Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Review Of C. S. Lewis And The Crisis Of A Christian, Stephen Beard

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Gregory S. Cootsona, C. S. Lewis and the Crisis of a Christian (Louisville, 2014). 169 pages. $16.00. ISBN 9780664239404.

Review Of C. S. Lewis: Revelation And The Christ, Austin Freeman

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of P. H. Brazier. C. S. Lewis: Revelation and the Christ (Eugene, OR, 2012). Book 1: C. S. Lewis: Revelation, Conversion, and Apologetics. 316 pages. $25.20. ISBN 978- 1610977180. Book 2: C. S. Lewis—The Work of Christ Revealed. 320 pages. $31.50. ISBN 9781610977197. Book 3.1: C. S. Lewis—On the Christ of a Religious Economy: I. Creation and Sub-Creation. 318 pages. $32.13. ISBN 9781610977203. Book 3.2: C. S. Lewis—On the Christ of a Religious Economy: II. Knowing Salvation. 344 pages. $38.00. ISBN 9781620329825. Book 4: C. S. Lewis—An Annotated Bibliography and Resource. 208 pages. $16.20. ISBN 9781610979061.

“The Weight Of Glory”: C. S. Lewis’ Most Pathetic Sermon 89 Toby F. Coley, Toby F. Coley

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

A rhetorical analysis of C. S. Lewis's acclaimed sermon, "The Weight of Glory."

Traces Of Transcendence: C. S. Lewis And The Ciphers Of Being, A. N. Hunt

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

C. S. Lewis experienced several moments of Sehnsucht in his life. In one incident, he reported “such a sudden intense feeling of delight that it sort of stopped me in my walk and spun me round. Indeed the sweetness was so great, & seemed so to affect the whole body as well as the mind.” This essay contends that new and significant light can be thrown on these fascinating episodes in Lewis’ life. In fact, the general philosophical features of the phenomenon causing Sehnsucht can be discerned, and described within the framework established by German existentialist Karl Jaspers (1883-1969). Like …

Review Of The Celian Moment And Other Essays, Sørina Higgins

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Charles Williams, The Celian Moment and Other Essays, ed. by Stephen Barber (Carterton, West Oxfordshire: The Greystones Press, 2017). xxvii + 127 pages. $17.43. ISBN 9781911122111.

Review Of Pursuing An Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis And Incarnational Faith, Joel D. Heck

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Gary S. Selby, Pursuing an Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2019). 216 pages. $22.00. ISBN 9780830852369.

Review Of How To Be A Christian: Reflections And Essays, Kevin Belmonte

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of C. S. Lewis, How to Be a Christian: Reflections and Essays (New York: HarperOne, 2018). xvi + 186 pages. $22.99. ISBN 9780062849939.

Review Of C. S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom: Meditations On Faith, Life, Love, And Literature, Torri Frye

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of C. S. Lewis, C. S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom: Meditations on Faith, Life, Love, and Literature, compiled by Andrea Kirk Assaf and Kelly Anne Leathy (Charlottesville, Virginia: Hampton Roads Publishing, 2018). 383 pages. $15.95. ISBN 9781571748454.

Review Of Symbol Or Substance? A Dialogue On The Eucharist With C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, And J. R. R. Tolkien, Jennifer Neyhart

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Peter Kreeft, Symbol or Substance? A Dialogue on the Eucharist with C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and J. R. R. Tolkien (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019). 232 pages. $16.95. ISBN 9781621642756.

Review Of “St. Clive:” An Eastern Orthodox Author Looks Back At C. S. Lewis, Gale Watkins

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of C. J. S. Hayward, “St. Clive:” An Eastern Orthodox Author Looks Back at C. S. Lewis (Wheaton, Illinois: C. J. S. Hayward Publications, 2000-19). 381 pages. $49.99. ISBN 9781794669956.

Review Of The Oxbridge Evangelist: Motivations, Practices, And Legacy Of C. S. Lewis, Reggie Weems

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Michael J. Gehring, The Oxbridge Evangelist: Motivations, Practices, and Legacy of C. S. Lewis (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2017). xi + 250 pages. $32.70. ISBN 9781498290067.

Alec Vidler’S Permanent Opposition: C. S. Lewis, Joel Heck

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Alexander Roper “Alec” Vidler was born on December 27, 1899, a little more than a year after C. S. Lewis. His career encompassed that of an Anglican priest, theologian, and historian. This essay will explore the relationship between C. S. Lewis and Alec Vidler, their views on theology and related writings, and the reasons their correspondence ceased after nine years.

