Theology and Culture

This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack what gender complementarianism is, examine its history, and compare it to how Scripture and earlier Christian Tradition understood gender. This allows me to establish that gender complementarianism is a recent innovation in secular and Christian thinking about gender, and that it can be described as a "trajectory" from Scripture and Tradition on gender, influenced by social, ideological, and intellectual developments in secular societies. I then pursue a critique of gender complementarianism, arguing that it is an "unsatisfactory trajectory" because it has troubling implications for orthodox theology, is not borne out by empirical experience and observation, and has harmful effects on human beings and societies and on ethical development.

For Paul Tillich, theology is always carried out, and meaning gained, within an existing social situation. Today this situation includes the crises of the whole eco-system.The situation is disorderly and overwhelming. In such an environment, our natural tendencies seem to be: a) to cling to traditional communal meanings even as those meanings prove inadequate to the disorder around us, or b) to discard or invent as much as we can, and face breakdown and lack of common meaning. Both paths undermine our attempts to deal with the complexity and chaos that challenge us. Tillich suggests that awareness of paradox, and facing conceptual disorder, provides a way through such crises. We sit before the contradictions and allow a new openness to being, or the divine, to arise, generating a breakthrough which surprises and transcends without destroying what has gone before. Some of the contradictions we need to face include: the tensions between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in technology and capitalism; the incoherence in ideas of ‘sustainability’ or natural harmony; the relation between unity and variety; the ways our attempts at making order have produced disorders; the contrast between human and divine; the distinction between nature and spirit; and the clash between omnipotence and disorder. Within these paradoxical tensions a new sense of meaning can grow, and social potential develop.

"The purpose of this analysis is to provide an overview of the North Korean situation in order to design effective mission strategies among the North Korean people.  This analysis will provide a summary overview of the current North Korean culture, current missionary work, and possible strategies for the future.  Due to the intense suspicion of foreigners and extreme resistance to religious activity, missionaries will have to rely heavily on political, social, and humanitarian methods in order to evangelize the North Korean people" (taken from the introduction).

Niniejsza praca ma na celu przedstawienie teorii mitotwórczej J. R. R. Tolkiena, z perspektywy jej wymiaru duchowego. Od czasów antycznych teorie, tudzież filozofie, opierały się na myśleniu abstrakcyjnym i miały za zadanie wyjaśnienie ówczesnemu człowiekowi otaczającej go rzeczywistości. Nie inaczej było z Tolkienowską teorią, na potrzebę której ukuł swój termin Mitopoeia. „Duchowy wymiar Tolkienowskiej Teorii Mitotwórczej” – tłumacząc tytuł tej pracy na język Polski – przekłada się na wiele sfer życia Tolkiena. Pierwsza z tych płaszczyzn, to przypisywany mu przez niektórych krytyków program filozoficzny. Na tym wymiarze skupia się pierwszy rozdział tej pracy: „The Philosophical Disenchantment.” Jednak jak sugeruje tytuł, stanowi on zaledwie tło wszelkich dalszych poszukiwań, gdyż oferuje badaczom Tolkienowskiej myśli jedynie jej racjonalizację i demitologizację. Życiowa pasja Tolkiena, filologia komparatywna, daje wystarczające zrozumienie jego fenomenu, a przynajmniej zdaniem kilku krytyków. Niezaprzeczalnie stanowiła ona inspirację, a zarazem była narzędziem, którego Tolkien użył podług swej ogromnej wiedzy z zakresu językoznawstwa. Pomimo, iż w tej pracy „Comparative Philology” jest omawiana w drugiej kolejności, to właśnie ta dyscyplina była źródłem znajomości filozofii u Tolkiena. Podążając krokami Tolkieniany nie można jednak na tym poprzestać. Trzeci wymiar, jakże metafizyczny i filozoficzny w swych założeniach i implikacjach to odkrycie Owena Barfielda, znajomego Tolkiena. Barfield odkrył Teorię „Jedności Semantycznej,” co Tolkienowi przyszło łatwo przyjąć do wiadomości: język jako narzędzie może również być transcendentny, ze względu na swe początki. Dla Tolkiena była to jedna z tych rzeczy, która pozwoliła mu uwierzyć w smoki. „Philological Philosophy: Let There Be Dragons” – jest zatem łącznikiem między dwoma światami. Jednakże Tolkien nie był byle fantastą, oderwanym od ziemi. Teoria Barfielda, obudziła w nim nadzieję. Pomimo to, tak jak każdy rozsądny i racjonalny człowiek Tolkien musiał dowiedzieć się, „czy to prawda.” Potrzebował czegoś, aby idee odnieść do nie tyle rzeczywistego doświadczenia, ile prawdy. Prawda, bowiem wyzwala. Mimo nieustannego negowania jego wiary, to właśnie ona umożliwiła mu dalsze rozważanie tych teorii. I nie da się inaczej wytłumaczyć jego mitotwórstwa, jak przez uznanie jego wiary. Miłości do Boga, która była tak głęboka, że aż sięgała wiedzy teologicznej. Tego, między innymi, tyczy ostatni rozdział tej pracy: „Myth Becomes Truth.”
Liczba stron: 51

