Religion Commons^™

Our Theology Is Like A Map, Erik Hoekstra

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Covenant Language In Biblical Religions And The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

In this essay I have tried to provide a broad survey of the concept of covenant for Latter-day Saint students of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I began with a sketch of the history of covenant theology in the Christian tradition showing how the early New Testament idea of a baptismal covenant was soon replaced by the Christian institution of sacraments. Although the covenant idea played little role in the historical developments of Christian theology, it did resurge in the Reformation, but without widespread theological impact.

In contrast, over the last century, the role of the covenant idea …

The Justification Clause Of Phil 3:12 : A Textual, Transcriptional, And Exegetical Analysis, Ryan Kristopher Giffin

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interfaith Dialogue And Comparative Theology: A Theoretical Approach To A Practical Dilemma, Michael Atkinson

The Journal of Social Encounters

Interfaith dialogue is based on the premise that there is more that unites than divides us. Epistemological humility, acceptance of religious plurality or the need for unity itself have all been presented as unifying pathways across disparate religious traditions. Despite such approaches, conceptual understandings of interfaith dialogue have not kept pace with practice. This theoretical paper argues that interfaith dialogical theory profits from a deep understanding of moral psychology and social learning theory. The former posits that a sense of ‘fairness’ and ‘universal care’ are aligned with religious acceptance. On the other hand, values of sanctity, loyalty and authority promote …

On Awkward Spiritual Gateway Drugs, Scott Culpepper

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Tracing God's Hand In Redemption: Exploring Evidence Of The Imago Dei In Human Molecular Biology, James Don Johansen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This interdisciplinary dissertation examines how Imago Dei and the impacts and redemption of sin may be observable in molecular biology. It introduces the idea of biological redemption, where, in support of our Imago Dei mission and calling, our bodies can respond to environmental and spiritual factors with biological redemptive adaptations. This project does both theological and scientific assessment. It explores how God is engaged with individuals in community via spiritual social networks, where Christian communities act as an ecosystem in which individuals can thrive and undergo spiritual formation, living out Christian spiritual practices. The main question this dissertation addresses is: …

Wholeheartedness And Acquaintance With God, Sarah Naomi Dannemiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I demonstrate that wholeheartedness is a constitutive intellectual virtue. Wholeheartedness consists of a definite and unified volitional structure in which one’s desires are integrated around union with God and which contributes to one’s personal intellectual worth by positively orienting her toward acquaintance with God. Since wholeheartedness consists of a hierarchy of the will that prioritizes a desire for union with God, wholeheartedness aims towards the epistemic good of acquaintance. By desiring that one have a will that wills union with God, she cooperates with God toward wholeheartedness. As one becomes aware of her volitional structure changing, she …

John The Solitary's Epistle To Marcianus: Edition, Translation, And Analysis, Ethan K. Laster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an edition, translation, and analysis of the heretofore unpublished Epistle to Marcianus, an early fifth-century letter attributed to Mar John the Solitary of Apamea. Mar John has long remained a somewhat shadowy figure in Syriac studies, given the complexities of his writings, confusion about what texts should be attributed to him, and his condemnation as a heretic by later Syriac writers. However, scholars have recently begun suggesting that Mar John was in fact quite influential in the development of Syriac ascetic theology. The Epistle to Marcianus (EpMar) considers the passion of lust, which is …

Biblical Archaeology As An Effective Apologetic, Cooper Wyatt

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to demonstrate the relationship between biblical archaeology and Christian apologetics, where archaeology can be used as way to show that the Bible has accurately preserved the history it reports.

Reading The Bible Together: The Virtue Of Patience As A Resource For Navigating Interpretive Disagreements In Congregations, Mason Lee

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Disagreements over the meaning of Scripture and how it should shape congregational action can be great sources of conflict in congregational life. Yet as contentious as these disagreements can be, appeals to method have been unable to resolve them. This article proposes that a fruitful way of navigating these arguments within our congregations is not by trying to establish a single way of reading Scripture or of determining what Scripture “means,” but by becoming people able to peacefully hold an irreducible diversity of interpretive options. This article focuses on one virtue in particular—the virtue of patience—and suggests that it is …

Faith Matters: Reflections On The Christian Life, Kerry S. Walters

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

In a day in which Christians too often reduce faith to mere sentimentality and atheists decry it as superstitious nonsense, Fr. Kerry Walters offers a series of reflections intended to show that, indeed, faith matters. Drawn from his popular weekly newspaper column “Faith Matters,” these short meditations explore Christian faith from the perspectives of doctrine, spirituality, ethics, politics, art and science, the saints, and the holy seasons that mark the Christian year and set the rhythm of Christian living.