“Further Up And Further In”: Roads, Pilgrim’S Regress And Sehnsucht On Earth And In Heaven, Lauren Spohn

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

First, in his 1933 allegory The Pilgrim’s Regress and, later, in his 1955 autobiography Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis described his conversion to Christianity as a journey guided by the search for what he called “Joy.” In the 1943 foreword to Regress, Lewis defines this feeling as an “intense longing” that “pierces us like a rapier”; later in Surprised by Joy, he calls it a desire of “almost sickening intensity,” best captured by the German word Sehnsucht. David Downing offers a helpful formulation of this “Sweet Desire” as “the blissful ache for some paradise out of reach,” which acts …

C. S. Lewis’S “Transposition”: Text And Context, Arend Smilde

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

“Transposition” was originally a sermon for Whitsunday (Pentecost), preached in the chapel of Mansfield College, Oxford, around the end of the Second World War. Taking his cue from the miraculous “speaking in tongues” described in Acts 2, Lewis addresses the problem of “the obvious continuity between things which are admittedly natural and things which, it is claimed, are spiritual.”

Review Of Sunbeams And Bottles: The Theology, Thought, And Reading Of C. S. Lewis, Charlie W. Starr

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of James Prothero. Sunbeams and Bottles: The Theology, Thought, and Reading of C. S. Lewis. (Hamden, CT: Winged Lion Press, 2022). 442 pages. $22.99. ISBN 9781935688327.

Review Of C. S. Lewis For Beginners, Bruce R. Johnson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Louis Markos, C. S. Lewis for Beginners, illus. by Joe Lee (Danbury, CT: For Beginners, 2022). viii + 192 pages. $15.95. ISBN: 97819399940806.

Eschatology And Christian Ethics: An Argument For Disabled Beatitude, Marco Peter Spataro

Religious Studies Honors Theses

Catholic eschatology studies four elements of the afterlife: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. The primary purpose of this paper will be to evaluate the prerequisites for beatification, the state of being for souls elevated to heavenly status. This paper will seek to argue in favor of disabled beatification, particularly for the souls whose mental illness prohibited their use of right reason in this life, through an examination of malignant theology, mental illness, a Catholic definition of God, and the implications such a definition has on the wider study and care of the mentally ill. I will then suggest a path …

Hildegard Of Bingen – 12th Century Feminist Mystic, Robert F. Stamps

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Hildegard of Bingen is one of history’s remarkable people. Born into German nobility in 1098, Hildegard began having mystical visions at an early age and saw God as light. Hildegard chose a spiritual life and entered a religious cloister at fifteen. There she was educated, studying many subjects, including Latin and music. In 1136 Hildegard became the prioress. The confines of the cloister did not stop Hildegard from becoming a major theological force. She wrote books on theology and medicine, authored plays, and composed music. Theologically, Hildegard contributed to the development of the theological construction of the concept of purgatory. …

William Webb Freeman Papers, 1912-1954, William Webb Freeman

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the William Webb Freeman Papers, 1912-1954.

Tell Me The Old, Old Story: An Educational Curriculum For Junior Week At Christian Youth Encampment, Justin Lance Simmons

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to create a curriculum framework for the Junior Week of camp at Christian Youth Encampment (CYE) in DeRidder, LA. The initial step in this project was to develop information on the ministerial context of CYE by investigating its history and interviewing those who have experienced camp both as campers and staff. Next, an examination of theological and theoretical foundations was made, considering the history of narrative in the instruction of children both for Israel and the church. Also, the concept and practices of narrative and its usefulness as a pedagogical tool were explored. Using …

Prophets Of The Divine Revolution: "Bad Bishop Brown," Harry F. Ward, Claude C. Williams, And The Applied Proletarian Gospel, David W. Adams

Honors College Theses

This paper seeks to propose a unique strand of religious thought which united Marxist Christians in the United States. Using the lives and work of Bishop William Montgomery Brown, Dr. Harry F. Ward, and Reverend Claude C. Williams, this work proposes the term “applied proletarian gospel” to denote the political and religious thought of Marxist Christians who surpassed the social gospel and other proposed ideas of radical Christianity in their revolutionary and anti-capitalist thought and action. This paper finds that, although it remained a small trend among Christians, the applied proletarian gospel gave an outlet to Christians who sought to …

Missional Renewal In A Large And Established Suburban Western Church, Michael Stevens

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the topic of missional renewal at Clovercrest Baptist Church (CBC), specifically focusing on participating in the mission of God through simple, memorable, and reproducible missional practices. The identified problem is a lack of process or framework for enhancing participation in God’s mission and churchwide missional renewal at CBC, a large suburban Western church. The purpose of this project intervention is to develop a resource guide of missional practices that facilitate participation in the mission of God at CBC towards missional renewal. This intervention is guided by the theological foundation that God is a God of mission. He …

Executing Vision: Operationalizing The Vision Statement Of Logos Preparatory Academy In Sugar Land, Texas, Jason Henderson