During the years in which France succumbed to nazi ideology and was occupied by German forces, Henri de Lubac, a French cardinal and one of the great contemporary thinkers the Catholic Church can boast of, played a decisive role in the French resistance to anti-Semitism. Active as a priest, de Lubac collaborated in the composition of ''official'' proclamations such as the famous 1941 ''Chaine Declaration" and also arranged conferences, wrote books, and participated in various resistance activities. One of de Lubac’s most intimate friends, Yves de Montcheuil α student companion among others, was shot to death in July 1944 by the Gestapo. De Lubac made clear his commitment to oppose what he termed Europe's "collective apostasy" under Nazism in α confidential letter to his religious superiors in April 1941. The commitment is amply demonstrated in a 260-page book of de Lubac's memoirs published in France, entitled Résistance Chrétienne et l'Antisémitisme: Souvenirs 1940-1944.

What is the relationship between discipleship and mission? In the last generation we didn’t make the connection very well, because in Christendom our lenses for thinking about church became inward lenses. We thought a lot about programs and services for members, and we tended to mission as a program of the church: one spoke on a wheel, and not the hub – not the reason for our existence, not an expression of our identity as a sent people.

This article presents an analysis of the film „Songs from the second floor” by Roy Andersson in sociocultural and theological perspective. When we read
the film in the spirit of the critique of the west, pursunig witkacy, horkheimer and marcuse, we can interpret this picture in categories of extreme
alienation of the contemporary human being. This interpretation becomes proved and enhanced by comparing Andersson’s film with theological work of his great fellow countryman, Emanuel Swedenborg, who claimed that judgment day will come when
“living love” will disappear and, thereby, the truth will be damaged. These both concepts have the same message. According to Andersson, contemporary societies, living without the hope (but needing it above all) are not able to exist without religion, which gives
people sense of their lives and provides a point of reference for making ethical decision.

Published in the March issue of Lutheran Forum, this is theological reflection on the gospel and its demands on Christian life with regards to neighbors, enemies, and immigrants for non-specialists and lay Christians. The piece was occasioned by US political and social issues in late 2016 and early 2017 and how the American Church should conceive of itself and its mission within such a context. The essay has a Lutheran flavor but is decidedly not merely Lutheran; it aims to be useful for all Christians in the US and hopefully beyond insofar as it articulates the gospel clearly and faithfully.

Deklaracja o wolności religijnej to wśród tekstów Soboru Watykańskiego II dokument pod wieloma względami szczególny: jeden z najkrótszych -lecz mający największą liczbę kolejnych wersji poprzedzających ostateczną; dokument o niezbyt wysokiej randze -lecz zawierający nauczanie o wielkim znaczeniu; podkreślający na wstępie swój związek z Tradycją -lecz budzący liczne kontrowersje, właśnie ze względu na swą (rzekomą) niezgodność z wcześniejszym Magisterium; uznawany często za wizytówkę Vaticanum II -lecz przyjęty przy opozycji największej w historii głosowań tegoż Soboru.

