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Sample records for understand christian thought

  1. Xu Guangqi’s Thought On Supplementing Confucianism With Christianity

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    Anna Seo

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Xu Guangqi is one of the most influential Chinese scholars who accepted Christian faith during the late Ming dynasty. His idea of “supplementing Confucianism and replacing Buddhism by Christianity” had great impact on the development of Christianity in China. His idea, however, has often been accused of syncretism, and genuineness of his Christian faith has been put into question. Some argue that his theology lacks Christology. Others suggest that his ultimate goal was to achieve the Confucian political ideals through adopting some of the Christian moral teachings. Through the analysis of Xu Guangqi’ works and life, we find that he accepted all the essential Christian doctrines and Christology is the core of his understanding of “Tianzhu”. His view on Confucianism itself istransformed through Christian perspective. In his new understanding, the ultimate goal of Confucianism is to serve and to worship “Tianzhu”,same as Christianity. The ultimate problem of life is to save one’s soul.Xu Guangqi considered his scientific works as a way to propagate Christian faith,since science was seen as an integral part of Christian thought and practice. His idea of “supplementing Confucianism by Christianity” integrated Confucianism into the overarching framework of Christian thought.

  2. Challenges of Postmodern Thought in Christian Higher Education Institutions: Implications for Ethical Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darroux, Dean A.

    2013-01-01

    The study investigated the question: What is the process that Christian higher education administrators and faculty members used when understanding the challenges of postmodern thought at the institutions, and what are the challenges for ethical leadership? Utilizing a grounded theory methodology, the researcher sought to develop a theory that…

  3. Is thought-action fusion related to religiosity? Differences between Christians and Jews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siev, Jedidiah; Cohen, Adam B

    2007-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between thought-action fusion (TAF) and religiosity in Christians and Jews (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform). There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that religiosity is related to obsessive cognitions in Christian samples, but conceptual and empirical ambiguities complicate the interpretation of that literature and its application to non-Christian groups. As predicted on the basis of previous research, Christians scored higher than Jews on moral TAF. This effect was large and not explained by differences in self-reported religiosity. The Jewish groups did not differ from each other. Furthermore, religiosity was significantly associated with TAF only within the Christian group. These results qualify the presumed association between religiosity and obsessive cognitions. General religiosity is not associated with TAF; it rather depends on what religious group. Moreover, large group differences in a supposed maladaptive construct without evidence of corresponding differences in prevalence rates call into question the assumption that TAF is always a marker of pathology.

  4. Death and dignity in Catholic Christian thought.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulmasy, Daniel P

    2017-12-01

    This article traces the history of the concept of dignity in Western thought, arguing that it became a formal Catholic theological concept only in the late nineteenth century. Three uses of the word are distinguished: intrinsic, attributed, and inflorescent dignity, of which, it is argued, the intrinsic conception is foundational. The moral norms associated with respect for intrinsic dignity are discussed briefly. The scriptural and theological bases for adopting the concept of dignity as a Christian idea are elucidated. The article concludes by discussing the relevance of this concept of dignity to the spiritual and ethical care of the dying.

  5. The Importance of Christian Thought for the American Libertarian Movement: Christian Libertarianism, 1950–71

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    Lee Haddigan

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Murray N. Rothbard argued that there are many philosophic and non-philosophic arguments that provide a satisfactory basis for individual liberty. Rarely, however, did he discuss the claims of Christianity to be a suitable foundation for individual freedom. By looking at the Christian libertarians of the Old Right, between 1950 and 1971, the article contends that religious values were the most important reason for libertarians pursuing a society composed of free individuals during that period. By examining the journals Faith and Freedom, Christian Economics, and the Freeman, and the positive views of Rev. Carl McIntire, the author explains the philosophy of Christian libertarianism. It is the belief that individual freedom is only the highest political end; the necessary means for God’s Creation to develop unhindered their conscience and the full ‘sacredness of their personality.’ Christian libertarians maintain that individuals cannot be coerced by government to lead a virtuous life. They must instead be persuaded, by a true understanding of the life of Jesus especially, to choose to follow the moral life sanctioned by the Bible. The desire to follow the Golden Rule voluntarily, Christian libertarians explain, is the God-given template that allows a society of individuals to live in freedom. It was this Christian ethic, Christian libertarians insist, couched in terms of the Natural Law, that inspired the founding fathers to establish a system of government where the individual is free to enjoy their ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ The article concludes by discussing Frank S. Meyer’s ‘fusionist’ attempt to find a uniting theme for traditionalists and libertarians, and suggests that it was the Christian libertarian philosophy in all but name. It also suggests that if America has any valid claim to be ‘Exceptional,’ then it is based on the nation’s traditional defence of individual freedom as a God-given grant.

  6. The Christian Understanding of Happiness

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    Andrzej Zwoliński

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The relationship with God allows man to find the sense of life. Christianity is a humanism – it positions man in the very centre of the world according him the highest place – of the being created after God’s image. The revelation of God’s Love endows man with a new way of enriching himself and others. Thus the desire for happiness gains a new perspective of the divine longing for good. Happiness which Christ promises exceeds the limits of our imagination. It is incon­ ceivable and incomprehensible to those living on earth. Heaven is beyond every word, beyond our conception for it bears the meaning which man cannot fully understand. It is the most supreme happiness, absolutely perfect and complete which no one has ever known. A Christian has to achieve in his life something more than the worldly aims. Whoever limits their life to the earth, focuses only on enjoying and using this life to the full; squeezing from it the last drop heedless of the needs of others.

  7. Christian thought in Momcilo Nastasijevic's poetry

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    Kostić-Tmušić Aleksandra S.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Poetry of Momcilo Nastasijevic gives us undoubted motive to talk about him as a consistent religious poet, a poet of orthodox religious inspiration. He approached towards words as sanctity, he endeavoured to measure each word, reach it, and clean it from accumulated dust of everyday’s blather. His attitude towards poetical locution, his personal law of poetical perfection, represents, brought up to the last consequences, principles of symbolist poetics. He thought of words as magic of sound and rhythm and examines all the effects we can get from it. To him, poetry was identical to crucial and the purest flickering of what he called human soul. The thought of our poet come down to essence of his poetry: who has understood his poems, can be sure that will understand Nastasijevic as a poet.

  8. Gilson as Christian Humanist

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    Peter A. Redpath

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The author suggests that the intellectual life of Étienne Gilson constituted a new humanism, that Gilson’s scholarly work was part of a new renaissance, that a new humanism that Gilson thought is demanded by the precarious civilizational crisis of the modern West after World Wars I and II. He also argues that, more than anything else, Gilson was a renaissance humanist scholar who consciously worked in the tradition of renaissance humanists before him, but did so to expand our understanding of the notion of “renaissance” scholarship and to create his own brand of Christian humanism to deal with problems distinctive to his age. The author shows the specificity of the Christian humanism that Gilson developed as part of his distinctive style of doing historical research and of philosophizing.

  9. Challenging Christianity: Leo Tolstoy and Religious Education

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    Moulin, Dan

    2009-01-01

    The religious thought of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy is a well documented but often overlooked example of unorthodox Christianity. This paper uses the example of Tolstoy's religious thinking to question the integrity of the current representation of Christianity in UK schools. It also uses Tolstoy's criticism of orthodox Christianity to suggest a…

  10. Religious ethics, Christianity, and war

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    Henrik Syse

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses elements within Christian ethics and anthropology that have ramifications for the ethics and laws of war. The author argues that several distinctively Christian conceptions of morality and of human beings contribute importantly to the idea of just war, namely the Christian (and more specifically Augustinian view of history, the Christian view of killing, and the Christian view of sin and grace. While other religious and philosophical traditions also offer significant contributions to a normative discussion about armed force, it remains a fact that Christian thought, historically speaking, has furnished much of the groundwork of what we today know as the ethics and laws of war, and that the experience of being a Christian in the world has important ramifications for thinking about war and the use of armed force.http://dx.doi.org/10.5324/eip.v3i1.1708

  11. Toward an African-Christian Demonology: The Demonologies of African Traditional Religion, African Christianity, and Early Christianity in Dialogue

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    Moscicke, Hans

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Christian interactions with the spirit-world of African traditional religion (ATR have remained problematic due, in part, to the failure of Christian missionaries to understand in detail the cosmology of ATR and the angelologies and demonologies of early Christianity. In this article I suggest a way beyond this impasse. I first survey the shape of cosmology and demonology in ATR, and then examine African Christianitys variegated responses to these traditional beliefs. Finally, I submit that a retrieval of the early Christian mythological narrative about demons and its associated cosmology could help theologians accommodate the spirit-world of ATR within a truly African-Christian theology.

  12. Toward an African-Christian Demonology: The Demonologies of African Traditional Religion, African Christianity, and Early Christianity in Dialogue

    OpenAIRE

    Moscicke, Hans

    2017-01-01

    Christian interactions with the spirit-world of African traditional religion (ATR) have remained problematic due, in part, to the failure of Christian missionaries to understand in detail the cosmology of ATR and the angelologies and demonologies of early Christianity. In this article I suggest a way beyond this impasse. I first survey the shape of cosmology and demonology in ATR, and then examine African Christianitys variegated responses to these traditional beliefs. Finally, I submit that ...

  13. How do South Africans understand Democracy and Christianity ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The average South African is often seen as Christian and as supporting democracy, but research suggests many of the fundamentals of democracy and Christianity are clearly not accepted unconditionally. Africa Insight Vol.34(2/3) 2004: 16-22 ...

  14. When Christianity and homosexuality collide: understanding the potential intrapersonal conflict.

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    Subhi, Nasrudin; Geelan, David

    2012-01-01

    Reconciling sexual orientation with religious and spiritual beliefs can be challenging for Christian homosexuals, since many Christian churches teach that homosexual behavior is sinful. A qualitative study of 10 male and 10 female Christian homosexuals was conducted via semistructured interviews. This article seeks to explore the potential conflict between Christianity and homosexuality faced by the respondents. Participants' life stories and experiences varied widely. A few respondents were unaffected by the potential conflict between Christianity and homosexuality, however, the majority were affected. Effects included depression, guilt, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and alienation. Implications of the findings for support personnel are included.

  15. THEOLOGYOF DIALOGUE. MARTIN BUBER AND CHRISTIANITY

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    G. ZAVERSHINSKY

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Martin Buber is one of pioneers of the dialog method, which is to complete the standard subject-object approach in the humanities. It was he, who had shaped the classic form to this method and attempted to use it when developing relationship patterns between Judaism and Christianity. In the author’s view, Buber failed in this attempt, as it shows the study of his work «Zwei Glaubensweisen». It had happened because of Buber’s not quite «dialogical» views on person of Christ and lack of good acquaintance with all the complexity and diversity of the Christian thought. Buber could not interpret properly the St. Paul’s thought without considering hypostatic communication with God as it is presented in the orthodox theology. In spite of this the author believes that fruits of Buber’s labor in the dialogue philosophy still can be in many ways useful for Christian theology and practice

  16. Sword of Christ. Christian inspirations of Polish socialism before the January Uprising

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    Piotr Kuligowski

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the history of the Christian fraction of Polish socialism against the background of the era, from the very beginning until its end after the January Uprising. On the basis of the texts from the era the understanding of socialism, the principles of the program of Clusters of the Polish People and the anatomy of Fr. Piotr Ściegienny’s conspiracy have been reconstructed. The text reproduces the utopian ideas of social reconstruction by Zenon Świętosławski and Ludwik Królikowski and based on these the text also shows the place of Christian socialism in the Polish socialist thought.

  17. What is religion? an African understanding

    OpenAIRE

    Beyers, Jaco

    2010-01-01

    Western thought has influenced the way that religion is understood. Western philosophy supported the separation between the sacred and the profane. Modernism, focusing on human rationality, reduced religion to a set of correctly formulated dogmas and doctrines. Western thought, dominated by Christianity, created a hierarchical structure of world religions through a theology of religions. Can an African understanding of religion make a contribution to the understanding of what religion is? Suc...

  18. Christianity and Political Thought

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomassen, Bjørn; Forlenza, Rosario

    2016-01-01

    This article engages with the thought of Augusto Del Noce (1910-1989), the most important Italian Catholic philosopher and political thinker of the twentieth century. The focus is on how Del Noce came to elaborate a Catholic ‘modernity,’ bridging a positive encounter between Catholicism, democracy......, and freedom. This philosophical project had a considerable impact on modern Italian culture and politics. At the theoretical level, the argument is embedded within a larger aim to recognize attempts within Catholic philosophy to articulate an Italian political trajectory that does not simply accept the tale...

  19. John Nelson Darby: His Contributions to Evangelical Christian Higher Education

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    Sutherland, Winston Terrance

    2010-01-01

    The study reported in this article focused on the contributions of John Nelson Derby to biblical hermeneutics and contemporary eschatological thought. Darby continues to exert a great influence on Christianity, particularly conservative evangelical Christianity. This research provides a discussion of Darby's contributions to contemporary…

  20. Understanding Bereavement in a Christian University: A Qualitative Exploration

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    Walker, Andrea C.; Gewecke, Rachelle; Cupit, Illene N.; Fox, Jeffrey T.

    2014-01-01

    This phenomenological study, based on ecological systems theory, examined the college student bereavement experience in a Christian university. Undergraduate students (N = 127) from a small Christian university provided answers to open-ended questions about their experiences regarding college following a death loss. Results indicate that students…

  1. Christian Leclere (1962 - 2014)

    CERN Multimedia

    2014-01-01

    It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of our colleague Christian Leclere at the age of 52. He had worked as a courier in the CERN Mail Service since 1988.   Christian was a native of northern France, to which he owed the warm and helpful nature that he never lost. His work, which he thoroughly enjoyed and to which he devoted himself wholeheartedly, suited his personality perfectly, in particular his liking for social interaction and his constant desire to help others. He did, though, have a slight preference for his rounds of the Prévessin site and the underground areas, which he honed to perfection. Paradoxically, Christian was quiet and unassuming, yet always there when anyone needed him. His loss leaves a huge void in the Mail Office team, and he will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. His colleagues and friends

  2. Nietzsche, The Christians And The Jews

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    Alexandru Ștefănescu

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The present text is concerned with depicting an imagery of fundamental opposition between Friedrich Nietzsche on the one hand, and Judeo-Christianity, on the other. Since the vigorous and authentic society of the Ancients is falsely an unwarrantedly substituted by an ever-growing Christian paradigm, Nietzsche’s response will tend to identifying, as well as possibly curing the Judeo-Christian disease on a social and moral level. We therefore investigate his denouncement of a falsely-oriented cultural way of life and thought by addressing the two halves of his philosophical project: morals and religion. Moreover, in the final part of the current paper we will briefly concern ourselves with some political, as well as cultural implications stemming from his radical views.

  3. A Christian understanding of the significance of love of oneself in loving God and neighbour: Towards an integrated self-love reading

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    Hannelie Wood

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses the meaning of the great commandment of love (Mt. 22:35–40 with afocus on the understanding of self-love as considered within a Christian context. Christians ingeneral understand the commandment as applying to love of God and one’s neighbour. Thereference to self-love tends to be ignored or misunderstood, especially when love of self isviewed in the context of the Christian virtues of humility and self-mortification. The conceptof narcissism (self-preoccupation or self-glorification has devastating effects on relationshipswith God, human beings and the world. In the Christian context self-love is not a thirdcommandment and it is not clearly outlined in Scripture. Furthermore, the love of oneselfseems to be the norm by which the love of God and neighbour are measured. It appearstherefore that by bringing narcissism into the equation of self-love, a better understanding canbe achieved of what a healthy Christian self-love should entail. Furthermore, a brief discussionon the views of the self as mind, emotions and will as well as agape, philia and eros is requiredfor a proposed integrated self-love reading.

  4. "Everything Is in Parables": An Exploration of Students' Difficulties in Understanding Christian Beliefs Concerning Jesus

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    Freathy, Rob; Aylward, Karen

    2010-01-01

    This article reports the findings of interviews conducted with students (aged 11-13) in four English secondary schools, examining reasons why young people find it difficult to understand Christian beliefs regarding Jesus' miracles, resurrection, and status as the Son of God. For the students in this sample, understanding and belief are closely…

  5. Gilson, Krapiec and Christian Philosophy Today

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    Pawel Tarasiewicz

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The author undertakes an attempt to answer the following question: is Christian philosophy possible today? The question seems to be of great importance due to the fact that what Christians who try to do philosophy usually encounter is bitter criticism which comes to them from two sides at once: that of academy and that of the Church. In short, for academy their philosophy is too Christian, and for the Church it is too academic. Being indebted to the insights of Étienne Gilson and Mieczyslaw A. Krapiec (the original Polish spelling: Mieczysław Albert Krąpiec, pronounced: myechisuaf albert krompyetz, the author comes to the conclusion thatChristian philosophy is possible today only if: 1 it isnot identified with the art of persuasion, as its final end lies in gaining understanding rather than being convincing, 2 itis the work of a Christian, and 3 it has thereal world as its object and metaphysics as its method. ForChristian philosophy—which in essence consists indoing philosophy by Christians in order to get morerational understanding of their religious faith—shouldbe identified with theperfection of the intellect achieved by practicingthe classical philosophy of being.

  6. [Respect and tutelage of children in Christianity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leone, Salvino; Lo Giudice, Milena

    2005-01-01

    Christian religion, since its beginning, has been strongly interested about infant world, in defending and promoting it. Evangelic stories show Jesus' attention for children even against his disciples and the current culture of that very time that didn't consider them in a special way. Some of healing miracles and most of reanimation ones have, as characters, just children or young people. This particular care has continued after in ecclesial life by the creation of many charitable institutions for children and, recently, also in an sort of re-arrangement of Christian thought about bioethical problems, most of which are really shared with not Christian world. Nevertheless some of them present several patterns (an-encephaly, neonatal care, assisted reproduction, etc.) involving some specific considerations discussed by Authors.

  7. Food justice and Christian ethics

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    Heinrich Bedford-Strohm

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The article dealt with the moral and political problem of international food justice in which the deep contradiction between the present situation of malnourishment and starvation in large parts of the global population on the one hand and the biblical notion of the preferential option for the poor on the other hand was described. This ecumenically widely accepted notion was clarified in several aspects. How deeply this is rooted in the history of Christian social thought was shown by Martin Luther�s writings on the economy which have remained relatively unknown in the churches and in the scholarly world. The article then presented three models of Christian economic ethic: the technical economic model, the utopian economic model and the public theological economic model. On the basis of the public theological model seven challenges for international food justice were presented. The basis for these challenges is an understanding of globalisation which guarantees just participation for everyone and deals with nature in an ecologically sustainable way. The interests of small farmers are the basis for judging the activities of big agro-corporations. Public theology is the background for an active involvement of the churches as agents of a global civil society to promote international food justice.

  8. A Christian faith-based recovery theory: understanding God as sponsor.

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    Timmons, Shirley M

    2012-12-01

    This article reports the development of a substantive theory to explain an evangelical Christian-based process of recovery from addiction. Faith-based, 12-step, mutual aid programs can improve drug abstinence by offering: (a) an intervention option alone and/or in conjunction with secular programs and (b) an opportunity for religious involvement. Although literature on religion, spirituality, and addiction is voluminous, traditional 12-step programs fail to explain the mechanism that underpins the process of Christian-based recovery (CR). This pilot study used grounded theory to explore and describe the essence of recovery of 10 former crack cocaine-addicted persons voluntarily enrolled in a CR program. Data were collected from in-depth interviews during 4 months of 2008. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim, and the constant comparative method was used to analyze data resulting in the basic social process theory, understanding God as sponsor. The theory was determined through writing theoretical memos that generated key elements that allow persons to recover: acknowledging God-centered crises, communicating with God, and planning for the future. Findings from this preliminary study identifies important factors that can help persons in recovery to sustain sobriety and program administrators to benefit from theory that guides the development of evidence-based addiction interventions.

  9. Neuroscience, Christian Theology, and a Fuller Understanding of the Human Person

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    Flaman, Paul

    2011-01-01

    The author's specialization as a Christian theologian is in the combined area of morality and spirituality. The focus of his teaching and research has been in the areas of bioethics; the theology of sexuality, marriage, and the family; and Christian spirituality. In his research he came across several authors who advocated some positions different…

  10. Christian Caritas in Christian Pedagogy

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    Leszek Aftyka

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The article highlights the leading ideas of Christian pedagogy, which are the upbringing of children and youth of spiritual and moral values. The author stresses that Christian pedagogy serves the effective tool for the formation of the spirituality of the younger generation, the formation of philosophical representations and beliefs, etiquette, spiritual traditions and values of people in the universally accepted commandments of God. Considerable attention is paid to the formation of high morality of the younger generation, etiquette, love of people, religiousness, etc. In the Christian religion the highest value compared to all other virtues is „love”. The Christian love is rooted primarily in the commandment of love for God and man, that is why genuine charity comes from the heart full of love. This article presents the teaching of Christ for mercy to others and its practical application in the first Christian Communities. The author described the economic organization and charitable initiatives in the communities of early Christians.

  11. A Diasporic Christian Theology: Towards an Eschatological Understanding of Theological Education in Post-Communist Societies

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    Garrett, Stephen M.

    2018-01-01

    Christian theology amidst post-communist societies finds itself in a precarious situation as it seeks to emerge from the competing social imaginaries of its totalitarian Soviet past and the democratic capitalism of its future. To do so, eschatological hope will need to spring eternal as it seeks understanding by faith in love of the triune God and…

  12. Middle Eastern Christian spaces in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galal, Lise Paulsen; Hunter, Alistair; McCallum, Fiona

    2016-01-01

    Despite little scholarly attention, Middle Eastern Christian Churches are a well-established element of the European religious landscape. Based on collaborative research, this article examines how three mutual field visits facilitated a deeper understanding of the complexity that characterises...... church establishment and activities among Iraqi, Assyrian/Syriac and Coptic Orthodox Christians in the UK, Sweden and Denmark. Exploring analytical dimensions of space, diversity, size, and minority position we identify three positions of Middle Eastern Christians: in London as the epitome of super...

  13. An Essay on Academic Disciplines, Faithfulness, and the Christian Scholar

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    Gould, Paul

    2014-01-01

    Christian scholars inhabit at least two communities: the community of Christians and the community of scholars. Each community has its own distinctive set of beliefs, practices, and criteria for membership. To avoid incoherence, the Christian scholar seeks to understand the relationship between the two communities. The Christian, we are told, must…

  14. Christian meditation. A Path to oneself and Others. Qualitative study of Christian meditation and cultural encounters in lives of adults in Latvia

    OpenAIRE

    Šķupele, Alise

    2015-01-01

    Abstract This master thesis examines individual experiences regarding “Christian Meditation” of John Main and cultural encounters. Through qualitative interviews with Christian meditators the thesis aims to understand the subjective meanings of Christian Meditation from the informant’s point of view. The purpose of the thesis is to explore the subjective experiences of Christian Meditation and cultural encounters; and to explore the subjective experiences of the meaning of Chri...

  15. From Christianity to African Religion and back again

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    A M Meiring

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available This article passes from Christianity to African Religion and back again, in order to gain new insight on reconciliation. Traditional Christian reconciliation models are valuable but also contextual and limited; thus new models should be sought. African myths of community, acceptance and rebellion offer alternative ways of understanding reconciliation. When evaluated according to the principles of integration and transcendence, these myths meet the criteria of better religion and emphasise Christian notions that are often ignored in tradition Christianity. These new African-inspired insights can be used in Christian liturgy as a number of examples prove.

  16. Finding Common Ground Between Earth Scientists and Evangelical Christians

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    Grant Ludwig, L.

    2015-12-01

    In recent decades there has been some tension between earth scientists and evangelical Christians in the U.S., and this tension has spilled over into the political arena and policymaking on important issues such as climate change. From my personal and professional experience engaging with both groups, I find there is much common ground for increasing understanding and communicating the societal relevance of earth science. Fruitful discussions can arise from shared values and principles, and common approaches to understanding the world. For example, scientists and Christians are engaged in the pursuit of truth, and they value moral/ethical decision-making based on established principles. Scientists emphasize the benefits of research "for the common good" while Christians emphasize the value of doing "good works". Both groups maintain a longterm perspective: Christians talk about "the eternal" and geologists discuss "deep time". Both groups understand the importance of placing new observations in context of prior understanding: scientists diligently reference "the literature" while Christians quote "chapter and verse". And members of each group engage with each other in "fellowship" or "meetings" to create a sense of community and reinforce shared values. From my perspective, earth scientists can learn to communicate the importance and relevance of science more effectively by engaging with Christians in areas of common ground, rather than by trying to win arguments or debates.

  17. Christian nursing in a non-Christian country.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Zenobia C Y

    2010-01-01

    Reflecting on Christian nursing in a non-Christian country, a Chinese nurse shares about encouraging a mother of a sick child using the Bible. Christianity offers distinct contributions in nursing that non-Christian religions in China do not offer: an internalized and externalized God, opportunity for prayer, and Bible verses for any patient need. Insights are offered on how to use Scripture in nursing practice.

  18. Christian bioethics as non-ecumenical.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelhardt, H Tristram

    1995-09-01

    A community's morality depends on the moral premises, rules of evidence, and rules of inference it acknowledges, as well as on the social structure of those in authority to rule knowledge claims in or out of a community's set of commitments. For Christians, who is an authority and who is in authority are determined by Holy Tradition, through which in the Mysteries one experiences the Holy Spirit. Because of the requirement of repentance and conversion to the message of Christ preserved in the Tradition, the authority of the community must not only exclude heretical teaching but heretical communities from communion. Understanding Christian bioethics requires a focus on the content of that bioethics in terms of its social context within a right-believing, right-worshipping community. Christian bioethics should be non-ecumenical by recognizing that true moral knowledge has particular moral content, is communal, and is not fully available outside of the community of right worship. The difficulty with Roman Catholicism's understandings of bioethics lies not just in its continued inordinate accent on the role of reason apart from repentance (as well as in its defining novel doctrines), but in Roman Catholicism's not recognizing that the contemporary, post-Christian age is in good measure the consequence of its post-Vatican II failure to call for a return to the traditional pieties and asceticisms of the Fathers so that all might know rightly concerning the requirements of Christian bioethics.

  19. JULIAN THE ABJURER AND CHRISTIAN WORLD IN THE NOVEL "THE DEATH OF THE GODS" BY D. MEREZHKOVSKY

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    Neda Andritch

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The article elaborates on the concept of the protagonist in the novel The Death of the Gods, Julian the Abjurer by D. S. Merezhkovsky in the light of his attitude to Christian thought and Christians. The analysis accounts for the key religious and philosophic searches by Julian the Abjurer. Special attention is paid to the instances of "unwise wisdom" of Julian the Abjurer and reasons for his "patronizing violence" in relation to Christians.

  20. Student Activism within Christian College Cultures: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Brian E.

    2014-01-01

    This study contributes to the understanding of the structural and cultural influences of Christian college environments on student activism through the framework of symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969; Mead, 1934). The goal of this research was to examine how the students at Christian institutions understand and engage in activism within their…

  1. Christian activism and the fallists : What about reconciliation?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Headley, Selena; Kobe, Sandiswa L.

    2017-01-01

    This article aims to understand what role Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement, and the Soweto Uprising, played in Christian activism between the early 1970s and late 1980s. The question is: did the Black Consciousness Movement and the Soweto Uprising influence Christian activists to

  2. CHRISTIANITY AND COLONIALISM IN SOME ENGLISH SHORT STORIES

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    Tatang Iskarna

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Colonial and postcolonial studies are often linked to the power domination of the West upon the East in the way that the East economically, politically, and socially oppressed. Colonialism is often associated with three elements, the explorers dealing with geographical information, missionaries approaching the local people culturally, and the colonial administrators ruling the colony. Gold, glory, and gospel are the European’s concern. However, in representing the relation between Christianity and colonialism there is critical dialectic amongst historians, anthropologists, Christian missions, or cultural critics. Some propose that Christianity is considered to be the religious arm of colonialism. Others state that Christianity is spread without any secular interest as it is a great commandment of Jesus Christ. A few believe that Christianity give critical resistance against colonialism. The relation between Christianity and colonialism cannot be simplified as being neutral, in complicity, or in opposition. So, it is worth-discussing to understand how European writers construct the relation between Christianity and colonialism in their literary work. How Christianity is constructed and how Christianity is related to colonialism will be discussed in this paper. Using postcolonial paradigm, two English short stories will be analyzed in that way. They are Rudyard Kipling’s “Lispeth” and Doris Lessing’s “No Witchcraft for Sale”.

  3. The Judaic-Christian origin of nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandeis, Gary H; Oates, Daniel J

    2007-06-01

    Many nursing homes today have a religious heritage. While governmental regulations control how much of the care is delivered, the foundations and goals of many homes predate governmental rules and payment policies. This paper explores the basis of Jewish and Christian thought in providing groundwork for religiously based nursing homes. Although the underlying principles are similar, differences in approach and execution for the formation of these homes exist.

  4. Comparative Framework for Understanding Jewish and Christian Violent Fundamentalism

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    Arie Perliger

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Although most scholars agree that in the last couple of decades, religious fundamentalism has become the dominant ideological feature in the landscape of modern terrorism, many prefer to ignore the fact that this is not a development which is restricted to the Islamic world, and that other religious traditions have also experienced growth in groups which prefer to use violent strategies to promote their sacred visions. The current chapter strives to fill this gap by analyzing the emergence of violent religious groups in two distinct, non-Islamic, religious traditions. At first glance, the Christian Identity and the Religious-Zionist movements have very little in common. However, both movements served as a breeding ground for the emergence of violent fundamentalist groups aspiring to facilitate an apocalyptic/redemption scenario by engaging in illegal violent campaigns. Moreover, in both cases, the role of spiritual leaders was crucial in shaping the radicalization of the groups and their target selection, and the violence had a clear symbolic narrative. In other words, for the members of these violent groups, the violence served a clear role in the mobilization of potential supporters, and the branding and dissemination of the movement's ideology. Finally, while in general, terrorism is perceived as the weapon of the weak, in these two cases it was perpetrated by individuals/groups affiliated to communities belonging to the dominant religious framework in their respective polities (i.e., the Religious-Zionist and Christian Identity movements are perceived by their members as branches of Judaism and Christianity. Hence, by utilizing a comparative framework, the article will not just analyze the violent manifestations that emerged from these two movements, but also try to identify the unique factors that characterize and facilitate the emergence of religious groups within religious communities belonging to the dominant religious tradition in their

  5. Christian interpretation of the Ancient monuments in Rome Sixtus V (1585-1590

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Verdugo Santos

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The view of the counter reformation on the ancient monuments was very different from the thought of Renaissance men. The pagan world was conquered by Christianity, and therefore had the remains of one reason only be based on the exaltation of the glory of Christ and his Church. According to this belief Sixtus V acts on the columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius; statues on the Capitol or Coliseum, transforming them into monuments to the victory of Christianity. Other operations will be moving the Vatican obelisk located on the spina of the circus of Caligula. A challenge for the technology of the time, which was used in propagandize by the pope. The obelisk had an archaeological and symbolic value, for tradition stated that circus as the place where early Christians were martyred.

  6. Christian activism and the fallists: What about reconciliation?

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    Selena Headley

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to understand what role Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement, and the Soweto Uprising, played in Christian activism between the early 1970s and late 1980s. The question is: did the Black Consciousness Movement and the Soweto Uprising influence Christian activists to engage differently with notions such as reconciliation during the struggle against apartheid? The article revisits the actions and thinking of Christian activists before 1994 to understand some of their views on reconciliation, but most importantly, to understand their interactions, engagement with the Black Consciousness Movement and the Soweto Uprising. The article focuses on some of the church leaders and liberation theologians who were inspired and encouraged by Black Consciousness movements, including Allan Boesak and Desmond Tutu. To revisit their thinking and actions, in the heart of the struggle against apartheid, may help us understand current struggles on reconciliation, particularly in connection with the new generation of activists known as the Fallists. We may discover that the new generation is opening ‘old or new’ debates around reconciliation in South Africa.

  7. Looking for God in the University: Examining Trends in Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glanzer, Perry L.; Carpenter, Joel A.; Lantinga, Nick

    2011-01-01

    Amid the many recent treatments of the global growth of both Christianity and higher education, little to no attention has been given to distinctly Christian higher education. The survey reported in this essay uses an understanding of Christian education developed from analytical work by Robert Benne to examine the number and nature of colleges…

  8. Moral thought-action fusion and OCD symptoms: the moderating role of religious affiliation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siev, Jedidiah; Chambless, Dianne L; Huppert, Jonathan D

    2010-04-01

    The empirical literature on the relationship between moral thought-action fusion (TAF) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by mixed findings. Previous studies have reported religious group differences in moral TAF and the relationship between moral TAF and religiosity. In light of those studies and considering the apparent role of moral TAF in scrupulosity, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the possible role of religion as a moderator of the relationship between moral TAF and OCD symptoms. The results revealed that (a) Christians endorsed higher levels of moral TAF than did Jews independent of OCD symptoms; (b) religiosity was correlated with moral TAF in Christians but not in Jews, suggesting that Christian religious adherence is related to beliefs about the moral import of thoughts; and (c) moral TAF was related to OCD symptoms only in Jews. That is, for Christians, moral TAF was related to religiosity but not OCD symptoms, and for Jews, moral TAF was related to OCD symptoms but not religiosity. These results imply that moral TAF is only a marker of pathology when such beliefs are not culturally normative (e.g., as a function of religious teaching or doctrine). (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. How Christian ethics became medical ethics: the case of Paul Ramsey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauerwas, Stanley

    1995-03-01

    Over the last century Christian ethics has moved from an attempt to Christianize the social order to a quandary over whether being Christian unduly biases how medical ethics is done. This movement can be viewed as the internal development of protestant liberalism to its logical conclusion, and Paul Ramsey can be taken as one of the last great representatives of that tradition. By reducing the Christian message to the 'ethical upshot' of neighbour love, Ramsey did not have the resources to show how Christian practice might make a difference for understanding or forming the practice of medicine. Instead, medicine became the practice that exemplified the moral commitments of Christian civilization, and the goal of the ethicist was to identify the values that were constitutive of medicine. Ramsey thus prepared the way for the Christian ethicist to become a medical ethicist with a difference, and the difference simply involved vague theological presumptions that do no serious intellectual work other than explaining, perhaps, the motivations of the ethicist.

  10. Schema Theory and the Psychology-Christianity Dialogue: New Theoretical Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buri, John R.

    Two misconceptions about the apparent burgeoning interest in the relationship between psychology and Christianity are discussed: that the interest in this dialogue is equally operative on both sides and that those involved in this dialogue share a common set of understandings. The history of the relationship between psychology and Christianity is…

  11. The relation between religion and state in Islam and Christianity in the rise of ISIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy A. van Aarde

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The recent development of the Islamic State (ISIS 2010–2014 and IS 2014 is a radicalisation of the relation between religion and state in Islam. The relation of religion and state to Christianity has been shaped by the philosophy of dualism and Greek thought in the West. The relation of religion and state in Islam, however, has been shaped by a completely different tradition and conflicting view than Western thought and is based on the codified system of Shari’a law in Arabic thought. One of the most debated topics in Islamic studies is the inseparable nature of religion and state in Islam and the role of Shari’a law to the state. In the West the historical debate concerns the indiscriminate blending of church and state and the separation of church and state as indispensable to democracy and the modern question of the relation of Christian morality and public law. Islamic fundamentalism is a political and religious reform movement that indiscriminately blends the political and religious.

  12. Thought-action fusion as a mediator of religiosity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Alishia D; Lau, Gloria; Grisham, Jessica R

    2013-06-01

    Thought-action fusion (TAF), or maladaptive cognitions regarding the relationship between mental events and behaviours, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As some religions promote TAF-like appraisals, it has been proposed that religiosity may play a role in the transformation of normally occurring intrusive thoughts into clinically distressing obsessions. No research, however, has experimentally investigated the mediating role of TAF on the relationship between religiosity and OC symptoms. 85 Christian, Jewish, and Atheist/Agnostic participants were exposed to an experimental thought-induction protocol and reported on their associated levels of distress, guilt, feelings of responsibility, and urge to suppress target intrusions experienced during a 5-min monitoring period. Participants also completed measures of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, TAF beliefs, and general psychopathology. Using PROCESS and bootstrapping analyses, a test of the conditional indirect effects of religiosity on obsessive-compulsive symptoms revealed that Christianity moderated the effects of religiosity on moral TAF beliefs, which in turn mediated the relationship between religiosity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Furthermore, in the Christian group, moral TAF beliefs mediated the relationship between religiosity and ratings of guilt and responsibility following the experimental protocol. The use of university students with moderate levels of religiosity. Collectively the results suggest that obsessional thinking is not attributable to religion per se, but that teachings underlying certain religious doctrines may fuel TAF beliefs that are implicated in the maintenance of OCD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Understanding of thought bubbles as mental representations in children with autism: implications for theory of mind.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerr, Sharyn; Durkin, Kevin

    2004-12-01

    Standard false belief tasks indicate that normally developing children do not fully develop a theory of mind until the age of 4 years and that children with autism have an impaired theory of mind. Recent evidence, however, suggests that children as young as 3 years of age understand that thought bubbles depict mental representations and that these can be false. Twelve normally developing children and 11 children with autism were tested on a standard false belief task and a number of tasks that employed thought bubbles to represent mental states. While the majority of normally developing children and children with autism failed the standard false belief task, they understood that (i) thought bubbles represent thought, (ii) thought bubbles can be used to infer an unknown reality, (iii) thoughts can be different, and (iv) thoughts can be false. These results indicate that autistic children with a relatively low verbal mental age may be capable of understanding mental representations.

  14. Emerging Churches in Post-Christian Canada

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    Steven Studebaker

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The traditional mainline and evangelical churches in Canada, as in most western countries, are either in decline or static. Taken as a measure of the future, the prospects for Christianity in Canada, and more broadly the West, are bleak. Post-Christian Canada, however, contains thriving alternative and innovative forms of church, often called ‘emerging’ churches. They take many forms of expression, but share common theological convictions. Based on site research and personal interviews, this article describes the various types and contexts of these churches in Canada. It then highlights three of their central theological characteristics. First, rejecting the ‘culture wars’ social involvement of Christendom churches, they embrace practices and initiatives that transform their local communities. Second, they embrace an incarnational and contextual understanding of Christian life and ministry. Eschewing mega-church franchise models, they endeavor to shape their ministry to the their local communities. Third, they adopt a comprehensive rather than compartmental spirituality.

  15. Koers and the ideal of Christian scholarship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniël F.M. Strauss

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Commemorating the 75-year existence of the journal Koers is connected to the Reformational tradition, from Calvin to Kuyper, Stoker, Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven – all thinkers who realised that the biblical starting point of life indeed touches the heart, the religious root, of humankind and therefore cannot remain restricted to church life and religion in its narrow sense, but must come to expression in all walks of life. This awareness was a fruit of the Christian worldview and lifeview which currently is confronted by the Big Bang claims and by neo-Darwinism – both movements taking on cultic dimensions with an intolerance towards everyone who does not accept their perspective. Their attitude generated serious reactions on two websites, the impact of which was discussed in this article. Some problems entailed in Darwinism and physicalistic materialism were highlighted, before attention was given to the status of natural laws and normative principles. Particular attention was given to the elimination of God’s law and the way in which modern Humanism explored the two cornerstones of modern nominalism, up to the point where human understanding was elevated to become the a priori formal law-giver of nature. This legacy was continued both by the later developments within the Baden school of neo-Kantian thought and Postmodernism,which is placed within the context of the three succeeding epistemic ideals of the past three centuries. Rationality can only fulfil its true calling when it accounts for the cohering diversity within reality without becoming a victim of any form of reductionism – and by following this guiding star, Koers will continue to strengthen its invaluable contribution to the advancement of Christian scholarship.

  16. Living out our values: the legacy of Christian academic nursing leadership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coeling, Harriet V; Chiang-Hanisko, Lenny; Thompson, Mary

    2011-01-01

    Retired academic nursing leaders possess a rich legacy of knowledge. Using a grounded theory approach, knowledge possessed by 14 retired Christian Chairperson/Deans was explored. Two themes representing commitment to living out Christian values; and fortitude, understanding, and spiritual guidance emerged from written responses to open-ended survey questions.

  17. Modernity and its Discontents: Western Catholic Pioneers of the Hindu-Christian Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enrico Beltramini

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a reassessment of the Hindu-Christian dialogue in its relationship with modernity. The focus is on a group of Western Catholic clergymen who relocated to India, specifically during 1940-70, and became involved in the Hindu-Christian dialogue. The article traces the reasons for these Catholics’ relocations to their dissatisfaction with modernity and the predominance of rationality in the West, as well as their aversion to modern scientific thought. It emphasises the dual character of the interfaith dialogue, and the struggles of this group of clergymen to overcome modernity, whereby a modern Weltanschauung was the obstacle along the path to reshaping Catholic theology and establishing a fruitful interfaith dialogue with Hinduism. Although they did not pursue a common agenda and had different goals, these pioneers of interfaith dialogue came to consider such a dialogue with Hinduism as regenerative, as a means of revitalising Western thought, of balancing the modern excesses of a Western civilisation increasingly dominated by technology, and of transcending the rationalised culture of the modern West to achieve higher consciousness.

  18. CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN EDUCATION

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. A. C. Lal Kumar

    2017-01-01

    The practice of Christian higher education has respected these different forms. Three types of Christian higher education exist on the continent: church-controlled higher learning of theological institutions: church- funded colleges and universities of higher learning: and finally Christian-perspective liberal Arts colleges. The importance of the Christian based education of previous generations needs to be underlined and brought to the attention of the church because the utmost importance of...