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the problem of finding a way to operationalize the vision statement of Logos Preparatory Academy. Logos Preparatory Academy (Logos Prep) is a school of around six hundred students located in Sugar Land, Texas. After interviewing some of the school founders and student leadership and examining documents from the founding of the school, it became evident Logos Prep is a school in need of a more efficient and effective way to execute the vision statement of “Families and students making an impact for Christ” through the goals set forth in their Portrait of a Graduate. Using the works …

Redeeming Theodicy In Job: Moving From A Classical To A Christological Framework, Jaime L. Riddle

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

This thesis analyzes existing interpretations of theodicy in the book of Job, in order to suggest an alternative approach informed by the nature and mission of Christ. Much of biblical scholarship in Job has focused on a classical approach to theodicy or, in recent years, deconstructed anti-theodicy. This thesis offers an alternative approach that focuses on the Christological overtones in Job and a modern synthesis of Old and New Testament theodicy.

Chapter 1 introduces the problem of theodicy in Job, and a taxonomy of lenses traditionally used to examine Old Testament theodicy. Chapter 2 analyzes classical perspectives of Job derived …

Exploring Theological Themes Of Bridehood In Revelation 19:6-9: An Analysis Of The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb, Riley F. Kempker

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

Most people see Revelation as a book shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. As well, the various interpretations offered only add to the confusion of the book. Yet, John uses clear images and themes in his Apocalypse, on which most people can agree. The account of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-9 offers an open window into John’s theology of the Bride of Christ. This thesis seeks to understand John’s theological implications that arise from the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

This thesis began in chapter 1 with a statement of the problem in understanding John’s theological implications …

A Holy Land Guidebook: Cultivating Spiritual Disciplines For Pilgrimages, Johnnie L. Birks

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

A small group of research participants and I assembled for this phenomenally enriching project intervention to create a proprietary branded guidebook for Miracle Loaves And Fishes World Hunger Ministry, Incorporated, and its subsidiary, Anointed Royal Tours, to be used for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. These pilgrimages will create sustainable funding for the ministry to support universal efforts to eliminate global hunger while simultaneously attempting to equip believers with a transformative and/or restorative walk in Christlikeness for the sake of creation, humanity, and eternal life in God’s Kingdom. The path of Christlikeness is to be transformed (Rom 12:2 NRSV), as …

Saint Monica’S Model Of Catholic Excellence In Augustine’S Confessions, Caelan Mckamey

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper discusses Saint Augustine’s presentation of his mother, Monica, as a model Catholic throughout his Confessions. Saint Augustine utilized individuals he encountered throughout his life as models of perfect Catholicism in an effort to provide resources for his medieval contemporaries to draw from throughout their own faith journeys. As a convert himself, Augustine drew holy inspiration from his mother, Saint Monica, as he searched for life’s purpose and God’s grace. He presents his mother throughout the first nine books of the Confessions as a human woman – trapped in a loveless marriage, filled with anxiety and fear, yet …

Karl Rahner And Vatican Ii: A Sacramental Vision Of The Church, Geoffrey Watson

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper is an exploration of Karl Rahner’s theology, his relationship to Vatican II, and the legacy of the council. In it, I examine not only Rahner’s role in the council but also the way in which his thinking has helped move the church from a Eurocentric, hierarchical institution, concerned mainly with its own sense of authority and holiness, to a more collegial, global church that embraced its identity as a community of sinners. First, I examine the sources behind the council texts, specifically Rahner’s transcendental Thomist background, as well as his specific understanding of grace and the role of …

Is It A Requisite For A ‘Believer’ To Be Part Of The Formal/Institutional Church?, Dillon Cook

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

For the purposes of this paper, I attempt to wrestle with the question of whether or not it is a requisite for a “believer” (which turns out to be a loaded and ambiguous term) to be a part of a formal/institutional Christian Church. This is a difficult task to accomplish, and this, I admit. There is no way to answer this, truly with certainty. But Metaphysics are rarely grounded in “certainty.” This is true for many Christian Theological tasks as well. Nevertheless, this argument will be attempted by working with and off of the Black liberation theologian and philosopher, James …

Nostra Aetate To Combat Anti-Judaism, Marjorie Shahani

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This essay explores the reason the Catholic Church felt the need to release Nostra Aetate, specifically Article 4, and were they in fact successful. The intention to improve Catholic - Jewish relationship and to denounce anti-Judaism were primary. Christianity grew on the backs of centuries of anti-Judaism rhetoric expressed by Catholic Church leaders and anti-Jewish literature written by the Church fathers. All this negativity against the Jewish people contributed to the beginnings of anti-Semitism and purposely or inadvertently influenced the reality of the Shoah. These sentiments included the deicide condemnation of the Jewish people, the replacement theory or concept of …