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Spiritus 11, No. 1 (2026), Spiritus Editors

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This is the full Spring issue of Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology 11, no. 1 (2026).

The Discrimination Of Methodist Students At Oxford University, 1768, Nicholas M. Railton

The Asbury Journal

Discrimination and persecution are perennial features of church history. This paper deals with six Oxford students who were expelled from the university for what were called ‘Methodist’ practices and beliefs. Their university trial is analysed as are the support structures within the evangelical network in the eighteenth century. The paper sheds light upon the lives of the students post-exmatriculation.

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

A Brief History Of Women At Asbury Theological Seminary, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Understanding the past roles of women within the 100-year lifespan of Asbury Theological Seminary is an important exercise in institutional history. Educational institutions frequently experience turnover in students, faculty, and administration at high rates. Institutional memory frequently is held by a few older members of the faculty and staff and more importantly by the archives of the institution. Institutional memory provides the foundation for changing policy decisions, understanding the institutional mission, and following how previous administrations dealt with a constantly changing cultural and social context. In the case of Asbury Theological Seminary, this paper explores an institution rooted in the …

From The Archives: Amy Hinshaw And The History Of Nazarene Missions In The Woman’S Missionary Society, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Theological Tradition Of The Orthodox Church In The Aspect Of The Formation Of Military Leadership In Ukraine, Olga Dobrodum, Andrii S. Zborchyi, Tetyana Kondratyuk-Antonova, Oleksandr L. Kolomiiets

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Analysis of the Orthodox theological tradition as a moral foundation for military leadership in the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the full-scale war. The study moves beyond pragmatic managerial models, exploring Orthodox categories such as service (diakonia), sacrifice, and spiritual warfare. Drawing on patristic heritage and modern theologians, the authors examine leadership motivation, the role of faith in professional resilience, and the integration of Orthodox anthropology into military training. Special emphasis is placed on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's chaplaincy as a key mechanism for actualizing these values while addressing challenges like secularism and multiconfessionalism.

Influence Of Culture On The Practice Of Christianity Among Yoruba In Nigeria And Its Implications For Christian Missions, Olayinka John Akinola

The Asbury Journal

This study investigates the profound influence of Yoruba culture on the practice of Christianity among the Yoruba people in Nigeria. The Yoruba people group is in the western part of Africa with a larger percentage found in Nigeria. The Yoruba people of Nigeria have a rich cultural heritage that significantly influences the practice of Christianity among them. By employing a qualitative research approach, using descriptive research method, this study delves into the intricate relationships between Yoruba cultural values, beliefs, and practices and Christian teachings and practices.

The findings of this study reveal that Yoruba culture has significantly shaped the practice …

The Rise And (Sudden) Fall Of The New York Magdalen Society: How A Methodist Doctor Upset The Entire City Of New York, Philip Hardt

The Asbury Journal

In the 1820s, several new interdenominational societies distributed Bibles and tracts, formed Sunday Schools, and launched missions in areas of the city that lacked a religious presence. Another society called the New York Magdalen Society (hereafter, NYMS) was formed on January 1, 1830, to rescue women from prostitution. To be sure, this society was greatly needed as this activity had been steadily increasing. Their primary focus was a dilapidated area known as the “Five Points.” Purchasing an asylum (i.e., a large house), they started to accept women who sincerely wanted to change. Yet, their first annual report, issued in July …

From The Editor, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Eldad And Medad’S Effusive And Momentous Worlds: A Diachronic View, David J. Zucker

The Asbury Journal

In Numbers 11, Eldad and Medad, two of the seventy chosen elders of the people of Israel remain in camp, while their counterparts join Moses at the Tent of Meeting. At the Tent, God takes some of the divine spirit that is on Moses and puts it on the elders, who then speak in ecstasy (others: prophesy, have a vision). Suddenly and simultaneously Eldad and Medad also speak in ecstasy (others: prophesy, have a vision). This article addresses how the text has been received and interpreted in the postbiblical world, largely in rabbinic writings, but also in religiously based homilies …

The Christ Of The Asbury Road, E. Stanley Jones

The Asbury Journal

This is an unpublished sermon, given by E. Stanley Jones on May 8, 1942, at 11:00 am at a special assembly at Asbury College. The day was named E. Stanley Jones day by the administration, and the 1942 yearbook was dedicated to Dr. Jones, who was also a member of the Board of Trustees. Jones had been asked to adapt the idea of his most well-known book, The Christ of the Indian Road, to his experience and knowledge of Asbury in Wilmore, Kentucky. He provided several interesting points to help ground Asbury’s theological position of holiness and build on that …

A Tribal Hermeneutical Reading Of The Creation Narrative In Genesis 1:26-28, Enolyne Lyngdoh

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Hunters Of Men: A Tribal Reading Of The Missiological Motif In Luke 5:1-11, Themshang Horam

The Asbury Journal

This article presents an intercultural and contextual reading of Luke 5:1–11 from the perspective of the Naga tribes of Northeast India, proposing a reinterpretation of the traditional “fishers of men” motif as “hunters of men.” Grounded in the author’s cultural context—where, owing to the absence of large water bodies, fishing serves as a secondary means of subsistence while hunting remains central to social and spiritual life— this study contends that biblical metaphors risk losing their theological depth and communicative efficacy when removed from the ecological and cultural frameworks of the receiving community. Through exegetical analysis and intercultural hermeneutics, the paper …

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

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Master Plan Of Evangelism: Russian Version, Robert E. Coleman

GO InterNational Books

No abstract provided.

