The modern world is experiencing a spiritual and moral crisis. Associated with this, Christian spirituality and ethics have become separated in the life of the individual Christian and the community of the church. The Christian understanding of human beings and the integrated nature of spirituality and ethics provides a solution to this crisis. Christian spirituality and morality both originate in the character and purposes of God as revealed in the biblical record. The value and effects of the. integral relationship between spirituality and morality can be traced throughout scripture and the history of the church. The. encounter and relationship with God, in Jesus Christ and through the presence and power of God's Spirit, transforms the disciple of Christ, which means that spirituality is the basic framework and motivation for morality. Integrated spiritual and moral formation creates moral character and moral communities which enable believers to act with love and justice.

<p> The purpose for writing <i>Evaluating a Spiritual Formation Curriculum for Ethiopian Evangelical Church Leaders</i> is to explore the impact of the Sendafa spiritual formation seminar on the spiritual health of Ethiopian evangelical church leaders and assess the reproducibility of the principles. </p><p> This research is based on the theological framework that disciples of Jesus Christ are spiritually formed through knowing and abiding in Him, which was supported by the literature. </p><p> The research employed a mixed methodology that utilized a quantitative/qualitative instrument and follow-up interviews to verify the hypotheses of the study. </p><p> Results from the Spiritual Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) and the Spiritual Development Interviews (SDI) verified the study's two hypotheses. The results demonstrated improvement in the spiritual health of the participants in the sample pool of Ethiopian evangelical church leaders and evidence of either implementing the Sendafa formation principles in others or reproducing the Sendafa formation curriculum for others. </p><p> Further study should include equipping for life change, the practice of mentoring, and leadership development. It is recommended that future efforts be developed by nationals with only assistance from outsiders. Additionally, the production of a booklet covering the Sendafa formation principles is recommended for distribution among the churches of Ethiopia.</p>

<p> This dissertation examines the processes of healing and transformation experienced by persons in the Cuban American, white, middle class Orisha worship community in Miami, FL, focusing on all the areas in which healing can take place. Orisha worship uses a holistic approach to health, in which physical, mental and spiritual illnesses may be healed. In the process of healing, persons embody the discourse of mastery and enslavement and the social processes of this Orisha worship community, via religious rituals, and exist in relation to Orishas. My research question focuses on how people in the Orisha worship community of Miami who are ill seek embodied healing and advice from orishas who are not ill and have the power to heal them. My data was gathered using questionnaires for direct interviews, and observations during religious rituals including ceremonies (both public and private), drummings and <i>Ocha </i> birthday parties. I also draw on my personal experiences and initiation onto the Orisha worship community. My overall findings indicate that there are a variety of modalities of healing in Orisha worship, each with the aim of manipulating <i>ashe,</i> the divine force in Orisha worship. People take an active role in changing their illnesses by performing <i> ebos;</i> or by becoming initiated in Orisha worship through receiving <i> collares, guerreros</i> or making <i>Ocha;</i> or via the healing and transformative effects of spirit possession. People are agents of change that seek to ameliorate their symptomology by invoking and employing the spiritual world. My research contributes to the Anthropological literature on embodiment, personhood and healing.</p>

