Religion Commons^™

The Church As Polis, Amy Wen

Obsculta

This paper aims to name a growing rift between belief and ethic in contemporary American society. It suggests the concept of liturgy as ‘primary theology’ and a liturgical anthropology as the solution to this rift. The paper picks up on voices from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions to highlight an ecumenical approach in retrieving a Christian worshiping anthropology.

Climate Change: The Role Of Technology, "Dominon," And Our Pastoral Responsibility, Leah Wakefield

Obsculta

This paper briefly examines the correlation between burning fossil fuels, the increase of carbon in the atmosphere and resulting volatile weather, including hurricanes and floods. The paper then discusses possible technological solutions, including carbon dioxide scrubbers. Finally, the paper critically examines Genesis 2:15 and 1:26 and uses Laudato Si’ to reframe our understanding of “dominion” over the earth as a responsibility that calls for us to work to end climate change.

Reclaiming Rights To The Rites Of The Anointing, Kelly Olson

Obsculta

This submission is a paper written in response to the discussion of Jesus’ healing ministry restoring ethnomedical health of a community through healing particular individuals thus representing the need to reintegrate the marginalized within the body of the community and the utilization of the Rite of the Anointing as a communal sacrament to renegotiate the individual in the community amid circumstances contributing to the migration to the periphery creating discord and illness. I have used the diverse and global impact of the pandemic to illuminate imbalanced health of communities and the urgency with which we must respond through sacramental theology.

Christian Asceticism, David Allen Osb

Obsculta

The experience of the desert and wildlife was one of the hallmarks of early Christian monasticism. This paper offers a few vignettes about how animals and the natural world influenced the spirituality and writing of the ascetic life of early Christian monastics.

The Music In The Trees, Peter Jensen

Obsculta

The following poems are meditations about the growth students experience during the learning process. I utilize trees as an analogy for pedagogical development. References to the outward, circular expansion of trees are analogous to the physical actions performed in a learning task. References to upward growth signify the simultaneous, invisible ascent undertaken by the learner to better understand his or her own identity. The series illustrates a four-part learning cycle. 1) Invitation: I wonder if the moments of curiosity in students is an innate response from within the individual when they sense an informational experience that will fill a pedagogical …

Everyone Wants A Revolution, No One Wants To Do The Dishes, Henry O. Widdicombe

Obsculta

This piece is a reflection on climate despair, filtered through the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, the Catholic Worker Movement, and Benedictine spirituality to imagine what the response of a faithful Catholic might be. It posits that the only adequate response to, seemingly, insurmountable challenges is to hope against hope.

Reflections On Isaiah 63:7-9, Maria Milazzo

Obsculta

This reflection for a homily given at a virtual midday prayer breaks open the Scripture reading of Isaiah 63:7-9. The scripture reading leads us to reflecting upon God’s mercy and goodness in our lives, both in the good and challenging times.

Dawn Of A Silver Millennium: Millenarianism, Futurity, And Utopia In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Matthew Dentice

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

The story of Sailor Moon, told and retold in countless forms in the thirty years since the original manga’s publication, is imbued with a cosmic sense of time. The modern-day protagonists’ personal journeys are tightly interwoven with the distant past of the Silver Millennium and the far future of thirtieth-century Crystal Tokyo. But only the manga is fully willing to grapple with what the future means for its own present moment. Written in the early 1990s during Japan's "Lost Decade," Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon dramatizes the angst that accompanies the imminent arrival of a new millennium. As the Sailor Guardians …

Super Apocalypto 64: Inhabiting Revelation As A Video Game Made Of Sacred Words, Greg Jones

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

The book of Revelation makes the living and life-giving reality of Scripture known to audiences via the vision articulated by John. He conveys this divine reality through words – both read and heard – which call for more than the passive reception of a static text. Rather, Revelation is also participatory; its words are meant to be read, heard and kept in the life of faith. How can one articulate this dynamic interactivity with accessible terms that render divine reality as recognizable in everyday life and highly-qualified language which makes it clear that divine reality is never comprehended in …

By The Power Vesta-Ed In Me: The Power Of The Vestal Virgins And Those Who Took Advantage Of It, Elena M. Stanley

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

Vestal Virgins were high ranking members of the Roman elite. Due to the priestesses’ elevated standing, Romans made use of their inherent privileges. Through analyses of case studies from ancient authors and archaeology, I identify three ways Romans wielded Vestal power: familial connections, financial and material resources, and political sway. I end by exploring cases of crimen incesti, the crime of unchastity, which highlight all three forms. The Vestals were influential women who shared access to power in different ways. The Vestals were active participants in the social and political world of Rome.

