Religion Commons^™

A Question Of Sin And Responsibility: Exploring Innocence In Dante, Cassandra Stephenson

Global Tides

Dante’s use of the word innocent—referring to infants who died soon after birth—presents a unique perspective on the spiritual hierarchy of The Divine Comedy. Though labeled as innocent, Dante’s infants are nonetheless excluded from Paradise. Concurrent mentions of innocence and original sin raise the question of the meaning of Dante’s innocence and its implications on the concepts of true choice, merit, and ignorance. These combined factors determine infants’ placement in Limbo or just below Paradise, and they help further a complete understanding of Dante’s theology and work as a whole.

Against A Process View Of Divine Patience, Luke Asher

Global Tides

When one chooses to tolerate suffering, waiting calmly without reacting emotively or physically, he is demonstrating the virtue of patience. Process theology claims that the patience of God is more or less identical to the experience of human patience. That is, when we sin and rebel against God, He refrains from smiting us, that we might repent and return to Him. In other words, God demonstrates patience when he restrains Himself temporally from interfering with or punishing mankind, waiting for their repentance. Such an explanation of divine patience may seem intuitive, but the patience of God is much greater, much …

C.S. Lewis And The Struggle For Existence, Callaghan R. Mcdonough

Global Tides

Man exists upon a continuum of existence and nonexistence. Throughout the works of C.S. Lewis, one unearths the notion that God beckons man higher into a greater reality, one in which man is both more independent and more united with God; meanwhile, Satan attempts to drag man downward into increased nonexistence. Man is called into a higher existence, but God is not calling us to be Him. God is calling us to be more human, the humanity that He intended.

The Spirit Of Reconciliation, James W. Mccarty Iii

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Just One Story?, Laura Buffington

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Program: 2015 Featured Lecture, "God's Wider Presence: Recognizing God's General Revelation", Robert K. Johnston

Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Program

Program for the Eleventh Annual Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. Robert K. Johnston, Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary.

72nd Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Faithworks (2015), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 72nd Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 5 - 8, 2015. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

Program: Featured Lecture, "Intergenerational Christian Formation.", Holly Catterton Allen

William M. Green Distinguished Christian Lecture Program

Program for the Thirty-Fifth Annual William M. Green Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. Holly Catterton Allen, Professor of Family Studies and Christian Ministries, Lipscomb University.

A Period Of Transition: Early Islamic And Umayyad Coinage, Anna Tiner

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

John Wilson, dean emeritus and professor of religion at Pepperdine University, has accumulated a collection of over 1200 coins from the Holy Land dating from the Persian Period (c. 5th century) to the time of the Crusaders (c. 14th century). Wilson’s interest in these coins has given many Pepperdine undergraduate students the opportunity to study and research the coins’ significance in historical, religious and artistic context. From Wilson’s generosity, I, a senior art history major at Pepperdine, have been given the opportunity to analyze four coins from his collection dating from 620 AD to 680 AD. These four coins provides …

Displaying Loyalty In The Midst Of Rebellion: Jewish Loyalist Coins In The 1st Century, Eric Kim

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The First Jewish Revolt was a decisive event for the Jewish people which had ripple effects for Judaism all the way into modernity. However, the revolt was not as homogenous as it is often portrayed to be. Although Jerusalem, the focal point of the revolt, was rife with civil war and revolt against the Romans, other Jewish cities did not all share these sentiments. Notably, the city of Sepphoris is representative of a Jewish city that was loyal to their Roman overseers. This study focused on a bronze coin minted in Sepphoris during the Revolt and what the symbols and …

A Coin From Caesarea Philippi: Julia Domna, Laura De La Torre

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The year is 193 A.D., and the Severan Dynasty has begun. For the first time in Roman history, the emperor, Septimius Severus, is from Leptis Magna (present day Libya). His wife, Julia Domna, is also a foreigner, from Emersa, Syria. Through extensive travel, the two were able to create a unified Roman Empire. One of their early trips brought them to Caesarea Philippi, in what is today northern Israel; the coin under study commemorated this trip (199 A.D.). This coin reveals the relationship between Caesarea Philippi and Rome in the beginning of the Severan dynasty, and it demonstrates the transformation …

