Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-175).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-113).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-113).

This dissertation examined the relationship between the practice of Christian spiritual disciplines and Internet pornography use among Christian male college students. The problem of Internet pornography use by Christians raises the question of why Christian men have such a seemingly low resistance to online pornography, when studies show that they can resist other harmful behaviors, including sexual compulsions, presented through means other than the Internet. In a review of the literature, the theological, historical, psychological, and sociological issues surrounding the use of Internet pornography were explored. The research employed a methodology in which male college students eighteen years and older, who described themselves as Christians, were surveyed to assess problems with Internet pornography use and practices of Christian spiritual disciplines. Research data were gathered using two research instruments: The Cyberporn Compulsivity Scale and The Christian Spiritual Participation Profile. Multiple regression analysis was then employed to ascertain the relationship between scores on the Cyberporn Compulsivity Scale, which functioned as the dependent variable, and scores on the Christian Spiritual Participation Profile which functioned as multiple independent variables. The research found a relatively high level of Internet pornography use among Christian male college students. It also discovered a significant relationship between the practice of some Christian spiritual disciplines and Internet pornography use among Christian male college students. This work suggests that practicing Christian spiritual disciplines can be an effective strategy to overcome the temptation to consume Internet pornography. In addition, practical applications are suggested for personal spirituality, pastoral and Christian counseling, Christian discipleship, higher education, and church ministry. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

This dissertation presents a new perspective on the function of objects in late-medieval devotional practice through a study of the so-called Soissons group of thirteenth-century French Gothic ivories. These ivory diptychs were sophisticated tools constructed to guide the user through various spiritual exercises that led to prayer. The hitherto unexplained increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France is accounted for by an alteration in the trade routes that brought elephant tusks from the Swahili coast of Africa to northern Europe: a newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials necessary to the northern textile industries. The increasing supply required a revision of the structure of the thirteenth-century craft of ivory. The Soissons group, the first ivory diptychs fashioned during this time of growth in ivory markets, is subdivided into two sections. An itinerant master who traveled throughout the Picard region between 1235 and 1270 crafted the first group. Concurrently, three separate Parisian artists produced the second group based on a Picard model. This dissertation redates all the ivories substantially earlier than previously thought, conclusions which were attained through stylistic analysis. The dense Passion iconography shaped the diptychs’ function in private devotion. The narrative encouraged the viewer to practice a number of spiritual exercises—reading, memorization and compunction—analogous to the three reasons for allowing images in the Christian Church, the triplex ratio. The Passion diptych format introduced with these objects was immensely popular throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and its conservation over time underscored its effectiveness. The small differences in iconography and composition among the seven Soissons diptychs, however, were subtle modifications to adjust to different audiences and to hone the objects’ efficacy as tools for prayer.

This dissertation presents a new perspective on the function of objects in late-medieval devotional practice through a study of the so-called Soissons group of thirteenth-century French Gothic ivories. These ivory diptychs were sophisticated tools constructed to guide the user through various spiritual exercises that led to prayer. The hitherto unexplained increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France is accounted for by an alteration in the trade routes that brought elephant tusks from the Swahili coast of Africa to northern Europe: a newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials necessary to the northern textile industries. The increasing supply required a revision of the structure of the thirteenth-century craft of ivory. The Soissons group, the first ivory diptychs fashioned during this time of growth in ivory markets, is subdivided into two sections. An itinerant master who traveled throughout the Picard region between 1235 and 1270 crafted the first group. Concurrently, three separate Parisian artists produced the second group based on a Picard model. This dissertation redates all the ivories substantially earlier than previously thought, conclusions which were attained through stylistic analysis. The dense Passion iconography shaped the diptychs’ function in private devotion. The narrative encouraged the viewer to practice a number of spiritual exercises—reading, memorization and compunction—analogous to the three reasons for allowing images in the Christian Church, the triplex ratio. The Passion diptych format introduced with these objects was immensely popular throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and its conservation over time underscored its effectiveness. The small differences in iconography and composition among the seven Soissons diptychs, however, were subtle modifications to adjust to different audiences and to hone the objects’ efficacy as tools for prayer.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-171).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-171).