Thesis advisor: Daniel J. Harrington / Holy Scripture throughout history has been a source of inspiration for human beings. One important theme that emerges from Scripture is the notion of mercy, which is a capital virtue in the gospel of Luke. The Gospel according to St. Luke has traditionally merited the title “The Gospel of Mercy” and contains parables such as “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” and “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” which are unique to Luke’s gospel. These parables highlight the divine merciful actions of a Samaritan and of a father respectively; they show us a path of divine mercy through concrete actions. This thesis will focus on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Magazine readers in South Africa have a wide choice: there are more than 188 consumer magazines on the shelf and this gives readers the opportunity to choose what they like. However, there are very few Afrikaans Christian magazines and they have to compete commercially with the other publications. The question that arises is how these magazines manage to maintain a Christian character while at the same time staying competitive. In an attempt to answer this question, this study investigates the covers and contents of Finesse, Lig and Lééf. A literature study was used to determine which features and approaches can be used to make a Christian magazine's agenda (and therefore approach) unique. A qualitative content analysis is used to investigate how the covers and contents of Finesse, Lig and Lééf correlate with what one associates with Christian journalism, and how these magazines differ from one another in this regard. All these findings are compared with the biggest Afrikaans women's magazine, Sarie, to identify correspondences and differences. Semi-structured interviews were also held with the editors of Finesse, Lig and Lééf. Specific directive arguments were formulated about the features of Christian journalism and about agenda setting and the role of magazine covers. These specific directive arguments were used as a guideline in the content analysis. It was found that all four publications in question use well-known personalities (like actresses, singers and sports stars) as cover models. However, there are differences in the way the covers are presented and framed. Ug and Leer give noticeably more attention to the spiritual lives of their models, and as a result these magazines have clear features that can be associated with Christian journalism. Signs of the so-called "celebrity" culture were particularly evident in the covers and contents of Finesse and Sarie. In summary, it may be argued that Ug and Leer (which are outspoken Christian publications) strongly display their Christian character. On the other hand, Finesse (who views itself not as a Christian publication but as a lifestyle publication for the Christian woman) less consistently displays a Christian character. There is a strong distinction between Lig and Lééf and the secular Sarie, whereas Finesse displays more correspondences with Sarie. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

Magazine readers in South Africa have a wide choice: there are more than 188 consumer magazines on the shelf and this gives readers the opportunity to choose what they like. However, there are very few Afrikaans Christian magazines and they have to compete commercially with the other publications. The question that arises is how these magazines manage to maintain a Christian character while at the same time staying competitive. In an attempt to answer this question, this study investigates the covers and contents of Finesse, Lig and Lééf. A literature study was used to determine which features and approaches can be used to make a Christian magazine's agenda (and therefore approach) unique. A qualitative content analysis is used to investigate how the covers and contents of Finesse, Lig and Lééf correlate with what one associates with Christian journalism, and how these magazines differ from one another in this regard. All these findings are compared with the biggest Afrikaans women's magazine, Sarie, to identify correspondences and differences. Semi-structured interviews were also held with the editors of Finesse, Lig and Lééf. Specific directive arguments were formulated about the features of Christian journalism and about agenda setting and the role of magazine covers. These specific directive arguments were used as a guideline in the content analysis. It was found that all four publications in question use well-known personalities (like actresses, singers and sports stars) as cover models. However, there are differences in the way the covers are presented and framed. Ug and Leer give noticeably more attention to the spiritual lives of their models, and as a result these magazines have clear features that can be associated with Christian journalism. Signs of the so-called "celebrity" culture were particularly evident in the covers and contents of Finesse and Sarie. In summary, it may be argued that Ug and Leer (which are outspoken Christian publications) strongly display their Christian character. On the other hand, Finesse (who views itself not as a Christian publication but as a lifestyle publication for the Christian woman) less consistently displays a Christian character. There is a strong distinction between Lig and Lééf and the secular Sarie, whereas Finesse displays more correspondences with Sarie. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

In this magister study ,,Christian Christmas and its Practice in Prague" I write about Christmas in Prague. I write about a Christmas traditions, weather sayings and about the ways of celebration Chistmas in Prague. This diploma has two parts. The first part is a theoretical part and the second part is a practical part. In the theoretical part I write about Christian traditions, traditions and weather sayings. For example I write about saint Barbora, Mikulas, Lucy and Stephan. In this magister study I also write about Christmas Eve. This day has a lot of traditons, for example people cut an apple or throw the boot. They also sing Christmas carols and watch the fairy tales in the Czech television. The Czech Christmas has a lot of symbols, for example the Christmas carols, Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, a carp, Christmas candles and Christmas concerts of popular and Christmas music. The new tradition is watching the fairy tales in the televiion or shopping a lot of Christmas gifts. In the practical part of my study I write about a Christmas celebration in Prague in the 21st century. I know that the most important is the Christmas Eve with a Christmas dinner, the Christmas tree, the Christmas traditions and the Christmas gifts. People in the Czech Republic like Christmas because Christmas are a very...

Although scholars and Christian leaders have indicated that there is marked separation between morality and spirituality in the Christian praxis of many Africans and that the African worldview, which African Christians still hold is responsible for this separation, there has not been a detailed study of the issue. The aim of the research is to offer an explanation, of a paradox in Ghanaian society where there is enthusiastic Christian spirituality that is separated from social morality, so that a deeper integration of the Christian and Akan traditional moral schemes can be proposed.My research focuses on Pentecostals in Ghana whose appropriation of the African worldview into Christian praxis has generally been considered as a positive response to African religiosity. By the use of a practical theological method of correlation whereby the Christian truth is represented by the moral theology of John Wesley and brought in dialogue with the Akan traditional moral scheme, this research offers reasons for and proposes a solution to the lack of social morality in Ghanaian Pentecostalism. It uses the virtue theory as a heuristic tool for the analysis of morality in a way that provides explanation for the situation and guides an integration of the two moral schemes at a deeper level. The examination of the two moral schemes has been guided by the elements of character, a central theme of the virtue theory. It has been shown that the ‘Deliverance Theology’ of Ghanaian Pentecostals involves significant misrepresentation of the Akan traditional scheme, and that this situation causes many Christians to focus on religion as a means for the supply of existential needs rather than the transformation of inner dispositions for moral character formation. This research shows that reinterpreting the Akan view of humanity and integrating it with the Wesleyan account of the Christian truth, transforms the ‘Deliverance Theology’ by portraying the Christian life as a pneumatological characterology. The moral responsibility that this entails will ensure that African Pentecostals understand social morality as an essential outcome of their Christian spirituality.