  19. The Implementation of Problem-Based Learning to Increase Students’ Conceptual Understanding According to a Christian Perspective

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    Hans David Lasut

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In the world of education, it is important that the teacher considers knowledge that students gain in school that can be applied in various situations in a student’s life either during the course of their formal education or when facing real-life problems. The inability to apply knowledge is termed as a lack of conceptual understanding. The researcher hypothesized that Problem Based Learning (PBL will overcome this problem. The aim of this research is to determine whether the implementation of PBL can increase student’s conceptual understanding and to discover effective ways to implement PBL in order to increase the student’s conceptual understanding. This research is Classroom Action Research and is two-cycle research where the researcher used  written tests, questionnaires,  interviews of teachers and students, teacher’s observation forms, and journal reflections as instruments to measure the student’s conceptual understanding and the implementation of PBL based on a Christian perspective. Based on the analysis and discussion, it can be concluded that the implementation of problem-based learning can increase the student’s conceptual understanding according to a Christian perspective. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRAK: Dalam dunia pendidikan, sangatlah penting bagi seorang guru untuk memperhatikan bahwa pengetahuan yang sudah siswa pelajari di sekolah dapat diaplikasikan dalam berbagai situasi baik saat siswa di sekolah maupun ketika mereka diperhadapkan dengan masalah dalam kehidupan. Ketidakmampuan siswa untuk mengaplikasikan pengetahuan yang sudah didapatkan dapat disebut sebagai kurangnya penguasaan konsep. Peneliti memutuskan untuk menggunakan Metoda Pembelajaran Berbasis Masalah (MPBM untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan apakah penerapan MPBM dapat meningkatkan penguasaan konsep siswa dan langkah-langkah efektif untuk menerapkan MPBM dengan maksud untuk meningkatkan penguasaan konsep siswa

  20. Christian music in contemporary Africa: a re-examination of its essentials

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    F. Adedeji

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Christian music all over Africa (be it liturgical church music or gospel, in contemporary times has become so popular and well grown howbeit in divergent dimensions. As a result, there have been questions, debates and confusions both by insiders and outsiders of the Christian faith on what exactly constitutes Christian music. There then arises the need to theorise the fundamentals of Christian music, exhuming the Biblical, musical and socio-cultural basis for its performance practices. This article examines various principles that should guide contemporary Christian musicianship, especially as contained in the Scriptures; arguing that the practice of Christian music cannot be divorced from Bible even when the principles of musical sound organisation and the socio-cultural needs of the society have to be observed. The tension created by the superimposition of the three is also resolved. This article is therefore theoretical and prescriptive in focus and depth as it offers to the African audience the paradigms for understanding the art, gives guidance to the practitioners, and supplies scholarly information to the scholars and observers of Christian studies in general. The article concludes by recommending the indispensability of Biblical standards and skilful originality/artistry in contemporary Christian musicianship.

  1. The centuries-old dialogue between buddhism and christianity ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article examines the pre-history of today's dialogue between Buddhists and Christians. Contrary to what one might think, pre-modern Europeans did have some understanding of Buddhism, however limited and distorted it might have been. Asians during the same period had a far better chance of understanding ...

  2. Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and Christianity's positive relationship to the world.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delkeskamp-Hayes, Corinna

    2003-01-01

    This essay addresses the problem of communication between Christianity and the secular world in an area where the latter tends to oppose the moral norms endorsed by the former. How, in the interest of missionary outreach (and with which understandings of what such outreach involves) can the language barriers be bridged? Whereas the Roman Catholic natural law tradition posits a neutral common ground of (traditional or hermeneutical) rationality between Christianity and the world, an Ebeling- and Barth-modified Lutheranism engages in an argument ad hominem by seizing upon an admitted deficiency within that world, and by recommending Christianity for mending that deficiency. Both positions differ from the Evangelical claim that since that which the world politically values is derived from Christianity, it must remain subject to Christianity's moral legislation. An entirely different approach to the communication- and outreach-problem is taken by Orthodox Christianity: The gulf which separates it from the world is acknowledged, and the possibility of trans-gulf-traffic is referred to God's grace. It is only this latter model, however, which preserves Christianity's theological terms (such as "Scripture", "law", and "holiness") from common-ground-securing, deficiency-mending, or authority-imposing secularizing, and thus from compromising that very theological context into which communicative outreach endeavors were to invite.

  3. What is religion? An African understanding | Beyers | HTS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Western thought has influenced the way that religion is understood. Western philosophy supported the separation between the sacred and the profane. Modernism, focusing on human rationality, reduced religion to a set of correctly formulated dogmas and doctrines. Western thought, dominated by Christianity, created a ...

  4. Fighting for Dear Life: Christians and Aggressive End-of-Life Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinall, Myrick C

    2014-01-01

    Patients or their family members sometimes give religious reasons for requesting life-sustaining technologies that have little hope of restoring health. This poses an ethical challenge for clinicians and a potential strain on limited health-care resources. Among Christians, one explanation for a preference for aggressive, life-prolonging care is the influence of the idea of martyrdom, which became the normative form of dying in early Christianity. The ancient discourse of martyrdom and the modern discourse of aggressive medical care both share a martial orientation and commend an ethos of combat. This paper examines ancient Christian martyrdom discourse to illuminate its affinity with the discourse of aggressive medical care. The ethos of martyrdom has shaped Christian attitudes toward death such that preference for aggressive medical care at the end of life is understandable.

  5. 320 Christian Ethics in a Corrupt Society: A Challenge to Christians ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    worrisome that despite Christian ethics, corruption is perpetrated freely in Nigeria ... factors that militate against Christian ethics in Nigeria which has made it ..... media limited. Anyacho, E.O. .... Lagos: Foclem Communications. Uka, E. M. ...

  6. Christian Resistance to Gay-Proselytism in a Secular Nigeria: Anathema or Social Heroism?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Endong Floribert

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The criminalization of homosexuality in Nigeria has partially been inspired and acclaimed by a number of religious schools of thought, including Christian opinion leaders. Such an influence of religion on politics has been seriously questioned. Using observations and literary sources, this paper underlines the unconstitutionality of Christian antigay proselytism at the political sphere of the Nigerian State, anchoring its claim on the constitutional provision stipulating the secular character of Nigeria. It however interprets such a move (the “influential” Christian anti-gay proselytism as an inevitable expression of the religious character of Nigeria’s social and cultural spheres. Furthermore, the paper argues that the Nigerian Federation is “fully secular” only on paper and not in practice. Secularity is partially observed at the political sphere of the State. Religion and populism continue to shape major socio-political schemes (as seen in the criminalization of homosexuality in Nigeria. With such a socio-political influence of religion, legislative projects such as the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition Act and political strategies such as the Nigerian Government’s resistance against western gay-proselytism can only be massively celebrated. In line with this, (Christian anti-gay proselytism at the Nigeria’s political sphere is logically viewed less as an anathema, and more as socio-political heroism.

  7. A study of the development of scientific literacy in students of conservative Christian schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns, Christopher D.

    A collision of concepts often occurs within the science classrooms of Christian schools. Students are faced with the task of accommodating biblical teachings with science theories that are not only incompatible but often directly conflicting. Teachers in the Christian school must choose to what extent and how this conflicting information will be addressed. Students must manage the tension caused by this conflict and then determine their own belief systems. High-stakes achievement testing also plays a role in the curriculum and instruction of science in the Christian school as well as public schools. Science literacy, a lifelong pursuit of understanding of the physical world, can be a victim of instructional strategies aimed at promoting student success on a specific test covering a specific set of facts instead of a comprehensive plan developed for individual-specific growth. This study was designed to gain an understanding of science literacy development of the middle school student in the Christian school. This was accomplished by comparing the individual component scores of the science Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus achievement test for a 3-year period of 5 Christian schools in Indiana to the overall state averages. Armed with this information, the study, in its second phase, included interviews of the 7th-grade science teachers of the included schools. The goal of the interviews was to provide meaning and substance to the score comparisons. The purpose of the study was to understand how the students in Christian schools compared to the overall population of students in areas of science that may conflict with their Biblical beliefs. Additionally, this study was developed to understand how the science teachers in Christian schools managed the conflict that develops between the Bible and theories of science. Findings from this study showed that students in Christian schools continue to score higher than the overall population of students

  8. Tested in fire : Hans Urs von Balthasar on the moment of Christian witness

    OpenAIRE

    Berry, John Anthony

    2012-01-01

    This paper attempts to present Balthasar’s understanding of leading a Christian life in terms of the loving Triune God manifested in Jesus Christ. First, it starts by highlighting God’s act of love for humanity. Here Balthasar’s theology appears at once as one of wonder and gift. Secondly, in front of all this ineffable mystery, the Christian never ceases to wonder and contemplate Christ. Thirdly, there is a decisive moment wherein the Christian “should be one who offers up his...

  9. What is bioethics without Christianity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capaldi, Nicholas

    1999-12-01

    The author uses the essays in this issue as a springboard for making three points. First, he argues that most, if not all, current institutional versions of Christianity have failed to provide a meaningful framework for the spiritual life. Second, he argues that there is no ethics other than Judeo-Christian ethics and that there can be no bioethics other than Judeo-Christian bioethics. Finally, he argues that the overriding issue we face is not whether to address bioethical issues from a Christian perspective or from a non-Christian perspective, but rather whether we shall address biological and medical issues from an ethical or a scientific-technological perspective.

  10. Christian biblical ethics: the application of biblical norms to today

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    Patrick J. Hartin

    1991-03-01

    Full Text Available Christian theologians give many different interpretations to the Scriptures, particularly with regard to their ethical perspectives and their application to the present. An examination and criticism of various approaches adopted at present to the ethical dimension of the Scriptures is undertaken. A distinction is made between the revealed and lasting message of the Scriptitres and the message that is conditioned by culture and hence subject to change. Using the thought of Ricoeur and Hauerwas an approach is presented which attempts to do justice to the twofold polarity of the worid of the Bible and the world of today. In order to preserve a scenario of concreteness, attention is given to one practical example, namely the issue of homosexuality. After investigating the Scriptural approach to this question, an attempt is made to see how this issue can be viewed from a Christian perspective in the context of the present world.

  11. China’s “Christianity Fever” Revisited: Towards a Community-Oriented Reading of Christian Conversions in China

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    Katrin Fiedler

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Chinese Protestant Christianity has been continually growing over the past three decades, with an estimated one million converts per year. A number of studies have sought to explain this phenomenon. This paper critically reviews existing studies of China’s “Christianity Fever” and then outlines the role of the community as one crucial factor in the conversion process. With its emphasis on communality, as a central element of both Christian theology and the fellowship activities that are part of Christian practice, Protestant Christianity fills a gap opened up by the change in traditional familial and social structures. By discussing specific aspects relating to the communal nature of Christianity, such as familism, elitism, and dynamics at work in face-to-face evangelism, this paper offers an alternative reading of existing studies.

  12. Christianity and sport

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    Gojković Goran

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we will demonstrate, relying on theology, that Christianity, i.e. ascetic experience of the Church and sport are two sides of the same coin which is reflected in community or, rather, communion (When Christianity is concerned, or team work towards the goal when it comes to sport.

  13. Christian Ethics in a Corrupt Society: A Challenge to Christians in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Christian ethics revolves around morality that concentrates on whether an action is morally good or bad. It implies that Christian ethics which is a branch of religious ethics ensures that people's actions are in tandem with the acceptable moral standard, thereby contributing a lot in human moral development. It becomes ...

  14. The Intersection of Gay and Christian Identities on Christian College Campuses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wentz, Joel M.; Wessel, Roger D.

    2011-01-01

    Because some Christian colleges prohibit same-sex sexual behaviors, the development of authentic sexual identities on these campuses may be difficult for gay and lesbian students. This article introduces the idea of an identity conflict that may occur between sexual and spiritual identities for gay and lesbian students at Christian colleges and…

  15. Contemporary Christian Tale for Children: Questions of Poetics and Problems

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    Inna V. Shchepacheva

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the problems and poetics of Christian fairy tale for children in contemporary Russian literature. The relevance of this issue is motivated by a number of polemic, problematic statements about the form and the content of Christian literature in general, and children's literature in particular. The research reveals features of Christian children’s literature, gives characteristics of its genres and defines the place of the fairy tale as a genre that most satisfies young readers’ needs. The central theme of Christian fairy tales is the theme of realization of existence of God, distinction of good and evil, understanding of sin and punishment. This problem-thematic complex is embodied mainly at the level of composition and character system of fairy tales. During analysis two types of Christian fairy tales are distinguished, generally based on the folklore canon of the fairy tales about animals. In the first type main characters are animals and they help people magically. The predominant didacticism of fairy tales of the first type is realized in schematization of animal images and absence of plot development. The peculiarity of the second type is based on traditional cyclical adventure story and absence of open characters’ convention which is a common feature to parable-allegorical fairy tales.

  16. Scholasticism Protestant and Catholic: Medieval Sources and Methods in Seventeenth Century Reformed Thought

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Asselt, W.J. van

    2004-01-01

    It is a curious phenomenon that the post-Reformation period of Reformed theology is one of the least known in the history of Christian thought and, at the same time a period in the interpretation of which there are many hidden agendas. The former is primarily due to the fact that Post-Reformation

  17. Types Of Christian Tourism

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    Cornelia Petroman

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Christian tourism is asub-type of tourism where pilgrims travel alone or in group as missionaries orpilgrims or to spend their free time to recollect; it attracts a large numberof travellers. Christian tourism can be practiced by religious young people,missionaries, participants to religious convents, amateurs of religiouscruises, religious camps, visitors of religious attractions, religiousadventurers. Christian tourism can be considered a sub-type of religioustourism because of the large number of people involved in this type of tourismworldwide. Christian tourism as a sub-category of religious tourism coversthree main sub-types: traditional pilgrimage practiced by most world religions,missionary travel to different areas in the world, and confessional voyage. Thestructure of hospitality industry is common to all types of tourism but, fortraditional pilgrimage, there must be special places for the pilgrims to sleep,eat and pray, because they belong, in most cases, to the medium-income touristcategory.

  18. Reincarnation belief and the Christian churches

    OpenAIRE

    Waterhouse, Helen; Walter, Tony

    2003-01-01

    Reincarnation has never been part of mainstream Christian theology. This is true in spite of periodic speculations by Christian theologians, and in spite of the fact that reincarnation believers sometimes wrongly impute belief in reincarnation to prominent Christian thinkers. Even so, in 1984 Paul Badham was able to point to statistics which indicated that as many Anglicans believed in reincarnation as believed in heaven and hell. This paper is based on the responses of the many Christians wh...

  19. Christianity Facing the Ageing of Global Population

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    Anna Sanecka

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The ageing population is a great challenge for the whole world including churches, Christian communities, Christian families and the so-called “Christian countries”. The respect and support for elderly people is almost a common rule of social life in developed countries regardless of religious views. But in the Christian world this obligation has very strong religious justification – obligation enshrined in the Commandments of Old (the fourth/fifth Commandment and New (the second one of The Greatest Commandments of Love Testaments. Therefore between the Christianity – understood as a set of different communities sharing their beliefs in Jesus Christ – and aging population there are many very different connections including among others: honour and respect, privilege, obligations, giving – receiving relations, duty, charity, solidarity, dependency. They are present both in the teaching and the practice of different Christian communities starting with Churches, through NGOs and Christian societies, ending with Christian families. The paper shows some of these connections. It also tries – based on a case of Poland – to answer the question whether the Christianity is ready to face the aging of global population

  20. Kierkegaard, Justification and the Integrity of Christian Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Andrew W.

    2015-01-01

    The doctrine of justification is frequently interpreted in a manner that excludes our active involvement in the drama of salvation. This reading has a detrimental effect on Christian education concerned to enable the learner's attentive, reasonable and responsible understanding of the Gospel. Taking its lead from Kierkegaard's account of…

  1. Christianity in Africa: a historical appraisal

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    Samson A Fatokun

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the author challenges the popular public conception that Christianity in Africa is a latecomer introduced only with the advent of colonialism. By tracing the origins of the Christian faith in both North and sub-Saharan Africa (including, North-Central and West Africa, this paper seeks to show that Christianity has been in Africa virtually since its inception and that the continent� s own adherents to this faith played an important role in the formation and advance of Christianity elsewhere. Moreover, Christianity in Africa can be found almost everywhere on the continent and indigenous varieties of the tradition developed which allowed it to become as part of Africa as African traditional religions.

  2. Christian beliefs and teaching in Fr. Zoricic’s writings — linguistic and theological approach

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    Jadranka Garmaz

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available National cultural and religious heritage presents valuable repository of knowledge and wisdom. The article focuses on the understanding, classification and interpretation of Christian beliefs and the Gospel messages presented in the book of Fr. Zoricic (published in Venice 1780, whose theological thoughts were inspired and reinforced by various Italian and Latin writers of the time. The aim of this research is twofold: to preserve this rare spiritual book and to use it as a code of ethics. How was the dichotomy of good and evil presented in the Book? How did Zoricic describe Our Lady, God and the Body of Christ? To whom did he refer the most? To whom did he devote his writing? To be able to attempt answering these questions the Book was digitized, transcribed and transliterated.. On the basis of core terminology, extracted by natural language processing tool, a detailed linguistic analysis is provided.

  3. Christianity, the Free Market, and Libertarianism

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    Light Christian

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent centuries Christians of various denominations have endorsed many different political philosophies that they see as being truly biblical in their approach. Over this time there has been an increasing hostility, by some Christians, towards free markets and political philosophies that hold human liberty as the highest goal such as libertarianism and classical liberalism. This criticism is unwarranted and misplaced as libertarianism and free markets are not only compatible with Christianity, they are also the most biblically sound of all economics systems and political philosophies endorsed by Christians today. Therefore, this paper will argue that Christians of all denominations should endorse free markets and libertarianism if they wish to create a world that follows biblical principles and the teachings of Jesus.

  4. Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Convention of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies. Theme: Christian Self-Esteem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christian Association for Psychological Studies, Grand Rapids, MI.

    This volume represents the collection of all papers presented at the convention (April, 1971) of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, whose theme was "Christian Self-Esteem." Some of the titles include "A Demonstration of an Affective Counseling Technique,""Self-Image and Self-Esteem--A Christian Psychiatric Appraisal,""Concepts of…

  5. The Christian voice in philosophy

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    Stuart Fowler

    1982-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the Rev. Stuart Fowler outlines a Christian voice in Philosophy and urges the Christian philosopher to investigate his position and his stance with integrity and honesty.

  6. [Christian dimension of suffering].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubik, K

    1999-01-01

    Human existence is marked by imperfection, whose expression--among other things--is suffering. The problem of answering the question about the meaning of suffering for human life in its entirety is of great significance in philosophy and theology. In the Old Testament it meant God's punishment for the evil done by man. In Christianity this bleak notion of suffering has found a new dimension--suffering is creative, redemptive in character; it enables a man to surpass his limits. The understanding of suffering and its sense has a profound meaning in building a suitable attitude of a sick person towards his own weakness.

  7. 154 THE NEUROTIC CHRISTIAN: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    personality as assessed by Cattell's 16PF questionnaire. They found that the ... infantile, self-serving and superstitious religious belief; religious insecurity leading to compulsive rituals of ..... harm than good in this area. The trained Christian ...

  8. Christian attitude in business

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    J M Vorster

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available The beginning of the twenty-first century faces new challenges in the field of business ethics.� Totally new macro-ethical challenges have arisen and they have already inspired constant ethical reflection. Two major developments in the field of economics paved the way for this new interest in business ethics: the total dominance of the market driven economy and economic globalization. This article investigates the ethical challenges posed by this new environment from a Christian ethical perspective. Firstly norms are formulated flowing from the paradigm of Christian attitude as a manifestation of the attitude of Christ. These are love, stewardship, self-denial and obedience to God. These norms are then applied to the following modern-day issues in the field of business ethics: the challenge of globalization, respect for basic human rights, remuneration, the corporation as a moral model, the need for self-evaluation, political responsibility and environmental concern. In conclusion I attempt to define the role of Christians and Christian churches in transforming corporations into moral agents.

  9. Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God or for America? Christian Nationalism, the Christian Right, and the Contra War

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren Frances Turek

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This essay uses the concept of Christian nationalism to explore the religious dynamics of the Contra war and U.S.–Nicaraguan relations during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Religious organizations and individuals played crucial roles on both sides in the war in Nicaragua and in the debates in the United States over support for the Contras. Evangelistic work strengthened transnational ties between Christians, but also raised the stakes of the war; supporters of the Sandinistas and Contras alike alleged a victory by their adversary imperiled the future of Christianity in Nicaragua. Christian nationalism thus manifested itself and intertwined in both the United States and Nicaragua. Examining how evangelicals and Catholics in the United States and Nicaragua, as well as the Reagan administration, the Contras, and the Sandinistas, used Christian nationalism to build support for their policy objectives sheds light on both the malleability and the power of identifying faith with the state. Having assessed Christian nationalism as a tool and a locus of conflict in the Contra war, the essay then steps back and considers the larger methodological implications of using Christian nationalism as a category of analysis in U.S. foreign relations history.

  10. Some contemporary aspects of Hindu-Christian dialogue

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    Alexandru-Corneliu Arion

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present paper deals with an important aspect of today’s interreligious dialogue, that between Christianity and the second largest religion of Asia, namely Hinduism. The concern is centering around not the ancient or traditional links between these two expressions of the Sacred, but rather of the contemporary ones. But that requires certain knowledge of what has already happened. The dialogue comes from the heart of the people, and is situated in the middle of life. Unfortunately, many present-day dialogues set the stage according to the terms of one of the parties alone. But in spite of misunderstandings and difficulties of the Hindu-Christian dialogue, it has an unavoidable effect: it changes our vision and interpretation of our own religion. The main tenets would be: the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue will largely depend on future mutual interest; Hindu-Christian dialogue may be linked to the future development of Hinduism and Christianity; the future of Hindu-Christian dialogue may be endangered by an institutional misunderstanding of its nature; Hindu-Christian dialogue may have to be placed into a larger “secular” context; Hindu-Christian dialogue is inevitable. It is an imperative and it must exhibit more continuity.

  11. The regulation of Christian churches: Ecclesiology, law and polity

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    Mark Hill QC

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the internal regulation of religious organisations in terms of their law, order or polity. It offers a systematic comparative analysis of how different Christian traditions structure and regulate themselves. The resultant legal frameworks are expressive of the institutional self-understanding of particular churches and, as such, are a form of applied ecclesiology. The paper draws upon two ongoing research studies: the Colloquium of Anglican and Roman Catholic Canon Lawyers and the Christian Law Panel of Experts, the latter having submitted a detailed submission to the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission giving a legal critique of its recent document ‘Towards a Common Vision’. Through a detailed methodical and comparative analysis of the various structural and regulatory formulae adopted by the different branches of the Christian family, profound similarities are discernible that are redolent with deeper theological significance. This research represents an emergent platform capable of being utilised within the ecumenical endeavour to give traction in the movement towards greater visible unity in the 21st century.

  12. Old Scandinavian and Christian eschatology

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    Anders Hultgård

    1990-01-01

    Full Text Available The eschatological beliefs current in Scandinavia during the Viking and early Medieval periods can be grouped into two main traditions, denoted by the concepts of Ragnarok and Doomsday. The former has its roots in the pre-Christian religion of Scandinavia, the latter was brought to the north in the process of christianization. Although different in origin the two traditions did not, in the age with which we are concerned, necessarily reflect a strict division between adherents of the old faith and Christians. Syncretic versions of the Ragnarok concept were in circulation, one of which was presented by Snorri in his Edda. The common people, although officially christianized, apparently continued to transmit beliefs connected with the Ragnarok tradition. Scholarly research has tended to treat the two traditions separately. In fact they coexisted for centuries, leaving room for confrontation and mutual influences.

  13. Human dignity and biomedical ethics from a Christian theological perspective

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    Ulrich H.J. Körtner

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The argument of human dignity plays an important role in current debates on human rights and their relevance in modern biomedicine. When discussing the contribution of Christian theology to current debates on human dignity and human rights the thesis is not that the modern idea of human dignity depends on a theological grounding. Also, it is not the task of theology to legitimate rights as Christian a posteriori. We do not need to deduce modern human rights from theological doctrines. The theological challenge is to find an access for Christians from their belief to the modern idea of human rights and human dignity and to discuss the contribution which theology and the churches can make to further development of human rights. The Christian image of man, which serves as the foundation for the church position on bioethical topics in the German-speaking context, is a mix of biblical motives, a Kantian interpretation of the concept of human dignity and an interpretation of the German constitutional law inspired by the Catholic tradition of natural law. The following presented theological understanding of human dignity, in contrast, was inspired by the insights of the Pauline doctrine of justification and its Protestant reinterpretation.

  14. Community and Christianity in the Black Church.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Joseph R.; Robinson, Dianne T.

    1996-01-01

    Explores the experience of Christianity for many African Americans and how such experience provides a foundation for social activism. Discusses Black church burnings with respect to the more traditional Christian African American view of religion. Explores implications for incorporating the religious traditions of Christian African Americans into…

  15. Christianity, health, and genetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, David H

    2009-02-15

    Health is an intrinsic value that Christians should respect, but it is not the highest value. Christians should be willing to jeopardize their own health for the health of others, and should repudiate any idea that genetic problems are the result of sin. Rather, sin leads us to make genetic problems harder to live with than they should be. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  16. Christianity and globalisation: An alternative ethical response ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article critically evaluated the role of Christian Ethics in response to globalisation. It showed that ethical critiques of globalisation inevitably fall short when Christianity's historical contributions to processes of globalisation are neglected or de-emphasised. A Christian Ethics that attempts completely to wash its hands of ...

  17. Is Christian Education Compatible With Science Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Michael

    Science education and Christian education are not compatible if by Christian education one means teaching someone to be a Christian. One goal of science education is to give students factual knowledge. Even when there is no actual conflict of this knowledge with the dogmas of Christianity, there exists the potential for conflict. Another goal of science education is to teach students to have the propensity to be sensitive to evidence: to hold beliefs tentatively in light of evidence and to reject these beliefs in the light of new evidence if rejection is warranted by this evidence. This propensity conflicts with one way in which beliefs are often taught in Christian education: namely as fundamental dogmas, rather than as subject to revision in the light of the evidence.

  18. Science and Orthodox Christianity:

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolaidis, Efthymios; Delli, Eudoxie; Livanos, Nikolaos; Tampakis, Kostas; Vlahakis, George

    2016-09-01

    This essay offers an overview of the history of the relations between science and Eastern Christianity based on Greek-language sources. The civilizations concerned are the Byzantine Empire, the Christian Orthodox communities of the Ottoman Empire, and modern Greece, as a case study of a national state. Beginning with the Greek Church Fathers, the essay investigates the ideas of theologians and scholars on nature. Neoplatonism, the theological debates of Iconoclasm and Hesychasm, the proposed union of the Eastern and Western Churches, and the complex relations with the Hellenic past all had notable impacts on the conception of science held by the Byzantine Orthodox. From the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries, the Christian Orthodox world did not actively participate in the making of the new science that was developing in modern Europe. It had to deal with the assimilation of scientific ideas produced by Western Christianity, and its main concern was the “legitimacy” of knowledge that did not originate directly from its own spiritual tradition. Finally, with regard to the Greek state, beyond the specific points of contact between the sciences and Orthodox Christianity—pertaining, for example, to materialism, evolution, and the calendar—the essay presents the constant background engagement with religion visible in most public pronouncements of scientists and intellectuals.

  19. The Theological Misappropriation of Christianity as a Civilizing Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    MisirHiralall, Sabrina D.

    2017-01-01

    The theological misappropriation of Christianity as a civilizing force occurs when individuals convert to Christianity due to deception that ignores the faith-based aspect of Christianity. The history of Western education in India illustrates the hidden curriculum that Christian missionaries employed to disrupt the Indian educational system. This…

  20. The relationship between religion and thought-action fusion: use of an in vivo paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Noah C; Abramowitz, Jonathan S; Pardue, Caleb M; Wheaton, Michael G

    2010-07-01

    Research has demonstrated that higher levels of religiosity are positively correlated with thought-action fusion (TAF), a set of cognitive biases found to be associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. However, previous studies have exclusively relied on a nomothetic approach to measuring TAF using a single self-report instrument, the thought-action fusion scale. The current study examined the relationship between religiosity and TAF using an in vivo behaviorally-based assessment in which participants thought about and wrote down thoughts of negative events involving loved ones. Forty-three highly religious Protestant Christians were compared to 30 Atheists/Agnostics on their in vivo ratings of anxiety, estimates of likelihood, and moral wrongness related to the negative thoughts. Results indicated that compared to the non-religious participants, those who were highly religious believed that writing and thinking about the negative events was more morally wrong and increased the likelihood of the event. Results are discussed in terms of the potential relationship between certain religious teachings and TAF-related beliefs about the importance, significance, and influence of thoughts. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Foucault's genealogy of Christianity

    OpenAIRE

    Chrulew, Matthew Nikolai

    2017-01-01

    This thesis is an exploration of Michel Foucault's genealogy of Christianity. I argue that this important and under-appreciated aspect of his work is strongly influenced by Nietzsche's own anti-Christian writings on asceticism, priestly power and the death of God. Based on the texts currently available, I explicate in detail Foucault's perpetual and often ambivalent return to the confessional and pastoral apparatuses of the Church. I also explore how this work might relate to broader and incr...

  2. A view of evolution by a Christian biologist

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    Elizabeth Jordaan

    1984-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper, which originated as an address to a gathering of Dutch Reformed Ministers in Potchefstroom, deals with the response of a Christian to concepts of evolution. The paper looks at the concept of “the beginning”, the origin of life , genetics, mutation and natural selection, the origin of diversity or speciation, man as a biological species, the missing link (in which attention is given to various theories, and finally theories of human evolution. These include the neoteny theory, the savannah theory and the aquatic theory. Following a discussion of the various aspects of these theories, the authors go on to a discussion of the evolution of intelligence and culture, and reach the conclusion that “for a Christian, evolution may help him to understand more about God and his love and his work, and also then to have more security in the belief in God”.

  3. The Images of Jesus in the Emergence of Christian Spirituality in Ming and Qing China

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    Xiaobai Chu

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Images of Jesus Christ played an important role in the emergence of Christian spirituality in Ming and Qing China. Of the great many images that we know from this period, this paper introduces five of them: Jesus as infant, criminal, gate, brother, and pig. The paper unfolds the historical, anthropological, and theological layers of these images to reveal the original tension between Christian spirituality and Chinese culture. The central thesis of the paper therefore is that this tension is reflected in the images of Jesus Christ and, moreover, that analyzing this tension allows us to achieve a more profound understanding of the emergence of Christian spirituality in Ming, Qing, and perhaps even today’s China.

  4. Christianity and Schizophrenia Redux: An Empirical Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kéri, Szabolcs; Kelemen, Oguz

    2016-04-09

    This paper explores the relationship among schizophrenia, spirituality, and Christian religiosity. We interviewed 120 patients with schizophrenia and 120 control individuals (74.2 % of individuals with self-reported Christian religions). Patients with schizophrenia showed increases in positive spirituality and decreases in positive congregational support, as measured by the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality. There was no significant difference in Christian religiosity. Higher positive spirituality was predicted by more severe self-disorder, perceptual disorder, and positive clinical symptoms. Schizophrenia patients with religious delusions did not exhibit enhanced Christian beliefs and rituals. These results do not confirm the hypothesis of general hyper-religiosity in schizophrenia.

  5. Generic Structure Potential of Christian Apologetics

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    Onwu Inya

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Religious texts have been examined by scholars from different theoretical standpoints. However, a close survey of the literature reveals that little attention has been paid to Christian apologetics from a linguistic perspective. Also, an examination of studies along the lines of Generic Structure Potential (henceforth GSP shows that the genre status of Christian apologetics has not been indicated. This gap provides the motivation for this paper, which investigates the GSP of Christian apologetics. Twenty texts written by various key contemporary apologetic writers were purposively selected for the study. The following generic structure potential catalogue was generated:The paper reveals that the elements of the GSP concertedly work to advance, argue for or defend the Christian belief system. The paper also suggests that the model could be applied to other forms of apologetic instances.

  6. Towards a Christian model for journalism

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    J.D. Froneman

    1997-03-01

    Full Text Available While it is necessary to question the underlying presuppositions of the news media, it is not adequate merely to criticize or reject non-Christian models. However, little has been done to formulate a comprehensive Christian model for the media in general, or journalism in particular. In this article some outlines of a Christian model for journalism are suggested. It includes three basic principles as well as several sub-principles (or norms. It is argued that the suggested norms could be regarded as "news values". The general use of the term "news values” is thus rejected in order to protect the normative character of values. It is stressed that as journalism is not an "objective", value-free activity, all aspects o f the ongoing selection process instrinsic to journalism ought to acquire a Christian flavour.

  7. Immortality versus resurrection in the Christian tradition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Nancey

    2011-10-01

    For those in contemporary society who believe in an afterlife, there are a number of views available. The most common may be based on belief in an immortal soul. However, the early Christian account was, instead, bodily resurrection. As Christianity moved throughout the Mediterranean world, apologists and theologians adapted their teaching on human nature and the afterlife to Greek and Roman philosophies. By the time of Augustine (d. 430), the doctrines of body-soul dualism and immortality of the soul were firmly entrenched in Christian teaching. The incorporation of the concept of an immortal soul into Christian accounts of life after death produced a hybrid account. The body dies, the soul (at least of those who were to be saved) travels to heaven. At the end of history, there would be a general resurrection, and the souls would be reunited with their bodies, although the bodies would be in a transformed, indestructible state. This hybrid account of life after death went largely uncontested until the twentieth century. In this essay, I describe this history and argue for a return to the early Christian view of humans as a unity, not a duality, and for belief in resurrection of the body as the appropriate expectation for eternal life. This would not only be truer to Christian sources, but, valuable, I believe, in focusing Christian attention on the need to care for the environment. © 2011 New York Academy of Sciences.

  8. God put a thought into my mind: the charismatic Christian experience of receiving communications from God.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dein, Simon; Cook, Christopher C H

    2015-02-07

    The agentive aspects of communicative religious experiences remain somewhat neglected in the social sciences literature. There is a need for phenomenological descriptions of these experiences and the ways in which they differ from culturally defined psychopathological states. In this semi-structured interview study, eight congregants attending an evangelical church in London were asked to describe their experiences of God communicating with them. Communications from God were related to current events rather than to the prediction of future events. These communications were received as thoughts and do not generally reveal metaphysical insights, but rather they relate to the mundane world. They provided direction, consolation and empowerment in the lives of those receiving them. Individuals recounted that on occasion God sometimes speaks audibly, or accompanied by supernatural phenomena, but in the vast majority of cases, the way God speaks is through thoughts or impressions. In all instances, agency is maintained, individuals can choose to obey the thoughts/voices or not. The findings are discussed in relation to externalisation of agency and the phenomenon of thought insertion in schizophrenia.

  9. A READING OF “OIL” (JAMES 5:14) IN THE GHANAIAN CHRISTIAN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    with the oil has indicated that in the Ghanaian Christian ministry, it is strongly ..... healing properties, namely, coconut, shea butter, palm kernel and the like. ... colonial husk.33 Thus, this study seeks to suggest a fresh understanding on the.

  10. The Theology of Priesthood and the Priest Office in the First Century Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dariusz Kasprzak

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Neither the Apostles nor any Christian minister is admitted to use the priest’s title in the text of the New Testament. Nevertheless, in the New Testament we can perceive the development of the doctrine of the priest ministry in the early Church. Albert Vanhoye maintains that the lack of the term “priest” in the New Testament suggests the way of understanding of the Christian ministry, different from this in the Old Testament. It can’t be considered as a continuation of Jewish priesthood, which was concentrated mainly on ritual action and ceremonies. In the first century the Church developed the Christology of priesthood (Hbr and ecclesiology of priesthood (1 P. Early Christians focused first on the redemptive event of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and Jesus as the mediator of a new covenant. Only then the religious communities adopted the priest’s title for their ministry. In the early years of the Church, all the ministries were regarded as a charismatic service among the Christian communities. In their services the early Christians followed Jesus Christ sent by God to serve. The Holy Spirit sent by God in the name of Jesus bestowed the spiritual gifts upon the Church (1 Kor 12–13. Consequently the disciples of Jesus and their successors could continue his mission. The Twelve Apostles’ ministry was the very first and most important Christian ministry. It was closely connected to the service of Jesus Christ himself. The Apostles were sent by the authority of Jesus Christ to continue his mission upon earth and they preached the Good News of the risen Christ. The Apostolicity was the fundamental base for every Church ministry established in different Christian communities. Successive ministries were established in order to transmit the teaching of Jesus Christ and to lead the community. For the early Christians the priesthood was not an individual privilege. It had rather the community character.

  11. Christ also ours in Africa: A consideration of Torrance's incarnational, Christological model as nexus for Christ's identification with African Christians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vhumani Magezi

    2017-01-01

    them from the ontological depth of their existence. Hence, Torrance�s incarnational Christological model has the significant implication that the gospel is for all humanity in its dealing with sin and spiritual forces. African Christians may claim complete solidarity with Christ everywhere without the stumbling block of a claimed foreignness of Jesus Christ. This article contributes to African Christian identity discussion by identifying a constructive way of understanding Christ�s salvation in a manner that effectively communicates Christ�s relevancy to African Christians. As such, it contributes to systematic theological discussion on Christ in Africa from a Christian identity perspective and its soteriological implications.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article focuses on interdisciplinary, that is, systematic theology and missiology (African Christian identity. The article contributes to identifying a constructive way of understanding Christ�s salvation in a manner that effectively communicates Christ�s relevancy to African Christians. As such, it contributes to a systematic theological discussion on Christ in Africa from a Christian identity perspective and its soteriological implications.

  12. Reflections on a missional ecclesiology for Africa's expressions of Christianity through the Tswana lens

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    Desmond Henry

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The continent of Africa has indubitably shown exponential growth in the spread on the Christian faith since its introduction by colonial missionaries. It can thus be argued that a plurality of African Christianities thrive on African soil and are exported, through missionaries, to the developed world. This growth in Christian converts does not come without challenges to the future of the Church in Africa; these challenges abound and need to be articulated and worked through contextually and biblically.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article seeks to explore four missional challenges to African ecclesiology under a broad understanding of what can be termed a missional ecclesiology through utilising the Tswana world view as a case study. The article will challenge readers on the importance of continuity within the Christian faith in terms of a holistic biblical world view while touching on the overarching importance of contextualisation and Gospel adaptation. The article proposes a missional epistemological identity as opposed to a typical Western epistemological approach to mission work and contextualisation within the safeguards of an evangelical anchor. The interdisciplinary nature of this study is such that it deals with anthropological realities within a historical framework that impact in the traditional ways Christian practitioners approach the mission of God through his church in Africa specifically. The article challenges the comfortable and complicit attitudes related to the evident growth in Christian faith in Africa with the sobering reality of discernment in praxis and missional enterprise.

  13. The ecclesiastical situation of the first generation Roman Christians

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    A. B. du Toit

    1997-12-01

    Full Text Available Forming pan of a trilogy about the first generation Roman Christians, this anicle concentrates on the ecclesiastical aspect. From some scattered and relatively small groups, the numbers of Roman Christians increased markedly in the second half of the first century. According to Romans 16, Jewish Christians played a significant role in the initial period, although Gentile Christians were in the majority. Friction between these groups may have been a problem, but was not Paul's main concern. The Gentile Christians were mainly from a foreign background. Thus the first Christian community had a strongly cosmopolitan character. The plurality of house-churches was mainly due to practical factors, but social differentiation might have played a role. Meetings most probably took place in the ordinary rented apanments of insulae. Romans 16 renders a vivid picture of the leadership activities of Christian women and of Paul's enlightened position in this regard.

  14. Cultural border crossing: The interaction between fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elimbi, Celestine Nakeli

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between people's fundamental Christian beliefs and scientific explanations. When people with fundamental Christian beliefs encounter scientific explanations, such explanations may interact with their deeply rooted beliefs in a way that is likely to produce tensions. It is expedient to understand the classroom/professional experiences of such individuals and how they manage these tensions. I will apply Jegede's collateral learning theory as a lens to look at how individuals manage the tensions between their religious and scientific worldviews. Gaining insight into people's experiences in the classroom/work place and how they manage these tensions will potentially inform classroom instruction and ways by which we can help students with fundamental Christian beliefs maintain their pursuit of science related careers by easing the nature of the borders they cross. Sources of data will include participant reported perspectives of how they manage the tensions and observations of real-time resolution of potentially conflicting explanations from their religious and scientific worldviews.

  15. Holy Koran's Pattern in the Cultural Communication of Islam and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamed Ehtemam

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The Holy Koran, the last scared scripture sent by Allah, recommends, based on the verses frequency, seven methods to communicate with the Christians. The important point about these seven models that may be considered interesting is their sequence as they may be applied one after another in the following order: 1-        Affirmation of some of the Christianity foundations (the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ, Saint Mary and the  Apostles 2-        Invitation to unity 3-        Annunciation of blessing for the true Christians 4-        Warning and threats to the Christians 5-        Invitation to consider the truth by the Christians 6-        Explanation of the infidel Christians and their damnation  7-        Order to mubahala (debate and mutual cursing and wage war against the Christians. These are the seven methods, based on Holy Koran, which are considered to be used in communicating with the Christians:   1-         The background for an efficient dialog is firstly based by affirmation of some of the Christianity foundations such as the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ, Saint Mary and the Apostles. The existence of a constructive and unifying dialog can have a vital role to directly eliminate the world problems; but this needs some suitable backgrounds. One of these backgrounds is the dialog based on the common matters. Relying on lots of common positive issues such as beliefs, ideas, aspirations, pains and common feelings, the humankind can establish such a dialog. 2-        In the second phase, the Holy Koran, accepting some beliefs of the Christians, invites them to unite with Muslims based on the monotheism and rejection of idolatry and idolatrous in order to reach a common understanding in communicating with each other. 3-        After a Christian receives confirmations about his/her religious ideals by Islam and is ready to unite with Muslims  based on the Monotheism, there is

  16. The conceptualization of love in religious thought of George Florovsky and Michael Pomazansky

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavenkov Oleg Vladimirovich

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The present article is concerned with the question of conceptualization of love in works of Fr. George Florovsky and Fr. Michael Pomazansky, Russian religious thinkers and theologists. We are studying the meaning and appropriacy of two words, ‘love’ (English and ‘любовь’ (Russian, that are the best to represent the agapelogical positive evaluation in Russian religious thought. Data for study was taken from ten different articles and extracts from books written by Fr. George Florovsky and Fr. Michael Pomazansky. On the basis of this analysis we develop semantic explications of words ‘love’ and ‘любовь’ as Christian spiritual concepts within the framework of theoretical approach of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM. In summary we state that this article discusses, describes and determines some similarities and differences in understanding of concept ‘love’ in the affore-referenced works by Fr. George Florovsky and Fr. Michael Pomazansky.