Sum Christiana: Perpetua's Patriarchy-Defeating Agency, Katherine Mccarthy

Religious Studies Honors Projects

The early Christian text, Passio sanctarum Perpetuae et Felicitatis, outlines the martyrdom of Vibia Perpetua and fellow catechumens in North Africa in 203 B.C. By looking at the original Latin text and contextualizing the story in its Carthiginian context and focusing on the words exchanged between Perpetua and her paterfamilias and the descriptions concerning them, this deeper analysis situates Perpetua’s agency. Perpetua inverts the role of the paterfamilias, which can be seen through her language choice. Moreover, Perpetua’s paterfamilias’ change in word choice reflects Perpetua’s ability to make her own choices in the male-dominated Roman society. Perpetua defies societal, gender, …

Women And Supposition: The Chronicles Of Narnia And Biblical Womanhood, Carolyn Dailey

Honors Projects

Supplemented by C.S. Lewis' works in theology, predominately Mere Christianity, and 'Priestesses in the Church?" as well as sources from other theologians, and historians, this paper explores the relationship between Christian tradition and Biblical womanhood that is expressed in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. This paper finds that C.S. Lewis drew more from the core tenets of love and equality that exist at the heart of Christianity rather than from traditional Christian beliefs, including some he held himself. In doing this, he crafted an imaginative fiction that affirms Biblical womanhood.

Spiritual Friendship: Learning To Be Friends With God And One Another, Hank Voss

Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics

Aelred’s Spiritual Friendship focuses on being God’s friend expressed through three conversations with different friends. Aelred draws upon his friendships both with contemporaries and with authors who lived centuries before. This work provides an antidote to our contemporary milieu which, though replete with unremitting communications, propels toward individualism, autonomy, and loneliness. What Spiritual Friendship affords is a guide toward “holy and life-giving” friendships fruitfully marked by joy and happiness.

Professor Hank Voss amplifies a voice from the 12th century that explored Christian friendship in Scripture, in creation (reason), in church teachings (tradition), and in his own practice of spiritual friendship …

Changes In The Devadasi Tradition, Danika Bebe

Global Studies Student Scholarship

Danika Bebe ’23
Majors: Global Studies and Public and Community Service
Minor: Business and Innovation
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Trina Vithayathil, Global Studies

This creative research project examines the Devadasi profession in India. It seeks to understand the lived experiences of women who are temple prostitutes in current day India and their experiences of sexual exploitation and abuse. The findings from the research are shared through a poem entitled “around the sun”. A detail description of the stanzas and poem mechanism accompanies the poem.

From Handmaids To Princesses: How Identity And Politics Impact Definitions Of Biblical Rape, Gabrielle R. Isaac-Herzog

Classical Mediterranean and Middle East Honors Projects

The politics of sex in the Bible are complex. They are impacted and limited by the time of the stories, as well as the political landscape and laws of the region. However, since many modern religions have emerged from the text of the Hebrew Bible, it is important for scholars to continue the work of critically examining the texts in the contemporary context. This paper offers a textual analysis of several biblical stories through a feminist and decolonial lens. Through the generation of a taxonomy by which these stories can be categorized, this paper posits that the biblical definitions of …

Language As Communion, James C. Schaap

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Language is a profound and almost magical gift of God, a gift of mystery and deep human importance."

Posting about the complexity of language from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/language-as-communion/

"Standing In The Gap": Combating Sexual Abuse In The Protestant Church, Hayley N. Carter

Honors Projects

Sexual abuse in the Christian Church has been a problem for many decades, and scholars have written extensively about sexual abuse occurring in the Catholic Church. However, abuse occurring in the Protestant Church has not been given that same attention. In 2017, the #MeToo movement went viral and has inspired many sexual abuse survivors to share their stories. I will argue that the Protestant Church should acknowledge the #MeToo movement’s accomplishments, and that this acknowledgement would lead to positive changes in how it approaches sexual abuse. I also will discuss financial abuse, which is a correlating behavior along with sexual …

St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin, April 24, 2022

Saint Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Chicago, IL

Saint Francis Brogia Deaf Center Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Saint Jude's, April 24, 2022

Saint Jude's

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Waltham, MA

Saint Jude's Finding Aid

St. Benedict Parish For The Deaf Church Bulletin, April 24, 2022

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in San Francisco, CA

Saint Benedict Parish for the Deaf Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Songs Of The Son: Exegetical Method, Christology, And Piety In Reformation And Post-Reformation Interpretations Of Select Messianic Psalms, Maarten Kuivenhoven

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

The case for continuity between the Reformation and Reformed Orthodoxy receives a significant contribution from the examination of select Messianic Psalms in the commentaries of Wolfgang Musculus, William Ames, Johannes Cocceius, and Matthew Henry. This contribution is found through the examination of three lines of thought— exegetical method, Christological development, and the formulation of piety.

