Who Is Jesus? New Monastic Perspectives,
2017
Denison University
Who Is Jesus? New Monastic Perspectives, Tori Newman
Denison Journal of Religion
This essay is a discussion of Jesus’s political, economic, social, and theological implications in regards to the new monasticism movement. Newman begins by outlining the environment into which Jesus was born: a violent Empire and a genocide. Born by a virgin woman in a stable, surrounded by dirty shepherds, Jesus is immediately a social outcast. Named from his birth as the Messiah, and thus named as a threat to Caesar, Jesus is a refugee from the reigning political order. As he grows older, Jesus’ actions and teachings refute the political, economic, and social culture. He over turns the money changers’ …
Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With The Modern Debate Over Abortion?,
2017
Denison University
Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With The Modern Debate Over Abortion?, Ted Nelson
Denison Journal of Religion
Nelson examines Church Fathers’ positions on origin of the soul and relates their arguments to today’s debates over abortion and when the murder of a soul should be punishable by state law. The essay begins chronologically, starting with Origen, a third century theologian, and his idea of pre-existence of souls. Origen draws from Paul’s letter to the Romans and the Book of Jeremiah to explain that souls were not created by God, but rather had existed on an equal plane with God. This argument sets the stage for the two primary alternative beliefs: creationism and traducianism. Creationism is here defined …
Understanding The Response,
2017
Denison University
Understanding The Response, Mimi Mendez De Leon
Denison Journal of Religion
No abstract provided.
Top Down Or Bottom-Up? Religion, Economics, And Social Justice,
2017
Denison University
Top Down Or Bottom-Up? Religion, Economics, And Social Justice, Jessica Ann Began
Denison Journal of Religion
No abstract provided.
Modern American Evangelical Conceptions Of Girls' Virginity: Their Origins In Patriarchal Property Discourse Of Deuteronomic Family Laws,
2017
Denison University
Modern American Evangelical Conceptions Of Girls' Virginity: Their Origins In Patriarchal Property Discourse Of Deuteronomic Family Laws, Carly Matas
Denison Journal of Religion
No abstract provided.
Peyote And The Psychedelics: 20th Century Perceptions Of The Religious Use Of Psychoactive Substances,
2017
Denison University
Peyote And The Psychedelics: 20th Century Perceptions Of The Religious Use Of Psychoactive Substances, Joshua Rager
Denison Journal of Religion
No abstract provided.
Eros Created, Eros Contaminated, Eros Condemned,
2017
Denison University
Eros Created, Eros Contaminated, Eros Condemned, Taylor Klassman
Denison Journal of Religion
No abstract provided.
We Swim, We Are Not Swallowed,
2017
Denison University
We Swim, We Are Not Swallowed, Taylor Klassman
Denison Journal of Religion
This essay explores the hostile relationship that exists between mainstream Christianity and the queer community. Klassman claims that the possible solutions to that problem currently available are not effective. The queer community has sometimes favored separatism to avoid conflict; it has created its own environment in which members can worship how they please. This does create a kind of unified community, but it also defines members exclusively by their sexuality and makes it the most significant part of their personhood. Additionally, it does not work to address prejudices existing within the mainstream religious communities. Another option currently available for queer …
Making Room For Two In One: The Conflictive Relationship Between American And Catholic Identities In American Literature,
2017
Denison University
Making Room For Two In One: The Conflictive Relationship Between American And Catholic Identities In American Literature, Kimberly Anne Humphrey
Denison Journal of Religion
This article considers the manner in which co-existing Catholic and American identities are represented in Andrew Greeley's Cardinal Sins, Edwin O'Connor's The Edge of Sadness, Walker Percy's Love in Ruins: The Behavior of a Bad Catholic at the Time Near the End of the World, and J.F. Powers's Morte d'Urban. In each novel, there is a conflict or difficulty in reconciling various identities, in particular Catholic and American identities. While the ways in which these two interact and, occasionally, conflict varies in each novel, there is always some attempt to work out a reconciliation between the two. Humphrey concludes her …
The Baha'i Faith In America, 1893-1900: A Diffusion Of The American Religious Zeitgeist,
