The thesis summarizes the biblical teaching on God's mercy. Its aim is to describe demonstrations of mercy in stories of the Old and New Testament and ground the truthfulness of the aforesaid God's attribute. With the acquired information the thesis designates mercy also an important human characteristic, which derives from those shown works of mercy. The empirical section presents a set of data obtained from various denomination of the Church. The data show miscellaneous notions of mercy among practicing Christians. The thesis also investigates how Christians perceive God's mercy, whether it is a dominant trait of God or not, and how often are the works of mercy in reality.

This analysis of Tan's first two novels reveals that her female characters suffer from the strains critics like Amy Ling say result from the double paradox of filling the roles of mother or daughter as minority women in a white, male society. Recognizing this double paradox offers Tan's characters, and her readers, the opportunity to resolve the conflicts between mothers and daughters in The Joy Luck Club. Using the theories of psychologist Kathie Carlson helps readers understand how the protagonist of The Kitchen God's Wife resolves similar conflicts with her daughter and her own mother by seeking support from a mythic mother-figure, a Goddess of her own making.

The thesis Abraham in the New Testament commences with the narrative of Abraham in the Book of Genesis, evaluates responses to that story in the Old Testament as well as in the extra-biblical literature, and then examines its use in the New Testament. Abraham is introduced as God's friend, a model of faith, and a forefather. The questions are raised as to who are entitled to think of themselves as heirs to Abraham's promises and what are the consequences for the Curch. Appendices provide a list of Bible verses wherein Abraham is mentioned or which make allusions to his story. Other attachments present key texts from the Old and New Testaments and their literal translations as source materials supporting the conclusions of the main text.

The aim of this thesis, Towards ajifth gospel via Schillebeeclx and Solle, is a search for God and God's gospel. It is a quest in which I combine Edward Schillebeeckx's belief that Christian life is a fifth gospel and Dorothee Solle's praxis-orientated theology into a contrapuntal theological conversation. I argue that through each theologian's vision of Christian life a theological and hermeneutical framework is established within which men and women of faith can interpret change and prepare the world and church for God's transforming newness. The scope of this thesis identifies a life-giving Christianity by investigating common theological themes in the work of Schillebeeckx and Solle. On the basis of the insights of both theologians I argue that all believers are called to critically reinterpret belief in the God of Jesus, that human experience is the horizon for reflection and interpretation. That mystics and prophets communicate God's saving love within an ethic of responsibility for this world, and that when Christian communities engage in

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-85).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Description based on Microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-85).

vi, 63 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / In 1927, James Weldon Johnson published God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse, a book of poems based on sermons heard in the African American Church. There are eight accompanying illustrations by Aaron Douglas. These images visually interpret the subject matter of the poems in a style that blends Cubism, Orphism, and Art Deco. Douglas depicted all the figures in these images, human and supernatural, in the form of shadow silhouettes, a stylistic practice he continued throughout his artistic career. The shadow is an ancient archetype in human mythology and psychology. This thesis looks at the depiction of shadows in a Jungian context. I explore the possibility that the use of the shadow allows deeper communication between the audience and the image by accessing the collective unconscious. I also examine the shadow as a metaphor for the socio-political oppression of African Americans rampant in the period between the wars. / Committee in Charge: Dr. W. Sherwin Simmons, Chair; Dr. Kate Mondloch; Dr. Karen Ford

The historians writing in the Carolingian Empire, with a few important exceptions, frequently ascribed events in recent history to God. Where they have been noticed at all, these statements of God’s agency have usually been explained as political propaganda, to demonstrate God’s favour towards the reigning dynasty. Alternatively, they have been explained by the legacy of late antique Christian historians, from which this language supposedly derived. This thesis aims to demonstrate that this language was a distinctive and innovative feature of the emerging tradition of Carolingian history writing and is best explained in religious terms. It argues that Carolingian historians reflected the emphasis on God’s agency found throughout contemporary culture and that they deliberately reshaped the Christian language bequeathed by their Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Frankish predecessors. It offers a text-by-text analysis of how God’s agency functioned within each major Carolingian history, to further show the versatility of this language over the period. Taken together, these texts suggest that Carolingian historians wanted to teach their audiences about God’s agency and its implications for their own beliefs, identities, and behaviour. As a result, these histories and their depictions of God’s agency can be seen as a distinctive contribution to Carolingian religious renewal. This thesis thus aims to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between religion, history, and culture in early medieval Europe.

