291 research outputs found
Ep. #154 - Evan Berry
No full textThis recording and transcript form part of a collection of podcasts conducted by the Cultures of Energy at Rice University. Cultures of Energy brings writers, artists and scholars together to talk, think and feel their way into the Anthropocene. We cover serious issues like climate change, species extinction and energy transition. But we also try to confront seemingly huge and insurmountable problems with insight, creativity and laughter.Cymene and Dominic rediscover the Violent Femmes on this week's podcast and that prompts a discussion of the best albums of all time. We then (18:54) welcome American U’s Evan Berry to the podcast, author of Devoted to Nature: The Religious Roots of American Environmentalism (U California Press, 2015) and the PI of a Luce Foundation funded project on “Religion and Climate Change in Cross-Regional Comparison.” We start with the Pope and his views on climate change and then quickly move on to Evan’s argument that much apparently secular environmentalist thinking has deep affinities with Christian theology. We revisit Lynn White’s famous argument that Christianity devalues nature, discuss the need to move past “great man” narratives of the evolution of environmentalism, and ruminate on what 19th century Christian environmentalists considered to be the “moral salubriousness of nature.” Evan shares his thoughts on how Protestant nominalism may have informed American climate denialism over time and also about how walking as a form of “recreational salvation” became linked to the valorization of wilderness. We discuss whether American Christianity is exceptional in terms of climate morality and why American political culture has become an incubator for religious radicalism. We then turn to how climate change is now impacting religious systems across the world and how better intergenerational ethics might teach us to think collectively rather than individually. Finally, we discuss another recent book project Evan has undertaken with Rob Albro, Church, Cosmovision, and the Environment: Religion and Social Conflict in Contemporary Latin America (Routledge 2018)
J.C. Bach's London keyboard sonatas : style and context
Get PDFJ. C. Bach's keyboard works include several sets of accompanied sonatas, a genre that enjoyed a wide popularity during the Classical era, but never
found its way into the concert repertoire. The accompanied sonata was a genre meant for domestic performance; the solo keyboard sonata, on
the other hand, was adopted in due course by concert audiences. J. C. Bach composed works within both genres during most of his productive years, and his output constitutes a corpus of remarkable consistency. J. C. Bach's removal to London in 1762 coincided with his clear adoption of a galant style, marked by the Italianate influence, and the abandonment of most Baroque traits. The British milieu provided additional factors: the rise of the pianoforte, a thriving music-publishing market, and a great interest in domestic music making among the affluent classes. These factors marked J. C. Bach's output at various levels. Keyboard works had to conform to the proficiency of the amateur performer, a
fact reflected in the accompanied output mostly. The number of movements, their length, and the inclusion of particular technical devices are readily observable differences between the two genres. The most remarkable
distinction lies perhaps in the preference for binary sonata format in the accompanied. sonatas from the mid 1760s to the 1770s, in spite of a later tendency for tripartite designs in both genres. J. C. Bach's lifelong preference for motivic phrase structure conditioned his keyboard production and partly explains the gap in quality between some of his works and sonatas composed around the same time by Haydn and Mozart, who developed more effective means to connect the melodic material
to higher structural units. J. C. Bach's influence, however, endured in Mozart's handling of melody, and his keyboard production constitutes, in spite of some flaws, a noteworthy example of elegance and craftsmanship
Church and state in religious education 1944-1984: a critical survey of trends in England from the point of view of the Christian parent with special reference to the Christian schools movement
Get PDFAt the end of the forty year period 1944-1984 a minority of Christian parents in England and Wales were expressing their disquiet at trends in Education in general, and Religious Education in particular. The five year research project 1979-1984 was primarily aimed at communicating their concept of events, and their aspirations, to those who, having had their attention drawn to the actions of the dissenting parents, wondered what sort of thinking inspired those actions. For those inclined to regard the parents as on the Christian fringe, evidence is presented to show that on the contrary they were mainly the orthodox, and in line with mainstream Christianity, as delineated by the historic creeds. The argument of this thesis is that the parents were a grass-roots reaction to a creeping revisionism that affected Christian thinking on education in the Protestant sector, but did not similarly affect the Roman Catholic sector
Contemporary Afrocentric religious expressions of the Pan-African orthodox Christian church as comparedto John S. Mbiti's interpretation of African religion, 1996
Get PDFThis study examined the similarities and differences between John S. Mbiti's analysis of African religion and the theology of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church (P.A.O.C.C.). The study sought to establish whether the similarities represent African retentions and conscious adaptations within the P.A.O.C.C. Five aspects were considered in the analysis of African Religion and the P.A.O.C.C. They are: revelation, god, humanity, savior/messiah and church. The researcher found that within the theology of the P.A.O.C.C. there exist significant African retentions and learned adaptations of African religion that parallel Mbiti's analysis of African religion. The P.A.O.C.C. consider themselves a theological institution with Afrocentric practices and tradition. The conclusions suggest that the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church is an institution of contemporary Afrocentric religious expression
Spontaneous music : the first generation British free improvisers
No full textThe British free improvisation scene originated in London and Sheffield during the
mid 1960s. In groups such as AMM, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Joseph
Holbrooke, a distinctive and ambitious musicality developed that still occupies most
of its protagonists forty years later.