2017
Denison University
The Baha'i Faith In America, 1893-1900: A Diffusion Of The American Religious Zeitgeist, Joshua Rager
Denison Journal of Religion
This article argues that while the Baha'i faith may appear to be very exotic and distinct from traditional American Protestantism, it is actually very representative of the American religious zeitgeist, or "spirit of the times." The founder of Baha'i was Baha'u'llah, but the man who was primarily responsible for bringing the faith to America was the Syrian Kheiralla. He was educated at an American Bible university, and spent much of his life in the United States. Eventually, he self-identified as American. Furthermore, the faith that he brought with him to the United States was not orthodox Bahai'ism. Kheiralla altered many …
Peter Berger And The Rise And Fall Of The Theory Of Secularization,
2017
Denison University
Peter Berger And The Rise And Fall Of The Theory Of Secularization, Dylan Reaves
Denison Journal of Religion
In the 1960's most sociologists, Peter Berger included, believed that secularization, or the end of power of religious institutions and symbols, was an inevitable byproduct of modernization. However, in subsequent decades Berger has realized that this prediction was incorrect and that religion was maintaining if not growing its power in many areas, with the possible exception of Western Europe and the Western intelligentsia. The resurgence of religion that Berger has witnessed over the past fifty years is not an isolated phenomenon. Berger believes that it will shape four areas: 1) international politics; 2) war and peace; 3) religion and economics; …
A Case For Heresy,
2017
Denison University
A Case For Heresy, Claire Navarro
Denison Journal of Religion
This article serves as a reminder to mainstream Christians about the origins of the word "heresy." While today heresy has an immediate and profoundly negative connotation, this was not always true. Originally, the root of the word heresy implied a "choice," or a "different school of thought." This implied a difference, but not necessarily incorrectness. For instance, the word "hairesis" was used by Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, to describe the three branches of Judaism"Sadducees, Essenes, and Pharisees. While these three sects had different understandings of their faith, there was not a sense of condemnation. In fact, without the …
Modernity - Man's Precarious Reality,
2017
Denison University
Modernity - Man's Precarious Reality, Bror Welander
Denison Journal of Religion
Welander examines the instability that modernity creates in life. By studying the work of sociologist Peter Berger, Welander explores some of the most important questions spawned by modernity. Traditional societies boasted a high understanding of normative values, frequently through religious institutions, whereas modernity, characterized by industrialization, urbanization, technological innovation, bureaucratization, and globalization, lacks those common, binding principles. Economic, social, ideological, and technological changes have also resulted in a new level of pluralism. While one or two societal institutions previously were able to rule society's consciousness and stabilize morality, now hundreds of thousands of institutions vie for power. Overloading people with …
Women Of Genesis: Mothers Of Power,
2017
Denison University
Women Of Genesis: Mothers Of Power, Olivia Depreter
Denison Journal of Religion
DePreter argues against the common argument that women have little or no power in the biblical narrative. DePreter acknowledges that the stories of the Hebrew Bible occur during a time of patriarchy, but she does not agree that women are stripped of their power because of this. Women of the Bible are often criticized for seeming to represent a stereotype of cruelty and manipulation. DePreter argues that this should not be attributed to women's nature but rather to a marginalized group doing what they have to do to fulfill the covenant. This is seen most apparently in the stories of …
Harnessing Shakti: The Social Implications Of Vedic And Classical Hindu Interpretations Of Female Power,
2017
Denison University
Harnessing Shakti: The Social Implications Of Vedic And Classical Hindu Interpretations Of Female Power, Olivia Cox
Denison Journal of Religion
This essay argues that the role of women in Hindu culture during different time periods has not been defined by theological change so much as social and political change. The concept of Shakti, or woman's power, has always been present in Hindu theology, but the way in which that power has been understood differed depending on the socio-historical context. For instance, the relative stability of the Vedic period and the emphasis on domesticity and family during that period made for an atmosphere in which women were of the utmost importance. Therefore, their power was available in private life as well …
