Religion Commons^™

Refocus: The Films Of Paul Schrader, Elijah Siegler

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Michelle E. Moore and Brian Brems, editors, ReFocus: The Films of Paul Schrader (Edinburgh University Press: 2020).

The Bible As Relic, Fetish Or Talisman In Nollywood Films: A Semiotic Perspective, Floribert Patrick C. Endong

Journal of Religion & Film

Many Nollywood Christian films tap into a plurality of myths and idiosyncrasies prevailing in Nigeria in particular and the Christendom in general. Some of these myths and idiosyncrasies revolve around the perceived magical powers of the Bible, particularly the Holy Book’s ability to neutralize or prevent the designs of paranormal and satanic entities. In line with such Christian myths, many Nollywood Christianity-based films deploy various typologies of artifacts, signs and special effects to represent the Bible as an object which is more than a mere carrier of holy scriptures and the voice of God. In this paper, attention is given …

Transforming Leviathan: Job, Hobbes, Zvyagintsev And Philosophical Progression, Graham C. Goff

Journal of Religion & Film

The allegory of Leviathan, the biblical serpent of the seas, has undergone numerous distinct and even antithetical conceptions since its origin in the book of Job. Most prominently, Leviathan was the namesake of Thomas Hobbes’s 1651 political treatise and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s 2014 film of the same name, a damning indictment of Russian corruption. These three iterations underscore the societal transition from the recognition of power as being derived from God to the secularization of power in Hobbes’s philosophy, to the negation of the legitimacy of divine and secular institutional power, in Zvyagintsev’s controversial film. This examination of Leviathan’s three unique …

The Presence And Absence Of Animal Sacrifice In Jesus Films, James W. Barker, Daniel C. Ullucci

Journal of Religion & Film

This article illuminates an overlooked polemic embedded in many Jesus films. Filmmakers show little comprehension of the architecture of the Jerusalem temple. When the temple does appear, animal sacrifice is either eradicated entirely or grossly misrepresented. Since contemporary audiences are increasingly unfamiliar with animal sacrifice and butchery in general, ancient Jewish rituals can be interpreted as unscrupulous and barbaric. Also, the temple and priesthood are often expressly depicted as greedy and corrupt. A related motif anachronistically attributes the Christian rejection of animal sacrifice to Jesus himself. Some of these mischaracterizations arise from gaps, ambiguities, and ideologies within the written Gospels. …

Seeing And Interpreting Visions Of The Next Age In Interstellar, Nancy Wright

Journal of Religion & Film

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) uses multiple styles of cinematography – documentary, painterly and expressionistic – to guide interpretation of its apocalyptic review of history. Within the prologue and epilogue of the science fiction film, clips from interviews originally filmed for Ken Burns’s The Dust Bowl (2012) invite questions about how to interpret documentary, revisionist and eschatological reviews of history. Cinematography functions as a self-reflexive cue to spectators within and outside the mise-en-scène to engage in eschatological interpretation. The representation of spectatorship and vision reveals the challenge of interpreting prophetic visions of the last things and the next age, which are …

On My Mind, William L. Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a review of the short film On My Mind (2021), directed by Martin Stange-Hansen.

"For You There Are No Strangers": Albert Schweitzer And The Ethics Of Necessity In Pandemic America, Joel (J.T.) Young

Faculty Scholarship

Claiming millions of lives and affecting millions more, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrust humanity into a period of intense reflection on the fragility of life. However, in this time when people have been encouraged to care for their fellow human beings by taking the precautions necessary to protect one another, many have asked the same question as one of Jesus’ antagonistic opponents in the Gospel of Luke: “and who is my neighbor?” In addition to the virus, though, the United States has been plagued by another adversary: non-necessity toward the other. By claiming no responsibility for the well-being and care …

On The Borders: A Multiaxial Pedagogical Approach To Community-Based Global Learning, Sara A. Williams

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article introduces a multiaxial pedagogical approach intended to complement to the Community-Based Global Learning (CBGL) framework for globally-engaged experiential learning. This multiaxial approach emerged from a Spring 2019 course at Miami University titled “On the Border: Immigration Justice in Interfaith Perspective.” The article first offers a brief overview of CBGL, contextualizing its development in historical trajectories of global learning in higher education. It then outlines the multiaxial approach and suggests some contributions it can make to pedagogical design within the CBGL framework. Following this, the article describes how the multiaxial approach emerged from the course’s exploration and design. Finally, …

