Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Seeking The Wellspring: Exploring Generosity In A Financial Drought, Laurie Ann Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This action research project utilized transformative qualitative methods to explore the concept of generous giving by examining the attitudes of a small non-random sample of participants within a congregation before and after an intervention consisting of a seven-part sermon series. Theoretical lenses included generosity, adaptive change, and emergence theory. Biblical lenses included Isaiah 43:18-21 and Isaiah 58:6-12 (wellspring in the desert), John 4 (the Samaritan woman at the well), and John 7:37-39 (living water). Theological lenses included missional pneumatology and the missio Dei, the Christian steward, and the holy currencies of the Cycle of Blessings. Findings revealed that presentation of …

Contextual Leadership Within Chin Immigrant Churches In The United States, Bawi Bik Thawng

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This research explores the leadership practices of Chin immigrant congregations in the United States, focusing on how they can develop a more effective leadership practice in dealing with the new context of the new land. It attempts to answer the question: What kind of leadership practice will help Chin immigrant leaders apply adaptive leadership theory for implementing contextual oriented leadership theory for the church? The initial motivation for this research arose out of the researcher’s interest in the perception of Chin immigrant congregations on the issue of leadership. A qualitative case study research method was employed in this research.

The …

Faith, Farming And Food Justice, Catherine Curran

Charles Rice Post-Graduate Research Fellowship

Through a liberationist lens, religion and social justice are more similar than different. Food illuminates opportunities for building collective agency and community resilience in which religion and social justice might serve one another (White 2018). Specifically, faith communities can contribute to local food systems by using church-owned lands to provide access to farmland for beginning and BIPOC farmers, improve access to fresh, healthy produce, and enhance food security (FaithLands 2021). Faith communities are shifting mindsets from charity to justice and scarcity to abundance while addressing rural child hunger (Lietz-Bilecky 2020). Overall, this paper explores unique ways the Christian food movement …

The Old Boys Club: Podcast Transcripts, Codi Yhap

Charles Rice Post-Graduate Research Fellowship

My name is Codi Yhap and I’ll be your host/audio tour guide for the next few weeks as we dive into the history of the Young Men’s Christian Association. Join me as we explore the organization’s transformation from Bible study group to one of the oldest and most recognized non-profit organizations. Welcome to The Old Boys Club. Episodes include: The Old Boys Club, Eclipsing Confederacies, His House Upon a Rock, The Body of Christ, and The “Girl Problem.”

01 Traditional Songs Introduction, William Donner

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

This is an introduction to Sikaiana songs. It includes a discussion of the social cultural context of song composition and singing. There is a discussion of the different features of song production and a list of different song genres. Most of the discussion is concerned with traditional song expression that are part of derived form changes associated with colonialism and modernization.

Reverence And Reliance: Informing An Environmental Ethic, Malik Geraci

Charles Rice Post-Graduate Research Fellowship

This research fellowship studies the relationship between introduced religious identity and traditional cultural identity within indigenous communities as it relates to environmental conservation practices in Peru.

Our Silent News, January-February-March 2021

Our Silent News

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Fort Worth, TX

Our Silent News Finding Aid

Silent Holy Spirit, January-March 2021

Silent Holy Spirit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in St. Louis, MO

Silent Holy Spirit Finding Aid

Silent Holy Spirit, January-March 2022

Silent Holy Spirit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in St. Louis, MO

Silent Holy Spirit Finding Aid

The Role Of Dehumanization In The Nazi Era In Activating The Death Drive Resulting In Genocide, Stewart Gabel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dehumanization can be defined in part as a process by which a powerful individual or group (the victimizers) actively denies or withdraws a second individual’s or group’s (the victim’s) sense of human worth or personal value. Dehumanization is an especially virulent form of denigration of the Other and is known to have harmful psychological consequences on victims.

The thesis of this dissertation is: Dehumanization, applied in an increasingly severe manner to demean, subjugate and control Jews in Nazi dominated territories during the Nazi era (1933-1945), activated a “death instinct/drive” (Freud 1920; 1923/1960; 1930) that was used to resolve an extreme …

The Experiences And Mental Health Impact Of Islamophobia On Muslim Americans Following The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Hadeel Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the phenomenon of Muslim Americans’ lived experiences of Islamophobia prior to and two years into Donald Trump’s presidential administration. 14 participants from multiple regions in the United States completed a semi-structured interview via telephone. The data analysis revealed seven major themes: 1) Muslim Americans experience different dimensions of Islamophobia, 2) Muslim Americans experience various forms of Islamophobia, 3) Variables that impact the prevalence of Islamophobia, 4) Islamophobia impacts various areas of Muslim Americans’ lives, 5) Muslim Americans may react differently to experiences of Islamophobia, 6) Islamophobia impacts the …