The consistent employment of prophecy in order to understand the sensus literalis as the Christological reading of the text seems to indicate continuity. The usage of typology also furthers this argument as these interpreters identified various persons or objects as types of Christ. By using …

Developing Ethical Training Curriculum For University Short-Term Missions, Elizabeth P. Sutphin

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

This thesis addresses common problems associated with short-term mission (STM) trips and the gaps in existing training materials for these trips. The research throughout this project is designed to inspire community-specific training materials for college students participating in domestic STM trips through their universities. The final chapter of this thesis includes the framework for a sample curriculum to promote sustainable STM work — providing cross-cultural communication techniques and relationship-building tools to avoid harming the communities students seek to serve.

Conversations On Creation Care: A Review Of Saving Us, Carl P. Fictorie

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"For someone who has concern for climate change, or who is struggling to find ways to build bridges and material to work with, this book will be quite helpful."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­the book Saving Us from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/conversations-on-creation-care-a-review-of-saving-us/

Christians And Climate Change, David Schelhaas

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"God’s delight in his creation reminds us that we also should delight in it."

Posting about taking care of the earth from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/christians-and-climate-change/

A Humanist's Account: Manetti On Humanism's Impact On Morality In 15th Century Italy., Connor Kurtz, Beau Kilpatrick

Undergraduate Research Events

Abstract

Religion, art, and politics were at their peak during the Italian Renaissance. However, because of the generously allocated talent of the Italian sphere at this time it is easy to overlook the contributions of those who broke away from the Catholic concentration and kick started this humanistic era. Giannozzo Manetti, an Italian politician who in 1452 wrote De Ignate er Excellencia Hominis, a challenge to Pope Innocent III’s philosophy. The text has been translated to “On Human Worth and Excellence” and describes a deep-rooted foundation of humanism in religion. He concludes a functionality of society and religion in …

Volume Xxxvii, No. 2, Cumulative Issue 73

The Communicator

The English Speaking Circary of the Order of Prémontré

Volume Xxxvii, No. 1, Cumulative Issue 72

The Communicator

The English Speaking Circary of the Order of Prémontré

Discovering, Developing, And Deploying Emerging Ministry Leaders In The Assemblies Of God, Janet Kay Bruner Faggart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Across America, the need exists to identify young, potential Christian leaders who sense a call to ministry, to grow these emerging leaders through spiritual parenting or mentoring, godly relationships, education, training, and ministry experience, and to send out the next generation of ministers to fulfill the Great Commission. The purpose of this mixed-method phenomenological study was to explore and better understand the nature of the discovery, development, and deployment of a call to ministry for emerging leaders who are credentialed ministers with the North Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God and under 40 years of age at the …

How Does The Harry Potter Series Connect To Plato's Belief In The Immortality Of The Soul And Finitude Of The Body?, Julia Strimling

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Plato has long been acknowledged for his significant role in the development of the Christian perspective regarding immortality. The following analysis demonstrates how Plato’s perspective on what follows death, which shaped Christian eschatology, aligns with the themes presented in the Harry Potter series. Using Plato’s Phaedo, this paper will compare Plato’s ideas about the immortality of the soul to how J. K. Rowling portrays immortality, illuminating the presence of Christian thought in the famous Harry Potter series. These connections include the beliefs that the soul survives the physical death of the body, one must nourish and protect their soul, …

The Role And Characteristic Of Love In 1 Corinthians 13, Ninh Van Nguyen

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

In this paper, I discuss the role and characteristics of Love in 1 Corinthians 13. Before going into detailed treatment of this topic, I sought to clarify why Paul writes this letter, and the coherent unity of the letter. I also recognize that it is necessary to clarify the term ‘Love’ in the context of First Corinthians. It is equally important to discern the thematic weight and the position of chapter 13 in the context of the whole epistle. I utilize the structural criticism which considers the chapter in question as the central part of the ‘sandwiched’ construction between chapters …