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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

The Divine Comedy: A Work Of Medieval Mythology, Jamie Alexander May 2024

The Divine Comedy: A Work Of Medieval Mythology, Jamie Alexander

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prior to The Divine Comedy (1308-1321), ideas about Purgatory were in the early stages of development. Purgatory had loose rituals surrounding its existence and it lacked depiction in written works. Yet in the following centuries, the fear of Purgatory and the practices of penance and indulgences reached a fever pitch, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation. Purgatory as a celestial location, and not just the “purgatorial fires” of the Bible, only began to develop in the twelfth century, but its fearful description and imagery in The Divine Comedy not only solidified previously nebulous understandings of Purgatory, but also increased anxiety …


The Church And Ethnopolitical Conflict In Kenya: 1982-2013, David Tarus Jul 2022

The Church And Ethnopolitical Conflict In Kenya: 1982-2013, David Tarus

The Journal of Social Encounters

The chapter examines the role of the church in addressing the problem of ethnopolitical conflict in Kenya from 1982 to 2013. Though ethnocentrism within the Kenyan Christian community goes beyond the years cited to the colonial period and the immediate years following independence, the intensity of the problem after 1982 calls for special attention. The single event that marks political change in Kenya is the 1982 attempted coup. Although this was not successful, the coup heightened opposition against Moi’s rule and thus, 1982 marks the beginning of the recent history of Kenya, a history in which three phases may be …


Breaking Depression’S Silence Within The Church Through Friendships, Robert D. Mcbain Oct 2021

Breaking Depression’S Silence Within The Church Through Friendships, Robert D. Mcbain

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article explores the silent nature of depression in the local church and suggests that developing Jesus-style friendships can break the silence. It adapts the author’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) research project, which explored the silent nature of depression in the local church and Christianity’s interpretive healing qualities. This article argues that the church has a rich history of helping sufferers interpret their experiences of depression, but changing worldviews, the growth of the modern medical model, and the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals monopolized health and shoved the church to the periphery of the conversation. Silence became the church’s typical response, which …


Is This A Christian Nation?: Virtual Symposium September 25, 2020, Roger Williams University School Of Law Sep 2020

Is This A Christian Nation?: Virtual Symposium September 25, 2020, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.


Grace That Goes Before : John Wesley's Doctrine Of Prevenient Grace And Its Significance For Youth Ministry, Brandon W. Dasinger May 2020

Grace That Goes Before : John Wesley's Doctrine Of Prevenient Grace And Its Significance For Youth Ministry, Brandon W. Dasinger

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Community Involvement And The Role Of The Church In Peacebuilding In Kenya: Amani Mashinani Approach, Kimeli B. Richard Mar 2020

Community Involvement And The Role Of The Church In Peacebuilding In Kenya: Amani Mashinani Approach, Kimeli B. Richard

The Journal of Social Encounters

Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots) is a model of peace building that demonstrates the importance of community involvement and Church leadership in peacebuilding efforts in North Rift region of Kenya. The role of community members and the Church in working together during times of conflict demonstrates the possibilities of increased opportunities for positive peace and reconciliation. This essay highlights the role Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret played to transform inter-ethnic conflicts. The role of Bishop Korir as a religious leader is acknowledged through his ability to mobilize local warring communities to embrace the …


Early Christian Responses To Persecution And Their Implications For Christians In Northern Nigeria, Yakubu Tanko Jakada Mar 2020

Early Christian Responses To Persecution And Their Implications For Christians In Northern Nigeria, Yakubu Tanko Jakada

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Age Jan 2019

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Age

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

One way to define a disciple is “a follower of someone’s words.” In a pluralistic age, there are many words beckoning would-be disciples to particular ways of life, all promising some kind of wellness. These word-ways are ingredients of worldviews, a program or map for orienting oneself in the world. Worldviews answer core questions about human existence, often in the form of a story. This essay argues that contemporary pluralism is the result of abandoning the Bible as our control story, a loss that is as much a failure of what Charles Taylor calls the social imaginary. If this diagnosis …


An Examination Of Art In The American Evangelical Church For The Purpose Of Discipleship And Evangelism, Joshua Dugan Dec 2017

An Examination Of Art In The American Evangelical Church For The Purpose Of Discipleship And Evangelism, Joshua Dugan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christianity, in previous eras, has been the foundation of the art community. But, it has surrendered that role over the past three centuries and with it a significant potion of its influence on culture. In addition the church is not effectively reaching an entire demographic of people, those who would define themselves as creatives and artists, because it has distanced itself from the arts. This paper will research the previous methods employed by the church and the current limitations of art within the American Evangelical church through applied academic research as well as interviews with church leaders and artists. The …


Toward A New Church In A New Africa : A Biographical Study Of Bishop Ralph Edward Dodge 1907-2008, Samuel Dzobo Apr 2017

