Religion Commons^™

The Influence Of Religiosity On Risky Patterns Of Drug Usage And Sexual Practices In Underage Undergraduate Students, Hannah Beth Prassel

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

High-risk behaviors such as illicit drug usage and risky sexual practices have been increasing over the years among underage college students. Research has indicated that religious beliefs and religious behaviors interact to predict risky alcohol use in underage college students, with students having higher religious beliefs but lower religious behaviors being the most at risk. The current study hypothesized that this interaction would predict risky drug usage and sexual practices in underage college students in the same way as it does unsafe alcohol use. Underage students (N=211) at the University of Kentucky completed surveys online. Results indicated that religious beliefs …

Incarnating The Feminine Genius In The Contemporary Catholic Church, L Westenberg

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

As Western society has seemingly become apathetic about faith and religion, many within the Catholic Church have simultaneously become concerned with issues of relevance. The call from Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis has been to examine the fruits of the Second Vatican Council, with a view to evangelisation, emphasising the role of the Church in modern society. Responses to this call on a pastoral level, however, often fail to recognise the specific needs of women in society and in the Church today. The goal of this article is to examine practical movements in the contemporary Church that are instigated …

Mystery And Sacrament Of Love: A Theology Of Marriage And The Family For The New Evangelization, Angela Mccarthy

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Book Reiew:

Ouellet, Marc Cardinal. Mystery and Sacrament of Love: A Theology of Marriage and the Family for the New Evangelization. Translated by Michelle K. Forras and Adrian J. Walker. Grand Rapids Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015. 332 pages.

Jewish And Christian Perspectives On Chosen-Ness, J Schneider

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Jewish and Christian dialogue, I suspect, is more than simply defending the other's right to express their particular religious tradition; we are also concerned with understanding what it means to be religious in the other's tradition.This means developing sensitivity to our different senses of shared notions.

One notion we share is 'chosen-ness'. The sense of being chosen by God—an experience in the biblical narratives of ancestral kinship, of kings, leaders, prophets appointed by God, or in Christian texts, of Mary among women, Peter among the apostles, Paul appointed by Jesus—can be uncomfortable. Sometimes it is more than uncomfortable. It becomes …

Faith, Ireland And Empire: The Life Of Patrick Joseph Clune Cssr 1864-1935, Angela Mccarthy

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review:

Christopher Dowd. Faith, Ireland and Empire: The Life of Patrick Joseph Clune Cssr 1864-1935. Strathfield NSW: St Pauls, 2014.

Martin Griver: Unearthed, Angela Mccarthy

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Book Review: -

O'Brien, Odhran. Martin Griver: Unearthed. Strathfield NSW: St Pauls, 2014.

Truth, Justice, And The Common Good: Core Capstone Final Essay, Valentina De Santis (Class Of 2016)

Writing Across the Curriculum

The course Truth, Justice, and the Common Good brought awareness to themes of the environment, common good, and social issues. Environmental justice is the involvement of the society to respect and care for environmental laws and regulations. It is a part of the common good to appreciate and respect the natural world. The common good is customized toward every individual and it is the decision of the human being to recognize the common good daily. From the readings and presentations in class, a correlation was formed between beliefs and values towards topics in religion, justice, and community.

Transformation Of The Prescott Foursquare Church: Becoming A Church Planting Church, John W. Gooding

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a qualitative study of the Prescott Foursquare Church and its transformation from a small, broken denominational church to a disciple making and church planting fellowship of churches. The project sought to discover the key trigger events or processes that brought about church growth in the Prescott church and led to the growth of a fellowship of over twenty-two hundred churches in one hundred and sixteen countries. The result of interviews of pastors and review of historical data of the church and Christian Fellowship Ministries was the discovery of a discipleship culture in the local congregation in Prescott …

Engaging Leadership At Marshfield Christian Church, Nicholas Alexander Ruth

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the dwindling number of people active in leadership roles at Marshfield Christian Church. Research focused on four aspects of church leadership: barriers and incentives to assuming a leadership role, characteristics of leaders, models for structuring leadership, and equipping the congregation to participate in leadership. The researcher conducts a biblical and theological research on leadership in the New Testament, membership in the New Testament and the implications of relational theology on church leadership. A literature review on collaborative leadership, employee engagement, and changes in volunteering adds to the research. The field research for this project comprises surveys and …

Cooperative Catechesis: A Model For Equipping Lutheran Parents And Pastors To Catechize Children In The Christian Faith, Phillip E. Booe

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents have a God-given duty to bring up their children in the faith. God calls pastors to shepherd flocks, point them to the Gospel, proclaim sound doctrine, and teach the people about the will and ways of God. The problem this project addressed was the decline of parental involvement in and responsibility for the Christian catechesis of their children in the context of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Parents have all but abdicated their responsibility to catechize their children to the church, and pastors have been complicit in allowing it. The purpose of this research was to identify the attitudes pastors …

