Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Mystical Yet Political: A Liberative Encounter With God Through Popular Piety, Wilson Angelo G. Espiritu

Theology Department Faculty Publications

Today, an increasing number of Catholics can be found in the countries of the Global South. This coincides with the pontificate of the first pope who comes from that region of the world where the prevalent expression of the Catholic faith is popular piety. Popular piety may be considered as an indispensable phenomenon in Global Catholicism. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis refers to popular piety as ‘the people’s mysticism’ and calls it a ‘locus theologicus’ which demands attention especially in the contemporary Church’s mission of evangelization. This paper examines popular piety as a probable point of encounter …

Should We Be Just, Loving Or Both? Understanding The Relationship Of Justice And Love, Edwin B. Odulio

Theology Department Faculty Publications

In this article, I argue that the relationship of justice and love can be seen and understood through the prophets’ message in the Old Testament and in Jesus’ manifestation and proclamation of the Kingdom of God. This relationship is continuously affirmed by the Church, in particular, through its Catholic social teachings. The love for God and God’s people is the essence of the human beings’ commitment to work for justice while living out justice is the concrete manifestation of humanity’s response to their loving relationship with God and one another.

'We Were Hoping': The Emmaus Road Encounter As A Novel Approach To Faith-Science Dialogue, Harold A. Laurence V

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

This thesis proposes a novel paradigm for faith-science dialogue, drawing a Biblical analogy between two disciples’ Emmaus Road encounter with the risen Jesus (Luke 24:13-35) and contemporary faithful scientists wrestling with narrative conflict between the findings of science and the confession of faith. For science’s reading public, science serves as an alternative mythmaking discourse, whose narratives may indeed conflict with faith. This thesis proposes that theology ought to deploy Biblical preaching to resolve such narrative conflicts. To guide this process, this thesis proposes that Jesus’ two responses to the troubles of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) …

Rational Creatures: Examining The Cat-Dog Divide In The Medieval World, Emily Price

Capstone Showcase

The spiritual chasm of status that exists between man and beast is daily put to the test by the very beasts kept in our homes. Human beings have a long history of keeping animals for one reason or another, but it has only been recently that the concept of animals purely maintained for companionship has taken center stage. The Middle Ages in particular served as a transformative moment in the history of the “pet,” where not only was the role of the animal within man’s existence re-examined, but so, too, were the specific animals preferred by different cultures more solidly …

The Necessity And Detriment Of Shame As Presented In John Calvin's Institutes, Tova Cohen

Scripps Senior Theses

In this senior thesis, I aim to explore the presence of shame in John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, via the excavation of the three main components that comprise of his edifice: original sin, grace, and predestination. Through a close reading of Calvin's Institutes, its application to Aristotelian ethics, and its consistencies (or lack thereof) with the biblical story of Genesis, I found that Calvin's theology not only suffers logical structure, but implores the Christian practitioner to embrace shame as a means to spiritually elevate the self. To conclude, I utilize Stephanie Arel's Affect Theory to uncover the …

St. Augustine And St. Thomas Aquinas On The Mind, Body, And Life After Death, Christopher Choma

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Historical and philosophical investigation of the thoughts of two of philosophy's most innovative Christian thinkers. The thesis primarily deals with the relationship between the mind and the body through the lenses of St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinas. Thesis also includes theological discussions of life after death, and how one can be certain that the soul survives the corruption of the body.

God, Time And The Sabbath: A Brief Historical-Theological Survey, Francis Gayoba

Master's Theses

Problem

This study takes Fernando Canale's work as a starting point, which has demonstrated that unbiblical philosophical presuppositions have undergirded many forms of Christian theology. Of specific interest to this thesis is the presupposition of divine timelessness or temporality, which may have consequences on various doctrines. This study examines the possible influence of these presuppositions on the meaning of the Sabbath, as seen in the writings of Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Andreas Carlstadt, Oswald Glaidt, Andreas Fischer, Nicholas Bownd, and Theophilus Brabourne. The problem this thesis addresses is whether an observable connection can be made …

«El Cantar Del Alma Que Se Huelga De Conocer A Dios Por Fe» Y Su Génesis En La Reclusión Carcelaria De San Juan De La Cruz En Toledo, Elizabeth Wilhelmsen

Spanish Language and Literature Papers

Un particular histórico firme es que fray Juan, durante el periodo de residencia en el Monasterio de la Encarnación de Ávila —de 1572 a 1577—, asiste al Capítulo de Almodóvar del Campo, diócesis de Ciudad Real, celebrado en agosto-septiembre de 1576. Con anterioridad a su encarcelamiento, pues, nuestro sujeto pasó por Torrijos y Toledo, un paso furtivo, realizado en grupo, en el que era indispensable moverse con celeridad. A la salida de «la Encarnación» aquella noche de diciembre, el santo desconocía adonde le conducían. Puede venir a colación el que Juan, en una comunicación con Ana Ma de Jesús, religiosa …