Toward A New Church In A New Africa : A Biographical Study Of Bishop Ralph Edward Dodge 1907-2008, Samuel Dzobo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Jewish Nature Of The First Century Church, Barry D. Fike Sep 2015

The Jewish Nature Of The First Century Church, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

“When men realized that the teaching of God was no heritage that one accepts passively but rather a heritage that has to be won, they began to see this relationship to the Bible as a religious obligation. It became a supreme commandment to “study”, to explore the Scriptures. To explore means to consider the Bible as a challenge rather than a gift…..The duty to “explore” requires further rethinking: each end becomes a new beginning and each solution a new problem…Once Today’s Church is fully aware of the vast importance of learning, it too will realize that it cannot afford to …


From Patristics To Postmodernity: Does A Message Still Exist?, Douglas Taylor Jan 2015

From Patristics To Postmodernity: Does A Message Still Exist?, Douglas Taylor

Other Graduate Scholarship

Dr. David Wheeler once advised that while not all are called to be an evangelist, all Christians are called to be evangelical. Although some may counter that postmodernity is waning, the question remains how one might be evangelical in a postmodern world. The concept that no metanarrative exists has been one of the pillars of postmodernity, and as such challenges the premise that Scripture contains an overarching story encompassing all of mankind. If Dr. Wheeler was correct, and all are called to be evangelical, then the question that would seem to require answering is how one might begin to address …


Liberian Clergywomen And The Women Of Liberia Mass Action For Peace : Causal Factors For Clergywomen's Participation Or Nonparticipation And The Impact On Clergywomen's Leadership In The Liberian Church, Katurah York Cooper May 2012

Liberian Clergywomen And The Women Of Liberia Mass Action For Peace : Causal Factors For Clergywomen's Participation Or Nonparticipation And The Impact On Clergywomen's Leadership In The Liberian Church, Katurah York Cooper

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Pharisee Church: Why The Heart Of The Modern American Church Does Not Match The Heart Of Christ And What We Can Do To Change It, Samantha J. Blue Apr 2012

The Pharisee Church: Why The Heart Of The Modern American Church Does Not Match The Heart Of Christ And What We Can Do To Change It, Samantha J. Blue

Senior Honors Theses

Religious discussions often hinge on semantics. Currently debate abounds concerning the state of the modern American Church. Is it failing? Is it flourishing? Who is a part of it? Comparing the biblical understanding of church to the state of the modern American Church provides great insight into how the modern church has erred. Investigating the semantic range of the word “church” also sheds light on why perceptions of the modern American Church vary. Additional comparisons are made between the typical American Christian and Pharisees. Potential similarities are identified and analyzed. Finally, suggestions are made regarding church reform so that the …


Citizens Of Zion : Republican Thought And Early American Methodism, 1770-1800, Mark A. Vanderpool Aug 1996

Citizens Of Zion : Republican Thought And Early American Methodism, 1770-1800, Mark A. Vanderpool

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


How Should The Doctrine Of Eternal Rewards Influence The Wesleyan Concept Of Christian Discipleship?, Ron Creasman May 1995

How Should The Doctrine Of Eternal Rewards Influence The Wesleyan Concept Of Christian Discipleship?, Ron Creasman

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


An Address Delivered At The Kingdom Conference, 1993, Oct 13, Jackie Pullinger Jan 1993

An Address Delivered At The Kingdom Conference, 1993, Oct 13, Jackie Pullinger

ATS Conferences

No abstract provided.


The Influences At Work On The Old Mennonite Church Which Caused The Various Groups Of The Missionary Church To Come Into Existence, William J. Hyndman Mar 1992

The Influences At Work On The Old Mennonite Church Which Caused The Various Groups Of The Missionary Church To Come Into Existence, William J. Hyndman

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


A Selected Study Of Wesleyan Church Leaders : Discovering Principles For Minstry In The Local Church, Edward L. Bean Jan 1982

A Selected Study Of Wesleyan Church Leaders : Discovering Principles For Minstry In The Local Church, Edward L. Bean

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Martin Luther's Concept Of The Church : Its Implications For The Layman, William W. Dean Jul 1975

Martin Luther's Concept Of The Church : Its Implications For The Layman, William W. Dean

Dissertations and Theses

This paper is a study of the relationship between Martin Luther's theology of the church and the practical development of the religious life of the church under his leadership, as this relationship relates to the active and passive roles of the layman in the church. The thesis question is: Did Luther hold a social prejudice against the lower classes and in favor of the upper class that caused him to modify or reinterpret his concept of the church in the course of his career?


The Quest Beyond The Secular City Debate, Harold Raymond Brumagin Jul 1971

The Quest Beyond The Secular City Debate, Harold Raymond Brumagin

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.