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How God Acts in Healing Miracles: Understanding Special Divine Action as God\u27s Universal Creative Action through the Theological Approach of William R. Stoeger, S.J.
Full text linkMainly addressing secularized Christian communities, we explore how miraculous healing supports the thesis that special divine action is a specific instantiation of divine creative action. While Christians acknowledge Christ’s healing ministry, which is continued in various forms by the Church, a theology of divine action in healing is essential for engaging with contemporary scientific and medical perspectives. The theology of divine action, articulated by William Stoeger and Denis Edwards, provides a framework for understanding special divine action as a particular mode of God’s creative action. We examine three main insights of this theological approach: understanding God as the first cause, grounded in the principle of creatio ex nihilo; conceiving God’s creative action as operating through the laws of nature; and recognizing the Christological dimension of divine creative action. God’s relationship with humanity is also relevant to interpreting history and discerning God’s intention for creation. The coherence between this divine intention and the natural laws through which God acts suggests that God establishes conditions that make God’s intention possible. Viewing the setting of these conditions as part of divine creative action allows us to affirm that universal salvific events, such as the Incarnation and the Resurrection, can be understood as integral to divine creative action. The Incarnation and the Resurrection could be interpreted as conditions that make possible God\u27s intention to draw creation into f1,1II communion with God. By noticing the Christological dimension of these two special salvific acts and the special divine action in miraculous healing, we argued that divine special action constitutes a specific mode of divine creative action
The Online Jealousy Scale: an adaptation, extension, and psychometric analysis of the Facebook Jealousy Scale
Full text linkObjective: To test the reliability and validity of the Online Jealousy Scale.
Background: Romantic jealousy is often examined in online and social media settings and a validated measure of online jealousy is needed.
Method: Across two studies, the present research tests the psychometric properties of the Online Jealousy Scale (adapted from the Facebook Jealousy Scale) on an undergraduate (Study 1, N = 111) and two broader community (Study 2, N = 200; Study 3, N = 143) samples.
Results: Data across all studies provide evidence of strong inter-item and test–retest reliability; and construct, convergent and discriminant validity. Consistent with other jealousy measures, evidence of three factors emerged: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral jealousy.
Discussion: These studies indicate that the OJS is a reliable and valid instrument.
Implications: This measure fills the need for a valid, reliable assessment of online jealousy and can be used in research about online jealousy across age and relationship type. It may also be useful for individual or couple therapy
Towards a New Relational Model of the Trinity for India: A Retrieval of Social Trinitarianism
No full textThis dissertation develops a Trinitarian model by reinterpreting the classical Christian concept of Perichresis through the socio-political lens of Bahujanization, a worldview shaped by the struggles and aspirations of marginalized communities in India. By integrating Bahujanization into Trinitarian theology, it contextualises and enriches Leonardo Boff’s social model of the Trinity, presenting a theological framework rooted in collective liberation, social justice, unity, and solidarity.
Leonardo Boff, a Brazilian liberation theologian, envisioned the Trinity as “a prototype of human community,” promoting just and egalitarian relationships through relational unity and perichoresis. While Boff’s model emerged in the Latin American context, this dissertation reinterprets it for the Indian socio-political reality, addressing the Bahujan vision of collective liberation and inclusive transformation.
Bahujan communities, the marginalized majority in India offer a vision of liberation through the process of Bahujanization, emphasizing solidarity, mutual collaboration, and shared struggles. Such a vision resonates with social Trinitarianism’s emphasis on relational unity, making it a relevant theological framework for India. Using the theological method of see-judge-act, critical correlation and interdisciplinary approaches, the study address questions such as: How does the Bahujan vision of liberation inform and qualify perichoresis? How can Boff’s Trinitarian model be reimagined for India? And how does a new model of the Trinity address the social and ecclesial challenges of the Church in India?
The dissertation introduces the Bahujan model of the Trinity where the Trinity is reimagined as Bahujan. Each person of the Trinity actively participates in Bahujanization, symbolizing dynamic mutual intercommunion and collaborative action. The model reframes perichoresis through a Bahujan lens, providing a culturally resonant framework for Bahujan communities.