The Use Of Oral Training In Uganda To Develop Biblically Trained Leaders, Kevin J. Olson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher spent a year in rural Tanzania and found that the volunteer lay leaders had little training. These lay leaders had a love for Jesus and for his people, but the obstacles these men faced in order to get further training were overwhelming. Attending seminary meant paying tuition, leaving families, leaving farms, taking classes in English, and following a Western style of education. There were economic, emotional, and educational barriers these lay leaders faced. This caused this researcher to seek a new method to train people in God’s Word. This search led to the oral training method that was …

Little Rebecca, Rebecca Collins

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Santiago de Compostela, a city in Galicia, Spain, has been said since the 8th century to hold the remains of St. James, an apostle and the patron saint of Spain. Old walking routes, still in use, fork all throughout the European continent toward this singular destination, with the collective label of the “Way of St. James,” (the Camino de Santiago in Spanish, Le Chemin du St. Jacques in French). For nine months of this past year, the Camino de Santiago and the study of pilgrimage was my singular destination as well. I studied the history of pilgrimage, European pilgrimage literature, …

A Faith-Based Context For Culturally-Relevant Instruction, Danny R. Swensen

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Preparing prospective teachers who are equipped to successfully educate students from culturally, racially, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds is critical work conducted by universities. This paper investigates how culturally-relevant pedagogies with biblical underpinnings have the potential to create educational environments that promote excellence, reflect the culture of the students and their communities, and develop awareness of societal injustices which inspire and equip prospective teachers to become agents of change. This approach is then illustrated through the course design and instructional strategies used in an introductory education course at a Christian liberalarts university.

Response To Letters To The Editor, Alan H. Kadish

Office of the President Publications and Research

The author responds to letters to the editor about his article "God, Man, Chaos and Control: How God Might Control the Universe."

Pursuing Kingdom Growth By Intentionally Engaging Our Culture, Florin Docea

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research project was to strengthen the church’s ability to effectively engage the culture and expand the kingdom of God. This project is important because American Churches have invested time and resources looking for ways to transform the culture. In the process many discovered that the culture has also transformed the church with mixed results. This research project showed that new churches continue to face difficulties engaging the culture without compromising the mission of the church or disrupting the unity of the body. Using the attractional or missional models, churches have struggled in the tension created by …

When Helping Heals (Calvin Shorts), Tracy Kuperus, Roland Hoksbergen

Calvin Press

Over the last few decades, evangelical Christians in the United States have moved from an open embrace of development work (e.g. short term missions, poverty alleviation strategies like microenterprise, child sponsorship) to a more critical assessment (e.g. When Helping Hurts, Serving with Eyes Wide Open, Poverty Inc.).

These strategic shifts are not new. Scholars writing within the field of international development have entertained these debates for quite some time, but evangelical Christians have recently gotten very interested in the conversation. The problem is that the two sides in the debate do not capture well the reality or the prospects of …

Christians And Cultural Difference (Calvin Shorts), David I. Smith, Pennylyn Dykstra Pruim

Calvin Press

"Encountering cultural differences in the classroom, in the workplace, in the church, and in the public square is an everyday part of contemporary life. The chances that we will live our lives interacting only with those who share our cultural identity and ways of thinking are shrinking. Understanding culture and how cultural difference affects how we understand one another and live well together is no longer just for travelers. It has become a basic life skill. Past Christian ways of thinking about cultural difference as most important for missions to far away places do not harmonize with today's realities. This …

Hermeneutics Of Slavery: A “Bible-Alone” Faith And The Problem Of Human Enslavement, Darius Jankiewicz

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Interplay Between Forms Of Revelation: Implications For Theological Method, Andrew Tompkins

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Islamic Hermeneutics And The Christian Missionary: Does The Interpretive Structure Of The Qur’An Apply To Non-Muslim Exegetes?, Madelyn Mandell

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Discipleship In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church: Responses To A Global And Regional Survey, Sherene Hattingh, Lindsay Morton, Rick Ferret, Kevin Petrie, Julie-Anne Heise, Kayle B. De Waal

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

My Faith In The Constitution Is Whole: Barbara Jordan Signifies On Scriptures, Robin L. Owens

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a critical investigation of the engagements of scriptures in the life and speeches of U.S. Congresswoman Barbara C. Jordan (1936–1996). I engage in a research methodology that utilizes critical historical, auto/biographical, literary, and rhetorical analyses. My research agenda is to explain how scriptures work and are used by Barbara Jordan to illustrate an example of a larger phenomenon of scripturalizing and scripturalization outside of the context of institutional religion. In order to give a fuller context to Barbara Jordan’s rhetorical strategies, as an African American woman, I first consider the lives, speeches and use of scriptures of …