Ruptured Lives: Narrative Accounts Of Us American Adult Converts To Evangelical Christianity Over The Life Course, Nichole Baumer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the last few decades, there have been significant discussions regarding the rupturing effect that conversions to Christianity have in indigenous contexts. Individuals who have converted to Christianity from indigenous religions frequently speak of a disruption between their pre-conversion and post-conversion selves and social worlds. Anthropologists have yet, however, to study in-depth the narratives of people living within societies like the US, where Christianity is the hegemonic religion, to see whether or not the same phenomenon can be documented in contexts where individuals are often converting from one form of Christianity to another. Through the lens of narrative analysis, I …

Spiritual Care Of Gay Men In Committed Relationships: An Evidenced-Based Intercultural Approach, Marc J. Coulter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual minorities have historically been targets of homophobia, heterosexism, discrimination, and persecution particularly within traditional, conservative religious organizations. As a result, many people who identify as male and gay reject traditional forms of religion and seek alternative spiritual beliefs and practices affirming their sexual orientation, often self-identifying as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). Some white, gay male couples in committed relationships also reject traditional views of sexual fidelity and negotiate open, consensual, non-monogamous sexual relationships with their primary partner. Gay couples seeking behavioral health assistance to navigate relational difficulties may encounter clinicians who fail to acknowledge the harmful influence of …

Decolonizing Interfaith Interaction: Common Humanity And Colonial Legacies, Teresa A. Crist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among various formations of interfaith interaction in the United States, practitioners strive to build relationships across religious difference through appeals to commonality. Problematically, relying on commonality to unite religiously diverse groups can ignore the colonial history behind what is considered common across humanity, and may serve to make interfaith interaction ineffective. The interfaith project is itself connected to the colonial legacy of Western epistemology, which tacitly normalizes Protestant Christian norms and conceptions of “Religion” and human subjectivity. This dissertation explores whether interfaith interaction, while trying to relieve the religious oppression caused by the normalization of Christianity, may in fact support …

Out Of Time: Temporal Performativity And Resistance In Popular American Film, Television, And Theater, Meghan Johnston Aelabouni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that religious world-making in popular culture can reveal and resist hegemonic times. Taking as my primary case study the United States in the 2010s, particularly the shift from the Obama to the Trump era, I analyze cultural constructions of time—as sacred history, destiny, and “the times”—that reflect and shape national identity and belonging in the American imagined community. In this context, such temporal constructions have privileged whiteness and heteronormative masculinity, positioning those who embody or approximate this norm as “of the times,” while also displacing BIPOC, women, and queer people as “out of time.” I posit time …

Shurooq, Shurooq, Brandi Kilmer, Sherianne Schow, Nicole Taylor, Sasha Sloan

TSOS Interview Gallery

Shurooq fled Iraq and came to the United States when she was 12. Iraq was a beautiful place full of family and celebration. Her brother passed away from leukemia 1 1/2 years prior to coming to the States. Prior to his death, their father took him to Syria to for treatment. He passed in Syria. Although the family had applied for a medical visa to the United States, upon Shurooq’s brother’s passing, they received threats and knew they could not stay. The call came for the visa and all but her mother were able to come. Thankfully her mother arrived …

Ua37/43 Faculty Staff Personal Papers John Minton, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Personal papers of John Minton.

The Boy In The Mirror: A Tale Of Radical Queer Muslim Liberation, Shariq I. Farooqi, Khansa Noor

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This photo-series & its connected narrative captures the ornate reality of identifying as a Queer Muslim of color. The photos were beautifully curated by a photographer and dear friend of mine, Khansa Noor. The images are meant to visually conceptualize how queerness can manifest outwardly in one's bodily expressions and demeanor. The guilt, shame, and relief that I described in the narrative translates intimately in my brown skin and my movements. Both pieces merge to illustrate the layers of queer Muslim survival in concealing one's queerness while simultaneously remaining unequivocally bold in queer spaces.