Where Is God In Symbolic Exchange? A Theo-Semiological Analysis Of The Sons Of Anarchy, Alex Justin Holguin

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to uncover the religious nature of communication by re-visioning and situating French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan’s theory of communication within a Christian theological context. By critically engaging Lacan’s theoretical concepts of the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real within this context, the thesis is able to access the intersection of rhetorical semiotics, psychoanalysis, and Christian theology to have a more fruitful understanding of how meaning is exchanged between subjects. Lacan’s inter-disciplinary affirmation of rhetoric and psychoanalysis has been able to produce incredible explanatory potential for how meaning, as the bedrock of speech and communication, operates through the psyche …

An Exploration Of The Context And Ecclesiastical Investigations Of The Virgin's Reported Appearance In Knock, Ireland In 1879, Erin Meikle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On August 21, 1879, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, and the Lamb of God reportedly appeared in Knock, Ireland. Ecclesiastical authorities of the Roman Catholic Church investigated this reported apparition in 1879 and again in 1936. The first chapter of this paper explores the processes by which the Church investigates alleged apparitions and considers different models for conceptualizing the Church. The second chapter unpacks the context of two nineteenth century French apparitions. The third chapter explores the Knock apparition and the immediate historical context surrounding the apparition. The analyses in the first two chapters serve …

Unpresentable Members: The Theology And Radical Phenomenology Of The Sexual Flesh, Justin Pearl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unpresentable Members begins with a wager: that a proper account of the flesh and its sexual character may not only prove philosophically fertile within its own limited domain, but may also provide insight into the theological question of the proper role and place of gender and sexual difference within communities, particularly Christian religious communities. In this regard, this dissertation has two distinct goals: one phenomenological and one theological. Phenomenologically, it offers an account of the manifestation of concrete sexual determinations not only as they objectively appear across the “body-object” (Körper, le corps) but with equal importance as …

Doing The Good In The Apostle Paul's Ethical Vision, T. Luke Post

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Emotional Intelligence For Pastoral Leadership : An Evaluative Study Of The Teaching Modules On Emotional Intelligence For Pastoral Leaders At Seoul Theological Seminary In South Korea, Dong Hyun Nam

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

"We Are Strangers In This Life": Theology, Liminality, And The Exiled In Anglo-Saxon Literature, Nathan John Haydon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In “‘We Are Strangers in this Life’: Theology, Liminality, and the Exiled in Anglo-Saxon Literature,” I analyze the theme of exile in the theological literature of the Anglo-Saxon era as a way of conveying the spiritual condition of eschatological separation. The anthropological theory of liminality will be applied in this dissertation as a way of contextualizing the existence of the exiled, and the multiple ways in which exile is enacted. The intervention of the theory of liminality in this dissertation offers a methodology and vocabulary for assessing what exile means in terms of a spiritual identity, how it operates in …

The Impact Of Lyric Choices On Spiritual Edification, Hanna Jane Byrd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Modern Christian worship music has gained influence within the evangelical community. The words of these songs, sung corporately, have the potential to influence the spiritual lives of church congregants, making it important for worship leaders and songwriters to identify the most beneficial lyrics. Despite numerous opinions about theological and personally relevant lyrics, little research has been conducted on the spiritual effects of lyric content within the lives of Christian believers. Diminutive scholarly inquiry has been limited to historical, theological or qualitative methodologies. Utilizing the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Spiritual Transcendence Index (STI), this quantitative quasi-experimental study …

The Divinity That Shapes Our Ends: Theological Conundrums And Religious Scepticism In Hamlet, Kyler Merrill

Student Works

This paper proposes that Shakespeare deliberately incorporated speculative theology into Hamlet to stimulate religious scepticism. It explores the troubling implications of the ghost’s behaviour, cinematic adaptations of the murder testimony, and the characters’ moral failings in the purportedly Catholic cosmos of Elsinore.

How Embodied Human Creatures Converse Online, David Edwards

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Have you ever noticed just how much you can learn about what a person has going on in life without asking them a single question? All you have to do is hop on Facebook, scroll through twitter, or scan Instagram and you can see updates on everything! From the birth of a first child to the death of a loved one, from their favorite new show to Fantasy Football failures, it is pretty easy to learn a lot about a person and their life today with only so much as a couple of clicks on a screen or a keyboard.