Which Moses? Jewish Background Of Jesus' Transfiguration, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

An importance of Mosaic traditions for understanding of Jesus’ transiguration has been long noticed by many distinguished students of the New Testament.  While the role of Mosaic motifs found in the Hebrew Bible has been duly acknowledged, often in these studies one can see a glaring neglect for extra-biblical Mosaic developments that might also constituted a conceptual background of Jesus’ metamorphosis on the mountain. The puropse of this paper is to explore early para-biblical traditions in which the son of Amraam was understood not merely as a prophet, but as a divine figure.

Leviathan's Knot: The High Priest's Sash As The Cosmological Symbol, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Knowledge Of End-Time Prophetic Scriptures Prepares Believers At Northcliffe Baptist Church To Expect Religious Persecution, John C. Reddy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The lack of knowledge about the end-time prophetic Scriptures and its inferences to Islamic eschatology appears to be a problem at Northcliffe Baptist Church. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness about the end-time Scriptures and prepare the congregants to expect persecution as normative in the Christian life. Islam is projected to overtake Christianity in a few decades and is proliferating at a rapid pace. The anti-parallel structure between Christian eschatology and Islamic eschatology is disconcerting. Islam denies Jesus’s divinity and advocates persecuting Christians if they do not convert to Islam. Suffering and persecution for the Lord are …

Assessing The Health Of An Established Urban Church To Develop A Strategic Plan For Growth, Alfonse Javed

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The health of a church is solely dependent on the health of its leadership. The more the leadership becomes imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2), the more the church resembles the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). This work seeks to determine the kind of healthy church leadership, which generates a healthy church culture for multiplying disciples. The purpose of this study is to assess the health of an established urban church in midtown Manhattan, and to evaluate the perception that one large church is more effective than multiple churches in order to discover an evangelistic approach that may help this and …

Known To God Alone: Reflections On The Trappists Of Gethsemani And Father Louis, Emilie Grosvenor

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

No abstract provided.

Like Her, Kayla Bach

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Acts Of Meaning, Resource Diagrams, And Essential Learning Behaviors: The Design Evolution Of Lost & Found, Owen Gottlieb, Ian Schreiber

Articles

Lost & Found is a tabletop-to-mobile game series designed for teaching medieval religious legal systems. The long-term goals of the project are to change the discourse around religious laws, such as foregrounding the prosocial aspects of religious law such as collaboration, cooperation, and communal sustainability. This design case focuses on the evolution of the design of the mechanics and core systems in the first two tabletop games in the series, informed by over three and a half years’ worth of design notes, playable prototypes, outside design consultations, internal design reviews, playtests, and interviews.

Litigation To Access Health Services: Ally Or Enemy Of Global Public Health?, Alexandre A. Martins, Sydney Allen

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Some scholars and global health advocates argue that litigation is a strategy to advance public health care, especially in those countries that do not have specific legislation to guarantee access to basic health care services. However, strategic litigation has another side, known as judicialization of the right to health, particularly present in the Latin American region where most countries incorporate the right to health into their constitutions, but their citizens still struggle with health disparities.

Objectives: Considering these two perspectives on litigation in health care, this paper examines the phenomenon of litigation in health care and its impact on …

Redemption As End And Redemption As Mediation, Robert M. Doran

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

This article explores the distinction between redemption as end and redemption as mediation introduced by Bernard Lonergan in lectures delivered at the Pontifical Gregorian University between 1955-1965. Regarding redemption as end, the author states: «it is the redemption of human history itself in the reign of God in accord with the social grace that is manifest whenever, and to the extent that, the scale of values is realized in history». Regarding redemption as mediation, the author focuses on the person of Jesus Christ and the events of the crucifixion and resurrection. He states: «These events are redemptive mediation. They are …

Seeing Her Everywhere, Kayla Bach

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Catholicism And Politics In A Fallen World: Understanding Human Imperfection As Relates To Political Institutions, George J. Doyle

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

This thesis is composed of two primary parts, each involving discussion of Catholicism and political life. Part I critiques Thomas Aquinas’ theory of government in light of his theory of nature, with an emphasis on original sin as a defining attribute of the human person. The section concludes with an argument in favor of democracy rooted in Aquinas’s theory of human nature, as well as an understanding of the role of the Catholic Church in light of the claims made in this part of the thesis. Part II contains a political science study assessing factors that contribute to party identification …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Church Leadership Conflicts In Evangelical Churches In Northern Nigeria With A View To Building A Better Transformational Leadership Model, Timothy Danladi Nwan