What makes Christian punk “Christian”? And what makes it “punk”? Drawing on his previously published work on punk and religion, and engaging his own experiences as a musician and theologian, Iafrate’s chapter offers a theological engagement with and critique of Christian punk that interrogates the adequacy of both terms as they are typically used to describe this genre. Neither “Christianity” nor “punk rock” is monolithic, and each contains very different and even opposing ideas and practices. As a liberation theologian, Iafrate interprets both Christianity and punk relative to their ability to generate liberating communities, movements, and ways of life which are congruent with their original liberationist impulses. On these grounds, Iafrate questions the extent to which self-identified Christian punk is Christian and/or punk. Despite its laudable intention to find church outside of church walls, Christian punk’s predominantly Evangelical focus on converting the “unwashed” from the perspective of the normative “already converted” individual Christian tends to reproduce the assumption of a settled, conservative Christian identity. Iafrate finds certain expressions of secular punk, namely the political “do-it-yourself” DIY punk perhaps best exemplified in the 1990s punk scene of Washington D.C., more punk, more Christian, and more theologically satisfying. Rather than proselytizing an already settled Christian message, the liberating impulse of punk tends to go beyond a style of music toward an entire way of life lived through liberationist praxis, a continual process of conversion grasping toward “integral liberation” from “all servitudes,” including political, ethical, and religious liberations. Iafrate argues that these expressions of punk contain elements of a liberationist “gospel” and arguably could be considered more deeply “Christian.” Such a view seems counterintuitive when evaluating a genre with a propensity towards irreverence and blasphemy, yet Iafrate asserts that Christian communities have not adequately grappled with the fact that their adherents worship a divine person who was executed, in part, for the crime of religious and political blasphemy. In particular, the religious liberations provoked by punk and by liberationist Christianity may in fact rely on blasphemy as a theologically relevant category. Likewise, Christian punk, if it is to be true to both Christianity and punk, must include a wider understanding of conversion and liberation, one that may even include blasphemy as a possible “sacrament” of religious and ethical liberation.

From Jesus to the Internet examines Christianity as a mediated phenomenon, paying particular attention to how various forms of media have influenced and developed the Christian tradition over the centuries. It is the first systematic survey of this topic and the author provides those studying or interested in the intersection of religion and media with a lively and engaging chronological narrative. With insights into some of Christianity s most hotly debated contemporary issues, this book provides a much-needed historical basis for this interdisciplinary field.

Quite appropriately for a volume addressing civic engagement, each of the authors boasts extensive experience in the political arena. Justin Giboney is a lawyer and political strategist who previously served as a DNC delegate; Michael Wear worked on President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign as the director for faith outreach; Chris Butler, meanwhile, heads up the Chicago Embassy Church Network and has worked to involve churches and faith-based organizations in community involvement. Divided into eight chapters, the authors write from the conviction that, in their American context, all Christians are inherently political, as evidenced by their assertion, "We can choose to not exercise the duties of citizenship, but that does not mean we do not have them" (3). When Christians do engage, they must view it as a duty and an expression of love, as "politics. .. provides a forum for advocating for our neighbor's well-being and pursuing justice" (11). The first three chapters cover "Christians (&) Politics," "Church (&) State," and "Compassion (&) Conviction," respectively. The authors are forthright concerning the church's moral failures, such as its silence on atrocities like the Indian Removal Act. While recognizing that Scripture does not prescribe what form of government a nation ought to adopt, they contend that believers should act as the exiles in Babylon, pursing the welfare of the city while recognizing their distinct identity. Throughout Scripture, the relationship between God's people and the state is indeed complicated: "church and state serve different functions,

Monografia stanowi próbę sporządzenia charakterystyki katedry w Pelplinie na Pomorzu w kontekście uprawiania historii kultury. Analiza obejmuje architekturę, malarstwo, rzeźbę, kreację słowa oraz muzyki. Dokonana jest z uwzględnieniem specyfiki budowli, tj. jej sakralnego przeznaczenia. W związku z tym kościelna przestrzeń widziana jest przede wszystkim przez pryzmat liturgii Mszy świętej. Ramy chronologiczne opisu koncentrują się na XVII stuleciu.

Penelitian Sosial Politik dengan fokus penyelenggaraan demokrasi di Negara-negara bekas Jajahan (yang kekiniaan dikenal dengan istilah Negara-negara dunia ketiga) merupakan salah satu kajian penting bagi para ilmuwan sosial dan politik, sebagai upaya merumuskan solusi-solusi ilmiah dengan mempelajari esensi perilaku politik dan historical experiences dalam masyarakat di Negara-negara dunia Ketiga. Hal ini dikarenakan banyaknya bukti empiris yang menunjukkan secara jelas bahwa berakhirnya kolonialisme tidak serta merta membuat Negara yang baru memerdekakan dirinya (Indonesia termasuk di dalam kategori ini) dapat menjalankan pemerintahan yang demokratis, sehingga realitas perilaku politik seorang pemimpin secara normatif bertentangan dengan nilai-nilai demokrasi yang dianut barat.

