Christianity Commons^™

Ammonihah's Allegory Of Damnation: "Fire And Brimstone" In The Book Of Mormon And Doctrine & Covenants, Ella Bethany Sessions

Honors Projects

This paper examines D&C 76, an 1832 revelation penned by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon that details Mormon theology in regards to eternity, salvation, and damnation, and Mosiah 27 and Alma 9–14 from the Book of Mormon to observe and analyze how the D&C 76’s specificity is mirrored and encased in two Book of Mormon stories: Alma the Younger and Ammonihah. The first section synthesizes D&C 76’s doctrinal claims and contextualizes Mormonism’s salvation and damnation as uniquely epistemic—or reliant on knowledge—and oriented around the internal processes of progression towards or away from God as necessary precedents to external and eternal …

'Power To Tread On Serpents': Trinity Broadcasting Network And The Theological Underpinnings Of Christian Nationalism, Moriah Coons

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

While many scholars have discussed the rise of conservatism and Christian nationalism among prominent American evangelicals since the 1970s, few have seriously discussed the theology which has held up these shifts, especially that which comes from Charismatic influences. This thesis contends that many conservative Christians today, and Pentecostals in particular, cannot be understood according to their political and sociological contexts alone, but require a serious analysis of the theological convictions which drive public engagement. In order to demonstrate the historical justification for this claim, this paper will examine Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)’s dissemination of Pentecostal theology between 1973 and 1988, …

An Anglican-Episcopal Theology Of Desire & Prayer Book Liturgical Asceticism, Kyler F. Granados

Honors Projects

This project, in response to the theological retrieval of desire conducted by Anglican theologian Sarah Coakley in her God, Sexuality, and the Self, descriptively analyses the place of “desire” in the language of the Daily Office and Eucharistic liturgies of the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer--the regula of Anglican Christians. It asks, “How do the liturgies of the Prayer Book address, direct, and ultimately entrust our desires to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit?” In the face of the descriptive, it also presents a constructive model for discipleship in “Prayer Book Liturgical Asceticism” a life of "common …

'I Didn't Know What Sex Was': Effects Of Christian Youth Group Involvement On Women's Sexuality In Adulthood, Aubrey K. Rhoadarmer

Honors Projects

This article analyzes the ways Christian youth group involvement in high school affects women’s perspectives and opinions on sex later in their lives. Through the intertwining of 12 stories, this research sheds light on how both implicit and explicit social and religious messages can shape women’s opinions of their sexuality. Themes include harms caused by purity pledges, unfair expectations placed on women during their “first time,” the pressure women feel to become wives and mothers, the importance of openness around discussing sexuality — particularly by parents — and how multiple communities influence women’s sexual development.

The Bourgeoisie Black Church: An Analysis Of The American Black Church's Aspirations And Imagination, Alexander Robert Booker

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

I am a product of the Black church. It is my home, my heart, and it has helped me spiritually, financially, and emotionally in many ways throughout my life. However, the church that I love dearly and has provided me with many opportunities has also provided spaces of harm, exclusion, and the promotion of an imperialistic Christ. This tension is not a unique tension for many institutions born in America, but what I see so clearly is the tension between the Black church’s countercultural and resistant roots that started in the brush harbors of the antebellum south and into what …

Puritan Patriarchal Construction Of American Sexual Morality And Woman's Worth: A Daughter's Response, Savannah Mather

Honors Projects

While modern conceptions of Puritanism regard it as an artifact of American history, whose woman-killing theologies are long buried and forgotten, the bible in my father’s closet and the recently leaked Supreme Court draft to overturn Roe. Vs. Wade would argue otherwise. Cotton Mather’s favorite book Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion outlined both the ideals and detriments of the Anglo-American female identity. In this text, white women were taught to absolve themselves of the “nakedness” in dress Puritan settlers associated Indigenous people with. A woman’s ability to align herself to the ideals of chastity determined her own and her …

Soldiers’ Inward Battle: A Theological Anthropology Of War-Based Moral Injury And The Role Of The Church, Emily Ann Bogle

Honors Projects

Within the interpretive framework of theological anthropology, this paper seeks to address the moral impacts war-based violence can have on the human body, as well as argue how Christian communities and the larger Church are uniquely positioned to faithfully minister to, and with, soldiers who experience moral injury. Along with an introduction to moral injury, scriptural connections, military training effects, church practices, and mutuality in ministry are addressed