Effects Of Child-Parent Attachment And God Attachment On Depression In Adolescent Christians, Soloman Aifuwa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis contains a description of a study that examined the relationships between parent attachment, God attachment, and depression in adolescent Christians. It was predicted that secure parent and God attachment are related, and that they will have positive effects on depression and that God attachment will mediate the effects of parent attachments on depression. The study was a cross-sectional correlation study that employed 75 adolescents in youth ministries in North-east Jersey. Depression and attachment measures were administered and the results were analyzed using hierarchical and simultaneous multiple regression, and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient. The study findings demonstrated that parent …

African Americans And The Communication Of Religious Exit, William P. Cooper

Wayne State University Theses

This exploratory study investigates Christian disaffiliation, or deconversion, in a sample of African American ex-Christians living in the metro-Detroit area. The data obtained from 15 interviews were used to address the following research questions: (1) How do participants recall the religious socialization process? (2) What are some catalysts for African Americans disaffiliating from their former Christian denominations? (3) How does the Christian disaffiliation process unfold communicatively for African-Americans? Specifically, did participants utilize any strategies of SMC in their communication of exit? Jablin’s (2001) Model of Organizational Exit and Meisenbach’s (2010) Stigma Management Communication Strategy Typology were used as theoretical frameworks. …

Narrative, Lists, Rhetoric, Ritual And The Pentateuch As A Scripture, James W. Watts

Religion - All Scholarship

The Pentateuchʼs juxtaposition of different genres within a narrative framework provides some of the evidence for building source- and redaction-critical theories of the Pentateuchʼs literary history. Rhetorical analysis suggests, however, that such genre juxtapositions are characteristic of an ancient Near Eastern strategy of persuasion. The Pentateuchʼs inset genres, especially its lists of instructions and laws, generated most of its normative force that, together with its ritualization, led to its scripturalization as Torah.

Seventh-Day Quaker: A Spiritual Memoir, Kim L. Ranger

Books

In an intimate spiritual memoir, Ranger shares her reflections on a journey of self-discovery. Through a narrative written in diary format, she compares and contrasts the Religious Society of Friends and the Seventh-day Adventists and calls for better understanding of and bridges between liberal and conservative Christians. Seventh-day Quaker examines the role and practice of sabbath, silence, prayer, rites and rituals, evangelicalism, the Bible, Creationism, God's existence, and the call to ministry.

Rel 100 - Handling Snakes In Order To Handle The Sacred, Ilissa Chasnick

Religious Studies Undergraduate Research

Mircea Eliade describes mythic narratives as telling “a sacred history … [by] disclos[ing] their [Supernatural Beings’] creative activity and reveal[ing] the sacredness of their works” (Myth and Reality 6). Eastern and Western traditions alike rely on mythic narratives in order for insiders to be unconsciously transported to the sacred times and places of those mythic narratives. Christianity is a tradition which is very diverse, though most all insiders are engaged in Christian prayer. The snake handling churches of the Appalachian Mountains include practices of handling snakes, drinking poison, speaking in tongues, and dealing with fire. The followers of …

Gifting The Incarnation Of Christ: A Spiritual Discipline For Christmas, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Christmas is so wonderful, and yet also exhausting and stressful. We primarily shop, decorate, cook, see family and friends, and attend special Christmas services. The celebratory month with lights and presents and good food is meant to create joy in us for the gift of the Christ child. Yet it all seems so far removed from the humbling of God the Son to helpless newborn.

What is lacking in the traditions of Christmas is a spiritual discipline which reminds us of the most important part of the story, the incarnation of Almighty God into human flesh. How do lights and …

A 21st Century ‘Thanksgiving’ Story: The Dakota Pipeline Water Protectors, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

The origin of the American Thanksgiving is attributed to a harvest feast held in 1621 in Massachusetts with the Wampanoag Indians and the Plymouth colonists. Part of the story-telling of the ‘first’ feast is the recognition that without the help of Native Americans the early settlers would not have made it. The celebration is linked to the role Native Americans played in a romanticized U.S. story. What is omitted from the story’s re-telling is how the white settlers and the U.S. government went on to systematically displace, kill, and destroy Native American peoples, their cultures and their lands.

Pastoring As Mothering, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Understanding the meaning of ‘pastoring’ in today’s demanding, evolving social climate is not only necessary, it is an urgent imperative. The job is confusing and difficult even on normal days. Also, research indicates that those who have the clearest call are more likely to experience burnout and eventually leave the ministry.

The ministry is like fly paper. We are buzzing around it and attracted to the smell, but once we get attached it can be emotionally deadly: a death of dreams and a creeping cynicism about the capacity of the church to make any difference at all.