Critical Review ini akan mengulas secara singkat masalah Demokrasi yang terjadi di Indonesia melalui realitas politik  dari 10 essai yang ditulis oleh William Raymond Liddle selama periode 1984-1994, kesepuluh studi tersebut terangkum dalam buku Leadership and Culture in Indonesian Politics. William Raymond Liddle yang juga dikenal dengan sapaan Bill Liddle, berasal dari Ohio State University, Amerika Serikat. Liddle telah melakukan penelitian ilmiah secara mendalam terhadap perkembangan politik di Indonesia sejak tahun 1960-an hingga dewasa ini, sehingga wajar apabila beliau dikenal sebagai Ahli Ilmuwan Sosial Politik bidang kajian Indonesia.

This work explores the ways in which the anime of Makoto Shinkai cinematically portrays the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. The article will explore each virtue individually, with specific reference to the work of Josef Pieper and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In addition, it will juxtapose their explorations of these virtues with samples of Shinkai’s corpus of films. It will assert that the consistency of Shinkai’s work reveals several important parallels with the theological virtues. Faith is the encounter between one and another that reveals one’s nature. Hope is revealed by the distance between one and another, and is realised in traversing that distance to achieve an ecstatic reunion. Love, as the erotic attraction between one and another, is the driver that also sustains the journey and closes the distance. In spite of the similarities, important differences between the cinematic and theological will be highlighted.

Some pretty important people believe we will soon upload our minds into robots or virtual reality and then live forever. This is a book about that idea and, more importantly, about how it operates in our scientific, religious, and media cultures. There are chapters about the influence of Apocalyptic AI in academic robotics, the virtual world of Second Life, and political/moral life (including theology, law, robot rights, & empathy).

Parler de la théologie des missions de Henri de Lubac et de Jules Monchanin comporte bien des difficultés : en effet, cela signifie, avant tout, mettre en lumière et éclaircir les implications théologiques et philosophiques de fond de leurs manières de comprendre le christianisme en rapport avec les autres cultures et religions, sur le sillage de la grande tradition de l'Eglise . Toutefois, en ce qui concerne Jules Monchanin, les travaux récents et de qualité de Jacques-Guy Petit, Jean Marie Julia, Etienne Fouilloux, Jacques Prévotat, qui viennent s'ajouter au livre bien connu de Henri de Lubac, et les "éditions de correspondance dues à François Jacquin: entre Monchanin et sa mère; entre Monchanin et son compagnon bénédictin en Inde, Henri Le Saux" , ont à ce jour fourni un tableau clair de sa figure et de son oeuvre. A propos de Henri de Lubac, il nous faut citer surtout les essais de Mgr Olivier de Berranger  et de Jacques Gadille . Sur la base des résultats ainsi obtenus, il devient possible de tenter de préciser davantage quelques aspects, et, en particulier, leurs points de vues concernant le fondement théologique des missions.

THIS STUDY EXPLORES David Tracy's approach to public theology with theology of culture as background to the topic. More specifically, writing as an evangelical theologian from the Philippines, I seek to develop a basic understanding of 'public theology' for Philippine theological engagement.

"While the term ʾĕlōhîm appears to be a general reference to beings from the spiritual world, it is unclear whether the biblical writer intended to communicate the concept of a ghost, a preternatural spirit, or a heretical belief in apotheosis when describing Samuel.  Despite some traditional Jewish interpretations, the context of the passage suggests only one entity being described with an honorific plural.  This gives credence to the notion that ʾĕlōhîm acts as a superlative to enhance the status of Samuel’s departed spirit.  However, it is difficult to ignore the cultural aspect of 1 Samuel 28:13, especially since it is the pagan necromancer who identifies Samuel as an ʾĕlōhîm.  Thus, it seems more likely that the woman represented traditional Canaanite beliefs that deified prominent men.  In 1 Samuel 28:13, the term ʾĕlōhîm should be translated “preternatural being” in order to communicate the sense of a human spirit that has transcended, but may not have surpassed, the corporeal world" (taken from the conclusion, p. 9).

