This thesis explores conversion to Christianity in contemporary Japan. Christianity is widely regarded as having failed to make any impact on Japanese culture, and to be a foreign body (indeed in the opinion of some an irritating foreign body) that has failed to accommodate with or indigenise itself in Japan. And yet, Japanese people continue to choose to convert to Christianity. What is the significance of this? Are people who convert those who feel excluded from mainline Japanese society, the proof of which is their affiliation with a foreign religion, or can this phenomenon of conversion be understood in a different way? This thesis suggests that it can be, and that the fact that small but significant numbers of Japanese regularly convert to Christianity means that the understanding of Christianity's place in the Japanese religious landscape needs to be re-examined.Theories of conversion are studied, with a view to identifying the particular approaches to analysing and understanding conversion which will be appropriate for the Japanese context. The work of Rodney Stark and William Bainbridge on conversion to a deviant perspective forms the starting point for the study. Cultural and religious norms of Japan are identified, with a view to investigating in what ways and to what degree Christianity in Japan represents a deviant perspective. The history of Christianity in Japan is studied, indicating that at certain times in Japan's history when there is a feeling of national uncertainty and of a lack of social integration there is an openness to Christianity, although at times of national self-confidence there is more resistance to it. Christianity is also compared and contrasted with Japan's New Religious Movements, which may also represent a deviant perspective. Qualitative research among converts to Christianity is carried out. The results of this research show that while there are parallels between conversion to Christianity and to New Religious Movements there are also areas of difference, especially in terms of motives for conversion. Motives for conversion to Christianity tend to focus on what might be termed 'the spiritual', and conversion is experienced in terms of emotional peace, welcome into a Christian congregation, and the promise of salvation to come, rather than the 'health and wealth' or 'this worldly benefits' which are reckoned to be, or to have been, motives for conversion to New Religious Movements. As Shimazono Susumu points out, however, the so called 'New' New Religions also have a focus on spiritual salvation.The conclusion reached is that, though Japanese who convert to Christianity are choosing 'the other' in that their choice is clearly not to stay within the religious mainstream of the country, yet Japanese society is more heterogeneous than is often assumed and actually embraces a range of diverse groups. Christian converts, while being aware of the tensions which they face as a result of conversion, do not feel 'outsiders' in Japanese society. So, while Christianity cannot be said to have indigenised in the way that Buddhism clearly has, yet it should not be seen as an unsuccessful foreign import, but rather, in terms of glocalisation, as a culturally appropriate local expression of a global movement.

M.A. (Social Sciences) / Social, political and economical changes that take place in the present society, as well as new considerations within the Dutch Reformed Church, have necessitated an investigation into the mission, objectives and services of the Christelik-Maatskaplike Raad of Johannesburg as a branch of the Sinodale Kommissie vir die Diens van Barmhartigheid of Southern Transvaal. This investigation has been done by means of the policy management process and the first 3 steps have been completed. A qualitative approach has been used and the study can be described as exploratory/descriptive. The 13 social workers currently working at the CMR of Johannesburg, as well as 5 members of the governing body of the CMR of Johannesburg were involved in the investigation. A questionaire completed by both groups, was used. The purpose of this questionaire was to determine to which extend the official viewpoints concerning the mission, objectives and services correspond with the perceptions of the social workers and members of the governing body. Two focus groups with the social workers took place while interviews with members of the governing body were held. The purpose of this was to determine how the respondents experience the current services of the CMR, which factors influence current services, how they want services to be and who the target group is, to which services should be redered. Apart from that a literature study on policy management as well as the activities of the SKDB of Southern Transvaal has been done. It was found that the perceptions of both the social workers and the members of the governing body concerning the mission, objectives and services of the CMR differ to a large extend from the of"ficial viewpoints as explained in the constitution. Recommendations concerning the mission and objectives of the CMR have been made and guidelines have been set for the amendment of the policy concerning the rendering of services.