Review Of A Visible Unity: Cecil Robeck And The Work Of Ecumenism. By Josiah Baker., Michael A. Donaldson

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

A Visible Unity: Cecil Robeck and the Work of Ecumenism. By Josiah Baker. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2024. xii + 265 pp.

Review Of Martyrs, Monks And Mystics. By Michael J. Mcclymond., Eric N. Newberg

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Martyrs, Monks, and Mystics: An Introduction to Christian Spirituality. By Michael J. McClymond. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2023. xi + 396 pp.

Review Of Puzzles, Parables, & Paradox: Understanding The Mysteries Of God’S Kingdom. By Randall Feller, Cletus L. Hull Iii

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Review of Puzzles, Parables, & Paradox: Understanding the Mysteries of God’s Kingdom. By Randall D. Feller. Tulsa, OK: Randall D Feller, 2022, 214 pp.

Types, Shadows, And Spiritual Experience: Theological Interpretation As A Pentecostal Approach To Song Of Solomon, Audrey E. Mccormick

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

An allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon has been central in Pentecostal spirituality. This approach was unique for its time as it demonstrated a break from modernity, which prized historical-grammatical biblical interpretive methods. This essay argues that, knowingly or not, early Pentecostal engagement with the Song of Solomon exhibited affinities with ancient practices of biblical interpretation known as theological interpretation. Additionally, it reveals theological interpretation to be a key for understanding early Pentecostalism and guiding the ongoing developments of a uniquely Pentecostal hermeneutic.

An Unfolding Vision Of Transformation: A Comparison Of The S/Spirit Motif In Romans 8 And Jubilees 1:19-26, Lemuel J. Godinez

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This study compares the role of the s/Spirit motif in Paul’s writing and that of a Second Temple Jewish theologian’s. The books of Romans and Jubilees, respectively, appear to develop their language of renewal within a developing trajectory motifs in the Hebrew Scriptures, including “heart circumcision,” “new covenant,” and “the s/Spirit.” One would be hard-pressed to prove intertextuality between Romans and Jubilees (which this study does not claim). Yet, the renewal description in Romans 8 is evocatively similar to Jubilees 1:19–26. Paul may therefore have developed his portrayal and narration of the Spirit in the vein of Second Temple thought. …

Lacunas In Spirit-Empowered Leadership, Eric N. Newberg

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article addresses three issues that are lacunas not adequately addressed in the domain of Spirit-empowered leadership. These three lacunas of pressing concern in Spirit-empowered leadership are (1) spiritual formation, (2) moral integrity, and (3) power distance. These lacunas impinge directly on the viability and sustainability of Spirit-empowered leadership. If we conceive leadership as a gift given and sustained by the Holy Spirit, it follows that it is endowed and empowered by the Spirit, rather than acquired by human effort and skill. However, those who are entrusted with stewarding the process of developing leaders must at times hold accountable those …

Guest Editorial, Wonsuk Ma, Daniel D. Isgrigg

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Editorial for Spiritus 10, nos. 1-2

Front Matter Spiritus 10, Nos. 1-2 (2025), Spiritus Oru Journal Of Theology

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

No abstract provided.

Full Issue Spiritus 10, Nos. 1-2 (2025), Spiritus Oru Journal Of Theology

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Full issue of Spiritus 10, nos. 1-2 (2025) guest edited by Wonsuk Ma and Daniel D. Isgrigg.

A Faith-Based Approach To Mental Health Challenges, Patrick Leblanc

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This project sheds light on mental health issues within the Black community and the need for faith communities to intentionally address mental health issues in communities of color. Black men are oppressed by an interplay of cultural, historical, societal, and economic factors that impact their well-being. Racial discrimination and oppression are non-medical drivers exacerbating mental health disorders among Black men. The influences of culture and faith fabricate barriers to help-seeking behavior, and mistaken perceptions of masculinity cause many men to suffer in silence. To begin erasing derogatory perceptions of mental health disorders, faith communities need to increase mental health …

The Spiritual Care Of Hospice Patients With Cognitive Deficits, Shane Sullivan

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT How can a hospice chaplain know whether their presence and ministry make a meaningful difference when visiting patients with dementia or other serious cognitive impairments? This project thesis seeks to answer that question conclusively. The theological foundation of this project centers on the doctrine of the imago Dei—the image of God—as it relates to individuals who are dying with cognitive deficits. Specifically, it explores how a person who is helpless and near death continues to reflect the image of God. The project intervention described here is the creation of a specialized training guide for hospice chaplains at Bridge Hospice …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Stewardship, Generosity, And Percentage Giving Changing Attitudes On Financial Generosity Through Bible Study Concerning The Tithe For The New Testament Christians Of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church In Kingman, Az, Timothy A. Barkett

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The Church today finds itself navigating a landscape shaped by economic uncertainty, generational shifts, and a growing sense of spiritual indifference. Within this context, generosity continues to serve as a profound expression of both faith and mission. The research presented in this project affirms that when generosity is taught with a spirit of grace, rooted in Scripture, and exemplified by leadership, it has the power to bring renewal—not only to individual believers but also to entire communities. In an era characterized by financial anxiety and spiritual consumerism, the biblical and theological foundations of stewardship and generosity provide both a necessary …

Toward A Biblical And Missiological Framework For Transformational Advocacy In The Seventh-Day-Adventist Church, Michelet William

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.

איהה תעה The Hebrew Bible And Its Role In Daniel 12:1 A Diachronic And Synchronic Study On The Semantics Of Narrative And Prophetic Temporality, Araica Roger David Ruiz.

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a dissertation abstract.