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Journal articles on the topic 'RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth'
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1
Schuff, Hildegunn Marie T. "Dancing Towards Personal and Spiritual Growth." Nordic Journal of Dance 3, no. 1 (2012): 30–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/njd-2012-0004.
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Abstract This paper explores the place where dance and religious faith meet. It gives examples of learning experiences and processes of personal and spiritual growth that occur there. The paper is based on a study of dance in Christian contexts in contemporary Norway, that is part of the RESEP (Religion as Aestheticizing Practice) research project based at the University of Agder, Norway. The empirical material is based on participant observation of dance in churches and other Christian settings and on interviews with approximately 50 dancers in these settings. Dance provides the participating dancers with multidimensional meaning and perceived benefits. Through narratives and quotations, the paper sheds light on three ways in which the dancers in question experience processes that lead to growth through dance: 1) as a holistic and attractive way of learning and communicating, 2) as personal growth; by mastering dance through self-expression in a supportive environment, expressing and processing emotions, and moving towards better mental and physical health and wholeness, 3) as spiritual growth; by providing an interface with God that strengthens one’s listening to both God and oneself, and as a way of living their faith in interaction with others.
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Sarfo, Francis Owusu. "Perspectives on the Challenges of Christianity and African Traditional Religion throughout the Ages to Contemporary Times." Journal of Basic and Applied Research International 29, no. 6 (2023): 30–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.56557/jobari/2023/v29i68576.
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The explosion of knowledge and education, the extension of communication to all corners of the globe and the mixing of disparate cultures and religious groups are just a few of the elements which challenge us in our efforts to grasp the spiritual dimensions of the reality in which we live and to present a relevant view of Jesus’ gospel to a morally and spiritually distracted world. Contemporary Christianity is the constant modification of New Testament religion to attract the unregenerate and carnal Christians, please the flesh, and be relatively acceptable to the world. According to Awolalu, J.O, Dopamu P.A [1], “the introduction of the foreign religions brought many challenges to the growth and expansion of African religion. In fact, some early missionaries predicted an extinction of the religion". African Culture is dynamic, and it cannot die as being canvassed in some quarters because it is a living institution.
 Christianity and African Traditional Religion (ATR) are two prominent belief systems that have coexisted and interacted in various ways throughout the history of Africa. While both hold significant cultural and spiritual significance for African communities, they also face unique challenges that impact their practice and relevance in contemporary African societies. This paper will explore and discuss different perspectives on the challenges faced by Christianity and African Traditional Religion in Africa, highlighting key issues that arise from their coexistence and interactions.
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Houtepen, Anton. "De Secularisatie in het Westen en de ‘Terugkeer van God’." Religie & Samenleving 1, no. 2 (2006): 65–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.54195/rs.13234.
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Sociology of religion, after having honestly and continuously reported about the gradual and growing processes of secularisation in the West and the decline of organized religion over the past half of a century, recently started to discuss the return of God and the sacred and to question the general Weberian thesis of secularisation as a necessary historical process of disenchantment of the world. The article, instead, wants to question the general concept of religion underlying both the secularisation thesis and its ambiguous counterpart, the so called “return of God”. It does so by referring to quite a few processes of theological renewal within Christianity at least, but present in other living faiths as well, resulting in a metamorphosis of the idea of God, leaving its “theïstic” and “ontotheological” interpretations behind and overcoming the traditional dilemma of an opposition between the natural and a supposed supernatural world, implied in the concepts of “the sacred” and “”the transcendent” that were used in the 19th century comparative study of religion. Because the masters of sociology borrowed these concepts from their religionist colleagues, and identified these with traditional dogmatic formulations of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and because their followers in the sociology of religion did not pay too much attention to changing theological interpretations of the idea of God in the second half of the twentieth century, sociologists of religion are endangered to loose sight of the real content of the God-belief of modern people and to take the revival of the idea of “the sacred”, of belief in miracles and alternative medical techniques, and of the growth of spiritual movements concentrating on personal experiences of the transcendent, the supernatural and the “beyond reason” wrongly for the “return of God” or for the failure of the secularisation thesis. Instead, studies of religious change should concentrate on the “metamorphosis” of the idea of God in the Judeo-Christian traditions as laid bare in theological research from the sixties of the 20th century.
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Greggo, Stephen P., and Karyn Lawrence. "Redemptive Validity and the Assessment of Depression: Singing Songs to Heavy Hearts." Journal of Psychology and Theology 40, no. 3 (2012): 188–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009164711204000302.
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This investigation into the clinical utility of six contemporary depression instruments establishes a foundation for a theologically informed validity subtype. Redemptive validity is defined as the effectiveness of an assessment instrument that samples behavior or attitudes to provide insight into wise living in conformity with the reality and truth of Scripture as creatures growing in dependence on the Creator. Ancient biblical wisdom argues that helping those with heavy hearts requires compassion, understanding, reflective words, and effective strategies (Prov. 25:20). Clinical settings can assess for depression using technology in as little as 74 seconds with remarkable criterion validity. Do such findings reflect Christian values and worldview? Will results sharpen perception of the faith aspects of a heavy heart in a manner consistent with Scriptural teaching? Depression symptoms may indicate spiritual heart health as a downcast emotional state connected to religious affections (Prov. 13:12). Building upon standard psychometric review, this utility survey displays how mental health clinicians can explore measures through the theological notion of redemptive validity to serve both the mental health needs and spiritual formation interests of clients committed to growth in their Christian lives.
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Olsson, Hans. "Chasing Money: Tourist-Induced Labor Migration and Pentecostal Teachings of Success in Zanzibar." Exchange 49, no. 1 (2020): 3–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1572543x-12341547.
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Abstract This article explores the role of Pentecostal-Charismatic teachings of growth and success in the context of Christian labor migrants’ efforts to “make it” in the predominantly Muslim society of Zanzibar. The study ethnographically assesses how dreams of making money and accumulating wealth in the islands’ growing tourist economy are addressed in teachings on how to mature spiritually through a combination of classic holiness living and ideas of how to reach and maximize people’s inner potential. Tracing the different theological ideas behind the promise of successfully attaining the good life suggests that the view of how prosperity is communicated within Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in Africa needs to be nuanced in light of its diversity as well as in relation to local contextual circumstances. Thus, the case underlines how neo-Pentecostal ideas of realizing potential mingle with classic Pentecostal teachings emphasizing striving and hard work which, in Zanzibar, stress time and endurance in order to become a successful migrant in both material and spiritual terms.
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Helminiak, Daniel A. "A Comprehensive Theory of Spirituality: Humanistic, Theist, and Theotic." Khazanah Theologia 5, no. 2 (2023): 131–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.15575/kt.v5i2.21587.
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Especially among the Abrahamic religions, quite regularly spirituality implies a relationship with God or else some other supposed “sacred” entities or forces. This starting point precludes a fully psychological explanation of spirituality since appeal to God exceeds the methodology of the social or human sciences: Psychology is not theology. In contrast, a traditional Christian axion holds that "grace builds on nature." Accordingly, recognize that a dimension of the human mind itself—consciousness or human spirit—is first and foremost the source and object of spiritual experiences. Then the natural becomes fundamental, theoretically the essential, and at its roots spirituality lies within the competence of human study, and religious accounts are further elaborations. This proposition is the thesis of this article. Following the trenchant analyses of Bernard Lonergan, this account recognizes human consciousness or spirit as a dynamic dimension of the mind, self-present, out-going, self-transcending, open-ended, geared to reality, and normative: These requisites inherent in consciousness orient a person toward the true and the good. Then personal integration and spiritual growth coincide—in this way: Psychotherapeutic healing frees the spirit to increasingly take the lead and guide one’s living, constituting one as “a spiritual person.” The specification of consciousness/spirit contrasts with other mental content—emotions, memory, imagery—and suggests a tripartite human model (organism, psyche, and consciousness) in place of the standard bipartite model (body and mind). Such a naturalistic starting point easily supports religious elaboration, seeing God as Creator (theology) and envisioning union with God (theotics). This theory foresees the collaboration of the world's religions in acknowledging a common spiritual foundation for themselves and for our pluralistic secular society.
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Yalley, Doris E., and Ebenezer Yalley. "Spiritual Retreats: Implications for Practical Christian Living." International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science IX, no. II (2024): 104–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.51584/ijrias.2024.90210.
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Spiritual retreats have a long history steeped in religious tradition and generally involve a separation from everyday life and entering into a new temporary experience. Retreats have been a means of help for people in all spheres of life, providing favour able outcomes such as spiritual growth and restoration. This study utilized Attention Restoration Theory and Activity, Setting, Experience and Benefit (ASEB) framework to explore the implication of spiritual retreat activities and experiences on Christian growth indicators, i.e., in the areas of establishing a deeper relationship with God, gaining a fuller understanding of self, applying personal faith in troubling life situations, and finding fulfilment in reaching out to fellowship with others. Data from 115 study participants were analysed using a mixed-method approach and demonstrated evidence of the beneficial effects of spiritual retreats on Christian growth. Spiritual retreats were shown to have a significant and beneficial impact on participants’ Christian growth, particularly in the areas of abiding in Christ, living by the Bible and biblical principles, growing in faith and prayer, fellows hipping with other Christians, and service to God. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings of the study for pastors, church leaders, retreat centre facilitators as well as the general Christian community are also discussed.
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Porter, Steven L., M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall, and David C. Wang. "Losing My Religion: Spiritual Discouragement amongst Christian Therapists due to Spiritual Immaturity in Christian Clients." Journal of Psychology and Theology 45, no. 2 (2017): 133–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009164711704500205.
