Religion Commons^™

Multilayered Agency And Religion: A Study Of The Catholic Bishops Conference Of The Philippines (1986–1998), Christian Santos

Theses

The present thesis examines the core issue of how to understand and situate the agency of a religious actor in International Relations (IR). This is investigated through a case study of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in two comparative policy contexts: agrarian land reform and family planning. The CBCP is a permanent institution within the Catholic Church as a collective of the bishops of the Philippines. The research employs analytic eclecticism as the method to integrate select works from four principal scholars: Colin Wight, Adrian Pabst, Atalia Omer and Mariano Barbato. Wight’s tripartite multilayered framework of agency …

Worthless Secrets: Corruption Of Cosmological Knowledge In The Enochic Tradition, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The article explores the fallen Watchers’ cosmological secrets and their connection with the cosmological law or the “law of the stars.” It argues that the Watchers’ cosmological expertise is closely connected with their roles in relation to the “law of the stars” as the former participants and guardians of this reified cosmological covenant.

Discrimination Against Veiled Women In The West: Social Isolation, Amina M. Abdallah

Dissertations and Theses

This research examines the discriminatory practices faced by veiled women in the West that impede their integration into their local communities or lead them to feel socially isolated. Societal prejudice and, in some cases, the laws of the land often solidify this isolation of Muslim women and girls from the rest of the world. These victims of social oppression face discrimination based on multiple factors, such as their religion, race, and sex.

This study analyses preconceived notions regarding veiled women, incorporating evidence from seventeen qualitative interviews done with veiled Muslim women residing in the West, particularly the United States, United …

Sikhs And Colonialism: A Study Of Religious Identity Across Time From Guru Nanak To The British Raj, Samrath S. Machra

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis deals with how a religious community shapes itself in the face of powerful external pressures. It explores ways the Sikh religion (code, creed, and cultus) was influenced by its encounters with the British Empire and in process, gave birth to a new combinative tradition. This paper will look at where the Sikh people located themselves during the Colonial period, to understand Colonialism’s imprint on the Sikh tradition. It traces the thread of contact throughout Sikh history and argues that British contact resulted in religious and cultural exchanges which reoriented Sikh creed, code, and cultus. The resulting combinative tradition …

Informed By Joy: A Christian Librarian's Reflection On C.S. Lewis, David H. Michels

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In Surprised by Joy C. S. Lewis offers us his account of his conversion to Christianity. Using his experiences of joy as “signposts,” he leads us through his early life up to his conversion at age thirty-one. I reflect on Lewis’s account as a librarian, researcher, and fellow Christian, considering his information world and the people who aided and hindered him on his faith journey. I conclude with some thoughts on his and my own conversion, as both unique yet shared experiences within the Christian tradition.

"Real joy seems to me almost as unlike security or prosperity as it is …

Rice, Reciprocity, And Generosity: Embedded Ecologies In Hindu Women’S Rituals, Zoe Carlson

CMC Senior Theses

Hindu women’s perspectives of the more-than-human world are illuminated through ritual. Researching ecological actions millions of people of different faiths across the world partake in every day, in the context of the climate crisis of our present time, is a vital project I undertake in this thesis. I look to Hinduism, which has traditionally been called an “ecological” religion, but without a clear definition of what “ecological” means. I use Vijaya Nagarajan’s theories about Hinduism, women, and ecology as a theoretical guide. I apply her theory of “embedded ecologies” to analyze how knowledge about the environment is layered in cultural, …

Relationship Between Religion And Native American Identity, Gennaro W. Milo

Graduate Research Posters

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between religious affiliation and Native American Identity. Based on the findings of this study, a component of a Native American's Identity is their religious affiliation. To contribute to the research on Native American and Alaskan Native identity, this study targeted the teenage demographic of ages 12 to 19 years old. Over growing concern, expressed by tribal elders, about a loss of cultural identity amongst teens, this study investigates a connection between a teen’s sense of identity and their religious affiliation (Quigley, 2019). This study used a multiple-choice …

True Pauline Worship Is Trinitarian: A Look At Paul’S Trinitarian Presuppositions, Connie Heberlein