Marked stylistic contrasts developed within the genre, notably the `atomistic' and
`laminar' methods of interaction. Nonetheless, a consistency of principle and practice
was also apparent that defined British free improvisation as unique. In some respects
the genre resembled its German, Dutch and American counterparts, and also the jazz
and classical avant-gardes that had inspired them. Both conceptually and practically,
however, clear differences remained.
The British free improvisers refined a method and an aesthetic of musical creativity,
which suggested an intimate perspective and a detailed analysis of that which we
accept as `music'. Its techniques and results were unconventional, but remained
consistent with music's defining concepts and experiences. As such, British free
improvisation suggested a more inclusive model of musicality than is common, and
implied a broad critique of the cultural values that define `music' at all. Though the
free improvisers themselves did not explicitly state the connection, their work may be
viewed in the context of Deconstruction: the post-structuralist analytical strategy
associated with philosopher Jacques Derrida.
British free improvisation culminated from innovations within the twentieth century
avant-garde. Referencing styles such as atonality and free jazz, it challenged the
aesthetic, technical and hierarchical standards of Western tradition in a form that was
striking and extreme, but also of logical development and focus. Free improvisation
owed explicit debt to a variety of other musics; its most singular achievement
however, was the redefinition of `rhythm' by which it disguised this fact.
The music of the first generation British free improvisers is reliant upon precise
conceptual and practical execution. But though this has enabled the genre to be
musically innovative, in the long term it has also become a logical problem. With
British free improvisation as its subject, the scrutiny of Deconstruction reveals
significant discrepancies between what `free improvisation' implies and what it
actually represents
Athanasius' contra arianos iv: a reconsideration
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis is to provide a through reconsideration of the treatise Oratio IV Contra Arianos (hereinafter referred to as CAR IV), which historically is attributed to St. Athanasius. This reconsideration addresses three main areas of inquiry:1. Is it defensible to consider Athanasius to be the author of CAR IV in terms of linguistics and theology?2. Since the Athanasian premise is not universally accepted, what other authors are suggested by patristics scholars?3. Regardless of authorship, what theological value does CAR IV hold for the contemporary reader? It is this author's contention that CAR IV, though a lesser-known writing of the Nicene period, is a very significant treatise. CAR IV offers a valuable insight into the theologically rich and complex world of the fourth century church. In CAR IV, by way of refutation, we are introduced to a view as radical and persistent as Arianism but less often discussed - modalistic monarchianism. An understanding of all the varied doctrines that did battle at Nicea leads to a greater appreciation for the endurance of the tradition expressed in the Nicene creed. In conclusion, the present author finds the argument that CAR IV is genuinely Athanasian but separate from the other three Orations to be the most convincing theory yet expounded. CAR IV would be more properly titled Contra Marcellum. Perhaps Athanasius never gave this title to the work in deference to Marcellus. Only Athanasius, Marcellus' friend, would demonstrate this consideration. It is also suggested that CAR IV was an incomplete rough draft. The author of this thesis agrees with this reasoning also, and after contemplation would further this explanation by hypothesizing that CAR IV was an incomplete text of Athanasius that was collected and arranged in its current form posthumously by students of the Bishop
Scripture and Its Readers: Readings of Israel’s Story in Nehemiah 9:6 – 37, Ezekiel 20:5 – 31 and Acts 7:2 – 60
Get PDFHow may a reader who wishes to read the Christian Bible as scripture well today be formed; and how may interpretations of scripture inform such concern? The present work is an exploration of this under-considered question in the field of contemporary biblical scholarship via sustained exegetical engagement with three biblical texts, namely Nehemiah 9:6 – 37, Ezekiel 20:5 – 32 and Acts 7:2 – 60, which offer three different inner-canonical readings of scripture in the form of three distinctive recitals of Israel’s story. The purpose is to consider how these retellings read scriptural traditions in relation to the wider context of the Christian canon; and to reflect on their enduring and formative significance as scripture for readers seeking to appropriate the scripture faithfully today.
