Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Rising Buddhism In Vietnam, H. Rebecca Lockwood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The religion in Vietnam has come to a turning point. Buddhism has been revived and the people of this country are taking interest in this renewed Buddhism. I visited several of the revitalized Truc Lam Zen monasteries and discussed with monks their current practices. I also read an article that addresses this new phenomenon in Vietnam and criticizes its origination. I interviewed two laity about their experiences and opinions about the rising Buddhism in Vietnam today. I found that there are several factors contributing to this new attraction, particularly in the younger generation. I concluded with agreeing with my last …

A Response To Smith's "Continental Philosophy Of Religion: Prescriptions For A Healthy Subdiscipline", Bruce Ellis Benson

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

All of us working in continental philosophy of religion can be grateful to James K. A. Smith for his call to consider which practices will best further the “health” of the burgeoning subdiscipline of continental philosophy of religion. Given that he offers his suggestions “in the spirit of ‘conversation starters,’” my response is designed to continue what I hope will be an ongoing conversation. With that goal in mind, I respond to Smith by considering not only the practicality of each suggestion but also whether adopting practices he suggests would actually improve the health of the subdiscipline.

Continental Philosophy Of Religion: Prescriptions For A Healthy Subdiscipline, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Over the past decade there has been a burgeoning of work in philosophy of religion that has drawn upon and been oriented by “continental” sources in philosophy—associated with figures such as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, Emmanuel Levinas, Jean-Luc Marion, Gilles Deleuze, and others. This is a significant development and one that should be welcomed by the community of Christian philosophers. However, in this dialogue piece I take stock of the field of “continental philosophy of religion” and suggest that the field is developing some un-healthy patterns and habits. The burden of the paper is to suggest a prescription for the …

The End Of Enclaves: A Reply To Benson, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In reply to Benson’s response, I agree that we should be seeking the dissolution of all enclaves in philosophy of religion—whether continental or analytic. But I continue to suggest that continental philosophy of religion bears special burdens in this respect.

Creating Religious Identity, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

The author, a Buddhist monastic and scholar, explores the varieties of religious identity, their sources, and their effects on society. She discusses the fluidity of religious identities in the modern world and, in particular, the various challenges to women in confronting the stubborn persistence of gender-based exclusionary practices in religious traditions.

The Pteromorphic Angelology Of The Apocalypse Of Abraham, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this article is to explore the anti-anthropomorphic features of the angelological developments in the Apocalypse of Abraham.

Enlightenment And Ecumenism, Ulrich Lehner

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

The contribution of monasticism to Christian theology's framework in almost all periods is undisputed. However, the eighteenth century as a period of monastic theology is still—unjustly—overlooked. That was precisely the time when monks, mostly Benedictines, challenged the traditional ways of theologizing and, along with a number of dedicated individuals, initiated what came to be called the Catholic Enlightenment.1 This movement worked not only for a renewal of ecclesiastical practice and thought, but also for a peaceful dialogue between the Christian churches and even toward an ecumenical theology. One of the most intriguing figures of this enlightened theology is the Swabian …

Shifting Focus: Redefining The Goals Of Sea Turtle Consumption And Protection In Bali, Audrey Jensen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Many would say that the environment and human culture consists of an evolutionary process, complete with necessary adaptations to current situations and the availability of resources. However, religion is usually thought to be a constant, an entity that grounds the individual believer in a “truth” that transcends time. Ultimately, the boundary between culture and religion is especially hard to decipher, particularly in the daily rituals of the Balinese. While religious beliefs are often rooted in history, they too transform through inevitable reinterpretation. The following paper describes the tremendous environmental and cultural impact of the controversial turtle trade in Bali, specifically …

Churning The Ocean Of Milk: The Role Of Vocal Composition In Tibetan Buddhist Ritual Music, Gabriel Gordon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ritual music is a significant but often misunderstood aspect of Tibetan Buddhism. Specifically, vocal music serves a variety of purposes that distinguish the genre from Western music. In order to understand and appreciate ritual vocal music from a Western perspective, there must be firm understanding of the importance of melody and the source of its value. The author has studied with members of the Tibetan Buddhist monastic community, focusing on ritual vocal music and the process of composition. Through an examination of the vocal music composition and of concepts of inspiration and creativity, this paper will shed light on the …

Chinese Painting: Philosophy, Theory, And The Pursuit Of Cultivation Through The Dao, Elizabeth Reynolds