Table Of Contents

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Christian – Muslim Dialogue On Hospitality: A Case Of Somali Refugees At The Dadaab Refugee Complex In Kenya, Oscar Angaga Nduri

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates how the theo-philosophical concept of hospitality from the perspectives of African spirituality, Christianity, and Islam, combined with narrative examples, offers practical resources for building bridges between Kenyan Christians and Muslims to alleviate the sufferings of the Somali refugees in the Dadaab Refugee Complex. The refugees' hardship includes poor shelter, inadequate food supply, poor educational and health standards, insecurity, recurring threats of deportation by the Kenyan government, sex and gender-based violence.

The African philosophical concept of ubuntu provides the framework for reconciling Somali refugees, the Kenyan government, and the Somalis who remain in Somalia to build lasting peace …

Eucharistic Communion In A Time Of Pandemic: Insights From Ubuntu In An Extended African Family, Peter Linus Omondi

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The eucharistic celebration is central to the Catholic faith. Deprivation of it impacts the faith of the people. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are one instance in which the faith of the majority of Christians was adversely affected. This thesis postulates that such impacts arose due to an inadequate understanding of the Eucharist. By narrowing on the experience of the people of Rodi-Kopany in Kenya, the thesis proposes that understanding of Eucharistic communion, informed by the lived experience of ubuntu in the extended African family, will be helpful towards the appropriation of the theology of the Eucharist and thereby …

Responding To "Eucharistic Deprivation" In Rural Western Nigeria: Toward An Inculturated Theology And Celebration Of The Eucharist, Michael Abiodun Oluwadare

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

One of the challenges confronting the Catholic Church worldwide is the shortage of priests. Because of this, many parishes, especially in the rural areas, gather for Sunday worship without the Eucharist. This thesis will explore the rural areas in the western part of Nigeria that are faced with the problem of the shortage of priests, economic instability, lack of basic amenities, and poverty. Due to this, the people in this part of the country feel deprived, isolated, and marginalized. The thesis will propose for the commission of lay ministers to preside at the Communion service, liturgies of the Word, and …

Old Faith New: Risking It All For The Kingdom Of God, Bridget Thornton

Doctor of Ministry

The opportunity existed to develop a curriculum on a theology of risk for Key West United Methodist Church. This will enable us to begin to risk substantially for the Kingdom of God. This NPO was developed over the three years of the DMIN program; each milestone provided clarity to get to this final NPO. I began searching for tools used by United Methodists in previous times of liminality and discovered the need for a theology of risk. A hero who risked for God’s kingdom emerged in this search, Robert Strawbridge. Strawbridge was a layperson who exceeded his authority to reach …

Chapter 6. The Cry Of The Vulnerable: Twenty-Five Years In Permanent State Of Transition, Paul Flamm C.S.Sp.

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Holy Ghost Fathers In The United States

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Chapter 18. Young Men Seeing Visions: My Passion For The Spiritan Mission, Matthew Broeren C.S.Sp.

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

The Baffling Blessing Of Petitionary Prayer, James M. Ennis

Religious & Theological Studies Student Work

Petitionary prayer can be characterized as many things. On one end of the spectrum, it holds out tremendous hope full of promise and potential, but on the other end, it can also be puzzling and problematic. Bewildered by lingering questions and doubts, at times we experience prayers of petition as precarious and paradoxical, and at other times, powerful and prevailing. Petitionary prayer requires persistence, patience, and persuasiveness. Depending on how some of Jesus’ parables are interpreted, it can even be reduced to pestering an indifferent God until he reluctantly responds and acts on our behalf.

There is a fairly common …

Mindfulness As An Effective Conceptual Tool For The Pastoral Care Of Western Christians, Beth Virostek

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

The rapprochement of mindfulness within Christian ministries of the West is integrally important as mindfulness continues to grow as a field and be utilized in the secular world as a tool for growth and the promotion of subjective well-being. If this rapprochement is not attempted, the conflicts surrounding Christians approaching and utilizing mindfulness will continue. In recent decades, the application of mindfulness in a variety of areas has exploded. The neuroscience research has followed, citing great benefits to the practice of and the trait of mindfulness. However, Christians remain hesitant in approaching mindfulness for fear of it being heretical in …

Message: Most Rev. Anthony B. Taylor, Little Rock, Arkansas, Anthony B. Taylor

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Greetings: Provincial Superior, Donald J. Mceachin C.S.Sp.