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This paper addresses the spiritual discouragement and religious doubt that can arise in the Christian therapist who repeatedly experiences spiritual immaturity and crisis amongst his or her Christian clients. While Christians certainly aren't perfect, they often fall so far short of that ideal that one can reasonably wonder whether the Christian faith possesses resources that effectively bring about positive growth and change. We contend that witnessing repeated spiritual immaturity, failure, and related crises amongst Christian clients can bring about intrapersonal spiritual struggle for the Christian therapist of those clients. In response to this problem, a religious orienting system is proposed that includes both epistemological and theological features that aid the Christian therapist in navigating the disillusionment and disorientation that can occur from repeat exposure to spiritual immaturity amongst Christian clients.
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Simatupang, Evi Nuriyani. "Pengaruh Kompetensi Spiritual Guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen Terhadap Pertumbuhan Iman Siswa." Areopagus : Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Teologi Kristen 18, no. 2 (2020): 170–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.46965/ja.v18i2.344.
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This research aims to find out the influence of Christian Religion Education teacher’s spiritual competence on the students’ faith growth of grade V SD Negeri No. 175758 Hutagurgur, with the hypothesis there is a positive and significant effect of Christian Religion Education teacher’s spiritual competence on the students’ faith growth of grade V SD Negeri No. 175758 Hutagurgur, Sipahutar Subdistrict, Academic Year 2019/2020. The research population is 30 students, and all of those are the research sample as well. Data were collected with a closed questionnaire of 30 items compiled by the author based on variable indicators by the experts’ theories. The instrument had been previously tested to 30 students who were not the research respondents, hence the instruments’ validity and reliability had been tested. The results of data analysis shows that there is a positive and significant effect of Christian Religion Education teacher’s spiritual competence on the students’ faith growth of grade V SD Negeri No. 175758 Hutagurgur, Sipahutar Subdistrict, Academic Year 2019/2020, with the determination coefficient (r2) = 35,57%, and the significance test obtains Fcount Ftable = 16,55 4,20 . Thus, it can be concluded that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted.
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Olasupo, Osaji Jacob. "Religion and Human Security: The Christian Perspective." International Journal of Social Science Studies 8, no. 4 (2020): 156. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v8i4.4907.
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The prevalent security problems the modern state faces justify the current theme for discussion. In the academic circle such that we are witnessing, security or the state of being secured is a necessity for every human being and indeed every living organism. Each organization or group endeavours to provide security for its members be it financial, position, situation, moral, spiritual etc. Security is the most pertinent of all national priorities and plans. However, security as a national programme is not exactly the same in the religious sphere, especially in Christianity. This does not mean that security in Christianity completely runs a parallel line with the security of the nation. In times past people’s values were based upon traditional religion and moral principles. However, things are changing fast and despite the proliferation of churches all over the country, values are changing and much emphasis are now placed on the accumulation of physical wealth, injustice, corruption and very high competitive society with lesser religious values and principles especially Christian principles. These have greatly affected the people to the detriment of traditional moral values, resulting in insecurity and peace in our society. The study made use of analytical method for its findings.
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Maslova, V. A. "SACRAL, SPIRITUAL AND ENERGY IN THE RUSSIAN WORD." Metaphysics, no. 3 (December 15, 2023): 80–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.22363/2224-7580-2023-3-80-88.
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The article is devoted to the analysis of the Russian word in different hypostases: 1) energetic, 2) sacred and 3) spiritual ones. The research deals with the Christian worldview focused on syncretic knowledge about God, the world and man. The article emphasizes the idea that not culture, but religion should be recognized as the most important category in a person's life, which determines traditions, customs, human behavior and religious identity. Language, which is a living product of the spirit, its most important activity and a number of other types of activity - art, philosophy, science, - will help to understand these problems.
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Han, Siyi, Chen Liu, and Yaping Zhou. "The Reception History of The Seven Victories and the Localization of The Seven Victories Spiritual Cultivation." Religions 15, no. 5 (2024): 575. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel15050575.
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The Seven Victories is one of the most influential works in Catholic literature from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The seven victories spiritual cultivation contained therein is the result of the localization of the practice of the Christian faith in the West. It is still a living tradition in the Christian religion and even in Western culture. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, The Seven Victories has aroused significant repercussions in the ecclesiastical and academic worlds. Some scholars converted to Catholicism because of The Seven Victories and wrote preambles in response to it; some scholars wrote essays criticizing the ethical ideas of The Seven Victories; and some scholars were inspired by The Seven Victories to write about Confucian ideas of sin, the work of reform, and the liturgy of repentance. Together, these constitute the history of the reception of The Seven Victories in China. Through Confucian culture integration, Chinese Christian scholars have developed a localized interpretation of the seven victories spiritual cultivation, resulting in a localized Chinese spiritual cultivation of sin.
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Hancock, Thomas E., Rodger K. Bufford, Brad Lau, and Neil Ninteman. "Attempting Valid Assessment of Spiritual Growth: A Survey of Christ-centered Living*." Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry 2, no. 1 (2005): 129–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/073989130500200108.
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In an effort to document spiritual growth as an aspect of the mission of our university, we sought to implement sound assessment procedures so that students' specific spiritual needs might be identified. First, we evaluated our university's spirituality focus and potential matching assessments. No existing instrument completely fit our needs, so we coordinated in our community to create a survey of Christ-centered living rooted in evangelical beliefs. The assessment of 110 freshmen and 65 seminarians yielded high internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, significant group differences, and concurrent validity. This work is a needed addition to the literature. More importantly, our methods, instrument, and recommendations could empower Christian educators to mentor students with a more precise knowledge of their spiritual needs.
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Streza, Ciprian. "Rediscovering the Liturgy - a Solution to the Spiritual Crises of Today’s Consumerism?" Review of Ecumenical Studies Sibiu 9, no. 2 (2017): 315–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ress-2017-0021.
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Abstract The post-modern secular society is questioning all traditional Christian values in an attempt to create a new kind of religious life and through the transformation of old religious elements in something else than religion. This new “religious life” is characterized by a process of an overall re-shaping of the whole human world through re-absorption, re-melting and re-elaboration of everything it ever carried in it for thousands of years of Christianity legacy. In such a situation and context, in order to be relevant and survive in a secularist and pluralist society, the Church must first and foremost concentrate on its liturgical life, on its rich Christian spiritual tradition. Only if the Liturgy becomes again the source of all theological expression, as well as of the individual life of each Christian, then the response of the Church to all the problems of modernity will be a living, profound, personal and relevant one.
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Winardi, Yonathan, Dhama Gustiar Baskoro, and Dedy Panggabean. "Developing Spiritual Growth Journal for Pre-service English Teacher." English Education Journal 14, no. 4 (2024): 738–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.24815/eej.v14i4.37780.
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This paper aims to elaborate on the steps of developing a printed spiritual growth journal for pre-service English teachers at the University of Pelita Harapan Teachers College. As a Christian university with a solid vision and mission applying holistic education, it is urgently needed to nurture and develop students’ spirituality and to redeem learning lost due to COVID-19. The first part of Gall et al.’s (2015) research and development model is employed to produce a printed spiritual growth journal that begins with a needs analysis as initial research and information collection with lecturers from the Faculty and Christian religion education study program participated in it. The printed journal is designed to be used in nine weeks with four points to be filled and reflected to help the pre-service English teachers evaluate and understand self, express thoughts and feelings to the Lord, remember God’s work in their life, and record their progress in all spiritual disciplines. This journal is recommended to be used not only for the new students but also for the existing ones, with feedback from the lecturer. For future research, it is suggested to replicate and modify it for 1st-year novice English teachers in their reciprocation as a means for professional development.
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Hamambira, Domianus Lodu. "Meletakan Kedudukan PAK Secara Tepat dan Tepat Sasaran Seperti Ajaran Yesus." Integritas: Jurnal Teologi 1, no. 1 (2019): 74–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.47628/ijt.v1i1.5.
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Put a Christian Religion Education precisely and right on target as the teachings of Jesus for the sake of faith progress. The principle is build on Biblical and historical fact that Jesus is the coaches are taught good news and therefore his disciples called Him Teacher (John 3:2; Mat. 7:29). Understanding of the Christian Religion Education deeply as taught by Lord Jesus at least bring advantage, which are; growth of faith for individual, build a willingnes to be more initiative, proactive, and innovative in taught of Christianity optimaly, and also bring impact for many people to grow in faith. However, in many class discussion, seminars, and observation both directly and indirectly contain of opinions explain that the role of Christian Religion Education is not yet appropriate to the target and churchess do not equal in applying Christian Religion Education enterestingly and being maximum. Therefore, very important to understand the role of Christian Religion Education which contain of important staples, in from of special values, purposes, history, philosophy, basic biblical theological in order to implement Christian Religion Education in more advance and right on target. Christianity education can be said diferent from education in general since Christian Education was programmed or planned by GOD Himself and bequeathed to those who has been chosen individualy or in community to forward Jesus taught, testify, taugth and preaching the good news from age to age. Called that education Christianity different from education in general are Christianity education can be understood as religious education, spiritual education or education of the faith. To equip believers with knowledge and truth trough the holy spirit works.
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Hall, Amy Cox. "Neo-monastics in North Carolina, de-growth and a theology of enough." Journal of Political Ecology 24, no. 1 (2017): 543. http://dx.doi.org/10.2458/v24i1.20891.