Bibliography: leaves 436-444. / This is a church historical study and critical theological analysis of the Partners in Mission (PIM) process in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA), which uses methods appropriate to such a study. Chapter 1 examines the background against which the PIM process and CPSA's PIM 'Vision' must be seen: Anglicanism, its origins, intentions and mission - and the tension between Anglican identity and contemporary relevance. Chapter 2 traces the process of renewal which has been described as the Anglican Communion's 'coming of age', and identifies some of the themes which were later to become 'The Vision'. The Anglican PIM process emerged out of the church's efforts to adjust to the rapidly changing post-colonial world of the nineteen-fifties and sixties, when Anglican provinces within newly-independent nations could no longer be regarded as inferior to and dependent on the Church of England. A watershed in this quest was the Anglican Congress in Toronto in 1963, when for the first time the equal partnership was articulated in the statement Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence in the Body of Christ (MRI). MRI became a Communion-wide programme which evolved into the PIM process, and together they constitute the Anglican Church's programme of contemporary reform and renewal. The CPSA is a full participant in this PIM process and has held three PIM Consultations, the third of which took place in November 1987 when the church was given the vision to engage in the struggle for the eradication of apartheid and the building of new societies of justice and peace in southern Africa. .In Chapter 3 we examine the Provincial 1987 Consultation, the process which led up to it and the making of The Vision. In Chapter 4 we examine publications and records of the CPSA and correspondence with the Bishops of the Province which describe the implementation of The Vision in the life of the CPSA and its contribution to the church's mission. Chapter 5 is a critical evaluation of the CPSA's PIM process, based on the evidence of the previous chapter. Our conclusion is that The Vision has been only partially implemented because of the church's persistent failure to transform words into actions, poor communication, the failure to focus on priorities, a lack of resources, traditionalism and clericalism in the CPSA, the fear of loss of identity, and a spiritual crisis - much of which points to a lack of appropriate leadership. The consequences of ineffective implementation include the failure of the CPSA as a whole to engage relevantly with the crisis in southern Africa, to express appropriate penitence and make restitution for its part in the sin of apartheid, and to engage in effective evangelism. Chapter 6 is an attempt to see how the CPSA could be renewed by means of a revitalised PIM process, in order to be relevant in southern Africa today. We explore a possible pastoral plan and ways in which the CPSA would benefit from engaging more fully in the 'Kairos' process. The CPSA will contribute to the life and future direction of the Anglican Communion insofar as it is true to its ecumenical calling to witness to the kingdom of God as a part of the church in southern Africa, and the Communion will best serve its members and enable them to discover their true identity by setting them free to be faithful to their mission in their various contexts. Throughout this study we have used primary source documents from the Anglican Communion and the CPSA which tell of the birth, progress an implementation of MRI, PIM and The Vision.

No Abstract / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / (D. Lit. et Phil. (Philosophy))

Thesis (M.M.) PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Arvo Pärt is a contemporary sacred composer who is recognized for developing what he has referred to as the ‘tintinnabuli’ compositional technique. His tintinnabuli technique has led him to great success both in and outside of the Classical music world. Although a self-professed Orthodox Christian (to which he converted in 1972), he has composed choral works for Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican services. In the year 2000, Pärt composed the work Orient and Occident for string orchestra. The work is a wordless tintinnabuli setting of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Its idiosyncratic use of dissonance, string techniques, and modal vocabulary is atypical of his tintinnabuli works. Several reviews suggest that Orient and Occident shares similarities with Near-Eastern music, or the characteristics of Islamic cantillation. Throughout Pärt’s compositional career, he has declined to comment in depth on his own spirituality, and he has left it to his audience to draw their own conclusions. He has suggested letting the music "speak for itself," as a symbol to convey his own inner spiritual thoughts. I suggest that Orient and Occident is an exposition of his own inner Orthodoxy, and a musical mediation of his Orthodox faith in relation to other faiths, Christian or otherwise. This thesis considers the ways in which we view Pärt as mediator for sacred music in a secular, postmodern environment, through Orient and Occident and historical perspectives of the icon in Byzantine Orthodox traditions. It examines the broader connotations of Pärt, the icon, and spirituality; providing insights into his 2010 performance in Istanbul. It examines the ‘aural architecturality’ of tintinnabulation, through hermeneutic and phenomenological theories surrounding iconography and light mysticism. It tackles the notions of ‘catholicity’ and ecumenicity with which the world has come to know Pärt; from the lens of his Orthodox faith, and extending outwards across geographical, cultural, political, and spiritual borders. / 2031-01-01

