There is heightened need for awareness of spiritual care in nursing. The need for spiritual care is recognized in nursing literature, NANDA, JCAHO, and other nursing organizations. However, research studies with cancer patients and hospice patients indicate that nurses are reluctant to provide spiritual care for their patients. The purpose of this research study is to describe the current spiritual care beliefs and practices of nurses in general practice. In this descriptive study, the following research questions were answered: (1) what are the spiritual care practices of nurses? (2) how frequently are nurses involved in spiritual care interventions? (3) what is the meaning of spiritual care to nurses?, and ( 4) what are nurses' attitudes and beliefs about spirituality and religion? The Spiritual Care Perspectives Scale (SCPS) and the Information About You questionnaires by Taylor, Highfield, and Amenta were utilized in this research. From a population of approximately 300 nurses working in a religious hospital in the southeastern United States, a convenience sample of 100 nurses participated in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis of the qualitative data obtained in the short answer, open-ended questions. Results indicated that the spiritual care practices of nurses include: making referrals to chaplains, listening to patients, praying for patients, and facilitating religious rituals. Nurses are frequently involved in spiritual care interventions through prayer. In conclusion, this study of spiritual care beliefs and practices of nurses showed that nurses provide spiritual care in a variety of nursing practice settings in the response to the needs of their patients.

No abstract available / OLD TESTAMENT & ANCIENT NE / MA (BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY)

<p>HIV and AIDS present challenges to the well-being of individuals and to public health proportions unpresedented in modern history, and stigma has been identified as the single most contributor to the spread of the HI-virus. While the challenges presented by the AIDS pandemic are scientific and medical, it also has a psychological, legal,&nbsp / economic, social, ethical and religious impact on those infected and affected. The underlying question in this thesis is not whether the church should respond to this urgent societal challenge, but how it ought to respond. To explore this question, the thesis investigated how a New Testament text (as primary resource), particularly Luke's Gospel, could be a resource for shaping/sharpening the church's response to the pandemic.</p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between children’s grief and their perceptions of God by utilizing children’s drawings. This research was conducted by partnering with Christian counselors and teachers who interviewed two groups of children to collect data. Counselors interviewed the experimental group of children who were between the ages of 6-12 and had experienced the death of an immediate family member. Teachers interviewed the control group of children who were between the ages of 6-12 and had not experienced the death of an immediate family member. Both groups were asked specific questions in efforts to ascertain if children in the midst of grief perceived God differently. A multilevel triangulation design was used in this study with the first phase being qualitative and the second quantitative. In phase one, both the experimental group and control group of children were each interviewed and asked to respond to these questions by drawing their answers. Upon completion of the drawings, each child was asked a series of follow-up questions in efforts to provide explanations for their drawings. Select demographic information was also collected as a part of the interview process. Phase 2 utilized a quantitative approach. A panel of raters was assigned with the task of looking for specified, coded patterns or images in each child’s drawn or verbal response. Each panel member received a description of characteristics for which to look, as well as a Thurstone scale to assess the frequency of the characteristics. Upon evaluation, this data was sent back to the researcher for anecdotal analysis. The qualitative data was collected and the results were analyzed utilizing two statistical analyses methods including a Mann-Whitney test and a four-way ANOVA. While the Mann-Whitney was used to determine the correlation between death and a child’s perception of God, the ANOVA was performed to analyze the role demographics played in children’s perception of God after they experienced a parental or sibling death. Findings from the analyses are discussed in terms of implications for future research as well as possible applications for the research.

Daniel Ferris Born, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016 Chair: Dr. William F. Cook The figurative use of "son(s) of" phrases in the NT represents the author employing the father-son relationship, and what this relationship represents in the ancient world, as a tool to illustrate and explain various concepts and ideas in NT thought. As a result, the father-son relationship in the ancient world must be employed in the interpretation of these figurative "son(s) of" phrases. Failing to understand the importance of genealogical identification, kinship, and the social implications of the father-son relationship in the ancient world and bring these concepts to bear in interpretation, will result in a failure to understand what the NT authors seek to communicate by using "son(s) of" phrases. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to this topic and a history of how linguists and commentators have approached these phrases in the past. There are very few scholars who have sought to employ the father-son relationship in their interpretation of these phrases and their figurative use. Chapters 2 and 3 survey the use of these phrases inside and outside the NT. Chapter 2 includes the use of בֵּן in the Hebrew Bible, "son(s) of" phrases in the LXX, as well as the use of υἱός plus the genitive in Classical Greek, the OT and NT apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, other early Jewish and Christian writings, coins and inscriptions, and the papyri and ostraca. Chapter 3 surveys the use of υἱός in the NT. Chapter 4 explores the father-son relationship in the social context of the NT in order to distill the major features of the father-son relationship into an interpretive framework which can be utilized in understanding what the NT authors seek to communicate in their figurative use of "son(s) of" phrases. Chapter 5 employs this framework in the interpretation of the figurative "son(s) of" phrases in the NT. Chapter 6 concludes the work, discusses its implications, and recognizes the need for further study in certain areas.

