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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Culturally Induced Male Dominance: Addressing Breakdown Of Harmony In Asian Indian Christian Marriages, Benjamin Mulaparthi
Culturally Induced Male Dominance: Addressing Breakdown Of Harmony In Asian Indian Christian Marriages, Benjamin Mulaparthi
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Marriage is an institution designed by God to fulfill the creation mandate and represent Christ and his bride in this world. Marriage is a universal social construct fulfilled in diverse ways across cultures and societies. In Asian Indian culture, marriages are mostly arranged where parents customarily choose a spouse based on the caste/ethnicity, religion, social and economic standing of prospective spouses and their families. Many Christians in India and those of Indian origin living in the United States adopt the cultural norm of arranged marriage. This DMIN action research project will explore the breakdown of harmony in Christian arranged marriages …
Woke Religion: Effects Of Secularism And Progressive Politics On 21st Century Mainline Churches As Demonstrated Through The Worship And Witness Of College-Age Students, Brenda L. Widger
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study examines the impact of Woke messages on young adults when delivered in church worship services and at youth events. A mixed methods research approach is employed, with quantitative data collected through an anonymous online survey and qualitative data gathered in a live focus group. The online survey responses and focus group discussion are coded and analyzed, providing a thorough presentation of the perceptions of all participants. Young adults are the future leaders of the Christian church. With so many churches moving toward welcoming or affirming stances on Woke ideology, the sermons delivered from the pulpit and the topics …
A Christian Perspective On Islam's Origins: Its Religion, Founder, And Practices, German Matos
A Christian Perspective On Islam's Origins: Its Religion, Founder, And Practices, German Matos
Masters Theses
The many years of exposure to Islamic believers in the five boroughs of New York State, but more specifically, the Bronx, set a precedent for this thesis to comprehensively analyze the religion of Islam by investigating the Abrahamic monotheistic connection to its historical origins and religious practices. The methods used in this thesis to prove Islam’s legitimacy as an Abrahamic monotheistic heir consisted of sources like the Qur’an, hadith, and tafsir texts translated from Arabic into English. The simultaneous usage of Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and authoritative secular sources was used to scrutinize Islam’s theological and historical claims to formulate a …
Jesus Christ Is Fully God, Not Just Fully Man, A. G. Erum
Jesus Christ Is Fully God, Not Just Fully Man, A. G. Erum
Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal
Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is a big religious organization that began in the Philippines and is spreading across the globe. INC teaches that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God is a very special man only and not God. They claim this by using their interpretation of biblical passages, such as John 8:40, Luke 24:38-39, and 1 Timothy 2:5. Contrary to the Scriptures and Christian traditions, they believe that the only true God is God the Father, who is the only Creator of the universe. However, the Scriptures (especially the New Testament) and Christian traditions demonstrate that Jesus is God-Man. …
Proper Understanding Of Freedom In Christ: An Apologetic Tool In The Modern World, Cindy Casalis
Proper Understanding Of Freedom In Christ: An Apologetic Tool In The Modern World, Cindy Casalis
Masters Theses
Modern Christian apologists employ a variety of tools designed to aid communities in their understanding of God and salvation via Christ's atonement. One of the ways defenders of the faith add to their field is primarily in discerning the real significance of the treasures found in Christ. The freedom His sacrifice has afforded us is one of those great riches. With proper appreciation of this freedom the apologist is well equipped to clarify many misconceptions surrounding Christianity. This work begins by dissecting the true meaning of freedom in Christ from a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. Building on that foundation, then this thesis …
Personhood, Threshold And Equality, Benjamin Leon Williamson
Personhood, Threshold And Equality, Benjamin Leon Williamson
Quaerens Deum: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal for Philosophy of Religion
Whether abortion and infanticide are permissible has been debated for a long time in philosophical literature and continues to this day. In this paper, I will assume without argument that one’s view about the moral status of the fetus and newborn will determine what side he/she comes down on in this debate. I am also proceeding with the assumption that personhood is not a conventional or linguistically effective device that has little or no connection to reality. Persons exist and personhood itself is real. With that being said, I will defend a more controversial claim that will undoubtedly stir a …
David Hume And Intelligent Design: A Counter Criticism, Benjamin Martin
David Hume And Intelligent Design: A Counter Criticism, Benjamin Martin
Quaerens Deum: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal for Philosophy of Religion
David Hume, the celebrated Scottish philosopher of the 18th century, wrote a work entitled Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, in which he provides a detailed criticism of several theistic arguments. In the Dialogues there are found 3 interlocutors, each of whom approaches natural religion from a different philosophical standpoint. Cleanthes is the character upon whose argumentation we will mainly focus, as he is the defender of the a posteriori argument from Intelligent Design. Philo, another interlocutor, is a philosophical skeptic who opposes Cleanthes' arguments. Out of the three, many consider Philo's positions to be representative of those of Hume himself. The …
Abductive Moral Arguments And Godless Normative Realism: An Evaluation Of Explanations For Moral Facts And Motivations For Moral Behavior, Jonathan Smith
Abductive Moral Arguments And Godless Normative Realism: An Evaluation Of Explanations For Moral Facts And Motivations For Moral Behavior, Jonathan Smith
Quaerens Deum: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal for Philosophy of Religion
Within this paper, I examine Godless normative realism, a naturalistic explanation of morality given by Erik Wielenberg and determine whether the theory poses a threat to abductive moral arguments for the existence of God. In particular, I argue that Wielenberg’s theory is a possible explanation for the existence of moral facts and that it offers a motivation for one to act morally, but that theism, as a whole, remains a better explanation for the moral aspects of the world. To do so, I defend the legitimacy of weak forms of DCT, identify a few areas in which Godless normative …
The Moral Argument, Existential Problems Of Evil, And A Non-Existential Alternative, Jonathan Smith
The Moral Argument, Existential Problems Of Evil, And A Non-Existential Alternative, Jonathan Smith
Senior Honors Theses
Within this paper, it is shown that certain ethical assumptions are implicit within the claim that certain kinds of evil exist. When taken in tandem with the moral argument for the existence of God, these assumptions can be arranged in such a way as to provide a contradiction. To avoid this contradiction, I posit a non-existential alternative to direct inductive arguments from evil, but the non-existential alternative gives rise to novel objections. When considering their respective ethical implications, both the existential and non-existential variations of direct inductive arguments fail. Since any direct inductive problem of evil must be either existential …
The Hebraic Monarchy As God’S Redemptive Response To Israel’S Unfaithfulness, Caleb H A Brown
The Hebraic Monarchy As God’S Redemptive Response To Israel’S Unfaithfulness, Caleb H A Brown
The Kabod
The first portion of this paper will argue that the Old Testament portrays the monarchy neither as God’s chosen method of relating to his people, nor as an intrinsically evil institution, but as God’s redemptive response to Israel’s unfaithfulness. The second portion addresses a potential objection to this portrayal by arguing that Moses serves primarily as a type for Samuel, not the monarchy.
