Matching Items (5)
Filtering by
- Creators: Bruner, Jason
- Creators: School of Politics and Global Studies
- Resource Type: Text
Description
The transformation of Christianity from a small sect of Judaism into a stabilized and powerful multinational political structure has been the topic of a tremendous amount of research and study over the last several hundred years. The question on how, or in what cultural situation was the Christian movement able to grow and stabilize, has been answered in a variety of different ways, by a variety of eminent scholars. In this thesis I apply traditional academic explanations for Christian growth, specifically those of Princeton Historian Peter Brown, to the Syriac-speaking regions of the East during the fourth and fifth centuries. Within this cultural situation, I explore the life and works of the influential Syrian theologian Ephrem the Syrian as a reflection of the concerns of Christians in the East. I provide rich historical information, as well as analysis of Ephrem's many theological concerns. I make use of a myriad of other resources and historical figures relevant to the thesis, and use the vivid picture of Syriac Christianity to answer the fundamental question of how Syriac Christianity grew, and how wealth, poverty, and the changing role of the Christian clergy contributed to this growth. In this investigation, I argue that Syriac Christianity promoted the same radical attitude concerning charity, renunciation of wealth, and the role of the clergy as Mediterranean Christianity according to Brown, but that many cultural and societal impediments faced in Persia prevented the same growth from occurring. The cultural situation faced by Christians in the East was radically different from that of the Mediterranean. This distinction, and all of its implications, is shown to be the reason for the historically underwhelming growth of Christianity during these centuries and beyond.
ContributorsWright, Aidan Eugene (Author) / Bruner, Jason (Thesis director) / Bennett, Gaymon (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Women often feel lost within their church community and are overlooking their own health to blend in with conceptions of a perfect marriage that are brought on through stereotypes. Women of abuse are believing, even if it's a matter of their personal health, they are not allowed to separate from their husband sin-free. This concept holds many spiritual women from taking a crucial step from leaving a dangerous situation. Finally, gender roles and the concept of male power is granting abusive men the chance to control the lives and beliefs of their wives with little fight from religious leaders. In order to help Christian women fighting a losing battle against rough husbands, changes need to be made. The education of the clergy and faith communities that may be the first step for many women reaching out for help is vital. First, sermons and lectures need to change to place an emphasis on the equality that is preached throughout the Bible. Second, a solution, such as annulment for abusive marriages, needs to be accepted by the Christian church in order to free women of their vows. At last, a wider knowledge of how common this unfortunate scenario is needs to be expressed throughout the Christian Community. Too many women believe that they are alone, and this is causing them to create unrealistic stereotypes about marriage. By addressing these major issues found throughout the Christian faith there is a better chance that women will start to speak up and find the courage to get out.
ContributorsPierce, Megan Marie (Author) / Fey, Richard (Thesis director) / Berra, Robert (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
College and university students are heavily influenced by their exposure to opportunities, individuals, and belief-systems during their time in school. More specifically, countless students are impacted by campus Christian ministries. There are 67 registered religious clubs and organizations across Arizona State University's four campuses, and 46 of them identify as Christian. Similar to most faith-based organizations, Christian campus ministries seek to impact the lives of students. This study will take a look at the influence of these ministries at ASU by researching their intersection with another key component of university life: wellness.
The primary research question is, “How does involvement in Christian ministries at ASU relate to the wellness of students?” The study will examine multiple dimensions of wellness: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Each component is essential to understanding the health and well-being of an individual, which is why this study will measure wellness levels in each dimension among samples of students at ASU.
The methodology chosen was a short, anonymous survey that 148 ASU students participated in—73 involved in Christian ministries at ASU and 75 not involved. The quantitative component included a wellness assessment using questions from The National Wellness Institute. These wellness scale questions were broken up into 5 randomized sections, each with one question per dimension, for 30 questions total. Each question response was assigned a rating on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 associated with low wellness and 5 high wellness. The qualitative component, comprised of short answer questions, only applied to students who were involved in a Christian ministry. This portion allowed respondents to explain if and how the ministry impacts each dimension of wellness uniquely.
The quantitative results showed some evident differences between students involved in Christian ministries and students not involved. The social and spiritual dimensions concluded much higher levels of wellness for involved students, both statistically significant with p-values of 0.028 and 0.004. Although some of the wellness differences between involved and not involved participants were not statistically significant, there is also notable variation among questions within each dimension. For the qualitative data, most students in Christian ministries said they believe their involvement increases their wellness in all six dimensions. For each dimension, over 75% of participants said that the ministry impacted their well-being. For the social, spiritual, and emotional dimensions, at least 97% of respondents said their ministry involvement impacted their wellness.