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Abstract This article examines one intentional Christian community's attempts to live a life that eschews consumerism and material growth for a life focused on spiritual growth and collectivity. I articulate intentional Christian living, often referred to as neo-monasticism, with the de-growth movement. I do so to offer insight into the practice and pragmatics of de-growth's broadly understood call to revalue the ideals of life in an effort to reduce consumption. Neo-monasticism and de-growth have much in common including the critique of consumerism, individualism and increasing inequality. Both also promote relationships, locality, sharing, slowing down and quality of life over efficiency and incessant work. Drawing on four years of research with one residential Christian community, I suggest that the most challenging aspect of sharing a life together and slowing down is not simply consuming less or pooling resources but rethinking and living social values not driven by a consumerist-growth paradigm. While some de-growth advocates, such as Serge Latouche, promote ideals of harmony and oneness, in practice, living simply and sharing a life together is challenging and conflictual, even when religiously inspired. Key Words: De-growth, neo-monasticism, emerging church, millennial generation, Christianity, sharing economy
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Mimdadze, Nino. "Human Health and Religious Systems." Caucasus Journal of Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (2023): 115–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.62343/cjss.2015.147.
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Religion has always played a significant role in human life. The calendar year of official Christian and folk religion used to contribute to a population’s healthy modes of living. Nutrition rationing, both yearly and weekly, a fast system, twice in a week and several times in a year involving eating only vegetable products, benefited the human organism. Religious calendars regulated the issues of labor and rest too. Local religious systems used to regulate entertainment, as well as physical training for children and youth. Religious holidays were one of the best means for spiritual improvement as well as physical training and education. Religion played a specific role in the folk system of social protection. It contributed a feeling of solidarity amoung the population. Folk religious systems regulated modes of human life. They filled a man with hope and conviction in the success of his activity.
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Fones-Wolf, Elizabeth, and Ken Fones-Wolf. "Managers and Ministers: Instilling Christian Free Enterprise in the Postwar Workplace." Business History Review 89, no. 1 (2015): 99–124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007680515000070.
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This article examines the early industrial chaplain movement. In the midst of a postwar religious revival, companies, primarily in the South, hired Protestant ministers to care for their workers' spiritual needs. Many were motivated by both religious convictions and the desire to build a productive, loyal workforce. The opposition of unions and liberal Protestantism slowed the movement's growth, although over the last three decades thousands of employers have rediscovered the benefits of faith-based workplace programs. This article illuminates important postwar trends such as the persistence of paternalism and the importance of religion in managerial strategies.
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MAARAVARMAN, Dr M. "Christian Contribution To Tamil Literature." Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT) 12, no. 10 (2021): 5119–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.17762/turcomat.v12i10.5293.
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The Christian missionaries studied Tamil language in order to propagate their religion. Henrique Henrique’s, Nobili, G.U. Pope, Constantine Joseph Beschi, Robert Caldwell, Barthalomaus Zieganbalg, Francis Whyte Ellis, Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai, Henry Arthur Krishna Pillai, Vedanayagam Sastriyar, Abraham Pandithar had been the Christian campaigners and missionaries. Pope was along with Joseph Constantius Beschi, Francis Whyte Ellis, and Bishop Robert Caldwell one of the major scholars on Tamil. Ziegenbalg wrote a number of texts in Tamil he started translating the New Testament in 1708 and completed in 1711.They performed a remarkable position to the improvement of Tamil inclusive of the introduction of Prose writing.Christian Priest understood the need to learn the neighborhood language for effective evangelization. Moreover, they centered on Tamil literature in order to recognize the cultural heritage and spiritual traditions. The Priest learnt Tamil language and literature with an agenda and no longer out of love or passion or with an intention of contributing to the growth of the language.Tamil Christian Literature refers to the various epic, poems and other literary works based on the ethics, customs and principles of Christian religion. Christians both the catholic and Protestant missionaries have also birthed literary works. Tamil-Christian works have enriched the language and its literature. Thorough the variety and quality of classical Tamil literature, Tamil language is described as the great classical traditions and literatures of the world.In 2004, the government of India declared Tamil language as classical language
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Imeldawati, Tiur, and Yayan Erina Br. Regar. "Prinsip Pertumbuhan Rohani dalam Efesus 5:1-21 dan Korelasinya dalam Mengupayakan Pertumbuhan Rohani Jemaat GPdI Gunung Moria Bedagai." Jurnal Christian Humaniora 5, no. 1 (2021): 94–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.46965/jch.v5i1.615.
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AbstrakUntuk menghasilkan hidup sebagai seorang kristen yang berkualitas diperlukan hidup sesuai prinsip-prinsip pertubumbuhan yang terdapat dalam Alkitab. Pertumbuhan rohani jemaat harus menjadi visi dan misi gereja Tuhan. Tujuan penelitian ini ialah untuk menemukan dan memaparkan prinsip -prinsip pertumbuhan rohani dalam Efesus 5 :1- 21 yang masih relevan terhadap prinsip pertumbuhan rohani; dan untuk menjelaskan cara pengupayaan pertumbuhan rohani jemaat GPdI Gunung Moria Bedagai sesuai dengan pertumbuhan rohani Efesus 5 :1- 21; serta untuk membuktikan adanya hubungan prinsip pertumbuhan rohani dalam Efesus 5 :1- 21 yang memiliki kolerasi terhadap prinsip pertumbuhan kerohanian jemaat GPdI Gunung Moria Bedagai.Katakunci : prinsip, pertumbuhan rohani, GPdI Gunung Moria AbstractTo live a quality Christian life requires living according to the principles of growth found in the Bible. The spiritual growth of the congregation must be the vision and mission of God's church. The purpose of this research is to find and explain the principles of spiritual growth in Ephesians 5: 1–21 which are still relevant to the principles of spiritual growth; and to explain how to nurture the spiritual growth of the GPdI Gunung Moria Bedagai congregation in accordance with the spiritual growth of Ephesians 5: 1-21; and to prove that there is a relationship between the principles of spiritual growth in Ephesians 5: 1-21 which correlate with the principles of spiritual growth in the GPdI Mount Moria Bedagai church Keywords: principle, spiritual growth, GPdI Mount of Moriah
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Gustafson, Hans. "Pansacramentalism, Interreligious Theology, and Lived Religion." Religions 10, no. 7 (2019): 408. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel10070408.
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Opening with a philosophical definition of sacrament(ality) as a mediator (mediation) of the sacred in the concrete world, this article offers pansacramentalism as a promising worldview—especially for those rooted in or emerging from the Christian traditions (since, for them, the language of sacramentality may have a stronger resonance)—for bringing together interreligious theology and data mined by Lived Religion approaches to the study of religion. After articulating the concept of pansacramentalism and emphasizing interreligious theology as an emerging model for doing theology, growing trends and changing sensibilities among young people’s religious and spiritual lives (e.g., the “Nones”) is considered insofar as such trends remain relevant for making contemporary theology accessible to the next generation. The article then considers the intersection of pansacramentalism and interreligious theology, especially the issue of determining sacramental authenticity. To explain how this challenge might be met, Abraham Heschel’s theology of theomorphism is offered as but one example as a nuanced means for determining sacramental authenticity of the sacred in the world. Turning to “Lived Religion” approaches, rationale is offered for why pansacramentalism and interreligious theology ought to be taken seriously in the contemporary world, especially considering recent data about the nature of contemporary religious identities among young people living in the West.
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Swindell, Kenneth. "Faith, Work, Farming and Business: The Role of the Spiritual in West African Livelihoods." Journal of Asian and African Studies 54, no. 6 (2019): 819–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021909619840754.
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Local religions, Islam and Christianity influence and shape West African livelihoods where for many spirituality is an integral part of work, time and making a living. For farmers the spiritual imbues their understanding of the natural world, as well as affecting the control and allocation of resources and their timely use. For the Sufist Mouride brotherhood of Senegal their work ethic nurtures agriculture and supports a diaspora of petty traders and businesses. Meanwhile, the Christian Pentecostal Church encourages myriad small businesses, and its promotion of a work ethic that has occasioned the contention of a Weberian-style transformation. The creation of sustainable networks of socio-economic change through religious adherence is not in doubt, but whether this will promote a general developmental shift is more contentious. Pentecostals emphasize education and literacy, a priority for most governments, but without job opportunities there is widespread discontent among the young, even the educated. Furthermore, the young are disenchanted by patrimonial-clientelist societies, and it is through religion that violent dissent is articulated. Assertions that religion per se is inimical to social and economic change in West Africa are difficult to substantiate. What is a problem for farmers and small businesses is the uncertainty not just of their immediate environments, but of the volatility and dysfunctional nature of the state, and a lack of enabling conditions. Thus, religion and spirituality provide help in difficult times for people, but also opportunities for improvement in their livelihoods and lifestyles.
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Saragih, Ratna. "Pengaruh Disiplin Rohani Terhadap Karakter Mahasiswa Pendidikan Agama Kristen." Jurnal Teologi Cultivation 6, no. 1 (2022): 194–211. http://dx.doi.org/10.46965/jtc.v6i1.1635.
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Abstract This study aims to determine the effect of spiritual discipline on the character of students at the Tarutung State Institute of Christian Religion (IAKN). This research uses quantitative research with survey research and questionnaires as a data collection tool. The sample in this study were students of the Christian Religious Education Study Program, totaling 112 people and the sampling technique was through the Random Sampling system. The results of the research hypothesis test state that there is a low influence of Spiritual Discipline on Student Character with the calculation that the value of r2 = 0.008 = 0, so it can be concluded that the research hypothesis (Ho) is accepted, meaning that there is a low influence of Spiritual Discipline on Student Character. Thus it can be said that students have not fully accustomed themselves to living with spiritual disciplines, so it is found that the influence of Spiritual Discipline on Student Character is low.Keywords: Spiritual Discipline;Character;Students AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh disiplin rohani terhadap karakter mahasiswa di Insititut Agama Kristem Negeri (IAKN) Tarutung. Penelitian menggunakan penelitian kuantitatif dengan penelitian tipe penelitian survei dan kuesioner sebagai alat pengumpulan data. Sampel pada penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa Prodi Pendidikan Agama Kristen yang berjumlah 112 orang dan teknik pengambilan sampel melalui sistem Random Sampling. Hasil uji hipotesis penelitian menyatakan bahwa terdapat pengaruh yang rendah Disiplin Rohani terhadap Karakter Mahasiswa dengan hasil perhitungan bahwa nilai r2 = 0,008 = 0, sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa hipotesis penelitian (Ho) diterima artinya terdapat pengaruh yang rendah Disiplin Rohani terhadap Karakter Mahasiswa. Dengan demikian dapat dikatakan bahwa belum sepenuhnya mahasiswa membiasakan diri hidup dengan displin rohani, sehingga ditemukan rendahnya pengaruh Disiplin Rohan terhadap Karakter Mahasiswa. Kata kunci : : Disiplin Rohani;Karakter; Mahasiswa
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Sakurai, Yoshihide. "Sexual Abuse in a Korean Evangelical Church in Japan." Journal of Religion in Japan 6, no. 3 (2018): 208–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22118349-00603004.