<p> Among the Yoruba <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> is the primordial force of causation and creation. <i>&Agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow; </i> is the power of the feminine, of female divinity and women, and <i> &agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> is the women themselves who wield this power. Unfortunately, <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> has been translated witch/witchcraft with attendant malevolent connotations. Though the fearsome nature of <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> cannot be denied, <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> is a richly nuanced term. Examination of Yoruba sacred text, <i>Odu Ifa,</i> reveals <i> &agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> to be an endowment gifted to female divinity from the Source of Creation. Female divinity empowered their mortal daughters with <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i>&mdash;spiritual and temporal power exercised in religious, judicial, political, and economic domains throughout Yoruba history. However, in contemporary times <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow; </i> have been negatively branded as witches and attacked.</p><p> The dissertation investigates factors contributing to the duality in attitude towards <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> and factors that contributed to the intensified representation of their fearsome aspects to the virtual disavowal of their positive dimensions. Employing transdisciplinary methodology and using multiple lenses, including hermeneutics, historiography, and critical theory, the place of <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> within Yoruba cosmology and historical reality is presented to broaden understanding and appreciation of the power and role of <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow; </i> as well as to elucidate challenges to <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;. </i> Personal experiences of <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> are spoken to within the qualitative interviews. Individuals with knowledge of <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> were interviewed in Yorubaland and within the United States.</p><p> Culture is not static. A critical reading of <i>Odu Ifa</i> reveals the infiltration of patriarchal influence. The research uncovered that patriarchal evolution within Yoruba society buttressed and augmented by the patriarchy of British imperialism as well as the economic and social transformations wrought by colonialism coalesced to undermine <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow; </i> power and function.</p><p> In our out-of-balance world, there might be wisdom to be gleaned from beings that were given the charge of maintaining cosmic balance. Giving proper respect and honor to "our mothers" (<i>awon iya wa</i>) who own and control <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;,</i> individuals are called to exercise their <i>&agrave;j&eacute;&dotbelow;</i> in the world in the cause of social justice, to be the guardians of a just society. </p>

<p> This mixed-methods study investigated the transformative learning that occurred in the alumni of the 22-lesson Christian discipleship process called the Immersion Experience by Aphesis Group Ministries. Quantitative data was collected from a survey sent out to the 850 alumni. Deep interviews were conducted with 16 participants who had the additional prerequisite of being raised in a religiously confused home of origin. The transformative learning was examined through the theoretical framework of Mezirow's transformative learning theory. An additional lens was resistance to change. Argyris and Schon's theory of action developed the concept of double-loop learning. Their theory was extended by Kegan and Lahey's immunity-to-change perspective. The final lens was a synthesis of Brown's development of wholehearted living, Bowlby's Attachment Theory, positive psychology, and virtue ethics. This has been summarized as living wholeheartedly with virtue. The Immersion Experience seeks to help professing Christians evaluate their inner lives and discern the discrepancies between their espoused Christian beliefs (what they say they believe) and their theories-in-use (what they actually live out) in the attempt to bring them into alignment. The intent is to help believers be able to practically live out their Christian commitment each day of their lives.</p>

<p> Religion and spirituality has become a widely researched topic within the field of psychology, however most research studies focus on the quantitative measures of religion used as a coping mechanism for individuals undergoing difficulties and struggles. The terms religion and spirituality are often misunderstood in the field of psychology and used interchangeably. Individuals who share their religious/spiritual experiences are often dismissed and not taken seriously therefore exacerbating the stigma and creating even more distance between the field of science and religion. The goal of this research is to capture the lived experience of prayer for individuals moving through psychosis without enframing the experience in a negative way by placing labels or categories on them or their experiences, but rather by letting the experience show itself in its own unique way. Thus 3 participants who have experienced psychosis were asked about their experience of praying during a time that is typically understood as a psychotic experience. The purpose of this approach is to better understand how the practice of prayer in religion/spirituality is more than just an instrumental coping mechanism, and is, rather, lived out as a way of being in the world. This study uses an existential-phenomenological method to understand participants' experiences of this phenomenon in light of common, existential givens shared by the participants. This study will close with implications for further research and clinical care.</p>

