Religion Commons^™

From The Archives: Barbed-Wire Christians: Asbury, E. Stanley Jones, And Japanese American Internment Camps, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

For All The Saints: Sanctification, Autism, And A Rethinking Of Sainthood, Dean G. Blevins

The Asbury Journal

This article explores the intersection of sanctification, worship, and autism within Wesleyan traditions, arguing that autistic persons embody a truer vision of sainthood by challenging the “cult of normalcy” that often governs congregational life. Drawing on historical perspectives of sainthood, theological anthropology, and contemporary disability theology, the essay reconsiders how worship practices shape or exclude neurodiverse participation. By reframing sainthood through neurodiversity, the paper proposes that autistic presence in worship offers both theological insight and ecclesial renewal, calling the church toward adaptive practices of hospitality, holiness, and community that reflect the Spirit’s inclusive work.

Book Review: "Love Divine: A Wesleyan Systematic Theology", Colton Castle

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Cultural Logics In Agriculture: A Critical Christian Perspective, John Hill Price, Travis Ryan Pickell, Paul Capel, Kyungsoo Yoo, Dominic Christiensen, Marie Culhane, Tyler Dick, John Deen, Erik Watkins

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Imagine a precocious, driven, and empathetic undergraduate student. She has discovered a passion and a talent for biochemistry, and wants to apply to graduate school to pursue agronomy, with the goal of returning to her rural community home after graduation. She loves science and nature; she is also a committed Christian. She has a vague sense that these things are connected, but she isn’t sure how. And to be honest, the people around her in college do not always believe these two parts of her identity are compatible. Nevertheless, she plans to pursue graduate studies and hopes her faith will …

T. F. Torrance's Conversation With The Social Sciences And Political Theologies Of His Era, Roger Newell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

The essay surveys Torrance’s engagement with the social sciences of his era, noticing various political and economic themes while noting his limited conversation compared to his extensive engagement with the natural sciences. The second half of the essay considers the implications for the future engagement of trinitarian theology with economics, politics, and the ongoing relevance of political theology.

Leadership Studies In The Master Of Divinity (M.Div.) Curricula Of The Southern Baptist Convention (Sbc) Seminaries, Todd Stinnett

Dissertations

This dissertation chronicles the pursuit of an answer to the following question: In what ways have Southern Baptist Conventions (SBC) seminaries incorporated leadership studies into the curricula of their Master of Divinity (M.Div.) programs? This dissertation is a qualitative, multi-site case study that utilized a descriptive method of research. The research also utilized a qualitative interview that asked seminary administrators about their understanding of leadership studies and the place of those studies in the leadership courses that each seminary provided. One administrator from each of the six SBC seminaries was interviewed for this research. Content analysis was used to discover …

The Desecration Of Sacred Spaces In The Dead Sea Scrolls And Pre-Nicene Latin Christianity: A History Of Interpretation Of The Eschatological Motif Of The Defiling Enemy In Apocalypticism, Rodrigo De Galiza Barbosa

Dissertations

Problem

The motif of the polluting enemy in the sanctuary is an important point of departure in the articulation of community boundaries in Hebraic-Christian culture. This particular motif has the potential to explain, at least in part, how Jewish and Christian communities would have understood the apocalyptic evil other and, from this understanding, set boundaries for their holy communities. Texts such as Dan 8 and 2 Thess 2 have been the locus classicus of the so-called antichrist, and ever since their interpretation has shaped how Christians and Jews have understood the enemy to their respective communities. In the history of …

The Birth Of Afghanistan: From Ancient Persia To A Modern-Day Multiethnic And Linguistic Country, Tyler A. Worm

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis offers a comprehensive historical analysis of the formation and evolution of Afghan identity from antiquity through the early medieval period, emphasizing the region’s role as a dynamic crossroads of civilizations. It traces the origins of Afghan populations to Indo-Iranian pastoralist migrations and examines the successive influence of major imperial formations, including the Median and Achaemenid Persian empires, the conquests of Alexander and the Seleucid period, and the rise of the Kushan, Parthian, and Sasanian states. Through this longue durée approach, the study demonstrates how Afghanistan’s geographic position facilitated continuous cultural interaction, economic exchange, and political contestation, producing a …

What Church Planters Need : How Community, Training, & Intentional Relationships Fuel Church Growth, Carolina G. Miller

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Scholars Called: Ten Years Of Doctorates In Biblical Studies At Asbury Theological Seminary, David B. Schreiner, Jason A. Myers

