Religion Commons^™

Introduction To The Special Topic Section: Spiritual Emergency And Spiritual Emergence, Ted Esser

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Bridging Transpersonal Ecosophical Concerns With The Hero’S Journey And Superheroes Through Comicbook Lore: Implications For Personal And Cultural Transformation, Mark A. Schroll, Claire Polansky

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper explores how mythical figures and comicbook superheroes can 1) inspire personal growth, social and planetary change, and 2) explicate aspects of the deep ecology movement and transpersonal ecosophy that invite further academic inquiry while at the same time 3) speak to concerns that ignite the interests of popular culture and personal mythology. Likewise the ecopsychological significance of modern fictional characters in comicbooks, graphic novels, and films will be examined. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 provides a theoretical examination of how definitions of the terms myth and hero and hero’s journey are framed, and their implications …

Self-Transformation Through The Experience And Resolution Of Mental Health Crises, Guy Albert

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This study investigated the spiritually positive self-transformation resulting from the experience and resolution of a mental health crisis. To participate in this study, a person’s experience needed to meet 4 criteria: The individual (a) experienced a crisis affecting self-concept and reality testing, which (b) resulted in a transformation that (c) was spiritually positive—that is, integrative and meaningful— and (d) they had no current acute mental health conditions. The study was conducted in 2 phases, the first of which used assessment instruments to evaluate participants’ (N = 35) appropriateness for this study relative to the above criteria. In the second phase, …

Keeping The Account Open: On Metaphysical Mistrust In Transpersonal Psychology (A Response To Hartelius, 2017), Steve Taylor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

In response to Hartelius (2017), I suggest that the evidence for perennialism or essentialism can be tested, and is publicly accessible, through engagement with the spiritual practices that have given rise to cross-cultural mystical experiences with common characteristics. This suggests that essentialism could be included in transpersonal psychology (and psychology in general). I suggest that there is no reason why transpersonal psychology should exclude metaphysical claims, as long as they are inferred or implied by research and evidence, explicitly stated and viewed as secondary. It is impossible to avoid metaphysics, and it is important for transpersonal psychologists (and all psychologists …

Taylor’S Soft Perennialism: Psychology Or New Age Spiritual Vision?, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Taylor has responded to critiques of his soft perennialism model in relationship to what he has called awakening experiences. The fact that some individuals have this type of experience away from the context of religion or spirituality, according to soft perennialism, is explained by a sort of landscape of experience representing the diverse ways in which one may engage with and experience this essential beingness. While this inspiring vision could possibly be true, just as numerous other speculations about ultimate reality might be true; however, the evidence advanced in support of soft perennialism notion is not valid in the context …

Adversarial Collaboration: How Free And Open Debate Leads To Better Transpersonal Ideas (Editor's Introduction), Marie I. Thouin-Savard

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Psychosis Or Spiritual Emergency: The Potential Of Developmental Psychopathology For Differential Diagnosis, Kevin O. St. Arnaud, Damien C. Cormier

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper reviews the nosological systems in the field of psychology, comparing the classic medical model with a developmental approach to psychopathology and wellbeing. The argument is made that a developmental model offers greater refinement for distinguishing phenomenologically similar experiential states. Due to their substantial overt resemblance, a contrast between spiritual emergencies and pathological psychotic reactions is presented as an example. To make this comparison, the nature and etiology of psychotic disorders is reviewed, underscoring their developmental, as opposed to spontaneous, origins. This is followed by a brief overview of spirituality and its place in psychological wellbeing and development. Finally, …

Circular Reasoning Is Not The Uroboros: Rejecting Perennialism As A Psychological Theory, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Efforts to present valid evidence for perennialist models do not withstand critical scrutiny. One strategy common to most versions of perennialism points to perceived patterns in reports of spiritual experiences, whether from traditional, clinical, or phenomenological accounts as evidence for such an approach; the shortcoming is that these same patterns are the basis for perennialist premises. Offering one’s premises as evidence for their conclusions is circular reasoning, and does not constitute valid support for an idea. Pointing to similarities between reports of spiritual or other transformative experiences is what inspires perennialist models, but is not evidence for their validity. Careful …

