Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Being Intentionally Intergenerational At Empowerment Unlimited Church, Barbara Lynne Muse

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Intergenerational interaction is foundational to the ongoing vitality and long-term sustainability of the church community. Theological perspectives underscore the importance of families and individuals from diverse age groups engaging in mutual sharing, learning, and caring. Such intentional interactions foster intergenerational relationships that not only strengthen the sense of community but also address the spiritual needs of all members, regardless of age. This action research project seeks to help the EUC church become more intergenerational, creating opportunities for members to experience meaningful spiritual growth while forming lasting bonds across generations. Instead of centering church life around a single generation, churches must …

In His Own Words? An Argument For Jesus As The Origin Of The Antithesis Formula In Matthew 5:21–48, Michael W. Herbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the origin and authenticity of the antithesis formula, “You have heard that it was said…[OT reference]…but I say to you…,” which appears only in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 5:21–48). This uniqueness of the antithesis formula contributes to it being one of the most intriguing yet contentious New Testament phrases. As such, there is no scholarly consensus regarding the origin of the antithesis formula. The relevant English language literature presents theories concerning the origin of the antithesis formula that generally conform to form-critical, source-critical, and redaction-critical approaches. However, this literature lacks an extended argument for this formula …

Advent Season And God’S Unchanging Purposes, Isaias D'Oleo-Ochoa

CTS Student Publications and Creative Works

Christian Advent, or Adventus, is the four-week period before Christmas in the Christian liturgical year. Each week encompasses one of the following themes: hope, peace, joy, and love. The Advent season serves as a remembrance of Christ’s incarnation, inviting us to reflect on God’s promises of liberation and salvation. I find a powerful connection between Advent and God’s unchanging purposes since the Advent season is not only about remembrance but also about expectation. We expect Christ’s return. Considering this, I see Advent as a great time to meditate on God’s purposes, which help us prepare our hearts for Christ.

¡El Cielo Es Una Habitación Llena De Mujeres Gordas Riendo!, Lisa Isherwood

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

This article examines a pervasive yet often overlooked form of abuse against women: the lifelong regulation of bodily size and shape. While acknowledging the horrific rise in domestic physical violence during the United Kingdom’s lockdown, the focus shifts to the normalized pressures of patriarchal control that women internalize from an early age. Such control disguises itself as concern or benefit, yet inflicts profound personal and spiritual harm. Approaching the issue from a Western perspective, the article argues that, within an incarnational faith, the disciplined body becomes the very site of resistance where transformative divine power is located in human experience.

Pensar Desde Los Márgenes: Travesías Teológicas Desde Cuerpos, Fronteras Y Disidencias En La Obra De Hugo Córdova Quero, Anderson Fabián Santos Meza

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

This essay offers an interpretive reading of Hugo Córdova Quero’s theological work from a third-person perspective, avoiding a laudatory or autobiographical tone. Based on queer and decolonial Trinitarian theology, the text traces a path that articulates biblical hermeneutics, migration studies, popular culture, queer theory, and pastoral praxis. The work is read as a relational and pilgrimage project. In this difference, displacement, and violated bodies do not constitute a theological problem, but rather an epistemic place from which to rethink the sacred, community, and justice.

Travesías Y Disidencias: Queerizando/Cuirizando La Hermenéutica Bíblica, Hugo Córdova Quero, Anderson Fabián Santos Meza, Cristian Mor, Jorge A. Aquino Ph.D.

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

This essay proposes to queer biblical hermeneutics as a critical theological intervention that is not limited to the creative rereading of texts, but questions the epistemic and political conditions that regulate interpretation. From a situated and embodied perspective, it affirms that queer bodies and lives do not constitute a pastoral or doctrinal problem, but rather an epistemological place from which to rethink the sacred, authority, and community. In dialogue with Spanish-speaking ecclesial and academic contexts, the analysis is presented as a rigorous and vital intervention that opens fissures, disrupts consensus, and vindicates hermeneutical plurality as theological power.

A Roadmap For Equipping Saints For The Work Of Ministry At Sugar Land Church Of Christ, Lewis Anthony Parker Iv

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to create a roadmap for a process that invites and equips saints at Sugar Land Church of Christ to work in ministry. As part of the research process, a design team was empaneled and met for eight sessions, during which participants offered valuable insight into Sugar Land’s ministry context. This data informed the final roadmap. Ephesians 4, which discusses the importance of every member getting involved in ministry, serves as the foundation of this project. The work of every member is for the edification of the entire group, and the calling and gift of …

