Religion Commons^™

The 95 Theses As A Template For Lasting Liturgical Reform, Timothy J. Wengert

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

In this lecture, Timothy Wengert uses the 95 Theses as a lens to view what is essential to Lutheran liturgical reform. The lecture concludes: "So this lies at the heart of the early Luther’s liturgical theology: the Mass, the sermon and prayer, all tied to faith and baptism. As we continue to witness to God’s renewal of Christian liturgy in our midst, Luther provides us with some of the Christian church’s richest resources."

Tolkien’S Sub-Creation And Secondary Worlds: Implications For A Robust Moral Psychology, Nathan S. Lefler

Journal of Tolkien Research

In his work, “On Fairy Stories,” J. R. R. Tolkien offers a detailed account of what he calls Sub-creation, along with the corresponding notions of Primary and Secondary Worlds. In this paper, I suggest that Tolkien’s concept of Sub-creation can be creatively appropriated in the realm of moral psychology and there applied to the fundamental relationship between self and other – or in Judeo-Christian terms, “I” and my neighbor. Through appeal to Tolkien’s thought and to the wider Christian theological tradition, and in constructive tension with the contemporary psychoanalytic attention to “intersubjectivity,” I attempt to elucidate the power and appropriate …

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 Twentieth Century Reform Of The Liturgy: Outcomes And Prospects, John F. Baldovin S.J.

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(excerpt)

I want to situate my reflections on the outcomes of the 20^th century liturgical reform and our prospects for the future. This is how I propose to proceed. I will very briefly review the late twentieth century liturgical reforms and revisions of a number of churches. Then I will turn to reactions to the reforms of the past fifty years, some assessment of their success and failure, and finally prospects for the future, employing an analogy with curricular reform, specifically in theological education. In terms of assessment I will have to limit myself to the Roman Catholic experience …

The Work For The People Reforming At People's Church?, Timo-Matti Haapiainen

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

The aim of this presentation is to give a picture of the place of liturgy in the life of an old folk church and in its identity process. What is the role of the Christian liturgy in ELCF today? How could liturgy reform a folk church that is confronting all the challenges of 21^st century?

Reforming Liturgy In A Re-Forming Age, Edward Foley

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Where Do We Go From Here?, Lorraine Brugh

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(excerpt)

Truth is, though, we need wise and discerning counsel in order learn how to be liturgists for our assemblies. Liturgists, whether worship leaders or planners, presiding or assisting, spoken or musical, all need a coherent sense of their assembly’s worship. I hope to demonstrate that such coherence emerges from both a broad interaction with the wider church, ecumenical partners and others, as well as a deep look into our own particular assembly’s cultural context. Deepening the specific and broadening our reach are challenging in and of themselves; keeping them in balance is always an ongoing project.

Orphic Powers In J.R.R. Tolkien's Legend Of Beren And Lúthien, Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

In “Orphic Powers in Tolkien’s Legend of Beren and Lúthien,” I consider three interrelated strands that influenced the development of Tolkien’s most precious story: Tolkien’s own life experience, sources from classical mythology and medieval literature, and the hope inherent to the Christian faith, especially for resurrection and eternal life, as symbolized in the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price. This study suggests that Tolkien’s relationship to his wife, Edith, inspires the legend and renders it a psychological allegory. Three Ovidian tales from classical mythology that were later re-told in medieval literature also influence it: the rape of Philomela, the …

The Sounds Of Vatican Ii: Musical Change And Experimentation In Two U.S. Trappist Monasteries, 1965−1984, Bradford Lee Eden

Library Faculty Publications

The Second Vatican Council impacted the use of liturgical music within religious communities. Two U.S. Trappist monasteries, New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, and Gethsemani Abbey in Bardstown, Kentucky, evidenced distinctive approaches to the musical freedom resulting from the Vatican II reforms. New Melleray incorporated contemporary folk music and instruments. At Gethsemani, Father Chrysogonus Waddell pioneered the use of Gregorian notation and English psalmody. The musical changes had a profound effect on the Trappists’ celebration of the Mass and the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Expertise And Service: A Call To Action, Rebecca Butler

Library Faculty Publications

Although theological librarianship occurs most often at seminaries or graduate level theology programs, there are also librarians working with theology on an undergraduate level. In many cases, these librarians are responsible for additional subject areas and may or may not have any theological expertise or training. While the two groups do the same types of work, they are doing so in different ways. To explore these commonalities and differences, a study was conducted among undergraduate theology liaisons and those results were compared with the literature and data regarding graduate level theological librarianship. One hundred ten undergraduate librarians responded to a …

To Have Life, And Have It Abundantly!, Christoffer H. Grundmann

Theology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Ninhursag Lament, A Literary Precedent For The Stabat Mater, Clara Brandt

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The Stabat Mater Dolorosa of the Christian tradition bears a striking resemblance to the weeping goddess poems of Sumer, and in particular the Ninhursag Lament. The history behind both poems is briefly outlined, and then comparisons are drawn between the two poems' structure, imagery, movements, and use of other literary devices. Using these comparisons and evidence from the Bible, it is proposed that the Ninhursag Lament is a literary precedent for the Stabat Mater Dolorosa.