  17. Medical Eschatologies: The Christian Spirit of Hospital Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langford, Jean M

    2016-01-01

    If much has been written of the forms of bodiliness reinforced by hospitals, less attention has been paid to the medicalization of the soul. The medical management of death institutionalizes divisions between body and soul, and matter and spirit, infusing end-of-life care with latent Christian theological presumptions. The invisibility of these presumptions is partly sustained by projecting religiosity on those who endorse other cosmologies, while retaining for medicine a mask of secular science. Stories of conflict with non-Christian patients force these presumptions into visibility, suggesting alternative ethics of care and mourning rooted in other understandings. In this article, I explore one such story. Considering the story as an allegory for how matter and spirit figure in contemporary postmortem disciplines, I suggest that it exposes both the operation of a taboo against mixing material and spiritual agendas, and an assumption that appropriate mourning is oriented toward symbolic homage, rather than concern for the material welfare of the dead.

  18. Middle Eastern Christians in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sparre, Sara Cathrine Lei; Hunter, Alistair; Jørgensen, Anne Rosenlund

    This booklet, published in English, Danish, Swedish and Arabic, has the aim to present overall findings of the research project Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christians in Europe (DIMECCE) to a broader audience.......This booklet, published in English, Danish, Swedish and Arabic, has the aim to present overall findings of the research project Defining and Identifying Middle Eastern Christians in Europe (DIMECCE) to a broader audience....

  19. Globalization, Imperialism and Christianity: The Nigerian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    FIRST LADY

    Musical instruments which Nigerian Christian churches use most often are those that depict .... the entire world”. Ekiyor (2007:51) states: “Globalization has aided and abetted the movement .... child-kidnapping and the local slave trade. 5. Christianity ..... Education and national development: A critique of NEPAD. Philosophy ...

  20. The Ebionites: Eccentric or Essential Early Christians?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William J. Cook, Jr

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Interest in the world of ancient Christianity has been increasing over the past twenty years as news reports and books about the Gnostic Gospels have caused many to wonder whether their knowledge and assumptions about early Christianity might be either seriously limited or even erroneous. An intriguing example of one form of “early Christianity” which challenges one’s expectations is a group known as the Ebionites, Jewish Christians who did not accept the divinity of Christ, believed that Jesus actually increased an emphasis on the “law” and saw Paul of Tarsus as an enemy. Ebionites were vegetarians and claimed that all of their views were approved by both James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem, as well as Peter. This paper explores what is known about the beliefs, practices, and history of this remarkable group of antiquated believers and examines their place in relation to both the Orthodox Jewish and the “Proto-Orthodox” Christian communities of that era.

  1. CONSTANTINE AND CHRISTIANITY: THE FORMATION OF ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STM

    As a result of Constantine‟s policies, the Christian Church and the Roman .... public organization, thus paving the way for the Catholic .... time, however, church teachings were being integrated into the state .... partner with him in controlling the empire. .... Charles Norris Cochrane, Christianity and Classical Culture, 186. 23.

  2. The artistic representation of the idea of true Christianity in the Korelenko’s short-story «The Old Bell-Ringer»

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silina L.A.

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the problem of the Christian understanding of life and death in the works of VG Korolenko. The main features of the Christian worldview are analyzed, which have found artistic expression in the image of the main character of the story.

  3. A Christian Critique of the University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malik, Charles Habib

    Views on the place and power of the university, the church's role in the university, and the sciences and humanities are presented. The secularization of western universities raises fundamental criticisms from the Christian point of view that the university atmosphere is not congenial to Christian spiritual values, and that higher education…

  4. Christian Nurture and the New Cosmology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Elizabeth Box

    2008-01-01

    Christian Religious Education recognizes the crisis in perception caused by eroding cosmologies and engages persons in the reformulating of Christian stories that negate a limiting materialism perpetuating consumerism destructive to life. A course is developed for theological students in which they may become aware of cosmology and its New Story,…

  5. Social justice and religious participation: a qualitative investigation of Christian perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Nathan R; Rufa, Anne K

    2013-06-01

    This investigation examines how self-identified Christians in the Midwest U.S. understand and work for social justice, with a focus on their process of social justice development and the role of religious congregations in promoting social justice. Using a grounded theory analysis of 15 in-depth interviews, results indicated multiple understandings of social justice such as meeting basic needs, fixing social structures and systems to create equal distributions of resources, promoting human rights and dignity, and as a religious responsibility. Participants also described a process of social justice development facilitated by exposure to injustice, mentors, educating others, and the importance of finding a social justice community. Distinct personal barriers to social justice engagement were identified such as resources and negative emotions, whereas congregational leadership was important for congregational involvement. General frustration with congregations was expressed regarding low social justice engagement; however, participants balanced this frustration with hope for the positive potential of congregations to promote social justice. Together these findings show multifaceted understandings of social justice and a dynamic process of social justice development for these self-identified Christians. Implications for future research and partnership with religious individuals and congregations also are discussed.

  6. Christian Birch - den korrupte konferensråd

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Mette Frisk

    2005-01-01

      http://www.sidensaxo.dk/fileadmin/saxo-abstract-uploads/christian_birch_den_korrupte_konferensraad_2005_3.pdf......  http://www.sidensaxo.dk/fileadmin/saxo-abstract-uploads/christian_birch_den_korrupte_konferensraad_2005_3.pdf...

  7. HIV/AIDS through the lens of Christianity: Perspectives from a South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Using qualitative research methods and ethnography in particular, this paper reflects on a broad understanding of what it means to live with HIV in the context of Christianity, using research participants' perspectives in an urban support group setting.Two fundamental patterns are evident in this paper: (1) as support group ...

  8. Practicing patients, compassion, and hope at the end of life: mining the passion of Jesus in Luke for a Christian model of dying well.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogt, Christopher P

    2003-01-01

    Four centuries ago, Christian moral theologians addressed the issue of dying by turning to scripture and the virtues. This work revives that tradition by showing that careful theological reflection upon the nature of Christian patience, compassion, and hope illuminates the shape of the Good Death. The author draws upon Luke's passion narrative to develop a better understanding of these virtues. He also takes up the question of whether Jesus' death can be a model of dying well for contemporary Christians. Christians are often advised to look to Jesus in his dying as a model for themselves, but this recommendation typically leaves unanswered what exactly it is about Jesus' dying that is to be imitated. The understanding of patience, compassion, and hope developed here provides a means of sorting through this issue.

  9. PAUL TILLICH UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE BIBLE FROM A INTERRELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Pinheiro

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Paul Tillich is more alluded as systematic theologian than as a thinker who moves within hermeneutical and exegetical fields. Similarly, his work is recognized as a Christological and ontological development than as writings that promote inter-religious dialogue. However, his works can be one of both Bible interpretation and opening to other religions. Thus, this proposal aims to understand the place of the Bible in the thought of Tillich, both in theological perspective and in inter-religious perspective. He believes that the Bible is the source of systematic theology for the fact of being the original document in which the Christian church is grounded. The revelation of Jesus as the Christ in the Bible is opened for inter-religious reflection. So the question that guides this proposal asks how the Bible as a source of theological work, allows to Christian theology dialogue with other religions. An answer to this question lies in the proposed of Tillich through deliteralization project. There are two aspects of deliteralization: the first is the preservation of myth/symbol, the second is the no-literal treatment, which allows the use of the Bible as a source of systematic theology. These two aspects allow talk about the universality of Christ event. The deliteralization may cause a greater range of the Christian message, as the opening so that its message points beyond itself, since it allows the preservation of the myth and the valuation of symbols.

  10. Modern Christian healing of mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Favazza, A R

    1982-06-01

    Healing of mental illness through religious practices was a key element of early Christianity. In the early twentieth century such healing was associated with blue-collar and rural Fundamentalists, but religious healing practices have gained widespread acceptance by many middle-class, conservative Christian groups. "Evil demons" are now equated with envy, pride, avarice, hatred, and obsessions with alcohol and gambling. Many psychotherapeutic techniques of modern Christian healers appear to be rediscoveries of psychoanalytic insights expressed in religious metaphors. Most responsible healers encourage clients to seek medical and psychiatric help, especially for serious mental disorders. Psychiatrists need not share patients' religious beliefs, but for treatment to be effective these beliefs must be understood and respected.

  11. Orthodox Christian Education in Modern Russia: Structure and Content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sklyarova, T. V.

    2018-01-01

    The article describes Orthodox Christian education as a kind of religious education. It offers a definition of Orthodox Christian education and characterizes its structure in modern Russia. It proposes a model for the Orthodox Christian education system, including introductory, basic, professional, and advanced academic levels. The author…

  12. Holy Koran\\\\\\'s Pattern in the Cultural Communication of Islam and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Habibollah Arzani

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The Holy Koran, the last scared scripture sent by Allah, recommends, based on the verses frequency, seven methods to communicate with the Christians. The important point about these seven models that may be considered interesting is their sequence as they may be applied one after another in the following order: 1-        Affirmation of some of the Christianity foundations (the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ, Saint Mary and the  Apostles 2-        Invitation to unity 3-        Annunciation of blessing for the true Christians 4-        Warning and threats to the Christians 5-        Invitation to consider the truth by the Christians 6-        Explanation of the infidel Christians and their damnation  7-        Order to mubahala (debate and mutual cursing and wage war against the Christians. These are the seven methods, based on Holy Koran, which are considered to be used in communicating with the Christians:   1-         The background for an efficient dialog is firstly based by affirmation of some of the Christianity foundations such as the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ, Saint Mary and the Apostles. The existence of a constructive and unifying dialog can have a vital role to directly eliminate the world problems; but this needs some suitable backgrounds. One of these backgrounds is the dialog based on the common matters. Relying on lots of common positive issues such as beliefs, ideas, aspirations, pains and common feelings, the humankind can establish such a dialog. 2-        In the second phase, the Holy Koran, accepting some beliefs of the Christians, invites them to unite with Muslims based on the monotheism and rejection of idolatry and idolatrous in order to reach a common understanding in communicating with each other. 3-        After a Christian receives confirmations about his/her religious ideals by Islam and is ready to unite with Muslims  based on the Monotheism, there is

  13. Special Education Staffing and Service Models in Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, Julie M.

    2017-01-01

    Christian schools are not obligated to accept children with disabilities. However, the growing trend in Christian schools is to serve children with disabilities. Recent literature has begun to identify enrollment trends, areas of disability served, and professional development in Christian schools as it relates to disability. Literature exists…

  14. Looking at human development through the lens of Christian mission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akinyemi O. Alawode

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Approximately one billion people live in extreme poverty, with another two billion people surviving on less than $1 per day. Many of them, living in abject poverty, struggle with ill health, limited access to clean water, hygienic sanitation, poor quality housing, hunger, illiteracy and premature death. However, improving the lives of the poor is a complex undertaking with often little agreement as to how can this be best achieved. The intrinsic goal of development is to advance human dignity, freedom, social equity and self-determination. Moreover, there is no univocal definition of development. In this article my own understanding will be discussed more extensively. My conviction that development, in general in the context of Christian mission, finds its roots in Christian empathy with people in dire need will be stated.

  15. MARRIAGE GAP IN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fieder, Martin; Huber, Susanne; Pichl, Elmar; Wallner, Bernard; Seidler, Horst

    2018-03-01

    For modern Western societies with a regime of monogamy, it has recently been demonstrated that the socioeconomic status of men is positively associated with being or having been married. This study aims to compare marriage patterns (if a person has been married at least once) for cultures with a tradition of monogamy and polygyny. As no worldwide data on polygyny exist, religion was used as a proxy for monogamy (Christians) vs polygyny (Muslims). The analyses were based on 2000-2011 census data from 39 countries worldwide for 52,339,594 men and women, controlling for sex, sex ratio, age, education, migration within the last 5 years and employment. Overall, a higher proportion of Muslims were married compared with Christians, but the difference in the fraction of married men compared with married women at a certain age (the 'marriage gap') was much more pronounced in Muslims than in Christians, i.e. compared with Christians, a substantially higher proportion of Muslim women than men were married up to the age of approximately 31 years. As expected for a tradition of polygyny, the results indicate that the socioeconomic threshold for entering marriage is higher for Muslim than Christian men, and Muslim women in particular face a negative effect of socioeconomic status on the probability of ever being married. The large 'marriage gap' at a certain age in Muslim societies leads to high numbers of married women and unmarried young men, and may put such polygenic societies under pressure.

  16. Christian rock concerts as a meeting between religion and popular culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Häger

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Different forms of artistic expression play a vital role in religious practices of the most diverse traditions. One very important such expression is music. This paper deals with a contemporary form of religious music, Christian rock. Rock or popular music has been used within Christianity as a means for evangelization and worship since the end of the 1960s. The genre of "contemporary Christian music", or Christian rock, stands by definition with one foot in established institutional (in practicality often evangelical Christianity, and the other in the commercial rock musicindustry. The subject of this paper is to study how this intermediate position is manifested and negotiated in Christian rock concerts. Such a performance of Christian rock music is here assumed to be both a rock concert and a religious service. The paper will examine how this duality is expressed in practices at Christian rock concerts.

  17. Dare to believe, dare to create: Christianity and contemporary Brazilian literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciano Santos

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses primarily discuss the relationship of the Christian camp with the so called modern culture in Brazil over the past century, describing the process that goes here called Christianity “reaction” to a Christianity “transformation “ since some of the most significant writers of contemporary Brazilian Catholic Christian inspiration in their respective historical contexts. Among other aspects involved in the relationship between Christianity and modernity, especially discusses the possibility and legitimacy of articulating the perennial newness of Christian revelation with a libertarian aesthetic design, combining boldness and daring to believe created.

  18. Confidentiality and its limits: some contributions from Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torrance, I R

    2003-02-01

    The issue is whether Christianity, of its nature, would seek to prevent a justifiable breach of confidentiality or could endorse it, under certain circumstances, as the act which is fundamentally more loving or more truthful. The individualistic nature of Western Christianity is noted. The Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is used to show Christian support for dynamic rather than literal truth telling, and for awareness of the contexts and power relations within which persons stand.

  19. Demanding a religious place. Three female Christian visionaries in the Middle East

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, W.H.M.

    2011-01-01

    Recently, a number of scholars have attempted to bring to light the forgotten and neglected history of religious Christian women in the Middle East. For this paper I will review this literature and compare the life stories of three female mystics in order to understand whether and how these women

  20. Fundamentalist Protestant Christian Women: Recognizing Cultural and Gender Influences on Domestic Violence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foss, Louisa L.; Warnke, Melanie A.

    2003-01-01

    Multicultural, family process and structure, and gender concepts are used to provide a framework for understanding supports for and barriers to mental health experienced by abused fundamentalist Protestant Christian (FPC) women. For FPC women who are victims of domestic violence, these factors may intersect to prohibit or facilitate healthy life…

  1. The Role of Christian Education in the Development of Spiritual Stamina in Young Adult Graduates of Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Violet E.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to investigate the personal development of spiritual stamina in graduates of Christian high schools who attend secular universities or colleges. Participants are comprised of a theoretical sampling of 16 young adult graduates of one of four Christian schools in Southeastern United States.…

  2. Comparative Study of Christian and Pagan Burial Constructions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eglė Bazaraitė

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper draws a chronological timeline comparing burial customs and construction traditions in the cradle of Christian religion, and pagan traditions on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, precisely Lithuania, since the early ages of Christianity (1c. A.D. until nowadays. This paper searches for reasons that could have effected cultural transformations, a shifting relation between inhumation and incineration in European culture. In the Ancient Roman culture, people used to cremate their dead before Christianity set in. Baltic pagans at the time were burying their dead in stone circles, and started incineration only during the Middle Ages. Then Christianity was a powerful institution indoctrinating European daily culture. Meanwhile, in the territory of Lithuania pagan culture was erased only in the 15th century, i.e. about 600 years ago, leaving evident vestiges on traditions and customs of nowadays. These revelations of pagan culture are usually mistaken as Christian or Catholic. The paper focuses on architectural and urban aspects of burial architecture, taking into account social and historical conditions.

  3. Christian ethic of love and Hindu ethic of dharma: comparative analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Pavenkov Oleg Vladimirovich

    2014-01-01

    This article is devoted to comparative analysis of two ethic systems: Hindu ethic of dharma and Christian ethic of love. If Christian ethic is the ethic of love, love is in the center of Christian moral values, then Hindu ethic is an example of ethic of law. The moral behavior of gods and humans is determined by Karma and cycle of samsara, which is impossible in Christianity. However forgiveness, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity are common moral obligations for Christians and Hindus.

  4. Faith in Islam and Christianity and its impact on health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mahdi Ahmad farazi

    Full Text Available Of the most central elements of religions and most important issues in theology and the Contemporary study of religion is the category of faith and its greatest impact on various aspects of life. Faith, in Islamic and Christian theology, has common and also distinct aspects. The truth of Faith in Islamic thought was multidimensional and consists of a wide range of Confession of language, intellectual knowledge, heart affirmation and inner experience to the treatment involves external actions. In Christianity, it was faith in confirmation of the revealed proposition that led to a sense of transcendence and meta-proposition and created Interest mode in human And sometimes faith apply to the experience of presence and manifestation of God in life. The position of consensus and association between Islam and Christianity was consists of the doctrine of Belief in God and the prophecy and resurrection. This belief is based on the functionalist view affected on body and psyche (or soul health of the human. The impact of Faith on physical and mental health has been separately approved by the specialists. The impacts of faith and religious teachings on physical health have been investigated through psycho-neuro-physiological way that Faith and Religious teachings produce positive emotions in human. The emotions through autonomous nervous system strengthen the immune system and its optimal performance in a way that the messenger molecule called neuropeptide Y, carry the messages related to thoughts and transport it through the blood circulation, and the mental state directly relate to the body's cells. This is the most important factor in strengthening or weakening the immune system influenced by the thoughts and beliefs. Moreover, Te'osumatic medicine known as the God-body medicine, after the psychosomatic or psycho-body medicine confirms the impact of faith on the health and recovery of individuals. They believe that illness and death of individuals

  5. Christianity and the African traditional religion(s: The postcolonial round of engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David T. Adamo

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR in Africa. It is essentially a postcolonial approach to what AIR and its essential characteristics is: God and humanity, sacrifices, afterlife and ancestors. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. Unlike the colonial encounter with AIR, which was characterised by hostility and the condemnation of AIR, the postcolonial encounter should be characterised by mutual respect, understanding, tolerance, and some level of freedom, liberation and genuineness. In this way, suspicion will be reduced, because despite the adherents� confession of Christianity, AIR is not about to be extinct.

  6. Christian Social Justice Advocate: Contradiction or Legacy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Cher N.

    2012-01-01

    In this article, the relationship between Christian religiosity and the principles of social justice is explored, including the sociopolitical aspects of faith and advocacy. A particular emphasis is placed on the historical legacy and theological relationships between Christianity and social justice. The author concludes with a call for…

  7. The formation of Christian theology in Alexandria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willem H. Oliver

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Jesus was born in Palestine. He was the main determinant for the foundation of a religious movement or sect later called Christianity. This movement, founded in Palestine after the ascension of Jesus, with Jerusalem as its main centre of worship, was merely a Judaeo-Christian sect. In Jerusalem, the adherents to this movement were not really distinctive from the Jewish religion, as they worshipped the same God, Yahweh, went to the same Temple and/or synagogues and kept the same Jewish Laws. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, many Jews, including the �believers in Christ�s teachings� (the earliest Christians fled Jerusalem for different parts of the Roman Empire such as Transjordan, Syria and Africa. Different �Christianities� developed in the main cities of the Roman Empire � Rome, Antioch and Alexandria. In each of these cities, the believers in Christ�s teachings developed their own religion alongside Judaism. This article argued that it was in Alexandria, a world famous city during the time of the Roman Empire, especially renowned for its academic excellence, that the new religion best found and made its own stand. The Catechetical School, with scholarly heads and writers, such as Clement and Origen, started to develop a theology that set the standard for Christian theology in the Empire.Intradisciplinary�and/or�interdisciplinary implications: The general assumption is that Jerusalem, as the origin of Christianity, was the place where it had its formation. This article proposed that it was actually Alexandria where Christianity was best found and became distinctive from Judaism. However, a lack of original sources on this subject area limited the research.

  8. Christian ethic of love and Hindu ethic of dharma: comparative analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavenkov Oleg Vladimirovich

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This article is devoted to comparative analysis of two ethic systems: Hindu ethic of dharma and Christian ethic of love. If Christian ethic is the ethic of love, love is in the center of Christian moral values, then Hindu ethic is an example of ethic of law. The moral behavior of gods and humans is determined by Karma and cycle of samsara, which is impossible in Christianity. However forgiveness, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity are common moral obligations for Christians and Hindus.

  9. Assaying the Belief in Divine Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mohammad Rohani

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the doctrines shared by Hinduism and Christianity is the doctrine of incarnation and bodily fall of divinity, which on surface sounds to have been understood by both schools in the same terms. Since both schools insist on transcendent unity of God in his essence; for example in Upanishads which is one of the key scriptures of Hinduism it is insisted that the origin of existence is a transcendent, invisible and unfathomable God called Brahman which is the highest the most excellent and beyond description. By the same token, in Christianity God has always been envisaged as a unique and transcendent being. Nevertheless, these two religions believe that transcendent God gets incarnated in some conditions. Thus some have paired these two schools in their belief in incarnation without understanding the nuances.    By more probing into their respective theologies, however, we find out that not only their notions of incarnation differ but there are also fundamental differences in their understandings of God in general and divine transcendent unity and synthesizing it with divine fall and incarnation. In Hinduism God is conceived as an absolute being which manifests itself in three attributes. But in Christianity God is not an absolute and simple essence rather it is envisaged as a compound entity spread through trinity figures who have been interacting since the time immemorial. Moreover, these two schools have two different positions on the necessity and cause of incarnation. Thus one can conclude that the doctrine of incarnation is understood in Hinduism and Christianity in radically different fashions.    In Christianity Jesus represents the only incarnation of divinity as the son of God who is one of triple hypostases building trinity and the belief in whom is the path of human salvation. Thus conceived, God has descended into the body of Christ as the ransom of original sin. Then incarnation in Christianity is founded upon two other

  10. Assaying the Belief in Divine Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mohammad Rohani

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available One of the doctrines shared by Hinduism and Christianity is the doctrine of incarnation and bodily fall of divinity, which on surface sounds to have been understood by both schools in the same terms. Since both schools insist on transcendent unity of God in his essence; for example in Upanishads which is one of the key scriptures of Hinduism it is insisted that the origin of existence is a transcendent, invisible and unfathomable God called Brahman which is the highest the most excellent and beyond description. By the same token, in Christianity God has always been envisaged as a unique and transcendent being. Nevertheless, these two religions believe that transcendent God gets incarnated in some conditions. Thus some have paired these two schools in their belief in incarnation without understanding the nuances.    By more probing into their respective theologies, however, we find out that not only their notions of incarnation differ but there are also fundamental differences in their understandings of God in general and divine transcendent unity and synthesizing it with divine fall and incarnation. In Hinduism God is conceived as an absolute being which manifests itself in three attributes. But in Christianity God is not an absolute and simple essence rather it is envisaged as a compound entity spread through trinity figures who have been interacting since the time immemorial. Moreover, these two schools have two different positions on the necessity and cause of incarnation. Thus one can conclude that the doctrine of incarnation is understood in Hinduism and Christianity in radically different fashions.    In Christianity Jesus represents the only incarnation of divinity as the son of God who is one of triple hypostases building trinity and the belief in whom is the path of human salvation. Thus conceived, God has descended into the body of Christ as the ransom of original sin. Then incarnation in Christianity is founded upon two other

  11. [Pain and Christianity. A symbol for overcoming pain?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markschies, C

    2007-08-01

    Pain and Christianity appear to belong together: Christ's pain stands at the centre of God's healing; his pain leads to the salvation of mankind. We can learn from Jesus' example how to bear suffering and pain. In early Christian times, the belief that Jesus Christ suffered pain on the cross was usually not accepted. In line with the "apathy axiom", freedom from emotion was something to strive for at that time. Only after the acceptance of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD did the pain of Christ again stand in the centre of the Christian doctrine of salvation. The memory of the fact that Jesus himself had to undergo the worst pain can still help people to overcome their pain and comfort them.

  12. Christians in South Africa: The statistical picture

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract. Christians in South Africa; The statistical picture. Government censuses since 1960 indicate that the religious picture was already largely fixed by the 1950s. Already at that stage some 3 out of 4. South Africans identified themselves as 'Christians'. Since then this percentage grew steadily, mainly because of ...

  13. Future of Christian health services – an economic perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steffen Flessa

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Although Christian Health Services have a proud history of healing and compassion especially in developing countries, their future is affected by secular changes in the financing and provision of health care services. However, the nature of life as it is evolving in modern society promises a need for the capacity to deal with increasing dynamics, complexity and uncertainty. In these circumstances the potential capacity of Christians in their institutions and churches to provide Unconditional Reliability suggests a new opportunity. The components of Unconditional Reliability and how they affect the portfolio of Christian Health Services is explained. Effective Christian Health Services will require appropriate analysis of their portfolios.

  14. Cultural Trauma and Christian Identity in the Late Medieval Heroic Epic, The Siege of Jerusalem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMarco, Patricia A

    2015-01-01

    This essay examines scenes of violence in the late medieval poem The Siege of Jerusalem in order to reveal the ways in which trauma is used as the grounds upon which Christian/Jewish difference is established. In particular, I argue that this poem serves as an example of a widespread element in Christian chivalric identity, namely the need to manage the repetitive invocation of Christ's crucifixion (ritually repeated through liturgical and poetic invocation) as a means of asserting both the bodily and psychic integrity of the Christian subject in contrast to the violently abjected figure of the Jewish body. The failure of The Siege protagonist, Wespasian, to navigate the cultural trauma of the crucifixion is contrasted to the successful management of trauma by the martial hero, Tancred, in Tasso's epic, Gerusalemme Liberata, illustrating the range of imaginative possibilities for understanding trauma in pre-modern war literature.

  15. The trajectories of Christianity and African ritual practices: the public ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In South Africa, there are mainly two Christian traditions on Christianity and African ritual practices. One being from missionaries and now mainly trailed by most white Mainline Churches and Pentecostal Churches. The other is by African Independent Churches (AIC). The first group oppose and condemn Christian ...

  16. Models of Christian Leadership in Youth Ministry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canales, Arthur David

    2014-01-01

    This article addresses four models of leadership that Christian communities may want to adopt to help them assess and articulate a more vibrant and dynamic youth ministry. In particular, this article will demonstrate that authentic Christian leadership for youth ministry is much more than teaching young people about pastoral skills, but requires a…

  17. Research Note: College Students’ Attitudes toward Christianity in Xi’an, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao Wang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Atheism is the mainstream belief system in contemporary China. In recent years, a growing number of Chinese have converted to different religions, particularly Christianity. In this study, we conducted a survey in the region of Xi’an to investigate the following three questions: How common is Christianity among college students in Xi’an? How many of them have converted to the Christian faith? How do they gain their knowledge of Christianity? It is a popular notion in China that many college students have, in recent times, converted to Christianity. However, our survey results do not provide support for this. While many students encounter Christian faith on university campuses, especially through organizations such as The Fellowship, students in this survey report low religious affiliation.

  18. Experiences in sport, physical activity, and physical education among Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu Asian adolescent girls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araki, Kaori; Kodani, Iku; Gupta, Nidhi; Gill, Diane L

    2013-01-01

    Multicultural scholarship in sport and exercise psychology should help us understand and apply cultural competencies for all to be physically active. In the present study, two Asian countries, Japan and Singapore, were chosen. The participation rate for physical activities among adolescent girls tends to be lower than that of boys in both countries. Thus, the purpose of the project was to gain knowledge and understanding about sociocultural factors that may explain adolescent girls' perceptions and behaviors toward sport, physical activity, and physical education (PE). A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with focus groups was used to understand meanings of physical activity among Buddhist Japanese, and Hindu Indians and Christian Chinese from Singapore. Each focus group consisted of four or five girls and female researchers. Based on the analysis, we created four themes which were "cultural identities," "Asian girls and sport/physical activities," "PE experiences," "motivation for future involvement." The Buddhist Japanese, Hindu Indian, and Christian Chinese participants each reported unique physical activity experiences, and all the participants were aware of how Asian culture may affect being physically active. Experiences of PE classes were similar but perceptions of their PE attire were different for Christian Chinese and Hindu Indian adolescent girls. Based on the results, the importance of nurturing cultural competencies and ways to encourage girls to be physically active throughout life were discussed.

  19. Between Christianity and secularity: counselling and psychotherapy provision in Scotland

    OpenAIRE

    Bondi, Liz

    2013-01-01

    Counselling and psychotherapy services have become increasingly prominent within modern urban welfare. Although often perceived to be intrinsically secular, since psychoanalytic thinking and practice arrived in Scotland it has been shaped by the Christian culture it encountered. Early Scottish-born contributors to psychoanalytic theory, including Ian Suttie and W.R.D. Fairbairn, reframed Freud’s ideas in ways that incorporated Scottish Presbyterian understandings of what it is to be human. A ...

  20. May Christians request medically assisted suicide and euthanasia?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Etienne de Villiers

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the question: ‘Is it morally acceptable for terminally ill Christians to voluntarily request medically assisted suicide or euthanasia?’ After a brief discussion of relevant changes in the moral landscape over the last century, two influential, but opposite views on the normative basis for the Christian ethical assessment of medically assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia are critically discussed. The inadequacy of both the view that the biblical message entails an absolute prohibition against these two practices, and the view that Christians have to decide on them on the basis of their own autonomy, is argued. An effort is made to demonstrate that although the biblical message does not entail an absolute prohibition it does have normative ethical implications for deciding on medically assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. Certain Christian beliefs encourage terminally ill Christians to live a morally responsible life until their death and cultivate a moral prejudice against taking the life of any human being. This moral prejudice can, however, in exceptional cases be outweighed by moral considerations in favour of medically assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia.

  1. Study of hand signs in Judeo-Christian art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ram, Ashwin N; Chung, Kevin C

    2008-09-01

    Hand gestures play a crucial role in religious art. An examination of Judeo-Christian art finds an ecclesiastical language that is concealed in metaphors and expressed by unique hand gestures. Many of these hand signs convey messages that are not familiar to most people admiring these paintings. Investigating the history and classifying some of the predominant hand signs found in Judeo-Christian art might serve to stimulate discussion concerning the many nuances of symbolic art. This presentation examines the meaning behind 8 common hand signs in Judeo-Christian art.

  2. Memento - Christian Lemmerz

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Ann Lumbye

    Monografien om Christian Lemmerz omhandler kunstnerens skulpturer og installationsværker med inddragelse af performances og film. Bogen er inddelt efter materialevalg, idet de valgte materialer indikerer arten af udsagn, som kunstneren artikulerer virkningsæstetisk vedrørende eksistens, krop og død...

  3. Understanding in the humanities: Gadamer's thought at the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Because Gadamer is very sensitive to the role of history, tradition and authority within human life, the overall intention of this article will be to unveil major elements of modern philosophy which exerted an influence upon his thought. In this sense it can be seen as applying his notion of 'Wirkungsgeschichte' to an assessment ...

  4. The Balance of Faith and Reason: The Role of Confirmation in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin M. Block

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The evidentialist objection against Christianity, which states that the Christian faith does not have sufficient evidence to justify belief, can be troubling for Christians, for they do not wish to say that their beliefs are founded upon mere human evidence, and yet, they also wish to affirm that “those who place their faith in this truth, for which human reason offers no experience, do not believe lightly, as those following unlearned fables” (SCG I.6. St. Thomas Aquinas offers a unique and compelling solution to the evidentialist objection—a solution that confirms the Christian belief that faith is a gift from God, but which also respects the proper place of human reason within the believing life of men. St. Thomas teaches that God provides both internal and external confirmation of what He reveals, although only the internal confirmation of the work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to justify Christian belief. Aquinas’s teaching concerning the role of divine confirmation of revealed truths provides at least one important key to understanding the delicate balance between faith and reason within the Christian life.

  5. A Comparison between the concepts of redemption in Christianity and intercessionin Shia Islam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Rabbani

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Faith and practice are most important factors for salvation in Islam and Christianity. More over the concepts of redemption in Christianity and the intercession in Shia have also been counted as elements of salvation. There are some similarities between them, which may be led to the misunderstanding that redemption and intercession are the same whereas the definition and function of these two doctrines are different in the religious traditions of both religions. The doctrine of redemption is the essential part of Christian theology, especially in soteriology. If this doctrine is put under question, the whole structure of Christian theology will be disintegrated. But doctrine of intercession is complementary part in Shia. In this article at first, the doctrine of redemption is explained. Considering that the understanding of the concept of redemption is based on other doctrines, including anthropology, soteriology and Christology in Christian theology, at first the relationship between redemption and these concepts will be discussed. It will be declared that Christians believe that Adam's sin had grave consequences for humanity, in a way that it becomes the source of human sinfulness. In Christian point of view God was incarnated in Jesus and was crucified in order to be redemptive of Adam's sin and in order to save men. Everyone who believes in the death and resurrection of Jesus will be delivered. In the second part of the article, the question of intercession according to Shia will be discussed. It will be suggested that the nature of man is pure in Islam and man himself can reach salvation by faith and good practice. In addition, mercy of God and the intercession of Imams will help sinful persons. But in the third part of the article, some similarities and differences between these doctrines will be pointed out. I will insist mostly on their conceptual and functional differences. Their similarities include: Both doctrines need an intermediate

  6. A Comparison between the concepts of redemption in Christianity and intercessionin Shia Islam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Reza Meftah

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Faith and practice are most important factors for salvation in Islam and Christianity. More over the concepts of redemption in Christianity and the intercession in Shia have also been counted as elements of salvation. There are some similarities between them, which may be led to the misunderstanding that redemption and intercession are the same whereas the definition and function of these two doctrines are different in the religious traditions of both religions. The doctrine of redemption is the essential part of Christian theology, especially in soteriology. If this doctrine is put under question, the whole structure of Christian theology will be disintegrated. But doctrine of intercession is complementary part in Shia. In this article at first, the doctrine of redemption is explained. Considering that the understanding of the concept of redemption is based on other doctrines, including anthropology, soteriology and Christology in Christian theology, at first the relationship between redemption and these concepts will be discussed. It will be declared that Christians believe that Adam's sin had grave consequences for humanity, in a way that it becomes the source of human sinfulness. In Christian point of view God was incarnated in Jesus and was crucified in order to be redemptive of Adam's sin and in order to save men. Everyone who believes in the death and resurrection of Jesus will be delivered. In the second part of the article, the question of intercession according to Shia will be discussed. It will be suggested that the nature of man is pure in Islam and man himself can reach salvation by faith and good practice. In addition, mercy of God and the intercession of Imams will help sinful persons. But in the third part of the article, some similarities and differences between these doctrines will be pointed out. I will insist mostly on their conceptual and functional differences. Their similarities include: Both doctrines need an intermediate

  7. Tocqueville's Christian Citizen

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ossewaarde, Marinus R.R.

    2005-01-01

    Tocqueville's Christian Citizen Marinus Ossewaarde Introduction Alexis De Tocqueville is well known for his critique of democracy. A French statesman, he was left with the legacy of the French Revolution that had torn his fatherland and had changed the course of human history for good. Tocqueville,

  8. Marriage Counseling: A Christian Approach to Counseling Couples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worthington, Everett L., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    Describes approach to marriage counseling based on cognitive behavioral therapy and structural and strategic marital therapies aimed at Christian couples. Uses shared Christian values between counselor and clients to promote increased marital commitment, marital satisfaction, and personal spiritual growth. Maintains marital satisfaction might be…

  9. Religious Pluralism and Civic Rights in a “Muslim Nation”: An Analysis of Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with Christians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig Considine

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the roles that religious pluralism and civic rights played in Prophet Muhammad’s vision of a “Muslim nation”. I demonstrate how Muhammad desired a pluralistic society in which citizenship and equal rights were granted to all people regardless of religious beliefs and practices. The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time are used as a framework for analysis. These documents have received little attention in our time, but their messages are crucial in light of current debates about Muslim-Christian relations. The article campaigns for reviving the egalitarian spirit of the Covenants by refocusing our understanding of the ummah as a site for religious freedom and civil rights. Ultimately, I argue that the Covenants of Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time can be used to develop a stronger narrative of democratic partnership between Muslims and Christians in the “Islamic world” and beyond.

  10. Hans Christian Andersen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Jørgen

    2007-01-01

    The Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, living in the 1800s expressed through his fairy tales and other stories an enthusiasm for the technological breakthroughs in that century with trains, etc. But he also showed great concern for what the natural science did to people by narrowing their mind...

  11. Faith in Islam and Christianity and its impact on health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Reza Ajdar

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Of the most central elements of religions and most important issues in theology and the Contemporary study of religion is the category of faith and its greatest impact on various aspects of life. Faith, in Islamic and Christian theology, has common and also distinct aspects. The truth of Faith in Islamic thought was multidimensional and consists of a wide range of Confession of language, intellectual knowledge, heart affirmation and inner experience to the treatment involves external actions. In Christianity, it was faith in confirmation of the revealed proposition that led to a sense of transcendence and meta-proposition and created Interest mode in human And sometimes faith apply to the experience of presence and manifestation of God in life.   The position of consensus and association between Islam and Christianity was consists of the doctrine of Belief in God and the prophecy and resurrection. This belief is based on the functionalist view affected on body and psyche (or soul health of the human. The impact of Faith on physical and mental health has been separately approved by the specialists. The impacts of faith and religious teachings on physical health have been investigated through psycho-neuro-physiological way that Faith and Religious teachings produce positive emotions in human. The emotions through autonomous nervous system strengthen the immune system and its optimal performance in a way that the messenger molecule called neuropeptide Y, carry the messages related to thoughts and transport it through the blood circulation, and the mental state directly relate to the body's cells. This is the most important factor in strengthening or weakening the immune system influenced by the thoughts and beliefs. Moreover, Te'osumatic medicine known as the God-body medicine, after the psychosomatic or psycho-body medicine confirms the impact of faith on the health and recovery of individuals. They believe that illness and death

  12. Faith in Islam and Christianity and its impact on health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Reza Ajdar

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Of the most central elements of religions and most important issues in theology and the Contemporary study of religion is the category of faith and its greatest impact on various aspects of life. Faith, in Islamic and Christian theology, has common and also distinct aspects. The truth of Faith in Islamic thought was multidimensional and consists of a wide range of Confession of language, intellectual knowledge, heart affirmation and inner experience to the treatment involves external actions. In Christianity, it was faith in confirmation of the revealed proposition that led to a sense of transcendence and meta-proposition and created Interest mode in human And sometimes faith apply to the experience of presence and manifestation of God in life.   The position of consensus and association between Islam and Christianity was consists of the doctrine of Belief in God and the prophecy and resurrection. This belief is based on the functionalist view affected on body and psyche (or soul health of the human. The impact of Faith on physical and mental health has been separately approved by the specialists. The impacts of faith and religious teachings on physical health have been investigated through psycho-neuro-physiological way that Faith and Religious teachings produce positive emotions in human. The emotions through autonomous nervous system strengthen the immune system and its optimal performance in a way that the messenger molecule called neuropeptide Y, carry the messages related to thoughts and transport it through the blood circulation, and the mental state directly relate to the body's cells. This is the most important factor in strengthening or weakening the immune system influenced by the thoughts and beliefs. Moreover, Te'osumatic medicine known as the God-body medicine, after the psychosomatic or psycho-body medicine confirms the impact of faith on the health and recovery of individuals. They believe that illness and death

  13. Ethical issues in astrobiology: a Christian perspective (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randolph, R. O.

    2009-12-01

    With its focus on the origin, extent, and future of life, Astrobiology raises exciting, multidisciplinary questions for science. At the same time, Astrobiology raises important questions for the humanities. For instance, the prospect of discovering extraterrestrial life - either intelligent or unintelligent - raises questions about humans’ place in the universe and our relationship with nature on planet Earth. Fundamentally, such questions are rooted in our understanding of what it means to be human. From a Christian perspective, the foundational claim about human nature is that all persons bear the "imago dei", the image of God. This concept forms the basis for how humans relate to one another (dignity) and how humans relate to nature (stewardship). For many Christians the "imago dei" also suggests that humans are at the center of the universe. The discovery of extraterrestrial life would be another scientific development - similar to evolution - that essentially de-centers humanity. For some Christian perspectives this de-centering may be problematic, but I will argue that the discovery of extraterrestrial life would actually offer a much needed theological corrective for contemporary Christians’ understanding of the "imago dei". I will make this argument by examining two clusters of ethical issues confronting Astrobiology: 1. What ethical obligations would human explorers owe to extraterrestrial life? Are there ethical obligations to protect extraterrestrial ecosystems from harm or exploitation by human explorers? Do our ethical considerations change, if the extraterrestrial life is a “second genesis;” in other words a form of life completely different and independent from the carbon-based life that we know on Earth? 2. Do we have an ethical obligation to promote life as much as we can? If human explorers discover extraterrestrial life and through examination determine that it is struggling to survive, do we have an ethical obligation to assist that

  14. USE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION BY CHRISTIAN RELIGION TO TRAIN, EDIFY AND EDUCATE ADHERENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. SATYANARAYANA

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Distance Education has been growing fast, in a marvelously diverse fashion. The efficiency, effectiveness, validity and utility of distance teaching-learning are on increase. All communities and religious groups are making use of distance learning methodology to upgrade their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Christina educational institutions in all the parts of the world are being benefitted by the Christian distance education programme. Christian websites make up more than 80 percent of the websites of the world’s five major religions. Globalisation is facilitating many Christian pioneers of multiple denominations to adopt distance teaching-learning beyond all frontiers and barriers. Baker’s guide to Christian Distance Education profiles upto 150 Christian degree programmes. Some of the popular programmes are indicated here. Christians who constitute 2.33 percent of Indian population are educationally benefitted by Christian distance education programmes. A major Christian distance education programme is offered by Andhra Christian Theological College. Its four distance courses attract students all over the country. How quality is important in distance teaching and learning is highlighted here.