Abraham: First Patriarch, First Prophet: Genesis 12-23 As Motive And Model For The Hebrew Prophetic Voice,
2017
Denison University
Abraham: First Patriarch, First Prophet: Genesis 12-23 As Motive And Model For The Hebrew Prophetic Voice, Eleanor Swensson
Denison Journal of Religion
Swensson claims not only that Abraham is the first prophet to appear in the Hebrew Bible, but also that his intimate, friendly relationship with God is the perfect model for the relationship between humanity and divinity. Swensson identifies four markers that differentiate Abraham's relationship with God from all other human-divine relationships previously available in the text: 1) a reciprocal call between the human and the divine, 2) the gradual revelation of God's will, 3) Abraham's direct and honest communication with God, 4) an "anomic, deviant existence" that shows Abraham's complete devotion to the will of God. The reciprocal call between …
Gustavo Gutierrez's Liberation Theology: Traditional Catholicism From The Perspective Of The Afflicted Poor,
2017
Denison University
Gustavo Gutierrez's Liberation Theology: Traditional Catholicism From The Perspective Of The Afflicted Poor, Kimberly Anne Humphrey
Denison Journal of Religion
This article turns to the Liberation Theology of Gustavo Gutierrez to explore a Catholic theology that directly addresses the problem of life in the Third World. Gutierrez focuses his argument on a God of history who worked for and lived with the marginalized, most notably in the Exodus and the Christ event. Furthermore, Gutierrez argues that the Church must be a light for all people who lives amongst the oppressed, and beckons the rest of the world to follow its lead. Humphrey concludes that Guti̩rrez's theology should be considered in light of the inhumane poverty that has become commonplace in …
The Problem Of Death And Dying In Contemporary America: A Thanatological Diagnosis And The Case For Religion,
2017
Denison University
The Problem Of Death And Dying In Contemporary America: A Thanatological Diagnosis And The Case For Religion, Eleanor Swensson
Denison Journal of Religion
Swensson lays out the many obstacles that have resulted in twenty-first century Americans being unable to accept death. By examining the history of major social changes in the West, such as the Protestant reformation, as well as the current ways of dealing with death and dying, Swensson posits that improving how society deals with death and the dying must be aided by theology. Currently, social, political, and religious changes in the West have led to a general sense of loneliness, meaninglessness, and helplessness that are only intensified when a person faces death. Unfortunately, the current environment in which most people …
Walter Rauschenbusch And The Social Gospel,
2017
Denison University
Walter Rauschenbusch And The Social Gospel, Amanda Conley
Denison Journal of Religion
This article brings Walter Rauschenbusch's theory of the Social Gospel into the current age and argues for its continued relevancy as a social critique and a charge to create a better world. The Social Gospel was concerned with collapsing Christianity and social issues onto each other. Rauschenbusch looked to a God active in history to make his argument that Christianity must be a revolutionary faith"one invested in politics and social concerns. To do this effectively, Rauschenbusch stated that religion must be concerned on all levels of daily life"from the larger political and economic issues, to the effects of those issues …
The Empirical Impulse: Empire And Religion As Bane And Blessing For Art,
2017
Denison University
The Empirical Impulse: Empire And Religion As Bane And Blessing For Art, Jacquelyn Fishburne
Denison Journal of Religion
This article rests upon the premise that empire and religion are often intertwined and reliant upon each other. Fishburne points to the time of Constantine as a world-altering example of this. After his conversion, Christianity and the Roman Empire became synonymous, with far-reaching implications. This is easily apparent when one examines the role that empire and religion played in art. Historically, this melding of religion and empire spawned an artistic revival that pushed artists into new techniques and styles. However, this new burgeoning was balanced by the strict control the Church had over artists. Art was restricted to religious subject …