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Silent Holy Spirit, April-June 2022

Silent Holy Spirit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in St. Louis, MO

Silent Holy Spirit Finding Aid

From The Incoming Editor, Colleen Windham-Hughes

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Restory Your Church, Mark Youngman

Doctor of Ministry

This project provides a framework for churches at a turning point or near closure to “ReStory” and consider legacy options for their future including a restart, repurpose, or reallocation of resources. This is the key insight of this project: Churches that tell their past and present stories are well positioned to stay connected to a future vision that meets the needs of the community through creative and innovative means.

I am a pastor in the Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this context, I have witnessed the closure of dozens of churches in both urban and …

Bridging The Digital Divide: Digital Technology And Church, Martina L. Hagler

Doctor of Ministry

The proliferation of digital technology provides churches with more paths for reaching a broader audience to facilitate and foster spiritual engagement across members and non-members of the church.

Digital technology brings a significant change in how we communicate and commune. The digital revolution is opening doors for quick forms of communication, interaction, and response. Digital technology provides semiotic resources through digital platforms, websites, social media, videos, and images which facilitate and foster multimodal communication. These digital technology semiotic resources offer a dimension of technology that is still underutilized in many sectors of life, including the church.

The ministry context of …

The 835 Weekend: A Model For Recruitment Of Generation Z Entrepreneurs Toward Church Planting In Europe, Mark Good

Doctor of Ministry

The continent of Europe, once a center of spiritual renewal and missionary mobilization, has now become a gospel desert. The need for church planting is acute. The means to address this need is partly through the deployment of church planting teams, yet there is a dearth of both European and expatriate missionary young adults ready to take up this charge. Generation Z entrepreneurs must be successfully engaged and recruited to meet the need for pioneering career church planters among the least reached peoples of Europe. The key insights discovered regarding recruitment of Generation Z to missionary careers come from the …

Where Is Home?, Christina O'Connell

Race, Ethnicity, & Religion

“I know it is wrong to not want them to move in, but it’s the way we feel.” “If one family moves in then pretty soon there will be others.” “I think that all races should have equal opportunity. But I think they should stay within their own groups.” “Negroes and Mexicans have as much right to love as we do, but they still depreciate property.” These are all words that were written about by grandma and her two brothers when they moved to Moline, Illinois. They were born in the U.S. and had just been evicted from their apartment …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 64, No. 2

Restoration Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Loneliness And The Church: Creating Effective Discipleship Systems For The Next Generation, Sarah Brits

Selected Honors Theses

Loneliness is the most common shared experience. With Generation Alpha already predicted to be the loneliest and most anxious generation of all time, it is more important than ever for next-generation ministry leaders to step ahead of the trend of loneliness and establish effective discipleship systems within their ministry. This study explores to what level people are experiencing loneliness on a daily basis and how their church involvement impacts said loneliness. The church is good at offering large group and small group connections for individuals, but most participants said their church does not offer mentorship opportunities, neglecting the vital intimate …

Where The Spirit Of The Lord Is, There Is Freedom: A Critique Of Liberal Religious Freedom, Joseph Hempfling

Masters of Theological Studies

We seek to develop a theological and metaphysical critique of the liberal understanding of religious freedom that is juridical in nature, revealing that what it can only mean by both “religion” and “freedom” are inadequate under the light of Christian orthodoxy. Not only is inadequate, but it does not allow orthodoxy to flourish under it, swallowing up all would-be competitors under its own liberal monism. This study pulls heavily from Roman Catholic Communio theology and its already broad critique of liberalism and liberal religious freedom, but also correlates those enlightening critiques with Pentecostalism, bringing an analogous critique of liberal religious …

An Unfinished Melody: Mental Illness, Worship Music, And The Tension Of The Pentecostal “Now” And “Not Yet, Brianna Turbeville

Masters of Theological Studies

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is estimated that nearly 20% of adults within the United States suffer from some form of mental illness.1 With roughly one-fifth, if not more, of the entire U.S. population facing a daily internal battle of some sort, this is an issue that is certainly elemental to the overarching purpose of the Church as an agent of reconciliation of creation with Creator. A prevalent problem requires prevalent solutions. What is something even more pervasive in every culture than mental health? Music. Melodies and lyrics are native to virtually every individual on earth. …