  15. An Examination of Ideology among Selected K12 Christian School Superintendents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolson, Jimmy L.

    2013-01-01

    This research project focused on explaining the decision making process of K12 Christian school superintendents whose schools belong to the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) organization. In spite of their similar religious and philosophical beliefs, ACSI K12 Christian school superintendents differed significantly in…

  16. Ten Commandments - Basic Christian Ethical Norms

    OpenAIRE

    Trajcev, Zaklina

    2012-01-01

    Let's unite - the Orthodox faith and the evangelical morality with everyday thoughts, desires and hopes of people, it means to help them meet the most demanding ethical issues of contemporary times. Regardless of pluralism and contradiction of existence in society of understanding and belief, faith will be understood and real applicatied only when man will acknowledge and deeply felt confidence in the power of God's Revelation. Human thought and human speech can not be stronger than God's Wor...

  17. Christian Higher Education in Europe: A Historical Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bebbington, D. W.

    2011-01-01

    The history of Christian higher education in Europe may be analyzed in terms of seven eras. From their medieval origins in scholasticism and the practical needs of students and rulers, universities passed through Renaissance humanism to a period of decay, yet remained substantially Christian in intent. The Enlightenment exercised a partially…

  18. The Implications of Christian Anti-Semitism for Educators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Reilly, Patricia

    1995-01-01

    Maintains that the history of anti-Semitism has historical links to Christian theology. Asserts that Christianity provided ample fuel for the secular anti-Semitism preached by Hitler and the Nazi party. Contends that educators can draw important lessons on the value of education and the pedagogy of teaching history. (CFR)

  19. Religious Beliefs among the Oromo: Waaqeffannaa, Christianity and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bartels in his work on Oromo Religion, this paper discusses continuity and change in the Oromo religious beliefs and the tolerance they have developed examining the impact of Christianity and Islam on Waaqeffanna in general and that of Islam in particular. Whether the Oromo have become Christians or Muslims, however ...

  20. Christian idiom and style in Abam Arikpo's The womankind of man ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... use and reaches the conclusion that both the Christian virtue and idiom, on the one hand, and the social milieu that favours patriarchal idiom, on the other, have immensely influenced the thematic concern and style of this poetry. Keywords: Allusions of Christianity, Christian idiom, style, social milieu, intertextuality.

  1. Heroism in three Old English poems: A Christian approach

    OpenAIRE

    Catherine Woeber

    1995-01-01

    It has been contended that the value system and terminology of Old English heroic poetry were not suitable vehicles for the later religious poetry, that their Germanic garb ill-fitted the Christian poems. This view, however, does not take cognisance of the the fact that there exists a Christian heroism in its own right. Only Christian scholarship can fully account for this phenomenon and show how the subject matter of this poetry is consonant with the heroic diction and formulae in which it i...

  2. Teaching Theology as a Christian Spiritual Practice: The Example of Stanley J. Grenz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mellinger, Laurie A.

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation explores the recent work on spiritual practices in the academic discipline of Christian spirituality, gathering together the strengths of various conceptions of practice from the literature and developing a rigorous definition of a Christian spiritual practice: Christian spiritual practices are things God enables Christian people…

  3. End-of-life decisions: Christian perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stempsey, William E

    1997-12-01

    While legal rights to make medical treatment decisions at the end of one's life have been recognized by the courts, particular religious traditions put axiological and metaphysical meat on the bare bones of legal rights. Mere legal rights do not capture the full reality, meaning and importance of death. End-of-life decisions reflect not only the meaning we find in dying, but also the meaning we have found in living. The Christian religions bring particular understandings of the vision of life as a gift from God, human responsibility for stewardship of that life, the wholeness of the person, and the importance of the dying process in preparing spiritually for life beyond earthly life, to bear on end-of-life decisions.

  4. the influence of christianity on graeco-roman medicine up

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    However, during the 5th century Nestorian Christians, fleeing from persecution by the Church, settled in ... endeavoured to analyse the intricate interplay between the Christian. Church and rational ..... In: W.J. Sheils (ed.), The Church and ...

  5. 50th birthday of Christian von Ferber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available On May 15, 2011 Christian von Ferber - member of the Editorial Board of "Condensed Matter Physics" and renowned expert in the fields of soft matter physics and complex systems - celebrated his 50th birthday. The Editorial board of CMP, colleagues and friends warmy congratulate Christian von Ferber and wish him and his family continuing good health and to enjoy many adventures and discoveries in his future scientific travels!

  6. Addressing Poverty Issues in Christian Schools: Teachers' Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bankston, Catherine

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of Christian education is to incorporate Biblical values in the curriculum, and one essential message in the Bible is to reach out and liberate the poor. Through interviews, writing protocols, a focus group meeting, and document analysis, this narrative study focuses on the question of how do Christian educators create pedagogical…

  7. Modern Christian Landscape in Nanjing, China: A Literature Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Fang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Between the First Opium War in 1840 and the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the development of modern Christianity in Nanjing expanded beyond the parameters of faith and spirituality, while interacting closely with Nanjing’s city life and space across a wider spectrum, such that a unique religious and cultural landscape was produced. Through an extensive literature review of 115 articles identified on this topic, this paper analyzes the development of the space of Christian churches in Nanjing, and further documents the pattern of interactions between Nanjing’s development as a modern city and its religious cultural landscape. Moreover, drawing from the theoretical perspective of Sense of Place, the paper summarizes the characteristics of religious cultural landscape in the aspects of vision and structure, function and modernization, and memory and identity, and points out that the Christian landscape should also be conducted from the activation of material form, local functions and historical meanings to achieve sustainable development of Christian landscape. Finally, the paper offers planning and design strategies for the continued growth of Christian landscape in Nanjing.

  8. Shrines and relics between Late Antiquity and Middle Ages: Christianization of the space or sacralization of the Christianity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigi Canetti

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available This essay analyzes the importance of relics and sanctuaries against the backdrop of the sacralization of Christianity and the latter’s re-elaboration into a religious system that occurred in urban milieux in the late ancient times. The main steps of this process, which came to a climax in the 4th century, are the Christianization of time and space as well as the reinterpretation of Christ’s death in terms of a sacrifice.

  9. Embodied Spirituality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trousdale, Ann

    2013-01-01

    This article explores the concept of embodied spirituality from early Celtic traditions through the British medieval mystic Julian of Norwich to the present day. A "high theology" of the body in early Christianity and early Christian understandings of the relation among body, soul and spirit gave way to the influences of Greek thought with its…

  10. THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF FAIRY TALES H. CH. ANDERSEN ON THE FORMATION OF THE PERSONALITY THROUGH THE PRISM OF CHRISTIANITY, IN THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SPACE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DANILOVA Elena Sergeevna

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the study of the psychotherapeutic effect provided by the fairytales of G. Kh. Andersen on the development and personalityfoundation, especially on moral, ethical and highly spiritual qualities establishment of a human being. In the masterworks of G. Kh. Andersen'sA has been revealed a profound, psychological, Christian-philosophical aspect, in gratitude being formed a special psychocultural environment, which influences on the development and personalityformation. G. Kh. Andersen fairytales texts are conceptual and have deep Christian-philosophical overtones based on humanistic principles that are awakened in every person. This overtones brings together the thoughts and feelings to the comprehension and rethinking of our spiritual values. The fairytales of G. Kh. Andersen is an indicator of personality spiritual culture.

  11. Christian-Muslim relations in Ghana: A model for world dialogue and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    part of the world in the name of Muslim-Christian dialogue all in an effort to ensure lasting peace between these faiths. These conferences have hardly yielded their desired results. In Ghana however, Christians and Muslims have lived in absolute peace since the introduction of Christianity and Islam in the fifteenth century.

  12. Best Practices of Online Education: A Guide for Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddix, Mark A., Ed.; Estep, James R., Ed.; Lowe, Mary E., Ed.

    2012-01-01

    The book provides best practices from online educators who are engaged in online teaching and program development in Christian higher education. It also explores the distinct aspects of teaching and developing online courses and programs from a Christian perspective and within Christian higher education institutions. As such it is can serve as a…

  13. Healing ministry and palliative care in Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayard, S Stephen; Irudayadason, Nishant A; Davis, J Charles

    2017-01-01

    Death is inevitable, but that does not mean it can be planned or imposed. It is an ethical imperative that we attend to the unbearable pain and suffering of patients with incurable and terminal illnesses. This is where palliative care plays a vital role. Palliative care has been growing faster in the world of medicine since its emergence as a specialty in the last decade. Palliative care helps to reduce physical pain while affirming the aspect of human suffering and dying as a normal process. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life both of the patient and the family. Palliative care resonates with the healing ministry of Christianity that affirms the sanctity and dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Christianity is convinced that patients at the very end of their lives, with all their ailments and agonies, are still people who have been created in the image and likeness of God. The human person is always precious, even when marked by age and sickness. This is one of the basic convictions that motivate Christians to take care of the sick and the dying. Palliative care is a great opportunity for Christians to manifest God's unfailing love for the terminally ill and the dying.

  14. Psychological type and attitude toward Christianity: a replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Leslie J; Robbins, Mandy; Boxer, Anna; Lewis, Christopher Alan; McGuckin, Conor; McDaid, Charles J

    2003-02-01

    A sample of 149 university students completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales together with the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity. The data indicated that university students classified as Feeling Types hold a more positive attitude toward Christianity than those classified as Thinking Types. These findings replicate the 1999 report of Jones and Francis.

  15. Christianity, development, and women's liberation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, B

    1999-03-01

    This paper explores the relationship between Christianity, development, and women's liberation. The article examines the opportunities and constraints, which exist for women in the tradition of mainstream Christianity regarding their sexuality and family life. These concepts were investigated within the community level, the church itself, convent life, in the economy, and at wider national and international levels. Subordination of women through religion is the result of imposing social codes regarding women's roles, behavior, and relationships with men. However, equality can be achieved if the forms and substance of religious practice is reexamined and changed with liberation of women in mind. There is also a need to address the cultural and spiritual imperialism brought about by religion.

  16. Doing good medical ethics: a Christian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, John

    2015-01-01

    Despite the rise of the secular state, religion remains a significant force in society. Within Christianity this encompasses a wide variety of beliefs. These range from simple assertions of theism in a cultural context to complex theologies; from liberal emphases on uncertainty and exploration to dogmatic views of divine revelation. How one 'does' good medical ethics depends on these perspectives. Contingently, the Christian contribution to medical ethics has been huge and constructive. Central to that contribution is a core belief in the intrinsic value of human life, respect for which we are accountable to God. Christianity continues to deserve its place 'in the public square' and, specifically, in medical ethical discourse. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  17. "Flee from the Worship of Idols": Becoming Christian in Roman Corinth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byler, Dorvan

    2016-01-01

    The religious contexts in which early Christian communities grew were important factors in the first-century development of Christianity, affecting what it meant to become a Christian--either as a convert from a background in Judaism or as a convert from a background in Greek, Roman, or Egyptian cults. Surrounding religions and cultural norms…

  18. Contemplation: If It Makes for Peace, Why Not for Christian Witness Too?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pawel Tarasiewicz

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The author attempts to answer the following question: Why does Christian witness need contemplation? He claims that Christian witness needs contemplation, because contemplation reveals the truth about the nature of reality; it is this truth which is one of the factors that constitute the foundation of Christian faith. In a sense, contemplation is analogical to mysticism: as mystical visions make Christian belief grounded on the immediate experience of (meeting with the Truth, so the contemplation of the creatures makes Christian belief based on the indirect experience of the Truth (i.e., the meeting with the traces left by the Creator in the world.

  19. Mees, kes väärtustab tundeid / Christian Boltanski ; interv. Peeter Linnap

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Boltanski, Christian, 1944-

    1998-01-01

    P. Linnap Christian Boltanski loomingust ja 5. oktoobrini Helsingi Taidehallis avatud näitusest "Augustiöö". Kureerinud Jan Kaila, Timo Valjakka. Christian Boltanski oma 1990ndate töödest, näitusest Soomes, miks ta nimetab end 20. sajandi lõpu maalikunstnikuks. Valik Christian Boltanski autobiograafilisest küsitlusest "Mida nad minust mäletavad?". Ilmunud ka kogumikus "Silmakirjad". Tartu, 2007, lk. 306-308 pealkirja all "Suremise viisid : intervjuu Christian Boltanskiga"

  20. Servant Leadership as Defined by K-12 ACSI Christian School Administrators in Arizona, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temperley, Austin J.

    2016-01-01

    This study was designed to understand how ACSI certified Christian School leaders in Arizona lead their schools. There are a variety of leadership models available. Servant leadership, being a fairly recent phenomenon has been studied and implemented by numerous organizations and leaders with great organizational success and buy in. One area of…

  1. Christian Religious Education Research in the Japanese Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuda, Kazuhiro

    2006-01-01

    Protestant Christianity was brought to Japan during the modernization of that country in the middle of the nineteenth century. Before the Second World War, except for a short time, Christianity in Japan as a Western religion had experienced a difficult course of history because of hostility due to nationalism of the populace and the leaders of the…

  2. Christians' cut: popular religion and the global health campaign for medical male circumcision in Swaziland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golomski, Casey; Nyawo, Sonene

    2017-08-01

    Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom's three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as 'Christian' in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision's promotion and messaging as offensive and circumspect, and medical male circumcision as confounding gendered expectations and sexualised ideas of the body in Swazi Culture. Pentecostal-charismatic churches were seen as more likely to accept medical male circumcision, while traditionalist African Independent Churches rejected the operation. The procedure was widely understood to be a personal choice, in line with New Testament-inspired commitments to metaphorical circumcision as a way of receiving God's grace.

  3. Thought and Language in Cognitive Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Destéfano, Mariela

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In cognitive science, the discussion about the relations between language and thought is very heterogeneous. It involves developments on linguistics, philosophy, psychology, etc. Carruthers and Boucher (1998 identify different criteria that would organize the diversity of positions about language and thought assumed in linguistics, philosophy and psychology. One of them is the constitution thesis (CT, which establishes that language is constitutively involved in thought. In this paper I would like to show some problems of CT in order to understand the relation between language and thought in cognitive science.

  4. The natural law in the thought of Jacques Maritain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel López-Casquete de Prado

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The importance of the work of the French author Jacques Maritain is beyond doubt. He was one of the initiators of the personalist movement, and had a decisive influence on the Catholic Social Thought from Populorum Progressio (1967; he also inspired the emergence of a large number of Christian-inspired parties. One of the biggest highlights of his career was the participation in the preparatory works of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sponsored by the UN in 1948. That occasion offered him an extraordinary opportunity to discuss and make living philosophy of his thesis on natural law. This paper offers a critical review of Maritains’s thinking on natural law and analyzes his participation in the UN Declaration, which guarantees the importance of his philosophical development.

  5. The Christianization as the strategy of resistance: the representation of indigenous Christians in the art of the sixteenth century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Luis Pérez Flores

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In this article I will discuss the importance for indigenous charged under Spanish rule, represent themselves as Christians. I will show that after the conquest was compelling acquire legitimacy as a devout Christian; for this native attended the images codices and monastic mural painting, I will relate the cultural and political contexts with information from written sources and visual sources contained in tlaxcaltecas codices and the convent wall painting.

  6. CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM IN FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY'S NOVEL "THE POSSESSED" ("DEMONS"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergei Leonidovich Sharakov

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The article raises a question of Christian symbolism in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Possessed (Demons. The introductory part identifies the purpose of a symbol in Christian poetics through the parallel with ancient symbolism. The author makes a conclusion that the functional role of a symbol in the ancient world and Christian tradition is different. Therefore, the ancient symbol involves a number of interrelated categories, such as fate, intuition or conjecture, inspiration, and predictions. Christian symbolism is based on the idea of redemption and moral innocence. Methodologically, the article is based on a cultural and historical approach, as well as on the comparative academic tradition. The overview of Dostoyevsky’s pre-materials for The Possessed (Demons enables us to suggest the use of Christian symbolism in this novel. Hence, the objective of the study is to investigate a composition of images and symbols in this piece of writing, with a special focus on the image of a chronicler since the storyline of the novel is developed through his perception. We make a supposition that there are several levels of Gospel perception in the artistic vision or consciousness of the chronicler, that form the basis of the symbolical composition of the novel. The article sequentially examines the examples of Christian symbolism, including the connection of ideas, characters and storylines of the novel with the Gospel. Then it gives evidence and reasons for the thesis that the Gospel gives the characters of the novel the grounds for shaping their destiny.

  7. Pastoral guidelines for unmarried Christians regarding pre-marital sex / Takalani Peter Mulovhedzi

    OpenAIRE

    Mulovhedzi, Takalani Peter

    2004-01-01

    The main problem which this study aims to address is; "How should Biblical views of sex be applied in the life of the unmarried Christians in the church of God?" In attempting to address this problem, the study will try to answer the following questions: - What are the Scriptural perspectives about Pre-marital sex? - What are the practical situations that unmarried Christians meet in their daily lives? - How can unmarried Christians be guided within Christian perspectives to abstain ...

  8. [Assistance and care of the sick in early Christianity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maritano, Mario

    2012-01-01

    Christianity presents a new vision of man (personalistic anthropology) and refers to the example and words of Jesus, highlighting the inseparable relationship between the love of God and the love of man. The article describes the assistance and care of the sick in the East and West in the early Christian centuries; the 'places of care'- nosokomia for the sicks, gerontokomia for the olders, brephotropia for abandoned children, orphanage structures; the managers of hospitals, ecclesistical dignitaries, lay personnel, monks, operators and employees. Christianity gave dignity to the sick and opportunity to serve humanity to the healthy.

  9. Christian Values in Vilhelm Kyukhelbekker's Early Prose

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fedoseeva T.V.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examines Vilhelm Kyukhelbekker's narrative prose of the first half of the 1820s. For the analysis we have chosen the most significant works of this period — his book of travel notes The Journey and the novel Ado. The study reveals the writer's attitude to Christianity and Christian values in his early period of work. In this research the axiological approach is used, as well as the methods of historical, typological, structural and semiotic study of literary texts. Studying The Journey, we performed a detailed analysis of the author's letters which describe the paintings by the artists of Flemish and Dutch schools, as well as German and Italian painters of the 17th and 18th centuries exhibited in the Dresden gallery. The writer prefers the paintings of biblical subjects to those of naturalistic everyday scenes. He pays special attention to the evangelical themes. He is attracted by Christ the child's divine nature and the heavenly purity, high humility of the Mother of God's image, and the fact that St. Sebastian is portrayed as joyfully suffering for Christ. Historical events of the novel Ado date back to the time of the Baltic peoples' forced Christianization by the Order of the Brothers of the Sword. Baltic peoples are trying to keep the faith of their ancestors and rebel against the cruel governor of the Order. The novel focuses particularly on one knight, Michael, who stood up for the oppressed and like Archangel Michael found himself on the cutting edge of Good and Evil. This character of the novel is connected with the idea of Christian sacrificial love and eternal spiritual life, which was very important for Kyukhelbekker. We concluded that even in his early prose Kyukhelbekker expressed the main spiritual and moral values of Christianity.

  10. CHRISTIAN VALUES IN VILHELM KYUKHELBEKKER'S EARLY PROSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Vasilyevna Fedoseeva

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This article examines Vilhelm Kyukhelbekker's narrative prose of the first half of the 1820s. For the analysis we have chosen the most significant works of this period — his book of travel notes The Journey and the novel Ado. The study reveals the writer's attitude to Christianity and Christian values in his early period of work. In this research the axiological approach is used, as well as the methods of historical, typological, structural and semiotic study of literary texts. Studying The Journey, we performed a detailed analysis of the author's letters which describe the paintings by the artists of Flemish and Dutch schools, as well as German and Italian painters of the 17th and 18th centuries exhibited in the Dresden gallery. The writer prefers the paintings of biblical subjects to those of naturalistic everyday scenes. He pays special attention to the evangelical themes. He is attracted by Christ the child's divine nature and the heavenly purity, high humility of the Mother of God's image, and the fact that St. Sebastian is portrayed as joyfully suffering for Christ. Historical events of the novel Ado date back to the time of the Baltic peoples' forced Christianization by the Order of the Brothers of the Sword. Baltic peoples are trying to keep the faith of their ancestors and rebel against the cruel governor of the Order. The novel focuses particularly on one knight, Michael, who stood up for the oppressed and like Archangel Michael found himself on the cutting edge of Good and Evil. This character of the novel is connected with the idea of Christian sacrificial love and eternal spiritual life, which was very important for Kyukhelbekker. We concluded that even in his early prose Kyukhelbekker expressed the main spiritual and moral values of Christianity.

  11. Forbidden fruit? A longitudinal study of Christianity, sex, and marriage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Willy

    2014-01-01

    Does religion still play a role in explorations of romance and sexuality among adolescents and young adults in a secular society such as Norway? Does it influence the type of living arrangements chosen? A population-based sample (n = 2,454) was followed longitudinally from their midteens to their late 20s using survey and register data. Christian involvement in teenage years was associated with subsequent less "precoital" exploration, less masturbation, delayed sexual intercourse, and a smaller number of sex partners. However, there were no associations with prevalence of same-sex experiences. Christians also postponed initiating romantic relationships and chose marriage over cohabitation. Associations were reduced after controlling for confounding factors but remained significant. Some associations (for example, the form of residential union chosen) were present only in the most "active" Christians. In other areas, such as "precoital explorations" and the age at which intercourse is initiated, Christian norms seem to play a role in much broader segments of the population. The findings indicate that Christianity may continue to influence young Norwegians' experiences of sexuality and cohabitation more than has been expected.

  12. A Multi-Disciplinary Inquiry of Secular and Christian Approaches to Sex Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Chong Ho; Lee, Hyun Seo

    2018-01-01

    Secular scholars have criticized Christian education and counseling on sex as restrictive, ineffective, and outdated. The authors of the current study explored both common non-Christian and Christian approaches to human sexuality with reference to overarching domains of religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Secular…

  13. Can Christians really make a difference? A response to the call for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Christianity changed the world for the better through the development of education, charity organisations, art, music, law and medical care among others. However, not all changes initiated by Christianity were positive. The Christian religion was also responsible for division, death, destruction and war. Focusing on the ...

  14. Pastoral power in HIV prevention: Converging rationalities of care in Christian and medical practices in Papua New Guinea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, P; Worth, H; Travaglia, J; Kelly-Hanku, A

    2017-11-01

    In his conceptualisation of pastoral power, Michel Foucault argues that modern healthcare practices derive a specific power technique from pastors of the early Christian church. As experts in a position of authority, pastors practise the care of others through implicitly guiding them towards thoughts and actions that effect self-care, and towards a predefined realm of acceptable conduct, thus having a regulatory effect. This qualitative study of healthcare workers from two Christian faith-based organisations in Papua New Guinea examines the pastoral rationalities of HIV prevention practices which draw together globally circulated modern medical knowledge and Christian teachings in sexual morality for implicit social regulation. Community-based HIV awareness education, voluntary counselling and testing services, mobile outreach, and economic empowerment programs are standardised by promoting behavioural choice and individual responsibility for health. Through pastoral rationalities of care, healthcare practices become part of the social production of negative differences, and condemn those who become ill due to perceived immorality. This emphasis assumes that all individuals are equal in their ability to make behavioural choices, and downplays social inequality and structural drivers of HIV risk that are outside individual control. Given healthcare workers' recognition of the structural drivers of HIV, yet the lack of language and practical strategies to address these issues, political commitment is needed to enhance structural competency among HIV prevention programs and healthcare workers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The Fluid Mechanics of the Bible: Miracles Explainable by Christian Science?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Amy

    2015-11-01

    The Bible is full of accounts clearly in violation of our scientific understanding of fluid mechanics. Examples include the floating axe head, Jesus walking on the water and immediately calming a storm. ``Jesus of Nazareth was the most scientific man that ever trod the globe. He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause,'' wrote Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), the founder of a now well-established religion known as Christian Science, in her seminal work Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures. She asserted that Jesus' miracles were in accord with the, ``Science of God's unchangeable law.'' She also proclaimed that matter is a derivative of consciousness. Independently with the discovery of quantum mechanics, physicists such as Max Planck and Sir James Jeans began to make similar statements (``The Mental Universe'', Nature, 2005). More recently, Max Tegmark (MIT) theorized that consciousness is a state of matter (New Scientist, April 2014). Using a paradigm shift from matter to consciousness as the primary substance, one can scientifically explain how a mental activity (i.e. prayer) could influence the physical. Since this conference is next door to the original church of Christian Science (Const. 1894), this talk will discuss various fluid-mechanic miracles in the Bible and provide an explanation based on divine metaphysics while providing an overview of scientific Christianity and its unifying influence to the fields of science, theology and medicine.

  16. Global Learning and Development as an Engagement Strategy for Christian Higher Education: A Macro Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decker, Allyn; Hawkins, Greg

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to better understand the variety of student and faculty global learning and development programs by member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), and what motivated the creation of these types of programs. Although various forms of global engagement programming were examined,…

  17. The 4th R: Encountering Conservative Christianity in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett-Fox, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    This article examines how scripts that circulate among culturally and theologically conservative Christian students, whether they are categorized as "born again," "Religious Right," "Christian Right," "nondenominational," "evangelical," or "fundamental," aim to prime students for the…

  18. Mobile Christian - shuttle flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    Erin Whittle, 14, (seated) and Brianna Johnson, 14, look on as Louis Stork, 13, attempts a simulated landing of a space shuttle at StenniSphere. The young people were part of a group from Mobile Christian School in Mobile, Ala., that visited StenniSphere on April 21.

  19. Does the thought count? Gratitude understanding in elementary school students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poelker, Katelyn E; Kuebli, Janet E

    2014-01-01

    Gratitude, although studied throughout history by scholars from diverse backgrounds, has been largely understudied in psychology until recently. The psychological literature on gratitude is expanding, but it is still particularly limited with children. The authors compared younger (first- and second-grade students; n = 30) and older (fourth- and fifth-grade students; n = 27) children on gratitude-related ratings surrounding gift giving vignettes that included either a desirable (e.g., a birthday cupcake) or an undesirable (e.g., a melted ice cream cone) gift. Empathy was also measured. Hierarchical regressions revealed different patterns of predictors for desirable and undesirable gifts. For desirable gifts, liking significantly predicted gratitude and liking predicted effort. For undesirable gifts, older children and those who perceived the target as liking the gift more predicted higher gratitude ratings. Finally, higher gratitude rating predicted both higher ratings of giver effort (i.e., intention or how hard did the giver try to give a nice gift) and liking of the undesirable gifts. More research on children's understanding of gratitude is needed but these results suggest that school-aged children take into account givers' intentions and thoughts behind gift giving in determining feelings of gratitude. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

  20. A Spectrum Pedagogy for Christian Ethics: Respecting Difference without Resorting to Relativism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heim, Joel J.; Scovill, Nelia Beth

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents an overview of a newly developed spectrum pedagogy of Christian ethics that emerged from the authors' experience of teaching a contemporary Christian ethics course for seven years. A spectrum pedagogy is a comprehensive approach to teaching Christian ethics that combines the modeling of key dispositions using specific tools…

  1. How semantic deficits in schizotypy help understand language and thought disorders in schizophrenia: a systematic and integrative review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélio Anderson Tonelli

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Disorders of thought are psychopathological phenomena commonly present in schizophrenia and seem to result from deficits of semantic processing. Schizotypal personality traits consist of tendencies to think and behave that are qualitatively similar to schizophrenia, with greater vulnerability to such disorder. This study reviewed the literature about semantic processing deficits in samples of individuals with schizotypal traits and discussed the impact of current knowledge upon the comprehension of schizophrenic thought disorders. Studies about the cognitive performance of healthy individuals with schizotypal traits help understand the semantic deficits underlying psychotic thought disorders with the advantage of avoiding confounding factors usually found in samples of individuals with schizophrenia, such as the use of antipsychotics and hospitalizations. Methods: A search for articles published in Portuguese or English within the last 10 years on the databases MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycInfo, LILACS and Biological Abstracts was conducted, using the keywords semantic processing, schizotypy and schizotypal personality disorder. Results: The search retrieved 44 manuscripts, out of which 11 were firstly chosen. Seven manuscripts were additionally included after reading these papers. Conclusion: The great majority of the included studies showed that schizotypal subjects might exhibit semantic processing deficits. They help clarify about the interfaces between cognitive, neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms underlying not only thought disorders, but also healthy human mind's creativity.

  2. From Contextual Theology to African Christianity: The Consideration of Adiaphora from a South African Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel Mokhoathi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The move towards contextual Christianity in Africa is an essential venture if Christianity is to communicate with the African cultural heritage. As a universal religion, Christianity has to find an expression within the cultural context. However, the contextualization of Christianity in Africa appears to have permitted the practice of syncretism. It has resulted in the emergence of African Christianity, which is the amalgamation of Christianity and African Traditional Religion. The amalgamation of Christianity and African Traditional Religion appears to overlook the essence of both religions as there is currently no clarity on how Christianity can best be expressed within the African cultural and religious heritage. This paper employs the document review method to explore the things that fall in between—“adiaphora”, which the proponents of contextual Christianity may have overlooked with regard to the African cultural and religious heritage. These include the pragmatic nature of the African cultural and religious heritage, and the African traditional methods of healing.

  3. Highly-Valued Reasons Muslim Caregivers Choose Evangelical Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rumbaugh, Andrew E.

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated what were the most highly-valued reasons among Muslim caregivers for sending their children to Lebanese evangelical Christian schools. Muslim caregivers (N = 1,403) from four Lebanese evangelical Christian schools responded to determine what were the most highly-valued reasons for sending their children to an evangelical…

  4. Revisiting a Christian View of the Common Good for Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guthrie, David S.

    2018-01-01

    Charles Gutenson's convicting words motivated me to attempt this essay. He writes: "If we are to engage in serious dialogue about the relationship between Christian faith and our [public] commitments, we must invest more energy in bringing Scripture to bear on them" (2011, p. 9). The common good seems a common conversation these days. To…

  5. Teaching the History of Christianity: Critical Themes and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killen, Patricia O'Connell; Duntley, Madeline; Furey, Constance; Gilpin, W. Clark; Six-Means, Horace E.

    2009-01-01

    At the November 2008 meeting of the American Academy of Religion, the History of Christianity section sponsored a panel around the question: "What are the key challenges, opportunities, and goals in the History of Christianity classroom today and how best should teachers respond to them?" Beginning with brief sketches of institutional context and…

  6. Christian Ackermanni töökoda / Tiina-Mall Kreem

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kreem, Tiina-Mall

    2005-01-01

    Puunikerdajast ja skulptorist Christian Ackermannist, kes saabus Tallinna 1670. aastate algul, töötas Elert Thiele töökojas, abiellus E. Thiele lesega ja omandas Thiele töökoja, töötas vaba meistrina. Christian Ackermanni lomingust (kantslid, altariseinad, siseportaalid, ktutsifiksid, epitaafid, vappepitaafid), acermannlikust stiilist. Bilbiograafia lk. 457

  7. The Maccabean Martyrs as Models in Early Christian Writings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Henten, J.W.; Wertheim, D.J.

    2017-01-01

    The Maccabean martyrs were tortured to death during a persecution by the Greek king Antiochus IV (175–164 BCE). Christian authors were familiar with these Jewish martyrdoms reported in Second Maccabees 6:18–7:42 and Four Maccabees 5–18. They reinterpreted these martyrs as models for Christians. This

  8. A Stage Approach to Career Counseling with Christian Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Rosemarie Scotti; Brame, Cynthia M.; Vaughn, Lee Anne; Ward, Lisbet

    1998-01-01

    Many working married women in the U.S. are in occupations that are below their potential or are not personally satisfying. Christian women may be particularly vulnerable to role dissatisfaction. Offers a stage model for assessment of Christian women with symptoms of depression in hopes of addressing issues of role satisfaction and lessening…

  9. Christian Education, White Supremacy, and Humility in Formational Agendas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turpin, Katherine

    2017-01-01

    Christian education served as a tool of White supremacy that played a central role in the devastation of millions of human lives throughout the colonial era of Western expansion. An adequate account of how Christian education paired with colonial imperatives helps to identify where the legacy of White supremacy and imperial domination lives on in…

  10. A look at Refutations of Christianity in Azarbayjan Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    hasan aminifar

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon of writing refutation against the two religions of Islam and Christianity has a history as long as the time when they first fought against each other. In recent years, the companionship of Christian missioners with colonialism and their increasing preaching activities, have caused the Muslim scholars to reflect strongly against them. This phenomenon has had a special manifest in Iran since Qajar dynasty (150 years ago and led to the creation of many works written by Muslim theologians against missionary activities of Christianity. From among different Iranian regions where such works were emerged, Azarbayjan can be specifically named as an active area in which the writing of refuting works was more common than other areas in Iran. Azarbayjan in its current situation is an area including a vast region of north-western part of Iran and the countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia. In this article the biography and the works of some Muslim scholars who were active against Christianity such as Muḥammd Ṣādiq Fakhr al-Islām, Ḥāj MῙrzā Najaf'alῙ Dānish TabrῙzῙ, Yūsuf Mujtahid TabrῙzῙ, Ghulāmḥuseyn TūtūnchῙ Ṣarāf TabrῙzῙ, Ḥuseyn ḤuseinῙ famous as RūmῙ MiyānduābῙ, IsmāῙl QaribāghῙ, Sayyed Ḥuseyn 'Arab BāghῙ and 'AlῙ Isḥāq KhūῙ, have been introduced. A total of 14 works written by these 8 scholars have been introduced in this article. It should be noticed that the creation of such works in this region did not occur in a vacuum, rather various elements and factors were involved to reach such status which will be mentioned in the following: - Christian Missioners from the Safavid Dynasty extensively had an offensive approach toward Islam due to the strategy of the Safavid-West :::::::::union::::::::: against Ottoman Government. This was highlighted during the time of Qajar because of great importance of Iran in international politics at that time. This led to the activity of the

  11. Ethical issues in radiology: Perspectives from the Christian tradition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hogan, L.

    2009-01-01

    The Christian ethical tradition introduces a number of key values into the clinical context. Moreover, although some denominational differences exist, these are essentially differences of emphasis rather than of substance. Among the central values which the Christian tradition promotes are: the dignity of the person, the individual as embodied spirit and the importance of the common good. Within the evolving discourse, social justice considerations have come to the fore as a critical concern within bio-ethics. In radiology, like most fields of clinical practice, practitioners frequently encounter conflicts and tensions of an ethical nature. Moreover, the manner in which these conflicts are articulated, conceptualised and ultimately resolved will depend, not only on how the scientific data are analysed and interpreted, but also on how different ethical frameworks are invoked in these disputes. The concern in this brief paper is to discuss the Christian ethical tradition as it is expressed in Roman Catholic and 'Protestant' denominations in the western church, considering the values and norms that underlie Christian ethical engagements with applied questions. (authors)

  12. Heroism in three Old English poems: A Christian approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Woeber

    1995-03-01

    Full Text Available It has been contended that the value system and terminology of Old English heroic poetry were not suitable vehicles for the later religious poetry, that their Germanic garb ill-fitted the Christian poems. This view, however, does not take cognisance of the the fact that there exists a Christian heroism in its own right. Only Christian scholarship can fully account for this phenomenon and show how the subject matter of this poetry is consonant with the heroic diction and formulae in which it is couched. Three Old English poems dealing with aspects of Christ’ saving ministry will be examined to show that Christ is depicted as a hero bringing victory through suffering in God’s plan of salvation, rather than as a heroic warrior as he is usually regarded, fighting in the armour of the Germanic hero. A close study of these poems shows that the authors understood Christian heroism to mean more than brave battling on the side of God; rather, it is complete submission to the will of God.

  13. Gilson o racjonalności wiary chrześcijańskiej / Gilson on the Rationality of Christian Belief

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Curtis L. Hancock

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The underlying skepticism of ancient Greek culture made it unreceptive of philosophy. It was the Catholic Church that embraced philosophy. Still, Étienne Gilson reminds us in Reason and Revelation in the Middle Ages that some early Christians rejected philosophy. Their rejection was based on fideism: the view that faith alone provides knowledge. Philosophy is unnecessary and dangerous, fideists argue, because (1 anything known by reason can be better known by faith, and (2 reason, on account of the sin of pride, seeks to replace faith. To support this twofold claim, fideists, like Tertullian and Tatian, quote St. Paul. However, a judicious interpretation of St. Paul’s remarks shows that he does not object to philosophy per se but to erroneous philosophy. This interpretation is reinforced by St. Paul’s own background in philosophy and by his willingness to engage intellectuals critical of Christianity in the public square. The challenge of fideism brings up the interesting question: what would Jesus himself say about the discipline of philosophy? Could it be that Jesus himself was a philosopher (as George Bush once declared? As the fullness of wisdom and intelligence, Jesus certainly understood philosophy, although not in the conventional sense. But surely, interpreting his life through the lens of fideism is unconvincing. Instead, an appreciation of his innate philosophical skills serves better to understand important elements of his mission. His perfect grasp of how grace perfects nature includes a philosophy of the human person. This philosophy grounded in common-sense analysis of human experience enables Jesus to be a profound moral philosopher. Specifically, he is able to explain the principles of personal actualization. Relying on ordinary experience, where good philosophy must start, he narrates moral lessons—parables—that illumine difficulties regarding moral responsibility and virtue. These parables are accessible but profound

  14. The psychiatrist, the historian and The Christian Watt Papers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beveridge, Allan; Watson, Fiona

    2006-06-01

    The publication in the 1980s of The Christian Watt Papers brought to public attention the life of a previously unknown, long-term inmate of the Aberdeen Royal Asylum. Christian Watt's story inspired a play and a television documentary. This paper examines what the historical records reveal about Watt's life and how this compares with her own account.

  15. The prodigal son: some psychological aspects of Augustine's conversion to Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nauta, Rein

    2008-03-01

    Augustine's conversion is considered exemplary for its Christian testimony. However, the psychological aspects are also relevant, for Augustine's conversion to Christianity was as much inspired by personal and cultural ambitions as by religious convictions. For Augustine, the conversion to the Christian faith spelled a life of asceticism--a life of celibacy, a virtuous and chaste existence, which also offered him a means of escape from the threatening ambiguity of parental relations and a chance to realize the cultural ideal of the civilized philosopher who has subjugated the passions of the flesh. In this paper we explore the psychological dynamics of the absent father, the suffering mother and the prodigal son and the role they played in Augustine's conversion to Christianity.

  16. Dechrisitianity of modern society and christian pedagogical work

    OpenAIRE

    Trifunović, Vesna S.

    2015-01-01

    The process of dechristioanitianisation of modern societies has gone far away, particularly of societies of Western cultural circle, which have appeared and developed on Christian tradition and have strong influence on the concepts and perspectives of education. In the new paradigm of education which frames so-called a unique European area, Christian values are repressed, and the central place belongs to the economic ones. Knowledge has value, its transmission and adoption is collected in the...

  17. Reimagining Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulme, E. Eileen; Groom, David E., Jr.; Heltzel, Joseph M.

    2016-01-01

    The challenges facing higher education continue to mount. The shifting of the U.S. ethnic and racial demographics, the proliferation of advanced digital technologies and data, and the move from traditional degrees to continuous learning platforms have created an unstable environment to which Christian higher education must adapt in order to remain…

  18. ETHIOPIANISM AND SOCIAL ECUMENISM: CHRISTIAN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kanayo

    liturgy, and create a Christian nation because for them, the European Church is not .... to establish or strengthen their sovereignty by placing Church bureaucracy ..... analysis, it can be argued that Ethiopianism did not only sowed the seed for.

  19. christian prisoners: fifth and sixth century inscriptions from corinth1

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    instances, there is material from the fifth or sixth centuries. By this time, the majority of ... as Christian on the basis of crosses as well as specific Christian names ... Even when a petition to be rescued or ransomed is not expressed directly, it is ...

  20. Like a Prophet - On Christian Interpretations of a Madonna Video

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Häger

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available Throughout the history of Christianity, its relationship to art has been a complicated one, concerning the use of art in worship as well as the views on "secular" art. This article deals with a current example of the latter. More specifically, the article examines some examples of Christian views on popular music. The best-known reactions to pop and rock music' by Christians are likely to be negative ones, probably because these are usually the most loudly declared. But there is also another aspect to the Christian discourse on popular music. Some Christians try to emphasise what is perceived as a positive message in "secular" rock music. This part of the debate is the main concern in this paper.The examples used deal with one of the most controversial pop artists, Madonna, and one of her most discussed works, the video `Like a Prayer'. Madonna Louise Ciccone, born 1958, has been one of the most successful, most imitated and certainly most talked about popular artists of the past decade. She has — at least to a certain degree quite consciously — stirred up controversy with several of her videos. Raised a Catholic, her use of religious themes and images is one aspect that has caught special attention.

  1. Glocalization and the Marketing of Christianity in Early Modern Southeast Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Watson Andaya

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The expansion of European commercial interests into Southeast Asia during the early modern period was commonly justified by the biblical injunction to spread Christian teachings, and by the “civilizing” influences it was said to foster. In focusing on areas where Christianity gained a foothold or, in the Philippines and Timor Leste, became the dominant faith, this article invokes the marketing concept of “glocalization”, frequently applied to the sociology of religion. It argues that the historical beginnings of the processes associated with the global/local interface of Christianity are situated in the sixteenth century, when Europe, Asia and the Americas were finally linked through maritime connections. Christian missionizing was undertaken with the assumption that the European-based “brand” of beliefs and practices could be successfully transported to a very different environment. However, the application of these ideas was complicated by the goal of imposing European economic control, by the local resistance thus generated, and by competition with other religions and among Christians themselves. In this often antagonistic environment, the degree to which a global product could be “repackaged” and “glocalized” so that it was appealing to consumers in different cultural environments was always constrained, even among the most sympathetic purveyors. As a result, the glocalization of Christianity set up “power-laden tensions” which both global institutions and dispersed consumers continue to negotiate.