Moving Beyond Materialism: Can Transpersonal Psychology Contribute To Cultural Transformation?, Steve Taylor

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The issue of whether it is possible to separate science and metaphysics is discussed, with reference to William James and the writings of quantum physicists. The metaphysical framework of scientific materialism is analysed and some of its key assumptions are identified. It is suggested that these assumptions are becoming increasingly untenable, as is evident by the advocacy of post-materialist science by some contemporary scientists. The main appeal of transpersonal psychology to students and practitioners is arguably its lack of allegiance to a materialist metaphysics. Rather than allying itself to the metaphysical paradigm of naturalistic science or attempting to bracket out …

Invitation: A Declaration Of European Muslims, Mustafa Cerić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"The tragic events of September 11, 2001 in New York, March 11, 2004 in Madrid and July 7, 2005 in London leave no one indifferent. Of course, one should be aware of other attacks, such as in Riyadh in 1995, Dhahran in 1996, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998, Yemen in 2000, Bali in 2002, and Istanbul in 2003. The attacks in New York, Madrid, and London are the most disturbing to Islam-West relations however. Muslims around the world, especially, have been shocked by the fact that the perpetrators of these terrorist attacks claimed to have acted in the …

A Time To Laugh: Religious Humor In Contemporary Russia, Mikhail Sergeev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"Contemporary Russian religious humor continues the tradition of this spiritual and selfsacrificial laughter. The anecdotes that are gathered here make fun not only of religion and its characteristic attributes, but of human imperfections and shortcomings, which manifest themselves in relation to various aspects of worship. Everything is good in moderation, including religious zeal that is not the goal by itself, but the instrument of spiritual and moral development. There is a proverbial saying in Russia—force a fool to pray to God and he will beat his forehead. Many anecdotes portray in a comic light this certain pseudo-piety, the eternal human …

Lessons Learned In Eurasia Ministry: Mostly The Hard Way, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The present article is based on a speech delivered at a conference of the United Methodist Church: “Eurasia-Central Asia – In Mission Together,” Fulton, Maryland, May 5, 2017.

Five Steps For Developing Biblical Pastoral Leadership Teams Within South Korean Presbyterian Churches, Yeongkwang Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to suggest five steps for developing biblical pastoral leadership teams within South Korean Presbyterian churches, which are presently stagnating and declining under their non-biblical leadership. Growth of a church is directly dependent upon a healthy body of leaders who reflect sound biblical leadership, and the senior pastors of South Korean Presbyterian churches must intentionally conform all non-biblical leadership styles within their churches to biblical pastoral leadership. This project will attempt to provide the pastors of South Korean Presbyterian churches five steps for developing a biblical pastoral leadership team by identifying the relationship between church …

Christ And The Cradle: The Explanatory Power Of Christian Theism For Basic Moral Sensibilities On The Ontology Of Children, Jeffrey Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

We have excellent reasons to take moral intuitions about the moral treatment of children seriously. In fact, this gives us excellent prima facie reason to believe in God as the best explanation of, say, the inherent dignity of people, including children. But when we look to the past, we see that often children have been horribly treated and not accorded worth. And today, still, there are lots of disturbing trends as to how they’re treated, which invariably reflect deficient worldviews. Ultimately, it’s not just theism we need, but something more, arguably Christian theology, which makes great sense of our best …

The Relationship Between Religious Commitment And Bible Literacy In Suburban New York And New Jersey Christian High School Juniors And Seniors, Pradeep Emmanuel Stephen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlative study explored the relationship between the religious commitment of junior and senior Christian high school students and their level of Bible literacy as indicated by their respective scores on the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) and Assessment of Bible Knowledge Test (ABKT). Using a non-parametric Spearman’s rho statistic for a correlation test, the study fills a gap in the literature by analyzing the strength of the relationship between students’ levels of Bible literacy and outcomes on the specific religiosity subscales on the DUREL instrument, including Organizational Religious Activity (ORA), Non-Organizational Activity (NORA) and Intrinsic Religiosity (IR). A non-random …

Reformed Worship (Rw) 125 - Advent / Christmas (September 2017), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Features