In this thesis, I argue that the both the Church and the Queer Community will benefit from a reexamination of Church teachings on sexuality. I argue that Church’s current position on sexuality does not uphold its own teaching on the importance human dignity, because a sexual ethic that opposes homosexuality contributes to the marginalization of members of the Queer Community. I then argue that Michael Lawler’s and Todd Salzman’s The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology provides a revisionist theory on sexual ethics that is inclusive of same-sex couples while also paying deference to the fundamental elements of the Church’s teaching on sexual ethics. Having suggested that a revisionist sexual ethic such as Salzman’s and Lawler’s serves as a cohesive response to the Church’s existing position on sexuality, I appeal to Elizabeth Johnson’s framework in Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God. Johnson argues that individuals who experience marginalization are an asset to the Christian Church because they offer unique insights into God. I propose that instead of approaching homosexuality solely in terms of ethics, Johnson’s framework allows us to regard members of the Queer Community in terms of the contributions they have to offer the Church. Finally, I employ David Tracy’s methodology in Blessed Rage for Order: The New Pluralism in Theology and propose that in light of postmodernity, we ought to use a pluralistic model when approaching a multiplicity of belief systems as well as when approaching the multi-faceted nature of sexuality. I conclude that in doing so both the Church and the Queer Community will benefit from the Queer Community’s full and open participation within the Catholic Church.

No description available.

In 1940, William Ernest Hocking (1873-1966), professor of the history and philosophy of religion at Harvard University, proposed a model for the reconception of Christianity which would make of it a vehicle for the creation of world community. Hocking was convinced that the attempts at the "radical displacement" of other religions by Christianity which was the usual Christian mission effort, was a disservice to the universal religions and the living religions of indigenous peoples as well as to Christianity because it did not demand that Christian thinking continue to grow. A simple synthesis of other living religions was too "romantic" for Hocking. He opted for a "sharing process" which would result not only in an authentic conservation and reconception of Christianity, but of the other living religions as well. The question which guides this dissertation is whether or not Hocking's theory of the reconception of Christianity is a workable model which does make of it a harbinger of world community. Because experience plays such a major role in Hocking's theory the dissertation begins with key experiences of his life which contributed to his theory of reconception. It then moves to an explanation of his philosophy of religion, variously described as idealistic-mysticism, or philosophical mysticism, because for Hocking the mystic is key to his reconception theory. The essence of Christianity which must be retained in any reconception of it is explained in the terms chosen by Hocking, and the need he saw for a de-westernization of Christianity is explored. Hocking's model of reconception is then described. The concluding chapter demonstrates the applicability of Hocking's model not only for Christianity but for the other living religions. This dissertation does not propose a new model for the reconception of Christianity but has the far more modest aim of elaborating on one that is already available, and that is consistent, realistic, and, with a few corrections, might be of great utility in an era which increasingly needs to deal with personal, national, and religious individualisms which often hamper rather than effect world community. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A dispute between Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Walter Kasper beginning in the 1960s reveals two competing worldviews within the contemporary Roman Catholic Church with regard to Catholic-Jewish relations: An ontological approach, represented by Ratzinger, which understands the truth to be eternal, unchanging and handed down from above, and a historicalphenomenological approach, represented by Kasper, which understands human experience as dynamically shaping conceptions of the truth. These competing worldviews hold further theological implications (anthropological, Christological, soteriological, ecclesiological, and missiological) in terms of how Catholics approach and understand their relationship with Judaism. This thesis will argue that because Kasper’s worldview is more open to the experience of the religious other, it has proved more beneficial to the Catholic-Jewish dialogue process and, therefore, represents a better articulation of the directives of Vatican II, which mandates all Catholics to renounce hatred and anti-Semitism and to engage in friendly dialogue and theological enquiry with Jews in order to “further mutual understanding and appreciation.” The thesis will further argue that the Catholic Church, on the whole, is trending toward the historicalphenomenological worldview and away from the ontological worldview, most noticeably in its relation with the Jews. The election of Pope Francis in 2013 is the best example of this trend as his magisterial teachings and publications thus far indicate that his worldview is more in line with Kasper’s historical-phenomenological approach than with Ratzinger’s ontological approach.

No description available.