Practical Theology Commons^™

Are Successful Applicants To The Roman Catholic Deaconate Psychologically Healthy?, Thomas G. Plante, Kathleen Lackey

Psychology

The current investigation evaluated psychological and personality profiles of successful applicants to the deaconate in several Roman Catholic dioceses in California. The MMPI-2 and 16PF were administered to 25 applicants between 2004 and 2006 who subsequently entered the permanent deaconate program. Results indicate that these applicants to the deaconate were generally well-adjusted as well as being socially responsible. Findings also suggest some tendency for defensiveness, repression, naivete, and a strong need for affection, as well as for being emotionally stable, genuine, and cooperative.

Tolerance And Democracy Instead Of Fundamentalism And Empire, Guillermo C. Hansen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cross-Training Christians For Rural Servant-Leadership : An Exploration Of The Role Of A Congregation In Nurturing Leadership In The Community Of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, John H. Paulson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This study explores the relationship between what is learned and experienced in the Christian faith community and people’s involvement in collaborative leadership within the rural community of Wessington Springs, South Dakota. The author makes use of Martin Luther’s theology of the cross and his teachings regarding Christian vocation, including the calling of parents as family leaders. This approach to leadership development employs a missional ecclesiology, with attention to the Triune God’s transformative, sending work in the world, and examines contributions from knowledge about civil society and human and social capital. Asset mapping is examined as a tool for leadership development.

Letting Cities Shape How We Pray And What We Choose, William Reiser S.J.

Religious Studies Faculty Scholarship

Immersion into the life of our cities not only expands the knowledge we have of the people and places in the local community, but can have a profound and transformative effect on our spiritual lives as well.

Clark Memorandum: Fall 2006, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law School

The Clark Memorandum

• Grief and Hope (Hassan Jallow)
• Thoughts on the Family: A Proclamation to the World (Annette W. Jarvis)
• The Other Side of Time (Sheila K. McCleve)
• Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole (Jane H. Wise)

Blessing And Sending The Church Into The World For The Sake Of The World, Using Congregational Blessings As A Missional Enterprise, Michael Harbour

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project equipped the elders to function as a community of men called and authorized by God to bless and send his people into the world for the sake of the world. They were equipped through seven sessions of theological reflection on Scripture and reflection on narratives of those who have offered pastoral blessings. The sessions also included an examination of templates and the opportunity to practice writing and speaking blessings. The elders have been speaking a shepherd’s blessing as the last liturgical act of the Sunday assembly. In this project, missional and textual focus was given to the …

Clark Memorandum: Spring 2006, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law School

The Clark Memorandum

• In Search of Atticus Finch (Lance B. Wickman)
• Reflections on the Lord's Legal Storehouse (Craig D. Galli)
• Lifting Others (Jon Huntsman, Sr.)

The Psychological Assessment Of Applicants For Priesthood And Religious Life, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The recent clergy sexual abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church have focused a great deal of attention on how we evaluate applicants to the priesthood and religious life. The crisis has underscored the critical need to ensure that men who have a sexual predilection towards children be barred from entering religious life and priesthood. Additionally, men who have other significant psychiatric conditions that put them at risk of harming children or others have no place as Church leaders or clergy in positions where they have access to and power over vulnerable others.

Invitation To The Table Conversation: A Few Diverse Perspectives On Integration, Natalia Yangarber-Hicks, Charles Behensky, Sally Schwer, Kelly Schimmel Flanagan, Nicholas J.S. Gibson, Mitchell W. Hicks, Cynthia Neal Kimball, Jenny H. Pak, Thomas G. Plante, Steven L. Porter

Psychology

This article represents an invitation to the "integration table" to several previously underrepresented perspectives within Christian psychology. The Judeo-Christian tradition and current views on scholarship and Christian faith compel us to extend hospitality to minority voices within integration, thereby enriching and challenging existing paradigms in the field. Contributors to this article, spanning areas of cultural, disciplinary, and theological diversity, provide suggestions for how their distinct voices can enhance future integrative efforts.

Gambling: Don't Bet On It, Rex M. Rogers

Alumni Book Gallery

A newly revised and updated look at the rising popularity of legalized gambling and its detrimental effects on individuals and society.