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Abstract A case of sexual abuse by the supervisor of the Central Church of Holy God (Seishin Chūō Kyōkai 聖神中央教会) in 2005 has led many in the Japanese Christian community and the media to question the “cultification” of the Christian church. This paper will consider the incident and its background, one negative aspect of “church growth” in Japan, in which Korean evangelical and Pentecostal churches competed vigorously to attract devotees. The pastor who founded this church was a Korean resident in Japan who had studied theology and the propagation methodology in South Korea, allowing him to realize church growth in notoriously non-Christian Japan. Yet, his top-down authoritative management suppressed believers’ spiritual and physical freedom of religion. In the following case study, I consider how the asymmetrical relations among church members contributed to this religious abuse. After taking into account issues of missionary training, proselytization methodology, and social strata, I suggest that a dysfunction within the “comprehensive religious community” forces members’ total dependence on pastors in their belief as well as their lives.
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Timbers, Veronica L., and Jennifer C. Hollenberger. "Christian Mindfulness and Mental Health: Coping through Sacred Traditions and Embodied Awareness." Religions 13, no. 1 (2022): 62. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel13010062.
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Mindfulness is increasingly implemented as a tool in mental health practice for coping and self-care. Some Christians worry that these practices might be in conflict with their own tradition, while other Christian contexts are reclaiming the contemplative aspects of the faith. Though clinicians are not trained to teach on religious topics and ethically must avoid pushing religion onto clients, conceptualization and research extend the benefits of mindfulness practices for religious clients. This paper will discuss the evidence for using mindfulness in mental health treatment and connect mindfulness to the Christian tradition. The authors explore how intentional awareness and embodiment of the present moment are supported in Christian theology through the incarnation of Jesus and God’s attention of the physical body in the Christian scriptures. The authors also discuss how sacraments and prayer naturally overlap with mindfulness practices for the dual purposes of emotional healing and spiritual growth. To bolster the benefits of mindfulness in the psychological and religious realms, the purpose of this paper is to empower therapists to address client concerns of whether mindfulness is in conflict with Christianity, support clients in expanding current Christian religious coping, and provide Christian leaders with more information about how mindfulness elements are already present in Christian rituals and beliefs.
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Hia, Hubertus. "Problem Dunia Ilmiah dan Krisis Spiritual." MELINTAS 34, no. 2 (2019): 168–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.26593/mel.v34i2.3390.168-192.
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Spiritual awareness is one’s experience the living mind and body as a whole. It goes beyond mind and body, but also expands between the self and the world. At the center of human consciousness through the spiritual moments there is a sense of being deeply related with everything, the sense of being together with the whole universe. This kind of spiritual awareness has been threatened by the modern scientific world. The spirit of modernism to question and to break down nature, religion, and tradition under the pretext of pragmatic utopia of growth has brought humanity into an alarming and frightening phase of world civilization. Fritjof Capra says that the main problem of the existential crisis of modern humans is caused by the crisis of perception, mainly with the influence and errors from science as well as from Cartesian and Newtonian thoughts in perceiving the reality mechanically. Mysticism can be seen as an alternative to liberate modern humans to become authentic persons.
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Northcott, Michael S. "God and Gaia: Science, Religion and Ethics on a Living Planet." Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 75, no. 3 (2023): 203–4. http://dx.doi.org/10.56315/pscf12-23northcott.
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GOD AND GAIA: Science, Religion and Ethics on a Living Planet by Michael S. Northcott. New York: Routledge, 2023. 271 pages. Paperback; $40.00. ISBN: 9780367627744. *Biodiversity loss, water pollution, and declining soil health are major indicators of the ecological crisis facing our planet today. Science can be consulted to address these issues; however, as Michael Northcott argues in his latest book, God and Gaia: Science, Religion and Ethics on a Living Planet, unless science resists its scientism it will only exacerbate the current ecological crisis. *Northcott, an ordained Anglican priest and Professor Emeritus of Ethics at the University of Edinburgh, has written extensively on environmental issues.1 In God and Gaia, Northcott explores the Gaia theory of James Lovelock--that "the Earth and her creatures are active agents in the generation of conditions which make the Earth habitable for Life" (p. 2)--from a religious ethics perspective. In effect, "God" in the book title does not indicate that the author will be taking a specifically Christian angle on the Gaia theory, but rather taking something more akin to a comparative religions approach. The book is a collection of previously published papers along with new material curated into eight chapters, each with its own abstract and notes section. This arrangement, along with chapter subheadings, aids the reader in following along with Northcott's exploration of the Gaia theory. Northcott draws from a variety of published sources, along with his diverse experiences in Borneo, to get his main points across regarding the dangers of scientism in contrast to the restorative powers of Gaia. *Scientism, the condition in which only knowledge gained from observations is considered true, is an ideology that has created, according to Northcott, a "bifurcation between nature and culture." Northcott provides a history of scientism describing how, following the European enlightenment, anything that was not measurable tended to be viewed with suspicion by many in the West. He elaborates that scientific reductionism led to a top-down approach where the "rights of corporate agents trump the rights of people and species to stable and safe habitats" (p. 157). Northcott uses the example of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to demonstrate the full potential of scientism and its globalist and technocratic top-down control. Here, Northcott's one-sided argument regarding the benefits of ivermectin, the ineffectiveness of vaccines, the dangers of lockdowns, and the evils of the United Nations may distract readers from his intent of describing top-down control. *In contrast to scientism and its top-down control, Northcott recommends a Gaian approach to addressing the ecological crisis. While God and Gaia is not an introductory textbook, it does provide a thorough overview of the theory and its history. With an understanding of the Gaia theory in place, Northcott focuses on connections between Gaia and Hindu, Taoist, and Christian religious traditions. For Northcott, the Gaia theory can be interpreted as a rediscovery of beliefs held by earlier faith traditions. With great respect, he demonstrates how the Vedic Trinity and the Tao have parallels with Gaia theory's emphasis on the agency of all organisms. Northcott then eloquently demonstrates that medieval Christianity also emphasized the sense of agency in all organisms. Northcott, drawing on philosophers such as Seyyed Hossein Nasr, explains that most western Christians are unaware of the sacred cosmology of their tradition and its emphasis on the agency of being. For the betterment of the planet, Northcott urges religious traditions "to make more prominent in their liturgies the symbiotic relations between humans and other animals which for most of human history has been central to their mutual flourishing" (p. 261). *Overall, God and Gaia does an excellent job of contrasting the current approach of scientism versus the moral and spiritual Gaian philosophy to address the ecological crisis. Northcott is calling for a revival of core aspects of human traditions which modern secular science and philosophy have diminished. This Gaian revival recognizes the agency of all of Earth's systems. Although the Gaian revival and its earth-centered philosophy deviates from a distinctly Christian approach to creation care, readers should find some comfort in this revival as it shows that we are not alone in our efforts to restore the ecological integrity of the Earth. *Note *1See Michael S. Northcott, The Environment and Christian Ethics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996); ------, A Moral Climate: The Ethics of Global Warming (London, UK: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2007); and ------, A Political Theology of Climate Change (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2013). *Reviewed by Bruce Friesen-Pankratz, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Natural and Social Science Department, Providence University College, Otterburne, MB R0A 1G0.
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Power Bratton, Susan. "ECOLOGICAL HOLISM AND THEOLOGICAL DUALISM AS ROOTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM: MEDIEVAL LESSONS FOR MODERN RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS." Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology 7, no. 1-2 (2003): 27–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853503321916200.
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AbstractThe central hypothesis of this paper is that idealization of nature may fuel environmental racism when combined with dual interpretation of human religious or spiritual states. Medieval typological Biblical exegesis, originally based on historic rather than racial differentiation, encouraged presentation of Christianity as "natural" and Judaism as contra-natural. During the Gothic period, the stained glass of St. Denis Cathedral presented Judaism as occupying the material rather than the transcendent spheres of existence. In numerous stained glass windows, Jews appear as threats to nature by attacking Christ on a green cross, which symbolizes the renewal of all life, or the Lignum Vitae. As Christian architects and scientists increased their focus on the divine light of creation, prejudicial portrayals depicted Judaism as blind Synagogue, unable to fully appreciate nature. Pagan motifs, such as the Green Man, syncretized with Christian theological dualism, also serve to separate Judaism from living nature. These depictions purposefully conflict with Gothic aesthetic emphasis on proportion, clarity, and integrity and were intended to imply that religious minorities have no legitimate role in Christian European society. Modern religious scholarship must be cautious not to describe some religions as natural or nature religion, while neglecting others, particularly Judaism and Islam.
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Llewellyn, Dawn. "Maternal Silences: Motherhood and Voluntary Childlessness in Contemporary Christianity." Religion and Gender 6, no. 1 (2016): 64–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.18352/rg.10131.
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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.
