The End: Thoughts on Humanism and Death

Extending earlier work on a nontheistic theology, in this article I explore a humanist framing of death. I begin with a critique of theistic framings of death as a matter of isolation and transition to a greater situation. In place of theistic understandings of death, here I argue that humanist theology, drawing insights from literature and Albert Camus' moralism, provides a way to “naturalize” death, to understand death as already and always a dimension of life.     

The Questions We Left Behind: Reflections from a Teaching Theologian

Abstract : While the ordination of women made great strides in ending gender injustice for women in church‐related vocations, women also have raised other questions, specifically: the appropriate role of experience in theological discourse and moral deliberation; the displacement of advocacy by representation; and the tension between the personal and the political. Fore‐mothers leave behind these issues for their after‐daughters, as they meet challenges their fore‐mothers in the faith could hardly imagine.     

Those Easily Forgotten: The Impact of Emigration on Those Left Behind

Much has been written about the experiences and stresses of those who emigrate. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the experiences of those who stay behind—family members and friends who for various reasons do not to join their loved ones in the destination country. In this article, I describe the experiences of some South Africans whose families and friends have emigrated. This study forms part of a larger research project focusing on the impact of emigration on South African family life. Twenty‐one participants were interviewed by means of a semistructured interview at least 6 months after one or more family member(s) and/or friend(s) left South Africa, to explore participants’ experiences around their loved ones’ emigration. A thematic analysis of the data reveals that those left behind experience various emotions, ranging from emotional ambivalence to anger and distress. Emigration is mostly experienced as a vast loss, almost akin to a “death,” bringing about significant changes in social networks and relationships. The therapeutic significance of the findings for those working with emigrant families is also explored.     

The authenticity of Christian Evangelicals: between individuality and obedience

Based on ethnographic data in a Christian Evangelical church in the UK, the article shows how Evangelical Christians construct their individual and group identity through appeals to authenticity. Authenticity, as it emerges from the local narratives, shares much with philosophical and sociological understandings of it, yet it is articulated within the framework of tradition. By grounding authenticity in Christian tradition, Evangelicals construct an identity which they understand as distinctive rather than morally superior to other moral traditions. Christian authenticity is a moral pursuit that requires obedience—the acceptance of God’s will. This is contrasted with the celebration of individual self-authority that is at the core of Western society. The tension between individuality and obedience to God is the motif that makes Christianity distinctive in the eyes of the informants in this study. It is also the basis for the formation of the Christian self.     

The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity

Book reviewed:
The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity by Carl Raschke (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004) + 235 pp. Reviewed by Daniel J. Treier Department of Theology Wheaton College 501 College Avenue Wheaton, IL 60187 USA     

The Liberalization of Young Evangelicals: A Research Note

Media outlets and observers of American religion suggest that young evangelicals are retreating from the ranks of the “Christian right” and are embracing more liberal positions on controversial social issues. We test this hypothesis using the Baylor Religion Survey. We examine two separate measures of evangelical identity as well as a wide variety of political identifications and attitudes. Our study indicates that young evangelicals (1) are significantly more likely than older evangelicals to think that more should be done to protect the environment; (2) hold views similar to older evangelicals regarding abortion, same‐sex marriage, stem cell research, marijuana use, government welfare spending, spending on the nation's health, and the war in Iraq; and (3) remain significantly more conservative than nonevangelicals on these same social issues. We find no strong evidence to support the notion that young evangelicals are retreating from traditional positions or increasingly adopting more liberal positions on hot‐button or controversial social issues.     

The Naked Goddess: Pornography and the Sacred

Abstract

In this article it is argued that contemporary forms of pornography represent an assault upon important sacred traditions which venerated female generative power and saw sexuality as a means of participating in the divine. The pornographic representations of the feminine in Western culture are part of systems of domination which not only support the abuse of women but also the colonization of peoples and the exploitation of nature. A celebration of the sexual cosmologies, which can still be found in cultural performances and ritual acts, is a means of countering this domination. So too is the process of speaking from the vulva; reclaiming the female genitals as a source of intelligent power that both manifest in and signify the creative forces that animate the universe.     

The Role of Religion in Physician Outlook on Death,Dying, and End of Life Care

Journal of Religion and Health - One of the many roles a physician provides to their patients is compassion and comfort, which includes tending to any psychological, spiritual, and religious needs...     

Fundamentalism and Political Violence: The Case of Paisley and Ulster Evangelicals

One of the dangers of using the term ‘fundamentalism’ for a wide variety of religiously inspired political movements is that it disguises vital differences. This article examines in great detail the involvement of the evangelical Protestant religious and political leader Reverend Ian Paisley in the political violence of Northern Ireland. It concludes that, despite the context apparently encouraging a Protestant jihad, or holy war, Ulster evangelicals are peaceful and law-abiding. Parallels with American fundamentalism are used to raise the question of contrasts to Islamic fundamentalism. It is argued that fundamentalisms differ in their attitudes towards political violence and that the differences are unlikely to be just a matter of circumstance.     

The Bible and Gender Troubles: American Evangelicals Debate Scripture and Submission

Abstract : This article surveys the recent debates about gender roles and submissions in American evangelical theology since the 1960's. It argues that the so‐called “complementarian” viewpoint, in which women are equal in being but submissive to men in gender roles, is not the same as the traditional Christian patriarchal viewpoint. Both biblical equality and complementarian views are thus revisionist. This article introduces the “return to the Trinity” in this debate as one of the more interesting moves in recent years, and suggests some lessons for mainline Protestants.     

Fundamentalism and Political Violence: The Case of Paisley and Ulster Evangelicals

One of the dangers of using the term ‘fundamentalism’ for a wide variety of religiously inspired political movements is that it disguises vital differences. This article examines in great detail the involvement of the evangelical Protestant religious and political leader Reverend Ian Paisley in the political violence of Northern Ireland. It concludes that, despite the context apparently encouraging a Protestant jihad, or holy war, Ulster evangelicals are peaceful and law-abiding. Parallels with American fundamentalism are used to raise the question of contrasts to Islamic fundamentalism. It is argued that fundamentalisms differ in their attitudes towards political violence and that the differences are unlikely to be just a matter of circumstance.     

歧视知觉、抑郁和农村留守儿童的学业成绩：纵向中介模型

以1147名双亲外出儿童和父亲外出儿童为被试,采用追踪研究设计,探讨了农村留守儿童歧视知觉和学业成绩之间的相互作用关系以及抑郁在其中的中介作用。结果发现:（1）农村留守儿童的学业成绩显著负向预测其随后的歧视知觉,但是歧视知觉不能显著预测其随后的学业成绩;（2）抑郁在留守儿童的学业成绩和歧视知觉之间起着纵向中介作用。这表明,学业成绩是降低留守儿童歧视知觉水平的重要资源,良好的学业成绩不仅可以直接降低农村留守儿童的歧视知觉,而且还能通过降低其抑郁水平来降低农村留守儿童的歧视知觉水平。     

The Pornography Debate: Religiosity and Support for Censorship

Journal of Religion and Health - Pornography has become an increasingly salient topic in public discourse. We sought to better understand the role of religiosity in shaping people’s support...