Worship Series: The Peaceable Kingdom by Carol Veldman Rudie....3

Sing 10: The World Is about to Turn by Joyce Borger....12

Longest Night by Kathryn Roelofs....25

Articles

Editorial: Surprise! by Joyce Borger....2

The Ecumenism of Beauty by Phil Schaafsma....18

Q&A: The Incarnation, Worship, and Our Daily Lives by Chelsey Harmon, Shannon Jammal-Hollemans, and Jeff Barker....32

For Pastors: The Challenges of Advent Preaching by Edward C. Visser....39

Luther's Musical Reformation by Jonathan Landry Cruse....43

Developing a Culture of Singing by Adan Fernandez....46

Resources

Jesus Is... by Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence....22

The Light of …

Beyond The Barriers Of Discipline And Culture, Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"culture sometimes prevents us from appreciating the very gifts offered to us, at least at first. in one place i learned a dimension of friendship that my culture does not allow me to experience easily. it happened when i was teaching Leadership Development to teachers and administrators of religious organizations in India. the first thing i noticed was their eagerness to learn in the classroom and their desire to share the beauty of their city and cultural sites with me. i enjoyed both, the classroom and the time outside the classroom. But i was unprepared for a gesture of friendship …

Love In The Ordinary: Leadership In The Gospel Of John, Alex Sosler

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Jesus did extraordinary things. the gospel of John includes seven miraculous signs that point to Jesus’ true identity as the Son of god. god incarnate is no ordinary concept. however, the first 30 or so years of his life seem rather ordinary. Just look at some of the regular patterns of his ministry as recorded in the gospels: attending weddings, hiding from crowds, going to the synagogue. At the end of his time on earth, as Jesus asks the question, “Do you love me?” he calls his followers to be ordinary in the ordinary. it is these regular moments that …

Thirsting For God, Jon L. Dybdahl, Petr Cincala

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"For a lot of people, particularly in Western culture, what is commonly seen are business and managerial forms of leadership. there is nothing wrong with that, but christian leadership is different. Leadership is something that needs to be practiced. Leadership needs to have a reflective side. A christian leader must take time to think, consider, and have a period of quietness rather than just making quick decisions. A christian leader must be reflective and learn to listen to god. this is a key part of spirituality."

Spiritual Leadership And Organizational Knowledge Processes: New Relations In The Field Of Knowledge Management, Lorena Martinez Soto

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"this paper analyzes the dynamics arising from interactions between typical elements of organizational culture such as leadership, strategic processes, and knowledge management. More specifically, it seeks to establish possible relationships between leadership based on spirituality and the processes of creating, sharing, and reusing knowledge. the goal of this analysis is to establish a link between spiritual leadership as a strategy of the study of spirituality in the workplace and knowledge management. the research is focused on the application of Louis Fry’s theory of spiritual leadership to a group of organizations made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in …

Creating A Spiritual Learning Space: The Changing Leadership Roles In The Life Cycle Of A Church Plant, Erich Baumgartner, Andres Flores

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

the role of a church planter is multifaceted and unique. church planters and their teams venture out as faith entrepreneurs in obedience to christ’s commission to share the gospel in every community. they have to experiment with creative ministry approaches in a particular context. then, as they find methods which meet the needs of people in that community context, experimenting gives way to more predictable ministry structures. church growth requires constant fine-tuning of leadership roles to deal with new challenges and growth pains, calling often for new skill sets that the original church planter may not possess. thus, as church …

Transparency In Leadership: The Divine Governance Challenge From The Apocalypse, Sigve K. Tonstad

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

this chapter has explored the leadership implications of the word that gives the last book of the Bible its title. the principle discovered in the nature of the book of revelation is transparent leadership. this ideology is announced in the opening word. revelation corrects religious, political, and other institutions that thrive on secrecy and concealment. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near,” says the narrator in revelation (1:3). Blessed, too, is the leader who takes revelation’s …

The Need For Spiritual Leadership, Morris Thompson

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Leadership comes in different shapes and sizes within our society. Some leadership practices are characterized as good, and other forms are toxic. however, within the 21st century, spiritual leadership is necessary as christian leaders focus on growing the next generation of leaders. this article focuses on the importance of the spiritual leader within today’s society, and will first discuss the need for dedicated spiritual leaders. it will then discuss how spiritual leaders affect the spiritual growth of others. Finally, it will discuss the need for spiritual accountability."