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to show that true Pauline worship is Trinitarian. Thus, proper Christian worship must be Trinitarian. This work begins by examining the Shema and exploring the unique identity of God presented in the Old Testament and the literature of Second Temple Judaism. Building on this foundation, this work evaluates statements found in Paul’s letters in which Paul reformulates the Shema to include Christ and the Spirit in the divine identity of God. The goal is to understand how the first Christians, who were Jews committed to the exclusive worship of Yahweh, moved from monotheistic worship to Trinitarian worship …

A Defense Of The Resurrection Miracle And Critique Of The Hallucination Theory, Joshua James Smothers

Masters Theses

Many Christian scholars simply laugh at the notion of the Hallucination theory. However, while it is laughable that the hallucination theory claims the disciples of Jesus all shared a hallucination in which they saw their beloved friend risen from the grave, there is more to the hallucination theory than meets the eye. This thesis defends the resurrection using history while critiquing the hallucination theory. Jesus did rise from the grave in the same physical body that was crucified at Calvary, and the disciple's claims of seeing a risen Jesus are true and can be proven with fact and evidence.

"That All May Justice Share: Sydney Catholics In The Interwar Years 1919-1929, Monica Van Gend

Theses

While the years immediately following Australia’s participation in World War I have received much academic attention, the churches in the post-war era have been largely overlooked. Responding to Michael McKernan’s claim that Australian churches became less relevant to Australian society after the war, this thesis examines the response of the Catholic Church in Sydney to life after the war. Utilising a dual methodology of religious history and social history, this thesis analyses the role of the Church at this time by examining its works and activities, drawing on primary sources in Archdiocesan archives and the archives of specific Catholic lay …

Premarital Counseling And Christianity: A Composition Of Couples Intuition And Understanding As It Relates To Marital Satisfaction, Sheila Delores Salley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Increasing divorce rates in the United States of America have resulted in Premarital Counseling (PMC) gaining grave popularity over the last couple of decades. There has been a proliferation of premarital counseling programs in the United States of America since the 1930s with a thrust toward building and sustaining satisfying marriages. Traditional premarital counseling programs focus on ensuring satisfaction once the couple is married; however, there is a significant gap in researching the impact of incorporating Christian values as a means of therapeutic intervention. This study involved eight Christian, African American, heterosexual couples who received Christian-based PMC (CPMC) and have …

"Woman In The Mirror; Precious Child Of God Or Just A Rib?", Bonnie M. Orth

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis entitled, “Woman in the Mirror: Precious Child of God, or Just a Rib?” is based on a request from colleagues to create a curriculum as a companion piece to the Rev. Dr. Kevin Frederick’s curriculum, “Men in the Mirror: Orienting Our Lives Toward a Christ-Centered Masculinity.” The curriculum will be used by pastors and pastoral counselors working with women who struggle with self-esteem and/or are victims of domestic violence. This thesis explores the problem that some women seem to lack a clear understanding of their position in the kingdom of God. Looking at how women understood God, their …

A Model For Identifying, Developing, And Installing Elders In The Church: The Path Family Church Has Taken, Stephen Harrison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that Family Church does not identify, develop, and install their potential elders well. This intervention research project addressed this problem by establishing prerequisites for elder identification, a seven-week elder training workbook, and guidelines for installation after the research project. Current elders at Family Church completed a questionnaire, participated in case studies, and evaluated their intervention project in a focus group to establish an effective method of identifying, developing, and installing potential elders. This intervention research project produced a list of prerequisites for identifying potential elders, a seven-week elder training manual, and clear guidelines for ordaining elders at …

Caring For The Soul Of A Pluralistic Army: An Exploration Of Servant Leader Behaviors In Active Duty Chaplains, W. Joshua Grimes

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Army Chaplaincy is charged with the unique and sacred mission to “Care for the Soul of the Army” ─an Army with an increasingly pluralistic culture with respect to religious and spiritual beliefs. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence and degree of servant leadership behaviors in active duty chaplains, as an initial step in discerning the potential of servant leadership as a conceptual framework to help the chaplaincy provide effective pastoral care within a diverse organization. The study used an embedded mixed-methods design to capture quantitative data regarding servant leadership behaviors in 250 individual chaplains …

Theologia: Quaker Youth Ministry And Theopraxis In A Multicultural Context, Joel Mayward, Roger Nam, Leah Payne, Steve Sherwood, Hannah Souter, Trisha Welstad