In examining the conclusions of the study, one recommendations is to strengthen the partnership between the greater ASU community and Christian ministries by collaborating and combining resources for programming that relates to their common goals and shared values. Additionally, other faith-based organizations at ASU may benefit from replicating this study to observe their unique wellness impact.
The primary research question is, “How does involvement in Christian ministries at ASU relate to the wellness of students?” The study will examine multiple dimensions of wellness: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Each component is essential to understanding the health and well-being of an individual, which is why this study will measure wellness levels in each dimension among samples of students at ASU.
The methodology chosen was a short, anonymous survey that 148 ASU students participated in—73 involved in Christian ministries at ASU and 75 not involved. The quantitative component included a wellness assessment using questions from The National Wellness Institute. These wellness scale questions were broken up into 5 randomized sections, each with one question per dimension, for 30 questions total. Each question response was assigned a rating on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 associated with low wellness and 5 high wellness. The qualitative component, comprised of short answer questions, only applied to students who were involved in a Christian ministry. This portion allowed respondents to explain if and how the ministry impacts each dimension of wellness uniquely.
The quantitative results showed some evident differences between students involved in Christian ministries and students not involved. The social and spiritual dimensions concluded much higher levels of wellness for involved students, both statistically significant with p-values of 0.028 and 0.004. Although some of the wellness differences between involved and not involved participants were not statistically significant, there is also notable variation among questions within each dimension. For the qualitative data, most students in Christian ministries said they believe their involvement increases their wellness in all six dimensions. For each dimension, over 75% of participants said that the ministry impacted their well-being. For the social, spiritual, and emotional dimensions, at least 97% of respondents said their ministry involvement impacted their wellness.
In examining the conclusions of the study, one recommendations is to strengthen the partnership between the greater ASU community and Christian ministries by collaborating and combining resources for programming that relates to their common goals and shared values. Additionally, other faith-based organizations at ASU may benefit from replicating this study to observe their unique wellness impact.
ContributorsSouza, Ann Christina (Author) / Golden, Amy (Thesis director) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Why do some local religious organizations, particularly Christian foreign mission groups, send missionaries to culturally and politically risky states where they face personal high risks and political entanglements? I argue that local religious groups’ goals and motivations are driven by their involvement in international religious networks, which is a key factor in dispatching missionaries to high-risk countries. These religious activities are driven by constituted identities and expected behaviors from the international networks. I utilized a qualitative analysis of documented sources from domestic and international religious networks and 37 semistructured interview records with South Korean Protestant missionaries and church leaders to probe international influence on local actors’ motivations of religious activities. I also used quantitative data of the number of Korean missionaries collected from the Korea World Missions Association and the Korea Research Institute for Mission to assess several hypotheses describing the influence of global religious discourse on local actors’ motivations and practices. I built a framework of an interaction pattern of local actors and international religious networks and depicted how the shared idea of reaching high-risk countries among global religious actors influenced national actors. The study findings indicate that motivations of religious actors risking their lives in high-risk countries are connected to the power of discourse of “unreached people groups” shaped among global actors, and such discourse is actively constructed by global, national, and local actors.
ContributorsJung, Jihye (Author) / Thomas, George (Thesis advisor) / Warner, Carolyn (Committee member) / Kittilson, Miki (Committee member) / Bruner, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
In this thesis, I explore the differences between proto-orthodox and gnostic proselytization beliefs and practices as expressed in their respective texts during the era of doctrinal conflict before the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE in an attempt to explain why these differences existed and how proto-orthodox Christian leaders saw their sect’s emphasis of proselytization as an important distinction between themselves and their gnostic counterparts. Proto-orthodox texts reveal a strong belief in global proselytization, and proto-orthodox leaders stressed that evangelism was a divine command from God that contemporary Christians were supposed to obey. However, gnostic religious texts, commentaries, and letters do not place nearly as much emphasis on proselytization and do not see proselytization as a command from God or something that gnostic believers should practice. Rather, gnostic texts reveal that gnostic believers should focus on internal revelation and special knowledge. While gnostic Christians clearly shared their faith with others, the doctrinal importance of proselytization differed from that of the proselytization focused proto-orthodox Christians. These varying beliefs on evangelism and its relative importance demonstrate a contrast in proselytization beliefs as it relates to the doctrinal discussion between proto-orthodox and gnostic believers in the first 4 centuries CE that has not been comprehensively examined by academia. While some of the practicalities of proto-orthodox proselytization were likely similar in some respects to gnostic proselytization practices, such as not sharing complicated doctrine at once, proto-orthodox Christian leaders argued that the differences in proselytization were doctrinally significant and was a point of contention between these two sects.
ContributorsConsalvo, Nathaniel (Author) / Bruhn, Karen (Thesis director) / Bruner, Jason (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12