A Theological Framework For Reflection On Artificial Intelligence, Michael D. Langford

SPU Works

The theological questions before us in a digital age are pressing. What does God think of AI? Is AI good or evil? Will AI save us? What sort of future will AI give us? In what follows, I want to briefly introduce a few theological concepts that will hopefully help equip us for theological reflection on AI. We will begin with the question of epistemology, or how it is that we come by knowledge; in the realm of theology, this centers on revelation. We will then touch on the doctrine of creation, including the understanding of what it means to …

Artificial Intelligence And Theological Personhood, Michael D. Langford

SPU Works

Can AI be a person? What does God tell us about humanity and personhood? These are questions of theological anthropology and involve inquiring after the nature of humanity as God’s creation and what God wills for human personhood.

To address these inquiries, we will look at three biblical texts that bear on issues of theological anthropology, hopefully garnering some theological resources to consider the anthropological status of AI. Specifically, we will look at three “creation” texts that necessarily deal with the nature of human personhood within the divine economy of salvation history. The first is Genesis 1 and 2, which …

Sin And Grace, Bruce D. Baker

SPU Works

The theological lens of sin and grace gives a broader and deeper viewpoint than mere ethics. Ethical analysis is of course useful and necessary, but ethics alone is not enough. Ethics apart from a robust, holistic understanding of humans as persons-in-communion will remain mired in reductionist thinking about human dignity and morality. Therefore, this final chapter addresses the ethical issues of AI through the lens of sin and grace.

Epilogue: A Litany For Faithful Engagement With Artificial Intelligence, Bruce D. Baker

SPU Works

A litany is a thoughtfully organized prayer for use in public worship by the church, or as a personal devotional practice by individuals. This seems a fitting way to close our reflection on AI, faith, and the future. Prayer will be essential to our faithful response to the new opportunities and challenges AI brings. Our hope is that this litany will serve as a practical guide to thoughtful invocation of the Holy Spirit in prayers for wisdom and discernment, and in the daily disciplines of spiritual growth.

21st Century Learning Skills And Artificial Intelligence, David Wicks, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

The chapter explores four concepts important for learning and AI in the twenty-first century—creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration (the “4Cs”)—as well as reflections on the theological significance of creativity and community.

Automation And Apocalypse: Imagining The Future Of Work, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

This chapter provides an orientation to the history of technology, work, and the theology of work and then explores three visions of the future of work—a literary dystopia, a philosophical utopia, and a theological apocalypse—as resources for understanding the significance of work and imagining its future. In the first vision, found in Kurt Vonnegut’s speculative novel Player Piano, automation leads to the end of meaningful work and nearly renders humans obsolete. This dystopic vision reveals the value of human work but remains skeptical about our ability to preserve it against the advances of automation. The second vision comes from …

Introduction, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

Artificial intelligence is rapidly and radically changing our lives and world. This book is a multidisciplinary engagement with the present and future impacts of AI from the standpoint of Christian faith. It provides technological, philosophical, and theological foundations for thinking about AI, as well as a series of reflections on the impact of AI on relationships, behavior, education, work, and moral action. The book serves as an accessible introduction to AI as well as a guide to wise consideration, design, and use of AI by examining foundational understandings and beliefs from a Christian perspective.

Thy Kingdom Come: A Biblical Theology Of Social Justice Movements, Chloe Guillot

Honors Projects

Over the course of the last century, there have been three identifiable social justice movements within America that have had implications for both broader society and the church: abolition and Civil Rights, feminism, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. The American church has often treated these societal shifts as cultural trends that are in opposition to the desires of God, however, these shifts can conversely be seen as evidence of the ways that the Holy Spirit is presently working within society to move the culture and the church toward God’s ultimate will for liberation and justice on Earth. These social justice movements that …

Exploring Ai, Faith, And The Future Through A Faculty Research Group, Michael Paulus, Carlos Arias, Mike Langford, Phillip Baker

SPU Works

style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The impact of artificial intelligence on our world requires engagement from Christian scholars in every discipline. This presentation describes the organization of a faculty research group (FRG) to explore AI from various disciplinary perspectives and with Christian faith. This FRG increased knowledge of AI, stimulated interdisciplinary and theological reflection, and cultivated collaboration and scholarship. The FRG has an essay collection, AI, Faith, and the Future, forthcoming from Pickwick Publications. FRG members will discuss the impact of the FRG on members’ scholarship, as well as research opportunities related to AI.

