Religion Commons^™

Signs Of Faith, May 2011

Signs of Faith

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Paterson, NJ

Signs of Faith Finding Aid

Echoes From Geneva: Finding John Calvin’S Socio-Economic Interests In The Modern World, Brenda K. Savage

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Through an examination of John Calvin’s intentions in ending the prohibition on usury and the practical application of his teachings in sixteenth-century Geneva, and a consideration of the elements of poverty, social outcasts, and exploitation common to both Geneva and the modern world, it can be argued that the Reformer has much to offer of continued relevancy for those seeking to engage their contemporary world by finding alternatives that can help the financially disenfranchised. Calvin is often referred to as the “Father of Modern Interest,” and as such many people have directly blamed him for the exploitation associated with capitalism. …

The Influence And Legacy Of Deism In Eighteenth Century America, Tiffany E. Piland

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

This thesis project, The Influence and Legacy of Deism in Eighteenth Century America, examines deism’s impact as a theological system on American life and culture in the eighteenth century. Beginning with a basic definition of the term deism, a historical background is included. Next, the work of Galileo, Bacon, Newton, and Locke is examined for its impact on eighteenth century thought as well as early deist writers such as John Toland, Matthew Tindal, and Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

Moving onto America in the eighteenth century, colonial newspaper articles, letters, and other documents are examined that contain references to deism. Colleges …

The Power Of A Hymn, Jennifer Sadallah

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"Growing up I attended a Roman Catholic parish that was relatively small. I knew the people that went to my parish my whole life. The comfortable atmosphere at my church was created from a lifetime of Sundays. When I came to Fisher my freshman year, I would see familiar faces at mass in Murphy Chapel. Upon graduating from Fisher in May of 2010, I decided to take an internship at Disney World in Orlando. For the first time I was in an unfamiliar place where I didn‟t know a …

The Banner - V. 146, No. 5 - (May 2011), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: True Dialogue by Bob De Moor / 7 - Catch Your Breath: Return to Wonder by Simon Cunningham / 8 - IMHO: U.S. Budget Cuts Could Harm Poor by Gary Mulder / 8 - Letters to the Editor / 10 - News: CRC executive director resigns / 18 - Jihad: What Does the Qur'an Really Say? by Tom Oosterhuis / 22 - Scholarship, Strings, and Stars by Matt Kucinski / 26 - Dear Reader: We Need to Talk by Jerry Dykstra / 30 - Just for Kids: Stormy Weather by Sandy Swartzentruber / 32 - Our Fundamental …

Learning (By) Stories: A Future For Christian Education, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Review Of Missionaries And Their Medicine, Chad M. Bauman

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

A review of Missionaries And Their Medicine: A Christian Modernity for Tribal India, by David Hardiman, Manchester University Press, 2008.

Beyond Change-Overcoming The Barriers To Small Rural Church Revitalization, Allen F. Wachter

Doctor of Ministry

Many of the rural churches of the Free Methodist Denomination in the Northeast region of the United States have experienced substantial stagnation and/or decline of their attendance rates over the past five years. This begs the questions, "What is preventing these churches from being revitalized so they too can be used as vessels to grow the Kingdom of God?" Though many obstructions to kingdom growth1 exist, this study focuses on the following five barriers: resistance to change, under-utilization of spiritual gifts, relational dysfunction, apathy, and lack of love. The source of these barriers was discovered through personal observation and experience …

The Great Commissioning: An Exegesis Of Matthew 28:16-20, Ryan Kendall Phelps

Masters Theses

Throughout the history of Christianity, evangelism has been an often-discussed topic. At certain times the discussion has revolved around the question of whether or not there is a command to actively seek out unbelievers for the purpose of evangelism in the Bible that applies to Christians in the world they live in. One of the most common verses cited as a command for evangelism is Matthew 28:18-20, commonly called the "Great Commission." However, some Christians argue that this is a command for discipleship and not evangelism. While it is hard to make a distinction based on this verse alone, Matthew …

With Us Or Against Us: Using Religiosity And Sociodemographic Variables To Predict Homophobic Beliefs, Erin Coale Schwartz