The “A” Is For Archetype: Gilgamesh As The Source For Captain America, Matthew Heider

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

I investigate the archetypal roots of the modern American superhero who has been so popular of late in film, and find that they are located in Ancient culture, specifically in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In that context, the hero is an individual who must grapple with “an exploration of the inevitable conflict between, on the one hand, the forces represented by the absolute commitment of the powerful and heroic male to energy and battle and…the forces that represent some newly emerging situations and value systems" (Abusch). By employing that frame, I find there are narrative similarities between Captain America and …

Touch Me And See: A Resurrection Of The Body In The Church?, Samuel Torvend

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Stewardship: A Biblical Metaphor For The Formation Of Christian Scholars, Julien C.H. Smith, T Laine Scales

Christ College Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mary Grace And The Warthog From Hell: Violent Redemption In Flannery O’Connor’S “Revelation”, Halina Hopkins

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Scholarship on the works of Flannery O’Connor is divided concerning her depiction of divine grace as a violent force. Some scholars worry that her insistence on the violence of grace makes God a violent God or excuses the pain and brokenness of the world. Despite the arguments of those who oppose O’Connor’s view of violent grace, this paper will argue that O’Connor is right to depict violence in her short stories because, although it might be counterintuitive to think of divine grace wounding before it heals, being torn from an old life of sin is painful. While not excusing violence …

Idealism Realized: A Closer Examination Of Leo Tolstoy’S Influence On Jane Addams’ Theory Of Social Reform, Laurie Kenyon

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Widely regarded as a champion for social reform, Jane Addams has deeply influenced the progression of American social policy since Chicago’s Hull House opened in 1889. Throughout her life, Addams struggled with how the privileged should interact with and aid those less fortunate. This struggle was fully realized as Addams compared her own response to that of Russian author and activist, Leo Tolstoy. Addams was deeply affected by Tolstoy’s conviction that only those who literally live with the impoverished can claim to have served them. In the time Addams spent at his farm in Russia, she came into disagreement with …

Prayers From Underground: The Psalmic Voice In Dostoevsky’S Notes From Underground, Jacob Just

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Criticism concerning Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground has primarily focused on the social and historical context in which the novel was situated. Scholars have traditionally resisted a religious reading and therefore have usually found their grounding in the political, psychological, and philosophical systems of thought in mid-19th century Russian society. Though many of these readings of Dostoevsky's short novel are valid, they have missed the deeply theological concerns of Notes from Underground, and have focused, if at all theologically, on the possibilities of the novel as a forerunner of 20th century existentialism. However, my research demonstrates that Notes from …

Net Neutrality: Fight For The Survival Of The Free Internet, Andrew Jarratt

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The Internet is often thought of as a tool that allows for the free flow of information. Today, as a vessel of free speech, the Internet threatens to become a vestige of its original self. Increasingly, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) claim the power to regulate content and arbitrarily increase the price for customers to access certain information and have the ability to make customers financially support content that they disagree with. In these ways, ISPs have gained increased control over the flow of Internet information, while the citizen of cyberspace has increasingly lost his freedom to control his choices online. …

Religious Individualization, American Catholicism, And Vatican Ii: Issues Of Influence And Interpretation, Laura Ehlen

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

It cannot be denied that, throughout the history of the Christian tradition, religious doctrine has changed over time, yet a debate exists over the degree to which these changes are the effects of historically specific socio-cultural forces, and the degree to which they are the effects of solely theological forces, such as divine revelation or ecumenical councils. While many Christian thinkers want to consider doctrine as existing in isolation from history and culture and thus only altered by divine revelation, Christian history reveals a number of incidents, from the reign of Constantine to the Reformation to the Enlightenment, where culture …

The Grace-Filled Form: The Repentant Transformation Of Character, Reader, And Text In Dante’S Inferno, Jeremy Reed

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Dante scholarship has provided many different glimpses into the relationship of form and content in the Inferno. However, few have addressed the theological, and in fact sacramental, understanding of this relationship in any great detail. Like many previous treatments, my analysis depends on Thomistic understandings of grace and nature, but unlike those prior studies it uses Thomistic theology to discuss the process of writing and reading poetry in the Commedia. Dante presents the reality of grace throughout his narrative; he documents its effects on himself as the protagonist and narrator of his own poem. However, Dante does something …