In multi-ethnic Fiji, where ethnic relations are often seen as fraught and potentially charged with conflict, and where religion closely follows lines of ethnicity, attempts by Christian churches to mediate interethnic relations and build multiethnic congregations can face difficult challenges. In this article, two contrasting Christian theologies are explored, both of which draw on theologies of water as a means of mediating interethnic engagements. In these examples, processes of forging interethnic relationships are seen as variously harmonious and dissonant, unifying and separating. Drawing connections between the layered imagery of water employed in these Christian contexts with wider Pacific imaginaries of water in baptism and in the ocean, I explore these shifting processes of forging interethnic relationships in the contested context of contemporary Fiji.

Although people of African descent have always been a part of the United States and the Catholic Church in the United States, Americans have been extremely tardy in recognizing this in law, economics, morality, education, religious communities, and the Church.  Until the Second Vatican Council, European cultural expression was treated as the universal and only expression of Catholic Christian liturgy in the west.  Thea, nee Bertha, Bowman, was a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, an African American who did not allow the obstacles of racism in society or the church to silence her voice.  Nor did she permit racism to quell her dedication to her vocation or diminish her love for her God, her people, or her church.  Thea strove to show that just as segregation and second class citizenship in a secular society diminished that society as a whole by depriving it of the gifts African Americans and others had to offer, so too did the church diminish itself.  A segregated church cannot be considered truly catholic.  The pervasiveness of racism in the United States makes it impossible to render an account that does not take this into consideration.  Racism’s insidious tentacles reach into areas that are not readily apparent, for it is imbedded in all institutions, secular and religious.  It affects the way the Franciscan religious life is lived and interpreted.  One of the aims of this paper is to show the reader what led Thea to change her work from teacher or Professor of English to activism on behalf of her people or rather how she broadened teaching English Language and Literature to include the existential reality of Black people through sharing the cultural heritage of African Americans.  This scope of this paper is an introduction to the dynamics involved in Bowman’s life at the intersection of race, religion and gender.

Published in "'The Universe is Indifferent': Theology, Philosophy, and Mad Men" (Cascade Press, 2016)

This essay explores the paradox of television show Mad Men's lead character, Donald Draper, from the perspective of philosopher Jean-Luc Marion's 'erotic reduction.' Rather than attempting to dissolve the paradox of Don Draper I argue that Draper is an exemplary fictional enactment of Marion's insistence that love seeks assurance -- not certainty.  Moreover, Draper's paradoxical nature vividly illustrates Marion's distinction between the 'seducer' and the 'lover' and, consequently, the 'idol' and the 'icon.' Thus Mad Men brilliantly traverses the distance between Draper's (and our) madness and iconicity by way of the lover's advance.

In Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis acknowledged that “numerous scientists, philosophers, theologians and civic groups have enriched the Church’s thinking” on sustainability. Hospitals and health care organizations may not be an obvious resource for ecological inspiration, but they have been responsible for shaping the contours of sustainability as well. While some Catholic health care organizations have already established measures to mitigate climate change, Laudato Si’ challenges all of Catholic health care to reflect the dual concerns for “God’s creation and the poor and outcast.” Concretely, two ways this can be achieved are by cutting carbon emissions and reducing water footprints.

To those who wish to keep their "cultural operating systems", like the Korean or Russian or Thai or French, "pure", closed, proprietary, without outside influence, I say you are in great danger. Maybe your closed cultural system was elegant and refined. Maybe it has a glorious past history. But it ultimately comes from an earlier human civilization of small, savage tribal groups. Now we humans are many, crowded on a small planet, and communicating with everyone instantly. We need a different design, and that has to be an Open System.

The purpose of this study is to explore how artists are able to expose secular audiences who inhabit the ‘immanent frame’ to the plausibility of transcendence while avoiding the pitfalls of propaganda. To combat the Western church’s unprecedented cultural disdain, it needs a convincing re-articulation of the faith, for which Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age provides essential insights. The arts have a crucial role to play in this, but the church has a poor record of harnessing them well.
This study employed a basic qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews to gather data. Eight creative professionals from a range of artistic fields were interviewed, focusing on four areas: their personal experiences of secularism; their view of the arts’ potential for communicating transcendence; their creative processes; their navigation of the problems of propaganda.

The literature review focused on four key areas: biblical narratives of a transcendent God’s involvement within the immanent frame; how the arts challenge and change worldviews; the relationship between the arts and the reality of transcendence; how propaganda exploits and abuses the arts.