The Spiritual Care Of Hospice Patients With Cognitive Deficits, Shane Sullivan

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT How can a hospice chaplain know whether their presence and ministry make a meaningful difference when visiting patients with dementia or other serious cognitive impairments? This project thesis seeks to answer that question conclusively. The theological foundation of this project centers on the doctrine of the imago Dei—the image of God—as it relates to individuals who are dying with cognitive deficits. Specifically, it explores how a person who is helpless and near death continues to reflect the image of God. The project intervention described here is the creation of a specialized training guide for hospice chaplains at Bridge Hospice …

Charity Begins With Zoning Reforms, Mark D. Bjelland

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

When my family moved to Michigan over a decade ago, we were looking for something more than a three-bedroom house in our price range. We wanted a place of beauty, refreshment, and welcome for our children and guests. As newcomers to the state, we took the location seriously. Our previous house lost value due to its small-town setting, so we worried about future property values. As an urban geographer, I mapped changes in demographics and housing prices and created bike and bus travel-time maps from work and schools.

Creation To Covenant: The Chronicler's Use Of Genesis Narratives In Shaping Israel's Post-Exilic Identity, Dalton J. Harmon

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the Chronicler’s (the unknown author to whom biblical scholars have attributed the composition of: the Book of Chronicles, the Book of Ezra, and the Book of Nehemiah to) use of Genesis narratives—namely the Covenant of Works—in the formation of the social, political, and religious identity of post-exilic Israel. By using a covenant-theological and intertextual approach with special attention to the Septuagint, this study demonstrates that the Chronicler does not merely retell Israel’s history but deliberately reinterprets it according to theology established in creation. The analysis begins with Genesis 1–3, where Adam’s federal headship and the blessing–curse logic …

Islamic Political Anti-Theology: A Discursive Practice Of Contingency Beyond Sovereign Politics, Jason Andrus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contributing to the field of political theology from outside the European Christian tradition, this dissertation develops a description of the distinct logics that Islamic theology generates from its metaphysical assumptions. These logics in turn make possible a discourse of political anti-theology where politics operates through contingency rather than sovereignty. Political theology scholarship has excavated how modern politics derives from secularized Christian theological concepts—particularly transcendent sovereignty. This study demonstrates that Islamic theology's absolute insistence on divine transcendence (tawhid) produces something fundamentally different: a politics that renders sovereign authority conceptually impossible. I identify this discursive practice of political anti-theology through …

From Transactional To Transformational: Cultivating A Theologically Robust Learning Experience For Upper School Senior Bible Classes, Linus Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Holy Ground Christian Academy is that its approach to senior-level Bible classes is transactional rather than transformational for life and godliness. With parents feeling pressured to find effective educational options for their children and teachers facing growing demands from administrative duties, education urgently needs a new vision. Parents want their children to succeed and leave a lasting impact on society, while educators seek purpose in their careers. Modern educational trends push schools toward a utilitarian, transactional approach to learning, and private Christian college-preparatory schools are no exception. Within the Christian college-preparatory setting, Bible classes often struggle with …

Enhancing Spiritual Care In Medical Missions Through A Contextual Apologetic Workshop, Jacob G. Caraotta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a lack of resources and a gap in the literature for training prayer teams for medical mission endeavors. The Contextual Apologetic Workshop, an intervention project, was designed to fill the gap in the literature by training participants in prayer, evangelism, and apologetics. It utilized the Contextual Apologetic System, a framework built around the Contextual Triad, which includes the cultural context, setting, and endemic religions that inform outreach dynamics and preparation. The cultural context identifies if the population is high- or low-context, and includes the subcultures. The setting refers to outreach types, such as medical missions or construction projects. …

Atonement As The Path To Holiness: The Suffering Servant Of The Fourth Servant Song As The Missing Sacrifice Of Isaiah 6, William Anthony Whitfield

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study argues that the Suffering Servant of the Fourth Servant Song (SS4, Isaiah 52:13-53:12) is the missing sacrifice of Isaiah 6. This conclusion is supported by the multitude of intertextual links between these two hallmark texts of Isaiah, including language of exaltation, messianic imagery, and, most notably to the current study, atonement imagery, specifically as it relates to being an avenue to holiness. This study addresses the necessity for a sacrifice in Isaiah 6, although no sacrifice is explicitly mentioned. Atonement is the central theme of SS4, where the Suffering Servant is depicted as being given as a guilt …

Fire, Covenant, Redemption: Biblical Fire Imagery And Covenant In The Bible, Tony O'Neal Hinton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Understanding biblical signs and symbolism is essential for recognizing how God communicated and interacted with both the original people of the Bible and the modern church. A lack of this knowledge can often lead to misinterpretation of Scripture or the adoption of a false perception when the original context is neglected. From Genesis to Revelation, signs and symbols typically convey either literal or metaphorical meanings. Numerous passages throughout the Bible demonstrate that God used fire as a tool for various purposes. In fact, the King James Version records the term “fire” over 500 times, underscoring its prominence throughout Scripture. Fire …

Just In Time: The Definitive Reconstruction Of Biblical Chronology From Adam To The Apostolic Age, James Allen Moseley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

By embedding a relational database of chronology within Scripture, the inspired authors handed down a framework so precise that it surpasses archaeology, carbon dating, and every other ancient record as the most reliable means of reconstructing history—shedding light on the why and how of biblical events by specifying their when.