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chinese painting and painting theory have roots within China’s major philosophies significantly including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Chinese painting while not exclusively adherent to the beliefs and practices of a single belief system instead reveals to overlap these beliefs in the thought process and execution of painting. There is a strong precedent of Chinese painters and their styles embodying Daoist philosophy in not only the appearance and practice of painting but in painting theory as well. Searching for the truth, or the Dao, was a key goal of many artists who through cultivation of one’s intellect or artistic skill could …

What's Good About Feeling Bad Handout For Aacc World Conference 2009, John C. Thomas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Based upon the book "What's good about feeling bad: Finding purpose and a path through pain" by Drs. John C. Thomas and Gary Habermas. The presentation covers the benefits that God can bring from suffering

Nº60: Sabidurías Compartidas, Colectivo Con-Spirando

Con-spirando

Translation: Shared Wisdoms

Noticing The Duck: The Art Of Asking Spiritual Questions, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

No abstract provided.

Protestant Observers Of Vatican Ii: A Bibliography, Peter Gavin Ferriby

Presidential Seminar on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition

This bibliography is a working draft, insofar as no authoritative bibliography of observers (whether as formal periti or informally invited scholars) exists at this time.

An additional difficulty is conclusively to identify particular writers as Protestant Christians. For example, newspaper and other media reporters might have been formally Protestant (whether closely affiliated or distantly related), but did not identify their writings or observations as relevant to or influenced by any Protestant point of view. As a result, this bibliography lists entries whose authors in some sense identified themselves as Protestants, or representing the viewpoints of Protestant churches and organizations.

The …

The Doctrine Of Christian Perfection For Today: Reading Wesley's Theology Through The Lens Of Process Thought, Jung Sup Ahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is: A process-theological reading of Wesley's doctrine of perfection, by constructing an adequate concept of God in process, gives renewed importance and vitality to Wesley's doctrine of perfection, a doctrine that has been confused and virtually ignored even by Methodists themselves, despite the central importance Wesley himself assigns it. Why, then, has Wesley's doctrine of perfection been so often misunderstood, confused or even ignored from his time until today? The clue to the answer lies in the failure clearly to heed the distinction between the two senses of divine perfection: perfected perfection (a static state of perfection) and …

Self-Actualization In The Lives Of Medieval Female Mystics: An Ethnohistorical Approach, Cherel Jane Ellsworth Olive

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation explores the cultural and psychological factors that permitted six medieval female mystics to assume positions of leadership and innovation in a world marked by extreme gender inequality. Women religious have often been charged with being neurotics, hysterics, narcissists, and nymphomaniacs whereas males with similar experiences are rarely subject to the same degree of criticism. It is argued here that the women may well have been seeking to achieve the form of self-actualization described by humanist psychologist, Abraham Maslow, as a result of the "conversion" experience analyzed by William James. Furthermore, applying modern categories of mental illness to these …

Subdivided By Faith? An Historical Account Of Evangelicals And The City, Mark T. Mulder, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In an echo of Michael Emerson and Christian Smith’s study of evangelicals and the racialized society (detailed vividly in Divided by Faith), Mark T. Mulder and James K. A. Smith attempt to trace the history and literature concerning evangelicals and their relationship to the city. While there exists an interesting literature about general urban antipathy in the U.S., the authors contend religion remains a salient and under-examined component within that phenomenon. This paper calls for more theologically-nuanced studies regarding evangelicals, anti-urban bias, and geographical habits. Mr. Mulder is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Mr. Smith is Associate Professor of Philosophy …

God's Activity In Today's World: A Review Essay On Kingdom Triangle, Gary R. Habermas

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

In this review essay, I consider J. P. Moreland's Kingdom Triangle as a recent example that takes seriously the incursion of God's Kingdom into the human realm. Among other things, Moreland's book helpfully provides some needed leadership and modeling for Christian philosophers as we reflect upon what it means to know and indeed experience first-hand the supernatural in-breaking of God's power. Moreland's approach locates the experience of God's miraculous activity within the panoply of the Christian knowledge tradition and alongside what it means for Christ to be formed in our interior. I conclude with some of my own research examples …

Volume 25, Number 1, Department Of Church Relations

Pacific Church News

Edited by Jerry Rushford

Summer 2009

John Paul Ii And Christian Personalism Vs. Peter Singer And Utilitarianism: Two Radically Opposed Conceptions Of The Nature And Meaning Of Suffering, Peter J. Colosi