Not Afraid Of Lacking: Toward An Asexual Theology, Wendy Mallette

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

This paper details an asexual theological response to two problems that queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid challenges: dyadic thinking and the systematic desexualization of bodies within theological discourses as these uphold the omnipotency of God the Father. Drawing from Althaus-Reid's discussion of critical bisexuality to address the first problem, this paper discusses how asexuality challenges the oneness logic of heterosexual dyads and demonstrates how asexuality can destabilize the sexual/asexual dichotomy. Using Luce Irigaray's understanding of dyads, this paper responds to Althaus-Reid's critique of the asexualization of poor women in liberation theology. It problematizes the desexualization of certain bodies – the bodies …

The Message And The Situation: An Evaluation Of The Preaching Of Paul Tillich, Benjamin Taylor

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

In much of Western Christianity, there exists a problem of identity for the Christian individual. The individual considers him or herself a Christian, but feels a matter of disconnect between who he or she is on Saturday night and who he or she is on Sunday morning. The Christian struggles to live a life in both the sacred and the secular. The Christian struggles to establish an authentic identity, an identity that incorporates all of the human experience. How can this struggle be resolved? Paul Tillich had an answer. Tillich developed his method of correlation as a way of uniting …

Examining Eschatologies Of Glory And The Eschatology Of The Cross In A Theology Of Hope And A Fire In My Belly, Wendy Mallette

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

This paper utilizes the theological framework developed in Jūrgen Moltmann's A Theology of Hope to examine David Wojnarowicz's film, A Fire in My Belly. Moltmann's work criticizes eschatologies of glory that can be seen when the church emphasizes heavenly salvation at the expense of earthly life. Instead, Moltmann poses the eschatology of the cross that leads the believer to hope for God's transformation of the earth on which the cross stands and sends the believer back to struggle in the world. Using these theological categories, this paper examines Wojnarowicz's film. The footage from A Fire in My Belly contains …

What Should Christians Take From The Native American Church Peyote Ceremony?, Brian Rajcok

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Native American religious tradition is a fascinating subject. Yet most Americans know very little about the spiritual practices of indigenous peoples. As a curious student of theology, I explored the modern Native American Church in my senior seminar research paper. I attended a peyote ceremony – a healing ritual using the hallucinogenic cactus peyote – and studied the history, theology, and practice of the Native American Church. Through my research and experience, I have seen similarities between my own Christian tradition and the Native American Church and contend that the sacramental use of peyote can be a powerful spiritual tool …

Wellness, Health, And Salvation : About The Religious Dimension Of Contemporary Body-Mindedness, Christoffer H. Grundmann

Theology Faculty Publications

Alluding to the enormous investments in wellness, health, and anti-aging by affluent US society today the article focuses on the anthropological and religious implications of this phenomenon by stating that the pursuit of such caring for the body has superseded the quest for salvation. The first section provides a historical background analysis of how the contemporary semi-religious bodymindedness came about, while the second part analyses wellness, health, and salvation from a phenomenological point of view. It shows that any body image which does not address human frailty turns into something utterly inhumane while a religiously informed anthropology, in contrast, not …

Global Human Thriving: A Christian Perspective, Christoffer H. Grundmann

Theology Faculty Presentations

(excerpt) "Talking about global human thriving from a decidedly religious point of view requires interpreting a particular religious tradition in light of today’s ubiquitous ecological, economic, and political challenges. One cannot any longer stay content with a monologic explanation of happenings based on an authoritarian, unilateral interpretation of holy writ and the wisdom of old, at least not according to the Christian perception of life and human responsibility, because global issues like climate change, water scarcity, and nuclear overkill—to mention only a few—indiscriminately threaten the continuation of all of life as known so far. These issues compel us to pursue …

The Calling Of Nursing, Christoffer H. Grundmann

Theology Faculty Presentations

(excerpt) "Baffled by the broad variety and diversity of nursing and unable to discover one single common thread of thought and discussion in the literature, I got desperate and finally turned to Dean Brown for help, hoping to get some viable direction. And, indeed, I did, yet of course not the way I expected. When I asked her if she would be so kind as to name me the standard instruction textbook used for nursing education and practice, she unhesitatingly replied: 'There isn’t one. Because there are so many content areas in nursing, there is no one text that is …

One Body, Washed, Frederick A. Niedner

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(excerpt) So much that adults do and say makes little sense in the minds of children. I can’t imagine that I was the only small child of Christian parents who ever puzzled over the oddity of a day that came once a year, just before Easter. It was Monday Thursday, a day that was somehow two days of the week at once. Like the official lyrics of several hymns I’d memorized by hearing them sung repeatedly, the name of this peculiar Thursday got straightened out, at least partially, when I learned to read. Even though “Maundy” made no sense, it …

Soul Purpose: Theatre Outreach Program, John Steven Paul

Soul Purpose Liturgical Dramas and Essays

Excerpt: "The intention of Soul Purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to follow the command of Exodus 23:19: The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God."