A Period Of Transition: Early Islamic And Umayyad Coinage, Anna Tiner

Featured Research

A study of four coins from 620 to 680 AD provides a meager yet insightful glimpse into the coinage minted by Islamic rulers during their conquest over the Holy Land and the transition of rule from the Byzantine Empire to the Islamic Caliphate. With the help of an innovative technology called Reflective Transference Image (RTI), on loan from USC, I created high-resolution images that can be adjusted with respect to light and reflectivity. Creating RTI images of the coins administers a deeper alternate perspective giving light to aspects of the coin that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Using …

Program: 2014 Featured Lecture, "The Gospel & The Imagination: The Literary Art Of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Mitchell

Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Program

Program for the Tenth Annual Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr.Christopher Mitchell, Professor of Christian Thought in the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.

71st Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Enter The Water, Come To The Table (2014), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 71st Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, April 29 - May 2, 2014. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

An Assessment Of African Christianity In A Transforming Context, Dyron Daughrity

All Faculty Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The Purpose Of Life, Callaghan Mcdonough

Global Tides

In the minds of Plato and Aristotle, happiness is the end goal of life, and the worth of everything else, including goodness, justice, and virtue, is based on whether or not it is beneficial as means to this end. Modern American society, though defining happiness differently, in many ways reflects the Greeks’ idea that happiness is the reason for human life. Supported by the Christian and Hebrew Bible, this essay will attempt to debunk the Greeks’ theory, which will implicitly criticize the modern American pursuit. It will be shown that entities such as goodness, justice, and virtue are desirable in …

Distinct Differences, Kendrick Roberson

Global Tides

When analyzing Christianity, it is important to note the manifold changes in methods of worship that can be attributed to a racial demographic and its accompanying culture. Within these different methods of worship, between both denominations and cultures, adherence to the Bible should be the focal point of every church’s preaching. With the mindset of “Sola Scriptura,” this reflective paper will not only analyze The Malibu Gathering, but will also touch on the overarching principles of the Protestant subset and determine whether today’s Protestant churches are meeting this standard.

Atatürk's Balancing Act: The Role Of Secularism In Turkey, Patrick G. Rear

Global Tides

The intersection of religion and politics in the form of a civil religion has been present since time immemorial. This paper looks specifically to the relationship between Turkey’s development of a secular civil religion after gaining independence and the advancing of women’s rights and democratic values. In examining the intersections of state and religion in a secular Islamic society, it draws parallels to the French civil religion as it came to be following the French Revolution. Though Atatürk and other secularists were strong forces in developing the civil religion, the paper also examines liberal democratic and conservative Islamic groups in …

Judea Captured, Jessica Baity, Jimmy Yang

Featured Research

This coin is a part of the “Judea Captured” collection minted in Caesarea. Through thorough imaging and the decoding of Greek inscriptions we believe that we can prove the significance of the coin in correlation to the First Jewish War in battle against the Romans. We believe that it celebrates the victory of the Romans during the First Jewish War (66 – 69 AD) , under the Emperor Vespasian (68 – 79 AD). But the question does arise about the significance of certain symbols; especially the palm tree and crown made of palm leaves and how they relate to the …

Coinage During The Bar Kochba Rebellion, Jonathan Allen, Robbie Robles

Featured Research

This is a coin that Jews used during the Bar Kochba Rebellion, The dates of the
Bar Kochba are from 132-135 A.D. The rebellion was started in response to the
rule of Emperor Hadrian, who was insensitive to Jewish Traditions and started
banning Jewish religious practices. In response, Jews began minting their own
coins to honor their religious rituals and the leaders of the rebellion.