This study defends that thesis, demonstrating that the Bible presents a continuous timeline from Adam to Christ—a mathematically coherent whole often overlooked or misunderstood by modern scholarship. Many modern chronologists assign speculative dates to Abraham, Moses, or David without grounding them in the Genesis genealogies. Few construct a defensible framework …

Look To Him And Be Radiant With Joy: The Necessity Of The Body For Man's Ultimate Beatitude And The Role Of Ecstatic Joy In The Extensive Growth Of The Beatitude Of The Soul, Sister Maximilian Marie Garretson, O.P.

Theology Graduate Theses

Saint Thomas Aquinas states that our “final and perfect happiness consists in nothing other than the vision of the Divine Essence.”¹ Yet, he distinguishes between the essence and perfection of beatitude and argues that the perfect beatitude of man is fulfilled at the resurrection of the body, after which beatitude grows extensively in the soul of the blessed.²

Based on Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy of the body, his metaphysics of beatitude, and his treatment of charity, it is clear that the glorified body is necessary for the human person’s experience of the fullness of beatitude. How then, does the …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Witnessing A Wounded World: A Theology Of Ecological Trauma, Timothy A. Middleton

Theology

A crucial intervention at the intersection of ecotheology and trauma theology

We are in the midst of a global ecological crisis. At times, the scale of the suffering involved can be hard to fully comprehend. The whole planetary ecosystem feels out of kilter. Meanwhile, trauma theorists, and society at large, have become increasingly aware of the incidence of trauma in a growing variety of contexts. In Witnessing a Wounded World, Timothy Middleton asks what might be gained by viewing ecological suffering through the lens of trauma.

By bringing concepts and methodologies from trauma theology to bear on questions that …

A Buddhist Critique Of Harmony, James Mark Shields

Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.

Entre Religion Et Médias : Méfiance Et Alliance, Betsa Estephano

Horizons et Conjonctures

In a context of continuous information flow, the relationship between religions and the media appears both conflictual and complementary. The media play a decisive role in shaping public perceptions of religions and in determining their visibility, while religious traditions, aware of this influence, seek to use these channels to communicate their message and engage in dialogue with society. This interaction raises crucial issues such as freedom of expression, respect for religious pluralism, and the ethical responsibility of media professionals. The article examines how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam maintain diverse and sometimes ambivalent relations with the media, marked by fear of …

تجاوز الثنائيّات - نحو حوار مَتعدّد الأبعاد في الثقافة العربيّة, لينا إسكندر حوّاط

Horizons et Conjonctures

Beyond Binaries – Toward a "Polylogue" in Arab Culture

This article proposes a radical critique of the traditional binary model of intercultural dialogue, suggesting an epistemological alternative: the "polylogue" or multidimensional dialogue. Starting from the crisis of contemporary dialogues, often limited to mere "discourse on dialogue" without real transformation, the text exposes the limitations of the binary model that reduces cultural complexity to a sterile confrontation between two homogeneous blocks. As an alternative, the author introduces the concept of the polylogue, developed by Austrian philosopher Franz Martin Wimmer, which rests on a plurality of centers, mutual influence, and simultaneous interaction. …

Editorial, Lina Iskandar Hawat

Horizons et Conjonctures

In a context marked by identity tensions, immediacy, and polarized discourse, this issue affirms the role of academic research as critical interpretation. Its bilingual structure creates a dialogue across languages, positioning critical rereading as a condition for renewed meaning.