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Although Christian ethics and contemporary utilitarianism both employ terms such as love and compassion, they are in fact polar opposite ethical views. This fact is not at all easy to discern. One key to perceiving the radical opposition between them lies in clarifying their respective concepts of suffering. In the Christian view, suffering is always understood as the suffering of individual persons, while in utilitarianism suffering is primarily understood as a quantifiable entity detached from the individuals who experience it. The paper attempts a primarily philosophical elucidation of this difference, including some theological points, by taking as its point of …

Church Growth By Another Name: Challenges And Opportunities For The Future Of A Movement, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

A brief review of the church growth movement not only highlights significant accomplishments but also raises questions about its future. While church growth thinkers were compelled by the evangelistic mandate, this article argues that continued obedience to the Great Commission will require new responses to the rapidly changing context of ministry. Charting the path ahead, the author identifies six key challenges that demand new initiatives from the church: 1) the challenge to reinvent the evangelistic paradigm and imagination; 2) the challenge of diasporas, and the worldwide migration of people; 3) the challenge of urbanization, 4) the challenge of the plateaued …

Eight Keys To Overcoming Apathy Towards Church Growth, Danny R. Van Kanel

Great Commission Research Journal

Nothing zaps ministry efforts towards growth more than apathy among church members. Nothing energizes those efforts more than genuine interest and enthusiasm in growing the church. How can we turn apathy into enthusiasm? The answer is not as difficult as we might think.

Doubling Down On Jesus, Joshua Rhone

Great Commission Research Journal

How can we go about meeting people's needs in a way that is faithful to the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Ethical Guidelines For Church Planters: A Suggested Approach For Starting (And Continuing) The Conversation, J. D. Payne

Great Commission Research Journal

Church planters, regardless of their ministry contexts, need to develop a set of ethical guidelines to direct their ministry practices. This paper presents eleven particular guidelines.

An Examination Of The Compatibility Of The Church Growth Movement With A Calvinistic Soteriology, Michael Waldrop

Great Commission Research Journal

The purpose of this article is to establish that the strategic, missiological thinking of the Church Growth Movement is compatible with a Calvinistic soteriology. The method for accomplishing this purpose involves, first, a clarification of terms. Both “Church Growth Movement” and “Calvinism” have been defined in myriad ways, and these are not all equally valid. Thus, specific descriptions are included here. Next is a necessary discussion of the tensions that are perceived to exist between Church Growth and Calvinism. This is followed by a survey of kindred concerns and an exhibition of the common doctrinal ground shown to be held …

Book Review: Shaped By God’S Heart: The Passion And Practices Of Missional Churches By Milfred Minatrea, Grant Horner

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: You Don’T Have To Cross The Ocean To Reach The World: The Power Of Local Cross-Cultural Ministry By David Boyd, Jeff K. Walters

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Korean Church Planters’ Perception On Church Planting Education, Hansung Kim

Great Commission Research Journal

This study seeks to understand how Korean church planters perceive the church planting education that they received. This study employs the qualitative approach, which uses words and open-ended questions to explore and understand the meaning that individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem. To collect data, I interviewed nine church planters. I analyzed, interpreted, and wrote data as soon as possible. In addition, I collected other data. I also compared different data with each other to generate categories, and it was done consistently. The followings are the findings. While their passion for church planting was great and …

Creating Church Multiplication Through A Denominational Structure, Phil Stevenson

Great Commission Research Journal

A denomination will not survive, much less thrive, if it does not strategically and effectively plant churches. Church planting is the primary means by which new inroads are made. Church planting is the method by which a denomination keeps its vitality, energy, and vigor. The denominations that neglect this emphasis become ingrown, resulting in them “. . . losing the vigor and the high octane faith that caused them to succeed in the first place.”

Bridges Of God: The Mission Legacy Of Donald Anderson Mcgavran, Charles Van Engen

Great Commission Research Journal

This short essay is about Donald McGavran and his ground-breaking book, Bridges of God, that became the cornerstone of Church Growth theory and the foundation of what is now called the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Missiological thinking and missionary practice was transformed by the energy, vitality, insight, and stubborn tenacity of Donald McGavran. Whether they agreed with McGavran or not, after the publication of The Bridges of God, mission professors, mission executives, and mission practitioners could no longer do business as usual, nor their usual business.