Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Discovering Counseling Methods That Military Chaplains Can Use To Increase Spiritual Resilience, Philip E. Ridley

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted in this project revealed most military chaplains possess innate skills that are valuable to counseling. Combining these skills with proven counseling methods increase service members’ spiritual resilience. Military chaplains’ empathy and the ability to actively listen to care-seekers is one such innate skill. Empathetic listening builds rapport and creates a safe client-focused environment. Within this safe environment, military chaplains can encourage service members with spiritual or practical wisdom. Additionally, military chaplains can provide assurance and peace through prayer, reading of sacred documents, or administering religious rites. These religious activities connect the care-seeker to their source of faith. …

Responses To Mass-Incarceration By Faith Communities, Steve Everett Baber

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This research project investigated some of the hindrances that preclude churches from taking more active and impactful roles to challenge and restructure America’s racially unjust penal system of mass incarceration. The research examines the evolution of the prison industrial complex, with a focus on mass incarceration and its racially unjust make-up.

The project involved research and review of theological and societal restraints that hinder American Christianity from seeing and responding to this tragic situation and living out God’s concerns and decrees beyond the walls of their respective churches into the public domain of public policies and actions.

The focused methodology …

Improving Spiritual Care By Chaplains For Service Members Who Witness Death, Beth M. Echols

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This research studied the experience of military and Veteran Affairs chaplains who work with a spectrum of military veterans. The purpose was to better understand how chaplain training prepared or failed to equip spiritual care providers to minister to service members during and/or after the initial experience that they identified as traumatic.

The researcher asked nine open-ended questions to encourage and facilitate reflective responses. After grouping responses with similar answers, the researcher coded the chaplains’ responses to determine themes that would describe and somehow encompass the phenomenon of serving as a chaplain in a war theater. Throughout the study, the …

Salvadoran Women's Migration To The United States: Lessons Of Challenge And Hope For The Church, Michael Ramos

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

In this study, the researcher investigated the migration experience and resettlement of five Salvadoran women who sought refuge in the United States. Unlike refugees who have been placed after a vetting process, through an international placement program and the United States State Department, Salvadorans have often fled to the United States, with or without U.S. federal authorization. Often they have applied for asylum after arriving in the United States. This leaves many Salvadorans (1) separated from family members and loved ones, (2) facing possible economic hardship, and (3) vulnerable to detention and deportation. Yet, these immigrants have demonstrated—if we go …

A Study Of Bullying In The Catholic Healthcare Workplace, Luann Mary Trutwin

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the impact and understanding of bullying in Catholic, mission-driven healthcare facilities, specifically how leaders respond to and manage bullying in their workplaces. The research is intended to make a positive contribution to Catholic healthcare communities by providing healthcare providers, educators, and policy makers information and tools to prevent and manage bullying in the workplace. The study employed Catholic social teaching and a Benedictine based theological reflection model to guide the two main areas of exploration: leaders’ experiences of hearing complaints about bullying and tools available to them to stop bullying. An anonymous survey was sent …

Leadership Development In Grace Church: Adding Replication Culture Elements To Its Family Culture, Timothy N. Thomassian

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the problem of the lack of a systemic approach to developing potential leaders at Grace Church as it seeks to add replication-culture elements to its existing family culture. The problem was addressed in four steps: (1) exploring biblical leadership development principles using the examples of Moses and Joshua, Jesus and Peter, and Paul’s instruction to the church leaders to “equip the saints for the work of ministry,” (Eph. 4:11-12), (2) reviewing relevant books, articles, and other sources to discover leadership development principles as they relate to replication culture, (3) conducting face-to-face interviews with three leadership development pastors …

The Unity Process And Its Effectiveness In Decreasing Cross-Cultural Divisions In Society Due To Racism, Pamela Y. Fields

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper dealt with determining the usefulness of The Unity Process as a tool in combatting the racial divisions in the Dallas metropolitan area. The case study qualitative method was utilized for this assessment. The research identified the background information and the context of the divisions and then the framework for the research. Research tools included pre- and post-surveys and interviews with the participants. The entire nine-session process was observed and then the researcher compared the results of the research with the materials from The Unity Process and then presented the findings. The analysis presented followed the order of the …

Nine Stories And The Society Of The Spectacle: An Exploration Into The Alienation Of The Individual In The Post-War Era, Margaret E. Geddy

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the thematic links between three of J. D. Salinger’s short stories published in Nine Stories (“A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” “Down at the Dinghy,” and “Teddy”), ultimately arguing that it is a short-story cycle rooted in the quandary posed by the suicide of Seymour Glass. This conclusion is reached by assessing the influence of T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” on these stories, something that is understood through the Marxist frame of Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle.

