving and enacting the grace of God already at work in our lives to fill us even more deeply. Here, I examine prayer from a triune perspective that engages God the Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Spirit. Learning to fellowship with …

Καθαρός: The Pure - Setting Narrative In The Fourth-Century Roman Empire, Emma Branstetter

Scholar Week 2016 - present

My presentation illustrates the development of the Christian historical fiction novella named Καθαρός set in the early fourth century of Christian history closely following the events of the Great Persecution and its long-term effects on Christian communities in Asia Minor and North Africa. Previous Christian novels set in the Roman era primarily focus on the first century, and with the significant thematic potential found in later centuries after the life and resurrection of Christ, I embarked on this writing project. The research that affects my narrative is separated into four categories: the history and effects of Diocletian’s Great Persecution, fourth-century …

The Fire Of Pentecost: A Historical Reading Of Acts 2:3, Doug Ward

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Acts 2 is a foundational text for the Christian Church, especially for those in the Holiness tradition. Many in our tradition approach the text at face value and read the descriptions in the text as a physical description. Yet if we approach the text from a historical perspective and apply the language of God's presence to the text, a rich, new meaning emerges.

Social Media As Second Creation: Cyber-Space As A Denial Of Cosmic Community, Carter Ford

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Social media aims to move the communal sphere into the digital world. It is often quipped that the current generation is the most “connected” yet “disconnected” generation in history. If social media truly succeeds in moving the social community into a digital sphere, what is the source of the widely experienced disconnect from one another? I will argue that evaluating social media in light of Bonhoeffer’s cosmic community reveals that social media insufficiently invades the space of human relationship, not capable of supporting either connection between individuals or creation. Thus, rather than affirming real relationship online, social media replaces community …

Best Leadership Practices Of Senior Pastors In The Church Of The Nazarene, David Thornhill

Ed.D. Dissertations

The current study explored the leadership style and practices of 12 senior pastors in the Church of the Nazarene in the United States whose churches had experienced numerical growth under their leadership. The researcher theorized that uncovering the common leadership style and common leadership practices of these pastors would lead to suggesting growth strategies that may be taught to clergy and applied to churches in the USA region of the Church of the Nazarene. This qualitative collective case study revealed collaboration as the common leadership style among pastors of growing churches. This study also identified 11 common leadership practices among …

Early Christian Perspectives On The Catechetical Process, Mark A. Frisius

Center for Faith & Family

The goal of this paper is to provide a brief overview of findings related to the catechetical practices or early Christianity. This approach was occasioned by the observations that 1) the United States is headed toward a post-Christian reality, where Christianity can no longer be assumed as the dominant force in American culture, and 2). that it would be possible to gain insight from Christians who lived in a pre-Christian environment. This paper is organized around themes and is not meant to be read straight through. Instead, each theme contains a series of lettered or numbered observations designed to help …

Olivet Nazarene University Annual Catalog 2023-24, Olivet Nazarene University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Καθαρός, The Pure: Setting Narrative In The Fourth-Century Roman Empire, Emma Branstetter

Honors Program Projects

This thesis illustrates the development of the Christian historical fiction novella named Καθαρός set in the early fourth century of Christian history closely following the events of the Great Persecution and its long-term effects on Christian communities in Asia Minor and North Africa. Previous Christian novels set in the Roman era primarily focus on the first century, and with the significant thematic potential found in later centuries after the life and resurrection of Christ, I embarked on this writing project. The research that affects my narrative is separated into four categories: the history and effects of Diocletian’s Great Persecution, fourth-century …

Historical Theology Survey Critique: Augustine Of Hippo, Zachary Monte

ELAIA

This study evaluates how current historical theology survey texts understand and present the theology of Augustine. The texts are examined to assess the following: accuracy of presentation on discussed topics, specific theological topics Augustine addressed excluded in the surveys, and theological bias on the part of the authors. The historical theology surveys include Gregg Allison’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Justo González’s A History of Christian Thought, and Alister McGrath’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. The three major topics treated include Augustine’s Trinitarian thought, the Donatist Controversy, and the Pelagian Controversy. The findings …

Mothers And Sons: Queen Mothers Of Judah And The Religious Trends That Develop During Their Sons’ Reigns, Brian Bowen