Ad Fontes: Desiderius Erasmus’ Call For A Return To The Sources Of A Unified And Simple Christian Faith, Amanda Kieffer
Ad Fontes: Desiderius Erasmus’ Call For A Return To The Sources Of A Unified And Simple Christian Faith, Amanda Kieffer
The Kabod
Desiderius Erasmus’ humanism greatly shaped his view of Christianity. He developed a “philosophy of Christ” that led him to seek peaceful reforms from within the Church while attempting to maintain unity. He was a consummate scholar and inspiring figure of his time. Unfortunately, his interactions with Luther did not bring out the best in him, or in Luther for that matter, but there is still much to be learned by modern Christians from Erasmus’ views on reform that can be applied to the modern Church.
John Calvin, Authority, And The Evangelical Conviction Of The Evidentness Of Truth, Joshua Miller
John Calvin, Authority, And The Evangelical Conviction Of The Evidentness Of Truth, Joshua Miller
The Kabod
John Calvin stands apart as a singularly powerful figure in the history of Western Civilization. His thought undergirds the fundamental principles of liberal democracy that dominate the most advanced nations on earth in the modern age, and his theology continues to influence the doctrine and leadership of the Reformed church’s many inheritors. This paper emphasizes and identifies the importance of understanding of Calvin’s views on secular and ecclesiastical authority and evaluates them.
Covenant, Kingship, Grace, Sacrifice, And Prophetism In The Old Testament, Rickie S. Scott
Covenant, Kingship, Grace, Sacrifice, And Prophetism In The Old Testament, Rickie S. Scott
The Kabod
This essay examines the major themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism that reoccur throughout the Old Testament and contribute to a proper understanding of the ancient biblical text. Through covenant, God reveals his divine nature and relates to his people. Through kingship, God reveals his plan for Israel. Through grace, God loves his chosen people and shows them mercy, and through sacrifice, God cleanses and sanctifies the Israelites. Finally, through prophetism, God discloses his divine calling for the Israelites. Each of these themes exposes God’s self-revelation and contributes to an enhanced understanding of the Old Testament.
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
A Teleological Exploration Of The Plausibility Of Moral Knowledge, Kevin Lebel King Jr.
Masters Theses
Natural selection seems to offer a compelling case for the development of evaluative judgments independent of evaluative facts. If such a case can be made, then how do moral judgments correlate to moral facts? It seems that there would be no tight connection from judgments to truth and moral judgments would be unwarranted. Gilbert Harman realized the implications of a probable non-moral genealogy. Richard Joyce goes on to provide a probable non-moral genealogy that would epistemically undermine moral judgments as Harman thought. Joyce argues that in a naturalistic world natural selection can account for moral judgments, but that the truth …
Establishing A Solid Foundation Through An Identity In Christ, Matthew S. Pedersen
Establishing A Solid Foundation Through An Identity In Christ, Matthew S. Pedersen
Senior Honors Theses
An identity in Christ is the only solid foundation on which adolescents or adults can build their life. Identity is a major building block in a person’s life. Individuals with an unhealthy identity as a result of the culture will need to make many changes to this foundation in order to keep an accurate view of their lives. The definition of identity can show examples of negative consequences of an unhealthy identity. An identity based on the views of culture can show areas of weakness. Examining what the Bible says about man before and after a relationship with Christ will …
Returning To The Sources: The Literature Of Christian Librarianship, Gregory A. Smith
Returning To The Sources: The Literature Of Christian Librarianship, Gregory A. Smith
Faculty Publications and Presentations
By definition, a research study explores new intellectual territory yet builds on previous inquiry that has led up to it. However, many sources that explore the connections between Christian faith and the information professions fail to acknowledge the existence of prior discourse on the subject. The author has assembled a database of more than 450 sources that discuss topics such as philosophy and ethics of librarianship from a Christian perspective; the mediation of Christian/religious information in various library contexts; Christian, religious, and theological publishing; and more. Insights from these sources can help readers develop professionally and engage in productive dialogue …