  2. Political Christianity in Renaissance Drama

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Joulan, Nayef Ali

    2017-01-01

    Examining the following selected Renaissance dramas: Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta" (1585), Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" (1596), Massinger's "The Renegado" (1624), Daborne's "A Christian Turn'd Turk" (1612), and Goffe's "The Raging Turk" (1656), this research investigates Renaissance…

  3. A Harvest of Humility: Agrarian Practice and Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groppe, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Humility, the keystone of the virtues in the Christian spiritual tradition, has been dismissed by modern philosophers, critiqued by feminist theologians, and overpowered by our industrial and technological culture. The incorporation of agricultural experience in Christian higher education presents the opportunity to cultivate anew the virtue of…

  4. Empowering Teachers: The Influence of Transformational Leadership in Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirika, John Irungu

    2011-01-01

    The object of this study was to investigate transformational leadership in Christian schools. The study investigated the perception of empowerment of K-12 Christian school teachers and its influence on organizational and professional commitment and job satisfaction. It explored correlations between teacher empowerment and selected demographic…

  5. Personality and attitude toward Christianity among churchgoers: a replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Emyr; Francis, Leslie J

    2006-08-01

    A sample of 158 churchgoers attending eight Anglican churches in the United Kingdom completed the abbreviated Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire together with the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity to replicate a 1996 study by Carter, Kay, and Francis. Data confirm that scores on Attitude toward Christianity were significantly negatively related to Psychoticism, but to neither Extraversion nor Neuroticism scores.

  6. Religiousness and Psychological Distress in Jewish and Christian Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGowan, Joseph C; Midlarsky, Elizabeth; Morin, Ruth T; Graber, Liat S

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the authors explore how the association between religiousness and psychological distress varies by religious affiliation. Prior work has shown that the association between religious belief and psychological distress is stronger for Christians than Jews, while religious activity is associated with lower psychological distress for both groups. Interviews were conducted using a community sample of 143 Christian and Jewish older adults, ages 65 and over. Quantitative measures were used to assess levels of organizational and intrinsic religiosity, as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Christians who are highly involved in the organizational aspects of their religion report fewer depressive symptoms than Jews who have high levels of organizational religiosity, and the opposite is the case at lower levels of organizational religiosity. No significant group differences were found in the relationship between religiousness and anxiety. The results of this study indicate a difference between Jews and Christians in the reasons that they turn to their respective religious services, particularly in late life.

  7. Mission Statements of Christian Elementary Schools in the United States and the Netherlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zandstra, Anne M.

    2012-01-01

    This study compares the mission statements of a small sample of Christian elementary schools in the United States and the Netherlands. In the United States, Christian schools are private schools, while in the Netherlands Christian schools receive state funding, just like public schools. Content analysis of mission statements revealed similarities…

  8. The Functions of Theology to Christian Tradition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghasem Kakaie

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The term Theology has various definitions and meanings in the Christian tradition. In this article, after discussing these definitions and meanings we have tried to illuminate the extended functions of theology in Christianity and we have also explained the meaning of this term which has been entered to our literature by means of translation from European languages into Persian. In this connection, the history of the term, "theology", is discussed rapidly and then some main branches of theology explained according to its functions. Finally, we have concentrated on some equivalents of "theology" in Persian language.

  9. Paranoia and Christianity in Maurice Dantec’s Crime Fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Louis Hippolyte

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Maurice Dantec is “a prophet, a mystic, a Christian soldier, Zionist and pro-American, anti-secular and militantly counter-revolutionary. In short, the last scandal of French literature,” according to his editor David Kersan. Dantec’s brand of punk neo-Christian literary activism may feel somehow out of place in a literary milieu still beholden to the existentialism of Sartre and the revolutionary ethos of the 1960s. But Dantec’s “disgust” (of Old Europe, the creeping menace of Islam and the rampant march of secularization bears witness to a larger malaise. Along with Michel Houellebecq and Peter Sloterdijk, he testifies to the opening of a new chapter in the culture wars, to the rise of a new group of “écrivains maudits” who have decided to vehemently question postmodern nihilism and economic globalization. Finally, Dantec’s fiction makes a case for the need for faith in a Godless world. This essay is concerned with Dantec’s paranoid politics as they appear in his fiction, and most notably in his latest Christian futuristic trilogy. It is also concerned with the relevance of conservative Christian dogma in his work, both formally and rhetorically.

  10. The Birth and Death of Tragedy in Nietzsche's thought

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S TA

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the most influential and thoughtful philosopher in the 19th century, in an attempt to reassess values, finds himself in confrontation with accepted ideas of the modern world. Therefore, in his critical review, in order to reform and revive the modern civilization and culture, he writes his first book, i.e. The Birth of Tragedy. His various intentions in this book are as following: a cultural concerns and saving the culture of his age from nihilism and the danger of falling apart, b reassessing values, c showing the opposition of Christianity and conceptual philosophy of Socrates with the nature of life, Dionysus element as well as the desire to live, d aesthetic interpretation of living and being and e viewing life from the perspective of art. Nietzsche considers the last two cases as the special features of Greek's tragic art and praises Greek's tragic age for such perspective. He admires ancient Greeks as well as their culture and thought because they are the creators of tragic art and through such creation as well as by considering Dionysus element they accepted life with all of its good and bad aspects. Nietzsche discusses two fundamental concepts of birth and death of tragedy as well. However, he views the birth and death of tragedy in two different ways a in a particular age, Greek tragedy emerged from Greek culture and became an influential factor in the development of that nation’s culture but died later on, b Nietzsche's hope in the re-emergence of Greek tragic art in the modern world lies in Wagner's music which died, too. In his view, the factors behind the death of tragedy are as following: the Socrates' conceptual philosophy and Euripides' plays, Christianity and ethicality as well as modern dialectic and Wagner himself. This article, first, tries to study Nietzsche’s important intentions in writing The Birth of Tragedy and explain such birth in the first sense emphasizing the interpretation of

  11. On the origins of endogenous thoughts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillas, Alexandros

    2017-05-01

    Endogenous thoughts are thoughts that we activate in a top-down manner or in the absence of the appropriate stimuli. We use endogenous thoughts to plan or recall past events. In this sense, endogenous thinking is one of the hallmarks of our cognitive lives. In this paper, I investigate how it is that we come to possess endogenous control over our thoughts. Starting from the close relation between language and thinking, I look into speech production-a process motorically controlled by the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Interestingly, IFG is also closely related to silent talking, as well as volition. The connection between IFG and volition is important given that endogenous thoughts are or at least greatly resemble voluntary actions. Against this background, I argue that IFG is key to understanding the origins of conscious endogenous thoughts. Furthermore, I look into goal-directed thinking and show that IFG plays a key role also in unconscious endogenous thinking.

  12. [Healthcare and Christianity, the human person at the heart of God's concerns].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onfray, Jean-Marie

    2015-10-01

    French society is still influenced by its Christian traditions and many patients are attached to this aspect. It is therefore important to clarify the reference framework put forward by the Christian religion when dealing with the notions of health, illness and care in this context. The human person, with his/her strengths and weaknesses, is at the heart of Christian reflections. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Enemies within: Christian Extremism, a Threat to the Homeland

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-10

    promotes fear of Muslim radical groups that perpetuate violence in the name of religion , while ignoring the threat Christian extremism poses on...those within the homeland that threaten the very liberty and freedom intended by the founding fathers for all Americans. This thesis and many more...the safety and freedom of Americans are protected. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Christian Extremism 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF

  14. Christianity in Northern Nigeria from 1841-2012: A Church under ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The persecution has caused many Christians in the north especially those Igbo settlers from the southeast to be widowers, widows, childless, orphans, loss of lives, property, family extinction and set backs for the growth of Christianity in the north. The method of approach is historical with the review of relevant literature.

  15. Applying Diversity Management Principles to Institutions of Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fubara, Edward I.; Gardner, Matthew T.; Wolff, Jordan S.

    2011-01-01

    For a variety of reasons many Christian higher education institutions struggle to embrace issues of diversity. This paper explores some of the challenges facing Christian higher education institutions when it comes to embracing diversity, particularly in the area of employment. It begins with a discussion of basic diversity/diversity management…

  16. Attitudes toward epilepsy and perceptions of epilepsy-related stigma in Korean evangelical Christians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang-Ahm; Choi, Eun-Ju; Jeon, Ji-Ye; Paek, Joon-Hyun

    2017-09-01

    The scriptural description of Jesus driving out an evil spirit from a boy with epilepsy supported the idea of the spiritual nature of epilepsy for centuries. Korea has a shorter history of Christianity than the Western world. We determined whether there are differences in attitudes toward epilepsy and perception of epilepsy-related stigma between people with and without belief in evangelical Christianity in Korea. Data were collected from evangelical churches and theological colleges. People without religious beliefs were enrolled as a control group through convenience sampling. The Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale and the modified Stigma Scale for epilepsy were used. Familiarity with and knowledge of epilepsy were also assessed. Evangelical Christians were categorized as professional or nonprofessional depending on whether they had received professional education in Christian theology. A total of 227 evangelical Christians and 139 controls were included. The scores on the Stigma Scale and in the two PATE domains were significantly lower in the professional Christian group than in the controls or the nonprofessional group (pKorea. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Intentional Peer-Mentoring Programs in Christian Schools: An Exploratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campolongo, Edward D.

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated what Christian schools were doing with peer-mentoring programs. A total of 344 secondary schools accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) received a 19-question electronic survey that focused on the specifics of their peer-mentoring programs. A total of 80 schools responded, with 55% reporting…

  18. Christianity and Resilience as Experienced by Caregivers of Dementia Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lackey, Steven L.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the role and relationship of the practice of Christian beliefs and resilience in the context of dementia patient caregivers' lives. The guiding question was "What is the relational nature of the practice of Christian beliefs and resilience in the lived experiences of caregivers of dementia…

  19. Online Religious Advertising: The Case of Australian Christian Youth Festivals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teusner, Paul Emerson

    2014-01-01

    This chapter explores the changing nature of Christian denominational discourse in an Australian context as informed by Internet technologies. It will take as its case study three Internet sites developed and published for the promotion of three separate Christian youth festivals held in Australia between July 2008 and January 2009, undertaking a…

  20. Sacrifice in Early Christianity : The Social Dimension of a Metaphor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rouwhorst, Gerard; Duyndam, Joachim; Korte, Anne-Marie; Poorthuis, Marcel

    2016-01-01

    In Early Christianity the term 'sacrifice' was understood in a metaphorical way. The key to this metaphorical was to be found in the life and the death of Jesus Christ which which was interpreted as a self-offering and, for its part, constituted the model of the Christian way of life. Although this

  1. The contribution of deontological Christian ethics to the contemporary human rights discourse

    OpenAIRE

    J. M. Vorster

    2009-01-01

    This article examines the possible role of a Christian deontological ethics in the contemporary human rights debate. It concludes that a Christian deontological ethics in the Reformed tradition can be positively engaged in the human rights debate when Biblical theological topics are transposed into moral directives applicable to the current human rights concerns, such as religious extremism, femicide, ideologies of intolerance and ecocide. As an example of the applicability of a Christian deo...

  2. The identity and witness of Arab pre-Islamic Arab Christianity: The Arabic language and the Bible

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David D. Grafton

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This article argues that Arab Christianity has had a unique place in the history of World Christianity. Rooted in a biblical witness, the origins and history of Arab Christianity have been largely forgotten or ignored. This is not primarily as a result of the fact that the Arab Christian historical legacy has been overcome by Islam. Rather, unlike other early Christian communities, the Bible was never translated into the vernacular of the Arabs. By the 7th century the language of the Qur’an became the primary standard of the Arabic language, which then became the written religious text of the Arabs. This article will explore the identity and witness of the Christian presence in Arabia and claims that the development of an Arabic Bible provides a unique counter-example to what most missiologists have assumed as the basis for the spread of the Christian faith as a result of the translation of the Christian scriptures into a vernacular.

  3. Christianity and Resistance in the 20th Century

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    How is the Christian supposed to act when his or her government misbehaves? Should one suffer and obey the authority, or should one render resistance; and if so, should it be passive or active; and if active, should it be violent or not?......How is the Christian supposed to act when his or her government misbehaves? Should one suffer and obey the authority, or should one render resistance; and if so, should it be passive or active; and if active, should it be violent or not?...

  4. A Christian identity for the liberal state?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joppke, Christian

    2013-12-01

    It seems to be impossible for the liberal state to embrace a Christian identity, because 'liberalism' is exactly a device for separating state and religion. Discussing the implications of a recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights, Lautsi v. Italy (2011), I argue that this is not necessarily so. If paired with a liberal commitment to pluralism, a Christian identity might even be more inclusive of minority religions than a narrowly 'liberal' state identity, which has been the dominant response in Western Europe to the challenge of immigrant diversity, especially that of Muslim origins. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2013.

  5. A critical assessment of Bediako’s incarnational Christological model as a response to the foreignness of Christ in African Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond Potgieter

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Some African Christians continue to rely on traditional spiritual powers as a means of addressing their spiritual insecurity. In their perception Christ is regarded as being foreign to African spirituality and treated accordingly with the gospel seen as a predominantly western phenomenon. This raises the question regarding their understanding of Christ’s incarnation. This article critically analyses the ancestral incarnational Christological model of Bediako as a response to the foreignness of Christ in African Christianity. Bediako’s ancestral incarnational Christological model is his enterprise of deforeignising Christ in African Christianity by treating Christ under the African traditional ancestral category. This article demonstrates various theological aspects (i.e. the uncompounded divine-human nature of Christ in the one eternal person of the Son of God that Bediako brings together in order to configure his ancestral incarnational Christological framework in deforeignising Christ. In breaking away from Bediako’s ancestral incarnational Christological perspective, the article concludes by identifying the weaknesses associated with the proposed concept of Bediako, and then suggests that there is a need for an alternative biblical-theological model that best describes Christ’s complete identification with African Christians. This is done without diminishing the actuality of Christ as God incarnate, or encouraging syncretism in African Christianity, or reducing the validity of African contextual needs.

  6. Christian Responses to Modern Slavery

    OpenAIRE

    Reaves, Jayme

    2007-01-01

    Exhibited at the second Glucksman Memorial Symposium on June 13th 2007 This research project explores the theological and ethical issues around modern slavery and movements to abolish it. Topics include: human trafficking; human rights; racism; theological language and doctrines; Christian ethics, values and social practice.

  7. Immortality in the Christian Physicalistic Theology: A Critical Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan Ahmadizade

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Physicalistic Theology is a term that has no exact definition in theologian views. In the 20th century some of Christian thinkers on theology, like Nancy Murphy and Peter van Inwagen, by accepting a Physicalistic approach on human being, tried to analyze the Christian beliefs about human identity and his immortality. This approach today is called Physicalistic Theology. According to this approach, human is not but this physical body itself and so we can simply analyze the immortality problem. In this article we try to by an analytic and descriptive method, analyze the immortality of human according to the view of Physicalistic Theology. We will analyze the most important reasoning of Physicalistic Theology that is: no-interaction between the material and the immaterial, interaction between the person and the body, and the physicalism in Christian beliefs. One of the conclusions of this article is that according to Physicalistic view, the person that at some time has not been in the world, must exists any time to destroyed forever because the Christians believe to things that cannot justify rationally. The problem of immortality is one of these matters. Physicalistic Theology try to prove the immortality based on the miracles and the absolute power of God.

  8. De religione: How Christianity Became a Religion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denisa Červenková

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Following the findings of contemporary theological and religious studies research, the present interdisciplinary study attempts to trace the process of adopting the originally Roman category of “religion” for referring to Christianity. The text notes, in particular, the socio-political role of religio in classical culture and the transformations that the relationship of the society of classical antiquity and the Christian community went through in the first centuries AD, especially the first Christian attempts at communication with the late classical Latin culture and the administrative structures of the Roman Empire. The adaptation of the category is traced back to Tertullian, whose conception appears to have fundamentally influenced later generations of Christians; the second part of the study therefore devotes considerable attention to his works. It is here that justified use of the category of “religion” in connection with the Christian tradition is first encountered, as an expression encompassing the doctrinal and philosophical, as well as ethical and liturgical aspects of Christianity. Analysis of the text of Tertullian’s Apologeticum shows how the apologetic literature of the second century AD conveys the Christian message in an exemplary and highly elaborate form, which serves the dual purpose of providing an adequate definition of the Christian religious identity and preserving it, as well as making it available to recipients of diverse contemporary cultural environments. De religione: Jak se křesťanství stalo náboženstvím Předkládaná interdisciplinární studie se v návaznosti na poznatky současného teologického a religionistického bádání snaží vystopovat proces převzetí původně římské kategorie „náboženství“ pro označení křesťanství. V textu se připomíná zejm. sociopolitická role religio v antické kultuře a proměny, jimiž procházel vztah antické společnosti a k

  9. The Christian Schools Campaign: What Were Its Long-Term Consequences?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Sylvia

    2009-01-01

    This article looks at the long-term consequences of a political campaign that was influential in Britain between 1988 and 1992, the Christian Schools Campaign. The campaign was a response to the need for funding of a group of small independent Christian schools. The article brings up to date the direct outcomes of the campaign in two areas. The…

  10. A look at Refutations of Christianity in Azarbayjan Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    mansour moatamedi

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The phenomenon of writing refutation against the two religions of Islam and Christianity has a history as long as the time when they first fought against each other. In recent years, the companionship of Christian missioners with colonialism and their increasing preaching activities, have caused the Muslim scholars to reflect strongly against them. This phenomenon has had a special manifest in Iran since Qajar dynasty (150 years ago and led to the creation of many works written by Muslim theologians against missionary activities of Christianity. From among different Iranian regions where such works were emerged, Azarbayjan can be specifically named as an active area in which the writing of refuting works was more common than other areas in Iran. Azarbayjan in its current situation is an area including a vast region of north-western part of Iran and the countries of Azerbaijan and Armenia. In this article the biography and the works of some Muslim scholars who were active against Christianity such as Muḥammd Ṣādiq Fakhr al-Islām, Ḥāj MῙrzā Najaf'alῙ Dānish TabrῙzῙ, Yūsuf Mujtahid TabrῙzῙ, Ghulāmḥuseyn TūtūnchῙ Ṣarāf TabrῙzῙ, Ḥuseyn ḤuseinῙ famous as RūmῙ MiyānduābῙ, IsmāῙl QaribāghῙ, Sayyed Ḥuseyn 'Arab BāghῙ and 'AlῙ Isḥāq KhūῙ, have been introduced. A total of 14 works written by these 8 scholars have been introduced in this article. It should be noticed that the creation of such works in this region did not occur in a vacuum, rather various elements and factors were involved to reach such status which will be mentioned in the following: - Christian Missioners from the Safavid Dynasty extensively had an offensive approach toward Islam due to the strategy of the Safavid-West :::::::::union::::::::: against Ottoman Government. This was highlighted during the time of

  11. Les indéterminations augustiniennes. Gilson’s reading of the Augustinian thought

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico Chiappetta

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Étienne Gilson ha dedicato numerosi lavori alla riflessione filosofica di Agostino e alla tradizione agostiniana medievale. Lo storico francese ha cercato di rilevare i tratti principali e lo spirito della filosofia agostiniana e si è interessato ai complessi sviluppi dell’agostinismo. Gilson ha introdotto la categoria storiografica delle indeterminazioni agostiniane per esprimere la complessità del pensiero di Agostino: questa filosofia sarebbe caratterizzata da numerose questioni irrisolte dovute al tentativo agostiniano di dare alla filosofia neoplatonica un significato cristiano. In alcuni suoi lavori, Gilson ha sostenuto che la convergenza fra queste indeterminazioni e alcuni sistemi di pensiero, giunti nell’occidente latino fra il XII e il XIII secolo, avrebbe ispirato la cosiddetta riforma tomista. A questo proposito è molto importante un articolo del 1926, Pourquoi saint Thomas a critiqué saint Augustin. L’articolo mostra l’importanza delle indeterminazioni negli studi dello storico: questa intrinseca incompletezza dell’opera di Agostino consentirebbe di comprendere non solo gli sviluppi del pensiero agostiniano, ma anche il pensiero di Tommaso d’Aquino e della scuola domenicana. L’articolo tratteggia, inoltre, l’interpretazione di Gilson del pensiero agostiniano in relazione all’adesione dello storico alla filosofia neoscolastica. Étienne Gilson devoted several studies to Augustine’s thought and to medieval Augustinian tradition. The French historian attempted to paint the main tracts and the spirit of Augustine’s philosophy and he studied the complex developments of Augustinianism. Gilson introduced the historical category of the indéterminations augustiniennes to express the problematic nature of Augustine’s thought: this philosophy would be characterized by several unexplained questions due to the Augustinian attempt to attach a Christian meaning to the Neoplatonic philosophy. In numerous of his works

  12. Practices of Citizenship among Middle Eastern Christians in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galal, Lise Paulsen; Sparre, Sara Lei; Jørgensen, Anne Rosenlund

    In this presentation we analyse three citizenship practices among Middle Eastern Christians in Denmark (serving, committing, consuming) and discuss how these are domesticated in accordance with the dominant Danish idea of cultural citizenship (in Danish: medborgerskab).......In this presentation we analyse three citizenship practices among Middle Eastern Christians in Denmark (serving, committing, consuming) and discuss how these are domesticated in accordance with the dominant Danish idea of cultural citizenship (in Danish: medborgerskab)....

  13. The ambivalence of ritual in violence: Orthodox Christian perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marian G. Simion

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This article demonstrates that ritual plays an ambivalent role in the interaction betweenreligion and violence. Ritual triggers and gives meaning to violence, or it enforces peace andcoexistence. The first part of the article defines the ambivalence of ritual in the context ofviolence. The second part surveys standard rituals of peace and violence from Hinduism,Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The third part focuses on the ambivalent natureof Orthodox Christian rituals.

  14. Christian Bohr og De syv små Djaevle: Et laerestykke i 4 akter om iltdiffusionsstriden mellem Christian Bohr og August Krogh

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjedde, Albert

    2004-01-01

    The author explores novel lessons emerging from the oxygen diffusion controversy between Christian Bohr on one side and August and Marie Krogh on the other. THe controversy found its emphatic expression in August and Marie Krogh's "Seven Little Devils", a series of papers published back-to-back i......The author explores novel lessons emerging from the oxygen diffusion controversy between Christian Bohr on one side and August and Marie Krogh on the other. THe controversy found its emphatic expression in August and Marie Krogh's "Seven Little Devils", a series of papers published back...

  15. Evangelization and Causes of Religion Conversion from Hindu to Christian at Badung District Bali

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Kadek Surpi

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This research focuses on the effort of evangelization and religious conversion factors from Hinduism to Christianity in Badung, Bali. Bali as a unique island and famous all over the world has long been used as a target of missionary. In the early stages, the process of spreading Christianity is very slow. Even, Dutch East Indies government closed the door to evangelization and prohibited its activities in Bali. This study uses a cross field of knowledge and find that there are many causes behind the religion conversion in the area of study. Findings of this research shows that the reason for religious conversion is the social upheavals because of dissatisfaction on system and religion, individual crises, eco- nomic and socio-cultural factors, the influence of mysticism, spiritual thirst and the promise of salvation, family breakdown and urbanization, wedding and birth order in the family, education and professional evangelistic activity and lack understand- ing of Hinduism.

  16. Christian Slavery: Protestant Missions and Slave Conversion in the Atlantic World, 1660-1760

    OpenAIRE

    Gerbner, Katharine Reid

    2013-01-01

    "Christian Slavery" shows how Protestant missionaries in the early modern Atlantic World developed a new vision for slavery that integrated Christianity with human bondage. Quaker, Anglican, and Moravian missionaries arrived in the Caribbean intending to "convert" enslaved Africans to Christianity, but their actions formed only one part of a dialogue that engaged ideas about family, kinship, sex, and language. Enslaved people perceived these newcomers alternately as advocates, enemies, interl...

  17. Loving God… unto death: The witness of the early Christians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Rosell

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The article focuses on the social and theological dynamics that drove early Christ-followers to understand martyrdom as being a legitimate and honourable way by means of which to demonstrate love for God to the uttermost limits. Martyrdom is rooted much earlier in the Jewish tradition, though it received new impetus from the second century AD onwards. The study seeks to trace its raison d’être within the pages of the New Testament, both in the sayings of Jesus and the letters of Paul. It is argued that the apostle’s theology of suffering provided sufficient grounds for such an understanding, which finds in Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, one of its major representatives. Finally, the study seeks to reflect on the plausible actualisation of non-bloody martyrdom for today’s Christian discipleship, if it has any relevance at all.

  18. Religious bias among religiously conscious black christians in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Camp, Debbie; Sloan, Lloyd Ren; Elbassiouny, Amanda

    2014-01-01

    Research with White participants has demonstrated religious intergroup bias; however, religious identity may be different for Black Americans. Only religiously conscious Black Christians demonstrated a preference for Christian targets over Muslim and Atheist targets. Future research should consider what factors result in a person becoming conscious of other's religion.

  19. The Birth and Death of Tragedy in Nietzsche\\'s thought

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S TA

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the most influential and thoughtful philosopher in the 19th century, in an attempt to reassess values, finds himself in confrontation with accepted ideas of the modern world. Therefore, in his critical review, in order to reform and revive the modern civilization and culture, he writes his first book, i.e. The Birth of Tragedy. His various intentions in this book are as following: a cultural concerns and saving the culture of his age from nihilism and the danger of falling apart, b reassessing values, c showing the opposition of Christianity and conceptual philosophy of Socrates with the nature of life, Dionysus element as well as the desire to live, d aesthetic interpretation of living and being and e viewing life from the perspective of art. Nietzsche considers the last two cases as the special features of Greek's tragic art and praises Greek's tragic age for such perspective. He admires ancient Greeks as well as their culture and thought because they are the creators of tragic art and through such creation as well as by considering Dionysus element they accepted life with all of its good and bad aspects. Nietzsche discusses two fundamental concepts of birth and death of tragedy as well. However, he views the birth and death of tragedy in two different ways a in a particular age, Greek tragedy emerged from Greek culture and became an influential factor in the development of that nation’s culture but died later on, b Nietzsche's hope in the re-emergence of Greek tragic art in the modern world lies in Wagner's music which died, too. In his view, the factors behind the death of tragedy are as following: the Socrates' conceptual philosophy and Euripides' plays, Christianity and ethicality as well as modern dialectic and Wagner himself. This article, first, tries to study Nietzsche’s important intentions in writing The Birth of Tragedy and explain such birth in the first sense emphasizing the interpretation of its

  20. Children and Moods in Hans Christian Andersen's Travel Books

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lars Bo

    2008-01-01

    A categorization of moods, atmospheres and motifs connected with the children in Hans Christian Andersen’s five travel books (1831-1868). Surprisingly, death and darkness and, on the other side, eroticism and (red) light are the dominant two categories.......A categorization of moods, atmospheres and motifs connected with the children in Hans Christian Andersen’s five travel books (1831-1868). Surprisingly, death and darkness and, on the other side, eroticism and (red) light are the dominant two categories....

  1. Conflict and compliance: Christianity and the occult in horticultural exporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolan, C S

    1999-03-01

    The introduction of export horticulture in Meru District, Kenya, brought about disadvantageous effects on female farmers. Their workload increased while their earnings did not. Women reacted by turning to Christianity for support, and resorted to traditional witchcraft to regain control. In this article, Christianity and witchcraft are presented as ways of expressing discontent with the prevailing social norms, and as means to reclaim autonomy and security within their households. Since Kenyan women are entailed to meet the standards of being a good Christian wife, in which women are submissive to their husbands, the church became a means of escaping the confinements of their marriage. In Meru, Christian conversion offers a means of coping with life and an opportunity to interact with other women who share the same experience. Another strategy adopted by women is witchcraft, a traditional relic wherein women give "potions" to their husbands to induce psychosis and eventually death, which would then leave control of the household to the woman. In conclusion, the case presented here demonstrates how failure to recognize cultural dynamics leads to gender inequity and worsens women's well being, as well as men's security.

  2. Boundary objects in complementary and alternative medicine: acupuncture vs. Christian Science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owens, Kellie

    2015-03-01

    Nearly four in ten American use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) each year. Even with a large number of patients, CAM practitioners face scrutiny from physicians and biomedical researchers who, in an era of evidence-based medicine, argue there is little evidence to support CAM treatments. Examining how CAM has or has not been integrated into American health care is crucial in understanding the contemporary boundaries of healthcare systems. An analytical tool from science and technology studies, boundary objects, can help scholars of medicine understand which practices become integrated into these systems. Using a comparative analysis based on archival and interview data, this paper examines the use of boundary objects in two alternative medical practices - acupuncture and Christian Science. While boundary objects alone cannot explain what health practices succeed or fail, juxtaposing the use of boundary objects by different CAM groups identifies the work boundary objects do to facilitate integration and the conditions under which they "work." I find that acupuncturists' use of sterile needles as a boundary objects assists in their effective integration into U.S. healthcare because needles are both a symbol of biomedical prowess and a potentially unsafe device requiring regulation. Christian Scientists' use of the placebo effect as a boundary object has not succeeded because they fail to acknowledge the different contextual definitions of the placebo effect in biomedical communities. This comparative analysis highlights how context affects which boundary objects "work" for CAM practices and theorizes why alternative health practices succeed or fail to become integrated into healthcare systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Chaos and Christianity: A Response to Butz and a Biblical Alternative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Richard E.; Trusty, Jerry

    1997-01-01

    M.R. Butz's position regarding chaos theory and Christianity is reviewed. The compatibility of biblical theology and the sciences is discussed. Parallels between chaos theory and the philosophical perspective of Soren Kierkegaard are explored. A biblical model is offered for counselors in assisting Christian clients in embracing chaos. (Author/EMK)

  4. The Role of Christian Educational Institutions in Improving Economic Self-Reliance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nwosu, Constance C.

    2012-01-01

    This article argues that Christian educational institutions in Africa can play a major role in improving economic self-reliance within the continent, if those who establish Christian universities there take time to plan the programs and activities in those institutions. Specifically, it argues that with proper planning of quality education--the…

  5. Is Christian Religious Conservatism Compatible with the Liberal Social Welfare State?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belcher, John R.; Fandetti, Donald; Cole, Danny

    2004-01-01

    This article examines the rise of Christian religious conservatism and explores whether the theological views of the conservative Christian movement are compatible with the liberal social welfare state. The authors conclude that the driving force behind social change should remain with the state, even though faith-based initiatives can provide…

  6. Christianity in Early Kenyan Novels: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's Weep Not ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In light of this, we read the two novels as attempts by the writer to project the trauma caused by and the tensions of Christianity among the colonized subjects as important influences in the formation and development of (post)colonial Kenyan subjects. Key Words: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Christianity, postcolonial, subjects.

  7. From dynamic frame to moving image: Remediation and history in Christian Boltanski's works

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marinkov-Pavlović Lidija

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to point to different strategies through which moving images appear in the work of Christian Boltanski. Moving images are discussed in relation to the concept of remediation that becomes crucial not only for understanding the logics of the dominant forms of contemporary art practice, but also of their historic precursors. The first part of the paper gives an introduction into the genesis and meaning of the notion 'moving image' in its historical and contemporary context, as well as an insight into the definition and classification of the concept of ' remediation'. The first part also contains an overview of the long lasting practice of dismantled cinemas, and an overview of the key authors who introduced these terms into theory of art. In its second part, the paper analyses the three selected works of Christian Boltanski exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2011 and 2015, with the aim to support the thesis that moving images in contemporary visual arts, in the sense of media, are immanent to the fluid relationship that is established among various media.

  8. Theory U as a conceptual framework for Christian education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeitler, Ullrich Martin Rudenko

    2014-01-01

    In late modern society, wide-spread secularization and compulsory development challenge religious education. Otto Scharmer’s development theory, Theory U, is assumed to give an answer to how we might work with Christian education. It is argued, that the concepts of letting-go, presencing and lett...... and letting-come are giving an adequate conceptual framework for new professionalism in Christian education. Using Theory U will bring practical theology in line with the new third-generation approach which is conducive of sustainable practice....

  9. Attitude toward Christianity and premarital sex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Leslie J

    2006-02-01

    A Pearson correlation of .55 was found for a sample of 243 female undergraduates in Wales (M age=20.9 yr., SD=4.6) between high scores on the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and rejection of premarital sex.

  10. Teaching Sexuality and Christianity for Perspective Transformation: Suggested Resources and Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moles, Katia

    2017-01-01

    Sexual activity and desire have often been seen as inimical to Christian spirituality and practice, and many people have come to view Christianity as austere and shaming regarding sexuality. However, sexuality, religion, and policy-making have become so intertwined, that to ignore how they intersect and affect particular individuals' lives does a…

  11. Maternal Silences: Motherhood and Voluntary Childlessness in Contemporary Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawn Llewellyn

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In Christianity, there is an ideology of motherhood that pervades scripture, ritual, and doctrine, yet there is an academic silence that means relatively little space has been given to motherhood and mothering, and even less to voluntary childlessness, from a faith perspective. By drawing on qualitative in-depth interviews with Christian women living in Britain, narrating their experiences of motherhood and voluntary childlessness, I suggest there are also lived maternal silences encountered by women in contemporary Christianity. There is a maternal expectation produced through church teaching, liturgy and culture that constructs women as ‘maternal bodies’ (Gatrell 2008; this silences and marginalises women from articulating their complex relationship with religion, motherhood, and childlessness in ways that challenge their spiritual development. However, this article also introduces the everyday and intentional tactics women employ to disrupt the maternal expectation, and hereby interrupt the maternal silence.

  12. Scholasticism, the dilemma for a radical reformation of our educational thought and practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P.J. Helberg

    1975-03-01

    Full Text Available Those who have acquainted themselves with the work of Prof J.A.L. Taljaard will undoubtedly agree as regards the following two issues. First of all, Taljaard, theoretically and practically, reveals a special interest in education in general as well as in the furtherance of Christian educational thought and practice. On the other hand, Taljaard has set himself the aim in his philosophical work of attaining a radical biblical approach and a radical biblical philosophy. This implies not only a profound ‘No’ to Humanism, but also an effort to get ‘reformed’ philosophy disentangled from the shackles of Scholasticism which still persists as an active power that must never be underestimated. This leads him, naturally, more than once, to a confrontation with authors of reformed philosophy and theology, who, aware of it or not, did not succeed in freeing themselves from old Scholastic influences. To fight Scholasticism, in our ‘reformed’ Christian society, demands moral courage as well as a firm belief in one’s calling. It also includes the risk of becoming alienated by those who, usually or naturally, (should stand very close to you. This, however, is sad when viewed in terms of the confession which Taljaard never gets tired to accentuate, namely, that life is to be a religious worship of our Lord, the Creator and Redeemer in Jesus Christ.

  13. Reconstructing Christian Ethics: Exploring Constructivist Practices for Teaching Christian Ethics in the Masters of Divinity Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danaher, William

    2009-01-01

    This article reflects on an effort to incorporate constructivist pedagogies (learner-centered, inquiry-guided, problem-based models of teaching) into an introductory class on Christian Ethics in an M.Div. curriculum. Although some students preferred more traditional pedagogies, the majority found that constructivist pedagogies better accommodated…

  14. Reframing Race And Jewish/Christian Relations In The Middle Ages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Dorothy

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This article evaluates Jewish-Christian difference in the constantly shifting terrain of thirteenth-century medieval England. It reframes this difference in relation to theories of embodiment, feminist materialism, and entanglement theory. To conceptualize how Jews can be marked by race vis-à-vis the body, the article uses the example of Christian Hebraists discussing the Hebrew alphabet and its place in thirteenth-century English bilingual manuscripts.

  15. Issue of Salvation in Christianity: A Study in the Perspective of Islamic Ethics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Mohammad Hilmi, S. A. R.

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The doctrine of salvation is considered as a central pillar in Christian’s belief, in which underlying most of the fundamental teachings in Christianity such as the doctrines of original sin, redemption and Crucifixion. The notion of salvation – in Christianity and other religions that have faith in it - is stemmed from the belief that evil is a vital issue in this universe, whence it develops view and perception towards man and universe, and the belief that religion came to safe and free man from the evil. The doctrine of salvation in Christian faith, is the saving of the soul from sins and its consequences in general and original sin in particular, and is made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion. The original sin is attributed to the Lord of Evil and it had transmitted this universe into evil, and change the nature of man, who is born free from sin into evil. Conversely, the religion of Islam views that man is originally good and is born in the state of “fitrah”, innocent and free from sin. Islam differentiates between the idea of “Fitrah”, the source of good behaviour and “Gharizah”, the instinct which arise together with human soul and leads mankind to bad moral conduct whenever it is misled or deviated. It is believed that the original sin committed by Adam due to this deviation. Based on this understanding, Islam enjoin man for self-purification in order for him to succeed in the hereafter.

  16. A pastoral evaluation and responses to the challenge of spiritual insecurity in African pastoral ministry and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vhumani Magezi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article argues that there is a form of Christian syncretism operating in African Christians� use of traditional African powers to address their spiritual insecurity challenges that arises from their former traditional African worldview of spiritual powers. It provides an overview description of the nature of the spiritual insecurity which still grips African Christians by delving into the traditional African worldview of spiritual powers (such as the notions of a Supreme Being, lesser divinities, spirits and ancestors and the centrality of traditional powers such as diviners in addressing this insecurity. After underscoring the aforementioned, this article proceeds to demonstrate three predominant views proposed by theological scholars as a response to the spiritual insecurity of African Christians. The first stance calls African Christians to discontinue with anything that is linked to traditional African spiritual worldview because Christianity entails a complete new ontological being. The second stance disapproves African Christians� reliance on traditional African powers and then proceeds to argue that Christian ministry should identify positives within the African spiritual world system and worldview that is useful and can be imported for use in contextualising the gospel. The third position advocates for Christians� continual reliance on traditional African spiritual powers in addressing their African contextual needs. In doing this, the weaknesses and strengths of these approaches are established with the view to outline an alternative biblical theological basis to ensure biblical Christianity in the challenging African contexts of spiritual insecurity. This article concludes by drawing from various theological responses to the spiritual insecurity of African Christians to ensure Christian ministry that is thoroughly biblical and contextual in African Christianity.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This

  17. Stock Simulation and Mutual Funds: A Pedagogical Tool for Faith-Based Investing and Interfaith Understanding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Brian E.

    2013-01-01

    It is increasingly important to understand the fundamentals of investing and, for many, the ability to integrate faith and ethics with investing decisions. This is especially relevant for employees and students in Christian higher education. Most employees in Christian higher education are enrolled in retirement plans that obligate them to make…

  18. Christian Kelchi "Liivimaa ajaloo" allikad / Janet Laidla

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Laidla, Janet, 1982-

    2007-01-01

    Christian Kelchist. 17. sajandil ei olnud allikatele viitamine üheselt kohustuslikuks kujunenud. Kelchi kroonikas mainitud ja kasutatud teostest ja nende autoritest. Oma allikaid on Kelch pigem refereerinud kui ümber kirjutanud.

  19. Conceptual bases of Christian, faith-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs: qualitative analysis of staff interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Lisa K; Hermos, John A; Bokhour, Barbara G; Frayne, Susan M

    2004-09-01

    Faith-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs provide residential treatment for many substance abusers. To determine key governing concepts of such programs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with sample of eleven clinical and administrative staff referred to us by program directors at six, Evangelical Christian, faith-based, residential rehabilitation programs representing two large, nationwide networks. Qualitative analysis using grounded theory methods examined how spirituality is incorporated into treatment and elicited key theories of addiction and recovery. Although containing comprehensive secular components, the core activities are strongly rooted in a Christian belief system that informs their understanding of addiction and recovery and drives the treatment format. These governing conceptions, that addiction stems from attempts to fill a spiritual void through substance use and recovery through salvation and a long-term relationship with God, provide an explicit, theory-driven model upon which they base their core treatment activities. Knowledge of these core concepts and practices should be helpful to clinicians in considering referrals to faith-based recovery programs.

  20. The beginnings of Christianity in Cyprus. Religious and cultural aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łukasz Burkiewicz

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The history of Christianity in Cyprus has a long and beautiful tradition, whose beginnings are connected with four important figures: Saint Lazarus and apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark. The apostles came to Cyprus in the first half of the 1st century, when the island was under the Roman rule. According to tradition, by preaching God’s Word they became the founders of the Cypriot Church. Their mission was not an easy one, and the pressure of the indignant Jewish community led to the capture of Paul in Paphos and his consequent whipping at the whipping post. The post can still be seen today among the ruins of the church of Agia Kyriaki Chrysopolitissa. Barnabas sacrificed his life for his faith: he was captured in Salamis, and then burnt at the stake by a Jewish mob. Roman Proconsul Quintus Sergius Paulus became the first important Roman official who converted to Christianity, and Cyprus became the first Roman province which adopted Christianity. Tradition also links Saint Lazarus with the island: allegedly, after being miraculously resurrected by Jesus in Bethany, he came to Cyprus, where he became a bishop and where he preached God’s Word and converted pagans into Christianity for the next 30 years.

  1. Emotional Intelligence in Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gliebe, Sudi Kate

    2012-01-01

    This paper explores the importance of emotional intelligence in Christian higher education. Specifically, it addresses possible implications between emotional intelligence skills and success in the areas of learning, mental health, and career preparation. The paper addresses the following questions: Is there a positive relationship between…

  2. Postcolonial Reflection on the Christian Mission: The Case of North Korean Refugees in China and South Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shin Ji Kang

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to challenge the dominant narrative of Christian service providers working for North Korean refugees’ welfare, and to articulate the perspectives of non-Christian aid recipients, especially North Korean refugees in China and South Korea. Drawing upon postcolonialism, I will unpack dysfunctions of Christian missions and ministries while relating them to anthropological insights and ethnographic research data. As a Christian scholar, I attempt to invite Christian leaders and field workers to engage in critical reflections on their goals, dispositions, and strategies in relating to the culturally, politically, and economically marginalized. This paper is aimed to offer opportunities for Christian missionaries to critique their colonial models and to reclaim their missions that decolonize both missionaries and the missionized.