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

What Church Planters Need : How Community, Training, & Intentional Relationships Fuel Church Growth, Carolina G. Miller

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Christian Worship: Grammar, Theology, & Practice, Stephen D. Bruns

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Judgement Morning: Studies In Holiness Radicalism, William Kostlevy

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Christian Ethics, Michael Knight, Lizette Knight

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Early Medieval Perspectives Of Fetal Development, Nivedha Srinivasan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines early medieval perspectives of fetal development by analyzing two manuscripts: British Library, Cotton Tiberius A III and Leiden University, Vossianus lat. Q69. This study will investigate how knowledge of pregnancy was shared throughout England before the establishment of universities. Interest in medieval reproductive language has piqued in importance in recent years, especially due to modern legal debates surrounding reproductive rights. By examining descriptions of the nine months of fetal development in these two manuscripts, as well as in widely known earlier medical texts like Pliny’s Natural History and Vindicianus’ Gynaecia, this research explores how monastic writers in …

Master Plan Of Evangelism – Macedonian Version, Robert E. Coleman

GO InterNational Books

No abstract provided.

The Divine Feminine Reframed: Dogma And Doctrine, Icon And Flesh, And The Sacred Embodiment Of Reclamation, Natasha Keckley

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis interrogates Marian iconography and its role in constructing a moral binary that marks female bodies as either sanctified or sinful. Drawing on feminist and postcolonial theory, iconographic analysis, and historical case studies, the research analyzes how Christian symbology established the Marian Mold: a theological aesthetic apparatus that exalts feminine sanctity through ideals of virginity, obedience, and maternal receptivity while constraining feminine expression. This paradigm, propagated through the British Empire’s colonial regimes, shaped the regulation and reinterpretation of embodied traditions. The thesis investigates these dynamics through two case studies: the Devadasi tradition and Bharatanatyam’s reformulation in South India, and …

Refining The Fiat: Exploring The Vocations Of Four Women Catholic Educators Through Narrative Inquiry In The Archdiocese Of Philadelphia, Kaitlyn A. Rodgers

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a long history of integrating faith and education. While research often focuses on school efficacy and Catholic identity, less attention has been given to the educators who sustain these institutions. This qualitative narrative inquiry explored how Catholic faith shapes the professional identities and vocational commitments of four women educators in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Guided by Catholic Social Teaching and feminist theology, the study examined how participants understood their vocation, or “fiat,” through personal and professional narratives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both vowed religious and lay educators.

Three themes emerged. First, …

The Mundo I Imagine, Angeliky Castrellon

Theses and Dissertations

My work investigates the human experience of belonging and how the force of displacement alters the perception of one's present and enables dissociation. After leaving my home and starting a new life overseas, coming back never felt the same; I couldn’t find peace and comfort anywhere. This made me create an imaginary world called “Mundo.” Shelters for the souls of the displaced, looking for comfort. As I became a graduate student in the Craft/Materials Studies department, my perspective widened, and my work itself answered a question for me: I want to be comfortable everywhere; how can my home be everywhere …

Five Promises More Powerful Than Fear, Trevor A. O'Reggio

All Books

The genesis of this book grew out of an unforgettable experience with students from the SDA Seminary at Andrews University during the summer of 2023, when we traveled to Zambia to conduct a series of evangelistic meetings. Each day, I encouraged the students to memorize and recite Isaiah 41:10 as a source of courage, strength, and inspiration. That powerful verse became a daily reminder that God’s presence is greater than any fear or challenge we may face.

After returning from Zambia, I felt impressed to preserve the impact of that experience by writing this small book based on Isaiah 41:10. …

Preserving A Liturgical Identity: The Liturgical And Musical Heritage Of Roman Catholic Apostolic Women Religious In The United States Of America, Andrew G. Jennings

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

This thesis examines the liturgical and musical heritage of Roman Catholic apostolic women religious in the United States and argues that their contributions represent a significant yet understudied dimension of American Catholic life. As many communities face declining numbers, the preservation of their liturgical and musical traditions becomes increasingly urgent. Using an interdisciplinary methodology that combines historical research, liturgical theology, pneumatology, phenomenology, narrative inquiry, and qualitative interviews, the study explores how women religious have shaped and preserved communal identity through liturgy, music, and apostolic ministry.

The research traces the historical development of apostolic women religious from their emergence in the …

Sigue Al Sanador, Stephen A. Seamands

Spanish Resources/Recursos en Español

No abstract provided.