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Nehe, Restuman, and Maria Martha Antak. "Pengaruh Pendidikan Agama Kristen Dalam Keluarga Terhadap Pertumbuhan Kerohanian Anak Berdasarkan Ulangan." Jurnal Kala Nea 5, no. 1 (2024): 65–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.61295/kalanea.v5i1.146.
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As time goes by, and the influence of globalization continues to occur, it requires everyone to master science and technology, and have skills that do not make them outdated. However, through this development, human life has also become increasingly chaotic and chaotic, especially in the family (the relationship between children and parents), there is a lack of respect for parents and fellow humans, and they don't care about religion or things related to God. This is caused by the child's character not being built on the basis of the truth of God's word. So it is very important that Christian religious education is taught in families, schools and places of worship without being limited by time and space. Apart from that, Christian religious education must teach children about real life, so that children understand the purpose of this life. The influence of Christian religious education in the family is very large on children's growth if it is implemented seriously. The research method used in this research is qualitative research, with data collection techniques through literature review. The focus of this research is how Christian religious education is implemented in the household which can influence children's spiritual growth to increasingly reflect the character of Christ. The family is a very appropriate forum for forming a child's personality so that his spirituality continues to grow.
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Konacheva, Svetlana A. "THE “CARNAL TURN” IN THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SACRED." RSUH/RGGU Bulletin. Series Philosophy. Social Studies. Art Studies, no. 3 (2023): 28–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.28995/2073-6401-2023-3-28-42.
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The paper is concerned with the carnal turn in contemporary philosophical theology. In the theological studies religion is often interpreted as primarily belonging to the sphere of the spiritual. While it is true that for most religious traditions (Christian as well as non-Christian) God is a spiritual and disembodied being, even the presence of God is always a mediated presence, and it may well be argued that this mediation is always material in character. We analyze theological aspects of the project carnal hermeneutics (Richard Kearney, Brian Treanor, John Panteleimon Manoussakis). Carnal hermeneutics shows the new philosophical turn away from the overly abstract, relativist and limited emphasis on structural linguistics and deconstruction in favor of a new emphasis on the on the fundamental act of incarnation. From that new point of view, linguistics and textual exegesis may continue to be a necessary aspect of hermeneutics – but they are not sufficient in themselves. It is a way of thinking which might help us recover the body as text and the text as body: to restore hermeneutics to phenomenology and vice versa and to remind us that interpretation is never a dis-embodied act. Carnal hermeneutics declares the living presence of the body as the inescapable foundation of our very being – inclusive of any act of interpretation. The carnal hermeneutics insists upon the crisscrossing of text and flesh, which both denies the collapsing of flesh into text (and vice versa) and also reveals the utter inextricability of the two.
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Gulo, Yoseti, and Widjaja Sugiri. "PENGARUH GURU PENDIDIKAN AGAMA KRISTEN TERHADAP PELAYANAN REMAJA DALAM KONTEKS GEREJA DI INDONESIA (THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION EDUCATION TOWARD TEENAGERS SERVICES IN THE CONTEXT OF CHURCHES IN INDONESIA)." QUAERENS: Journal of Theology and Christianity Studies 2, no. 2 (2020): 86–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.46362/quaerens.v2i2.22.
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Facing the development of science and technology, Christian Religious Education provides an understanding for adolescents to utilize technology and stay away from its negative effects. The mission of Christian Religious Education means to provide a comprehensive change in spiritual life in the midst of a pluralistic society. Therefore, Christian Religious Education teachers in the church must be sensitive to the conditions, development and needs of youth. This study aims first, to improve the professional competence of Christian Religious Education teachers in churches to foster Christian values for Christian teenagers. Second, Christian Religious Education teachers realize that the growth of adolescent faith helps build good and appropriate teenagers levels. Third, Christian teenagers will take part in the ministry when they become mature in faith by using descriptive qualitative methods.
 
 Menghadapi perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi, Pendidikan Agama Kristen berperan memberikan pemahaman bagi remaja untuk memanfaatkan teknologi dan menjauhi dampak negatifnya. Misi Pendidikan Agama Kristen ialah memberikan perubahan kehidupan rohani yang menyeluruh ditengah-tengah masyarkat majemuk. Karena itu, guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen di gereja harus peka terhadap kondisi, perkembangan dan kebutuhan remaja. Penelitian ini bertujuan pertama, meningkatkan kompetensi profesional guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen di gereja untuk menumbuhkan nlai-nilai kristiani remaja Kristen. Kedua, guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen menyadari bahwa pertumbuhan iman remaja turut dipengaruhi oleh pengajaran yang baik dan tepat sesuai level remaja. Ketiga, remaja Kristen akan mengambil bagian dalam pelayanan ketika sudah menjadi dewasa iman dengan menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriprif.
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Espinosa, Gastón. "Nones, No Religious Preference, No Religion and the Misclassification of Latino Religious Identity." Religions 14, no. 3 (2023): 420. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel14030420.
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This article challenges the conventional wisdom about the reported decline of Christianity and Protestantism in the U.S. and the rise of the “nones” among Latinos. It does so by cross-examining the growth of the “nones” (those respondents reportedly having no religion and/or no religious preference) in the U.S. Latino community, which is slated to make up almost 28 percent of the U.S. population by 2060. In 2000, we stumbled, quite by accident, upon a remarkable discovery in the Latino community: that many of the so-called “nones” were, in fact, under cross examination against other religious identity questions, religious, spiritual, and/or believed in God or a higher power. In some cases they were born-again Christians who rejected the label “religion” (and thus reported having “no religion”) as a descriptor of their faith. Many self-identified as and/or attended independent and non-denominational Evangelical and/or Pentecostal/Charismatic churches. To test these initial findings and to try to secure a more accurate reading of the “nones” respondents, our research team added a follow-up question for the “no religion” respondents to the screening questions section so they could explain what they actually meant in the Latino Religions and Politics (LRAP) national surveys in 2012 and 2020. We also cross-analyzed the “no religion” and “no religious preference” respondents against other religious identity questions, such as being born-again and church attendance, and was surprised to find that more than 60% of them reported believing in God or a higher power and/or being Christian, Catholic, or Protestant, religious, spiritual, or something other than having no religion. More surprising and counterintuitively, we found that more than 40% of those reporting “no religious preference” and 17% of those who reported having “no religion” also self-reported being born-again Christians. All of this problematizes the conventional wisdom about the identity and growth of the “nones” in the Latino community and could (though we do not claim or explore this here) problematize our understanding of the “nones” and the changing contours of religion and secularization in American society.
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Khaletskyj, O. V. "World-development of historical and spiritual that is its event-idea-development as a world of faith." Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies 21, no. 92 (2019): 147–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet-e9225.
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According to modern scientific and philosophical representations, the world is its creation as development. Because of anthroponoospherization, world development appears as a historical and spiritual development. A measure of progressive development are: 1) the completeness of the implementation of legislative tendency (directions) of development, 2) the superiority of the old to new, 3) the increase of consciousness and spiritual factors of development. In the development of society, the historical-spiritual appear to it: 1) degrees, 2) local ways (civilization) actually happen-ideas-development, which are: 1) initial with the stages of anthroposociogenesis, tribal community of collectors and hunters, the clan community of farmers and herders, 2) agrarian society with the stages of the first civilizations of the copper stone age (Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian-Babylonian, Indo, Aegean, Hatto-Smallasian Early Chinese, Ancient American) iron age from the 1st millennium BC of ancient (Middle East, Antique, Ancient Indian and Ancient Chinese) and medieval (Far Eastern, Indian, Austrian, Central Asian, Iranian-Islamic, Eastern Christian and West Christian local civilizations) and so-called industrial society with preindustrialization XVIІІ-mid. ХVІІ century, industrialization the middle of ХVІІ–ХІХ centuries, industrial first half of Twentieth century and, the middle of XX century, the globalization-information stages of development with the corresponding all of them-events-ideas-development. Stages of development are determined by their main direction. Civilizations can be defined as local socio-culturaland organisms that are inherent in the physiognomic unity of distinctive features. In the process of historical development there is a growth of conscious-spiritual factors of development (socio-cultural paradigm), mainly as the implementation of various socio-cultural projects, which prompts the creation of consciously projected, intellectually creative, idea-creative, spiritually-constructed world as it happens-idea- development. Events are actingknowledged as ideas, and ideas are projected as development. All further history of mankind is the deduction and embodiment of consciously-projected ideas. Socio-cultural projects require the realization, and that’s why historical development is somehow dejected, and is carried out as some kind of enthusiasm. Religion - faith in God through the cult, what is the act of consciousness (faith) of world creation (God) through its activation in itself (the cult). The historical-spiritual world-development are as follows: 1) the continuation of the world creation, 2) the belief of realization as a kind of locomotive, because of what 3) religious socio-cultural projects of spiritual world transformation are currently the largest. From the New Times monotheism comes into the secular phase of practicing faith. From the seventeenth century humanity passes to industrial ways of development and to the twentieth century. the world economy is formed, world politics and world spirituality that are from the middle of Twentieth century turn into the globalization-informational period of “the inventive future”, when any social and cultural projects can be implemented. There is a world civilization as a cathedral unity of national cultures. In the field of religious, there is not immorality, but newly-religions as a God's gradual faith. Innovation faith occurs as: 1) ecumenization, 2) secularization, and 3) new secular dynastic theologians. A peculiar “spiritual evaporation” of globalization processes is the maturation of the so-called universal religion. There can be no universal religion, only a universal faith can be. Universal religion is not a separate religion, but the unity of all religions of the world as its spiritual transformation. Universal religion arises as 1) activation of the creative forces of man, 2) the locomotive of socio-cultural projects that require the faith realization, 3) as a social and cultural project for the spiritual transformation of the world (God's reign, etc.). The unity of all religions in the world is currently the most expressed in theistic evolutionism, which in modern universal evolutionism receives a scientific and philosophical justification, where a new process-creative-centric image of the world for its transformation arises. Secular gradual faith passes into the development of the world, world-wide – the consciousness of the world as its development, which is achieved by the event-idea-development. The world of faith appears in three hypostases: 1) as the unity of all religions of the world as its spiritual transformation, 2) the world is not religion, but faith, and 3) acts consciousness of the world as its development. Concentration of the meanings of spiritual uplift form the so-called spiritual republics (Zion, Shambhala, mountainous Jerusalem, etc.) as our antisocial spiritual homeland. World-development of historical-spiritual appears as an intelligent world development (World building).
