Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-144).

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2008. / Vita. Description based on microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-74).

In political and popular discourse about immigration and integration, Europe is referred to as both fundamentally secular and fundamentally Christian depending on the context. Even if only a minority of the population in many Western European countries actually practise their religion, many continue to identify with Christianity as cultural tradition, without the beliefs and practice one would normally associate with a religious identity. Few empirical studies have analysed the relationship between religious and national identities in modern Europe. Using a combination of qualitative interviews and quantitative survey research with data from the International Social Survey Programme 2008 in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, this thesis explores how religious affiliation, belief and practice are associated with anti-immigration attitudes and regarding Christianity as important for nationality. Factor analysis is used to explore different dimensions of national identity and how they relate to religious conceptions of the nation, and multivariate regression models address how experiencing immigration as a threat to national identity is associated with Christian affiliation and practice. The main finding is that Christian identification is positively associated with seeing immigration as a threat to national identity, whereas churchgoing is negatively associated with anti-immigration attitudes. There are two identifiable mechanisms that explain this finding. Firstly, 'Christian' can signify national cultural heritage or white ethnicity rather than faith. Hence those who identify as Christian, however loosely, are on average more likely to be nationalist or xenophobic. Secondly, since churchgoers will be more sympathetic to religion in general they also tend to be less negative towards Muslims and other religious minorities. The findings are contextualised through the use of qualitative interviews and comparative analysis of countries, addressing both the external influences and internal experiences that contribute to specific associations.

This thesis is the first study of 'Christian radicalism' in the Church of England between 1957 and 1970. Radicalism grew in influence from the late 1950s, and burst into the national conversation with John Robinson’s 1963 bestseller, Honest to God. Emboldened by this success, between 1963 and 1965 radical leaders hoped they might fundamentally reform the Church of England, even though they were aware of the diversity of their supporting constituency. Yet by 1970, following a controversial turn towards social justice issues in the late 1960s, the movement had largely reached the point of disintegration. The thesis offers five central arguments. First, radicalism was fundamentally driven by a narrative of epochal transition, which understood British society in the late 1950s and early 1960s to be undergoing a seismic upheaval, comparable to the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Secondly, this led radicals to exaggerate many of the social changes occurring in the period, and to imagine the emergence of a new social order. Radicals interpreted affluence as an era of unlimited technology, limited church decline as the arrival of a profoundly secular age, and limited sexual shifts as evidence of a sexual revolution. They effectively created the idea of the ‘secular society’, which became widely accepted once it was adopted by the Anglican hierarchy. Third, radical treatment of these themes was part of a tradition that went back to the 1940s; radicals anticipated many of the themes of the secular culture of the 1960s, not the other way round. Fourth, far from slavishly adopting secular intellectual frameworks, radical arguments were often framed using theological concepts, such as Christian eschatology. Finally, for all these reasons, Christian radicals made an original and influential contribution to the elite re-imagination of British society which occurred in the 1960s.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine and evaluate Arthur Schopenhauer’s aesthetic as it relates to the concept of Sabbath in order to see how and to what extent this aspect of his thought might correspond to a Christian view of Sabbath and thereby inform a Christian aesthetic. Chapter 1 sets the context for the discussion of art and Sabbath within the framework of Christianity and the Arts. Chapter 2 offers an overview and analysis of Schopenhauer’s metaphysic, placing his thought in the context of transcendental idealism and explaining his concept of Sabbath. Chapter 3 demonstrates the significant role that Schopenhauer’s aesthetic plays in his philosophy, explaining how the arts provide a “Sabbath” rest for Schopenhauer. Chapter 4 analyzes the empirical evidence that seems to affirm a sabbatical aspect of the arts. The chapter focuses on the fields of music and art therapy in order to provide examples of the positive effects that the arts have on the emotional and physical well-being of individuals, thereby suggesting that at least part of Schopenhauer’s aesthetic theory seems to correspond to real life in measurable ways. Chapter 5 compares and contrasts Schopenhauer’s concept of Sabbath with a biblical concept of Sabbath. The chapter concludes that while the scriptural and the Schopenhauerian Sabbaths have several points of similarity, major distinctions exist between them. Thus, a biblical approach to understanding the arts through a sabbatical lens will significantly diverge from Schopenhauer’s system. Chapter 6 highlights various Christian thinkers who have spoken of the arts in a manner consistent with a sabbatical approach to the arts. The chapter focuses on Augustine, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and C. S. Lewis. Moreover, the chapter examines several biblical passages that seem to affirm that the arts serve a rehabilitative function. Chapter 7 demonstrates how the arts can function in a manner consistent with a biblical Sabbath. The chapter also notes the limitations of viewing art as Sabbath. Chapter 8 summarizes the main points of the dissertation and reiterates the value of Sabbath in a Christian aesthetic. The chapter also offers some areas for additional research.

This thesis investigates the influences on Jerome's translation of the Psalter from the Hebrew (IH Psalter) that came from the three major socio-religious spheres with which Jerome was acquainted. It argues that the results offer insights into Jerome's conception of the nature of Hebrew text itself, of the relationship between it and the Christian faith, and of his role as translator. The thesis argues and demonstrates that the language of the IH Psalter reveals influences that derive from Jerome's classical background, from his contact with rabbinic scholars in Palestine, and, especially, from his adopted Christian faith. These influences are subtle, but their combined effect is considerable. Care is taken to demonstrate that Jerome was a competent translator, and that he deliberately intended the classical, Jewish or Christian nuances that are discussed. This is achieved, first, by comparing the IH Psalter with the Hebrew as an initial step, then with Jerome's translation of the Psalter from the Hexaplaric Septuagint, and with the various Greek versions where they are extant; and second, by evaluating the relationship between Jerome's translations and his exegetical material on the Psalter. The fact that Jerome is both translator and exegete of the Psalter allows clear insight into the impact of his understanding of the Psalms on his translation of them. The Conclusion argues that the issues can be focussed on and find their resolution in Jerome's conception of the nature and function of the Hebrew text. By imputing to Jerome a belief in the divine inspiration of the Hebrew text, and a belief that the Hebrew text properly understood and properly translated reveals Jesus Christ, the character of the IH Psalter can best be explained. Jerome's translations often exploited available linguistic space, but they rarely went beyond what hebraica veritas could reasonably signify.

Thesis (M.A.)--International School of Theology, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-60).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-73).

Thesis (Ph. D.)(Science of Religion and Missiology))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--International School of Theology, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-60).