This study concluded that the arts’ apologetic importance derives from their ability to be truth-bearing outside rationalism. They provide the means for helping people of faith to subvert the norms of prevailing secularism while drawing outsiders to consider a reality beyond closed immanence. Artefacts result from a process of creative exploration driven by an innate curiosity. This penetrates facades and superficiality, with the best of the arts resisting the propagandist’s instinct for assertion and manipulation.

If the church is to harness the arts, it must learn to avoid the propagandist’s easy answers and controlling assertions. At the local church level, this will entail leaders listening to and learning from creative professionals to understand how they work and how they can contribute to the life and witness of the people of God.

Recent years have seen the flourishing of research on Lithuanian Kabbalists in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to the point that some scholars speak of a defined and delineated stream of Kabbalah, a school unto itself dubbed "Lithuanian Kabbalah." Such scholars include within this stream all those who saw the Vilna Gaon as their teacher in Kabbalah (parallel to the position of the Baal Shem Tov in Hasidism) and they ascribe to it such fixed categories as its "Articles of Faith." In their conception, this stream was part and parcel of the broader and well-known nationalist-messianic current that had its source, supposedly, in the Vilna Gaon himself; this current reached its full fruition in the twentieth century, and so too has the smaller stream within it, now a clearly defined "school," developed in various ways until the present. As if this were not enough, scholars have joined the later ideological trend which seeks to revise the history of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in a decidedly messianic way, presenting it in a continuous line from the Vilna Gaon to the emergence of Zionism and then to the founding of the State of Israel. Again, the Vilna Gaon is not merely presented as a "herald" of Zionism but as one who encoded within his Torah the secret of redemption, the beginning of which, apparently, we are witnessing today. The article conducts a critical analysis of the concept of "Lithuanian Kabbalah," and uses as its case study the life and teachings of Rabbi Shimon Tsvi Horowitz.


בשנים האחרונות צומח ועולה מחקר סביב למקובלים בני ליטא במאות התשע עשרה והעשרים, עד שיש כאלו המדברים על זרם מוגדר ומובחן, אסכולה בפני עצמה, המכונה 'קבלה ליטאית'. בתוך זרם זה כוללים את כל אלו שראו בגר"א את מורם בקבלה, כמעין בעש"ט לחסידות, ומונים קטגוריות מקובעות של 'עיקרי אמונה' של אותו זרם הרוכב על מהלך משיחי ולאומי ידוע שמקורו כביכול בגר"א עצמו והגיע לגמר בישולו במאה העשרים. עד שנוצר בעיני כמה חוקרים מעין 'חוג' ברור ומוגדר שמתגלגל באופנים שונים עד לימינו. אם לא די בכך, הרי שהמדברים על אותו זרם קבלי רוכבים למעשה על קו אידיאולוגי מאוחר שבא לפרש מחדש את ההיסטוריה של היישוב היהודי בארץ ישראל במאה התשע עשרה ברוח משיחית וליצור מעין המשכיות מימי הגר"א עד להופעתה של הציונות ולמאורעות שהתרחשו עם הקמת מדינת ישראל. שוב אין הגר"א מצטייר רק כ'מבשר' הציונות אלא כמי שצפן בתורתו את סוד הגאולה שאנו עומדים לכאורה בפתחה. המאמר עוסק בניתוח ביקורתי של המשוג "קבלת ליטאית" וכמקרה מבחן יש כאן דיון בדרכו של ר' שמעון צבי הורביץ

The discussions in this paper are based on three works of Rūmī and three works of Saint Francis.  They are as follows:
Jaláludʼdín Rúmí
• Explaining the state of the self-conceited and those ungrateful for the blessing of the existence of prophets and saints 
• The story about the competition between the Greeks and the Chinese in the art of painting and portraiture
• Discourse 30
Saint Francis of Assisi
• The Praises of Wisdom, Simplicity, Poverty, Humility, Charity and Obedience and True and Perfect Joy
• Monastic Conferences of St. Frances “Conference XV Of those who Apply themselves to Learning.”
• Similitude V: That the Servant of God should Refer all Praise and Honour to Him.

From amazon.com:
""Whoever needs an act of faith to elucidate an event that can be explained by reason is a fool, and unworthy of reasonable thought." This line, spoken by the notorious 18th-century libertine Giacomo Casanova, illustrates a deeply entrenched perception of religion, as prevalent today as it was hundreds of years ago. It is the sentiment behind the narrative that Catholic beliefs were incompatible with the Enlightenment ideals. Catholics, many claim, are superstitious and traditional, opposed to democracy and gender equality, and hostile to science. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that Casanova himself was a Catholic. In The Catholic Enlightenment, Ulrich Lehner points to such figures as representatives of a long-overlooked thread of a reform-minded Catholicism, which engaged Enlightenment ideals with as much fervor and intellectual gravity as anyone. Their story opens new pathways for understanding how faith and modernity can interact in our own time.

