Enhancing the Learning and Retention of Biblical Languages for Adult Students

Abstract. Finding ways to reduce students’ anxiety and maximize the value of learning Greek and Hebrew is a continual challenge for biblical language teachers. Some language teachers use technology tools such as web sites or CDs with audio lessons to improve the experience. Though these tools are helpful, this paper explores the value gained from understanding first how students learn and then how technology tools best support that learning. Developments in cognitive psychology and neuroscience offer many insights concerning adult learning and retention. After a presentation of key insights, several ideas are suggested for enhancing the learning and retention experience of biblical language students.     

Beyond Science: A Look at the Biblical Christian View of the Supernatural

Abstract

Science has greatly improved the quality of contemporary life compared with past centuries. Consequently, science has gained prominence as an authentic authority and a reliable source of truth, more respected than religion in general and biblical faith in particular. Naturalistic science, the most dominant kind of science, is rooted in the rationalism of the Enlightenment and excludes belief in the supernatural. However, the limits of this science become evident when confronted with the reality of supernatural phenomena in daily life. This article seeks to briefly examine the worldviews of naturalistic science and biblical Christianity in relation to the supernatural and present the significance of biblical Christianity for interpreting all of life’s reality.     

Teaching Creativity at the College Level: A Synthesis of Curricular Components Perceived as Important by Instructors

The purpose of this study was to describe the components of creativity courses taught at the college level and the perceived importance of the components to teaching creativity. Teachers of college-level creativity courses were asked to rate the degree to which curricular variables were considered important to the teaching of creativity. The instrument was developed from a content analysis of college creativity syllabi and other course artifacts. Results are discussed in terms of five dimensions for teaching creativity: social climate, personality characteristics, general theories and models, processes involved, and product variables related to end results.     

Blake and the Bible: Biblical Exegesis in the Work of William Blake

Abstract:  William Blake's biblical interpretation relied on allusive, imaginative and even prophetic modes. Here this is explored through his vision of the divine in Europe: A Prophecy and by exploring his views on the relationships between the testaments. In the first part, a comparison of his vision with the book of Revelation shows similarities in imaginative attempts to subvert ingrained religious assumptions. In the second, Blake's ambiguous attitude towards the Old Testament, coloured by his sustained polemic against religion and law, is discussed. Finally, some thoughts on the continued relevance of Blake's imaginative exegesis are offered.     

Rebooting Mental Health Care Delivery for the COVID-19 Pandemic (and Beyond): Guiding Cautions as Telehealth Enters the Clinical Mainstream

Across the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed perhaps the field’s largest and most abrupt transformation in scope of practice. In the context of surging mental health needs and historically limited feasibility of traditional office-based services during the pandemic, telehealth has launched into the clinical mainstream and has become a dominant mode of outpatient mental health care delivery. The articles in this terrific Special Issue outline some of the field’s most exciting innovations from the past 18 months. The present commentary discusses how these unprecedented times have prompted unprecedented resourcefulness and innovation in the field. Issues related to evolving and uncertain telehealth regulation and reimbursement policies are discussed, and cautions for the road ahead are offered as we prepare for post-pandemic practices. The commentary concludes with a call to redouble efforts to move beyond the use of telehealth to largely treat only those populations who already enjoyed access to traditional office-based services. Understanding and overcoming barriers to telehealth care and ensuring equitable access to telehealth options are critical steps for actualizing the great potential of telehealth strategies for increasing the reach of supported care to underserved populations.     

Class and Congregations: Class and Religious Affiliation at the Congregational Level of Analysis

Since Niebuhr's seminal work on the social sources of denominationalism, nearly all research on the relationship between social class and religious affiliation has focused on the denominational (or individual) level of analysis. This research examines the effects of social class at the congregational level—effects that were previously glossed over by a unit of analysis that was too large. After demonstrating the relative strength of social class at the denominational and congregational level, I argue that our theoretical attempts to link class and religious affiliation must include congregational-level explanations.     

Teaching Summarization Skills: Influences of Student Ability Level and Strategy Difficulty

Four methods of instructing summarization skills were compared to determine which was most effective in improving summaries written by junior college students of two ability levels. The four methods that differed in explicitness were (a) self-management alone, (b) specific rules (i.e., strategies) for summarizing, (c) self-management plus specific rules, and (d) self-management integrated with specific rules. The need for explicit, detailed pairing of self-management and strategy training varied as a function of students' ability level and strategy difficulty. These results are discussed in light of current theories of meta-cognition.     

Evaluating Word-Reading Models at the Item Level: Matching the Grain of Theory and Data

Spieler and Balota (1997) showed that connectionist models of reading account for relatively little item-specific variance. In assessing this finding, it is important to recognize two factors that limit how much variance such models can possibly explain. First, item means are affected by several factors that are not addressed in existing models, including processes involved in recognizing letters and producing articulatory output. These limitations point to important areas for future research but have little bearing on existing theoretical claims. Second, the item data include a substantial amount of error variance that would be inappropriate to model. Issues concerning comparisons between simulation data and human performance are discussed with an emphasis on the importance of evaluating models at a level of specificity ("grain") appropriate to the theoretical issues being addressed.