OF MIRACLES AND METAPHYSICS: A PENTECOSTAL‐CHARISMATIC AND PROCESS‐RELATIONAL DIALOGUE

This article is comprised of a dialogue between Pentecostal‐Charismatic and Process‐Relational theologies on the perennial issue of miracles. The language of supernaturalism, widely employed by Pentecostal‐Charismatic theologians, is contrasted with the metaphysical naturalism of Process‐Relational theology; it is proposed that a philosophically and scientifically sensitive theology of miracles is possible through a synthesis of both traditions. Themes such as nonmaterialism over materialism, spiritual experience, and prayer for healing miracles are explored. A theology of miracles, mutually informed by both Pentecostal‐Charismatic and Process‐Relational theologies, may focus less on whether or not miracles are possible, but instead focus more on what kind of miracles human beings might value most. By mutually engaging a theology of nonsupernatural, metaphysically grounded miracles, Pentecostal‐Charismatic and Process‐Relational theologians may collaborate to establish the groundwork for creative scientific enterprises, especially in the non‐Western world where Pentecostalism continues to experience its most rapid growth, Such perspectives may eventually lead to cutting‐edge discoveries about the fundamental nature of, and God's interaction with, reality itself. Implications for future research are proposed.     

THE EXPLORATORY AND REFLECTIVE DOMAIN OF METAPHOR IN THE COMPARISON OF RELIGIONS

There has been a longstanding interest in discovering or uncovering resemblances among what are ostensibly diverse religious schemas by employing a range of methodological approaches and tools. However, it is generally considered a problematic undertaking. Jonathan Z. Smith has produced a large body of work aimed at explicating this and has tacitly based his model of comparison on metaphor, which is traditionally understood to connote similarity between two or more things, as based on a linguistic or pragmatic assessment. However, another possible approach is cognitive. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson have championed the view of “conceptual metaphor,” which regards metaphor as being pervasive not only in language, but also in thought and action. Indeed, according to them, it basically structures our conceptual operations and hence views of the world through partially mapping knowledge across ontological domains, generally from the concrete to the abstract. I shall argue that a similar mechanism can fruitfully be applied to comparing religious schemas, as based on the postulated relationship between the domains of human and divine, physical and abstract, and as realized through expressions of journeying and reflection.     

Sampling in developmental science: Situations,shortcomings, solutions,and standards

Sampling is a key feature of every study in developmental science. Although sampling has far-reaching implications, too little attention is paid to sampling. Here, we describe, discuss, and evaluate four prominent sampling strategies in developmental science: population-based probability sampling, convenience sampling, quota sampling, and homogeneous sampling. We then judge these sampling strategies by five criteria: whether they yield representative and generalizable estimates of a study’s target population, whether they yield representative and generalizable estimates of subsamples within a study’s target population, the recruitment efforts and costs they entail, whether they yield sufficient power to detect subsample differences, and whether they introduce “noise” related to variation in subsamples and whether that “noise” can be accounted for statistically. We use sample composition of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status to illustrate and assess the four sampling strategies. Finally, we tally the use of the four sampling strategies in five prominent developmental science journals and make recommendations about best practices for sample selection and reporting.     

Teaching Generalized Self-Control to Attention Deficit Boys With Mothers as Adjunct Therapists

Two boys, diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity and described as impulsive and lacking self-control, participated in the study. In a mental health setting, a self-instructional training program tailored to the specific behavioral deficits of each subject was introduced sequentially in a multiple-baseline design. Self-instructional training consisted of both conceptual and task-specific verbalizations, and targeted completion of classroom work. Mothers were trained as adjunct therapists and conducted a home training program. Results indicate that both subjects made substantial improvement in percent of daily classroom work completed, were reported as more self-controlled and less disruptive by mothers and teachers, and received higher grades at the end of treatment.     