ELAIA

This thesis studies the implicit relationship between the early gĕbîrôt of the Judaean Monarchy and the religious trends during the reigns of their sons. Though previous studies noted a relationship between the origins of the gĕbîrâ and the religious evaluation of her son, a systematic treatment on this subject has not yet been written. This study systematically analyzes the first three queen mothers of Judah—Bathsheba, Naamah, and Maacah—in view of their ethnic or national origins, the theophoric nature of their sons’ names, and their implicit religious and political effects upon their sons’ reigns. In a final section, it compares these …

Spiritual Mysteries That Matter When Leading, Gregg Chenoweth

Scholar Week 2016 - present

We need a God who guides, right now, in real time, through the projects and ambitions of our lives. The Apostle Paul did too. Like us, he never met the material Jesus and had to cultivate what he called a “competence” for being guided by God in the Spirit. This identity became so central to his life, he told the Church in Corinth his reputation should be as a “steward of mysteries.” We can be that too. We must. We lead in a world fixated on, "believe it when you see it," yet God provides more to us than sight. …

Multicultural Realities: A Call To Diversify The Unity Of The Church, Simone Twibell

Faculty Scholarship – Christian Ministry

With the advent of modernization and globalization, the social landscape of our world has been rapidly changing. Urbanization and new patterns of migration have contributed to the formation of a complex tapestry of cultural plurality. As a result, the social fabric of society has undergone a swift transformation, challenging Christians to continually think about their faith in new ways. Perhaps like never before, in the last few decades America has seen large new multicultural populations emerge. It does not take a social scientist to recognize that our world is diverse, our cities and towns are changing, and our schools and …

Olivet Nazarene University Annual Catalog 2022-23, Olivet Nazarene University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Missiology As A Discipline: Its Dimensions And Scope, Simone Twibell

Faculty Scholarship – Christian Ministry

At its most fundamental level, missiology simply refers to the study of mission. This basic understanding, however, invites further reflection. What and whose mission ought to be studied? What methods, academic disciplines, and tools must be employed in such a study? Inevitably, other questions beckon to be included in the discussion. Is there an essential core that pertains only to missiology that is not shared by other disciplines? What are missiology’s primary concerns? What are the goals and purpose of missiology? This article seeks to address these pertinent issues by offering a few insights from both a biblical and academic …

Augustine Of Hippo: A Historical Theology Critique, Zachary Monte

Honors Program Projects

This study evaluates how current historical theology survey texts understand and present the theology of Augustine. The texts are examined to assess the following: accuracy of presentation on discussed topics, specific theological topics Augustine addressed excluded in the surveys, and theological bias on the part of the authors. The historical theology surveys include Gregg Allison’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Justo González’s A History of Christian Thought, and Alister McGrath’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. The three major topics treated include Augustine’s Trinitarian thought, the Donatist Controversy, and the Pelagian Controversy. The findings …

Mothers And Sons: Queen Mothers Of Judah And The Religious Trends That Develop During Their Sons' Reign, Brian Bowen

Honors Program Projects

This thesis studies the implicit relationship between the early gĕbîrôt of the Judaean Monarchy and the religious trends during the reigns of their sons. While previous studies had noted a relationship between the origins of the gĕbîrâ and the religious evaluation of her son, a systematic treatment on this subject has not yet been written. After necessary background information has been explored, this study systematically analyzes the first three queen mothers of Judah—Bathsheba, Naamah, and Maacah—in view of their ethnic or national origins, the theophoric nature of their sons’ names, and their implicit religious and political effects upon their sons’ …

Augustine Of Hippo: A Historical Theology Evaluation, Zachary Monte

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Historical Theology Survey Critique: Augustine of Hippo evaluates how current historical theology survey texts understand and present the theology of Augustine. The texts will be examined to assess the following: the accuracy of presentation on discussed topics, the specific theological topics which Augustine addressed which are excluded in the surveys, and if there is any discernible theological bias on the part of the authors. The historical theology surveys that are focused on within this research paper include Greg Allison’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Justo González’s A History of Christian Thought, and Alister McGrath’s Historical Theology: An Introduction …

Mothers And Sons: Queen Mothers Of Judah And The Religious Trends That Develop During Their Sons' Reign, Brian Bowen

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This thesis studies the implicit relationship between the early gĕbîrôt of the Judaean Monarchy and the religious trends during the reigns of their sons. While previous studies had noted a relationship between the origins of the gĕbîrâ and the religious evaluation of her son, a systematic treatment on this subject has not yet been written. After necessary background information has been explored, this study systematically analyzes the first three queen mothers of Judah (Bathsheba, Naamah, and Maacah) in view of their ethnic or national origins, the theophoric nature of their sons’ names, and their implicit religious and political effects upon …