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The project addresses leadership conflicts among church leaders in evangelical churches in Nigeria with the view toward building a better transformational leadership model. To address these conflicts the project centered upon transformational leadership phenomena, showing that a leadership development training program model for the future leaders must be seen as a priority in all the evangelical churches in Northern Nigeria. Such a model would be based on the researcher’s qualitative research study, which used thirty-six participants from evangelical church denominations as a case study. The study included both interviews and fieldwork-based research, in which the case studies of church leaders …

Sabbath And Ecological Crisis: Inoperativity In Political Theology, Andrew John Blosser

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the significance of ritual inoperativity for political theology. Drawing from representative interpreters of biblical/traditional sources, contemporary philosophical reflection, and practical analysis of rituals, this study argues that rituals such as Sabbath, vigil, shmita, and fiesta paint a unique image of human identity and authority in the world. This image is starkly opposed to the common political-theological framework in which God is defined through action, and human beings are similarly defined as action-producing beings. in contrast, ritual inoperativity depicts God's identity and authority as one who gives rest or €œlets be.€ for this reason, human identity and authority …

Economy Of Condescension: John Henry Newman's Trinitarian Theology, Matthew Kemp

Dissertations

John Henry Newman (1801-90) did not write any systematic treatise on the doctrine of the Trinity, yet it consistently pervades his theological writings. Not only does he frequently treat the doctrine directly, but it also influences how he writes about other areas of theology, so that there is arguably a Trinitarian €œframe€ around all of Newman's thought. Yet there has been surprisingly little scholarship on Newman's theology of the Trinity. This is problematic because it leaves unexplored a major component of his thinking, one that seems essential to a fuller understanding of his theology. in this dissertation I provide a …

Narrative Readings Of The Religious Authorities In John: A Response To Urban C. Von Wahlde, Christopher W. Skinner

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The third fascicle of New Testament Studies in 2017 contained an article by Urban C. von Wahlde in which he critiqued contemporary narrative readings of the religious authorities in the Fourth Gospel. In this article, I respond to some of his claims by (1) pointing out specific concerns he has overlooked, and (2) providing a counterpoint to some of his broad claims about contemporary narrative-critical readings of the Fourth Gospel.

Sibylline Oracles, Olivia Stewart Lester

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

A Hermeneutic For The Aqedah Test: A Way Beyond Jon Levenson's And Terence Fretheim's Models, Arlyn Sunshine Drew

Dissertations

Problem

The works of Jon Levenson and Terence Fretheim highlight the problem of determining which interpretations of the biblical worlds of meaning around the text are congruent with the text of the Aqedah (also known as the Sacrifice of Isaac, Genesis 22: 1-19) and which should be disclaimed. A hermeneutical model is needed for Abraham's test that provides a text-based paradigm for sound interpretation of the narrative world (in the text), the historical world (behind the text), the theistic world (above the text), the cosmological world (below the text), and the present world (in front of the text).

Method

Four …

Kavana: Photography, Jewish Storytelling, And Memory, Hannah Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Jewish thought suggests that the memory of an action is as primary as the action itself. This is to say that when my hand is wounded, I remember other hands. I trace ache back to other aches - when my mother grabbed my wrist pulling me across the intersection, when my great-grandmother’s fingers went numb on the ship headed towards Cuba fleeing the Nazis, when Miriam’s palms enduringly poured water for the Hebrews throughout their desert journey - this is how the Jew is able to fathom an ache. Because no physical space is a given for the Jewish diaspora, …

Migration Of The Communicants From Anglicanism To Pentecostalism In Nigeria, Samuel Ayotola Odubena

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reframing And [Re]Presenting Evangelism In Oral Cultures : A Case Study Of The Harare West (Mumc) Vabvuwi Choir In Zimbabwe, Irene M. Kabete

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Democracy & Religion: Some Variations & Hard Questions, Kent Greenawalt

Faculty Scholarship

The ideas sketched here concern the nonestablishment and free exercise norms expressed in the U.S. Constitution, their application to governmental institutions from legislatures to prisons and the military, the place of religion in the curricula of public schools, and the proper role of religious convictions in lawmaking. A major concern of the essay is the problem of achieving an appropriate balance between governmental neutrality toward religion, as required by the nonestablishment norm, and governmental accommodation of religious practices that would otherwise violate ordinary laws, as required by the free exercise norm. A recurring theme is the complexity of the issues …

Religious Belief And Culture: The Curious Case Of The Intuitive Soul, Karl G. D. Bailey, Duane C. Mcbride

Faculty Publications

While Adventists recognize some of the straightforward and concrete ideas that are part of doctrinal training on human nature and the state of the dead, the core intuitive belief in mind-body dualism likely continues to influence how Adventists understand human nature.