  3. An Examination of Crisis Preparedness of Christian-Affiliated Institutions of Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrell, Stacy M.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine crisis preparedness at Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education. Second, this study examined Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education presidents' perspective of their institution's ability to prepare for crises based upon the four critical indicators of organizational crisis…

  4. mtDNA analysis of human remains from an early Danish Christian cemetery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rudbeck, Lars; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Willerslev, Eske

    2005-01-01

    One of Denmark's earliest Christian cemeteries is Kongemarken, dating to around AD 1000-1250. A feature of early Scandinavian Christian cemeteries is sex segregation, with females buried on the northern sides and males on the southern sides. However, such separation was never complete; in the few...

  5. How Love for the Image Cast out Fear of It in Early Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalie Carnes

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Iconoclastic and iconophilic impulses have long vied for pre-eminence in Christianity, coming to one particularly fraught crisis point in the Byzantine Iconomachy of the eighth and ninth centuries. Funding both impulses, this paper argues, is a profound Platonic ambivalence about the image. For Plato, the image not only deceives and enslaves; it also reveals and inspires. Plotinus, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, John of Damascus, and Theodore of Stoudios articulate their own iterations of Plato’s hopes and fears about the image as they attempt different strategies for resolving these dueling inclinations. This paper traces the evolution of image theory across these thinkers to illumine how Theodore of Stoudios’ approach magnifies Platonic image hopes and quells fears in a way that prepares for the ongoing resolution of image anxiety in the iconographic tradition. More than a purely historical interest, this arc of image thought have continuing relevance for image theory today.

  6. A Christian educational perspective on the process oriented approach to intrinsic motivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mechaéla Scott

    1992-03-01

    Full Text Available Within the classroom context, albeit school or university, intrinsic motivation can effectively be described and changed if a process-oriented approach is employed. The question is posed whether a process-oriented approach to motivation is acceptable to Christian education. To answer this question, intrinsic motivation and the process-oriented approach to motivation are described. A Christian view of self-knowledge and control, which are the main components of a process-oricnted approach to motivation, is subsequently given and the process-oriented approach to motivation is subjected to a Christian evaluation. The conclusions are drawn that this approach can fruitfully be used in Christian education, given that self-knowledge and control arc interpreted within the context of the concept of the student as God’s representative on earth and the fact that God equipped him adequately with cognitive, affective and conative abilities to respond to His call to discover, develop and rule the earth actively.

  7. Review Essay: Moving beyond Global Encounters toward Global Reciprocity: Christian Education in East Asian Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Sook

    2015-01-01

    Christianity as a world religion was propagated from Europe and North America to Africa and Asia. Global Christianity spread to East Asia when Robert Morrison (1782-1843) arrived in Canton, China in 1807, and later in the late 19th-century Protestant missionaries from North America arrived in Japan and Korea. This Christianity experienced a modern…

  8. Becoming a World Christian: Hospitality as a Framework for Engaging Otherness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrington, Aminta

    2017-01-01

    Hospitality is the Christian imperative of welcoming the stranger to our table, which serves as a living metaphor for the salvation God extends to all of us, welcoming us as sinners to his table of abundance. As we transition from the era of missions to the era of world Christianity, a hospitality framework is helpful for the concomitant task of…

  9. Academic Faith Integration: Introduction to a New Section within "Christian Higher Education"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaak, Paul

    2016-01-01

    The following article lays out the rationale and vision for a new section of "Christian Higher Education" focused on academic faith integration. The section editor provides a brief history of this central aspect of Christian higher education, including some of the opportunities, challenges, and critiques expressed within the scholarly…

  10. Ethno-Religiosity in Orthodox Christianity: A Source of Solidarity & Multiculturalism in American Society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Durante

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This study will analyze the processes of community organization implemented by Eastern Orthodox Christian ethno-religious groups, and Greek Orthodox Christian communities in particular, to establish themselves in American civil society. It will be argued that the symbiotic relationship formed between ethnicity and religion in this tradition, as well as the democratized grassroots mode of community organization that American civil society fosters, contributes to a strong sense of belonging amongst members of the ethno-religious Orthodox Christian congregations. In turn, this sense of belonging has produced a multi-layered mechanism for solidarity-building in these communities. It will then be suggested that in addition to contributing to America’s religious diversity, the preservation of ethno-linguistic heritage by the various Orthodox Christian churches simultaneously contributes to America’s poly-ethnicity and linguistic diversity as well. Last, it will be argued that the continued survival of ethno-religiosity in American Orthodoxy can either lead to further isolation amongst the separate ethnic congregations, or it can alternatively open avenues for the cultivation of a form of Orthodox Christian multiculturalism that supports neither homogeneity nor isolationism.

  11. A Christian mission of glocal culture within riven societies in God’s world

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.G. Seerveld

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Globalisation today seems to be an implacable force at work trying to homogenise world cultures into the same format. Huntington’s well-known thesis sees a clash coming between Christian Western civilisation and the rest of the world. This article argues against Huntington that civilised cultures with different identities have comparable structural features. Because contrary cultures are all human constructs with good and bad mixed in, they can, like human relatives, learn from and correct one another rather than demonise others. It is posited that the deepest antagonism disturbing the world is not a Christian West versus the rest, but is largely the struggle between two tyrannical ideologies: a post-Christian capitalistic secularism and a theocratic fundamentalism. A biblical Christian mission of glocal culture formation (global awareness and local action is offered as an alternative vision for our worsening dilemma. This biblically-rooted diaconal way to be redemptively busy in salvaging cultural activity proffers concrete hope. The life work of Bennie van der Walt is cited as an example, and a few illustrations of glocal artistry provide evidence that such a Christian mission can be deed as well as talk.

  12. Christian Theology at the University: On the threshold or in the margin?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elna Mouton

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The essay discusses challenges regarding the position and role of Christian Theology in twenty-first century university contexts. Questions asked include the following: How will a theology that is oriented to (Reformed Christian Theology develop itself at universities worldwide, within contexts of secularisation and globalisation? What important strategic choices will it have to make? It is argued that answers to such questions inter alia relate to how Christian Theology responds to three crucial choices: (1 Being truthful to its biblical orientation and calling; (2 Accounting critically for its position on the threshold of interdisciplinary and interreligious dialogue; and (3 Being connected to the life stories of people.

  13. Teaching journalism prior to and after the demise of Christian higher education at Potchefstroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.D. Froneman

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available This article explores how the step-by-step changes to the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (resulting in the merger with the University of the North-West to form the North-West University [NWU] impacted on the teaching of journalism at the Potchefstroom Campus. It was particularly relevant in 2009, as 50 years of teaching journalism and other communication subjects were celebrated by the School of Communication Studies on the Potchefstroom Cam-pus of the NWU. The article thus also has a definite historio-graphical intention – more specifically as an attempt at writing micro-historiography. It aims to illustrate how a definite Christian perspective on journalism was substituted for a slimmer “value-driven” approach sans an explisit religious dimension. Although it has been suggested by the vice-chancellor that lecturers had the right to express their views in class (including views based on Christian principles, it is argued here that the termination of the formal Christian approach made it very difficult, if not impossible, for lecturers to continue as in the past. As a result of the value-driven approach professional and institutional ethical codes are now used as a basic point of departure. This, however, does not satisfy those who prefer a more fundamental Christian approach to journalism. It is suggested that if this reading of the situation was erroneous, perhaps those Christians with a more positive view of the “name change” could give clearer leadership on how Christian perspectives on science (and journalism can realistically be accommodated in the curriculum.

  14. Some thoughts on ancient civilizations’ trinity of philosophy, religion and economics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soumitra Sharma

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Here are some loud thoughts that reflect upon the relationship that had long existed amidst philosophy, religion and economics in the so-called ‘grand’ civilizations (that had existed during 3100 BC to the beginning of Christian era. Historically, the visions of intellectuals, rulers, men of faiths, and business people have helped drive these civilizations to their zenith. The philosophies, religions, and economics of the time were deeply involved in this process of development, and seem to have acted in unison. Here is an attempt to provoke some fresh thinking on the subject by re-examining this triad relationship of the fundamental spheres of human life. The logic of this paper attempts to raise doubts, if the relationship was ideal and was based on ethical and moral values, as it was proclaimed by the philosophers, pontiffs, politicians and the business leaders of the time.

  15. A cinema for the unborn: moving pictures, mental pictures and Electra Sparks's New Thought film theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Patrick

    2017-09-01

    In the 1910s, New York suffragette Electra Sparks wrote a series of essays in the Moving Picture News that advocated for cine-therapy treatments for pregnant women. Film was, in her view, the great democratizer of beautiful images, providing high-cultural access to the city's poor. These positive 'mental pictures' were important for her because, she claimed, in order to produce an attractive, healthy child, the mother must be exposed to quality cultural material. Sparks's championing of cinema during its 'second birth' was founded upon the premise of New Thought. This metaphysical Christian doctrine existed alongside the self-help and esoteric publishing domains and testified, above all, to the possibility of the 'mind-cure' of the body through the positive application of 'mental pictures'. Physiologically, their method began best in the womb, where the thoughts of the mother were of utmost importance: the eventual difference between birthing an Elephant Man or an Adonis. This positive maternal impression was commonplace in New Thought literature; it was Sparks's innovation to apply it to cinema. Investigating Sparks's film theory, practice and programming reveals her to be a harbinger of the abiding analogy between mind and motion picture that occupies film theorists to this day.

  16. Christian Librarians and the Ethics of the Library Bill of Rights

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Kaihoi

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available This study is the follow up to a pilot study entitled “Christian Librarians and the Library Bill of Rights: a survey of opinions and professional practice” published in the Spring 2014 issue of The Christian Librarian.  Using an online survey, it sought to discover how librarians working in a variety of contexts who self-identified as Christians responded to the ALA’s ethical standards as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights.  The results showed general support for the Library Bill of Rights and its ethics, though a majority of respondents had at least some way in which they adhered to the Library Bill of Rights less than fully, and a significant minority (around 40% had areas in which they differed with its ethics, usually in the form of feeling that certain types of content (e.g., pornography, harmful materials, etc. could or should be limited.  The responses in this survey would seem to support the notion that many Christian librarians do sometimes perceive a need to place the value of defending what they perceive to be true and right above the call to remain professionally impartial about certain kinds of content.

  17. Uniting Christian Students� Association�s pilgrimage to overcome colonial racism: A southern African postcolonial missiological dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R.W. (Reggie Nel

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available World Christianity has been enriched by Christian student movements such as the Uniting Christian Students� Association (UCSA from South Africa. This article, based on my recent doctoral research, starts with the affirmation of the ambiguous relations of these movements with colonial racism. However, faced with new challenges in a postcolonial context, there are key impulses to be gained by an inter-subjective, but also interdisciplinary dialogue with these movements as they negotiate their calling. By focussing on one movement within the southern African context, UCSA, in particular its formation and development since the demise of apartheid in South Africa, the article aims to present an attempt to understand the missionary praxis of UCSA through a postcolonial missiological matrix. The article draws on the theological disciplines of missiology, systematic theology, church history, contextual theology, as well as the methodologies in non-theologic disciplines like sociology, in particular social movement studies, and history. The findings show, amongst others, a growing complexity in relation to its agency, how it frames its world and also how it used its authoritative sources to discern its calling. The article closes with some key insights and pointers relevant for faith communities in their mission to overcome colonial racism.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The teaching and research in missiology and systematic theology in how the challenge of colonial racism is addressed, methodologically.

  18. INTEGRATING AFRICAN VALUES WITH CHRISTIANITY: A ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    JONATHAN

    2016-07-01

    Jul 1, 2016 ... on Mission as Dialogue with Culture which many Christian teachers and scholars have .... life, sense of justice and moral rectitude and so on. ..... could be contaminated and the danger of relativism because ... substantial difference between its meaning and that of the other related concepts such as.

  19. Doing Justice Today: A Welcoming Embrace for LGBT Students in Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joldersma, Clarence W.

    2016-01-01

    The article argues for welcoming LGBT students in Christian schools. The article develops an idea of justice based on Nicholas Wolterstorff's idea of claim-rights of vulnerable groups that have been wronged, and applies this to the security and recognition of LGBT students in Christian schools. The article presents empirical evidence about the…

  20. The universal imperial power of the Christian Text and yet the vulnerability of its message

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johann-Albrecht Meylahn

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Is there anything outside the Christian Text or is the Christian Text all there is? The article will argue that the Christian Text has formed and shaped Western thinking to such an extent that it is impossible to think in the global world, co-created by various Western texts, without Christianity. The fact that the West colonised the world, and that today the Western media dominates the language of the global village, makes it nearly impossible to think outside the Christian Text and thus the universal domination by the Text. This article will first argue that for the Western-influenced world, there is nothing beyond the Christian Texts, and then it will argue that although this Text has universal (global dominance, there is an interpretation of its central message as a message of weakness and vulnerability, which challenges (deconstructs its imperialism. This leads towards the question: what is a possible praxis of such a universal and ‘imperial’ Text with its message of vulnerable weakness, specifically from a post-colonial context like South Africa?

  1. A Theology of Inferiority: Is Christianity the Source of Kinesiology's Second-Class Status in the Academy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twietmeyer, Gregg

    2008-01-01

    What influence has Christianity had on kinesiology and physical education's status in the Academy? Conventional wisdom within kinesiology often seems to argue that the influence has been quite negative. These critics allege that Christianity is a fundamentally dualistic religion. They allege that, at its best, Christianity is suspicious of the…

  2. Experiences of Judeo-Christian Students in Undergraduate Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Truong, Jasmine M.; Brownell, Sara E.

    2017-01-01

    A major research thrust in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is focused on how to retain students as STEM majors. The accumulation of seemingly insignificant negative experiences in STEM classes can, over time, lead STEM students to have a low sense of belonging in their disciplines, and this can lead to lower retention. In this paper, we explore how Judeo-Christian students in biology have experiences related to their religious identities that could impact their retention in biology. In 28 interviews with Judeo-Christian students taking undergraduate biology classes, students reported a religious identity that can conflict with the secular culture and content of biology. Some students felt that, because they are religious, they fall within a minority in their classes and would not be seen as credible within the biology community. Students reported adverse experiences when instructors had negative dispositions toward religion and when instructors were rigid in their instructional practices when teaching evolution. These data suggest that this may be a population susceptible to experiences of cultural conflict between their religious identities and their STEM identities, which could have implications for retention. We argue that more research should explore how Judeo-Christian students’ experiences in biology classes influence their sense of belonging and retention. PMID:28232586

  3. Christian Community in Action: Bruderhof Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spielhagen, Frances R.; Cooper, Bruce S.

    2007-01-01

    The Bruderhof communities in the United States have organized their own private schools with a distinctly Christian philosophy of education, adding to the interesting mix of American private and religious schools. Rooted in early 20th century German pedagogy, romanticism, and shared responsibility, Bruderhof schools represent the essence of a…

  4. Venemaa õllekeiser Christian Ramm-Schmidt / Markku Saksa

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Saksa, Markku

    2004-01-01

    Rahvusvahelise õlletootmisettevõtte Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) tegevusest Baltikumis, Venemaal, Ukrainas ja Kasahstanis. Venemaa tütarettevõtte juht Christian Ramm-Schmidt kirjeldab Venemaa eraettevõtluse arengut, ärikeskkonda ja -kultuuri ning ettevõtete juhtimise põhimõtteid

  5. Compassion in Jewish, Christian and Secular Nursing. A Systematic Comparison of a Key Concept of Nursing (Part I)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Käppeli, Silvia

    2008-01-01

    Background The topos of the Compassionate God is a dominant motive of the Jewish and Christian traditions. It is relevant for nursing because it asks the nurse to imitate God so as to become God-like. Also, to think that God suffers with the suffering believers is thought to give comfort to them. Because in the western world the topos of the Compassionate God represents the basis of the ethics of compassion/caring, this piece of basic research is important for clinical practice. This study explores to what extent Jewish and Christian nursing adhered to the biblical topos of the Compassionate God at different periods and in different cultural contexts. Method A mixed methods approach was used. It included variations of hermeneutical text analysis as used in historical, philosophical, theological, science of religion, and nursing research. Results The analysis of the literary sources shows that the topos of the Compassionate God was interpreted differently in different cultural contexts. However, at all times it directed religious and secular nursing. Since the beginning of the 21st century it builds the core of “compassionate caring” as propagated by North American nursing science. Conclusions The topos of the Compassionate God laid the foundation of the tradition of the ethics of compassion in nursing. More research is required to learn whether it also plays a role in Islamic nursing. PMID:23908713

  6. Christianity and globalisation: An alternative ethical response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Retief Müller

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available This article critically evaluated the role of Christian Ethics in response to globalisation. It showed that ethical critiques of globalisation inevitably fall short when Christianity’s historical contributions to processes of globalisation are neglected or de-emphasised. A Christian Ethics that attempts completely to wash its hands of and disavow globalisation is therefore indicated to be perched on a false premise. In this regard, the author specifically discussed the divergent stances of Max Stackhouse and Rebecca Todd Peters and opted for the former as the more helpful when considered from an interdisciplinary approach. In the final analysis, the author argued that the problem of globalisation might fruitfully be addressed with an ethics that is not averse to bring the various insights of missiology, church history and practical theology to the table, focusing particularly on rituals of reconciliation and forgiveness.

  7. Traditionalist Christians and OBE: What's the Problem?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burron, Arnold

    1994-01-01

    Traditionalist Christians are concerned about OBE's affective objectives and believe that schools indoctrinate children with undesirable social, political, and economic values. Environmentalism, globalism, and multiculturalism are supplanting ideas about prudent resource utilization, patriotism, and America the melting pot. Schools should offer…

  8. Is the self always better than a friend? Self-face recognition in Christians and atheists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yina; Han, Shihui

    2012-01-01

    Early behavioral studies found that human adults responded faster to their own faces than faces of familiar others or strangers, a finding referred to as self-face advantage. Recent research suggests that the self-face advantage is mediated by implicit positive association with the self and is influenced by sociocultural experience. The current study investigated whether and how Christian belief and practice affect the processing of self-face in a Chinese population. Christian and Atheist participants were recruited for an implicit association test (IAT) in Experiment 1 and a face-owner identification task in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 found that atheists responded faster to self-face when it shared the same response key with positive compared to negative trait adjectives. This IAT effect, however, was significantly reduced in Christians. Experiment 2 found that atheists responded faster to self-face compared to a friend's face, but this self-face advantage was significantly reduced in Christians. Hierarchical regression analyses further showed that the IAT effect positively predicted self-face advantage in atheists but not in Christians. Our findings suggest that Christian belief and practice may weaken implicit positive association with the self and thus decrease the advantage of the self over a friend during face recognition in the believers.

  9. Is the Self Always Better than a Friend? Self-Face Recognition in Christians and Atheists

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yina; Han, Shihui

    2012-01-01

    Early behavioral studies found that human adults responded faster to their own faces than faces of familiar others or strangers, a finding referred to as self-face advantage. Recent research suggests that the self-face advantage is mediated by implicit positive association with the self and is influenced by sociocultural experience. The current study investigated whether and how Christian belief and practice affect the processing of self-face in a Chinese population. Christian and Atheist participants were recruited for an implicit association test (IAT) in Experiment 1 and a face-owner identification task in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 found that atheists responded faster to self-face when it shared the same response key with positive compared to negative trait adjectives. This IAT effect, however, was significantly reduced in Christians. Experiment 2 found that atheists responded faster to self-face compared to a friend’s face, but this self-face advantage was significantly reduced in Christians. Hierarchical regression analyses further showed that the IAT effect positively predicted self-face advantage in atheists but not in Christians. Our findings suggest that Christian belief and practice may weaken implicit positive association with the self and thus decrease the advantage of the self over a friend during face recognition in the believers. PMID:22662231

  10. Medical ethics--a Christian view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habgood, J S

    1985-01-01

    All ethics has a religious dimension. This paper considers how specific Christian insights concerning death, suffering, human nature and human creatureliness can help to expose more fully the moral issues at stake in some of the dilemmas faced by doctors. It ends by acknowledging the crushing burden of decision-making which rests on many in the medical profession, and indicates the importance of religious resources in dealing with this. PMID:3981562

  11. The Sacramental and Moral-Educational Function of the Christian Orthodox Cult

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miron Vasile

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The Christian Orthodox Cult intervenes for our Salvation and blessing, gives us the possibility to cherish God and to offer Him our gratitude for the bounties we receive through religious services. This divine Cult helps us stay in touch with Him, deepen our faith, clean our sense, enlighten our mind, become stronger in our decision of doing good deeds and live like brothers in the spirit of the Christian love.

  12. 2464-IJBCS-Article-Carine Christian Hedji

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    hp

    All rights reserved. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v9i4.18. Original Paper http://ajol.info/index.php/ijbcs http://indexmedicus.afro.who.int. Assainissement de l'environnement par la valorisation des ressources non conventionnelles en alimentation de porcs en croissance. Carine Christiane HEDJI1*, Marcel HOUINATO2, ...

  13. Evangelical Christian College Students and Attitudes toward Gay Rights: A California University Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolff, Joshua R.; Himes, Heather L.; Kwon, Ellen Miller; Bollinger, Richard A.

    2012-01-01

    Research demonstrates that Evangelical Christians generally hold more negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians, and are less supportive of gay rights than the general U.S. population. To assess these attitudes, undergraduate students at an Evangelical Christian university in California (N = 319) completed the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay…

  14. Story, Presence, Community: A Servant-Leadership Model for Rocky Bayou Christian School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoskins, John Richard

    2014-01-01

    Christian schools ought to revolve around Jesus' teaching, "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28, ESV). However, Christian schools often model…

  15. The Cult of the Roman Emperor before and after Christianity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Warmind, Morten

    1993-01-01

    This paper is concerned with a complete set of rituals and certain connected ideas, namely the Roman emperor-cult, that had survived the change of religion from Roman religion to Christianity. The rituals endure, even while their mythological basis is perishing. The emperor-cult includes the ritu......This paper is concerned with a complete set of rituals and certain connected ideas, namely the Roman emperor-cult, that had survived the change of religion from Roman religion to Christianity. The rituals endure, even while their mythological basis is perishing. The emperor-cult includes...

  16. Did Christianity lead to schizophrenia? Psychosis, psychology and self reference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littlewood, Roland; Dein, Simon

    2013-06-01

    Both geographically and historically, schizophrenia may have emerged from a psychosis that was more florid, affective, labile, shorter lived and with a better prognosis. It is conjectured that this has occurred with a reflexive self-consciousness in Western and globalising societies, a development whose roots lie in Christianity. Every theology also presents a psychology. Six novel aspects of Christianity may be significant for the emergence of schizophrenia-an omniscient deity, a decontexualised self, ambiguous agency, a downplaying of immediate sensory data, and a scrutiny of the self and its reconstitution in conversion.

  17. Associations between religious behavior and attitude to Christianity among Australian Catholic adolescents: scale validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorman, J P

    2001-10-01

    In a sample of 1,166 Catholic high school students (age = 13-18 years), the author used confirmatory factor analysis to validate a 30-item instrument that assesses 6 dimensions of attitude to Christianity (viz., attitude to prayer, attitude to God, attitude to Jesus, attitude to the Bible, attitude to Christian practice, attitude to social justice). Goodness-of-fit indices for the proposed measurement model revealed that the model fitted the data very well, thus confirming the instrument's structure. A correlation analysis revealed associations between religious behavior and attitude to Christianity.

  18. Sethian Crowns, Sethian Martyrs? Jewish Apocalypses and Christian Martyrs in a Gnostic Literary Tradition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burns, Dylan Michael

    2014-01-01

    . Thirdly, Plotinus’ Christian Gnostic opponents may have seen these crowns differently — as indicative of the glory of martyrdom, reminding us that this early confrontation between Hellenic and Christian Gnostic philosophers followed on the heels of the Decian and Valerianic persecutions....

  19. Sex reassignment technology: the dilemma of transsexuals in Islam and Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishak, Mohd Shuhaimi Bin Haji; Haneef, Sayed Sikandar Shah

    2014-04-01

    The birth of people with confused or ambiguous sex makeup as a biological fact since the annals of history has posed the challenge of accommodating them within the binary gender of sociocultural systems. In this process, the role of religion as a defining factor in social engineering has been paramount. Major religions, such as Islam and Christianity, have addressed this issue within the frame of their God-ordained laws by devising a set of moral and legal imperatives specific to the "third gender." Modern developments in medicine and biology, however, have made sex reassignment possible for this category of people, today called transsexuals. The question is: How do Islam and Christianity respond to it. After presenting an analytical view of both Muslim scholars and Christian religious authorities on the legitimacy of sex reassignment for transsexuals, this paper attempts to explore if such a dilemma can be resolved.

  20. Good feelings in christianity and buddhism: religious differences in ideal affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Jeanne L; Miao, Felicity F; Seppala, Emma

    2007-03-01

    Affect valuation theory (AVT) predicts cultural variation in the affective states that people ideally want to feel (i.e., "ideal affect"). National and ethnic comparisons support this prediction: For instance, European Americans (EA) value high arousal positive (HAP) states (e.g., excitement) more and low arousal positive (LAP) states (e.g., calm) less than Hong Kong Chinese. In this article, the authors examine whether religions differ in the ideal affective states they endorse. The authors predicted that Christianity values HAP more and LAP less than Buddhism. In Study 1, they compared Christian and Buddhist practitioners' ideal affect. In Studies 2 and 3, they compared the endorsement of HAP and LAP in Christian and Buddhist classical texts (e.g., Gospels, Lotus Sutra) and contemporary self-help books (e.g., Your Best Life Now, Art of Happiness). Findings supported predictions, suggesting that AVT applies to religious and to national and ethnic cultures.

  1. Evolution and Personal Religious Belief: Christian University Biology-Related Majors' Search for Reconciliation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winslow, Mark W.; Staver, John R.; Scharmann, Lawrence C.

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this study was to explore Christian biology-related majors' perceptions of conflicts between evolution and their religious beliefs. This naturalistic study utilized a case study design of 15 undergraduate biology-related majors at or recent biology-related graduates from a mid-western Christian university. The broad sources of data…

  2. Belief and legal philosophy: a conceptual framework for Christian scholarship in undergraduate legal education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. de Freitas

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Legal education in South Africa has arrived at a discursive juncture that demands clarity on what the “purpose” of legal education should be. Debate on the purpose of legal education, more specifically for the Christian law student, becomes especially important in a society dominated by positivism, mate-rialism and pragmatism. With specific reference to the under-graduate Christian law student, this article firstly explains that the purpose of legal education should include the nurturing of the student’s belief – a belief encompassing his/her foun-dational perspective(s on reality. Secondly, in order to achieve the proper nurturing and development of the Christian law student’s belief, the importance of the teaching of legal philo-sophy is explained. In this regard, proposals are postulated pertaining to specific means by which such nurturing and development of the undergraduate Christian law student’s foundational belief can be attained.

  3. Suffering in the mystical traditions of Buddhism and Christianity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakub Urbaniak

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This article seeks to explore the mystical approaches to suffering characteristic of both Buddhism and Christianity. Through the analysis of the meanings, the two traditions in question ascribe to suffering as a ‘component’ of mystical experience; it challenges the somewhat oversimplified understanding of the dichotomy ’sage-the-robot versus saint-the-sufferer’. Thus it contributes to the ongoing discussion on the theological–spiritual dimensions of the human predicament, as interpreted by various religious traditions. It also illustrates (though only implicitly in what sense – to use the Kantian distinction – the mystical experience offers boundaries (Schranken without imposing limits (Grenzen to interfaith encounter and dialogue. Man [sic] is ready and willing to shoulder any suffering, as soon and as long as he can see a meaning in it. (Frankl 1967:56

  4. The relation between language, culture, and thought.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imai, Mutsumi; Kanero, Junko; Masuda, Takahiko

    2016-04-01

    The relationship between culture, language, and thought has long been one of the most important topics for those who wish to understand the nature of human cognition. This issue has been investigated for decades across a broad range of research disciplines. However, there has been scant communication across these different disciplines, a situation largely arising through differences in research interests and discrepancies in the definitions of key terms such as 'culture,' 'language,' and 'thought.' This article reviews recent trends in research on the relation between language, culture and thought to capture how cognitive psychology and cultural psychology have defined 'language' and 'culture,' and how this issue was addressed within each research discipline. We then review recent research conducted in interdisciplinary perspectives, which directly compared the roles of culture and language. Finally, we highlight the importance of considering the complex interplay between culture and language to provide a comprehensive picture of how language and culture affect thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. 47 THE ROLE OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS IN CHRISTIAN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    Sunday schools, Church, indigenous education, Mass media, Christian ... The result of this has been the emergence of social problems and other challenges. .... to provide both religious and elementary education to the children of the poor,.

  6. The contribution of deontological Christian ethics to the contemporary human rights discourse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. M. Vorster

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the possible role of a Christian deonto- logical ethics in the contemporary human rights debate. It concludes that a Christian deontological ethics in the Reformed tradition can be positively engaged in the human rights debate when Biblical theological topics are transposed into moral directives applicable to the current human rights concerns, such as religious extremism, femicide, ideologies of intolerance and ecocide. As an example of the applicability of a Christian deon- tological ethics from a reformed perspective, the following Bibli- cal topics are investigated: human dignity on the basis of the “imago dei”, creation and creational integrity, the kingdom of God and forgiveness. Furthermore, the article proposes that other concepts can be added to this list such as the Biblical idea of life, eschatology, covenant and holiness.

  7. Hans Christian Ørsted : natuurwetenschapper als estheticus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Millekamp, Jan

    2012-01-01

    The Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851) is most famous for his discovery of electromagnetism, a discovery that literally and irreversibly changed our world. In Denmark he is also known as a poet and essayist. Interestingly, his scientific and his aesthetic work are closely

  8. Empowering religious institutions through the basic Christian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Two approaches to development, the Farming systems approach and the Basic Christian Community approach are examined in terms of success rates. Both approaches record a partial success due to one – sided emphasis on development. The farming systems approach which enjoys financial support from funding ...

  9. Hans Christian Ørsted reading nature's mind

    CERN Document Server

    Christensen, Dan Charly

    2013-01-01

    Hans Christian Orsted (1777-1851) is of great importance as a scientist and philosopher far beyond the borders of Denmark and his own time. At the centre of an international network of scholars, he was instrumental in founding the world picture of modern physics. Orsted was the physicist who brought Kant's metaphysics to fruition. In 1820 his discovery of electro-magnetism, a phenomenon that could not possibly exist according to his adversaries, changed the course of research in physics. It inspired Michael Faraday's experiments and discovery of the adverse effect, magneto-electric induction. The two physical phenomena were later described in mathematical equations by J.C. Maxwell. Together these discoveries constitute the prerequisites for the overwhelming development of modern technology. But Orsted was also one of the cultural leaders and organizers of the Danish Golden Age (together with Grundtvig, Kierkegaard, and Hans-Christian Andersen, his protege), and made significant contributions to aesthetics, ph...

  10. Prospects of a Christian ethics of responsibility (Part 2: an assessment of three German versions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DE de Villiers

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available In the article three versions of a Christian ethics of responsibility, developed by three German theologians, Wolfgang Huber , Johannes Fischer and Ulrich K�rtner , in response to the philosopher Hans Jonas� s introduction of the ethics of responsibility as a completely new and much needed ethical approach in the technological age, are analysed and assessed. The purpose is to assess the prospects of a Christian ethics of responsibility.� An analysis shows the disparate nature of the three versions, but also reveals a number of ways in which responsibility can and should fundamentally qualify contemporary Christian ethics. The conclusion is therefore that the prospects of a Christian ethics� are much more promising than a superficial comparison of the three disparate versions of such an ethics would suggest.

  11. "Healing is a Done Deal": Temporality and Metabolic Healing Among Evangelical Christians in Samoa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardin, Jessica

    2016-01-01

    Drawing on fieldwork in independent Samoa, in this article, I analyze the temporal dimensions of evangelical Christian healing of metabolic disorders. I explore how those suffering with metabolic disorders draw from multiple time-based notions of healing, drawing attention to the limits of biomedicine in contrast with the effectiveness of Divine healing. By simultaneously engaging evangelical and biomedical temporalities, I argue that evangelical Christians create wellness despite sickness and, in turn, re-signify chronic suffering as a long-term process of Christian healing. Positioning biomedical temporality and evangelical temporality as parallel yet distinctive ways of practicing healing, therefore, influences health care choices.

  12. A CHRISTIAN LAYER IN "POSOLON" BY A. M. REMIZOV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rozanov U. V.

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available The article is dedicated by the first book by a famous Russian writer of the 20th century A. M. Remizov, Posolon (1906 based on Slavic folklore material. Analyzing independent miniatures of the book (Young Monk, Korochun, Midsummer Lights, Prayer the author identifies the layer of Christian images: demons, angels, korocun, legends of the Midsummer night, child as an innocent sacrifice etc. Autobiographical motives and historical prototypes are identified for some characters: clergyman G. S. Petrov, priest Gapon. The Christian layer is implemented in Posolon on a wide scale from "people's Orthodoxy" to secret allusions to the most important events in the history of the Russian church and the State.

  13. the trajectories of christianity and african ritual practices

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    the beliefs and views of various Christian groups on African rituals, focusing mainly on black members of .... they condemned played a significant role in the maintenance of the tribal society. .... highest being - Zulu), Modimo (God - Sesuthu).

  14. Can Christians really make a difference? A response to the call for change to make the world a better place

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erna Oliver

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Christianity changed the world for the better through the development of education, charity organisations, art, music, law and medical care among others. However, not all changes initiated by Christianity were positive. The Christian religion was also responsible for division, death, destruction and war. Focusing on the positive changes, nearly 500 years after the reformation though, it seems as if Christianity has lost its renewing and transformative powers. It seems as if society, politics and the economy are pressurising Christianity to conform to the world and not the other way round. Therefore, the research focuses on the question whether Christians can bring about positive change and transformation to the current problems in society. What can Christians do to provide a religious response to current persistent societal problems? Change agents – people who drive positive change – are capable and competent, make use of networks, are visible and contactable and are often also outsiders in the communities they serve. Examples of the work done by change agents – Christians within their local communities – through small-scale community projects are showcased here to suggest possible ways forward for dealing with persistent problems from a Christian point of view.

  15. Christianity and Miao Education in Shimenkan, Guizhou

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shuang, Zhang

    2012-01-01

    Shimenkan is a remote and mountainous village in Weining county, Guizhou province, an area traditionally populated by Miao ethnic minority. The arrival of Christian missionaries just over 100 years ago began Shimenkan's transformation from an illiterate school-less place, to a "revered site of Miao education." Today, Shimenkan has…

  16. The mythic foundation of National Socialism and the contemporary claim that the Nazis were Christians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Hexham

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the ideas of Alfred Rosenberg, the “chief ideologue” of German National Socialism. Its aim is to show that, contrary to the claims of a growing number of people encouraged by the so-called “new atheism”, the Nazis held a coherent worldview that was vehemently anti-Christian. To deal with criticism of Christianity by these writers and speakers, it is necessary for Christians to become aware of the Nazi worldview and how deeply it was rooted in modern paganism.

  17. Evolutionary Regeneration Model of Thought Process

    OpenAIRE

    Noboru, HOKKYO; Hitachi Energy Research Laboratory

    1982-01-01

    A preliminary attempt is made to understand the thought process and the evolution of the nervous system on the same footing as regeneration processes obeying certain recursive algebraic rules which possibly economize the information content of the increasingly complex structural-functional correlate of the evolving and thinking nervous system.

  18. The Death Throes of Indigenous Christians in the Middle East: Assyrians Living Under the Islamic State

    OpenAIRE

    Atto, Naures

    2017-01-01

    Christianity emerged in the Middle East, became a majority religion, and thereafter expanded into various geographical directions. Although the faith suffered a decline under Arab Muslim rule already in the eleventh century, the region nonetheless remained an important spiritual centre of Christianity until about the thirteenth century. Today, however, local Christians express fear about the end of their existence in this region, their ancestral home. This fear is also shared by scholars and ...

  19. The "family thought" and the place of Christian motives in the novel “Tyotya Motya” by M. Kucherskaya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Varakina Evdokia Raifovna

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The article analyses philosophy of a family recorded in the novel “Tyotya Motya” written by M. Kucherskaya in comparison with the "family thought" of the novel “Anna Karenina” written by Leo Tolstoy. The given analysis of “Tyotya Motya” shows that the main character’s idea of love and family is tested with the family behavior of religious supporting characters. Also some break points in her family life are shown as the main character’s encounter with God.

  20. ‘When She Calls for Help’—Domestic Violence in Christian Families

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonie Westenberg

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Violence in relationships is a common experience for a significant number of women. VicHealth (Australia has noted that one of the underlying and contributing factors towards violence against women is their environment, citing ‘faith-based institutions’ such as churches as one such environment for many women. Indeed, international research shows that the language of religion is often used by women to explain abuse. Additionally, abused Christian women are more likely to remain in or return to unsafe relationships, citing religious beliefs to support avoidance of ‘family break-ups’ despite abuse. In contrast, however, churches can address domestic violence within a context of care, with emphasis on a theology of biblical equality. This paper examines how domestic violence may be supported by Christian language and belief, and suggests an ‘alternate theology’ concerning religious language in concepts of gender roles, sacrifice, submission, and suffering. It reviews current research on the connection between Christian religious language and domestic violence against women, to highlight the Christian church’s role as a contributing factor to such abuse. Finally, the paper makes some suggestions on how religious language can, in contrast to perpetuating abuse through norms, sever the connections between domestic violence and religious language.

  1. An integral investigation into the phenomenology and neurophysiology of Christian Trinity meditation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen D. Edwards

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available This integral investigation explored phenomenological and neurophysiologic, individual and collective dimensions of Christian Trinitarian meditation experiences in a volunteer, convenience sample of 10 practicing Christians, 6 men and 4 women, with a mean age of 48 years and an age range from 21 to 85 years. Participants meditated for a minimum period of 15 minutes, during which neurophysiologic data in the form of electroencephalographic (EEG, electromyographic (EMG, blood volume pulse (BVP and respiratory activity were recorded. A phenomenological analysis indicated that the meditation process generally involved a movement from body to mind to spirit as evident in reports of an increasingly relaxed, contented and focused state of consciousness characterised by Christian Trinitarian imagery, wonder, surrender, peace, bliss, openness and formlessness. The neuropsychological findings indicated significant increases, from baseline to meditation recordings, in the alpha and beta range, accompanied by increasing mean trends in the theta and gamma range, and decreasing mean trends in the delta range, EMG, BVP and respiration. Integrative findings indicated the practical theological value of small doses of Christian Trinity meditation to enhance spiritual life for those forms of waking, thinking, conscious behaviour needed in everyday world involvement and healing. Findings were discussed in relation to further integrative investigations and interventions with practical theological implications.

  2. MORALITY AND RELIGION IN AFRICAN THOUGHT

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    mode of African knowledge construction within indigenous communities. ... when one grants space for hybrid moral constructions between Christianity and ..... es the opinion that African cultural beliefs and practices exhibit an ontological.

  3. Christianity and globalisation: An alternative ethical response

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2011-07-27

    Jul 27, 2011 ... on Christian Ethics and Globalisation at Keimyung University in South Korea. The students .... business minded people, such as Lydia (Ac 16) and Priscilla and Aquila (Ac 18), ... it is in all cases an unwelcome extension. In some ..... our textbook disparaging the same globalisation, which has either directly ...

  4. Employee Turnover in Christian College/University Admissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dougherty, Kevin D.; Andrews, Megan

    2007-01-01

    Few campus offices bear the weight of organizational health and vitality more directly than college and university admissions offices. This is particularly true for Christian colleges and universities where annual operating budgets depend largely on student tuition dollars. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to explore rates…

  5. Environment, world-view and healing among the Zulu Christians (19th and 20th centuries)

    OpenAIRE

    Henriques, Alan C

    2013-01-01

    The basic question raised in this article is how Christians within the Zulu community seek relief from illnesses. Do they turn to plant (herbal) or animal remedies, or do they regard this as an imbalance in the mind of the person afflicted. This article touches on the sub-themes of the habitat of a Christian community, religion and food and also how to consider the place of animals and humans within a Christian community. There is in fact more said in the New Testament about evils spirits tha...

  6. The Redemption of the Feeling in Kierkegaard’s and Tillich’s Thought

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lehel BALOGH

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In the modern era, with the development of the “objective”, scientific method, subjective, personal feelings and emotions have gradually become somewhat dubious sources of knowledge. A few religious thinkers, however, particularly those emerging from the existential tradition, have come to revitalize the belief in subjectivity, along with the trust in the authority of faith and inwardness in finding out important truths about our personal existence and about the human condition in general. In my paper I wish to investigate and compare the thoughts of two highly influential Christian philosophers of the 19th and the 20th century, respectively; those of Søren Kierkegaard and of Paul Tillich. These two unique thinkers, although living under considerably different historical circumstances, carried out strikingly similar analyses about the role of emotions and faith in human life, and through the emphasis of such phenomena as anxiety and despair they both attempted to “redeem” and reaffirm the significance of feelings and the subjective side of reality.

  7. A Christian educational perspective on the process oriented approach to intrinsic motivation

    OpenAIRE

    Mechaéla Scott

    1992-01-01

    Within the classroom context, albeit school or university, intrinsic motivation can effectively be described and changed if a process-oriented approach is employed. The question is posed whether a process-oriented approach to motivation is acceptable to Christian education. To answer this question, intrinsic motivation and the process-oriented approach to motivation are described. A Christian view of self-knowledge and control, which are the main components of a process-oricnted approach to m...

  8. Attitude toward Christianity and paranormal belief among 13- to 16-yr.-old students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Emyr; Francis, Leslie J; Robbins, Mandy

    2006-08-01

    A small but statistically significant positive correlation (r = .17) was found in a sample of 279 13- to 16-yr.-old students in Wales between scores on the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and on a new Index of Paranormal Belief. These data suggest that there is little common variance between attitude toward Christianity and belief in the paranormal.

  9. Activities of Faith-Based Christian Organizations and the Economic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Activities of Faith-Based Christian Organizations and the Economic Empowerment of Female Members in Southern Senatorial District, Cross River State, Nigeria: Implications for Community Social Work and Non-Formal Education.

  10. 173 Christian Missionaries and Civilization in Southern Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NGOZI

    and Christianity into the interiors of West Africa during their civilizing mission in 1841” (p. 87). ... record that civilization in Nigeria started around the mission houses. .... the advent of the missionaries slavery was rampant among the people of ...