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Mbitu, Falentin Rambu. "PENDAMPINGAN SPIRITUAL TERHADAP PENDIDIKAN SEKSUAL UNTUK KAUM REMAJA KRISTEN." Inculco Journal of Christian Education 2, no. 1 (2022): 25–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.59404/ijce.v2i1.52.
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Abstrak: Kasus seksual para remaja semakin tahun semakin rentan. Diperkirakan 80% remaja memiliki sikap negatif terhadap kekerasan seksual. Tujuan penelitian kepustakaan ini mencari jawaban dari beberapa pertanyaan: Apakah yang dimaksud spiritual? Bagaimanakah kriteria pertumbuhan spiritual? Bagaimanakah pendidikan spiritual dibutuhkan kaum remaja? Bagaimanakah pendampingan spiritual terhadap pendidikan seksual untuk kaum remaja Kristen? Jawab: (1) Spiritual adalah jiwa (spirit) yang menjadi landasan manusia untuk bergerak hidup, bertumbuh dalam imannya, dan bersifat kejiwaan (rohani) yang berhubungan antara Tuhan dengan manusia di mana manusia mempunya keinginan mencari Tuhan. (2) Kriteria pengukuran pertumbuhan spiritual adalah: (a) Seseorang dalam aktivitas-aktivitas kerohanian. (b) keterlibatan seseorang dalam berbagai pelayanan sosial. (c) penampakan fenomena supranatural melalui kehidupannya. (d) penampakan pola hidup yang menjauhkan diri dari kegiatan “duniawi”. (e) pemakaian atribut kristiani. (f) seseorang masih hidup dalam kenikmatan dunia, tetapi nilai kerohanian sudah mulai masuk.(g) seseorang yang ingin berkembang dalam rohani adalah menemukan “yang sakral” dan berusaha tinggal di dalamnya. (h) bersatu dengan Tuhan di mana seseorang yang sudah percaya kepada Yesus Krstus dan mendapat jaminan keselamatan maka hidup yang lama berubah menjadi hidup yang baru. (3) Pembentukan Spiritualitas melalui pendidikan Kristiani dilakukan dalam konteks adalah: (a) Pendidikan Seksual untuk Meningkatkan Spiritual dalam Keluarga. (b) Pendidikan Seksual untuk Mempertumbuhkan Spiritual Jemaat di Gereja. (c) Pendidikan Seksual untuk Mempertumbuhkan Spiritual Siswa di Sekolah. (d) Pendidikan Khusus Seksual untuk Mempertumbuhkan Spiritual untuk Remaja. (4) Hamba Tuhan, Guru, dan Orangtua sebagai konselor untuk Remaja. Hamba Tuhan (pendeta), guru (tenaga pendidik) dan orangtua (ayah dan ibu) wajib berperan sebagai konselor bagi kaum remaja. Pendidikan seksual dijadikan peringatan dari konselor kepada konseli (kaum remaja). Abstract: Teenagers' sexual cases are getting more and more vulnerable every year. It is estimated that 80% of adolescents have negative attitudes towards sexual violence. The purpose of this literature research is to find answers to several questions: What is spirituality? What are the criteria for spiritual growth? How is spiritual education needed by youth? How is spiritual assistance in sexual education for Christian youth? Answer: (1) Spiritual is the soul (spirit) which is the basis for humans to move in life, grow in their faith, and is psychological (spiritual) which is related to God and humans where humans have the desire to seek God. (2) The criteria for measuring spiritual growth are: (a) A person in spiritual activities. (b) one's involvement in various social services. (c) the appearance of supernatural phenomena through his life. (d) the appearance of a lifestyle that abstains from "worldly" activities. (e) the use of Christian attributes. (f) a person is still living in the pleasures of the world, but spiritual values have begun to enter. (g) a person who wants to develop spiritually is to find the "sacred" and try to live in it. (h) unite with God where someone who has believed in Jesus Christ and is guaranteed salvation will change the old life into a new life. (3) Spirituality formation through Christian education is carried out in the context of (a) Sexual Education to Increase Spirituality in the Family. (b) Sexual Education to Grow the Spiritual Congregation in the Church. (c) Sexual Education to Grow Students' Spirituality in Schools. (d) Special Sexual Education for Spiritual Growth for Youth. (4) Servants of God, Teachers, and Parents as counselors for Youth. Servants of God (priests), teachers (educators), and parents (father and mother) must act as counselors for youth. Sexual education is used as a warning from the counselor to the counselee (youth).
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De Vynck, Emma, Heather Marie Boynton, and Victoria Frances Burns. "Pulled from the Shoreline in Search of Spacious Spirituality: Journeys of Spiritual Distress, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth for Women of Evangelical Christian Backgrounds in a Canadian Context." Religions 14, no. 9 (2023): 1193. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel14091193.
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Religion and spirituality (R/S) provide possibilities for healing, resilience, meaning making, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the aftermath of trauma. Still, R/S may also be the precursors and/or sources of harm, resulting in experiences of spiritual distress (SD). While extensive research has examined the positive mental health impacts of R/S, its potential harms are under-investigated. Addressing this gap, this article draws on findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study with four women of evangelical Christian (EC) backgrounds who have experienced SD. The women’s stories revealed SD as an isolating and profoundly tension-filled experience characterized by painful relational loss, fraught belonging, existential uncertainty, and acute spiritual pain. Several women used the term “trauma” to describe their experiences. This study evidences the tender and isolating complexity of SD. For the women, spirituality served as both a cause and a perpetuator of trauma, and as a vehicle for transcendent meaning making in response to wounding. Ultimately, spirituality is tangled in the women’s distress while also playing a role in their posttraumatic growth. Implications include a call for increased awareness and advocacy regarding SD, as well as a trauma-informed, spiritually sensitive, curious posture from practitioners supporting clients with SD to foster posttraumatic growth.
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Farida, Muharoma Chomsatul, and Areyne Christy. "PENTINGNYA LANDASAN KELUARGA KRISTEN BERDASARKAN PERJANJIAN BARU DALAM MEMBENTUK KECERDASAN SPIRITUAL REMAJA KRISTEN." Inculco Journal of Christian Education 3, no. 3 (2023): 285–300. http://dx.doi.org/10.59404/ijce.v3i3.168.
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Kecerdasan spiritual mengacu pada kemampuan individu untuk mengembangkan dan menggali dimensi spiritual dalam kehidupan mereka. Kecerdasan spiritual meliputi Pemahaman diri, hubungan dengan Tuhan, Etika dan Moralitas, Rasa Empati dan Kepedulian, dan praktik kehidupan sesuai dengan firman Tuhan. Orang muda membutuhkan pengetahuan dan pemahaman yang mendalam tentang Firman Tuhan untuk membangun fondasi kecerdasan spiritual yang kokoh. Perjanjian Baru adalah contoh yang sangat baik tentang pribadi dan ajaran Yesus Kristus. Keluarga Kristen berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip Perjanjian Baru dapat memberikan contoh nyata yang mencerminkan karakter Kristus dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Orang muda membutuhkan contoh nyata bagaimana hidup dalam kasih, kerendahan hati, pengampunan, pelayanan dan ketaatan pada kehendak Tuhan. Menjelaskan betapa pentingnya Landasan perjanjian baru dalam Keluarga Kristen untuk Membentuk Kecerdasan Spiritual Remaja. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif sebagai pendekatan penelitian yang bertujuan untuk memperoleh pemahaman yang mendalam terkait tentang fenomena sosial, dengan penekanan pada interpretasi, deskripsi, dan pengungkapan makna yang terkandung di dalamnya. Dasar sebuah keluarga yang ideal haruslah berlandaskan kasih Kristus. Faktor utama dalam membentuk kecerdasan spiritual remaja dimulai dari sebuah Keluarga. Oleh karena itu keluarga hendaknya melaksanakan peranannya dalam membentuk kecerdasan spitual remaja. Dasar-dasar dalam membentuk kecerdasan spiritual remaja antara lain: 1) Iman. Penting sekali untuk menanamkan iman Kristen kepada remaja untuk menanamkan landasan spiritual yang kuat sehingga memampukan mereka mengembangkan hubungan yang lebih dalam dengan Tuhan. 2) Kasih. Kasih meletakkan dasar yang kokoh bagi kecerdasan spiritual karena menumbuhkan sikap saling mengasihi, empati, toleransi, dan pengampunan. 3) persekutuan. Lingkungan keluarga yang penuh kasih akan mendorong pertumbuhan rohaninya remaja Kristen. Lingkungan yang saling menghormati dan mendukung ini merupakan dasar yang kokoh bagi pengembangan kecerdasan spiritual remaja Kristen.4), melaksanakan kewajiban. Untuk membangun keharmonisan dan kebahagiaan dalam sebuah keluarga, diperlukan kerjasama yang baik antara anak-anak dan orang tua. Anak-anak diharapkan patuh kepada orang tua sebagai aturan yang berlaku. Dalam konteks kekristenan, orang tua memiliki otoritas atas anak-anak mereka. Ikatan keluarga yang kuat memberikan peranan yang penting dalam membentuk kecerdasan spiritual remaja Kristen.Spiritual intelligence refers to the ability of individuals to develop and explore the spiritual dimension in their lives. Spiritual intelligence includes self-understanding, relationship with God, Ethics and Morality, Empathy and Caring, and the practice of living according to God's word. Young people need deep knowledge and understanding of God's Word to build a solid foundation of spiritual intelligence. The New Testament is an excellent example of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christian families based on New Testament principles can provide real examples that reflect the character of Christ in everyday life. Young people need real examples of how to live in love, humility, forgiveness, service and obedience to God's will. Explains how important the Foundation of the new agreement is in the Christian Family to Form the Spiritual Intelligence of Youth. This study uses qualitative methods as a research approach that aims to gain an in-depth understanding of social phenomena, with an emphasis on interpretation, description, and disclosure of the meaning contained therein. The basis of an ideal family must be based on the love of Christ. The main factor in forming the spiritual intelligence of adolescents starts from a family. Therefore the family should carry out its role in shaping the spiritual intelligence of adolescents. The basics in forming the spiritual intelligence of adolescents include: 1) Faith. It is very important to instill Christian faith in youth to instill a strong spiritual foundation that will enable them to develop a deeper relationship with God. 2) Love. Love lays a solid foundation for spiritual intelligence because it fosters mutual love, empathy, tolerance and forgiveness. 3) fellowships. A loving family environment will encourage the spiritual growth of Christian youth. This mutually respectful and supportive environment is a solid foundation for developing the spiritual intelligence of Christian youth. 4), carrying out obligations. To build harmony and happiness in a family, good cooperation is needed between children and parents. Children are expected to obey their parents as a rule. In the Christian context, parents have authority over their children.
