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Harfleur to Hamburg: Five Centuries of English and British Violence in Europe
No full textBritain has historically been seen as an upholder of international norms, at least in its relations with western powers. This has often been contrasted with the violence perpetrated in colonial contexts on other continents. What is often missed, however, is the extent to which the state with its capital in London—first England, then Great Britain—inflicted extreme violence on its European neighbours, even when still using the rhetoric of neighbourliness and friendship.
This book comprises eleven case-studies of Anglo-British strategic violence, from the siege of Harfleur in 1415 to the fire-bombing of Hamburg in 1943. Chapters examine actions that were top-down and directed, and perpetrated for specific geopolitical reasons—many of them at, or well beyond, the bounds of what was sanctioned by prevailing international norms at the time. The contributors look at how these actions were conceived, executed and perceived by the English/British public, by the international legal community of the time, and by the victims.
This history of English violence in Europe complicates not only easy notions of England/Britain as a champion of the ‘standards of civilisation’ or of the ‘liberal international order’, but also of the supposed distinction between ‘European’ and ‘extra-European’ warfare.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/books/1343/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Manifestations of Pluriform Love in the Leadership of Christian Early Childhood Communities: A Phenomenological Study 2019-2024 in New Zealand
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This study responds to the need to explore and/or propose models of leadership for Christian early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in New Zealand (NZ). While previous studies identify love and care as a priority there is a need to define and prioritize Biblical understandings of love that may align with the principles of the national ECE framework. The study represents an alternative narrative to the neo-liberal influences which dominate areas of ECEC leadership through the marketization and standardization of children’s services nationally and globally.
Purpose of Study
Many factors contribute to the purpose of this study which seeks to understand and prioritize care and ‘love’ in the leadership of Christian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) communities. The questions aimed to: 1) Identify the opportunities and barriers to the manifestation of love in ECEC leadership: 2) To explore Oord’s (2022) definition and theology of Pluriform love for overall well-being as a way to understand and promote intentional acts of love in ECEC communities, and 3): To explore ways of aligning Oord’s (2022) biblical understandings and definition of love with the principles and strands of the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, Te Whariki (MOE, 2017) as a way to propose a model or theory of leadership for Christian ECE Leadership.
Method
The study was approached through an advanced phenomenology of practice, or pheno-practice, which explores a phenomenon through the way it is practiced in settings relevant to the subjects lived world experiences. The research was conducted with three culturally diverse Christian ECEC leaders, through purposive face to face interviews and follow-up interviews through email. The research questions were designed to explore views and experiences in relation to how the participants manifest love leadership practices. To analyse the interview data, the Integral Model of Pheno-practice was used as a framework for identifying themes and categories according to the quadrants, cycles, lines and developmental dynamics of the model.
Findings
The study showed how the three participants manifested love through their Christian beliefs and motivations; their behaviours and teaching/leadership competencies; their approaches to culture and community building; and their responses to systemic demands from external bodies and policy requirements. Participants identified the value of the National Early Childhood Framework, Te Whariki (MOE, 2017) as a tool for promoting love through the four principles and five strands woven by Kiako (teachers) in programs and practices for individual care and community learning and development. Each participant affirmed the value of Oord’s (2022) definition of Pluriform love as a central principle of practice for ECEC leadership and proposed ways to present this in their services as a way to promoting intentional loving practices. The participants described their Christian beliefs and practices, demonstrating their intentional approaches towards manifesting love in many forms and dimensions through individual and collective, relational responses to children, colleagues, and families as a way to sustain personal and community well-being. Their commitment towards manifesting love was expressed through leadership challenges experienced during the COVID 2019-2023 pandemic.