SEXUAL DIVERSITY AND DIVINE CREATION: A TIGHTROPE WALK BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE

Abstract Although modern societies have come to recognize diversity in human sexuality as simply part of nature, many Christian communities and thinkers still have considerable difficulties with related developments in politics, legislation, and science. In fact, homosexuality is a recurrent topic in the transdisciplinary encounter between Christianity and the sciences, an encounter that is otherwise rather “asexual.” I propose that the recent emergence of “Christianity and Science” as an academic field in its own right is an important part of the larger context of the difficulties related to attempts to reconcile Christianity and a recognition of diversity in human sexuality as a norm. Through a critical discussion of arguments which are upheld most disturbingly on a global scale by the Roman Catholic Church and supported with much sophistry by important stakeholders of an influential stream in analytic philosophy of religion, this paper aims to contextualize and defend the legitimacy of the question why God would create homosexuals as such if it is true that every homosexual act is prohibited by God. While recently advanced nonheterosexist scientific models of sexuality in nature inform the discussion, I reject the simplistic view that religions suppress and the sciences liberate in matters sexual.     

超越两种文化：第三种文化与变革中的当代心理学

心理学内部长期存在着科学文化与人文文化的对立与决裂,这一矛盾加剧了心理学的分裂趋势。第三种文化兴起后,既不赞同非此即彼的单一文化观,也不认可两种文化间存在着不可逾越的鸿沟,而是提出了“数据、理论、阐释”三位一体的“综合科学”概念和以“磁力”主题为中心的研究模式,积极倡导人文与科学文化的宽容、批判性反驳与合作精神,从而超越了传统意义上两种文化的观念束缚,有望为当代心理学的发展提供一种新的进路。     

Interesting times: practice, science, and professional associations in behavior analysis

Neither practitioners nor scientists appear to be fully satisfied with the world's largest behavior-analytic membership organization. Each community appears to believe that initiatives that serve the other will undermine the association's capacity to serve their own needs. Historical examples suggest that such discord is predicted when practitioners and scientists cohabit the same association. This is true because all professional associations exist to address guild interests, and practice and science are different professions with different guild interests. No association, therefore, can succeed in being all things to all people. The solution is to assure that practice and science communities are well served by separate professional associations. I comment briefly on how this outcome might be promoted.     

“自我”的分裂与拯救——生命科学技术的道德哲学探寻

在道德哲学视域中,"自我"是基于"自然"的同一性与整体性的生命存在。而现代生命科学技术对"自然自我"的干预和颠覆导致了纯粹"自然自我"的消逝和"精神自我"的绝望,并由此引发"自我"的分裂。对生命伦理而言,重新弘扬"自我"的主体性,致力于"自我"向伦理实体的回归,乃是重拾"自我"生命尊严的内在要求。     

绩效薪酬感和自我效能感对薪酬满意的影响

本研究就薪酬满意的结构这个具有争议的问题以及个体差异与薪酬满意的关系进行了考察,尝试探讨绩效薪酬感知、自我效能感对薪酬满意的影响。研究以浙江省东部地区机关和事业单位的256名科技人员为样本。因素分析发现机关和事业单位科技人员的薪酬满意是一个多维结构的构思,包括薪酬水平满意、福利满意、增薪机制满意和薪酬管理满意四个维度;多层分步回归分析结果表明绩效薪酬感知对薪酬满意有显著作用,科技人员的自我效能感在这种作用关系中有缓冲效应,研究结论表明绩效工资制度并不一定带来高水平的薪酬满意水平,科技人员的个体差异对薪酬满意有不可忽视的影响作用。讨论和结论部分给出了研究的局限性和未来研究展望。     

Charting the map metaphor in theories of religion

The idea that scholars of religion produce ‘maps’ that represent the ‘territories’ of religion(s) is common and influential. This paper first discusses the role of the metaphor, with special reference to the work of J.Z. Smith, and some of the problems raised by the map metaphor (above all, its implicit reliance on a naive correspondence view of truth). It then draws two important distinctions: between different levels of representation; and between the representing and guiding function of maps (truth and use). It ends by comparing issues in the philosophy of science and the theory of religion in order to highlight some promising directions for more defensible semantic and epistemological groundwork in theory of religion.