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- Title
- MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU: CHRISTIANITY'S CRITIQUE OF ROMAN AND AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM.
- Creator
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Tindall, Ryan, Tindall, Ryan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Throughout the history of the United States, its inhabitants have looked upon their nation as a special place. In some cases, this has exceeded the natural and simple love of home and country and taken a more extreme form. Important to this bent is the tendency to see the nation, its beliefs, and its actions around the world as divinely sanctioned and inspired in some regard. This is a generally necessary component to the idea of American Exceptionalism, which views the United States as a...
Show moreThroughout the history of the United States, its inhabitants have looked upon their nation as a special place. In some cases, this has exceeded the natural and simple love of home and country and taken a more extreme form. Important to this bent is the tendency to see the nation, its beliefs, and its actions around the world as divinely sanctioned and inspired in some regard. This is a generally necessary component to the idea of American Exceptionalism, which views the United States as a nation with a divinely imposed mission to spread civilization, freedom, and democracy to the ends of the earth. In many ways, the Roman Empire shared these pretentions of being the bearers of civilization to the rest of the world and of being a divinely chosen nation with that vocation. Voices within Christianity, as it developed, provided a potent antithesis to this aspect of Roman imperial ideology, critiquing Roman ideas of their own exceptionalism. By comparing the ideological basis of Roman and American concepts of exceptionalism, this thesis will attempt to apply the critique made by people like Jesus, Paul and Augustine to the United States today.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004283, ucf:44894
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004283
- Title
- The Extension of Imperial Authority Under Diocletian and the Tetrarchy, 285-305CE.
- Creator
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Petitt, Joshua, Larson, Peter, Dandrow, Edward, Solonari, Vladimir, Cassanello, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Despite a vast amount of research on Late Antiquity, little attention has been paid to certain figures that prove to be influential during this time. The focus of historians on Constantine I, the first Roman Emperor to allegedly convert to Christianity, has often come at the cost of ignoring Constantine's predecessor, Diocletian, sometimes known as the "Second Father of the Roman Empire". The success of Constantine's empire has often been attributed to the work and reforms of Diocletian, but...
Show moreDespite a vast amount of research on Late Antiquity, little attention has been paid to certain figures that prove to be influential during this time. The focus of historians on Constantine I, the first Roman Emperor to allegedly convert to Christianity, has often come at the cost of ignoring Constantine's predecessor, Diocletian, sometimes known as the "Second Father of the Roman Empire". The success of Constantine's empire has often been attributed to the work and reforms of Diocletian, but there have been very few studies of the man beyond simple biography. This work will attempt to view three of Diocletian's major innovations in order to determine the lasting effect they had over the Roman Empire and our modern world. By studying 1) Diocletian's assumption of new, divinely inspired titles; 2)Diocletian's efforts at controlling prices in the marketplace; and 3)Diocletian's Persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire at the turn of the fourth century CE, we can gain valuable insight into the ways through which Roman Emperors extended their authority throughout different facets of Ancient World, including developments that would shape the future of Western Civilization for the next 1400 years.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004582, ucf:49190
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004582
- Title
- Christ on the Postmodern Stage: Debunking Christian Metanarrative Through Contemporary Passion Plays.
- Creator
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Dambrosi, Joseph, Listengarten, Julia, Wood, Vandy, Weaver, Earl, Thomas, Aaron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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As a Christian theatre artist with a conservative upbringing, I continually seek to discover the role of postmodernism in faith and how this intersection correlates with theatre in a postmodern society. In a profession that constantly challenges the status quo of Christian living, and a faith that frowns upon most (")secular(") behavior, I find myself in a position of questioning the connection between these two components of my life. Furthermore, I am troubled by the exclusive nature of the...
