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God question : an invitation to a life of meaning (Revised edition)
No full textWhat does it take to live a meaningful life? Why are so many people in affluent nations so anxious and unhappy? What difference does believing in God really make? And does belief in the God of the Bible truly make sense today?
In this revised edition of The God Question, philosopher J. P. Moreland invites us on a journey to a rich, flourishing life. He digs into the causes of our cultural crisis of unhappiness and considers how the God revealed in Jesus provides the most rational solution to our deepest needs. With special sensitivity to skeptics, seekers, and Christians who are disenchanted with their faith, he helps us see the Christian story - its reasonableness and its relevance - in fresh ways.
For anyone wrestling with big questions about life and faith, Moreland provides insight from his many years of philosophical studies and his own experience as a Christian. Filled with personal stories, this book explores evidence for the existence of God, the reliability of the Gospels, essentials of a flourishing Christian life, the reality of miracles, and more. This edition also features a new section on overcoming anxiety and depression. Wherever you are on your journey, The God Question will help you see anew what difference Jesus makes in a human life.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1534/thumbnail.jp
For Shame: Rediscovering the Virtues of a Maligned Emotion
No full textShame is bad. Too often it cripples and silences victims of other people\u27s shameful behavior, and research has demonstrated clearly the damaging effects of shame on our emotional wellbeing. In recent years a mini-industry of bestselling books, TED Talks, and popular therapies has emerged to free people from deleterious shame.
And yet, a place for shame remains. Some behavior is shameful, and sometimes we ought to be ashamed by wrongs we\u27ve committed. Eastern and Western cultures alike have long seen a social benefit to shame, and it can rightly cultivate virtues both public and personal. So what are we to make of shame?
In For Shame, philosopher and author Gregg Ten Elshof examines this potent emotion carefully, distinguishing between it, embarrassment, and guilt and carefully tracing the positive role shame has played historically in contributing to a well-ordered society. While casting off unhealthy shame is always a positive, Ten Elshof demonstrates the surprising, sometimes unacknowledged ways in which healthy shame is as needed as ever. On the other side of good shame, he argues, lie virtues such as decency, self-respect, and dignity--virtues we desire but may not realize shame can grant.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1545/thumbnail.jp
Letters for the Church: Reading James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude as Canon
No full textThe Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. Tucked into a few pages near the back of our Bibles, these books are sometimes referred to as the non-Pauline epistles or concluding letters, maybe getting lumped together with Hebrews and Revelation. Yet these letters, Darian Lockett argues, are treasures hidden in plain sight, and it\u27s time to give them the attention they deserve. In Letters for the Church, Lockett reveals how the Catholic Epistles provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Based on evidence from the early church, he contends that the seven letters of James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude were accepted into the canon as a collection and should be read together. Here Lockett introduces the context and content of the Catholic Epistles while emphasizing how all seven letters are connected. Each chapter outlines the author, audience, and genre of one of the epistles, traces its flow of thought, and explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles. The early church valued the Catholic Epistles for multiple reasons: they defend orthodox faith and morals against the challenges of heretics, make clear that Christianity combines belief with action, and round out the New Testament witness to Christian faith and life. By introducing the coherent vision of these seven epistles, Letters for the Church helps us rediscover these riches.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1595/thumbnail.jp
Spiritual Theology and Spiritual Formation; An Integrative methodology for a global approach
No full textChapter 4
The church is called to grow in Christ. Yet too often, it ignores the practical dimensions of the faith.
The church is one in Christ. Yet too often, it is divided by national, denominational, theological, and racial or ethnic boundaries.
The church is a global body of believers. Yet too often, it privileges a few voices and fails to recognize its own diversity.
In response, this volume offers a multi-denominational, multi-ethnic vision in which biblical scholars, theologians, and practitioners from around the world join together to pursue a cohesive yet diverse theology and praxis of spiritual formation for the global church.