Lehner begins two hundred years before the Enlightenment, when the Protestant Reformation destroyed the hegemony Catholicism had enjoyed for centuries. During this time the Catholic Church instituted several reforms, such as better education for pastors, more liberal ideas about the roles of women, and an emphasis on human freedom as a critical feature of theology. These actions formed the foundation of the Enlightenment's belief in individual freedom. While giants like Spinoza, Locke, and Voltaire became some of the most influential voices of the time, Catholic Enlighteners were right alongside them. They denounced fanaticism, superstition, and prejudice as irreconcilable with the Enlightenment agenda.

In 1789, the French Revolution dealt a devastating blow to their cause, disillusioning many Catholics against the idea of modernization. Popes accumulated ever more power and the Catholic Enlightenment was snuffed out. It was not until the Second Vatican Council in 1962 that questions of Catholicism's compatibility with modernity would be broached again.

Ulrich Lehner tells, for the first time, the forgotten story of these reform-minded Catholics. As Pope Francis pushes the boundaries of Catholicism even further, and Catholics once again grapple with these questions, this book will prove to be required reading."

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The book of Ruth offers a three-fold thematic scheme that supports the central claim of the Pentateuch, the claim found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel is one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all of the historical books as well. Thus, the foundational theme of Ruth is the central claim of the Pentateuch, a theme shared by all books of the Holy Scriptures. The secondary, structural theme of the book of Ruth supports the primary theme of the historical books by offering the testimony of God’s predestined plan to bring about Israel’s redemption through the Davidic lineage as supporting evidence that YHWH is the true and living God. The third, imperative theme of the book of Ruth states that Israel loved the Lord their God with all of their strength by trusting in His divine providence to guide them into rest. The application of this third theme for today’s reader is a similar call to understand that God has predestined each New Testament believer to bear righteous offspring in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Theme of Predestination - The book of Ruth opens with a gloomy forecast. Israel’s theocracy has failed. The nation has rejected their God and the curse of the Law now hangs over the land like a dark cloudy day. Where was Israel’s hope; where was their redemption: The judges now guided the people; but these judges were burdened with sin and weakness themselves. Israel’s seed of redemption now rested in a young woman named Ruth, who’s great grandson would someday rise up to be king over Israel. King David would lead Israel out of a theocracy and into a monarchy. He would receive a prophetic word from the Lord of an eternal dominion through his seed, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Therefore, the book of Ruth testifies to the fact that God has predestined the Davidic lineage as Israel’s hope of redemption.

The books of Joshua and Judges offer a three-fold thematic scheme consisting of its primary, secondary, and imperative themes. These three themes support the central claim of the Pentateuch, the claim found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel is the one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all of the historical books as well.

Primary Theme - The foundational theme of Joshua-Judges is the central claim of the Pentateuch that the God of Israel is the one, true and living God, a theme shared by all books of the Holy Scriptures. In the book of Joshua, the Lord God demonstrated His Godhead by bringing Israel into their Promised rest under the leadership of Joshua. In the book of Judges, the Lord God demonstrated His Godhead as He judged a disobedience Israel by subjecting them to the oppression of their enemies and by delivering them when they turned to Him in repentance and faith.

Secondary Theme - The secondary, structural theme of the book of Joshua supports its primary theme by offering the testimony of Israel’s conquest and possession of the Promised Land as supporting evidence that YHWH is the true and living God by bringing them into their promised “rest.” Thus, the theme of rest or “glorification” serves as the secondary theme of Joshua-Judges. While the book of Joshua testifies of Israel’s successful entrance into their promised rest under the leadership of Joshua, a type and figure of Christ, the book of Judges testifies of Israel’s utter failure under the Law to fulfill its destiny of possessing the Promised Land as a theocracy. This failure reveals Israel’s ultimate need for a Redeemer. The third, imperative theme of the book of Joshua states that Israel loved the Lord their God with all of their heart, mind, and strength when they obeyed His Word by entering the Promised Land. Their obedience was demonstrated by following the leadership of Joshua, resulting in prosperity and rest.