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Affiliation with religious organizations is prevalent in the United States and within some of these organizations negative messages about lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are regularly espoused. Exposure to such homophobic sentiment has been found to have a detrimental impact on the mental health of sexual minorities and thereby, makes the exploration of religiosity and homophobia an imperative. This study examined differences in homophobia among the sociodemographic variables of gender, age, education level, religious affiliation, frequency of attendance at religious services, and amount of contact with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Additionally, a stepwise multiple regression was conducted to determine …

Mindfulness And Authentic Creativity Developing A Healthy Lifestyle, Brittany B. Cockrell

HIM 1990-2015

The contemporary society of the United States of America is becoming an increasingly stressful environment to live in. Our rapid advances and developments in virtual, electronic, and high-speed technology have led us to a lifestyle that operates more quickly. However, our attachment to such a face-paced lifestyle has unfortunately led us towards an increasingly stressful lifestyle. This research focuses on identifying our current society's perceptual outlook and illustrating how the practice of mindfulness can help reduce the anxieties, struggles, and mental flaws which cloud our perception. The intent of this thesis is to show how the practice of mindfulness is …

Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality And The Planetary Future, By Bron Taylor, Christopher Key Chapple

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Continuity And Development In Roman Catholic Ecclesiology, Susan K. Wood

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

An overview of the conceptualizations of the Catholic Church from the theology of Bellarmine to contemporary understanding of the church as communion shows both continuity and development from one concept to the next rather than an abrupt change to a new model that discards the model preceding it. This essay examines the church as perfect society, church as mystical body, church as sacrament, church as people of God, and church as communion, demonstrating that the various conceptualizations represent development, balance, correction, and a deeper penetration in the understanding and articulation of the prior conceptualizations. The church as body of Christ …

Common Core Thesis And A Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Mysticism In Chinese Buddhist Monks And Nuns, Zhuo Chen

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the phenomenological structure of mystical experience among 139 Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns. Semi-structured interviews, thematic coding, and statistical analyses identified Hood’s Mysticism Scale as a valid tool for studying mysticism across religions and cultures. Stace’s common facets of mysticism as measured by Hood’s scale successfully described Buddhist experience as modified by Buddhist doctrines. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that these facets could be formed into Stace’s three-factor structure. A mystical introvertive unity hypothesized to be separate from an extrovertive unity appeared instead to converge in the Chinese Buddhist context. These results lent strong …

A Theology Of Religious Change, David J. Zehnder

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Zehnder, David, J. “A Theology of Religious Change.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2011. 218 pp.

This essay sets up a dialogue between the sociology and psychology of religious change (conversion’s human side) and conversion (theologically defined) to prove that empirical research into change experience, ideology as an attracting force to religion, and social networks’ influence on conversion does not threaten theology’s assertions but can help to clarify theology’s tasks in communicating to various audiences. Science helps theology through a correlational model of interaction developed in the study. The correlational method first asks of science: Why do people change religiously? Once …

Practical Strategies For 21st Century Healthy Church Growth As A Model Of A Sung Jin Presbyterian Church, Duksoo Jang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to help Korean pastors to build their churches healthily. This dissertation will attempt to clarify the biblical definition and purpose of the church, and describe the characteristics of healthy church growth suggested by specialists. This dissertation will also provide a brief history, vision, ministry of Sung Jin Presbyterian Church as a model for healthy growing church, and analyze and evaluate the current situation of the SJPC based on Natural Church Development written by Dr. Christian A. Schwarz, who suggests eight quality characteristics of growing healthy Churches. Finally, this dissertation will suggest the twelve strategies …

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

St. Dominic Deaf Center, May-June 2011

Saint Dominic Deaf Center

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Houston, TX

Saint Dominic Deaf Center Finding Aid

Outreach, May 2011

Outreach

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Great Britain and Ireland

Outreach Finding Aid

Newsletter Catholic Deaf Of Detroit, May 2011

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Detroit, MI

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit Finding Aid

The Silent Witness, May-June 2011

Silent Witness, The

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Washington, D.C.

