论道教神仙信仰的社会分层

本文认为 ,道教神仙信仰在其历史发展的过程中 ,呈现出了明显的信众分层现象 :在学者型道士和一般民众阶层 ,神仙信仰内涵并不一致 ,二者既有区别又有联系。     

The ethics of belief and two conceptions of christian faith

This article deals with two types of Christian faith in the light of the challenges posed by the ethics of belief. It is proposed that the difficulties with Clifford’s formulation of that ethic can best be handled if the ethic is interpreted in terms of role-specific intellectual integrity. But the ethic still poses issues for the traditional interpretation of Christian faith when it is conceived as a series of discrete but related propositions, especially historical propositions. For as so conceived, the believer makes claims that fall within the province of an intellectual discipline, history, that requires evidence and rules of procedure for the adjudication of such claims. It is noteworthy how few Christian theologians and philosophers of religion deal with the issue in these terms. Alvin Plantinga is a noteworthy exception and his views are examined and criticized because, among other things, his conclusion is that any believer without having any training in biblical languages or historical studies can know that the New Testament narratives are true. The article then considers a second conception of Christian faith in which this conflict does not arise. One finds it in the works of Schleiermacher, Wittgenstein, and, surprisingly, in the conception of faith found in the early writings of Karl Barth.     

Preachers who are not believers

There are systemic features of contemporary Christianity that create an almost invisible class of non-believing clergy, ensnared in their ministries by a web of obligations, constraints, comforts, and community. Exemplars from five Protestant denominations, Southern Baptist, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Methodist and Church of Christ, were found and confidentially interviewed at length about their lives, religious education and indoctrination, aspirations, problems and ways of coping. The in-depth, qualitative interviews formed the basis for profiles of all five, together with general observations about their predicaments and how they got into them. The authors anticipate that the discussion generated on the Web (at On Faith, the Newsweek/Washington Post website on religion, http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith//2010/03/disbelief_in_the_pulpit/all.html) and on other websites will facilitate a larger study that will enable the insights of this pilot study to be clarified, modified, and expanded.     

The psychology of christian prayer: a review ofempirical research

This paper presents, discusses and evaluates empirical studies concerned with Christian prayer. These studies are classified within four main areas. The first area concerns what is known about the practice of prayer from empirical surveys and demonstrates that a much higher proportion of people pray privately than attend public places of worship. The second area concerns what is known about changing patterns of prayer during childhood and adolescence and argues that these changes need to be interpreted within the context of both developmental and social psychology. The third area concerns the subjective effects of prayer, beginning with Galton's early observations concerning the comparative longevity of the clergy (who are regarded as praying people) and including more recent studies of the psychological correlates of self-reported prayer, like personal well-being and purpose in life. It is concluded that, while such studies may demonstrate the beneficial nature of prayer, they cannot demonstrate the causal efficacy of prayer. The fourth area concerns the objective effects of prayer, beginning with Galton's early observations concerning the absence of comparative longevity among royalty (who are regarded as prayed for people) and including more recent studies of the growth correlates of prayer for pot plants. It is concluded that such studies currently provide contradictory evidence. It is recommended that further research in the field needs both to observe the strict criteria of objective empirical research and to be alert to theological nuances regarding the actual claims made for the efficacy of prayer within the community of believers.     

Divorce and remarriage in christian perspective

The church has an opportunity not only to nurture and support persons in their marriage but also to minister to those whose marriage comes to an end. This ministry includes enabling these persons to work through their sense of grief and failure and to expereince forgiveness and reconciliation toward the possibility of another marriage in the future.Appreciation is expressed to Commonweal, Hamilton Publishing Company, Basic Books, Inc., Harper & Row, and Pilgrimage for permission to quote from their publications.     

Sceptics,believers, and historical mistakes

Inattention to the historical antecedents of current philosophical views may impoverish our arguments in defense of those views. A case in point, examined here, concerns the difference that can be made for current strategies designed to defend religious belief by carefully reconsidering the position of historical sceptics.     

Humanistic psychotherapy assumptions and christian counseling

This article examines eight assertions about the nature of humanistic psychotherapy which may be congenial with certain broad assertions or emphases of the Christian tradition (and, thus, Christian counseling). The humanistic assertions are that the focus of psychotherapy should be on the client's immediate experiencing which provides trustworthy self-knowledge, that freedom is real, that the proper therapist role is that of facilitator, that new ways of client thinking and acting are to be encouraged, that the body must receive therapeutic attention, and that honest mutual communication is critical. Christian emphases for which these are relevant include Old and New Testament understandings of the inner experience of God, the ongoing creative activity of God, individual responsibility before God, the unity of the individual, and how healing takes place.Past President of the American Psychological Association's Division of Humanistic Psychology. Except for minor revisions, this article was originally presented at the International Congress on Christian Counseling in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1988. Appreciation for help in its preparation goes to G. Clarke Chapman, Quentin L. Hand, Richard Kahoe, Mary Jo Meadow, Edward P. Shafranske, Orlo Strunk, and Beverly J. Tisdale.