Discerning Best Practices For Multiethnic Church Of Christ Mergers, Jordan T. Tatum

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project was aimed at discovering best practices for multiethnic Church of Christ mergers. Three churches were discovered that had formed by the merger of a White Church of Christ with a Black Church of Christ. A study of the multiethnic dynamics of the early church provided the biblical and theological foundation for this project. Special attention was given to Galatians, Romans, and Ephesians, as well as the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. The researcher discovered that the Church was multiethnic from its inception. The researcher then researched the literature concerning multiethnic churches in America, Churches of Christ, and church …

A Cathedral Not Made By Hands, Vincent J. Miller

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

In Laudato si’, Pope Francis offers a vision of moral responsibility rooted in awareness of the world around us. He points to St. Francis, who “looked with love” on all creatures, as a model. He writes of an “attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present” to everyone and everything. And he also calls for an “intense dialogue” between religion and science, which has its own “gaze.” The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon, one of the world’s most studied ecosystems, offers an especially rich opportunity for such dialogue. Here …

The Impact Of Presence And Touch On Church Growth, William Charles Berg

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the problem of discovering whether, when churches move to be physically present in their communities and engage in appropriate touch through serving, there is a corresponding impact in confession of faith and church growth. To answer this problem, the researcher began with the incarnation and trinity as a model of presence and touch. The researcher reviewed the Gospels to identify Jesus’ use of physical presence and touch in His ministry. The researcher also looked at the impact of presence and touch on the early church in the Book of Acts. He reviewed literature that focused on the …

Cultivating Relational, Developmental And Missional Discipleship Within A Lutheran Mega-Church, Richard Michael Webb

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two decades, many Lutheran mega-churches have become stagnant or have begun to decline in worship attendance. Some have even closed their doors, not surviving past their founding leadership. Furthermore, few of these mega-churches offer any kind of intentional growth pathway for their members. What is called discipleship often appears instead to be a classroom-driven assimilation process. This project addressed the problem Lutheran mega-churches have in making disciples by exploring the relational, developmental and missional aspects of discipleship and how they might be integrated into an effective discipleship strategy for use in these mega-churches. This project began with …

Christ-Centered Leadership: The Formation Of Millennials, Sean K. Wood

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this project addressed is the perceived lack of Christocentric leadership development among millennials of Canadian churches with over one thousand people in attendance. In response to this problem the researcher explored Christ-centered leadership formation and discipleship in the New Testament and early church. The literature reviewed related to the uniqueness of millennials as it connects to leadership development. The researcher interviewed two Senior Pastors who are considered highly influential with the millennial cohort. These two leaders have both led effective church congregations in Canada during their respective twenty-plus year tenure serving the same churches. Millennial leaders who are …

Matching Concepts, Transgressing Boundaries: Buddhist Transmission Strategies In The International Buddhist Women's Movement, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

One of the most striking features of the contemporary revitalization, transmission, and transformation of Buddhism is the prominent roles that women are playing, both locally and globally. Since 1987, Buddhist women from around the world have been uniting on a grassroots level and taking more active roles in working not only for the welfare of women, but for the welfare of human society writ large. Today, the Buddhist women’s movement has become a highly dynamic forum representing the interests of somewhere between 300 and 600 million women, depending on who is compiling the statistics. This movement is transgressive by its …

Jesus And The Mosaic Law: Agapic Love As The Foundation And Objective Of Law, Robert F. Cochran ,Jr.

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Thinking Systematically With The Scriptural Christology Of Hebrews: Contributions To The Theology Of Christ’S Threefold Office, Adriani M. Rodrigues

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

The epistle to the Hebrews presents a rich Christology articulated in dialogue with the OT. This article assumes that the dogmatic potential of Hebrews should enrich the architecture of systematic theology. Accordingly, the study aims at identifying how the conceptual articulation of the Christology of Hebrews contributes to the theology of Christ’s threefold office. To achieve this goal, the article dialogues with categories of the munus triplex (Christ’s threefold office): prophet, priest, and king. After a short description of these categories in Christian theology, the study undertakes a systematic reading of Hebrews by first outlining its material contri- bution to …

Saying No To God: A Radical Approach To Reading The Bible Faithfully [Review] / Korpman, Matthew J., André Reis

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Cosmology In Theological Perspective: Understanding Our Place In The Universe [Review] / Vainio, Olli-Pekka., David Penno