Origen’S Christian Philosophy: Misunderstood Master Or Horrendous Heretic?, Shelby Karch

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Throughout history, there has been no more a divisive figure than Origen of Alexandria with regards to his teachings being considered complete heresy or pure genius. Heretic or not, it is unquestionable that Origen’s innovative influence as the Father of Systematic Theology is far-reaching in Christian philosophy and systematic theology. His most important written work, On First Principles, exemplifies the most important goals of systematic theology by organizing the foundations of faith thematically to be best understood. Because he is one of the first to present theology in this manner, his method can be directly traced to secular sources. …

Olivet Nazarene University Annual Catalog 2021-22, Olivet Nazarene University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Olivet Nazarene University Annual Catalog 2020-21, Olivet Nazarene University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Biblical Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Biblical Literature

This article outlines the parameters of biblical ethics. It begins with an overview of how ethics functions in different ways throughout the biblical text, then it describes the ways that the content and emphases of biblical ethics changed over time, as evidenced in the biblical books themselves. This understanding provides a backdrop for a Wesleyan approach to appropriating biblical ethics for contemporary ethical issues.

Elaia 2019, Stephen Case

ELAIA

DIRECTOR'S NOTE in Volume 2

Each fall, the Honors Program at Olivet Nazarene University admits a small number of academically gifted students into its freshman class. From the moment they set foot on our campus, these women and men join a community of scholars, and together they read, reflect upon, and discuss the most important ideas of the past and present—all within a Christian fellowship. The first two years of the program involve a series of Honors courses, taught by a team of faculty and modeled on the historic “old-time college,” where small class relationships, interdisciplinary discussion, and debate prevailed. …

The Japanese Way In America: A Comparison Of The Spiritual Beliefs, Habits, And Ideas Of The American Religious ‘Nones’ And Contemporary Japanese Nationals, Jarrett Stalinger

ELAIA

There has been growing interest in the religiously unaffiliated within America. This growing interest has caused a new name to come about, the Nones. The present discussion attempts to give context to the rise of the Nones and to compare the religious beliefs and habits of these American Nones with the Japanese Nationals who inhabit Japan. There are many similarities between these two groups relating to ethics, interactions with people, and connection with nature. These comparisons show that there is a possible connection between people that explains spiritual experience, even outside that of normalized, institutional religions. This “intuition of the …

The Japanese Way In America: A Comparison Of The Spiritual Beliefs, Habits, And Ideas Of The American Religious ‘Nones’ And Contemporary Japanese Nationals, Jarrett Stalinger

Honors Program Projects

There has been growing interest in the religiously unaffiliated within America. This growing interest has caused a new name to come about, the Nones. The present discussion attempts to give context to the rise of the Nones and to compare the religious beliefs and habits of these American Nones with the Japanese Nationals who inhabit Japan. There are many similarities between these two groups relating to ethics, interactions with people, and connection with nature. These comparisons show that there is a possible connection between people which explains spiritual experience, even outside that of normalized, institutional religions. This “intuition of the …

‘No Longer Will You Call Me Ba’Al’- An Analysis Of The Prevailing Interpretive Model In The Scholarship Of Hosea And Counter-Proposal, John Mathy

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The majority of scholars assume that the book of Hosea was written against the backdrop of syncretistic Ba’al worship in the Northern Kingdom during the 8th century BC. This paper takes a critical look at the lack of evidence for this interpretation and proposes an alternative reading of the text. By systematically examining each use of the word ‘ba’al’ in the text of Hosea, this paper proposes that the primary polemic of the prophet is not aimed at Ba’al worship, but rather at a distorted nationalistic version of Yahweh worship, focused around the golden calves of Jeroboam I.

The Japanese Way In America: A Comparison Of The Religious Beliefs, Habits, And Ideas Of The American Religious 'Nones' And Contemporary Japanese Nationals, Jarrett Stalinger

Scholar Week 2016 - present

There has been growing interest in the religiously unaffiliated within America. This growing interest has caused a new name to come about, the Nones. The present discussion attempts to give context to the rise of the Nones and to compare the religious beliefs and habits of these American Nones with the Japanese Nationals who inhabit Japan. There are many similarities between these two groups with relations to ethics, interactions with people, and connection with nature. These comparisons show that there is a possible connection between people which explains spiritual experience, even outside that of normalized, institutional religions. This “intuition of …

“Glossing” The Text: Gendered Biblical Interpretation In Chaucer’S Canterbury Tales, Karen Knudson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Not available.