with David Lyle Jeffrey, Provost, Baylor University; Author of People of the Book: Christian Identity and Literary Culture / McGuinn Hall 121

Religion has the ability to bring a diversity of people together in a way that crosses political, social, and economic boundaries, but divides them through conflicting worship practices, rituals, and teachings. This is especially true with the three Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The unique aspect to the Abrahamic religions is that they all claim Abraham as a common ancestor. Unfortunately, over the two millennia since the founding of these religions, interpretations of each religious text has drastically divided the three religions. Guy Stroumsa, Professor Emeritus of the Study of Abrahamic Religions at the University of Oxford, states that after such a long time the "Jewish Avraham is no more the Christian Abraham than the latter is the Islamic Ibrahim… and there is more than one Jewish (or Christian, or Muslim) Abraham." This project is designed to create a multi-faith building that crosses the religious divides in the Abrahamic faiths and encourages inter-faith dialogue by looking at commonly used ritualistic items. Three basic items - water, a meal, and the scripture – all hold reverence in all three religions, but each religion has its own unique rituals and traditions surrounding them. This building attempts to express the similarities and differences through the built environment in a way that increases communication and understanding between the religions and the surrounding community. / Master of Architecture / Religions divide people. Architecture brings people together. Can architecture help bridge the divide between religions? This project is designed to create a multi-faith building that crosses the religious divides in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and encourages inter-faith dialogue between them by looking at three commonly used sacred items and their rituals and traditions.

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This dissertation first examines how Scripture describes the internal workings of the human person, which can be referred to as the heart. The heart is shown to function cognitively, affectively, and volitionally, all of which are relational in nature. Second, the dissertation establishes that faith in Christ is the means by which all of these functions are restored. Specifically, the heart's cognitive, affective, and volitional functions are changed as a person relates rightly to his or her Designer and Redeemer through faith. In sum, this dissertation describes the biblical understanding of the heart and the necessity of faith in Christ for its proper operation. Chapter 1 examines the major anthropological terms used in the New Testament, considering how each functions in context and concluding that the biblical perspective of internal human functioning is holistic and unified. Chapter 2 establishes that a gospel-centered hermeneutic of Scripture implies that faith is central to the illocutionary intent of Scripture as a whole. The Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Romans are examined to establish further the centrality of faith. Chapter 3 describes the transformative effect of faith on the cognitive, affective, and volitional functions attributed to the heart as it relates rightly to God. Chapter 4 describes implications for an evangelical model of counseling, also considering the thought of Jonathan Edwards as a historical precedent to the present study.

moderated by Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press." Featuring James Carville, E.J. Dionne, Ed Gillespie, and Peggy Noonan / Conte Forum

David B. Burrell, CSC, author of Freedom and Creation in Three Traditions, Friendship and the Ways to Truth, and Knowing the Unknowable God, spoke in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Series on the mediating role of culture in the relation of faith and reason, utilizing illustrations from the tradition of Islamic philosophy. / David B. Burrell, CSC, Professor, University of Notre Dame / McGuinn 121

This event is part of an ongoing conversation series in which women's issues and concerns are addressed in regards to religion and the church. In this conversation, both male and female parents discussed their faith and handing on this Catholic faith to their children. They discussed their desire to share the Catholic traditions that model inclusiveness and justice with their children. / Panelists: Jane Regan, Associate Professor, Boston College Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry; Karen Kennedy, Director, Boston College Urban Catholic Teaching Corps; Daniel P. Leahy, Co-Director, Office of Service and Spirituality, Boston College Alumni Association / Heights Room, Corcoran Commons

Thesis advisor: Michael Cermak / Despite the vast amount of literature on service trips, only modest efforts have been made to look at how ideologies formed on the trip change over time. There is also little work done comparing different social justice communities. This study examined the differences between two service and religious groups in these regards through 26 in-depth interviews with both current college students and graduates. An analysis of these interviews revealed several faith-based tensions between the service and faith communities. Based on this conclusion, I argue that in order to move toward more substantial and enduring outcomes, the service and faith community work best when they work together, or when individuals of either group have a source of social support. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

After decades of marginalisation, there is a resounding assertion that 'faith matters' in development. A growing body of evidence suggests that religion promotes developmental values of social justice, equity, and compassion for the poor, it shapes people's identities and is an important source of welfare provision. Nevertheless, studies on faith and development have been restricted to the instrumental approach; a developmentalised version of religion which biases faith based organisations and other formalised organisations that conform to the mainstream development agenda. This thesis departs from the instrumentalisation of faith to a lived religion approach and sees development as 'inherent' in what religions do. It explores how a Christian faith community (CFC) in Ayigya, Ghana lives and experiences its faith in the everyday. It considers how these experiences shape and construct both the wellbeing aspirations and achievements of the CFC. The research adopts an ethnographic methodology to investigate the wellbeing experiences of the CFC. This consisted of the profiling of the CFC, qualitative interviewing (in-depth, semi structured, conversational and focus group discussions), participant observation and faith dairies. This study finds that the CFC offers a rich associational life for its members; one that constructs what wellbeing is and one that contributes significantly to how wellbeing is achieved. As such, for many the CFC has replaced the role of the state in social service delivery and welfare provision. The CFC provides a compelling wellbeing narrative that is congruent with both traditional norms and values and modern neoliberal discourses, that shapes the wellbeing aspirations of its members. The CFC also supplies its members with a social and spiritual capital, but most pertinently a divine agency to translate these wellbeing aspirations into achievements. This study contributes to the alternative development literature; it proposes that a lived religion and multidimensional subjective wellbeing approach is well suited to understanding the complex processes involved in the wellbeing narratives of faith communities in the global South.