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(1 - 4 of 4)
- Title
- UNDERSTANDING THE SUBJECTIVITIES OF PASTORS AND BELIEFS ABOUT THE CURRENT AMERICAN CHURCH CULTURE.
- Creator
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Anderson, Michael, Mishtal, Joanna, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study investigates the spiritual subjectivities of pastors in the Mainstream White Middle Class Evangelical Church in the context of American capitalism. The Evangelical church carries extreme amounts of power and influence in shaping the beliefs of individuals in American society. However, very little pointed research of pastors' spiritual subjectivities that guide their teachings and views in this sub-sect of church culture is present in academia. Anthropology, along with other...
Show moreThis study investigates the spiritual subjectivities of pastors in the Mainstream White Middle Class Evangelical Church in the context of American capitalism. The Evangelical church carries extreme amounts of power and influence in shaping the beliefs of individuals in American society. However, very little pointed research of pastors' spiritual subjectivities that guide their teachings and views in this sub-sect of church culture is present in academia. Anthropology, along with other disciplines, often focuses on dominant churches from an etic perspective of politics and power relations without fully considering the spiritual beliefs of pastors. This etic perspective can miss the deeply interwoven factors, including understanding of the Scriptures and pastors' roles in their congregations, challenges associated with religious consumerist competition, and conceptualizations of church "success" that shape pastors subjectivities, and in turn help shape American Christian culture. Pastors navigate the tension between the broader capitalistic social forces and their spiritual and Biblical beliefs as many pastors of the church aim to change the unquestioned adherence to these ideals. Building on my seven years of experience as a pastor in the Orlando area and drawing on current research with a group of Evangelical pastors, I demonstrate in this study that although capitalistic social forces shape many ideals of individuals in the American Evangelical church culture, understanding pastors' spiritual subjectivities is crucial when investigating the influence of the church in America.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003732, ucf:48771
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003732
- Title
- Can I Get an Amen? Central Florida Black Pastors' Perceptions of the Impact of the Black Church in the Black Community.
- Creator
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Williamson, Jeffrey, Gay, David, Carter, Shannon, Corzine, Harold, Matejowsky, Ty, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study uses phenomenological methods to answer the research question, (")what do black pastors perceive as the role of the church in the black community?(") I asked 20 Central Florida black pastors 17 questions, most of them open-ended, to determine their perceptions of the current black church. First, these pastors are dismayed at the condition and the position of the current black church. They view the history the black church as strong and stalwart, and the Civil Rights Movement as an...
Show moreThis study uses phenomenological methods to answer the research question, (")what do black pastors perceive as the role of the church in the black community?(") I asked 20 Central Florida black pastors 17 questions, most of them open-ended, to determine their perceptions of the current black church. First, these pastors are dismayed at the condition and the position of the current black church. They view the history the black church as strong and stalwart, and the Civil Rights Movement as an example of what the institution is capable of doing and being. Second, they perceive the primary roadblock of the black church to be leadership. They do not see current pastors as having neither the vision nor the desire to make the church the instrument of social justice and change that it once was. They see current pastors trying to make a name for themselves instead of impacting the communities they serve. They also see member apathy as another issue that hinders the impact of the black church. They argue that many black people have climbed the social ladder and no longer desire to reach back and help other blacks in the community that they have exited. This study provides important insight into the current state and the perception of the direction of the black church from the vantage point of these men and women who lead black churches in Central Florida.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0006017, ucf:51011
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006017
- Title
- THE ORIGINS OF LACTASE PERSISTENCE AND ONGOING CONVERGENT EVOLUTION.
- Creator
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Keller, Beth, McIntyre, Matthew, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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As a primary factor in human evolution, natural selection is an important component of genetic research. Studies of lactase persistence suggest that positive selection has played a powerful role in the adaptation to a lifelong consumption of fresh milk. Using multiple research studies of lactase persistence and suspected corresponding single nucleotide genetic polymorphisms, this study combines data sources to determine whether evidence exists for natural selection of a specific cytosine-to...
Show moreAs a primary factor in human evolution, natural selection is an important component of genetic research. Studies of lactase persistence suggest that positive selection has played a powerful role in the adaptation to a lifelong consumption of fresh milk. Using multiple research studies of lactase persistence and suspected corresponding single nucleotide genetic polymorphisms, this study combines data sources to determine whether evidence exists for natural selection of a specific cytosine-to-thymine genetic mutation located 13,910 base pairs (T-13910) upstream from the lactase gene. This polymorphism has potential to be a causal element for lactase persistence, and data suggest that natural selection has played a role in the rising frequency and distribution of this allele, if only in some regions. European and neighboring regions appear to have the highest frequencies with little or no frequency in Asia, Africa and Indonesia; however the presence of lactase persistence in those areas suggests convergent evolution may be occurring on a phenotypic level. To examine this possibility several other identified polymorphisms in the same region as the T-13910 will be included in this study.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003608, ucf:48890
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003608
- Title
- THE LOST VOICES OF ANCIENT ISRAEL: RECLAIMING EDEN, AN ECO-CRITICAL EXEGESIS.
- Creator
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Bacchus, Nazeer, Campbell, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This work addresses the historically-read despotism Genesis 1.28 has often received in its subordination of nature for the interests of human enterprise and counters the notion of reading the entire Bible as an anti-environmental, anthropocentric text. In using a combined literary lens of eco-criticism and new historicism, this work examines the Hebrew Bible with particular attention to the books of Genesis and Exodus, offering within the Torah's oldest literary tradition (the J source) an...
Show moreThis work addresses the historically-read despotism Genesis 1.28 has often received in its subordination of nature for the interests of human enterprise and counters the notion of reading the entire Bible as an anti-environmental, anthropocentric text. In using a combined literary lens of eco-criticism and new historicism, this work examines the Hebrew Bible with particular attention to the books of Genesis and Exodus, offering within the Torah's oldest literary tradition (the J source) an environmental connection between humanity and the divine that promotes a reverence of natural world and, conversely, a rejection of rampant urbanization and its cultural departure from nature. It is the goal of this research to create a discourse by bridging the gap between religious and green studies and forging a connection with the works of the early biblical writers and environmental thought of the modern world.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004793, ucf:45337
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004793