Chapter one will indicate that the concern of the present work is not a recent one, but rather one that is integral to a Christian practice of reading scripture. This chapter will also consider how such a concern once under-explored in biblical scholarship is now receiving some renewed attention in the field of theological interpretation of scripture. An overview of selected works pertaining to such concern will be considered in chapter two as a means to set a context for articulating the approach and rationale of the present work. In chapters three through to five, each chapter will be devoted to each of the three biblical texts, Nehemiah 9:6 – 37, Ezekiel 20:5 – 31 and Acts 7:2 – 60, to consider how scriptural traditions are interpreted in these three texts in relation to the wider context of the Christian canon. The next step is to reflect on the implications of these three biblical texts as Christian scripture for readers seeking to interpret scripture faithfully today. For such concern, the three texts will be considered individually at the end of chapters three, four and five respectively and then in concert in chapter six
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones 1899-1981 and twentieth-century evangelicalism.
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis was to demonstrate the significance of the life and ministry of David Martyn Lloyd-Jones in post-war British evangelicalism and to show that, so far as Protestant churches in England and Wales were concerned, no history of the period can afford to ignore him. It is our contention that despite differences of opinion and self- marginalization Lloyd-Jones was and has remained a major force in evangelical thinking. In order to understand how this developed the thesis has been structured along thematic lines highlighting events, persons and questions. The study begins by setting the stage with a biographical chapter and goes on to examine the kind of impact that Lloyd-Jones's preaching had on Christians of all denominations. He believed preaching to be the greatest need of the day and the position of this thesis is that preaching was Lloyd-Jones's greatest contribution to twentieth- century Christianity. As a preacher he attracted one of London's largest congregations and in chapter three we look at the history and nature of Westminster Chapel comparing it with neighbouring ministries, and establishing the kind of people who went to hear him. Chapters four and five ascertain the factors which shaped Lloyd-Jones's views on the church and show how his Reformed evangelicalism led in a separatist as opposed to an ecumenical direction and finally, to a position which was neither Congregational nor Presbyterian. Our further argument is that while he favoured unity among believers his separatist ecclesiology only exacerbated the situation and left evangelicals more divided than before. Chapters six to eight evaluate Lloyd-Jones's background, the nature of his leadership and the extent of his influence - factors which either shaped or were the outcome of his ministry - and looks at the issues which these questions raise
The People of the North: Influencer Histories and Miniaturization in Eleventh-Century Italy
Get PDFThe Norman invasion of Italy in the eleventh century was a process that required political support and legitimacy for its leaders, the Hauteville dynasty. The members of this dynasty either commissioned or financed three individuals as they wrote three respective histories of the Norman conquest in order to accomplish this legitimation. In these sources, each author took inspiration from the classic works of history and poetry of the Greek and Roman world and applied symbolism and direction from their understanding of medieval Christian theology. In addition, these works catalogued examples of events, people, places, animals, and behavior as exotic objects for the audience. In this way, the authors “educated” their audience about the events of the conquest, miniaturizing what might have felt foreign and frightening into simple categories. The three writers used this technique to ease the many contradictions of their own ideology: the violence of the Normans yet the necessity of their rule, the dominance of Islam in a Christian world, and the Greek character of a Roman Empire. Each source, however, had its own focus and key differences with the others. Through comparison, we can see how the priorities of each author, whether that meant cultural ties, theology, personal priorities, or political endeavors, affected their presentation of history. Their similarities are also significant, as the three sources often corroborated a coherent mythological recounting of the arrival of the Normans and their political ambitions in southern Italy
Performing Redemption: Metzian Theology in the Art of Kendrick Lamar
Get PDFThe German Catholic theologian Johann Baptist Metz makes a convincing case that in the face of the catastrophes of the 20th century, Christian theology can no longer isolate itself from its role as a perpetrator of injustice. To that end, he seeks to challenge abstract answers to theological questions with a renewed sensitivity to past transgressions. For Metz, Christian faith cannot simply be a matter of assent to theoretical propositions, but rather a practical engagement with "dangerous memories" of systematic injustice. In this paper, the author takes up Metz's conceptual framework for political theology and uses it to examine Kendrick Lamar's "Sing about Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" as a theological, and specifically soteriological, performance. By re-telling in his own voice the stories of friends who have died, Kendrick both documents the struggle they lived and reveals his own vulnerability to the same conditions (of sin). But in addressing this vulnerability, he transcends it, protecting himself from sin precisely by telling the story. The paper closes with some reflections on how Kendrick's track might gesture towards a mode of doing theology that subverts the abstract tendencies of the hegemonic Western tradition
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