Quaker Religious Thought

"I am convinced by my own life and by wide observation of children that mystical experience is much more common than is usually supposed. Children are not so absorbed as we are with things and with problems. They are not so completely organized for dealing with the outside world as we older persons are. They do not live by cut-and-dried theories. They have more room for surprise and wonder. They are more sensitive to intimations, flashes, openings. The invisible impinges on their souls and they feel its reality as something quite natural.” —Rufus M. Jones,

“Finding the Trail of Life”1 …

Review Of Dandelion, P. The Cultivation Of Conformity: Towards A General Theory Of Internal Secularisation, (Routledge, 2019)., Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

"Ben" Pink Dandelion's book, The Cultivation of Conformity: Towards a General Theory of Internal Secularisation, is a serious examination of religious expression using British Quakerism as a test case. Even for one like me-who is not trained in the methods of the social–scientific study of religion, which the book employs–The Cultivation of Conformity is immensely useful to understand the changing dynamics of Quakerism, and Quakerism’s relationship to culture. Dandelion is a British Quaker and the foremost sociologist of Quakerism. His book builds on decades of research, presents a clear-eyed analysis of Quakerism and advances the study of religion in …

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought, No. 136, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

In the last issue of Quaker Religious Thought (QRT) I reflected that the type of Quaker theological reflection and praxis explored in QRT was important if Friends are to confront the strife, inequity, and injustice we can witness all around us. Now, six months later, we are experiencing the deadliest days of the pandemic, political tensions have boiled over to the point of an attempted coup by Christian Identity groups and an attempt to thwart such hallmarks of democracy as the peaceful transfer of power. What do Quakers have to offer in a world like this? One …

Caring For Each Other, Ashley M. Wilcox

Quaker Religious Thought

Pastors wear a lot of hats. Pastors’ roles include preacher, worship leader, provider of pastoral care, counselor, teacher, and administrator. And those are just the official expectations. As Barbara Brown Taylor says, a pastor also ends up being a “social worker, chauffeur, cook, financial advisor, community organizer, babysitter, philanthropist, marriage counselor, cheerleader, [and] friend.”1 In a church with a large staff, these roles may be divided among several people, but then the lead pastor also has to manage several employees. In a church with a solo pastor, the pastor either has to do all of these tasks or rely on …

Quaker Pastoral Theology And Its Embodiment In The Community, Oscar Lugusa Malande

Quaker Religious Thought

The reflection brought forth in this writing is part of the Quaker Theological Discussion Group in answering the question, what is Quaker pastoral theology, and how is it embodied in the community? It is majorly divided in two parts. There is exploration of the meaning of Quaker pastoral theology and embodiment of Quaker pastoral ministry.

Revolutionary Faithfulness: Quaker Pastoral Practice And Theology In An Age Of Empire, C. Wess Daniels

Quaker Religious Thought

I am glad there is space for what I expect will be a rigorous and critical examination of Quaker pastoral theology within the pages of Quaker Religious Thought. This is needed as much now as ever. For a practice that goes back to at least the late 1860s (Barbour and Frost, 1994: 211), it is unclear why so little has been written about it in 160 years.1 This is not just a lost opportunity; it is a grave deficit for programmed Friends. It could be argued that many of the challenges Gurneyite Quakerism faces today—in terms of tradition drift, division, …

A Methodological Proposal For Programmed Quaker Practical Theology, Derek Brown

Quaker Religious Thought

I propose that a practical theology research paradigm, utilizing both inductive empirical and deductive theological modalities, can facilitate confessional practical theological and ecclesiological research with the increased partnership and cooperation of congregations in programmed Friends meetings. And there is a need for such efforts. Jen Buck has provided case studies of unbalanced hybridity between Evangelical Friends theology/ ecclesiology and other theo-denominational paradigms.1 Her image of “colonization,” used to describe the subordination of one doctrinal/cultural position by another, accurately describes the outcome of the uneven and contentious dialectic that is observed between the “evangelical” and the “Friends” identities within local and …

What Is A Quaker Pastoral Theology, And How Is It Enfleshed/Embodied In Community?, Phil Baisley

Quaker Religious Thought

By definition, pastoral theology sets theology in context. It’s theology with hands and feet attached. In this article I will first address Friends’ theology and then the hands and feet part.