Narrating Motherhood In The Hebrew Scriptures, Katie Rosenson

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Old Testament theology, like many of its sister disciplines, is an area of study, which brings with it a problematic history. Moving through four distinct phases of methodology—(1) systematic, (2) historical or reconstructive, (3) dialogical, and now (4) narrative—Old Testament theology has often excluded voices, which have traditionally been viewed as “Other.” Thankfully, the budding narrative approach, which seeks to trace the development of the character called God in the Hebrew Scriptures, may create space for more voices to enter into the conversation. Divorced from many of the troubling consequences of the earlier phases of Old Testament theology, this approach …

How Moses’ Intercession Changed The Trajectory Of Israel (Exodus 33:12-23), Hannah Kent

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The book of Exodus plays a crucial role in the development of God’s relationship to Israel, as the Israelites recognize theglory of YHWH and are allowed only glimpses of what they hope tosee in full. Exodus 33:12-23 is wedged between the Israelites’ golden calf idolatry and the renewal of God’s covenant with Israel. Moses’ intercession is the crucial turning point where God decides to keep His promise to be present with His people as they continue their journey through the wilderness. This promise is later realized as God’s presence descends on the tabernacle at the end of Exodus. In the …

The Abusive Implementation Of Biblical Sexuality: The Not So Pure Purity Movement, Paige Huggins

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Words like “virginity”, “sex”, and “sexuality” hold a good deal of weight and importance inAmerican society and in the Church, but are Christians actually approaching them theway God intended? While the purity movement arose out of good and biblical intentions, the way it has been implemented through the use of guilt and shame-driven techniques has hurt just as many people as it has helped, if not more. Even those who feel it has helped them in many ways are walking around with underlying scars that can affect their friendships, dating relationships, marriages, or even the way they raise their kids. …

Toward An Adventist Theology Of Urban Mission, Gary Krause

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"As the Adventist Church looks at modern cities, the vista can be overwhelming. The city is an enigmatic phenomenon, a conglomeration of hundreds of disparate cultures, languages, and people groups. It is a complex and complicated place, resistant to easy categorization or description. Just as soon as one feels one is getting a grip on the nature of a city, a street corner is turned and another unfamiliar world opens up. The way the church views the city is of fundamental importance to the way it conducts its urban mission; therefore, in this chapter I will propose a theological window …

TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A theological doctrine of eternal life raises certain qualitative and existential questions. Considering the unfathomable duration, one may rightly ask, what will that experience be like and will it meet the experiential needs of human beings so that there are no intimations of boredom. Eternity, then, creates a potential existential problem for humanity. The problem is potential because eternity creates a certain need, a need which can concisely be stated in this way: quality must overcome quantity. Both Christianity and Islam teach human beings are intended to live forever so both religions must overcome this problem if eternal life within …

A Theology And Practice Of Foster Care Ministry: An Investigation Into The Effectiveness Of A Church-Based Wraparound Program For Foster Parents, Robert Wesley Griffith

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new foster parent wraparound program at Journey Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The need for this program was found to be in alignment with the mission of God as seen in Isaiah 1:17, Acts 6, Romans 8, and James 1:27. The New Testament Church has a history of leading the way with innovative solutions to rescue orphans, and today, the church once again has the opportunity to lead the way in foster care solutions.

When Kenosha County leaders in the judicial, legal, and social services sector were recently asked …

The Coherence Of Justification In Luke 18:9-14 With Authentic Jesus Tradition, Peter D. Tan-Gatue

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward A Post-Religious Urban Theology: The Missionary Movement Ethos In Secularized Contexts, Marcelo E. C. Dias

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"An urban theology should be the center of conversation with the current post-religious context that takes into serious consideration people’s search for meaning and the new spirituality in this age. Perhaps popular culture can give clues about contemporary meaning-making as well (Shannahan 2014:207-217). On the one side, history assures that an urban setting does not need to feel like a threat to the Christian faith. “Early Christianity was primarily an urban movement. The original meaning of the word pagan (paganus) was ‘rural person,’ or more colloquially ‘country hick.’ It came to have religious meaning because after Christianity had triumphed in …

A Theological Framework For Adventist Urban Ministry, Kelvin Okey Onongha

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Early Adventism typically advocated the need to flee the cities for simple rural living because cities were regarded as Babylon (Jer 50:1-3; Rev 18:2-3). Consequently, in those regions of the world where the church’s presence has the longest history with sometimes larger congregations, many church properties are located in the countryside or rural areas. A major reason why the Adventist Church is only so lately coming to terms with the exigency of urban ministries is the deficiency of a theological framework for engagement in missions to the cities. Stone (2015) agrees that the failure to develop a theology for the …

Country Versus City Tension: Historical And Socio-Religious Context Of The Development Of Adventist Understanding Of Urban Mission, Allan Novaes, Wendel Lima

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The Adventist engagement in the evangelization of cities has been timid and, for many decades, even discouraged by an anti-urban attitude. This mentality of criticism and resistance to the cities was largely sustained through an incomplete and/or misreading of Ellen White’s writings (Jones 2013:716). This article seeks to describe Adventist rural/urban tension, the historical and social context of its origin, and how it has been softened by a contrasting broader view of Adventist urban mission."