<p> Despite the increase of attention in the counseling profession to spirituality, extant literature examining spirituality and adolescent mental health is limited (Powers, 2005; Van Dyke, Glenwick, &amp; Kim, 2009). Few studies were conducted related to the spirituality of adolescents in residential treatment settings (Dew, et al., 2008; Hawke, Hennen, &amp; Gallilone, 2005; Taylor, 2005). In particular, no studies were conducted to determine the relationship between spirituality and goal attainment or symptom change of adolescents in crisis residence. The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which there is a relationship between spirituality and spiritual/religious coping, change of symptoms, and therapeutic goal attainment of adolescents in crisis residence. </p><p> A correlational design was used to examine the relationship between spirituality, spiritual and religious coping, goal attainment and symptom change of adolescents in crisis residence. A canonical correlation was conducted. The two sets of variables under investigation were spirituality (as measured by the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale and Brief Religious and Spiritual Coping Scale) and treatment outcome (as measured by the Goal Attainment Scale of Stabilization and the Target Symptom Rating Scale). </p><p> The participants in this study were adolescent clients from an acute care psychiatric facility in the southern gulf coast. Male (n = 47) and female (n = 37) adolescent participants ranged in age from 12 years to 17 years. Ethnicity and religious preference of the adolescents were reported. </p><p> Results of the study indicated that no statistically significant relationship existed between spirituality and treatment outcome for adolescents in crisis residence. </p><p> Spirituality may not be an essential component to crisis stabilization of adolescents. Rather, counselors should be aware that spirituality is a uniquely personal construct. Counselors who utilize spiritual principles as the primary tool for stabilization of adolescents may want to rethink their treatment protocols. For adolescent clients in crisis who place much importance on spiritual matters, addressing spirituality in treatment may be beneficial to attaining goals and reducing symptoms. However, adolescent clients who place no importance on spirituality may still achieve the same treatment outcomes in crisis residence. Additional studies that explore individual perceptions of spirituality, investigate the results of infusing spirituality into treatment strategies, and take into account individual diagnosis with this population would be useful.</p>

<p> Transformative learning theory, an andragogical (adult) theory, is developed from the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung and later formalized by sociologist, Jack Mezirow. Incorporating transformative learning into a multidisciplinary perspective, specifically through art making and critical reflection, can read therapeutic results of confronting trauma and illness. Using qualitative arts based research methodologies such as autoethnography and autophotography to address the question, how might the use of Combat-Related PTSD as the foundation of a photographic and written inquiry trigger a transformative learning experience in both the artist-researcher and the viewer can be explored through the use of visual imagery and written narrative. These components are integral in constructing a cohesive narrative that may assists those who may suffer from illness and/ or trauma. As a noted method in art therapy, patients who are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) utilize nonverbal communication, i.e. visual imagery, as an avenue to reconsolidate their memories and experiences. Using visual imagery, allows the internal narrative of the body to be reflected externally. The significance of the research is to explore art as a healing and therapeutic modality, individually and collectively, for those who suffer from Combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.</p>

<p> Living wholeheartedly is an act of service to the world, and living wholly as I explore in this dissertation, means welcoming the darkness. This dissertation explores the transformative value of the darkness and the power of facing the personal shadow, what it means to live a wholehearted life, and the light of knowing that connects us to ourselves and each other, and is found in the darkness of one's experience. The stories of those I gathered, including my own, are at the heart of this dissertation. This study takes an heuristic, auto-ethnographic, narrative approach and continues the ancient conversation about the transformative power of seeking wholeness through stories of my own, and those of six teachers, devoted to living an engaged and wholehearted life.</p>

<p>Since the advent of Gutenberg&rsquo;s printing press (AD 1455) to the present day, the Bible has been translated into nearly 2,500 languages and reproduced six billion times. Its influence on western culture can hardly be denied. And the Bible has never been more accessible in a variety of formats than it is today. This is why the statistics on biblical literacy in America are startling. The Pew Research organization found that atheists, agnostics, and Jews scored five percent higher on religious knowledge surveys than Christians. Additionally, out of twelve Bible knowledge questions, Mormons scored 7.9 while Christians only scored 6.2. The Barna Group also found that biblical literacy is declining among Millennials (ages eighteen to twenty-nine). For example, only thirty-seven percent of Millennials could name the first five books of the Bible and only eight percent could name the first five books of the New Testament. </p><p> In response to the widespread problem of biblical illiteracy in the local church, this project designed and deployed a biblical literacy, small group training course for disciples at Eastpoint Church. The purpose of this project was to encourage believers to learn the contents of the Scriptures in the context of community. Prior to the biblical literacy course, participants took a biblical literacy test that gauged their knowledge and understanding of biblical themes and content. After the ten-week course, the participants took the same test and filled out a qualitative questionnaire that measured their experience in the course and their personal learning habits. The result of deploying the curriculum was that disciples showed a marked increase in their knowledge and understanding of the Bible&rsquo;s contents and themes. </p>