Review Of Quakers And Mysticism: Comparative And Syncretic Approaches To Spirituality, Edited By John R. Kershner (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Stuart Masters

Quaker Religious Thought

Despite the considerable diversity of belief and practice within global Quakerism, one characteristic that links all these diverse expressions is an emphasis on the experience of a direct inward relationship with God in spirit, albeit interpreted in very different ways. Such an experiential focus on divine intimacy inevitably raises a question about the relationship between Quaker spirituality and mysticism. This has been a controversial issue, in part because, in his influential work undertaken during the early twentieth century, Rufus Jones defined Quaker mysticism in a way that characterized both the Quietist and Evangelical forms of Quakerism as unfortunate deviations from …

Review Of C. Wess Daniels, Resisting Empire: The Book Of Revelation (Barclay Press, 2019), Mark Condo

Quaker Religious Thought

If you’re a student, teacher, or leader in your faith community and take the discipline of biblical studies and hermeneutics seriously, Wess Daniels’ commentary, Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation, is a must-read. Knowing how to responsibly answer earnest questions about apocalyptic New Testament literature can be a daunting task, particularly when it comes to the Revelation of John of Patmos. Questions such as, “What is the book of Revelation actually about?” or, “What relevance does Revelation have for today?” need to be handled in an informed manner and not merely dismissed. However, knowing where to begin can itself be …

Review Of Derek Brown, On Quakers And Pastors (Barclay Press, 2019), Ruthie Severance

Quaker Religious Thought

On Quakers and Pastors delves into the paradox of being a pastor of a Friends church. Quakers from all backgrounds may be interested, but this book is specifically aimed at Evangelical Friends pastors. Derek Brown highlights the balance needed in combining evangelicalism with Quaker beliefs such as equality, simplicity, and silence. Brown weaves history and theology throughout the book, providing context for the struggles many Friends churches have had in supporting pastors and defining pastoral expectations. He succinctly lays out Friends pastoral theology, making On Quakers and Pastors an easy-to-use resource for pastors and other church leaders, both to understand …

Climate Change And The Personal Presence Of God, Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Quaker Religious Thought

Climate change is one of the most important social justice issues of our time that affects the survival of humanity and planet earth. Climate change alters our planet and creates havoc in many parts of the world as weather patterns change, causing changes in our environment and countless other ripple effects. Storms are getting more devastating, as structures are destroyed and more lives are being lost. The increase in carbon emissions is destroying our atmosphere, and the consequences are enormous for the future of our planet. During this climate crisis, how are we to divert the disruption and stop climate …

Understanding The Holy Spirit As Ruah, God's Breath, Laurel D. Kearns

Quaker Religious Thought

As I begin this response, I want to quickly acknowledge that both Steve Angell and Grace Ji-Sun Kim have more expertise on the issue of pneumatology than I do, as I am primarily trained as a sociologist who focuses on religion and environmentalism. Their stimulating papers lured me to wade into more theological waters than I am used to, so in that spirit, I offer my thoughts on the topic, inspired by their work.

A Filmmaker's Review Of The Light In Their Eyes, Lauren Tanel

Quaker Religious Thought

An old raspy voice fills a quiet, muffled office at Haverford College. It is 1964 and the 80-year-old Professor Clarence Pickett hunches over a vinyl recorder and discusses the events of his lifetime. He discusses one of the most modern and meaningful moments of his life as he recalls his work in responding to the terrors of Nazi Germany.

This was, of course, a tragic experience for the Jew, but on the whole, I think, any of us that participated in that felt that it was a privilege to lay oneself alongside the Jew who suffered, recognizing that suffering, in …

Review Of Brian Drayton's Messages To Meetings (San Francisco: Inner Light Books, 2021), Howard R. Macy

Quaker Religious Thought

Messages to Meetings is a collection of letters written to various groups, mostly in the context of New England Yearly Meeting, where Brian Drayton is an active recorded minister. Some of the letters follow visits he has made as a traveling minister. Others are to groups he wishes he could gather with but can only “pay a visit by letter.” Still others are instructional pieces to assist groups he actively participates in, most notably New England Yearly Meeting.

Contributors - Quaker Religious Thought, No. 138, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.