Be fed in your faith by brothers and sisters from around the world
Is God Listening to My Prayers? Initial Validation of a Brief Measure of Perceived Divine Engagement and Disengagement in Response to Prayer
Get PDFDoes God listen and respond to prayers? This project provided initial validation for a brief measure of perceived divine engagement and disengagement in response to prayer. As part of a larger project on religious/spiritual struggles among U.S. undergraduates, we used Sample 1 (n = 400) for exploratory factor analysis and Sample 2 (n = 413) for confirmatory factor analysis and initial validity testing. A two-factor model with four items per factor provided acceptable fit. On average, participants reported more divine engagement than disengagement. They endorsed items about God listening more than those about God responding. Divine engagement showed strong positive associations with religiousness and positive-valence variables involving God. Divine disengagement showed strong positive associations with variables suggesting divine struggle or distance. Importantly, both subscales also showed evidence of incremental validity: Divine engagement predicted positive-valence God variables (e.g., secure attachment, collaborative religious coping, gratitude to God, and awareness of God) even when controlling for religiousness and positive God concepts and attitudes. Divine disengagement predicted more spiritual struggles and more negative-valence and distance-related God variables (divine struggle, anxious and distant attachment, and self-directing religious coping) even when controlling for doubt about God’s existence, negative God images, anger/disappointment toward God, and concern about God’s disapproval. In short, this brief new measure shows promise as a tool to assess beliefs about God’s responsiveness to prayer
Women in the mission of the church their opportunities and obstacles throughout Christian history
No full textWomen have been central to the work of Christian ministry from the time of Jesus to the twenty-first century. Yet the story of Christianity is too often told as a story of men. This accessibly written book tells the story of women throughout church history, demonstrating their integral participation in the church\u27s mission. It highlights the legacies of a wide variety of women, showing how they have overcome obstacles to their ministries and have transformed cultural constraints to spread the gospel and build the church.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1547/thumbnail.jp
Physical Activity Alignment with National and Global Guidelines of Staff at a Private University in Southern California
No full textActive lifestyles meeting or exceeding 150 minutes/week of PA are associated with risk reductions in multiple chronic health conditions. However, sedentary work-related environmental conditions are linked with a decline of physical activity (PA) in the United States and abroad. University staff may uniquely experience work-related challenges that could inhibit achievement of recommended daily levels of PA, yet few studies on this exist. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate self-report PA among employees at a private university and assess alignment with global and national goals for PA to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. METHODS: Eligible survey respondents (N = 253) were women (n = 173, 39.3 ± 13.4 years of age, 164.4 ± 8.1 cm in height, 69.7 ± 16.4 kg in weight, and 25.9 ± 6.6 kg/m2 body mass index [BMI] ) and men (n = 82, 41.5 ± 12.9 years of age, 178.33 ± 8.1 cm in height, 85.8 ± 14.4 kg in weight, and 27.03 ± 4.6 kg/m2 BMI of) employed as staff at Biola University. Participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), using the Survey Monkey® platform. Occupations were categorized by type (administration, staff, and facilities). Activity specific (leisure, household, occupational, and transport) weekly minutes and metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week were calculated and then summed to get grand total minutes of weekly PA and grand total MET minutes of PA per week. Total walking PA, moderate PA, and vigorous PA minutes per week and MET minutes per week were tabulated and analyzed. RESULTS: Men were significantly (P \u3c .05) more physically active per week in total PA MET minutes per week, workplace PA in MET minutes per week, and minutes per week than women. A stepwise decrease between PA and increases in educational attainment was observed, yet was statistically insignificant. Facilities personnel were significantly (P \u3c .05) more active than both administration and staff. Staff and administration had similar activity levels. The percentage of employees completing a total of at least 150 minutes of PA per week was 82.4% of the sample. CONCLUSION: A large majority of university employees exceeded the ACSM minimum weekly recommendations for PA. However, activity levels varied significantly between sex and job type