  11. Language and values in the human cloning debate: a web-based survey of scientists and Christian fundamentalist pastors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weasel, Lisa H; Jensen, Eric

    2005-04-01

    Over the last seven years, a major debate has arisen over whether human cloning should remain legal in the United States. Given that this may be the 'first real global and simultaneous news story on biotechnology' (Einsiedel et al., 2002, p.313), nations around the world have struggled with the implications of this newly viable scientific technology, which is often also referred to as somatic cell nuclear transfer. Since the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1997, and with increasing media attention paid to the likelihood of a successful human reproductive clone coupled with research suggesting the medical potential of therapeutic cloning in humans, members of the scientific community and Christian fundamentalist leaders have become increasingly vocal in the debate over U.S. policy decisions regarding human cloning (Wilmut, 2000). Yet despite a surfeit of public opinion polls and widespread opining in the news media on the topic of human cloning, there have been no empirical studies comparing the views of scientists and Christian fundamentalists in this debate (see Evans, 2002a for a recent study of opinion polls assessing religion and attitudes toward cloning). In order to further investigate the values that underlie scientists' and Christian fundamentalist leader's understanding of human cloning, as well as their differential use of language in communicating about this issue, we conducted an open-ended, exploratory survey of practicing scientists in the field of molecular biology and Christian fundamentalist pastors. We then analyzed the responses from this survey using qualitative discourse analysis. While this was not necessarily a representative sample (in quantitative terms, see Gaskell & Bauer, 2000) of each of the groups and the response rate was limited, this approach was informative in identifying both commonalities between the two groups, such as a focus on ethical concerns about reproductive cloning and the use of scientific terminology, as well

  12. Perceived Rewards of Nursing Among Christian Nursing Students in Bangalore, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garner, Shelby L; Prater, Llewellyn S; Putturaj, Meena; Raj, Leena

    2015-12-01

    Nurses in India face significant challenges and often migrate to practice nursing abroad. Few studies have focused on the rewards of nursing in India. The aim of this study was to illuminate perceived rewards of nursing among Christian student nurses in Bangalore, India. Photovoice, a participatory action methodology was used, and 14 Christian student nurses participated in the study. Thematic interpretation of photographs, journals, critical group dialog sessions, and observational field notes resulted in the identification of two main themes. These themes included intrinsic rewards and lifelong benefits of nursing in India.

  13. Overcoming Poverty as a Collective Obligation: Christian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Religion Dept

    (p.65). Nigerian Christians with their African mentality believe that wealth is desirable by all and ... themselves; or see with John Chrysostom, of nature becoming indignant at being turned ..... biblical texts on wealth and poverty when he says that a task before .... Nkwegu, E. (2008). ... Collins and Sons Ltd. Quoits, M. (1965).

  14. Analysing Religion and Education in Christian Academies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    This paper asserts that the religious assumptions of Christian academies need to be fully examined in relation to any analysis of their cultural practices, impact or policy implications. It proposes that Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, cultural capital and symbolic power can be broadened out from their traditional use in accounting for social…

  15. From Charity to Development: Christian International Health Organizations, 1945-1978

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter Bruchhausen

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available With the exception of the Red Cross the history of non-governmental international organizations in the field of health has received less attention from historians than intergovernmental organizations and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs. This article takes up the challenge of redressing this by examining the origins and policies of Christian agencies such as Medicus Mundi Internationalis (International Organisation for Medical Cooperation and the World Council of Churches Christian Medical Commission. Despite denominational and theological differences a story emerges of a common trajectory from a hospital-based focus on curative medicine to community-focused primary healthcare in the three decades or so after 1945.

  16. What Kind of Person Would Do Something Like That? A Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouma-Prediger, Steven

    2016-01-01

    In my book "For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision of Creation Care" (2001, rev edn 2010) I develop a set of ecological virtues from a Christian perspective. Although there are now monographs, e.g. "Character and Environment: A Virtue-Oriented Approach to Environmental Ethics" (2007), and anthologies, e.g.…

  17. An Introduction to the Medieval English: The Historical and Literary Context, Traces of Church and Philosophical Movements in the Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esmail Zare Behtash

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The Transition from Greek to medieval philosophy that speculated on religion, nature, metaphysics, human being and society was rather a rough transition in the history of English literature. Although the literature content of this age reflected more religious beliefs, the love and hate relationship of medieval philosophy that was mostly based on the Christianity with Greek civilization was exhibited clearly. The modern philosophical ideologies are the continuation of this period’s ideologies. Without a well understanding of the philosophical issues related to this age, it is not possible to understand the modern ones well. The catholic tradition as well as the religious reform against church called Protestantism was organized in this age. In Medieval Period, philosophy and theoretical thoughts related to the Christianity were well-organized and the philosophy, science and theoretical thoughts served religion. Philosophy had different forms and orientations in various stages of this period. One of these philosophical thoughts was the Augustinian philosophy which was strongly in favor of church with its different practices and styles. It used Platonic and Neo-Platonic traditions to prove that faith is the result of divine dispensations, not the result of human will power and wisdom. On the other hand, according to Aquinas, we experience different types of the effects that existed in the world around us. He believed that we assign an effective cause to each effect we experienced around us. Additionally, he claimed that reasoning was the only way to reach the real faith. In fact, philosophy of Medieval Period attempted to prove that religious assertions and ideologists were in search of matching their philosophical beliefs with the beliefs of Christianity. Christianity as the dominant factor in Middle English Literature helped English to be stablished as a literary language.

  18. The spirits of capitalism and christianity and their impact on the formation of healthcare leaders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaMothe, Ryan

    2013-03-01

    In this article, I portray how the ethos of Christianity, broadly speaking, and the mores of capitalism intersect in the formation of healthcare leaders and the difficult decisions they make in insuring the viability of healthcare institutions. More particularly, I argue that healthcare leaders in Christian healthcare institutions are largely formed by and dependent on a capitalistic ethos in making decisions and less so by a Christian ethos. There are key differences in these two meaning systems, and these differences, in part, reveal an incompatibility between them. This incompatibility does not imply a rejection of capitalism, if that is even possible, but rather a recognition of its effects and limits vis-à-vis the formation of healthcare leaders and their decision-making process. Finally, I offer an approach that deals with the spirits of capitalism and Christianity in forming healthcare leaders and their decision-making.

  19. Investigation of the nature of the church through an analysis of selected email-based Christian online communities

    OpenAIRE

    Campbell, Heidi A.

    2001-01-01

    This thesis investigates Christian online communities, with special emphasis on studying the nature of community and cyberspace. The purpose is to identify characteristics of community that individuals are seeking to cultivate in the online setting, showing possible implications for individuals in the "real world" church and offline communities. The key research question is: "What does online communication offer individual Christians and groups of Christians? How is the Interne...

  20. Court Culture during the Reign of Christian IV

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olden-Jørgensen, Sebastian

    2007-01-01

    Court culture can be defined as a range of cultural forms (festival culture, painting, literature, music, architecture) employed for the enhancement of princely status and the communication of political messages. Christian IV evidently set great store on court culture beginning with his magnificent...

  1. Godly Homonormativity: Christian LGBT Organizing in Contemporary Poland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikulak, Magdalena

    2017-12-08

    This article discusses the emergence of Christian LGBT organizing in Poland and the production of what I term godly homonormativity via a particular strand of organizing exemplified by Wiara i Tęcza (WiT; Faith and Rainbow). I argue that despite being an important initiative representing people-LGBT Christians-whose voices are often excluded from the mainstream LGBT movement, WiT's project is a largely assimilationist one, seeking acceptance within the existing patriarchal and highly inequitable power relationship of the Catholic Church. Consequently, WiT is generative of a mostly normalizing set of ideas that reinforces rather than challenges heteronormativity and that also colludes with the neoliberal project that promotes "a privileged form of gay life that attempts to replicate aspects of state"-and in the case of WiT church-endorsed "heterosexual primacy and prestige located in the home" (Brown, 2009, p. 1499).

  2. The Christian Support Networks for Immigrants in Palermo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie Bassi

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Based on a fieldwork conducted in Sicily, this paper analyses how, when faced with the emergence of immigration, Christian organisations in Palermo become involved with the migration issue, notably thanks to the pioneering commitment of certain clerics. It draws attention to the heterogeneous nature of the Christian sphere, the internal secularisation of the religious organisations working with migrants, and the transformations of the church-related associative sector from a volunteering to professional expertise model. In sum, the capacity for organisational and ideological adaptation of religious organisations has enabled them to retain social control of the territory by becoming inescapable stakeholders in the migration issue. This study also identifies the practices and the know-how of the actors involved in these organisations, and singles out the motives that lead them to engage with these organisations and the meaning they attach to their implication

  3. The Essence of Hindu Doctrine and its Influence on Christianity in America and Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandru-Corneliu Arion

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the topic of the identity of Hindu religion and its impact on Christianity in the West (i.e. in Europe and USA, which is to be seen, especially through Neo-Hindu movements (that occurred mainly during 1950s–1980s. Thus, features and key terms such as: authority of the Veda, Dharma, moksha, samsāra and karma, the paths to liberation, concept of God, Brahman-ātman, avidyā and māyā and AUM are sketchily presented in the first part of the paper. There are obvious differences between both Hindu schools and Christian faith which regards 1. Ultimate concern: For the Hindu, it is escape from the human condition, whereas for the Christian it is freedom from guilt, sin, and the devil; 2. Human nature: For the Christian it is creaturely and sinful; for the Hindu it is divine; 3. Human problem: It is moral sin for the Christian and intellectual ignorance for the Hindu; 4. Resolution: For the Christian it is a divine act at infinite cost to God; for the Hindu it is human effort, sometimes mixed with grace, without cost to the god. In the second part it is presented the debated problem of Gurus and their movements and Neo-Hindu movements sprung at the second half of 20th century, such as Satya Sai Baba, International Society for Krishna Consciousness and meditation for “transcendental consciousness” (TM. In any case, the Indian offspring demonstrate that we have come to an important moment in the history of religions, one in which new religious landscapes continually emerge like the images of a kaleidoscope and where people will have to learn whether it is possible to share the same planet.

  4. From Crisis to Stability: A Case Study of Presidential Leadership at a Christian College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, Jeffrey

    2012-01-01

    Despite healthy growth in past decades, in a time of national and global economic instability small, private Christian colleges now find themselves in a precarious position. Leading effectively in such colleges and universities in a time of external and/or internal crisis is a great challenge. This research is about a small, Christian college with…

  5. Adaptation of Russian Christian Names into the Mari Language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander L. Pustyakov

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article analyses the phonetic and morphological adaptation of Christian personal names in the Mari language. The work examines personal names recorded in different regions among the Mari. The composition of the presented data is not exhaustive; it does, however, allow one to observe some general patterns of the adaptation process. The main part of the article is preceded by a brief overview of the Christianization of the Mari region and the contacts between the Mari and the Russian-speaking population; the features of the local dialects of the Russian language are briefly stated. The Mari language incorporated a significant number of Russian names. The source of loans included, besides the standard church name forms, also the numerous varieties found in the Russian dialects. As part of the study, phonetic, structural changes of Christian names in the Mari language are revealed and the reasons for the majority of these transformations are identified. The author also pays attention to the intermediary role of the neighbouring Turkic languages in the penetration of Russian names into the Mari language. Changes in borrowed names were induced by internal Mari linguistic rules, as well as dialectal features of the local Russian dialects. The identification of systematic phonetic and structural transformations helps to determine the origin of obscure anthroponyms.

  6. Muscular Christianity in contemporary South Africa: The case of the Mighty Men Conference

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siphiwe Dube

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Drawing on key aspects of Muscular Christianity identified through this movement’s literature, this article ventures that the major contemporary Evangelical Christian men’s movement in South Africa, the Mighty Men Conference (MMC, draws on and harkens back to the concerns of the Victorian era of Muscular Christianity. Moreover, the article argues that this reversion should be of concern in the context of a post-apartheid and postcolonial South Africa where both women’s rights and human rights (especially encompassing racial equality now form the core of the country’s identity. In other words, the MMC’s call to men to reclaim their top position is problematic even while it comes from a place of concern regarding the changing role of men in a transitional South African landscape.

  7. Studying religious music at the grassroots level: a look into the discourse practices of Christian metal bands online

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henna Jousmäki

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Religious issues are studied in various ways, most prominently by sociologists of religion. This paper suggests that in today’s world of globally intersecting webs of people, places, ideas and action, scholars and readers interested in religion will find themselves benefiting from cross-disciplinary approaches which help them to conceptualize and describe today’s phenomena at different levels. This paper describes how the emerging discipline of the sociology of language and religion may be applied to studying Christian metal bands’ discourse online. Although previous studies give a good idea of the structures, practices and tendencies in and related to Christian metal, little is reported on what happens at the very micro-level of Christian metal – for example, how they represent themselves to their audiences, what they sing about, and what else they say and, importantly, how they say it. To fill this gap, Christian metal bands’ online presence is examined with a particular interest in how the bands utilize online spaces to build up Christian metal identity and culture with the help of textual, discursive, and multimodal resources. This includes a look at the online self-representation of Christian metal bands, a more detailed investigation of the uses of the Bible on bands’ websites, as well as perspectives on an important part of Christian metal; namely the lyrics.

  8. Kairos and Carnival: Mikhail Bakhtin’s Rhetorical and Ethical Christian Vision

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ian Bekker

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The term kairos has been used to mean, alternatively, right timing or proportion in Ancient Greek rhetoric, by Jesus to refer to the Christian eschaton and by Paul Tillich and modern liberation theologians to refer to the breakthrough of the divine into human history. Kairos, unlike chronos, is an intrinsically qualitative time and implies a consciousness of the present as well as the need for responsive action. This emphasis on action provides the link between kairos and virtue, the particular virtue in question being that of prudence (phronesis in Greek. The aim of this article is twofold: to highlight and make explicit the connections between the notion of kairos and the Russian literary-theorist and philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin’s rhetorical and ethical world, with particular emphasis on his notion of carnival; secondly, to further support a Christian reading of Bakthin’s work by making explicit the connections between his carnivalesque vision and a Christian reading of the ethical importance of kairos and its links with incarnation.

  9. Exploring thought leadership, thought liberation and critical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It is argued that any discussion of Africa's social and economic development has to take into account the three critical issues that remain pressing constraints for the further advancement of well-being in Africa: thought leadership, thought liberation and critical consciousness. These three 'ingredients' should anchor aspects ...

  10. HIV/AIDS Prevention Activities of Faith-Based Christian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Based on these findings, it was recommended that the faith-based Christian organizations should collaborate with relevant agencies, community based workers and non-formal education providers to improve HIV/AIDS prevention service delivery in the study area. Keywords: Prevention, Activities, HIV/AIDS, Empowerment, ...

  11. 63 THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHRISTIAN MORAL EDUCATION FOR ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    retirement of alleged fraudulent public officers, “the ethical revolution” of Alhaji ... of governance, good governance, education, moral education and Christian ..... causes serious set backs to many businesses and even foreign investments. ... Otonti, A. N. (1983): Overview of historical, sociological, ethical and religious issues ...

  12. Fostering Spiritual Formation of Millennials in Christian Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horan, Anne Puidk

    2017-01-01

    Christian education seeks to foster millennials' spiritual formation to equip them for future challenges and to benefit society. Using nonexperimental mixed methods, 504 secondary educators revealed what spiritual formation programs their schools implement and their perceptions about millennial spiritual formation. Descriptive analysis showed that…

  13. Reflections on Muslim-Christian encounters in West Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soares, B.

    2016-01-01

    Among historians, social scientists and scholars of religion there has been increased recognition of the importance of studying Islam and Christianity in Africa not separately but rather together as lived religions in dynamic interaction over time. In this article, I trace how scholars have arrived

  14. USE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION BY CHRISTIAN RELIGION TO TRAIN, EDIFY AND EDUCATE ADHERENTS

    OpenAIRE

    P. SATYANARAYANA; Emmanuel DK MEDURI

    2013-01-01

    Distance Education has been growing fast, in a marvelously diverse fashion. The efficiency, effectiveness, validity and utility of distance teaching-learning are on increase. All communities and religious groups are making use of distance learning methodology to upgrade their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Christina educational institutions in all the parts of the world are being benefitted by the Christian distance education programme. Christian websites make up more than 80 percent of...

  15. Negotiations of believing and belonging among Iraqi and Egyptian Christians in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galal, Lise Paulsen

    This presentation explores negotiations of belonging among Christian immigrants of Iraqi and Egyptian background in Denmark. Based on transnational and diaspora studies, experiences and practices of belonging are explored as multi-directional and situational springing from everyday encounters...... and personal life trajectory, political events in both the region of origin and in the receiving country (Denmark), as well as opportunity structures empowering Middle Eastern Christians as collective and individual actors....

  16. Some thoughts on interacting binary systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulrich, R.K.

    1980-01-01

    The author presents some thoughts on the theory and observation of interacting binary systems. The complex physical processes possible in these systems make our present understanding inconclusive. New types of observation (X-ray, EUV, radio) present new challenges to the theoretician. The author discusses those problems which seem to hold the most promise for future progress. (Auth.)

  17. The Role of the Artes Liberales within a Technical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Joan

    1990-01-01

    Classics provide an understanding that may allow escape from social conditioning and the discovery of an individual's or society's potential; therefore, they should be included in the technical curriculum. Their common roots in Greco-Roman and in Judeo-Christian thought contain the seeds of cultural renewal in the world. (JOW)

  18. Strategies for Faith Engagement within One's Career: The Role of Uganda Christian University in Preparing Students for Postgraduation Life

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rugyendo, Medard

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the role of Uganda Christian University (UCU) in devising strategies for the sustenance of Christian faith in one's career for the betterment of the society despite its social ills. The current theme of UCU is "A Complete Education for a Complete Person." As a Christian university, UCU seeks to provide a positive…

  19. Christian Church: A Catalyst for Economic Development in Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Toshiba

    The issue of economic development is of national concern. The. Nigerian economy ..... The Christian church has provided both moral and economic impetus ... posits that the church needs to concentrate on the business of creating economic ...

  20. Is Christian Schooling Really at Loggerheads with the Ideas of Diversity and Tolerance? A Rejoinder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etherington, Matthew

    2008-01-01

    This article builds on the foundations and evaluations laid recently by Symes and Gulson in their 2005 article, "Crucifying Education: The rise and rise of new Christian schooling in Australia." It evaluates the warrant of Christian schooling within a liberal democracy and offers a rejoinder for defending the rights of Christian…

  1. Teaching Humility in First-Grade Christian School Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonker, Julie E.; Wielard, Cassie J.; Vos, Carolyn L.; Tudder, Ashley M.

    2017-01-01

    Four classes of first-grade children at a Christian school took pre- and post-tests measuring humility. Two intervention classes had devotional lessons on humility and two comparison classes did not. For one week, devotional lessons featured humility-related children's literature, cognitively appropriate discussions, writing about humility, and…

  2. Thought 2 Talk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hendricks, Vincent F.

    Thought2Talk is a crash course on argument, reasoning and logical method honoring the Swedish poet and Bishop of Lund, Esaias Tegnér, who once said: The words and thoughts of men are born together: To speak obscurely is to think obscurely. In 100 humorous yet erudite pages, Thought2Talk takes the...... the reader through key concepts like statement, argument, validity, fallacy, modality and demonstration.......Thought2Talk is a crash course on argument, reasoning and logical method honoring the Swedish poet and Bishop of Lund, Esaias Tegnér, who once said: The words and thoughts of men are born together: To speak obscurely is to think obscurely. In 100 humorous yet erudite pages, Thought2Talk takes...

  3. Development of radiology at the Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet, Kiel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Proppe, A.

    1976-01-01

    This paper read on the occasion of the inauguration of the radiological hospital of the Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet Kiel gives a survey of the development of radiology and of the personalities who have influenced this development. (ORU) [de

  4. A Conception of Hellenisation of Christianity in the History of Theology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikhailov Petr

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This article offers an analytical outline of historical and theological conception of “Hellenisation of Christianity”. It covers the period from the 16th to the 21st centuries and discusses the following: 1 establishment of the conception during confessional controversy between Catholics and Protestants (from the beginning of the Reformation till the beginning of the 19th century; 2 conceptualisation of the problem in German Protestant theology of the 19th century; 3 attempts of its solution in confessional studies of the 20th century. The paper proposes some generalisations as to the division into periods, which are polemical, critical and apologetical; it also proposes the typology of the main versions of the conception in question, namely the “theory of convergence”, “theory of dеsintegration”, “theory of accommodation”, “theory of succession”. The main figures in the history of the conception are J. L. Moscheim, F. Baur, A. Harnack, R. Seeberg, G. Florovsky. The Hellenisation of Christianity as a historical phenomenon is considered from different points of view. These are: 1 the language and formation of the basic corpus of Christian texts; 2 ancient metaphysics and use of its philosophical tools for theological work; 3 classical culture, i. e. Paideia. The main question is the following: has the Christian tradition of late Antiquity, of Byzantine and Medieval periods as well as that of Modernity saved the identity with the fi rst Christian community, or has it been lost as a result of the all-pervading synthesis with the Greek culture and civilisation that took place during late Antiquity? The paper attempts to suggest an answer to these questions.

  5. SLAVERY AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY – A REFLECTION FROM A ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    engaging with texts from Early Christianity from an ethical perspective in order to .... On the other hand, the Roman practice of slavery was based on a different kind of ... because the slave's purchase of freedom recapitalized his value and.

  6. Preparing them from home: A discourse on Christian parental responsibility towards ecological crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George C. Nche

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Few studies have discussed the roles of parents towards addressing ecological crisis. Yet, discourses on these roles have always been approached from a secular perspective. To this end, this paper critically discusses the roles of parents towards ecological crisis from the Christian or biblical perspective of their responsibilities towards their children. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological method of analysis, the article argues that ecological disasters of tomorrow could be prevented today through effective ecologically centred Christian parenting.

  7. Old Nordic and Christian elements in Saami ideas about the realm of the dead

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olof Pettersson

    1987-01-01

    Full Text Available The fact that a word or concept has been borrowed from outside does not mean that the original content, the original ideas which the loan word in question expresses, have also been adopted. This is by no means the case when it is a question of abstract words and notions, such as the afterlife. A word, an idea, a custom is taken over but filled with new content; in its new context it acquires a genuinely Saami conceptual load, which has its original domiciliary rights in Saami, north Eurasian culture. The present brief notes on the Nordic and Christian influence on Saami ideas about the realm of the dead proceed from the Saami religion as a whole, examining and explaining it from an external perspective: what connecting-points are there in the "original" mother tradition for the new ideas which have been adopted over the course of time and which have been grafted on to the old? The first and fundamental starting-point for the study of the meeting of the Saami religion with the old Nordic and Christian ones will be the Saami religion itself in its Finno-Ugric and North Euroasiancontext and not the old Norse or Christian beliefs. The question is what has inspired ideas: Are they ideas which have emerged from the Saamis' own religion, or are these ideas the result of old Norse/Christian influence? As far as old Norse influence is concerned, its relevance seems to be limited to the saivo concept. The sources for Saami religion which we possess are not primary sources, which go back to the Lapps themselves; they have been assembled by outsiders. Those who compiled these records were "children of their time" and bound by the conceptual models of the day and by the frames of reference of their religion—Christianity. The Saami realm of death, Jabmeaimo, is Saami in character, with certain Christian elements (purgatory, heaven–hell, heavenly god–devil.

  8. Three Monotheistic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Slide Exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalak, Laurence

    This slide exercise is intended to communicate information about the three major monotheistic religions of the Middle East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The exercise focuses on beliefs, events, symbols, institutions, and practices important to the three religions, but the main purpose is to impress upon students the many things that these…

  9. Introduction to Christian philosophy | Nnaji | Sophia: An African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper revisits and reconstructs the beginning of medieval philosophy (i.e. Renaissance philosophy) from about 400CE-1650CE when Catholic Reverend Fathers used the tools of Aristotelian syllogisms to argue (in order) to establish the existence of God, not only the genuineness of the Christian religion. The, method ...

  10. THE PUNISHMENT OF SLAVES IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY: THE ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    not a perchance commendation,” the fourth-century Church Father John. Chrysostom ... ISSN 1015-8758 (Print) / ISSN 2309-9089 (Online). © UV/UFS. Prof. Chris L. de Wet, Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies, University of ... Style (Collins et al. ..... of Christianity, figures such as Paul showed more solidarity with the.

  11. A QUEST FOR A UNIQUE AFRICAN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    2017-07-01

    Jul 1, 2017 ... Theology, and then, Nyamiti‟s ideas on the nature and method in African Theology and his ability to unite it ... Nyamiti‟s (1969) precise definition of African Theology is the very self-same. Christian ..... Central Africa. Malawi: ...

  12. Measuring the Contribution of Independent Christian Secondary Schools to Students' Religious, Personal, and Social Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Leslie J.; ap Siôn, Tania; Village, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    From the late 1960s independent Christian schools have emerged in England and Wales, initiated either by churches or by parents. Many of these new independent schools are linked through the Christian Schools Trust. The impact that these schools are exerting on their students may be of interest for the churches with which they are associated and of…

  13. HIV/AIDS through the lens of Christianity: perspectives from a South African urban support group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hlongwana, K; Mkhize, S

    2007-05-01

    HIV is one of the most obscure viruses that humankind has had to face in recent times. Compounding this obscurity are often contesting perspectives on what it means to be HIV infected, and these perspectives are largely constituted by people's rationalisation of complex situations or experiences. Using qualitative research methods and ethnography in particular, this paper reflects on a broad understanding of what it means to live with HIV in the context of Christianity, using research participants' perspectives in an urban support group setting. Two fundamental patterns are evident in this paper: (1) as support group members rationalise their HIV infection, they continuously construct and reconstruct their identities; and (2) support group members rationalise their HIV infection to enhance their coping abilities, using Christianity and the Bible in particular, as a reference. Whilst rationalising HIV infection, three viewpoints emerge. The first viewpoint perceives HIV infection as an affliction by Satan; the second viewpoint sees it as originating from God; while the last viewpoint interprets HIV infection as a negotiated settlement between God and Satan. The paper is intended to trigger debate, and hopefully also to seek and provide answers from various sectors of society, and religious communities in particular, in order to help other HIV positive people in similar situations better manage their HIV condition.

  14. Propositions toward the development of a psychological theory of thought

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shadrikov, Vladimir D.

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Thought is considered a psychological concept associated with an individual’s mental ex- istence. It is apparent that a great deal of research has been focused on thought as an area of study. however, there is no psychological theory of thought which provides an expla- nation for its nature and structural organization. So far, researchers have mainly looked at the ways this concept is expressed, rather than investigating what it actually is. In this study, however, based on studies of the functions of the psyche, mental processes, and the neurophysiological bases of mental activity, thought is identified as a need-emotion- intentional substance existing in the human being’s inner world. In keeping with this understanding of thought, the hypothesis that thought generation is caused by desire and experience (feeling and emotion is put forward. An individual’s thought is linked to his behavior or motivation for activity, and is followed by an emotional experience. The process of thought generation is regarded through the mechanism of behavioral motiva- tion. The primary purpose of this mechanism is to define the qualities of the external objects that serve for need satisfaction and functionality in individuals. The ability to generate thoughts is a feature of thinking related to an individual’s mental ability or frame of mind. From this standpoint, a person’s mentality is considered to be the capacity of the individual to generate thoughts and work through thoughts. It is shown that the abil- ity to generate thoughts and establish relationships within a stream of consciousness is characteristic of human intelligence. Some basic propositions toward a development of a psychological theory of thought are introduced.

  15. Boko Haram and Renascent Clogs in Muslim-Christian Relations in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    government should complement it with good service delivery and improved security ... Abrahamic background and the inevitability of global change and integration .... Christians continued to nurse a cloud of .... of the continuous onslaught.

  16. Interrogating Infanticide/ Child Euthanasia in the Roman Christian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this paper is an attempt to examine infanticide practices in the Roman Christian era and interrogate infanticide and child euthanasia in the same era. It also attempts to point out infanticide practices in Abuja and makes a distinction between infanticide and child euthanasia in Abuja. The study employed ...

  17. The Birth of Hospital, Asclepius cult and Early Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, In-Sok

    2017-04-01

    History of hospital is one of main fields of researches in medical history. Besides writing a history of an individual hospital, considerable efforts have been made to trace the origin of hospital. Those who quest for the origin of hospital are faced with an inevitable problem of defining hospital. As the different definition can lead to a different outcome, it is important to make a clear definition. In this article, the hospital was defined as an institution in which patients are housed and given medical treatments. According to the definition, the Great Basilius is regarded to have created the first hospital in 369 CE. The creation of hospital is considered to be closely related with Christian philantrophy. However, the question is raised against this explanation. As the religious philantrophy does not exclusively belong to the Christianity alone, more comprehensive and persuasive theory should be proposed to explain why the first hospital was created in the Christian World, not in the Buddhistic or other religious world. Furthermore, in spite of sharing the same Christian background, why the first hospital appeared in Byzantine Empire, not in Western Roman Empire, also should be explained. My argument is that Asclepius cult and the favorable attitude toward medicine in Greek world are responsible to the appearance of the first hospital in Byzantine Empire. The evangelic work of Jesus was heavily depended on healing activities. The healing activities of Jesus and his disciples were rivalled by Asclepius cult which had been widely spread and practiced in the Hellenistic world. The temples of Asclepius served as a model for hospital, for the temples were the institution exclusively reserved for the patients. The exclusive housing of patients alone in the temples of Asclepius is clearly contrasted with the other early forms of hospitals in which not only patients but also the poor, foreigners and pilgrims were housed altogether. Toward the healing god Asclepius

  18. Spirituality and Virtue in Christian Formation: A Conversation between Thomistic and Ignatian Traditions

    OpenAIRE

    Austin, Nicholas

    2016-01-01

    This paper reflects on Christian formation, the growth of the disciple into the image of Christ, from two traditions, the Thomistic and Ignatian. The Thomistic tradition offers a rich theological theory of virtue, but seems to require a more convincing narrative of how ‘infused’ virtue develops in the Christian life. The Ignatian tradition offers a more experiential spirituality, but today needs to explain how spiritual experience can be lived out. It is argued that the two traditions can be ...

  19. Issue of Salvation in Christianity: A Study in the Perspective of Islamic Ethics

    OpenAIRE

    Syed Mohammad Hilmi, S. A. R.; Masitoh, A.; Jamil, H.; Abdulnaser, S.

    2015-01-01

    The doctrine of salvation is considered as a central pillar in Christian’s belief, in which underlying most of the fundamental teachings in Christianity such as the doctrines of original sin, redemption and Crucifixion. The notion of salvation – in Christianity and other religions that have faith in it - is stemmed from the belief that evil is a vital issue in this universe, whence it develops view and perception towards man and universe, and the belief that religion came to safe and fr...

  20. Indonesian Christian Teachers' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Professional Development Programs Offered by ACSI-I and Indonesian National Department of Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwani, Amy

    2014-01-01

    This is a study to examine Indonesian Christian Teachers' Perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development programs offered by the Association of Christian Schools International Indonesia (ACSI-I) and by the Indonesian National Department of Education. The study was focused on how Indonesian Christian teachers perceived the…

  1. Christian Spirituality in Eating Disorder Recovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cora Grant

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Eating disorders are some of the most severe and destructive of all psychological conditions. They are associated with restricted capacities in cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. This paper provides an examination of the practical application of Christian spirituality as a force for recovery from an eating disorder. Specifically, it expounds the transformative potential in the spiritual qualities of hope, trust, acceptance, surrender, and courage underpinning engagement with evidence-based therapeutic models of care in eating disorder recovery.

  2. Afrikaner Christianity and the concept of empire

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erna Oliver

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Not many Protestant countries in the world have been as influenced by faith as South Africa. Although South Africa was never officially a Christian country, politics, economic development, social life and the culture of the �rainbow nation� was either moulded on, or influenced by, the Calvinistic Christianity that came to the country along with the European merchants. The privileged position of Christianity ended in 1994 when South Africa became a neutral state with guaranteed religious freedom for all. Although more than 80 per cent of the population claim that they are Christians, it seems as if the word is not meant any more as a religion with a value system and moral obligations, but only as a convenient label. The reason behind the contrast between theory and practice must be investigated. One possible reason could be found in the traditional Afrikaans-speaking churches� participation of, and contribution to, the �empire� concept. The responsibility of the individual to practise his or her faith was taken over by the power of the state and church.Bokriste bja Maafrikanere le kgopolo ya mmu�o wo maatlaGa se dinaga t�e nt�i t�a Protestante mo lefaseng t�e di huedit�wego ke tumelo go swana le ka fao naga ya Afrika-Borwa e huedit�wego ke tumelo ka gona. Le ge Afrika-Borwa e sa ka ya ba naga ya Sekriste semmu�o, dipolitiki, tlhabollo ya t�a ekonomi, bophelo bja leago le set�o sa �set�haba sa molalatladi�, se ka ba se bopegile godimo ga, goba se huedit�we ke Bokriste bja Secalvine bjo bo tlilego le bagwebi ba Yuropa. Maemo a go phagama ao a bego a filwe tumelo ya Sekriste a fedile ka ngwaga wa 1994 ge Afrika-Borwa e eba naga ya kemelathoko ya go fa bohle tokologo ya bodumedi. Le ge diphesente t�a go feta 80 t�a set�haba di ipit�a Bakriste, go bonala nke lent�u leo ga le sa �omi�wa go hlalo�a tumelo ye e nago le meetlo le maitshwaro a it�eng a setho, eup�a le no �omi�wa e le seka sa go

  3. Echoes of the Conflict between Tokhta and Nogai in the Christian World.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandar Uzelac

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Research objectives: The article is dedicated to the analysis of the echoes and reflections of the war (1297–1300 between khan Tokhta and his older cousin Nogai in the Christian West. Besides providing the general overview of the conflict, its political background, the course of the military operations and its geographic setting, the text deals with the various European and Christian contemporary sources referring to the internal struggles in the Golden Horde. Although these sources provide only the fragmentary notices about the conflict, they offer the possibility to critically assess how the Christian contemporaries looked upon the turbulent events in the Pontic Steppes, and to what extent they were familiar with them. Research materials: Contemporary sources, mainly the texts written by the Byzantine historian George Pachymeres, Serbian archbishop Danilo II, Italian cleric Bartolomeo Fiadóni, his compatriot Franciscan John of Montecorvino, naturalized Frenchmen of Armenian origin Hayton (Het’um of Corycos, as well as Venetian traveler Marco Polo. Results and novelty of the research: The analysis of the sources shows that they share some common traits and refer to the turbulent events in the Golden Horde in similar manner, despite the different backgrounds of their authors. On the basis of their reports it may be concluded that the кеy events and the course of the war, as well as its consequences, were well known in the Balkans, and to a slightly lesser extent in the western Europe. Moreover, they reveal that the rumors about these events reached the remotest parts of the Christian world.

  4. Sound Not Light: Levinas and the Elements of Thought

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Emma; Standish, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Can Levinas' thought of the other be extended beyond the relation to the other human being? This article seeks to demonstrate that Levinas' philosophy can indeed be read in such a sense and that this serves to open up a new way of understanding human thinking. Key to understanding such an extension of Levinas' philosophy will be his account of the…

  5. Coming to America for Spiritual or Academic Growth? Experiences of International Students at One Christian School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Lishu

    2013-01-01

    The number of international students flocking to North American private Christian schools has continued to grow. The author examined the overall experiences of 67 international high school students studying at a private Christian school in South Carolina. Their frustrations and struggles with academic and spiritual growth in a new cross-cultural…

  6. Children's Everydaylife at Christianø - an etnographic film

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    Christiansø lies among a small cluster of rocky islands in the easternmost reach of the Danish Baltic. The island itself is an old bastion, surrounded still by thick stone walls. Due to its small size, it is a car-free society. There are no cats or dogs here, just hundreds of croaking frogs...

  7. Negative Thought Stopping. A Key to Performance Enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziegler, Susan G.

    1987-01-01

    The effects of mental training on skill acquisition and performance is currently emphasized in the study of sport psychology and motor learning. This article provides the teacher and coach with general guidelines for understanding and incorporating negative thought stopping training into athletic programs. (MT)

  8. A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON RACIAL AND LINGUISTIC INTEGRATIONIN SOUTH AFRICAN CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawid Venter

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This is a study that uses data from a national survey of multicultural and multilingual Christian congregations in South Africa to examine the institutional factors that support the dominance of English in formerly segregated churches without a formal language policy. Data were collected by qualitative methods on the levels and types of linguistic integration (as well as racial and cultural incorporation in each of 60 congregations from nine Christian denominations across South Africa. The patterns found are best explained in terms of the articulation of formal and popular ideologies that contribute to institutional isomorphism across state and civil institutions.

  9. Marginal Christian spirituality: An example from a meditation group

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Versteeg, P.G.A.

    2006-01-01

    Spirituality is one of the forms of religion that seems to thrive in secularised Western societies. It has become an umbrella term for a variety of experience-oriented religious practices in Western societies. The popularity of spirituality is clearly visible within Christian settings, both inside

  10. Strategies to Foster Emotional Intelligence in Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gliebe, Sudi Kate

    2012-01-01

    This article proposes five initiatives to foster emotional intelligence (EI) education throughout institutions of Christian higher education. Goleman (1995) identifies self-awareness, managing emotions, motivation, empathy, and social intelligence as the hallmark skills of emotional intelligence. The importance of mastering these skills and their…

  11. The Social Reproductive Role of Christian Missionary Education in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article uses the neo-Marxist theoretical paradigm to examine the educational objectives, activities and outcomes of Christian missionaries among black communities in apartheid South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select study participants, and individual and focus group interviews were conducted with ...

  12. The Christian Nobles at the Court of Great Khan, as Described in Mediaeval European Sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimír Liščák

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Research objectives: “Moreover, the chief princes of his whole empire, more than thirty thousand in number, who are called Alans, and govern the whole Orient, are Christians either in fact or in name, calling themselves the Pope’s slaves, and ready to die for the Franks.” With these words John of Marignola, a notable traveller to the Far East in the fourteenth century and a legate to the Great Khan of Cathay, attested in his Cronica Boemorum the presence of certain Christian nobles of the Alan race in the service of the Mongol-Chinese emperor. The immediate impetus for Marignola’s mission was that in 1336 the Great Khan Ukhaghatu Toghon-Temür sent a delegation of sixteen “Franks” (Franquis, as the Mongols called Europeans, ad Papam, Dominum Christianorum in Franchiam. They brought two letters to the pope: one purporting to be from the Great Khan himself, and the other from certain princes of the Christian Alans in his service. By the coming of the Mongolian legation in Avignon in 1338, we are informed, among others, that the successor of John of Montecorvino, the first archbishop in Khanbalik, had never reached his destination, as well as the other succeeding archbishops to Khanbalik. Research materials: Marignola’s mission was important not only with its spiritual message, but rather with an excellent choice of gift for the Great Khan. Western messengers brought with them, among the gifts from the Pope in Rome, a singularly auspicious present: a magnificent black horse with white hind hooves. Marignola, in his Cronica Boemorum, identifies the Christian dignitaries at the court of the Great Khan as the Alans. We know of them from earlier sources, but mostly under the generic name “Christians” or “Nestorian Christians”. John of Montecorvino reportedly converted many Alans (he did not mention their name to Roman Catholic Christianity in addition to Armenians in China. According to the Annals of the Yuan Dynasty, in 1229 and

  13. Reliability and construct validity for scale of rejection of Christianity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, Mandy; Francis, Leslie J; Bradford, Amanda

    2003-02-01

    A sample of 16 male and 30 female undergraduates completed the Greer and Francis Scale of Rejection of Christianity. The data support the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the scale for this sample.

  14. Christian – Muslim Relations in Nigeria: The Problems and Prospects

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Christian – Muslim Relations in Nigeria: The Problems and Prospects. ... Basic findings of this study show that Nigeria.s stability, democracy, and national ... must embrace Inter-religious dialogue which demands religions nurture, faith, trust, ...

  15. The Impact of Institutional Culture on Student Activism: A Multi-Case Study in Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Brian E.

    2013-01-01

    This study contributes to the description and meaning of student activism within the context of Christian college environments and cultures, and is interpreted through the sociological concept of symbolic interactionism. The purpose of this study is to help fill the void in the literature on student activism at Christian colleges and universities,…

  16. Intervjuu Christian Boltanskiga : suremise viisid / intervjueerinud Peeter Linnap

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Boltanski, Christian, 1944-

    2011-01-01

    Prantsuse kunstnik ja fotograaf oma 1990ndate töödest, 1999. aastal Soomes toimunud näitusest "Augustiöö", mille teemaks oli surm ja maalimisest kui ruumi loomise kunstist ning põhjustest miks ta nimetab end 20. sajandi lõpu maalikunstnikuks. Lisaks valik Christian Boltanski autobiograafilisest küsitlusest "Mida nad minust mäletavad?"

  17. Suremise viisid : intervjuu Christian Boltanskiga / interv. Peeter Linnap

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Boltanski, Christian, 1944-

    2007-01-01

    Prantsuse kunstnik ja fotograaf oma 1990ndate töödest, 1999. aastal Soomes toimunud näitusest "Augustiöö", mille teemaks oli surm ja maalimisest kui ruumi loomise kunstist ning põhjustest miks ta nimetab end 20. sajandi lõpu maalikunstnikuks. Lisaks valik Christian Boltanski autobiograafilisest küsitlusest "Mida nad minust mäletavad?"

  18. Travelling among fellow Christians (1768-1833)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ib

    2013-01-01

    different: Bruce was an eccentric and wealthy Scottish laird with attitudes characteristic of his class. Salt, an English artist and secretary to a British peer of the realm, had more liberal attitudes. Rüppell, a German naturalist sent by the Senckenberg Naturforschende Gesellschaft, a learned association...... in Frankfurt, approached the Abyssinians with scholarly attitudes of his time. Bruce, Salt and Rüppell expressed views about the past and present of the Christian Abyssinian civilisation; Salt also nourished a political vision for future interaction between Abyssinia and Britain....