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Somlai, Anton M., Timothy G. Heckman, Kristin Hackl, Michael Morgan, and Dana Welsh. "Developmental Stages and Spiritual Coping Responses among Economically Impoverished Women Living with HIV Disease." Journal of Pastoral Care 52, no. 3 (1998): 227–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002234099805200303.
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Identifies environmental markers, situational appraisals, perceived ability to mediate situations and outcomes, primary coping strategies, and purposes served by religion and spirituality in 10 HIV-positive women recruited from a regional health care clinic. Findings indicated that the women experienced a disintegration of family during their early developmental years, yielding feelings of hopelessness and isolation; that their sexual development was marked by rape and incest, and their early adulthood was characterized by failed relationships, pregnancies, drugs, and alcohol. Reports that the women's religious influences were predominantly maternal and provided a model for intercessory prayer. Notes that prior to their diagnosis of HIV, participants described their coping as escapist, while after diagnosis they believed there was a divine intercession renewing their spiritual growth and connectedness with others. Reports that the women's personal spirituality was greatly influenced by prayer, television ministries, and reading the Bible. Suggests that interventions that actively recruit women into social support services, health care systems, and faith congregations are needed and that television ministries may serve as access points for connecting women with necessary services.
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Nakmofa, Sutidjo Justus Jerzak, and Yefta Yan Mangoli. "Proses Kedewasaan Rohani Orang Kristen berdasarkan Kolose 2:6-10." KARDIA: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Kristiani 1, no. 2 (2023): 104–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.69932/kardia.v1i2.12.
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Abstract: This research aims to find out about the exegetical review of the process of Christian spiritual maturity based on Colossians 2:6-10, and what are the inhibiting factors for Christian spiritual growth towards spiritual maturity. The research methodology used in this research is a qualitative literature research methodology with a biblical theological research approach, through an exegetical strategy of text criticism, because the goal to be achieved is related to an exegetical review of the process of Christian spiritual maturity. The results of the discussion based on the letter Colossians 2:6-10 to the Colossians and Christians today are experiencing spiritual growth to the stage of spiritual maturity. Therefore, Christians must experience a process of spiritual maturity which includes accepting Christ, living in God, rooted in God, built up in God, growing firm in faith, hearts overflowing with thanksgiving, and experiencing the fullness of Christ (Pleroma). In undergoing the process of maturity there are obstacles that make Christians spiritually immature, including environmental influences and heretical teachings that are inconsistent with Christ's which become a snare for Christians so they do not grow towards spiritual maturity. To overcome these obstacles, Christians must build an intimate personal relationship with God through prayer, quiet time, contemplation of God's word, and spiritual discipline. Thus Christians experience Christ in his life, where Christ dwells in full control of his life as expressed by the Apostle Paul in terms of you having been filled with Christ. Abstrak: Penelitian ini, bertujuan untuk mengetahui tentang tinjuan eksegetis Proses kedewasaan rohani orang Kristen berdasarkan surat Kolose 2:6-10, dan apa saja Faktor penghambat pertumbuhan rohani orang Kristen ke arah kedewasaan rohani. Metodologi penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah ialah metodologi penelitian kualitatif pustaka dengan pendekatan penelitian riset teologia biblika, melalui strategi eksegetis kritik teks, karena tujuan yang ingin dicapai sehubungan dengan tinjauan eksegetis tentang proses kedewasaan rohani orang Kristen. Adapun hasil pembahasan berdasarkan surat Kolose 2:6-10 kepada jemaat Kolose dan orang Kristen masa kini adalah mengalami pertumbuhan rohani sampai kepada tahap dewasa rohani. Oleh karena itu, orang Kristen harus mengalami proses kedewasaan rohani meliputi menerima Kristus, hidup di dalam Tuhan, berakar di dalam Tuhan, dibangun di dalam Tuhan, bertambah teguh dalam iman, hati yang melimpah dengan ucapan syukur, dan mengalami kepenuhan Kristus (Pleroma). Dalam menjalani proses kedewasaan ada hambatan yang membuat orang Kristen tidak dewasa rohani antara lain pengaruh lingkungan dan pengajaran sesat yang tidak sesuai dengan Kristus menjadi jerat bagi orang Kristen sehingga tidak bertumbuh ke arah kedewasaan rohani. Untuk mengatasi hambatan tersebut, orang Kristen harus membangun hubungan pribadi yang intim dengan Tuhan melalui doa, saat teduh, perenungan firman Tuhan, dan disiplin rohani. Dengan demikian orang Kristen mengalami Kristus dalam hidupnya, dimana Kristus berdiam secara penuh menguasai kehidupannya seperti yang diungkapkan oleh Rasul Paulus dalam hal kamu telah dipenuhi Kristus.
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Casiño, Tereso Catiil. "Winds of change in the church in Australia." Review & Expositor 115, no. 2 (2018): 214–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0034637318761358.
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The history of Christianity in Australia had a humble but rich beginning. Its early foundations were built on the sacrifices and hard work of individuals and groups who, although bound by their oath to expand and promote the Crown, showed concern for people who did not share their religious beliefs and norms. Australia provided the Church with an almost unparalleled opportunity to advance the gospel. By 1901, Christianity emerged as the religion of over 90% of the population. Church growth was sustained by a series of revival occurrences, which coincided with momentous social and political events. Missionary work among the aboriginal Australians accelerated. As the nation became wealthier, however, Christian values began to erode. In the aftermath of World War II, new waves of immigrants arrived. When Australia embraced multiculturalism, society slid into pluralism. New players emerged within Christianity, e.g., the Pentecostals and Charismatics. Technological advancement and consumerism impacted Australian society and the Church. By 2016, 30% of the national population claimed to have “no religion.” The Australian Church today navigates uncharted waters wisely and decisively as the winds of change continue to blow across the dry, barren spiritual regions of the nation.
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Tse, Justin K. H. "DIFFERENCE AND THE ESTABLISHMENT: AN ASIAN CANADIAN SENIOR PASTOR’S EVANGELICAL SPATIALITY AT TENTH AVENUE ALLIANCE CHURCH IN VANCOUVER, BC." Revista Relegens Thréskeia 3, no. 2 (2014): 24. http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/rt.v3i2.39092.
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This paper explores how the evangelical spatiality of an Asian Canadian senior pastor at a historically Anglo-Saxon congregation has transformed it from an ethnically homogeneous, aging church to a heterogeneously-constituted gathering in an evangelical Protestant tradition. This piece challenges the conventional wisdom of the church growth movement and the new religious economics in the sociology of religion, both of which advise religious groups to construct homogeneity and consensus in efforts for numerical growth over against secularizing forces. The paper argues instead that Pastor Ken Shigematsu’s evangelical spatiality from the mid-1990s to the present must be understood as a theological embrace of difference in a church gifted to him by God over which he prayerfully pastors along with his staff. This paper understands Shigematsu’s evangelical spatiality through his own New Testament exegesis, his denominational affiliation with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, his ancient spiritual practices of indiscriminate hospitality, and his mystical reception of Tenth as a welcoming space toward a multiplicity of ethnic, class, and religious backgrounds. This article contributes to Asian Canadian Christian studies by discouraging a future where pan-Asian churches in Canada are homogeneously constructed and by exploring the concrete possibility of non-strategies in which heterogeneous, complex spaces that include Asian Canadians are received by pastors and studied by academics as a divine gift.
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Williams-Hogan, Jane. "The place of Emanuel Swedenborg in the spiritual saga of Scandinavia." Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis 20 (January 1, 2008): 254–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67339.