ABSTRACT ADOPTION RATES AMONG EVANGELICALS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY Matthew Scott Thompson, Ed.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Dr. Anthony W. Foster The purpose of this study was to examine the adoption rates of evangelical Christian adoption agencies and to determine what factors, if any, contribute to the current adoption rates. A mixed methods approach, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative elements was used for completion of this study. The quantitative section of the research utilizes historical, numerical data from select adoption agencies to determine the pattern of adoption rates. The qualitative portion of the research utilizes an electronic survey, which contains simple answer questions, Likert scale questions, and open-ended questions to determine potential factors that have an effect on the adoption rates. The data was reviewed and analyzed to determine the conclusions of the research study. KEYWORDS: Adoption, Adoption Agency, Adoption Rates, Evangelical, Foster Care, Orphan Care

Ip Hon Ho. / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-82). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.3 / Chapter 2. --- Different beliefs of the free market --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Market' as invisible hand guided by self-interest --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- Market as a platform to promote prosperity of life and freedom --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3 --- Market as a place of competition --- p.8 / Chapter 2.4 --- Market as a self-regulating system --- p.9 / Chapter 2.5 --- Private Property right as the necessary condition for free market economy --- p.9 / Chapter 3. --- Review of contemporary Christian critiques of market --- p.10 / Chapter 3.1 --- Michael Novak: defense of classic liberal economy --- p.11 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- The concept of liberty --- p.11 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- The 'co-creation' role of man --- p.12 / Chapter 3.1.3. --- The tripartite system and the sinful nature of man in a free market economy --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2 --- Rebecca M. Blank: Criticism on Market from an economist and a theologian --- p.14 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- The model of competitive market --- p.14 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Conflicting values between beliefs in competitive market with Christian values --- p.15 / Chapter 3.3 --- Paul Tillich's critique on free market --- p.19 / Chapter 3.3.1. --- The religious relevance of Capitalism and Free market --- p.20 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Tillich model of criticism --- p.21 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Depending Conditions for capitalism: Technical reasons --- p.22 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Criticism of the Spirit of Capitalism and Free market --- p.23 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Criticism of the form of capitalism --- p.26 / Chapter 3.3.6 --- The big machine --- p.27 / Chapter 3.4 --- The insufficiencies of the above Christian Critique --- p.30 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Michael Novak: --- p.31 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Rebecca Blank --- p.32 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Paul Tillich --- p.32 / Chapter 4. --- The discussion on the freedom in free market --- p.33 / Chapter 4.1 --- Economic Compulsion --- p.34 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Economic reason: Monopolistic power --- p.35 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Political Reason: Political Economy --- p.37 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Short Summary --- p.39 / Chapter 4.2 --- Slavery Characteristics of free market --- p.40 / Chapter 4.3 --- Basic Characteristics of a slavery system --- p.40 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Backgrounds of Slavery system in Greco Roman Empire --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Structure of the working relationship: Dehumanized structure --- p.42 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Social status: Alienation --- p.43 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Incentive system: Another form of Economic Compulsion --- p.44 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- Short summary --- p.47 / Chapter 4.4 --- Slavery characteristics of the free market --- p.47 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Working relationship: dehumanized structure --- p.48 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Social status: Alienation --- p.50 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Incentive system: Another form of Economic Compulsion --- p.51 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Short Summary --- p.54 / Chapter 5. --- The critique of the spirituality of market by the concept of 'market spirituality' --- p.54 / Chapter 5.1 --- The ground of understanding spirituality --- p.55 / Chapter 5.2 --- Basic Characteristics of spirituality --- p.57 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- First-order and second-order experiences of Spirituality --- p.57 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- The trainable quality of Spirituality: Ascetical and Mystical aspect --- p.58 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- The unintentional ascetical aspect of spirituality --- p.59 / Chapter 5.3 --- The understanding and basic assumptions of Market Spirituality --- p.62 / Chapter 5.4 --- The Formation of spirituality in our daily routine --- p.64 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Pathway of knowing in free market --- p.66 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Pathway of acting in free market --- p.67 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Pathway of relating to others in free market --- p.69 / Chapter 5.5 --- Common examples of market spirituality --- p.69 / Chapter 5.5.1 --- Believing in the self-regulatory mechanism --- p.69 / Chapter 5.5.2 --- Competitive spirituality --- p.70 / Chapter 5.5.3 --- Detachment relationship --- p.72 / Chapter 5.5.4 --- Consumerism --- p.73 / Chapter 5.5.5 --- Commodification --- p.74 / Chapter 5.5.6 --- Short summary --- p.75 / Chapter 5.6 --- Theological reflections on market spirituality --- p.76 / Chapter 5.6.1 --- The penetration of the market spirituality into our church and individual life --- p.76 / Chapter 5.6.2. --- Contrast with the Christian Spirituality --- p.77 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion --- p.79 / Bibliography --- p.80