Recommendations
The study creates opportunities for further research in theory and practice in multiple areas. A key recommendation proposes the further investigation of Oord’s (2022) definition and theology of love as a key principle for Christian ECEC philosophy and practice to be promoted through professional development programs that address ECEC teacher beliefs about love, their behaviours and competencies for loving practice, and to provide a foundation for establishing cultures of love in diverse ECEC communities
Desenvolvimento de um Programa Para Capacitar Pastores em Preparação Pre-Matrimonial com Antecedência na Associacao Paulistana de IASD no Brasil
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At the São Paulo Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil, a preliminary survey found that 98% of engaged couples who sought out the pre-marital preparation program offered by the church would get married shortly after the preparation course. Given this trend, there was a need for a strategy to encourage engaged couples to participate in a pre-marital preparation program well in advance. A program was then developed to train pastors in pre-marital preparation in advance in the Sao Paulo Conference whose aim was to form healthy and stable marriages.
Methodology
This study adopted a qualitative approach to investigate premarital preparation, using semi-structured interviews, surveys and discussions. Data were obtained from 59 district pastors, after approval by Andrews University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Although interviews and surveys provide up-to-date information, they may not guarantee accurate answers. Data analysis was performed with SPSS. Based on the results, the “Program to Train Pastors in Pre-Marriage Preparation in advance” was developed, including awareness through seminars and training with certification in the Prepare/Enrich tool. The pastors applied their knowledge in eight supervised sessions with couples over a period of four months, resulting in the effective implementation of the program.
Results
The study revealed that the pastors experienced a significant renewal in their ministerial practice and demonstrated a willingness to contribute to changing the culture of pre-marital preparation in the Sao Paulo Conference. With the implementation of the program, pastors were trained not only to serve engaged couples, but also to support married members in their counselling needs.
Conclusions
This project demonstrated that late pre-marital preparation is a trend in the Sao Paulo Conference, but it can be mitigated by the “Program to Train Pastors in Pre- Marriage Preparation in Advance” because it increases pastoral confidence through awareness, training and equipping, and also encourages brides and grooms to seek preparation in advance. The implementation of the program allows pastors to become agents of change, effectively serving couples. When we invest in prevention marriages become more functional, stable and healthy, which benefits society, the family and the church, and facilitates the pastoral mission
Descriptive Study of Adult Male Acheta Domesticus Phonotaxis
Get PDFThe phonotactic behavior of male Acheta domesticus has not been described at length. The present study evaluates the phonotactic responses of male A. domesticus in relation to age. Male crickets of different ages (young and old) were exposed to calls with attractive and non-attractive syllable periods for this species. Both age groups exhibited phonotaxis but did not show a preference towards the attractive call over the non-attractive ones. No significant relationship was found between age and phonotactic response. Additionally, no significant differences were observed between age and preferred syllable period. Acoustic responses were also observed in some of the older crickets. The results indicate that age does not determine phonotactic preference and does not seem to affect the likelihood of showing aggressive or satellite tendencies towards a conspecific caller. The lack of age-related phonotaxis to specific calls could also imply that there are no age-related changes or differences in the auditory processing and pattern recognition network in males of A. domesticus
Golden Rule 2.0: Kant at 300
No full textContinuing in the spirit of Kant\u27s 300th anniversary, Oliver and Ante are taking another crack at this monumental thinker. This time, they focus more specifically on his moral thought, running with the contention, partially tongue in cheek, that a consistent application of his principles of morality might lead to a revival in Christian communities. Among others, they discuss Derek Parfit\u27s reformulation of Kant\u27s formula: It is wrong to treat anyone in any way to which this person could not rationally consent. Whether that is indeed the supreme principle of morality is debatable. Still, one can imagine all kinds of life circumstances where following such a thought experiment would lead one to act in drastically different ways. They also tackle Kant\u27s universalism, Omri Boehm\u27s acclaimed book Radikaler Univesalismus, Kant\u27s stress on individuality, his decontextualizing of Christian morality, and other topics
A Health and Fitness Episode
No full textThis time around, Oliver and Ante take a slightly different track by tackling the theme of health and fitness, sharing some of the lessons learned concerning fasting, the psychology of fitness, exercise protocols, diet, and wholeness in general. While their sharing should not be taken as medical advice, they hope to share some insights and encouragement to people finding themselves on different stations in their health journey