An Annotated Bibliography of Protestant Theological Writings on Angels in Post-Reformation Thought from 1565 to 1739

Abstract

The annotated bibliography, comprised of fifty-five works by fifty-one authors and 3,242 pages (1,096 in Latin and 2,146 in English) of writings directly related to angelology, is arranged in chronological order. It is preceded by a Specifications Statement, which describes the domain, scope, selection process, organization and editorial practices of the bibliography. The selected works are representative of an array of Protestant confessional groups including the Anglican, Arminian, Calvinist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Puritan, and Remonstrant traditions. Designed to ease the task of conducting research on angelology as it relates to post-Reformation literature, it provides a useful bibliographical tool to scholars of historical theology, historians of Reformation, Renaissance and Enlightenment thought, and those with interdisciplinary interests.     

The Effects of Protestant Theological Conservatism and Trust on Environmental Cooperation

Recent studies indicate that Protestant theological conservatism is associated with lower levels of generalized trust. In this article, we ask: What are the implications of theological conservatives’ lower trust levels? Specifically, does their lower trust impact environmental cooperation? Past research finds that trust promotes cooperation, and we theorize that because theological conservatism undermines trust, it should negatively impact cooperation directly. Thus, we suggest an interaction between trust and theological conservatism on cooperation. We test the arguments in the context of environmental social dilemmas, including decisions about recycling, water and energy consumption, and individuals’ willingness to protect the environment, using data from the 2010 General Social Survey. Our results support the theory that trust levels among Protestant theological conservatism more acutely undermine environmental cooperation, and we further discuss the implications of these findings.     

霍克海默思想之神学因素初探

本文根据霍克海默的传记和著作初步梳理霍克海默思想中的神学因素。突显霍氏犹太教信仰背景对批判理论的影响,特别是独一神信仰和犹太先知传统。同时指出霍氏的理论建构对于犹太一基督教神学传统的创造性吸收和批判,尤其是受否定神学传统和新正统神学影响下提出的“对全然他者的渴望”这一宗教哲学思想。     

Theological Attentiveness to A Universe from Nothing: A Review Essay

Abstract

This article explores the need for a theological attentiveness to recent discoveries in the scientific world, and the corresponding debates between theologians and scientists. Specifically the article discusses the writings of Lawrence M. Krauss about a universe from nothing in five scientific claims, and the need for caution by believers in God, not to infer a creation story from the scientific view of the Big Bang theory. The progressive understanding of the spiritual dimension of human nature is just as important as the progressive understanding of the scientific nature of the universe. Krauss seems not to share a faith in theological matters which is not a reason on his part to belittle it. The progressive understanding of the spiritual dimension of human nature is just as important as the progressive understanding of the scientific nature of the universe.     

In the Anteroom of Divinity: The Reformation of the Angels from Colet to Milton

Abstract

Erasmus censures the musical practice of the medieval Church from ethical and rhetorical perspectives on music, and highlights decorum in delivery at the liturgical performance. His criticism of instrumental music echoes the patristic views of music, which are essentially logocentric and opposed to the use of musical instruments within the Church. The Erasmian ideal of church musicians lies in the classical model of the sacred-musical orator, with great emphasis on musicians’ moral status and intellectual ability. In relation to music (especially the Psalms) in the context of Christian worship, Erasmus regards music as a ‘spiritual sacrifice’ in which leading godly lives is combined with singing hymns and praises.     

Escaping to the Angels: A Note on the Passing of the Manic Defence

This essay examines how some psychologically adroit individuals use creativity as a manic defence against the affects that they cannot bear to experience directly. Conceived within the perspectives of Jungian psychoanalysis, manic creativity is shown to effect a defence against the subjective distress of personal complexes by means of an identification with the archetypal cores of the complexes. This defensive use of creativity, however, may ultimately play a decisive role in healing. Indeed, when considered from a prospective or teleological point of view, manic creativity, for all its insensitivity to the suffering that has inspired it, can also be understood as gradually creating a container in which affects formerly defended against may be received and suffered, felt and grieved. It is in this way that manic creativity, though clearly a defence (and at times a very costly one), participates in the reparative initiative of the self.     

Protestant clergy marriage in the congregational context: a report from the field

The author reports on in-depth interviews with fourteen clergy--both male and female--along with their spouses to determine how they experience the stressors and marriages. These responses are compared with the literature currently available on clergy couples in relation to congregational systems. Recommendations are made for strengthening clergy marriage by identifying initiatives that may be taken during seminary and continued by local congregations and judicatories.     

From Pastor to Pensioner: A Study of Retired Canadian Protestant Clergy from the Continuity Perspective

ABSTRACT

By using the Continuity Perspective, this study investigates how clergy adjust to retirement. Four sets of factors were examined; Situational factors, activities, occupational subculture, and psychological continuity. Methods of data collection include mailed questionnaires and personal interviews. The sample consists of 185 Anglican, Baptist, and United Church retired clergy. It was found that (1) the clergy maintain continuity of their1 lifestyles except when some situational factors force them to alter their way of life; (2) retired ministers tend not to develop new activities, but continue to participate in existing ones; (3) the occupational subculture of Protestant clergy has the function of facilitating their retirement; and (4) clergy appear to maintain a stability in the type of responses they have to changes and crises.     

Rethinking Boundary Ambiguity from an Ecological Perspective: Stress in Protestant Clergy Families

Family researchers have virtually ignored the families of clergy as a population of interest. Their unique social ecology, however, can offer a profitable case study in family stress. The genesis of Boss's (1977, 1987) boundary ambiguity construct will be reviewed and critiqued. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) approach will then be applied to the boundary problems of clergy families. It is argued that an ecological analysis of boundary ambiguity in clergy families will lead to a higher-order understanding of the construct itself.     

晚清新教传教士的中国佛教观

十九世纪下半叶,来华新教传教士群体发生很大变化,他们对待中国宗教文化的态度上也趋于多元。艾约瑟、艾德、毕尔、丁韪良、李提摩太、苏慧廉等几位具有自由思想的晚清新教传教士,试图一次次跳出传统佛教观的范式以及对中国佛教进行套语式的描述,开诚布公地去充分认知中国佛教这个“他者”。佛教词典的编撰、佛教经典的英译出版,标志着他们对中国佛教研究已经达到一个新阶段。不管他们最初的动机怎样,客观上都促进了中国佛教文化的西传以及西方汉学的发展,增进了中西宗教文化的对话与交流。以今日的眼光去评价他们的著述,不难发现其中的缺失,但无论如何,他们是西方学界了解中国佛教的先驱学者。     

Strong commitment to traditional Protestant religious beliefs is negatively related to beliefs in paranormal phenomena

Numerous studies have yielded small, negative correlations between measures of paranormal and "traditional religious beliefs". This may partly reflect opinions of Christians in the samples who take biblical sanctions against many "paranormal" activities seriously. To test this, 391 college students (270 women and 121 men) rated their beliefs in various paranormal phenomena and were classified as Believers, Nominal Believers, and Nonbelievers on the strength of their self-rated commitment to key biblical (particularly Protestant) doctrines. As predicted, Believers were significantly less likely than Nominal Believers or Nonbelievers to endorse reincarnation, contact with the dead, UFOs, telepathy, prophecy, psychokinesis, or healing, while the beliefs of Nominal Believers were similar to those of Nonbelievers. Substantial percentages of Nominal and Nonbelievers (30-50%) indicated at least moderate acceptance of the paranormal phenomena surveyed.