The Bahujan model of the Trinity emerges as a divine paradigm for unity amidst fragmentation, encouraging liberation not as isolated individuals but as a community grounded in divine communion. The approach connects with global concepts like Ubuntu, Minjung, and Yin-Yang, fostering relationality and collective identity. It challenges Indian theologians to reengage the Trinity as a model for addressing socio-political challenges transformative ecclesial and social action
Critical Analysis of Tavares Strachan\u27s First Supper (Galaxy Black) as a Prophetic Banquet
No full textThis thesis explores how secular artworks can serve as sites of profound spiritual encounter by focusing on The First Supper (Galaxy Black), a monumental sculpture by Bahamian artist Tavares Strachan. Created outside of religious commission and exhibited in the heart of London, this contemporary reinterpretation of the biblical Last Supper offers a compelling space for spiritual reflection, particularly through the lens of African and African diasporic identities . Strachan\u27s visual language brings together historical figures of African descent, reimagining sacred narratives through a contextual and inclusive lens.
By inviting figures such as Haile Selassie, Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, and Marsha P. Johnson to the banquet, Strachan challenges Eurocentric portrayals of the sacred and expands the meaning of discipleship and communion. It proposes a banquet that reflects the diversity, resilience, and sacred worth of Black cultural heritage and marginalized voices. Drawing from the analysis of theology, spirituality, art historians, and Google survey data, the thesis suggests that Strachan\u27 s work functions as a visual contextual theology in a secular space.
By inviting figures such as Haile Selassie, Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, and Marsha P. Johnson to the banquet, Strachan challenges Eurocentric portrayals of the sacred and expands the meaning of discipleship and communion. It proposes a banquet that reflects the diversity, resilience, and sacred worth of Black cultural heritage and marginalized voices. Drawing from the analysis of theology, spirituality, art historians, and Google survey data, the thesis suggests that Strachan\u27 s work functions as a visual contextual theology in a secular space
Broadcasting Policy and Media Reform
Full text linkIn some nations broadcasting evolves steadily and organically into a system that serves the information and leisure needs of an ever broader range of social groups. The media stimulate a widespread, critical and informed debate on national issues. In other countries broadcasting tends to become the preserve of powerful minority interests, and all information is slanted, often subtly, to serve the power strategies of these interests. Wave after wave of public media reform protest crashes against these privileged minorities, hut the established controls remain virtually intact. What has communication research to say to this problem
Nature\u27s Microplastic Solution: Engineering Marine Bacteria for Sustainable Plastic Decomposition
No full textThis research looked at the metabolic response of Alcanivorax borkumensis in pyruvate-supplemented medium as well as its polystyrene microplastic degradation potential. The study used CO₂ analysis to confirm previous results on plastic digestion and discover new understanding into degradation kinetics and inhibitory pathways. A. borkumensis was cultivated in ONR7a medium with varied pyruvate concentrations (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) at 32 degrees C and 220 RPM. Polystyrene microplastics (≤5 mm) were introduced over five 24-hour experiments. Every four hours, the OD600 was used to track development, and the Zobell Marine agar plates streaked with bacteria at assigned time points verified viability. The controls were pyruvate only (positive), no carbon source (negative), and pyruvate with polystyrene (test). Goal one of confirming previous scientific results on plastic digestion was partially achieved. Although polystyrene-containing media saw development (especially in experiments 2, 4, and 5), the erratic OD600 and plating results made interpretation difficult, probably due to overlapping pyruvate metabolism. Goal 2 to identify new scientific insights on plastic digestion kinetics, inhibitory or competitive biopathways for synthetic polymer bond cleavage based on the analysis of CO2 was partially achieved. The optimal degradation kinetics developed between 8 and 12 hours of incubation with 1% pyruvate. The results suggest a hierarchical substrate use in which pyruvate enhances metabolism while suppressing the energy-intensive enzymatic pathways required for polymer bond cleavage. These findings highlight the need of pyruvate-free setups to definitively determine plastic mineralization and CO2 pathways. The most significant biomolecular new discovery in current experiment where unexpected bacterial growth in negative control (no pyruvate, no polystyrene), suggests A. borkumensis may possess an active CO₂ fixation pathway, which was also confirmed by the photo of the agar plates streaked with bacteria at assigned time points