The Servicemaster Company As A Model For Bam Startups, Larry W. Sharp

Pollard Research Fellowship Papers

A template/typology for Business as Mission startups using the redemptive methodologies of ServiceMaster, which focused on the people-first development of the employee, with a focus on areas of the world which restrict free speech.

Managing Diversity At Servicemaster, Maria Lai-Ling Lam

Pollard Research Fellowship Papers

ServiceMaster developed their capacity of managing diversity in diverse global workforce, workplace, and marketplace through their deep-rooted four objectives: Honor God in all we do, help people to develop, pursue excellence, and grow profitability. The leaders used these four objectives to make quality decisions in the midst of differences, similarities, and the related tensions and complexities. The leaders practiced the concept of “shingles on a roof”, exemplified the characteristics of diversity-mature individuals, advocated the integration-learning perspective of diversity, developed religious inclusivity, promoted minorities and women as leaders, developed a teaching and learning organization culture. Managing diversity at ServiceMaster were embedded …

Intersectionality And The Church, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

No abstract provided.

Making A Safe Space For Young Adults, Pivot Nw Research

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Living The Deeds Of A Love So Noble, Pivot Nw Research

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The Peace Church And The Spirit Of Liberation: A Pneumatological Critique Of John Howard Yoder's Political Ethics, David A. Meade

Theses and Dissertations

John Howard Yoder’s Christocentric political ethics strongly maintain the church as the subject of a Christian peace witness to the world but, because of an underdeveloped pneumatology, is less effective at establishing the church as the ongoing recipient of revelation. A complementary pneumatological perspective that remains anchored in the work of God in Christ can maintain the distinctive witnessing role of the church while also allowing the discernment of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the world to call the church to a more faithful participation in the life of Jesus Christ. This pneumatology enables a synthesis with liberation theologies which …

The Challenges Of Young Adulthood, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

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Variety Of Story, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

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Young Adults On Council!?, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

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The Anatomy Of An Ideation Lab, Pivot Nw Research

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George Floyd Protests, Pivot Nw Research

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Following The Guide: A Wilderness Theology Of Youth Ministry, Rachel M. Weisz

Honors Projects

Scripture offers readers a unique characterization of wilderness spaces and provides us with a great deal of information about what to expect. This discussion traces various scriptural narratives of encounter with God in the wilderness, offering the reader a model for what a wilderness experience of God may entail, and then turns to more current conversation about wilderness youth ministry. The project traces current research of fields that are tangentially related to wilderness youth ministry including wilderness therapy, outdoor adventure education, and camp ministry, and seeks to highlight the ways that they can enhance, alter, and confirm various practices within …

Selections From & The Process Of Creating "My Blue Scarf: The Story Of Ruth, A New Play", Abigail Jane Ayulo

Honors Projects

My Blue Scarf: The Story of Ruth, A New Play, provides an adaptation of the Hebrew Book of Ruth that is focused on minority and female voices and experiences. It employs Hebrew poetic verse forms to pay homage to the story’s origins. This style contributes to diversity of voices in English-speaking theatre outside of Western poetics. My Blue Scarf shares a well- known and multicultural story to contribute to the diversity of contemporary American theatre and promote conversation about cross-cultural relationships in a time of division and prejudice. This project consists of eight selected scenes from the larger play and …

Shattering Stained Glass: Empowering Christian Women To Lead Equitably In The Church And Society, Kaila Catalina Materne Creamer Alvarez

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

In today's American Christian culture, it has been my observation that women are still feeling the repercussions of Christian traditions and theologies that have an elongated history of neglecting their authority and leadership. After having a decade and a half of experience working within different Christian communities, there has been an overwhelming amount of evidence to support that there is a strong disconnect between the theology of women’s leadership and the physical, practical, and systematic action of engaging them as leaders. Among these narratives is my own. After having served in a leadership role within an evangelical mega church for …