Liberation Theology Of Disability And The Option For The Poor, Scot Danforth

Education Faculty Articles and Research

A liberation theology of disability provides a spiritual discourse that unites a critical analysis of the economic dimensions of disability oppression with an appreciation for the lived experience of disabled persons. This paper builds from prior liberation theology scholarship and the Catholic theological concept called the preferential option for the poor to articulate a liberation theology of disability marked by critical social analysis, humility, hope, and love.

Living Waters: An Invitation To Contemplative Spirituality For The Quail Springs Church Of Christ, Wyatt E. Fenno

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed an acknowledged need for ministry action to promote and facilitate communal spiritual formation in the present and future life of the Quail Springs Church of Christ. The focus of the project was to present a model of contemplative spirituality determined to be accessible to the ministry context at Quail Springs. In addressing the problem of community fragmentation at Quail Springs, this model was offered as a means of grace to deepen faith and strengthen relationships in church life at Quail Springs. A pilot group of six women and six men served as the working group for this …

Leadership Development In Albania: Equipping Young Pastors For Apostolic Leadership, Leigh Rice

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Albania opened to Christian missions in 1992. The church is new and the pastors are young and with limited experience. Initial rapid growth has been followed by slow decline. Leadership and leadership development is in the hands of foreign missionaries with limited experience in Albania. There is a need to develop culturally-appropriate, apostolic leadership for a country with a predominately Muslim population.

Method

Library research, questionnaires, interviews, and observations were conducted to develop an understanding of the Project Director, the Albanian culture, a theology of leadership and church, and methods in leadership development. An appreciative inquiry approach was used …

Community Pastoral Care In Faith And Light: A Qualitative Study Of Perpetual Parenthood From A Pastoral Care And Counselling Perspective, Timothy William Dobbin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Faith and Light is a Christian community that exists for people with an intellectual disability, their families and their friends, and that meets monthly to reflect on Scripture, to pray and to celebrate together. It promotes presence to one another and friendship amongst its members. This ethnographic study explored how parents from a local community experienced the "launching" phase of the family life cycle. Analysis of data from focus groups, from participant observation as a chaplain, and from informal interviews revealed particular aspects of parents experiences, including: challenges parents face, particularly with regard abuse and the need to advocate; concerns …

Answering The Earthquake, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

During the past several years, the American Catholic Church has suffered an enormous earthquake due to the child sexual abuse crisis that was initially reported on January 6, 2002 by the Boston Globe Spotlight Team. Although the sexual abuse of children by priests had been in the news many times before, the recent case in Boston 14 Conversations resulted in perhaps the largest earthquake ever in the American Catholic Church. While the epicenter of the quake was centered in Boston, there were many significant aftershocks felt across the land. Sadly, Jesuits and Jesuit universities were not immune from the recent …

The Sexual Abuse Crisis In The Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists And Counselors Should Know, Thomas G. Plante, Courtney Daniels

Psychology

Recent events regarding child sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere have yet again resulted in a tremendous amount of media attention and frenzy regarding this topic. During 2002 alone, approximately 300 American Catholic priests, including several bishops, were accused of child sexual abuse. Many were forced to resign their positions while others were prosecuted and went to prison. Curiously, there still exist many myths and misperceptions about priests who sexually abuse children and their victims. Since psychologists and other mental health professionals are likely to interact with many who have been impacted …

Growing Faithful Children In Media Cultures, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Way Forward In The Scientific Investigation Of Gospel Traditions: Cognitive-Critical Analysis, Paul N. Anderson

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

While biblical scholarship has been quite open to integrating multiple disciplines into exegetical and hermeneutical studies, only recently have psychological studies been welcomed to the table.

Towards Heterogeneous Faith Communities: Understanding Transitional Processes In Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In South Africa, Alan Parker, Ph.D.

Faculty Works

This dissertation examines racial transition toward heterogeneity in three Seventh-day Adventist congregations in South Africa. This dissertation aims to uncover social factors involved in this change as well as to set forth a theological direction with application to the local faith community.