Ancient Marcus Aurelius Coin, Tawni Gurney, Andrew Hirsch

Featured Research

Upon glancing at coins, people generally overlook their historical aspect of the coins and simply look at their monetary value. In our seminar class, however, we were interested in so much more than money when it came to studying our particular coin. We wanted to know what this particular coin could tell us about the history of the time when it was minted. We deciphered what was on the coin and researched the significance of each aspect. We also studied similar coins to confirm our interpretations. We compared the writings on the coins and the images themselves. Additionally, we photographed …

The Use Of Propaganda On An Augustan Denarius, Jens Ibsen, Melissa Miller

Featured Research

This coin is a silver denarius minted in Lugdunum (now Lyon), most likely under the reign of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. There are factors which point to a possibility of the coin being a restitution issue minted under either Trajan or Hadrian, such as its pristine condition, which implies a lack of use, and the similarity of symbols employed on this denarius and denarii of Trajan’s era. The coin is a prime example of Augustus’ use of propaganda inserted into Roman daily life to sell the idea of empire to a Roman people who ardently defended a long-standing …

Herod The Great's Message Through Year 3 Coin, Elizabeth Chau

Featured Research

King Herod the Great was a half Jewish client king who struggled with appeasing Roman rulers and yet avoiding conflict with the Jews. In the investigation of a coin from year 3 of King Herod’s reign I have found that Herod was aware of Jewish customs and respected their customs through the lack of Pagan symbols. Additionally, the Greek lettering and the symbolism on the coin illustrates Herod’s Hellenistic reign. In my observations of the coin King Herod’s Hellenistic reign was characterized by his great value of power and yet respect of Jewish culture while at the same time pleasing …

History Through A Coin: Valerian, Dido, And The Founding Of Carthage, Jack Miller, Brittany Piwowar

Featured Research

The coin dating from 270 AD depicts on its obverse side the Roman Emperor Valerian, the first Emperor to be captured as a prisoner of war. On the reverse side is a unique scene of the goddess Dido sacrificing at the Temple of Hercules before setting off to found Carthage from Tyre, the city in which the coin was minted. Like all individually minted coins, this piece is very unique and may be a re-strike of a previously issued coin.

Late Hasmonean Coinage: A Snapshot Of Alexander Jannaeus's Rule, Timothy Schaefer, Christopher Huang

Featured Research

Like other late Hasmonean rulers, Alexander walked the line between outright Hellenization and traditional Judaism. He did this to please other powerful rulers while keeping his power over his domestic people. We can see this clash of Hebrew and Greek influences in his coinage.

Program: Featured Lecture, "We Shall Assemble On The Mountain.", John Mark Hicks

William M. Green Distinguished Christian Lecture Program

Program for the Thirty-Fourth Annual William M. Green Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. John Mark Hicks, Professor of Theology, Lipscomb University.

Program: 2013 Featured Lecture, "Igods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual And Social Lives", Craig Detweiler

Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Program

Program for the Ninth Annual Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. Craig Detweiler, Associate Professor of Communication and director of the Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture at Pepperdine University.

70th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Can I Get A Witness: Faithfully Following The Lamb In Revelation (2013), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 70th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, April 30 - May 3, 2013. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

The Awakening Of Knowledge In The Heart Of Egypt: An Exegesis Of Exodus 7:1-5, Andrew Krawtz

Global Tides

Exodus 7:1-5 is the fourth reiteration of God’s commands to Moses regarding Pharaoh and the Israelites, with the others being in Exod 3, 4:21-23, and 6:1-13. With these passages and the resulting plagues, readers have raised questions regarding God’s powerfulness and good nature. For example, if God is all-powerful and good, why does he not just liberate the Israelites immediately, instead of dragging it out through ten plagues while manipulating Pharaoh, seemingly exacerbating the general suffering of people and land? My proposed answer to these concerns lies in the focus of this passage, which is God’s relationship with the Egyptians. …

The Missional Approach Of The Acts 29 Church Planting Movement, Marylyn Sohlberg

Global Tides

Missional churches, those that bring Jesus outside the walls of the church and into the unknown, unreached, and uncomfortable areas in the United States and the world, seem to have taken center stage in the realm of popular Christian discussion over the past few decades. However, roughly thirty percent of the globe remains untargeted by “missional churches.” In his book “Planting Missional Churches,” Ed Stetzer highlights the need for missional churches in the U.S. in particular, citing a Gallup poll that observed eighty percent of American churches in decline. In 2011, Gallup also estimated an average of forty-five percent of …