ARE LIBERALS AND EVANGELICALS SINGING FROM THE SAME SONG SHEET?

Characterising Liberal and Evangelical theology as positions on a continuum or spectrum is common within Protestant circles. I argue that Liberals and Evangelicals do not share a common conceptual framework but embody competing and incommensurable conceptual schemes. Liberal theology then is not a distortion of true Biblical Christianity, as is often supposed, but rather is an entirely different approach to doing theology, indeed, to seeing the world. What I hope to achieve by way of this paper is to provide a context within which to better understand both Liberal and Evangelical claims, and to offer an explanation as to why the debates between the two schools are seemingly intractable. Further, I hope to encourage Liberals and Evangelicals to pursue the difficult task of understanding each other's position so that genuine dialogue can take place.     

Political Legitimacy,the Egalitarian Challenge,and Democracy

This article argues against the claim that democracy is a necessary condition of political legitimacy. Instead, I propose a weaker set of conditions. First, I explain the case for the necessity of democracy. This is that only democracy can address the ‘egalitarian challenge’, i.e. ‘if we are all equal, why should only some of us wield political power?’. I show that if democracy really is a necessary condition of political legitimacy, then (what I label) the problems of domestic justice and of international legitimacy become intractable. I then argue that the egalitarian challenge is addressed where the requirements of (1) horizontal equality, (2) acceptable vertical inequality, and (3) publicity, are met and where (4) citizens have some institutionalized opportunity for a voice in decisions. I show that these conditions can be realized in non‐democratic form and conclude by explaining how the four conditions can be employed to make the problems of domestic justice and of international legitimacy more tractable. Overall, my ambitions are limited. I do not offer an all‐things‐considered case against democracy but I do show that (some) forms of non‐democratic government are permissible.     

Cognition and Social Information-Gathering Strategies Reinterpretation Assessment in Second-Guessing

Effective social decision making often depends upon gathering needed information. Since the kind and quality of information obtained depends on the tactics used to gain it, the study of information-gathering tactics is of prime importance in understanding the processes of social decision making. We focused on one facet of information-gathering—the cognitive process of second-guessing developed by Hewes and Planalp (1982). We developed and tested a theory of reinterpretation assessment that explores the relationship between second-guessing and the use of social information-gathering tactics. Four of the five principles on which this theory is based are tested empirically. They concern the effects of motivational (need for accuracy), cognitive (processing load), and practical (social effort) antecedents on the tactics employed by social actors to improve subjectively the quality of their reinterpretations of messages. Moderate support is garnered for all four principles. Some challenging anomalies result in modifications of the theory.     

Returning to the Feminine Ground

A case study is described of an adult male European American client who experienced spontaneous spiritual imagery while participating in a visualization meditation during a counseling session. The symbolism of the imagery is discussed in light of A. Deikman's (1997) concepts of receptive and instrumental consciousness.     

PRIOR SELECTION CAUSES BIASED ESTIMATES OF STANDARDIZED ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES: SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS

Assessment of standardized ethnic group differences ( d ) on predictors of job performance has become an important issue for applied psychologists. A number of studies have used an experimental design in which the predictor of interest was administered after an initial screening predictor. We examined the influence of prior selection on a first predictor on observed ds for second predictors in multiple-hurdle selection systems. Results of a Monte Carlo simulation indicate observed dson the second predictor are underestimated in the presence of prior selection on another predictor. More important, "downward bias" in observed standardized ethnic group difference is substantial (30-70%) when selection ratios are low, standardized ethnic group differences on the screening predictor are high, and when the first and second predictors correlate above .30. Researchers should consider the influence of range restriction in designing studies of ethnic group differences and comparing ds across predictors, particularly when data are collected under a multiple-hurdle design.