The first section examines recent studies and literature on multiracial congregations, indicating a possible breakdown between theory and practice. Using insights from Kuhn, Gadamer, Habermas, and Geertz, a critical correlational approach is proposed using narrative, community-based praxis, dialectical thinking, and eschatological vision. The theological methods of Groome and Browning are combined to suggest a four-phase approach to practical …

Jesus And Transformation, Paul N. Anderson

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Transformational leadership differs greatly from transactional leadership. Transactional leadership conditions others to think in terms of penalties and rewards, thus motivating actions and reactions according to the interests of the individual. It is self-oriented, conditioning others along the lines of desired outcomes, but, as the motivating factors are external, adherence to those values and behaviors is tied to their reinforcement. When the systems of reward diminish, so do corollary commitments. In that sense, transactional leadership is situational and reward specific.

Media Literacy As A Support For The Development Of A Responsible Imagination In Religious Community, Mary E. Hess, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Research On Faith And Health: New Appoaches To Old Questions, Thomas G. Plante, Allen C. Sherman

Psychology

Does religious faith influence health? Are religious practices associated with altered risks for morbidity or mortality? Do religious or spiritual individuals tend to enjoy better well-being or mental health across the lifespan? Does spiritual or religious involvement change the way individuals adapt to the demands of chronic illness? This volume brings together some of the leading investigators who have explored these intriguing questions. Though research is in its early phases, the chapters that follow review some of what we have learned and begin to trace the outlines of the many mysteries that remain.

Natural And Unnatural Use In Romans 1:24-27: Paul And The Philosophic Critique Of Eros, David E. Fredrickson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Index To Missionary Tidings (1883-1919), David I. Mcwhirter

Stone-Campbell Indexes

No abstract provided.

Biblical Authority And Moral Responsibility: The Word Cannot Be Silenced, But Must Not Be Made Void, Miroslav M. Kis

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Clark Memorandum: Fall 1999, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, J. Reuben Clark Law School

The Clark Memorandum

• The Four Deans
• Rex E. Lee
• Carl S. Hawkins
• Bruce C. Hafen
• H. Reese Hansen
• Gettysburg (Matthew Kennington)
• High Crimes and Misdemeanors? (Thomas R. Lee)

Leadership Development In The Christian Church And Churches Of Christ In Northeast Nebraska, Wayne Dykstra

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project/thesis focuses on the leadership needs of the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in northeast Nebraska in general and of Wakefield Christian Church in particular. The leadership context of Wakefield Christian Church was analyzed utilizing a congregational profile inventory, the presentation of a leadership development course, an evaluation instrument, and conversations and interviews of the church leadership. The success or failure of organizations will depend upon the quality of the leadership. The objective of this project was to provide a leadership course which would produce better leaders who could make a difference in the kingdom of God and …

Clark Memorandum: Spring 1999, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, J. Reuben Clark Law School

The Clark Memorandum

• Weightier Matters (Elder Dallin H. Oaks)
• The Constitutional Thought of J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (J. David Gowdy)
• A Courtroom with a View (Joyce Janetski)
• The Challenge (Alexander B. Morrison)

A Proposed Psychological Assessment Protocol For Applicants To Religious Life In The Roman Catholic Church, Thomas G. Plante, Marcus T. Boccaccini

Psychology

This paper proposes a psychological assessment protocol for applicants to religious life in the Roman Catholic church. While most Catholic religious orders, seminaries, and dioceses require applicants to complete some type of psychological evaluation prior to entrance into seminary, there is no established standard or protocol suggested for conducting these evaluations. The current proposed assessment protocol provides those conducting or receiving these evaluations with a comprehensive foundation from which they can add or delete components to meet their specific needs. Furthermore, the utilization of a standard clergy assessment protocol creates the opportunity for the establishment of a national database useful …

Seducing America: Is Gambling A Good Bet?, Rex M. Rogers

Alumni Book Gallery

In Seducing America, Rex Rogers stirs Christians into action with heart wrenching true stories of lives destroyed by the "acceptable addiction" of gambling. He provides a biblical analysis and hard-hitting look at legalized gambling's effects on America's social, cultural, and political welfare.