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Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / Statement of Problem The purpose of this thesis is to find, list and give a short description of vocal solos with English texts which will contribute to the meaning of the Protestant service. These solos must be 1) worshipful, 2) well-written, and 3) by first-rank composers. A worshipful text adds to the beauty, meaning and knowledge of the Christian philosophy. A good text is directly related to the service of which it is a part. Many arias from sacred oratorios are not good church solos because the texts pertain to the dramatic story of the oratorio rather than to the meaning of a religious service. [TRUNCATED]

This thesis is intended as a detailed examination of Dr. Manning's activities and statements concerning war and peace. It will show his importance as a leader of public opinion on matters of American international responsibility; as a leader of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the same area; and as one of the very few Christian spokesmen of the past decades who anticipated and encouraged America's slowly growing understanding of her place in the family of nations.

The Community Church of Pepperell in Pepperell, MA has a well-established pattern of fundraising events to support itself and its mission. Replicating the ubiquity of consumerism in American culture, buying and selling is the foundation of church activities, events, celebrations, and even worship itself. This project develops the concept of God’s Kingdom economy as it works to move this congregation, and perhaps others like it, from being controlled by the impulses of American consumerism. This transformation involves laying aside consumption for its own sake, rather using it to caring for our neighbors, serve, and share God’s love. Specialized worship services are created that incorporate the transformative power of testimonies and preaching as a way to reframe excessive church fundraising.

Although accumulating research indicates that negative expectations about interracial interactions undermine the quality of such interactions, little research has examined the factors that moderate the influence of negative expectations on responses to interracial interactions. We propose that individuals who endorse work-related ideologies such as the Protestant work ethic (PWE) expect that outcomes in interracial interactions should be contingent upon individual effort. As a result, such individuals are hypothesized to respond in a negative manner when they believe that regardless of their effort in an interracial interaction, interaction partners will respond negatively to them (termed negative response expectancies). Consistent with this hypothesis, negative response expectancies led to an increased desire to avoid interracial interactions (Studies 1a and 1b) and more antisocial behavior directed at an interracial interaction partner among individuals who strongly endorsed the PWE (Study 2). Across the studies, effects of negative response expectancies were relatively weaker or non-significant among individuals lower in the PWE. The implications of these findings for understanding the interplay between the PWE and expectancies in interracial interactions are discussed.

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In American society, it is assumed that a person who identifies as nonreligious does not participate in activities often associated with religion. In my thesis I will argue that this assumption is false. Over the last 30 years the number of Americans who identify as nonreligious has increased by 200 percent. Yet at the same time, there have appeared numerous new “spiritual technologies” that nonreligious people can participate in, without having to engage in an established religious tradition. The podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text exemplifies this phenomenon by asking, “what if we read the books we love as if they were sacred texts?” I will argue that the podcast treats the Harry Potter series as a sacred text primarily by appropriating religious practices from Christianity and Judaism into “spiritual technologies.” An exploration of American Protestantism’s influence on American culture will situation the podcast within its general cultural context. Using comparative analysis, this thesis will explore how the podcast turns traditional religious practices into nonreligious spiritual technologies.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This qualitative dissertation contributes to the nascent literature on the study of social enterprise in American congregations through an examination of the role, theology, motivations, and experiences of Protestant Christian social entrepreneurs who are pursuing (or have pursued) social entrepreneurship in the congregational setting. These religious leaders engage the free market by establishing social ventures such as hotels, thrift stores, community development corporations, restaurants, retail outlets, publishing companies, and landscaping businesses among others. Drawing on forty-four in-depth, semi-structured interviews with lay and clergy leaders representing a diverse sample of twenty-six American congregations from four Protestant traditions and six geographic regions, this dissertation asks: Who are these congregational social entrepreneurs (their role and their theology)? Why do they engage in congregational social entrepreneurship (motivations)? And how do they go about establishing social ventures (experiences)? This study provides scholars and practitioners insights into the identity, motivations, and experiences of American religious leaders who are pioneering an emerging form of religious practice that blurs the distinction between the pastor and parishioner, the sacred and secular, and the instrumental and expressive. This dissertation offers contributions to both theory and practice. Instead of conceptualizing “social entrepreneurship” and “values and faith” as separate categories (as in prior research), this dissertation introduces a new theoretical paradigm with an intersecting model of instrumental and expressive rationales for nonprofit institutions. Transcending otherwise clearly defined boundaries, the study’s findings speak to the flexibility of social entrepreneurship to conform to the values of its leadership and the pervasive and permeating reach of faith within the context of human endeavor. Additionally, this research offers a constructive understanding of the role, theological tenets, and practical experiences of lay and clergy leaders. / 2021-08-21