Lee, Ka Keung Caramon. / "December 2010." / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-89). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Identity and Metaphors --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1) --- Introduction --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2) --- Aspects of Identity --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3) --- Construction of Social Identity as Revealed on Texts --- p.6 / Chapter 1.4) --- Functions of Metaphors --- p.10 / Chapter 1.5) --- Light as an Ancient Metaphor --- p.13 / Chapter 1.6) --- Outline of the Thesis --- p.14 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- The Metaphor of Light in the Gospel of John --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1) --- Introduction --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2) --- Johannine Symbolism --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3) --- Old Testament Sources of the Johannine Light --- p.19 / Chapter 2.4) --- Anti-Language in the Gospel of John --- p.21 / Chapter 2.5) --- Exegesis of Johannine Light Passages --- p.22 / Chapter 2.6) --- Self-understanding of the Johannine Community and Unity of the Enemy --- p.29 / Chapter 2.7) --- Parting of the Ways? --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Metaphor of Light in the Writings of Pseudo-Dionysius --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1) --- Introduction --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2) --- Historical Context --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3) --- Opponents of Pseudo-Dionysius --- p.36 / Chapter 3.4) --- Light and Darkness . --- p.38 / Chapter 3.5) --- Unknowability of God --- p.40 / Chapter 3.6) --- The Dionysian Hierarchies --- p.42 / Chapter 3.7) --- The Celestial (Angelic) Hierarchy --- p.43 / Chapter 3.8) --- The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy --- p.44 / Chapter 3.9) --- The Relationship between the Two Hierarchies --- p.45 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- The Metaphor of Light in the Writings of Symeon the New Theologian --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1) --- Introduction : --- p.49 / Chapter 4.2) --- Introducing Symeon the New Theologian --- p.49 / Chapter 4.3) --- Conflicts Faced by Symeon --- p.53 / Chapter 4.4) --- Key Theological Elements of Symeon --- p.56 / Chapter 4.5) --- Establishment of Christian Identity as an Individual --- p.59 / Chapter 4.6) --- Establishment of Christian Identity as a Community --- p.66 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Conclusion --- p.71 / Chapter 5.1) --- "Relationship Between John, Pseudo-Dionysius, and Symeon the New Theologian" --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2) --- Major Findings --- p.74 / Chapter 5.3) --- Future Works --- p.76 / Bibliography --- p.78

The prevalence of addiction in society has called researchers, educators, policy makers, and clinicians to examine and research causes and treatment approaches to address the manifold problems addictions present individuals and society alike. There are many theoretical approaches to understanding addiction and the behavior change processes that lead from addiction to recovery. Religiosity and spirituality have been identified as important factors in addiction, though the exact nature of the relationship is yet to be determined. This dissertation explores the relationship between religiosity and the known treatment outcome mediator. The purpose of this dissertation is to inform theory, training, and practice in the area of addictions counseling. This exploratory study investigated the relationship of religiosity to readiness to change in addictive behaviors. The database from Project MATCH was used which included participant scores from the aftercare arm of the clinical trial. A total of 772 scores were used from responses to the RBB and URICA. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that there were no significant differences detected across variables regarding the relationship of religiosity to readiness to change. / Graduation date: 2003

Relationships between religion and health have received considerable academic attention. Scholars have published hundreds of articles concerning links between religion and mortality and physical, subjective, and psychological well-being. Despite the practical and scholarly importance of these studies, do similar relationships exist in nonChristian, non-Western societies? In this dissertation I employ qualitative and quantitative methods of research to examine connections between common religious beliefs and practices and general, subjective, and psychological well-being in contemporary Japan. Ritual behaviors and beliefs in Japan differ substantially from those of the U.S., and as expected, there are important cultural distinctions concerning these associations. However, there are similarities that are equally noteworthy, and I discuss these findings and describe theoretical rationales that help explain how and why Japanese religiousness is linked positively and negatively to well-being in Japan. The first chapter provides an overview of some of the core aspects of contemporary Japanese religiousness, and I introduce new findings from a large national dataset of Japanese adults concerning religious affiliation. In the second chapter, I use in-depth interview data to support theoretical explanations concerning associations between typical household ritual practices and general well-being. The third chapter reveals strong positive correlations between life satisfaction and happiness (subjective well-being) and religious affiliation and devotion. In the final chapter, I use multivariate analysis again to explore links between psychological distress (measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and religiousness. The data for this chapter come from a selfadministered survey I designed to address the lack of valid survey questions concerning religious practices and beliefs in Japan and to assess their ties with mental health. Overall, the results of these separate studies indicate strongly that religiosity is multidimensional and that different dimensions impact Japanese well-being in diverse ways. They also provide substantial evidence for the need to be cautious when conducting cross-cultural research. This dissertation aims to fill a void concerning the study of religion and health in a non-Christian Asian nation, and it is hoped that these findings will encourage further research on this topic in Japan and in other areas of the world. / text