The New Adapters: Shaping Ideas To Fit Your Congregation, Mark Magnusson

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"At the onset of the book the author established that the “vision of a church has to fit the mission field” in which the church is located (loc. 2). this point is clear and can apply to all leaders and congregations. the way people dress, think, and act will vary from place to place. For example, a church in preparation for a wedding in a rural area which is decorated with empty shotgun shells loaded with flowers and the bride and groom using a branding iron making their mark on a prepared log is going to vary from a wedding …

Transforming Pastoral Leadership: Reimagining Congregational Relationships For Changing Contexts, Evadne Williams-Henry

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"As we go through changes, we must remember that god is in control of his church and we must always seek him for guidance and direction. this is an excellent book to help pastors who are seeking to honor god in a society that is ever changing. it helps pastors to recognize that our ultimate Leader is Jesus christ, and we should follow the example that he has set for us. i strongly recommend this book to all pastors."

The Relationship Between Experiences Of Master Of Divinity Students At The Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary And Their Spirituality, C. S. Cho

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Spirituality correlated positively with the following: the effort students made in the formal curriculum, the frequency of participation in the nonformal and socialization areas, and the perception of faculty modeling. the effort students made in the formal curriculum produced the highest correlations with both current spirituality and the reported change in spirituality during the seminary years. Black students ranked highest in spirituality and white students the lowest. Faculty involvement in student activities made a difference in how an activity was perceived to have influenced spirituality."

The Intersection Of Leadership And Spirituality: A Qualitative Study Exploring The Thinking And Behavioral Attributes Of Leaders Who Identify As Spiritual, D. S. Goldberg

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"the primary question was does spirituality influence leaders’ thinking and behaviors. the secondary questions included an exploration around ways spirituality influences thinking and behaviors. it also explored the questions as to spirituality informing the ways leaders can be challenging within their organizations, and if acknowledging one’s spirituality publically helps or hinders building effective teams. the highlights of the research include the finding that spirituality does indeed influence everything a leader does and is, whether thinking or behavior attributes, and the process of a leader’s questioning."

An Examination In The Role Of Spirituality In The Development Of The Moral Component Of Authentic Leadership Through A Sociorhetorical Analysis Of Paul's Letter To Titus, J. D. Henson

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"this study examined the role of spirituality in the moral development component of authentic leadership in comparison to leadership principles found in the Epistle to titus. the study of moral development was drawn from literature on authentic leadership theory, spiritual leadership theory, and preexisting frameworks of moral agency, self-concept, and the stages of moral development. the exegetical process followed the methodology of sociorhetorical analysis and was interpreted for the moral, ethical, and leadership principles found in the pericope. the study yielded five themes of leadership from which 10 principles of leadership were discovered as found in Paul's letter to Titus. …

The Role Of Spirituality In The Leadership Style Of Organizational Leaders, A. S. Koko

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"the transcendental phenomenology research design was used to investigate the essence or meaning of these leaders’ experiences regarding their spirituality and leadership style as they were currently experiencing it. the knowledge obtained from this study explained spirituality, consciousness, and cognition’s role in leadership style, which can be applied to the fields of sports, politics, organizational management, coaching, mentoring, leadership, employee recruitment, and other areas of society or within any organization where leadership performance is important. the conclusion from this study was that organizational leaders who self-identified as being spiritual demonstrated compassion when relating with their employees and others. these organizational …

Cultural Integration And The Gospel In Vietnamese Mission Theology: A Paradigm Shift, K. S. Nguyen

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"This study argues that it is necessary to present the Christian faith in such a way that it allows the Vietnamese to follow Christ and yet remain within their Vietnamese culture. To do so, the study resonates theologically with what has already been done, and offers some relevant contributions to the Vietnamese contextualization efforts by proposing a paradigm shift in the development of a Vietnamese mission theology which requires it to be both evangelical and Vietnamese."