  19. [The movement to establish a Christian medical school proposed by medical missionary "John C. Berry"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuseda, Tetsuya

    2014-12-01

    John C. Berry (1847-1936) came to Japan in 1872, worked as a medical missionary for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM . He attempted to influence Japanese medical education toward a more Christian-influenced approach. In early Meiji, the Japanese government adopted the German language and principles for its national medical program. This promoted a tendency towards the adoption of German concepts in Japanese medical education. The director of of Doshisha, Niijima, was concerned about such a tendency, which he considered rather science-oriented or skeptical and atheistic, according to his writings. The tradition of corruption among Japanese doctors also deeply disappointed him. Niijima sought the type of medical institution in which the students would learn Western medicine based on a moral base of Christianity, presumably in Kyoto, to take advantage of the foundation of Doshisha, which had already been built. Missionaries in Japan, especially Berry, supported Niijima's intentions. During his visit to the U.S. he promoted a mission statement in support of Niijima's idea in order to raise funds among Christian communities. This project produced a resolution among the Christian community in Philadelphia to establish an interdenominational foundation for establishing such a medical institution and it encouraged other cities to follow. However, the American Board of Missionaries in Japan disagreed with the idea of its being interdenominational, and then, along with other struggles such as the lack of funding in light of the economic slowdown, and the widespread social rejection of Christianity in Japan, the project fell apart and was suspended.

  20. Missionary colonial mentality and the expansion of Christianity in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Historical evidence shows that Batswana possessed rich cultural and religious traditions that contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity in Bechuanaland Protectorate (the present Botswana). The Western missionaries chose to reject or marginalize these traditions, which were based on the concept of the Supreme Being ...

  1. Perception and Attitudes of Christian Youths towards Condom Use ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nekky Umera

    there still exist a high HIV/AIDs risk behaviour and activities among the youths. ... individuals and helps in the formation of personal attitudes, values and ... the commitment and adherence to religion teaching among the Christian ... respondents (2.4%) reported primary school as highest educational level. ..... Gerais, Brazil.

  2. Christian IV's Winter Room and Studiolo at Rosenborg Castle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wadum, Jørgen

    2015-01-01

    An account of the creation of the highly decorated ensemble forming the Winter Room and the Writing Room, Christian 4s private quarters at Rosenborg Castle. Art historical, technical analysis reveals new evidence on the working practice of Danish and Antwerp artists and craftsmen in the first...

  3. Human dignity and biomedical ethics from a Christian theological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2011-07-11

    Jul 11, 2011 ... Not only is there no Christian or humanistic idea of man. (because they do not .... ness which can be denied only at the cost of doing violence to the text. ... of an existential interpretation of the New Testament would not have to ...

  4. Only in Canada: A Study of National Market Potential for Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC) Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiebert, Al

    2011-01-01

    In July 2007 Ipsos Reid delivered to Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC) a report entitled "Christian Post-Secondary Education in Canada, Phase 3: Defining the Market". This article is a selective summary of the full 353-page report. It tabulates and analyzes findings from 1,000 phone interviews and 6,689 online surveys from six…

  5. The Christian Nobles at the Court of Great Khan, as Described in Mediaeval European Sources

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Liščák, Vladimír

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 2 (2017), s. 276-289 ISSN 2308-152X Institutional support: RVO:68378009 Keywords : religion in mediaeval China * Yuan Dynasty China * Christianity in the Great Khan court * Franciscan missions * Christian Alan nobility * Western mediaeval sources Subject RIV: AB - History OBOR OECD: History (history of science and technology to be 6.3, history of specific sciences to be under the respective headings)

  6. Thought-action fusion and thought suppression in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rassin, E; Diepstraten, P; Merckelbach, H; Muris, P

    2001-07-01

    To examine the significance of thought-action fusion (TAF) and thought suppression tendencies, the present study obtained pre- and post-treatment questionnaire data on these constructs in a sample of OCD patients (n=24) and non-OCD anxiety patients (n=20). Results indicate that TAF and suppression are correlated with severity of psychopathology. Yet, the associations between TAF and psychopathology are not typical for OCD, but do also occur in other anxiety disorders (e.g., panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and social phobia). As well, mean scores on the TAF and thought suppression measures dropped significantly from pre- to post-treatment, indicating that TAF and thought suppression are susceptible to change during psychotherapy.

  7. El déficit del querer en Kierkegaard. Clarificación del concepto de «voluntad» en La enfermedad mortal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Uriel Rodríguez

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The present paper explains why Kierkegaard affirms that the modern thinkers are wrong when they understand their own philosophy as a christian philosophy. The main problem of modern thought is that it lacks of a correct concept of sin. Because of that, the philosophy of the Modern age can only develop an ethic theory but not an ethic for the actual life. Only Christianity has a proper concept of sin that´s why the only true ethic is the christian one. First, the paper exposes and criticizes two objections (Aristotle and Descartes against the intellectual ethic from Kierkegaard´s point of view. Second, the paper reconstructs the notion of human will wich is developed in Either Or. Third, the paper analyzes the main argument of Sickness unto Death: without the christian idea of the will, as Kierkegaard interprets it in Sickness unto Death, the socratic and intellectual conception of the sin can not be overcome.

  8. Theology links Christian ministry with God's call.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connell, L J

    1984-03-01

    Catholic health care ministry originates in and is shaped by the theme of call in the Old and New Testaments. To be specifically Catholic, health professionals and facilities must define their ministries according to the values expressed in this theological tradition. Sponsorship. The opportunity to provide health care enables religious communities to contribute to God's ongoing creation process and to reiterate Christ's call to minister to others. Although health care facility sponsorship thrusts religious communities into the arena of big business, the abandonment of the health care mission could be considered a betrayal of evangelical values. Quality of life. The implicit concern for human dignity that distinguishes Catholic health care facilities should be evident in personalized patient care, just working conditions, and a commitment to healing in the civic community. Stewardship in ethics. The development of business policies and procedures and institutional responses to social change should be carefully considered in light of the Catholic understanding of loving covenant and the Christian way of life. Shared ministry. Health care facilities have played a leading role in implementing the Second Vatican Council's vision of ministry. Sponsoring communities' continued willingness to share responsibilities with laity will be imperative in meeting the health care demands of the future.

  9. PRIME Partnerships in International Medical Education - Restoring a Christian ethos to medical education worldwide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huw Morgan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Modern medicine has developed from an essentially Christian world-view and in Western countries has been greatly influenced by the Christian tradition of hospitality and caring for the sick. However, during the 20th century, medical education became increasingly secularised and focussed on the bio-physical model of disease, losing sight of a holistic view of the person that includes awareness of a spiritual dimension. Former Communist countries in particular have little recent tradition of caring, and medical education there tends to be characterised by poor role-models and out-dated didactic teaching. In the resource poor countries of the global South there are many Christian hospitals and clinics but often a lack of experienced medical teachers. Partnerships in International Medical Education (PRIME’s vision and mission is to support health-care education worldwide to restore a Christian-based holistic approach to patients, and act as a resource where needed, tailoring medical educational programmes to meet the needs of overseas partners (or colleagues in the NHS. Using interactive leaner-centred and problem-based educational methods, PRIME tutors (all experienced and qualified Christian medical educators seek to model patient-centred care by using learner-centred teaching, valuing each person as a bearer of the image of God. Most of PRIME’s teaching involves the doctor-patient relationship, communication skills, compassion, ethics and professionalism, often based around particular clinical scenarios to suit the learners. Small teams of voluntary tutors visiting partner institutions and colleagues for a few weeks a year can have a surprisingly large impact, as those grasping the vision become advocates for positive change in their own situations. Training of trainers and teachers in learner-centred, androgogic methodology to build capacity and sustainability is also a major part of the work.

  10. Studying scientific thought experiments in their context: Albert Einstein and electromagnetic induction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potters, Jan; Leuridan, Bert

    2017-05-01

    This article concerns the way in which philosophers study the epistemology of scientific thought experiments. Starting with a general overview of the main contemporary philosophical accounts, we will first argue that two implicit assumptions are present therein: first, that the epistemology of scientific thought experiments is solely concerned with factual knowledge of the world; and second, that philosophers should account for this in terms of the way in which individuals in general contemplate these thought experiments in thought. Our goal is to evaluate these assumptions and their implications using a particular case study: Albert Einstein's magnet-conductor thought experiment. We will argue that an analysis of this thought experiment based on these assumptions - as John Norton (1991) provides - is, in a sense, both misguided (the thought experiment by itself did not lead Einstein to factual knowledge of the world) and too narrow (to understand the thought experiment's epistemology, its historical context should also be taken into account explicitly). Based on this evaluation we propose an alternative philosophical approach to the epistemology of scientific thought experiments which is more encompassing while preserving what is of value in the dominant view.

  11. Speech, time and suffering: Rosenstock-Huessy’s Post-Goethean, Post-Christian sociology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristaudo Wayne

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Five years ago, a new three volume edition of Eugen Rosenstock- Huessy (to translate In the Cross of Reality: A Post-Goethean Sociology appeared in Germany. As with the two prior editions of the work (a one volume version in 1925, and a much revised and expanded two volume version 1956/8 it met with almost no critical response. This is perhaps not surprising - and it barely mentions any other sociologists, its approach is highly idiosyncratic, it is as much anthropology and history as it is sociology. Indeed, the second and third volumes mainly focus on the social formations of antiquity, and the role of Christianity and the messianic revolutions of the last millennium in creating a universal history. In this paper I take the relationship between speech, time and suffering as the key to Rosenstock-Huessy’s argument for why a theoretical grasp of Christianity as a social power is so important for social theory, and why he sees Sociology as a post-Christian form of knowledge. I also make the case for why Rosenstock-Huessy is an interesting and important social theorist.

  12. A Christian Value? Faculty Diversity at Southern Evangelical Campuses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Marquita; Mamiseishvili, Ketevan

    2016-01-01

    This case study research project examined efforts at three member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), all located in the southern United States, to increase faculty diversity. The study also explored how these efforts related to institutional mission and what aspects within the history of evangelicalism…

  13. Christian Church: A Catalyst for Economic Development in Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Christian Church: A Catalyst for Economic Development in Nigeria. ... African Research Review ... The Nigerian economy had a truncated history from independence to present times and the economy has suffered series of economic instability because of a long period of unsustained growth in the per capital real income of ...

  14. Inclusive Education--A Christian Perspective to an "Overlapping Consensus"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirner, Manfred L.

    2015-01-01

    The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has triggered endeavours in many countries to implement inclusive education at public schools. A Christian interpretation that concentrates on the anthropogical themes of fragmentarity, fragility and complementarity offers valuable impulses to the public discourse on inclusive education,…

  15. Transactional and Transformational Leader Behaviors and Christian School Enrollment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaught, James Ward, Jr.

    2010-01-01

    School enrollment trends and how leaders respond are critical to the sustainability of Christian schools. This study applied quantitative and qualitative approaches to address the question, are there significant differences in the mean scores for behavioral factors or in the mean scores for transactional and transformational leadership styles for…

  16. Pentecostal Christianity (Faith-Based Organizations) And Hiv/Aids In ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper focused on Faith-based Organizations in the healing of persons living with HIV/ AIDS (PLWHA), using Overcomers' Christian Mission (OCM) as reference. The Study employed the transition theory as a conceptual base. Data were obtained from ethnographic life history of 2 persons previously living with HIV/AIDS ...

  17. Christianity's Response to the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life: Insights from Science and Religion and the Sociology of Religion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertka, Constance M.

    The question of whether or not extraterrestrial life exists and its potential impact for religions, especially Christianity, is an ancient one addressed in numerous historical publications. The contemporary discussion has been dominated by a few notable scientists from the SETI and astrobiology communities, and by a few Christian theologians active in the science and religion field. This discussion amounts to scientists outside of the faith tradition predicting the demise of Christianity if extraterrestrial intelligent life is discovered and theologians within the tradition predicting the enrichment and reformulation of Christian doctrine. Missing from this discussion is insight drawn more broadly from the science and religion field and from the sociology of religion. A consideration of how possibilities for relating science and religion are reflected in the US public's varied acceptance of the theory of evolution; the growth of Christianity in the Global South; and a revised theory of secularization which inversely correlates religiosity to existential security, gives credence to the proposal that the response from those outside of academia would be much more varied and uncertain.

  18. Death is swallowed up in victory : scenes of death in early Christian art and the emergence of crucifixion iconography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGowan, Felicity Harley

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Christianity, and the instrument of Jesus’ death, the cross, remains the pivotal, and universally recognised, symbol of the Christian Church. Yet pictorial representations of the death of Jesus are conspicuously rare in the earliest Christian art. Moreover, the earliest surviving images of Jesus’ Crucifixion do not depict him dead on the cross, but defiantly alive – a visual interpretation of the event that incorporates both the means of his execution and his subsequent victory over death in the Resurrection. This article examines the iconography of a small ivory plaque, carved in Rome in the early fifth century, whereon the Crucifixion is juxtaposed with the suicide of Jesus’ betrayer, Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27 3:5 to effect a powerful visual interpretation of Jesus’ death. As the earliest surviving visual narration of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection, the ivory will be shown to preserve critical information regarding the interpretation of Christ’s death in the early Christian church - incorporating symbols and visual motifs from pagan funerary sculpture, while illustrating the development of a specifically Christian visual language for the representation of Jesus’ death.

  19. Transnational Sex Politics, Conservative Christianity, and Antigay Activism in Uganda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcia Oliver

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available In October 2009, a private member introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill to Uganda’s Parliament for consideration. This article analyzes the Bill within a broader context of transnational antigay activism, specifically the diverse ways that antigay activism in Uganda is shaped by global dynamics (such as the U.S. Christian Right’s pro-family agenda and local forms of knowledge and concerns over culture, national identity, and political and socio-economic issues/interests. This article lends insight into how transnational antigay activism connects to and reinforces colonial-inspired scripts about “African” sexuality and the deepening power inequalities between the global North and South under global neoliberalism, and raises some important questions about how the racial and gender politics of the U.S. Christian Right’s pro-family agenda travel and manifest within the Ugandan context.

  20. Perceptions of High School Biology Teachers in Christian Schools on Relationships between Religious Beliefs and Teaching Evolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangahas, Ana Marie E.

    2017-01-01

    This mixed method study explored Christian teachers' beliefs in religious schools on evolution, their attitudes toward evolution, and their perceptions on the effect of those beliefs on the teaching of evolutionary content. Teachers (N = 52) from Association for Christian Schools International (ACSI) accredited schools in California and Hawaii…

  1. Attitudes towards African traditional medicine and Christian spiritual healing regarding treatment of epilepsy in a rural community of northern Tanzania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkler, Andrea Sylvia; Mayer, Michael; Ombay, Michael; Mathias, Bartholomayo; Schmutzhard, Erich; Jilek-Aall, Louise

    2009-12-30

    Most people with epilepsy (PWE) live in developing countries with limited access to health care facilities. In sub-Saharan Africa with approximately 12 million PWE, 90% do not receive adequate medical treatment. In this context, traditional medicine, being easily accessible, plays an important role. However, in sub- Saharan Africa, studies on the attitude of people (both affected and not affected by epilepsy) towards traditional medicine for treatment of epilepsy are scarce. In this study, 167 people (59 PWE, 62 relatives, 46 villagers) were interviewed at the hospital and in the community with a semi-structured validated questionnaire regarding the prevailing attitude towards traditional medicine for treatment of epilepsy in a rural area of northern Tanzania. Various traditional healing methods (THM) could be ascertained, i.e. traditional herbal medicine, spiritual healing, scarifications and spitting. 44.3% (n=74/167) of the interviewed people were convinced that epilepsy could be treated successfully with THM. Interestingly, 34.1% (n=57/167) thought that Christian prayers could cure the cause and/or treat symptoms of epilepsy. Significantly more PWE and their relatives were in favour of THM compared to villagers not knowing about epilepsy or not being immediately affected by epilepsy (χ(2)-test, p=0.004). Further factors influencing people's attitudes towards THM were gender, tribe, religion and urbanity of people's dwellings. Our study demonstrates that not only THM but also prayers in the Christian sense seem to play an important role in people's beliefs regarding successful treatment of epilepsy. Factors influencing this belief system have been identified and are discussed.

  2. Between God and Self: exploring the attachment to God and authenticity/inauthenticity tendencies of South African Christian youths

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Counted, Victor; Moustafa, Ahmed

    2017-01-01

    The paper explores the relationship between attachment to God (AG) and authenticity/inauthenticity among Christian youths in relation to a range of socio-demographic variables. Cross-sectional data were collected from 100 South African Christian youths using measures of AG and

  3. Colonial Subjectification: Foucault, Christianity and Governmentality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Petterson

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Foucault’s concept of pastoral power is envisioned as a technique of power developed from the medieval period and carried through into modern political rationalities. As such, it is an old power technique – which originated in Christian institutions – in a new political shape, which he coined governmentality. This article uses Foucault’s genealogy of pastoral power and governmentality to discuss the intersection of domination and technology of self in the Greenlandic colonial context and to bring out the central role of religion in Foucault’s conceptualisation of governmentality.

  4. Women and Knowledge in Early Christianity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    the divine but they also debate women’s access to and capacity of gaining knowledge. Combining rhetorical analysis with social historical approaches, the contributions in this book cover a wide array of source materials, drawing special attention to the so-called Gnostic texts. The fourteen essays, written......Women and knowledge are interconnected in several ways in late ancient and early Christian discourses, not least because wisdom (Sophia) and spiritual knowledge (Gnosis) were frequently personified as female entities. Ancient texts deal with idealized women and use feminine imagery to describe...

  5. The perspective of christian moral education for good governance in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... governments programmes of development; ignorance, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, decaying infrastructure in education and hospital sectors, power outage and ethno-religious conflicts are still prevalent. The paper examined the concepts of governance, good governance, education, moral education and Christian ...

  6. Histiocytosis versus (Hand-Schuller-Christian disease) - a case report; Histiocitose versus (sindrome de Hand-Schuller-Christian) - relato de caso

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carneiro Filho, Jose Olimar; Leite, Marta Santos [Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, CE (Brazil). Clinica Radiologica Beroaldo Jurema, Fortaleza, CE (Brazil)]. E-mail: olimar_carneiro@hotmail.com; Andrade Neto, Jose Moacyr [Hospital Universitario Lauro Wanderley, Joao Pessoa, PB (Brazil). Clinica Medica

    2002-04-01

    The authors report a case of a 4-year-old girl with headache, irritability, othorrea and unilateral exophtalmus. Computed tomography and plain films showed large lytic areas in the vault and base of the skull. No other bones were involved. The diagnosis of histiocytosis X (Hand-Schuller-Christian disease) was confirmed by bone marrow biopsy. This paper presents the cytological and radiological findings of this patient as well as a review of the literature. (author)

  7. Does unconscious thought outperform conscious thought on complex decisions? A further examination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Todd J. Thorsteinson

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Two experiments examined the benefits of unconscious thought on complex decisions (Dijksterhuis, 2004. Experiment 1 attempted to replicate and extend past research by examining the effect of providing reasons prior to rating the options. Results indicated no significant differences between the conditions. Experiment 2 attempted to replicate the findings of Dijksterhuis, Bos, Nordgren, and van Baaren (2006 and determine if a memory aid could overcome the limitations of conscious thought on complex tasks. Results revealed that a memory aid improved decisions compared to the conscious thought condition. Participants in the unconscious thought condition did not perform significantly better than did participants in the conscious thought condition.

  8. Young Christians in Norway, national socialism, and the German ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The German occupation of Norway during the Second World War caused unprecedented problems for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway and other Christian denominations. The subordination of the church to the de facto Nazi state eventually led its bishops and most of its pastors to sever their ties to the ...

  9. The matrix reformed : science fiction, technology, and Christian philosophy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cusveller, B.; Verkerk, M.J.; Vries, de M.J.

    2011-01-01

    The Matrix Reformed provides an analysis of both science fiction and the contemporary adoration of technology from a Christian point-of-view, weaving a discussion of issues in religion, philosophy, and ethics in major sci-fi works (e.g., The Matrix, Star Wars, and Star Trek) with the insights and

  10. Evolution, knowledge and Christian faith: Gerd Theissen and the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Evolution, knowledge and Christian faith: Gerd Theissen and the credibility of theology. In this article the way in which Theissen uses the evolutionary paradigm as a comprehensive framework for interpreting not only central themes in theology but also the credibility of theology as such, is analysed from an epistemological ...

  11. Understanding Community: thoughts and experiences of young people

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hilary Yerbury

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available This ethnographic study of members of Generation X and Generation Y seeks to explore the ways they understand and experience community. Their comments and stories were gathered through interviews collected towards the end of 2006 and the early part of 2007. These provide richly textured evidence of their need to belong, to maintain everyday relationships and to collaborate with others at the same time as they commodify relationships or share information but not necessarily beliefs and values. Consequences of globalisation such as individualisation, transience in relationships, immediacy in communication, the blurring of boundaries between work and leisure, between public and private and the reliance on information and communication technologies are part of their everyday lives. Some study participants feel dis-embedded from their traditional social relationships and seek to establish new ones, whereas others feel comfortable joking with anonymous others. Their intellectualised constructs of community and descriptions of the lived reality of community find reflections in a range of theoretical constructs in the literature, both reinforcing and shifting scholarly understandings of the concept of community.

  12. The religious polemics of the Muslims of Late Medieval Christian Iberia : Identity and religious authority in Mudejar Islam

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Colominas Aparicio, M.

    2016-01-01

    This dissertation investigates the politics of identity of the Muslims in Late Medieval Christian Iberia (Mudejars). Mudejars had to endure the pressure exerted by the Christian majority society and also the criticism from their co-religionists in Muslim lands who contested their exceptional

  13. Formal Thought Disorder and language impairment in schizophrenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcia Radanovic

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness in which disorders of thought content are a prominent feature. The disruption of normal flow of thought, or “Formal Thought Disorder” (FTD, has been traditionally assessed through the content and form of patients’ speech, and speech abnormalities in schizophrenia were considered as a by-product of the disruption in conceptual structures and associative processes related to psychosis. This view has been changed due to increasing evidence that language per se is impaired in schizophrenia, especially its semantic, discursive, and pragmatic aspects. Schizophrenia is currently considered by some authors as a “language related human specific disease” or “logopathy”, and the neuroanatomical and genetic correlates of the language impairment in these patients are under investigation. Such efforts may lead to a better understanding about the pathophysiology of this devastating mental disease. We present some current concepts related to FTD as opposed to primary neurolinguistic abnormalities in schizophrenia.

  14. What Catholic Educators Can Learn from the Radical Christianity and Critical Pedagogy of Don Lorenzo Milani

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grech, Michael; Mayo, Peter

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores some of the ideas expressed in or associated with the work of Don Lorenzo Milani and the School of Barbiana and discusses them in the light of the teachings of the gospels. It draws out the implications of these ideas for a critical education in the Christian spirit. The focus throughout is on Christian education for social…

  15. In search of an appropriate contemporary approach in Christian ethics: Max Weber’s ethic of responsibility as resource

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Etienne de Villiers

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The article addresses the question: ‘To what extent can Max Weber’s ethic of responsibility be a helpful resource in the search of Christian Social Ethics for an appropriate contemporary approach’? This question is addressed by, first of all, providing a summary of Weber’s famous speech Politics as a Vocation in which he developed his view on the ethic of responsibility; secondly, providing an interpretation of his view; and, thirdly, critically discussing the extent to which this ethic can serve as a resource for Christian Social Ethics in its search for an appropriate contemporary approach. The conclusion is that although some aspects of Weber’s view on the ethic of responsibility are unacceptable to Christian Social Ethics, the core of it is commendable. Some of the implications of incorporating an ethic of responsibility approach in Christian Social Ethics are also briefly discussed.

  16. On the bodies of women: the common ground between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Charmaine; Ibrahim, Jibrin

    2010-01-01

    This article explores the common ideological ground between Islam and Christianity in Nigeria, in the ways in which gender and sexuality are configured in relation to women's bodies. The latter constitute key sites for the inscription of social norms and practices inherent in particular interpretations of religion. We proceed by examining the interplay between religion and politics in historical context and in specific concrete instances. While the religious right among Muslims and Christians share the view that women's bodies are sexually corrupting and therefore in need of control, this perspective is also found in secular institutions. At the same time Christians and Muslims are strongly opposed to controls on women's bodies that may lead to either religious group being identified as 'the other'. The linkage made between women's bodies and 'public morality' produces diverse forms of gender inequality. The moralising of political economy that these processes entail complicates the terrain on which challenges to the politicisation of religion and its gender politics need to be sustained.

  17. Freedom and Safety of an Individual in the Attitude of Liberalism and Christian Social S

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valdas Pruskus

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the freedom and safety of an individual under market conditions and ethical limits of market expression in the attitude of liberalism and Christian social science.Liberalism and Christian social teaching admits that market and its mechanism gives an individual and society an opportunity to fulfil their needs better, but differently estimates ethical limits of market expression. It is shown that in the attitude of Christian social teaching the goal of economic action is not only to create welfare for society and the individual but also to secure its safety. In its turn, creation of safety is associated with the necessity to overcome the single-acting dominance of economic values in the market society: ethic values by which economic action of the individual and society should be measured have to penetrate into economic space. 

  18. Ubuntu and philoxenia: Ubuntu and Christian worldviews as responses to xenophobia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojalefa L.J. Koenane

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Xenophobic attitudes and violence have become regular phenomena in South Africa and other parts of the world. Xenophobia is of great concern not only to South Africans, but also to most developed countries or countries that are considered economically and politically viable by their neighbours, and which offer a safe haven for people who, for whatever reason, are forced to seek refuge elsewhere. Although xenophobia is not unique to South Africa, its most worrying aspect in South Africa is the government’s inability to deal with this evil. The article seeks to challenge South Africa as a dominantly Ubuntu and Judeo-Christian influenced country to fight xenophobia through appealing to Ubuntu values and philoxenia. By Judeo-Christian, I mean religious beliefs and values that are common to both these religions, namely Judaism and Christianity. The article further suggests the ontology that perceives the ‘other’ as an extension of the self. It is argued that South African citizens are collectively responsible for acts of violence against foreign nationals and should thus look for a morally sustainable solution to this evil. The article relies heavily on the work of Kristeva, entitled Strangers to Ourselves, and on the work of Nussbaum, entitled Ubuntu: Reflections of a South African on Our Common Humanity, in Reflections, the Society for Organizational Learning and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  19. FAIRY-TALE REALISM. HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AND THE MODERN WORLD OF THINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frederike Felcht

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available According to recent research in literary studies, literature has a specific knowledge about things. My contribution supports this thesis by analyzing the world of things in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Exemplary readings reveal how Andersen's texts acknowledge the power of things in modern life and how these texts thus question scientific and philosophical concepts of subjectivity that dominated in the nineteenth century. The agency of things in Andersen's texts challenges the ideal of a rational subject that acts autonomously. Current theoretical approaches, notably Actor-Network-Theory, allow us to understand the realism of acting things in Andersen's work. That which is marvelous, which is prevalently used to define the genre Fairy Tale in literary studies, is inherent to modernity. The relationship between magic and modernity is different than expected: modernity consists of an interplay between enchantment and disenchantment

  20. FAIRY-TALE REALISM. HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AND THE MODERN WORLD OF THINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frederike Felcht

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available According to recent research in literary studies, literature has a specific knowledge about things. My contribution supports this thesis by analyzing the world of things in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Exemplary readings reveal how Andersen's texts acknowledge the power of things in modern life and how these texts thus question scientific and philosophical concepts of subjectivity that dominated in the nineteenth century. The agency of things in Andersen's texts challenges the ideal of a rational subject that acts autonomously. Current theoretical approaches, notably Actor-Network-Theory, allow us to understand the realism of acting things in Andersen's work. That which is marvelous, which is prevalently used to define the genre Fairy Tale in literary studies, is inherent to modernity. The relationship between magic and modernity is different than expected: modernity consists of an interplay between enchantment and disenchantment.

  1. America’s “Peculiar Children”: Authority and Christian Nationalism at Antebellum West Point

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Graziano

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This essay examines how the United States Military Academy at West Point developed an explicitly “federal” Christianity to help train the antebellum officers of the United States Army. It begins by examining how the Episcopal Church was quietly “established” at West Point, and how the church allied with the federal government and US Army to encourage a potent Christian nationalism that collapsed the sovereignty of the United States into the sovereignty of God. The case of West Point illustrates how federal officials, Army leaders, and Academy administrators understood religion as a central component of national security.

  2. Why Augustinian Apologetics and Logical Dialectic Are Not Enough to Defend the Reasonableness of the Christian Faith in an Increasingly-Fragmented World

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter A. Redpath

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available From close to its inception, St. Augustine’s misunderstanding of the nature of ancient Greek philosophy, “Christian philosophy,” and the way the human soul essentially relates to human body caused formal Christian education to be (a born in a somewhat unhealthy condition, (b founded upon a devastating mistake of organizational self-misunderstanding, which essentially prevented it from comprehending how human reason could function both abstractly as a contemplative (or speculative scientific intellect and concretely as a command and control prudential reason. This flaw in Augustinian psychology of the human person and Augustine’s misunderstanding of the nature of ancient Greek philosophy continued to influence Christian education from the start of the Christian West until the Christian and secular universities of today. For contemporary Christian education to preserve its identity in an increasingly fragmented world, a psychology of the human person adequate to explain the essential connection between the human soul and body and the nature of philosophy must replace this flawed Augustinian psychology that continues to plague the contemporary world.

  3. Deafness, Thought Bubbles, and Theory-of-Mind Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wellman, Henry M.; Peterson, Candida C.

    2013-01-01

    The processes and mechanisms of theory-of-mind development were examined via a training study of false-belief conceptions in deaf children of hearing parents (N = 43). In comparison to 2 different control conditions, training based on thought-bubble instruction about beliefs was linked with improved false-belief understanding as well as progress…

  4. In search of an appropriate contemporary approach in Christian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The article addresses the question: 'To what extent can Max Weber's ethic of responsibility be a helpful resource in the search of Christian Social Ethics for an appropriate contemporary approach'? This question is addressed by, first of all, providing a summary of Weber's famous speech Politics as a Vocation in which he ...

  5. Human dignity and biomedical ethics from a Christian theological ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The argument of human dignity plays an important role in current debates on human rights and their relevance in modern biomedicine. When discussing the contribution of Christian theology to current debates on human dignity and human rights the thesis is not that the modern idea of human dignity depends on a ...

  6. Women in Leadership: The Future of Christian Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longman, Karen A.; Anderson, Patricia S.

    2016-01-01

    This article presents a discussion of the gender imbalance in senior-level leadership roles within the U.S. member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), highlighting data across the last two decades. The underrepresentation of women in this sector is placed within a theological context and is compared with…

  7. Gender and leadership in Christian religious circles in Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper looks at the implications of “the conservative practice of having mostly male leadership in Christian religious circles”. There seems to be a vibrant market of spiritualism in Africa (discourses and popular), with women leadership in churches observed and commented on by many, but remains aloof in terms of the ...

  8. The influence of religiosity on violent behavior of adolescents: a comparison of Christian and Muslim religiosity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baier, Dirk

    2014-01-01

    Different criminological theories assume that religiosity protects against violent behavior. Up to now, this assumption is tested empirically almost exclusively for the Christian religiosity. The study presented here questions whether such a relationship between religiosity and violent behavior could be found for Muslims, likewise. Using a German-wide representative school survey of 16,545 male students in the ninth grade, who belong either to a Christian or an Islamic denomination, it can be revealed that only for Christians a higher religiosity correlates with a lower rate of violent behavior. This influence of Christian religiosity can be explained by mainly control theory variables. For Muslims, there is no significant correlation between religiosity and violent behavior in a bivariate analysis. A multivariate analysis, however, reveals a suppression effect: Controlling for alcohol consumption, Muslim religiosity increases violent behavior. In addition, high religious Muslims agree more often to norms of masculinity and consume more often media violence, which are risk factors of violent behavior. Accordingly, it can be concluded that religiosity is not a violence-protecting factor in general; instead, a more differentiated view for separate religious groups is necessary.

  9. [Christian Wisbech--his hospital and surgery in the 1820s].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janssen, C W

    1993-12-10

    Christian Wisbech (1801-1869) was medical superintendent of "Bergen civile Sygehus" during the period 1825-1848. Some of his annual reports have been published. The hospital had 56 beds. The permanent staff included one "spisemester" (caterer) and two "sygeopvartersker" (nurses). Christian Wisbech's medicine was based on strict scientific principles and pathological anatomy. A post-mortem was performed on the deceased. Other current trends in medical practice at that time were foreign to him. It is assumed that he was inspired by Giovanni Morgagni (1682-1771) and John Hunter (1728-1793). His treatment was partly medical and partly surgical. Wisbech treated surprisingly few injuries. A possible explanation is the large number of "barbers and surgeons" in Bergen at that time. It was probably a centuries-long tradition among the population to go to such persons to be treated for broken bones, wounds and other complaints.

  10. THE AMERINDIANS IN THE THREADS OF CHRISTIAN AFTERLIFE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glória Kok

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the work of Jesuits on the reorganization of the dead´s world of the Tupi-Guarani Indians, in order to fit it in the christian model of afterlife. In consequence, images and visions related to Heaven, Hell and Purgatory were disseminated and translated in multiple forms by the Indians of Portuguese America during the cathechization´s process.

  11. Does the Christian worldview provide a place for the law of attraction? (Part 2: An apologetic evaluation of the way the Bible is used in promoting this idea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dani�l J. Maritz

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article investigates the biblical motivation that is given for the secular idea of the so-called spiritual law of attraction to become part of Christian doctrine. In 2010 Pastor At Boshoff of the Christian Revival Church (CRC preached two sermons on the law of attraction in which he claimed it as a powerful principle in the Word of God. According to him this biblical �law� provides human beings with physical manifestations of their thoughts and words. The idea to create one�s own favourable future through the law of attraction flows from a New Age worldview and is similar to the positive confession doctrine taught by popular Word of Faith teachers. Boshoff�s claim regarding the law of attraction cannot be deduced from the key Scripture passages he uses, which reflects an unfounded use of Scripture to promote this idea.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article challenges the secular infiltration of the Law of Attraction in the church. This is important since the so-called Law of Attraction was preached by Pastor A. Boshoff of the CRC. Many of his listeners embrace his teaching although it reflects a poor exposition and application of Scripture.

  12. Understanding University Students' Thoughts and Practices about Digital Citizenship: A Mixed Methods Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara, Nuri

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate university students' thoughts and practices concerning digital citizenship. An explanatory mixed methods design was used, and it involved collecting qualitative data after a quantitative phase in order to follow up on the quantitative data in more depth. In the first quantitative phase of the study, a…

  13. Death is Swallowed Up in Victory: Scenes of Death in Early Christian Art and the Emergence of Crucifixion Iconography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felicity Harley McGowan

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Christianity, and the instrument of Jesus’ death, the cross, remains the pivotal, and universally recognised, symbol of the Christian Church. Yet pictorial representations of the death of Jesus are conspicuously rare in the earliest Christian art. Moreover, the earliest surviving images  of Jesus’ Crucifixion do not depict  him dead on the cross, but defiantly alive – a visual interpretation of the event that incorporates both the means of his execution and his subsequent victory over death in the Resurrection. This article examines the iconography of a small ivory plaque, carved in Rome in the early fifth century, whereon the Crucifixion is juxtaposed with the suicide of Jesus’ betrayer, Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27 3:5 to effect a powerful visual interpretation of Jesus’ death. As the earliest surviving visual narration of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection, the ivory will be shown to preserve critical information regarding the interpretation of Christ’s death in the early Christian church - incorporating symbols and visual motifs from pagan funerary sculpture, while illustrating the development of a specifically Christian visual language for the representation of Jesus’ death.

  14. MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DEBATES IN THEEARLY ‘ABBASID PERIOD: The Cases of Timothy I and Theodore Abu Qurra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans Abdiel Harmakaputra

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The era of the early ‘Abbasid caliphate made an important mark on the history of the world by the event of the Greek translation movement, i.e. the translation of Greek thoughts into the Arabic language. In addition to this development, the era also saw the flourishing of interreligious discourse, in both polemical literatures and religious debates, especially between Christians and Muslims. This article tries to describe how those two historical remarks are correlated under the light of other factors such as politics and religious identity. The earliest debate was happened between caliph al-Mahdi (r. 755-785 CE and a Nestorian Catholicos, Timothy I (728- 823 CE, as the first sample of religious discourses. The second one is the debate between the caliph al-Ma’mun (r. 813-833CE, who arranged many religious debates in his court, with Theodore Abu Qurra (755 – 830 CE, Bishop of Harran. By knowing the motives of the two caliphs who sponsored those events, readers would catch a better picture of the historical contexts of that time.

  15. Closing the gap: the potential of Christian Health Associations in expanding access to family planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren VanEnk

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Recognizing the health impact of timing and spacing pregnancies, the Sustainable Development Goals call for increased access to family planning globally. While faith-based organizations in Africa provide a significant proportion of health services, family planning service delivery has been limited. This evaluation seeks to assess the effectiveness of implementing a systems approach in strengthening the capacity of Christian Health Associations to provide family planning and increase uptake in their communities.From January 2014 to September 2015, the capacity of three Christian Health Associations in East Africa—Caritas Rwanda, Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau, and Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau—was strengthened with the aims of improving access to women with unmet need and harmonizing faith-based service delivery contributions with their national family planning programs. The key components of this systems approach to family planning included training, supervision, commodity availability, family planning promotion, data collection, and creating a supportive environment. Community-based provision of family planning, including fertility awareness methods, was introduced across intervention sites for the first time. Five hundred forty-seven facility- and community-based providers were trained in family planning, and 393,964 people were reached with family planning information. Uptake of family planning grew substantially in Year 1 (12,691 and Year 2 (19,485 across all Christian Health Associations as compared to the baseline year (3,551. Cumulatively, 32,176 clients took up a method during the intervention, and 43 percent of clients received this service at the community level. According to a provider competency checklist, facility- and community-based providers were able to adequately counsel clients on new fertility awareness methods. Integration of Christian Health Associations into the national family planning strategy improved through

  16. Rastafari: Alternative Religion and Resistance against “White” Christianity

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    Jérémie Koubo Dagnini

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Depuis le début du seizième siècle, l’histoire de la Jamaïque a successivement été associée à l’esclavage, l’évangélisation, la colonisation et le néo-colonialisme, ce qui a engendré de nombreuses révolutions, émeutes et autres formes d’agitation sociale. Les Jamaïcains noirs ont toujours vécu dans un état de résistance, une mentalité qui a donné naissance, au début des années 1930, à une religion jamaïcaine appelée rastafari. Le but de cet article n’est pas seulement d’étudier les origines et le symbolisme de rastafari, mais également de définir le mouvement rasta comme une religion née en réponse légitime à l’oppression et l’évangélisation. En d’autres termes, cette étude analyse rastafari comme une version panafricaine et afrocentrique du christianisme « blanc ».  Since the early sixteenth century, the history of Jamaica has been associated successively with slavery, Christian Evangelization, colonialism and neocolonialism, which gave rise to numerous revolutions, riots and various other forms of social unrest. Black Jamaicans have always lived in a constant state of resistance, a mentality that gave birth, in the early thirties, to a Jamaican religion called Rastafari. Besides studying the roots and symbolism of Rastafari, my paper is aimed at defining the Rasta movement as a religion born as a legitimate response to oppression and Christian Evangelization. In other words, my work examines Rastafari as a Pan-African and Afrocentric version of “White” Christianity.

  17. Religion in public spaces : emerging Muslim-Christian polemics in Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abbink, G.J.

    2011-01-01

    In Ethiopia, as in other parts of Africa, relations between Christians and Muslims show a new dynamic under the impact of both state policies and global connections. Religious identities are becoming more dominant as people's primary public identity, and more ideological. This development has

  18. Discerning the meaning of human suffering through the discourse of Judeo-Christian scriptures and other faith teachings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitillo, Robert J

    2014-11-01

    When confronted with the meaning of human suffering, many experts from a variety of professional disciplines admit to being incapable of formulating, on the basis of scientific method, a coherent explanation or rationale. Within that perspective, this article proposes another approach to the dilemma-that of reflection rooted in faith. The author examines the discourse of the Judeo-Christian scriptures and the comprehensive and cohesive doctrine developed by Pope John Paul II to find and track an evolving theology on the meaning of human suffering-one that includes understanding of this phenomenon as a "punishment for sin or evil," a test for fidelity, an occasion for God to show mercy and love, and a redemptive act by which Jesus took on all human suffering through his own death on the Cross and gave a salvific meaning to suffering through his resurrection from the dead. Further scriptural reflection and later Christian doctrines acknowledged that the suffering of other believers has its own redemptive value and that human suffering presents an occasion for all believers to respond with compassion and care to the pain of others. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. One Life/Many Lives: An Internal Hindu-Christian Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffery D. Long

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This essay consists of philosophical and comparative theological reflections on the topic of rebirth, or reincarnation. Informed by the work of William James, John Hick, and Francis X. Clooney, the essay first establishes the author’s stance that reincarnation is a plausible option for belief, at least as attractive as its two main rivals. These rival options are the belief in an everlasting life in either heaven or hell, characteristic of religions such as Christianity and Islam, and the materialist or physicalist belief that there is no afterlife, except in a highly attenuated sense. The essay then moves into a dialogical, comparative theological mode. It raises the question of whether traditional Christian rejection of rebirth, even if it is not something to which the author ultimately assents, might nevertheless carry with it an important insight that is worthy of serious consideration by those who accept the idea of rebirth. This is seen as an instance of the ‘deep learning across religious borders’ that is the main goal of comparative theology, as defined by Clooney.

  20. VALUE EDUCATION AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT: A COMPELLING PRIORITY OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Molly K Abraham

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Today all development agencies in India agree on the importance of value education and the need to empower women in order to promote and maintain family, health, nutrition and general well-being of the people in the society. Education for women should always be directed towards their holistic development. The vision behind the Christian leadership in women’s education left an indelible mark on the lives of many generations throughout the world. Institutions of Christian education for girls have left a tradition of providing both basic education and professional education for a century and a half. This paper looks into the extent Christian educational institutions’ roles in the process of assimilation of values and their contribution to women for the building up of democratic India in terms of their leadership, commitment to the family and nation, and dedication to the general welfare of the people.