Cristo Y El Sufrimiento Humano, E. Stanley Jones

Spanish Resources/Recursos en Español

No abstract provided.

Relational Spirituality And Maternal Coping In Carceral Contexts: A Participatory Action Study Of Meaning-Making And Mental Health Among Formerly Incarcerated Mothers, Jessica Peters

Dissertations and Theses

Maternal incarceration carries significant psychological, familial, and community consequences, yet limited research centers the mental health experiences of mothers themselves. This study explored how religious and spiritual engagement shape mental health and coping among formerly incarcerated mothers using a participatory action research framework. Guided by this, small groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers in collaboration with a community-based organization. This approach prioritized lived experience and aimed to reduce barriers to participation among a population often mistrustful of research institutions. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns in psychological distress, coping strategies, and meaning-making. Findings revealed pervasive and …

Religious Radio Broadcasting In Ukraine In The Context Of Digital Mediatisation And Social Transformation, Oleh Sokolovskyi, Olena Yurchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The study carries out a religious studies analysis of contemporary forms of spiritual communication implemented through audio and digital media platforms. The work highlights the particular features of organizing religious broadcasting under conditions of transformation of the information space, when traditional models of transmitting doctrine become integrated into new technological formats. Mechanisms of the formation of religious identity, ways of maintaining spiritual continuity, and strategies of interaction between religious institutions and their audiences are examined. An analysis is conducted of the structures that ensure access to spiritual content, including forms of catechetical communication, mentoring practices, and models of pastoral support …

The Cross And The Flag: Papal Diplomacy And John Paul Ii’S Struggle Against The Tyranny Of The Possible: A Review, John Grondelski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Lebui, John Tanyi Nquah. The Cross and the Flag: Papal Diplomacy and John Paul II’s Struggle Against the Tyranny of the Possible. South Bend, Indiana: St. Augustine’s Press, 2024. Pp. xxvi + 322. PB, $30. ISBN 978-1-58731-143-7.

Lucretius, Ovid, And Milton In Seventeenth-Century England: First Matter, Creation, And Food Of Angels, Conny M. Pfeifer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Paradise Lost is a complex poem that not only contains John Milton’s rendition of the Genesis creation narrative and the Fall of humankind but also provides a voice for his unique theology. This dissertation argues that Milton’s creative use of the three disparate concepts of consuming and digesting knowledge, chaos, and the night sky allows him to respond to Lucretian atomism, to address questions regarding the mortality of the soul, and to navigate the scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century, especially the astronomical discoveries of Galileo Galilei. An examination of digestion, chaos, and night helps shed light on Milton’s unique …

East To West: Cultural Attitudes And The Perceptions Of Death, Hannah F. Ahmed

UROP Posters

Death is a universal human experience, but cultures teach people to interpret it in different ways. These interpretations influence how individuals understand dying, how they cope with loss, what support looks like, and what meaning death makes in their lives. Eastern, spiritual, and religious traditions emphasize death as a natural transition or return to divinity rather than an endpoint, and as something one must prepare for. In these contexts, people often grow up hearing stories, prayers, and teachings that situate death within a broader journey. Because of this, death becomes something familiar and speakable rather than distant or frightening (Naderi-Afif …

Continuity And Development In The Eschatological Sabbath: Themes In Seventh-Day Adventist Thought (1842–2020), Joseph Nesbit

Dissertations

The Topic

This dissertation explores continuity and development in the eschatological understanding of the seventh-day Sabbath within selected Adventist theological writings from its Millerite origins to the contemporary scholarship of Jo Ann Davidson. The eschatological aspects of the Sabbath have played a central role in both pioneer and contemporary Adventist thought, particularly in its identification as the seal of God in Revelation and as a sign of covenant loyalty in the final crisis. While this understanding has displayed remarkable continuity in its essential themes, it has also undergone significant maturation in tone, scope, and theological emphasis. By tracing both enduring …

The Symphony Of Justice: An Intertextual Study Of Social Justice Material Between The Torah And The Psalms, Daniel Gordan

Dissertations

Do passages dealing with social justice in the Torah and the Psalms together comprise an intentionally composed grand symphony, or do they merely form an ad hoc patchwork quilt in which their echoes of similarity are mere coincidences?1 Literary interactions between the Torah and the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible have been a focus of biblical scholarship, but the intertextual connections between the legal corpus of the Torah and poetry in Psalms have not received sufficient attention. Scholars have noticed some thematic similarities, but there are no systematic studies that analyze these interactions to determine whether they involve reuse and, …