O sofrimento humano tem permeado e desafiado a teologia e ciências afins na tentativa de apresentar um entendimento racional ao problema do mal. As várias correntes religiosas, teológicas e filosóficas são objeto de apreciação neste estudo na tentativa de se condensar um arcabouço teórico que, à luz as Escrituras Sagradas, seja capaz de minimizar os conflitos que nascem do desafio de se compatibilizar o conceito de um Deus bondoso com a inequívoca constatação do sofrimento humano. A partir de uma premissa endossada pela teologia histórica e reformada de que Deus faz acontecer todas as coisas no mundo e na vida das pessoas, este estudo tem por objetivo elucidar a questão do mal e do sofrimento, bem como apresentar os possíveis benefícios que o sofrimento pode proporcionar ao indivíduo. Pretende- se apresentar uma argumentação bíblica que possa contribuir para dar uma resposta ao problema do mal e do sofrimento. Além disso, contextualizar o mal e o sofrimento no plano de Deus. As várias tentativas religiosas e filosóficas de darem uma resposta plausível ao problema do sofrimento acabam por criar barreiras intransponíveis quando confrontadas com a Bíblia. Cosmovisões errôneas acerca de Deus encontram fortíssimas resistências na Bíblia e contradizem conceitos solidificados ao longo da história da igreja. Algumas dessas cosmovisões têm assumido destaque no discurso teológico quando a questão do sofrimento é abordada. Embora o discurso mais conservador de que o pecado é a causa do sofrimento ele não explica todas as formas de sofrimento, nem a Bíblia aceita o pecado como razão única para o sofrimento. Não é possível enxergar o sofrimento sem olhar para o calvário. Não é intenção abrir espaço nesta pesquisa para confrontar as diferentes linhas teológicas quanto ao entendimento sobre os planos de Deus, mas apresentar um entendimento de como o sofrimento se encaixa no plano eterno de Deus. / Human suffering has permeated and challenged the theology and related sciences in an attempt to present a rational understanding of the problem of evil. The various religious denominations, theological and philosophical object are considered in this study in an attempt to condense a theoretical framework in the light of Scripture, is able to minimize the conflicts that arise from the challenge of reconciling the concept of a loving God with the unequivocal finding of human suffering. From a premise endorsed by the historic and Reformed theology that God makes all things happen in the world and in people's lives, this study aims to elucidate the question of evil and suffering, as well as presenting the potential benefits that suffering can provide the individual. Seeks to present a biblical argument that can contribute to respond to the problem of evil and suffering. Moreover, contextualizing the evil and suffering in God's plan. The various religious and philosophical attempts to give a plausible answer to the problem of suffering eventually create insurmountable barriers when faced with the Bible. Worldviews misconceptions about God are strong resistance in the Bible and contradict concepts solidified throughout the history of the church. Some of these worldviews have assumed prominence in theological discourse when the question of suffering is addressed. Although the more conservative discourse that sin is the cause of suffering he does not explain all forms of suffering, nor the Bible accepts sin as one reason for suffering. Can not see the suffering without regard for the ordeal. It is not intended to open space in this research to compare the different lines on the theological understanding of God's plan, but to present an understanding of how suffering fits into God's eternal plan.

Submitted by Biblioteca Central (biblioteca@unicap.br) on 2018-01-29T14:34:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 emerson_mozart_silva.pdf: 672319 bytes, checksum: 8c270db5c1c21d267114bef60c33fd16 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-29T14:34:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 emerson_mozart_silva.pdf: 672319 bytes, checksum: 8c270db5c1c21d267114bef60c33fd16 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-01-05 / The XX century, in ecclesiastical scope, is marked by a real ecclesiological renewal. The historical events that marked the first half of the last century of the millennium also influenced the Church in its self-reflection. Ecclesiology was enriched by the enriched by rescue of the theology of the priests of the Church, of the classical liturgy and by the deepening of the studies the sacred scriptures. The emergence of the Nouvelle Théologie provoked theology for the «return of the sources», which was later translated by Pope John XXIII as a necessity of an aggionamento. All this comes to its speak with the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, which is characterized as begin essentially ecclesiastical. For a safe hermeneutic about this great Council, we resort to the contributions of Joseph Ratzinger. Having participated in it as a theologian peritus, he can’t only comprehend within the spirit of the Council, but also contribute with his theological perspective. In the Post-Council period, Joseph Ratzinger gained notoriety with his reflections about the concepts of Church-People of God. Your intuit is demonstrate that going out the «return of the sources» it is possible renew the Church and understand the people starting the Christ body, in a theological perspective markedly sacramental. / O século XX, em âmbito eclesiástico, é marcado por uma verdadeira renovação eclesiológica. Os acontecimentos históricos que marcaram a primeira metade do último século do milênio também influenciaram a Igreja na sua autorreflexão. A eclesiologia se enriqueceu com o resgate da Teologia dos Padres da Igreja, da liturgia clássica e com o aprofundamento dos estudos das Sagradas Escrituras. O surgimento da Nouvelle Théologie provocou a teologia para o «retorno às fontes», o que posteriormente foi traduzido pelo Papa João XXIII como a necessidade de um aggiornamento. Tudo isso chega ao seu ponto alto com a celebração do Concílio Vaticano II, que se caracteriza por ser fundamentalmente eclesiológico. Para uma hermenêutica segura sobre este grande Concílio, recorremos às contribuições de Joseph Ratzinger. Tendo ele participado do mesmo como teólogo peritus, pode não só compreender por dentro o espírito do Concílio, mas também contribuir com sua perspectiva teológica. No período do pós-concílio, Joseph Ratzinger ganhou notoriedade com suas reflexões sobre o conceito de Igreja – Povo de Deus. Seu intuito é demonstrar que partindo do «retorno às fontes» é possível renovar a Igreja e compreender de modo mais autêntico o seu ser Povo, a partir do Corpo de Cristo, numa perspectiva teológica de caráter marcadamente sacramental.