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Between 1749 and 1771 the Swede Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) wrote and published eighteen religious works in Latin that he claimed were the foundation of a new Christian religion. He wrote that he had been called by God to unlock the spiritual secrets of the Bible through the doctrine of correspondences; to reveal the nature of the spiritual world based on experience in that realm; and to explain the keys to living a heavenly life. Stating in his last work, True Christianity (paragraph no. 779) that he was called only to write and publish, Swedenborg never attempted to found a church. Swedenborg published his books in Amsterdam and London, and if his 1758 print runs of 1,000 for five different works are typical, he had thousands of books available to distribute throughout Europe and he did so. However, the number of books in Scandinavia at the time of his death was probably fairly small. In 1772 there were less than a dozen readers in all of Europe, and only a small handful in Scandinavia. While awareness, education, and access are necessary prerequisites to the possibility of responding to these works, interest is essential. From the beginning, and over the years since their publication, individuals motivated to explore them seem to fall into the following categories: religious virtuosi/seekers; philosophers; occultists; artists, poets, and, writers. In this article the author, after a few remarks about issues on scholarship, turns her attention to three men with three different relationships to Swedenborg‘s religious writings, they are Edvard Munch (1863–1944), Søren Kierkegaard (1813–55), and August Strindberg (1850–1912). Then she makes an assessment of Swedenborg’s contribution to Scandinavia.
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Ginting, Christine Fuceria, Hana Suparti, Srini M. Iskandar, and Ana Lestari Uriptiningsih. "Transformative Teaching Strategies: Unlocking the True Essence of Ephesians 4:17–32 Among Prison Class IIB Kabanjahe." European Journal of Theology and Philosophy 4, no. 2 (2024): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/theology.2024.4.2.127.
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In Ephesians 4:17–32, the concept of a “new man” is explored, emphasizing the transformation that occurs when one becomes a follower of Christ. This passage delves into the teachings and principles that guide believers in their spiritual growth and maturity journey. The keywords in this section highlight key aspects of the teaching, such as “teaching,” which implies the importance of instruction and guidance in understanding and living out the Christian faith. Additionally, the phrase “new man” signifies a radical change within an individual when they surrender their old ways and embrace a new life in Christ. Ephesians 4:17–32 offers practical insights on how to live as a transformed individual. It addresses various aspects of personal conduct, including honesty, integrity, self-control, kindness, forgiveness, and love. These virtues are not only encouraged for personal growth but also for fostering healthy relationships within the community of believers.
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McLain, Karline. "Be United, Be Virtuous." Nova Religio 15, no. 2 (2011): 20–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/nr.2011.15.2.20.
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In one popular devotional poster the Indian god-man Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918) gazes out at the viewer, his right hand raised in blessing. Behind him are a Hindu temple, a Muslim mosque, a Sikh gurdwara, and a Christian church; above him is the slogan, “Be United, Be Virtuous.” In his lifetime, Shirdi Sai Baba acquired a handful of Hindu and Muslim devotees in western India. Over the past several decades, he has been transformed from a regional figure into a revered persona of pan-Indian significance. While much scholarship on religion in modern India has focused on Hindu nationalist groups, new religious movements seeking to challenge sectarianism have received far less attention. Drawing upon primary devotional materials and ethnographic research, this article argues that one significant reason for the rapid growth of this movement is Shirdi Sai Baba’s composite vision of spiritual unity in diversity, construed by many devotees as a needed corrective to rigid sectarian ideologies.
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Harrison, Douglas. "Why Southern Gospel Music Matters." Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation 18, no. 1 (2008): 27–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/rac.2008.18.1.27.
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AbstractLong overlooked by scholars of culture and religion, southern (white) gospel music occupies a special place within evangelicalism. The dynamic interaction of lyrics, music, and religious experience in southern gospel music comprises a cultural discourse evangelicals use, not to diminish experience in this world as is commonly argued in southern gospel studies, but to understand better Protestant theological doctrines in, and to make useable meaning out of, the vicissitudes of conservative Christian life. This approach treats southern gospel as a network of interconnected rhetorics and signifying practices that serve a multitude of public and private needs among its performers and fans—needs that are not otherwise met in evangelical culture. Particularly, southern gospel music allows those who participate in it to explore a broader and deeper range of psychospiritual feelings and experiences. The study of southern gospel reveals the importance of private conflicts and tensions in defining the contours of conservative Protestant religious living, individually and collectively. For the millions of evangelicals today who turn regularly and eagerly to southern gospel, their identity as a covenanted elect emerges from within the struggle to manage and resolve spiritual disquietude through the experience of white gospel music.
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White, Keith J. "Trauma and the Growth of Love in Children." Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 21, no. 2 (2023): 57–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.29357/2789-1577.2023.21.2.4.
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This paper aims at all those seeking to understand, respond to, and help children suffering trauma because of the full-scale War of Russia against Ukraine that began in 2022. It draws from three main sources: personal experience of living alongside children and young people who have suffered the trauma of separation and loss; studies, reflections, and practice of those have sought to understand children in a holistic way: biological; emotional/psychological; social and spiritual; Christian faith and tradition, including the Bible, human resources and activity, and theology. The paper is based on the conviction that “it takes a village to raise a child,” not least in a time of war, and that all villagers who have the well-being of that child at heart have a potential role to play in the process. The author points that “parenting” in its widest sense is not restricted to biological relatives or designated carers. The paper seeks to imagine the context from outside the war zone, acknowledging the complicated, secretive, messy, and unpredictable nature of conflict. In its conclusion it brings a message of hope, based not on wishful thinking or utopian dreams, but on experience and evidence collected from around the world, and close to hand, that demonstrates how the trauma of children can and has been overcome.
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White, Keith J. "Trauma and The Growth of Love in Children." Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 21, no. 2 (2023): 40–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.29357/2789-1577.2023.21.2.3.
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This paper aims at all those seeking to understand, respond to, and help children suffering trauma because of the full-scale War of Russia against Ukraine that began in 2022. It draws from three main sources: personal experience of living alongside children and young people who have suffered the trauma of separation and loss; studies, reflections, and practice of those have sought to understand children in a holistic way: biological; emotional/psychological; social and spiritual; Christian faith and tradition, including the Bible, human resources and activity, and theology. The paper is based on the conviction that “it takes a village to raise a child,” not least in a time of war, and that all villagers who have the well-being of that child at heart have a potential role to play in the process. The author points that “parenting” in its widest sense is not restricted to biological relatives or designated carers. The paper seeks to imagine the context from outside the war zone, acknowledging the complicated, secretive, messy, and unpredictable nature of conflict. In its conclusion it brings a message of hope, based not on wishful thinking or utopian dreams, but on experience and evidence collected from around the world, and close to hand, that demonstrates how the trauma of children can and has been overcome.
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Mazrui, Ali A. "Islam in a More Conservative Western World." American Journal of Islam and Society 13, no. 2 (1996): 246–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v13i2.2317.
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My findings are tentative and subject to further research. This presentationrests on three paradoxes of great relevance to Muslims in the West.The first paradox is that, from the point of views of Muslims in the West,western secularism might be good news and western materialism might bebad news. In other words, western secularism is perhaps a blessing in disguisefor Muslims, whereas western materialism is a curse. The secondparadox is that recent Republican, rather than Democratic, foreign policyhas been more friendly to Muslims, wherea Democratic, rather thenRepublican, domestic policies are probably more friendly to Muslims. Thethird paradox concerns the two Islams in the United States: indigenou andimmigrant. In the United States, western secularism has protected minorityreligious groups by insisting on the separation of church and state. Thisis as major reason why American Jews have been among the greatestdefenders of the separation of church and state, for any breach could leadto the imposition of some practices of the religious majority, such as forcingJewish children to participate in Christian prayers at school.The secular state permits religious minorities to practice their religionsin relative peace. Of course, like all doctrines, secularism has its fanaticwho sometimes want to degrade, rather than protect, the sacred. But at itsbest, a secular state is a refuge of safety for minority religions. It is in thissense that western secularism is a friend of Muslims living in the West.But while secularism represents a divorce from formal religion, materialismis a dilution of spirituality. One can be without a formal religion andstill be deeply spiritual in a humanistic sense. John Stuart Mill and BertrandRussell, for example, had no formal religion, yet each had deeply spiritualvalues. Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Laureate for Peace and an eventualagnostic, remained deeply committed to the principle of reverence for life,even to the extent of protecting the lives of insects in Africa ...
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Laurendeau, Normand. "CONTROLLING CONSUMPTION: A ROLE FOR CHRISTIANITY?" Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology 7, no. 1-2 (2003): 196–217. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156853503321916282.
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AbstractEconomic globalization suggests that sustainability will be threatened more by consumption than by population. While technology should prove helpful, our major environmental threat appears to be the rising demand for products and services. Hence, in the long run, sustainability requires human actions to prevent systemic harm rather than technical solutions that might merely reduce specific harm to the environment. In general, Christianity has dealt only weakly with the ethics of sustainability, and especially with the continuing consumption of global resources by affluent nations. In this paper, I analyze the potential for a new Christian focus on the satisfaction, satiation, and sublimation of material needs and desires. Important queries considered by the analysis include the following: (1) Does technology create metaphysical desire? (2) Is consumption thus inherently addictive? (3) Can religion help control this addiction? Employing dispositive and operative aspects of responsibility theory, I argue that a convivial future requires that we give prime attention to the demands of both distributive justice and environmental sustainability. On this basis, Christianity ought to place greater emphasis on equity issues associated with conservation, resource reduction, and renewable energy. Unfortunately, responsibility theory is inherently responsive rather than proactive, and thus probably more appropriate for avoiding a worse rather than creating a better future. My suggestion is that an eschatological approach to sustainability may offer new hope for the control of rampant materialism. In particular, Christianity must take seriously the need for an eventual re-integration between technology and religion. This re-integration should focus primarily on respecting physical limits, especially in an uncertain world characterized by a rising rich-poor gap. Such respect defines a new kenotic technology, which leads naturally to an allied kenotic consumption. As a result, Christian responsibility suggests that we can best imitate Christ by moderating profligate life-styles. From this perspective, the Church's prime responsibility in an environmental age is to model much better than it currently does the re-conversion of modern material growth to post-modern spiritual growth.