Imperative Theme - The third, imperative theme of the book of Judges states that amidst Israel’s sinful failure, they must trust the Lord God to provide their deliverance and rest; so they must look to Him for their complete redemption through the promised Messiah. The application of the third theme for today’s reader is a similar call to enter into spiritual rest in the spiritual journey for every New Testament believer. This call extends to the believer’s pursuit of eternal rest in Heaven, symbolized in Joshua as the Promised Land. Spiritual warfare for the believer is symbolized in Joshua by Israel’s crusade to possess the Promised Land. Although Israel failed to continue in her place of rest due to backsliding by not obeying the Law, the Lord raised up judges to redeem Israel from their enemies. In a similar manner, believers can backslide away from the Lord and lose their place of spiritual rest. Such believers must turn back to the Lord for their redemption and restoration of rest.

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

This licentiate establishes the conceptual and methodological foundation for a doctoral thesis on how film creates and sustains a symbolic universe. Rather than addressing the ultimate thesis problem, the purpose of this licentiate is to lay the groundwork for that project. It introduces and examines the film Unforgiven as the empirical data, and it locates Unforgiven in the genre and tradition of the Western film.

The licentiate has five subsidiary purposes: 1) it discusses the theoretical and methodological perspective of symbolic interactionism; 2) it describes and examines the Western genre in film and earlier media; 3) it proposes a basic typology for the Western film; 4) it presents a synopsis and overview of the film Unforgiven, and 5) it reviews the literature on Unforgiven, extracting key themes to establish the thematic taxonomy that permits a robust analysis of the film.

Although Marsilio Ficino’s Latin translation of the famous allegory of the cave in Plato’s Republic is faithful to the original text, another version found in one of his letters has strange discrepancies with the myth. The resulting image reveals Ficino’s interpretation of the cave as a representation of the physical world, in which those who allow themselves to be lured by material values are punished during their lifetime, as if they were prisoners in hell. Drawing on striking correspondences between this vision and two contemporary expressions of the underworld – a drawing by Botticelli illustrating Dante’s Inferno and the card of the Devil in the tarot of Marseilles – this article suggests that Ficino might have used visual devices to convey his most profound and somewhat unorthodox teachings.

The book of Exodus offers a three-fold thematic scheme that supports the central claim of the Pentateuch, the claim found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel is one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all five books of the Pentateuch. Thus, the foundational theme of Exodus is the central claim of the Pentateuch, a theme shared by all five books in this division of the Holy Scriptures. The book of Exodus carries two secondary themes that emphasize justification and indoctrination. First, God redeemed (justified) the children of Israel by bringing them out from Egyptian bondage. Secondly, He made a covenant with them as His people. Through this covenant, He gave Israel the Mosaic Law and commanded them to build the Tabernacle in order to obey the Law. Because the book of Exodus has two secondary themes, it also has two imperative themes. Israel is to trust in the Lord their God as their Redeemer; and they were to obey the commandments and statutes delivered to them. Because Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage is a type and figure of the Church’s deliverance from this world, the application for today’s reader is a similar call to come out from the world and obtain justification through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Mosaic Law reveals human depravity and points us to Christ Jesus, the application of the third theme for today’s reader is a similar call to a lifestyle of obedience to our Lord and Saviour. New Testament believers are to put their faith in the blood of the lamb to redeem them from the bondages of this world and to obey His Word.

The book of Leviticus offers a three-fold thematic scheme that supports the central claim of the Pentateuch, the claim found in Deuteronomy 6:4 and known to the Jews as “the Shema,” a verse that declares the God of Israel is one, true and living God, a theme that undergirds all five books of the Pentateuch. Thus, the foundational theme of Leviticus is the central claim of the Pentateuch, a theme shared by all five books in this division of the Holy Scriptures. The book of Leviticus carries a secondary theme that emphasizes divine service. After the Lord gave Israel the Mosaic Law and had them build the Tabernacle in order to obey the Law, He gave the tribe of Levi the divine service of ministering in the Tabernacle. The book of Leviticus has a third, imperative theme. The Levites were to offer themselves to the Lord in the divine service of the Tabernacle for perpetual generations as a part of Israel’s redemption. Because the Tabernacle serves as a type and figure of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as Christian worship and service, the application of the third theme for today’s reader is a similar call to divine service. Each New Testament believer should endeavour to find his unique role in the body of Christ to serve others.