Résumé
Face aux convulsions qui traversent nos sociétés – crispations identitaires, dictature de l’instantané et polarisation des discours –, la recherche universitaire est convoquée à une tâche exigeante : celle de l’interprétation critique. Ce numéro, par sa structure bilingue, ne se contente pas de juxtaposer des articles ; il propose un itinéraire intellectuel où se répondent, d’une langue à l’autre, les …

بين الهويّة والانتماء: مََن أنتََ يا بولس؟, الأخت ياره متّى

Horizons et Conjonctures

This study addresses the issue of identity and belonging in the thought of Saint Paul, as seen in Philippians 3:4–8, focusing on the tension between his deep Jewish roots, Roman citizenship, and openness to Greek culture, culminating in his transformative faith in Christ, which redefined his identity and sense of belonging. The approach combines biblical criticism— highlighting the influence of Jewish traditions and texts on Paul’s thought—with theological and spiritual analysis that reveals how, through Christ, his personal identity becomes a universal model that transcends historical and ethnic affiliations, establishing belonging “in Christ.” The study concludes that Paul’s identity is …

Reading And Re-Readings, Sr Yara Matta, Rami Wakim, Guy Sarkis

Horizons et Conjonctures

Preface
As part of the Book Expo – 150 Years of USJ, organized jointly by USJ Editions and Opération 7e Jour under the title “USJ Book Expo: A University That Reads”, the religious and theological sciences certainly have their contribution to make. Three professors reflect on the theme of reading and rereadings from a biblical approach, a patristic approach, and a dogmatic approach. In the tone of oral discussion and open dialogue with the public, the three presentations establish the foundations of rereading, both within the biblical text itself and in the subsequent interpretations of the Church Fathers or in …

كلمة التحرير, لينا إسكندر حوّاط

Horizons et Conjonctures

آفاق وسياقات هي مجلّة أكاديميّة محكّمة تصدر عن كلّيّة العلوم الدينيّة في جامعة القدّيس يوسف في بيروت، وتُعنى بدراسة العلوم الدينيّة بأبعادها المختلفة. تستند المجلّة إلى محاور خمسة رئيسة: اللاهوت البيبليّ والنظاميّ، تراث الشرق المسيحيّ، الأدب العربيّ المسيحيّ المخطوط، الدراسات الإسلاميّة المسيحيّة، الظاهرة الدينيّة، من أجل خلق منبرٍ علميٍّ لنشر أبحاثٍ أصيلة تمتاز بالدقّة المنهجيّة والعمق التحليليّ‏

الرجاء، فضيلةٌ مَسيحيّةٌ مَكروهةٌ ؟, الأب غي سركيس

Horizons et Conjonctures

Hope: A despised Christian Virtue?
Christian theologians and some philosophers disagree on the status of “Hope.” The first group sees it as a great theological virtue that points to God’s victory over the trials of existence and to the joy of eternal life, where “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). The second group, however, views it as a deceptive illusion, a clinging to baseless dreams, or a form of surrender and acceptance of injustice under the pretext of awaiting the fulfillment of …

مَفهوم الأخوّة في فكر أبو حامَد الغزالي: هل هو مَفهوم إقصائيّ أم حاضن للتنوّع؟, فانيسّا بريدي

Horizons et Conjonctures

The Concept of Brotherhood in the Thought of Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali
This study examines human brotherhood in the thought of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, exploring whether his vision extends to all humanity, within the context of interfaith dialogue and the 2019 Human Fraternity Document. The research delves into al-Ghazali's philosophical foundations, highlighting his Aristotelian influence in classifying love, where "love for the sake of God" is its highest form. It clarifies that his view on "hating for the sake of God" targets negative attributes, not individuals, allowing for non-exclusionary interpretations. The study emphasizes al-Ghazali's assertion that true knowledge of God leads …

La Modernité Dans La Pensée D’Abdessalam Yassine : Entre Refus Systémique Et Absence D’Alternative Fondée, Salah Aboujoudé, S.J.

Horizons et Conjonctures

This article critically examines Abdessalam Yassine’s thought regarding Western modernity. Abdessalam Yassine develops a radical critique of Western modernity, which he associates with secularism, materialism, and the exclusion of spirituality. Rooted in Islamic tradition, his thought opposes “believing reason” to “autonomous reason” and seeks to restore the primacy of Revelation as the foundation of all reform. However, his critique essentializes the West as a homogeneous and destructive entity, reducing Western experiences to their imperialist dimension without distinguishing between universal values and strategies of domination. Despite the coherence of his traditional spiritual vision, his project for an Islamic alternative remains abstract …

Harmonie Sacrée : De La Famille Maronite Et De La Foi Dans La Tradition Maronite, Joseph Salim Al-Khoury

Horizons et Conjonctures

The study of Syriac liturgy and the families of Lebanese saints highlights the profound spiritual influence of the Maronite Church on family life, calling for a renewed pastoral vision aimed at building “parishes of sacred families.” It shows how the close bond between the Maronite Church and village families, shaped by the ascetic spirituality of hermits, fostered a domestic life grounded in prayer, fasting, sacrifice, Scripture reading, and Christian virtues. This heritage, rooted in the early Christians of Antioch, enabled the sustained transmission of Christian values through an asceticism shared by both clergy and laity. The flourishing of saintly vocations …