A World Grappling With Pope Francis: Laudato Si' And The Contested Frames Of A Secular-Minded Church, Joseph R. Blaney

Faculty Publications - Communications

Pope Francis has been misunderstood by liberals and conservatives alike, confusing an emphasized pastoral tone and approach for theological departure. This confusion is exacerbated in the United States where the faithful are tempted to understand and evaluate pastoral figures in terms of secular political ideologies. This study extends Blaney’s (2017) media framing study of news coverage of cardinalate appointments by examining commentary about the papal encyclical Laudato Si’ found among readers of the National Catholic Register, the National Catholic Reporter, and The New York Times. Thematic analyses affirm that the faithful of the U.S. church succumb to the same secular …

Hand In Hand, Winter 2021

Hand in Hand

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Milwaukee, WI

Hand in Hand Finding Aid

St. Dominic Deaf Center, January-February 2021

Saint Dominic Deaf Center

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Houston, TX

Saint Dominic Deaf Center Finding Aid

Newsletter Catholic Deaf Of Detroit, January 2021

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Detroit, MI

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit Finding Aid

Imagining The Postdigital Church, Michael Paulus

SPU Works

This essay focuses on the ongoing need and opportunity for church leaders to continue the process of digital transformation and imagine new forms of the post-pandemic church.

A Devised Ethnodrama: Conscious Voices, Sonia Pasqual

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Using techniques of storytelling, dance, poems, and monologues in the process of re-enacting life stories, the ensemble display issues that may be impeding society’s growth—discrimination against body image, blackness, females, and LGBTQ individuals. In addition, engagement in storytelling and performance can help the audience increase their cognitive skills, empathy, and ability to live a communal life. This evidence-based practice can transform lives and society. It has the potential of continuing to other faculties and with other departments, such as film, musical, and additional narratives. This specific work could be extended out beyond art and education into populations of any communities …

Workings Of Theocracy: The Historical Function And Modern Applicability Of Charitable Endowments, Nuh Elalaoui

Honors Program Theses

Historically, various systems and institutions across diverse civilizations have been established to meet the many needs that interweave the fabric of society. One, and perhaps the most significant of these institutions is the waqf/hubus system. Characterized by the designation of a property or revenue stream as mortmain and the investment of the usufruct for the benefit of (often predetermined) beneficiaries, this form of charitable endowment is hailed as a cornerstone of Islamic civilization. The objectives of this paper are threefold. Primarily, it examines the historical role of awqāf, with focus on their social and economic significance in two distinct Islamic …

All-Union Council Of Evangelical Christians And Baptists As A Product Of Work Of Soviet Special Services, Oleksandr Korotaiev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The purpose of the study is to show the work of the Soviet special services in the 1940s among the evangelical denominations of the Ukrainian SSR, which consisted of the formation of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists (hereinafter ACECB). The study of the work of the Soviet special services among the Protestant denominations of Ukraine during WWII and in the post-war period is generally a poorly studied topic of modern historical science. The article attempts to fill this gap by highlighting the work of the NKVD-MGB bodies among Evangelical Christians and Baptists, which aimed to create a …

The Political Impact Of Evangelical Churches In Latin America: Case Studies Of Brazil And Venezuela, Isabella Castro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis analyzes the impact of the Evangelical movement on politics in Latin America, through case studies on of revolutionary leftist Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and far right Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. Both the Chávez and Bolsonaro political machineries reached out to the Evangelical movement and aligned themselves with new social and political actors associated with this movement. Though these two leaders promised very different programs, they both successfully sought the support of leaders and members of the Evangelical movement. The contradictory context of these two cases in terms of political platforms, their shared association with the Evangelical church, generates …

Effective Decision-Making Strategies That Support Long-Term Sustainability In Nondenominational Churches, Andre Paul Davis Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective financial decision-making has frequently led to nondenominational church failures and contributes to 4,000 to 8,000 churches closing each year in North America. Grounded in stewardship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective financial decision-making strategies in nondenominational churches that support long term sustainability. Participants were 10 church leaders who successfully used financial decision-making strategies to support long-term sustainability in Central North Carolina was used for this study. Data were collected from semi structured interviews and internal church documents relating to church leadership's financial decision-making and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: budgeting …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Preparedness Of African American Pastors To Address Issues Of Addiction, Shuntay Tarver, Chaniece Winfield, Judith Preston, Alexis Wilkerson, Pastor Isaac Shorter

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This study qualitatively explored the preparedness of African American pastors to meet the needs of parishioners with addictions. Findings indicated that African American pastors do not always perceive themselves to be prepared to address issues of addiction, and existing cultural barriers challenge collaboration between human services practitioners and African American pastors. Findings also revealed that despite existing cultural barriers, African American pastors are willing to collaborate with professionals who offer educational opportunities in culturally relevant ways. Human services professionals’ ability to understand cultural nuances of African American pastors is of paramount concern to effectively enhance the quality of life for …

Latest Developments Affecting Russian Protestant Seminaries And Churches, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Of course, the Russian state assault on Protestant theological education does not occur in a vacuum, as can be seen by an ongoing parallel campaign against individual Protestant congregations. A sample of three cases of direct disruption of Baptist, Pentecostal, and Adventist worship by local authorities in 2019, 2020, and 2021 may illustrate the point."