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Liturgical Drama In The Church: An Application Of Daily Scriptural Living, Alma Lee Langley-Ward

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this research was to study the validity of using liturgical drama as a vital tool of expression in helping to make Scripture come alive for the application and transformation of lives, first of those of the researcher’s local congregation and eventually of other churches. The researcher wrote and directed a play using members of the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as actors and crew. The entire church was a participant of this research as the play was done during a Sunday morning worship service as part of the liturgy. The mixed-method approach presented the most viable …

The Pervasive Emptiness: Acedia, Modernity, And The Boredom Of Secularity, Samuel Welbaum

CGU Theses & Dissertations

A case can be made that the greatest fear of our time is the fear of boredom. We live in an age in which things change daily. New technologies are developed, old inventions are reconceived, the entertainment industry churns out movies, shows, and music constantly, and yet, people still experience boredom. Some have even said that it's the defining experience of our day. Where does this boredom come from? Why has it become prominent? What is causing it to gain power so rapidly? And how might it be stopped? Those questions are the driving force behind his work. This dissertation …

Classical Trinitarian Theology And The Idolatry Of Nationalism: The Doctrine Of The Trinity As A Critique Of Political Theology, Shane Akerman

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation proposes that the doctrine of the Trinity, in the field of political theology today, should be taken as a critique of the idolatry of nationalism and should point us toward a new theological politics that is informed by the proper worship of the triune God, especially in the Church’s sacred liturgy. Existing proposals regarding the relation between trinitarian and political theology can be sorted into two basic camps, separated by alternative understandings of the meaning of political theology as primarily either descriptive or prescriptive. Representative of the descriptive sort is Agamben’s genealogical analysis of the link between trinitarian …

The Psychosomatic Journey Of Trauma And Its Healing: A Comparative Synthesis Between Scientific And Psycho-Spiritual Perspectives, Isabel Kelly

Pomona Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to create a comparative synthesis between scientific perspectives and spiritual perspectives of understanding the psychosomatic (mind-body) nature of trauma. In order to do so we will consider the works of Dr.Bessel van der Kolk, a world-leading psychiatrist in the field of trauma therapy who advocates for the use of body-oriented approaches to healing, and the works of Carl Jung and Donald Kalsched. Jung is considered one of the founding fathers of the field of Transpersonal Psychology, while Kalsched is a Jungian psychoanalyst who specializes in working with trauma patients. We will see that while …

Creator God, Humans, And Artificial Intelligence: Framework To Address Theological And Relational Issues, Tinku Thompson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological advancements are happening at an accelerated phase. Five decades ago, no one even owned a personal computer. A decade ago, smartphones did not exist. Today there are 2.71 billion smartphone users in the world, which is more than thirty-five percent of the world’s population. Many developments have happened in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Mixed Reality. AI is the term used to describe a machine’s ability to simulate human intelligence. Characteristics once considered unique to humans like learning, logic, reasoning, perception, and creativity are now being replicated by technology and used in every industry. The problem …

Evil As Privation Justifying Restorative Justice, Josh Shrader-Perry

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

No abstract provided.

Christian Bioethical Approaches To Gender Reassignment Surgery: Understanding Opposition And Retrieving The Body-Soul Complex, Stephanie Roy

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

No abstract provided.

Advent Devotional Guide 2020, Belmont University

Advent Devotional Guides

No abstract provided.

Immigrants, The Bible, And You (Calvin Shorts), Amanda W. Benckhuysen

Calvin Press

How does our Christian faith affect the way we think about immigration? What does the Bible say about immigrants that can help Christians respond faithfully to the current refugee and asylee crises? What does it look like to love our migrant neighbors? This book explores biblical perspectives on immigration in order to help Christians reflect theologically on issues related to immigration today.

What A Theological Appropriation Of Cognitive Linguistics’ Blending Theory Brings To A Scientific Understanding Of The Evolution Of Religion, Robert Masson

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Wealthy Hyperagency In The Throwaway Culture: Inequality And Environmental Death, Kate Ward

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Music And Communal Division During The French Wars Of Religion, Cameron G. Wade

Honors Theses

This Senior Honors Thesis explores the social and cultural impact of confessional musical composition and performance on the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598). Because Huguenots and Catholics identified with and were widely identifiable by their respective musical styles, cultural divisions between each confession were emphasized by differences in music. This capacity of sacred and confessionally-influenced secular music to highlight and reinforce societal divides is evidenced by the interconfessional violence that accompanied the public performance of sacred music in cities as well as the pressures imposed on composers to create music which clearly aligned with their respective confessions. As the wars …