The Silent Witness Finding Aid

Religion And Gender In Albania 1967-2009, Enriketa Pandelejmoni (Papa)

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Is The Modern Parachurch A Reflection Of Misguided Ecclesiology?, Joshua A. Haywood

Senior Honors Theses

In light of the present situation of Christianity, it has become necessary to examine the biblical basis for ministries outside the normal parameters of the Church. One of the biggest problems with addressing this issue is that of defining the parachurch. An accurate and sufficient definition for what constitutes a parachurch ministry requires an investigation into biblical ecclesiology. The relationship between parachurch ministries and the local and universal church must be established in a time when the lines between them are blurred. Some basic principles need to be established which describe what constitutes a biblical reason for the creation of …

Crack Mothers, Crack Babies, And Black Male Dope Dealers Productions Of Deviance During America's Crack Cocaine Panic In The 1980s, Chantelle Yandow

HIM 1990-2015

A moral panic erupted during the 1980s among the American public when stories about crack cocaine saturated the media. In this thesis I analyze how discursive productions of deviancy operated in the CBS news documentary: 48 Hours on Crack Street (1986) and other print news sources at that time. Three salient characters that appear in news media discourse during the panic are "crack mothers," "crack babies," and "Black male dope dealers." The news media frightened the public with such representations (among others) and the public urged politicians to get tough on drug crime to control the so-called crack cocaine plague. …

Faith In A Time Of Doubt: In The Forest, Dee (Geraldine) Hogan

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"This essay is a partial response to a friend who sent me his book of poetry. It became more than a response to his book. It became a thoughtful look at my own faith."

Book Review: "How Latin America Saved The Soul Of The Catholic Church" (Cleary, 2009), Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dance And Contextualization In The South Pacific Islands - Encounters With Adventist Christian Faith, Jennifer Jean Jones

Human Subject Research Archive

This dissertation investigated the attitudes and perceptions of the students and faculty towards dance for religious events at Pacific Adventist University (PAU) in New Guinea. It aimed to help in leading a climate for change within PAU towards a model for contextualizing traditional dance for God's Kingdom ministry. A directed study of the biblical precedents regarding dance served as a foundation to the rationale of engaging in dance for worship. Some sources in Adventist Church theology on dance in relation to their relevance in the South Pacific was discussed. The role of traditional dance and how it influences worship music …

Relational Leadership: A Study Of Organizational Health And Clergy Within The Wesleyan Church, Brian Voyght Bradford

ATS Dissertations

In many large churches (over one thousand in weekend worship attendance) today, a vast relational disconnect exists between senior pastors and pastoral staff team members. As a result, many staff pastors feel unsatisfied in their team roles and relationships as well as feeling devalued as leader. This relational deficiency frequently results in a lack of communication, trust, and belief in and with the senior leader. The staff pastor’s productivity decreases and the church ceases to be what God designed it to be—a place of relational and social connection.

The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of relational leadership …

Persistent Revolutions In Colombia And Peru: A Comparative Analysis, Brandon Huson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis performs a comparative analysis of rural-based revolutionary movements in Latin America. The movements that are compared are the FARC, originating in Colombia, and the Shining Path, which emerged from the highlands of Peru. The comparison is meant to serve as a test for what variables are predictive of revolutionary success. Since these movements differ in their success in establishing permanent political, social and military movements in their countries over time, their dichotomous outcome can be used to point toward variables that warrant further consideration. Comparison of revolutionary movement makes sense in this case due to the similarities between …

An Assessment Of Vibration Exposure And Its Health Effects On Stone Workers In Taiwan And China, Yuan-Hsin Cheng

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Stone workers were in high risk of vibration exposure that might lead to health problem. Studies and previous research have shown that there are correlations between whole body vibration, hand/arm vibration and several musculoskeletal disorders, neurological diseases, and different cumulative trauma disorders such as hearing loss and carpel tunnel syndrome. In order to study the health effects among stone workers, there were seven stone companies selected from Taiwan and China participated in this study. Aim: The goal of this project was to study and assess the correlations between several exposure variables such as vibration and noise exposure and outcome …