Show moreAs a Christian theatre artist with a conservative upbringing, I continually seek to discover the role of postmodernism in faith and how this intersection correlates with theatre in a postmodern society. In a profession that constantly challenges the status quo of Christian living, and a faith that frowns upon most (")secular(") behavior, I find myself in a position of questioning the connection between these two components of my life. Furthermore, I am troubled by the exclusive nature of the evangelical Christian community for people who do not meet its expectations of absolute truth(-)namely, the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and the judgment of others. After reading several contemporary plays with religious narratives, it is safe to say that there is a correlation between Christian faith and the postmodern stage and this connection can be used to debunk these accepted truths in Christian thought. In this thesis, I explore three plays by mainstream American playwrights(-)Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi, Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play: A Cycle(-)to disrupt the metanarrative dogma that evangelical Christianity continues to force upon its (")believers.(") These topics include the traditional evangelical treatment of homosexuality, the judgment of others, and the exclusivity of the gospel message. Using postmodern theory and the New Testament Gospels as a lens, this thesis expands the universal messages of the Gospels and makes them inviting and applicable to all people despite varying cultures, lifestyles, or worldviews.?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006093, ucf:51189
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006093
- Title
- ATHEISTS, DEVILS, AND COMMUNISTS: COGNITIVE MAPPING OF ATTITUDES AND STEREOTYPES OF ATHEISTS.
- Creator
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Najle, Maxine, Sims, Valerie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Negative attitudes towards atheists are hardly a new trend in our society. However, given the pervasiveness of the prejudices and the lack of foundation for them, it seems warranted to explore the underlying elements of these attitudes. Identifying these constitutive elements may help pick apart the different contributing factors and perhaps mitigate or at least understand them in the future. The present study was designed to identify which myths or stereotypes about atheists are most...
Show moreNegative attitudes towards atheists are hardly a new trend in our society. However, given the pervasiveness of the prejudices and the lack of foundation for them, it seems warranted to explore the underlying elements of these attitudes. Identifying these constitutive elements may help pick apart the different contributing factors and perhaps mitigate or at least understand them in the future. The present study was designed to identify which myths or stereotypes about atheists are most influential in these attitudes. A Lexical Decision Task was utilized to identify which words related to popular stereotypes are most related to the label atheists. The labels Atheists, Christians, and Students were compared to positive words, negatives words, words or interests, neutral words, and non-word strings. Analyses revealed no significant differences among the participants' reaction times in these various comparisons, regardless of religion, level of belief in god, level of spirituality, or being acquainted with atheists. Possible explanations for these results are discussed in this thesis.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004318, ucf:45041
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004318
- Title
- AN INQUIRY INTO DISCOURSE CHOICES AS INDICATORS OF GENDER ATTITUDES IN A NON-PROFIT CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN BUSINESS.
- Creator
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Kruger, Dawn, Marinara, Martha, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that...
Show moreThis paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that indicate personal attitudes toward the same and the opposite genders. This research project draws on that information while it analyzes the oral and electronic discourse of the communications staff. The purpose of this study is to observe whether or not the traditional teachings of conservative Protestant Christian churches has influenced the attitudes of these men and women with regard to women in positions of authority over men in a Christian business. Two staff meetings and a lunchroom conversation were audio taped and transcribed to note oral discourse patterns. One hundred and eleven emails were examined to mark patterns of written discourse. This data was then evaluated against published research in the area of gendered discourse markers. The results indicate that two of the three women in leadership positions over men were comfortable with their positions of authority, but the third woman's discourse patterns showed signs of insecurity. Furthermore, the men in the department did not indicate signs that they seek to exercise power over women, nor did they show signs of difficulty in submitting to the authority of the women. The women staff members, however, showed definite indications of being insecure in a mixed group, and of being meekly subordinate to anyone in authority over them. These results, while helpful, are not definitive in that they do not account for the possibility of other influencing factors, such as personality types, job roles and expectations, age differences, or church teachings on meekness and submission to authority. However, the results of this research indicate that some conservative Christian men are ready for and able to embrace the concept of having women in positions of authority over them, even in a Christian environment, and a few conservative, Christian women are ready to step into those positions. Also from this research it could be concluded that, on the average, conservative women struggle more with the shift of authority than men do. More research would need to be done to address that question fully.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000631, ucf:52852
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000631
- Title
- AN ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, PRIVATE SCHOOL LAW, AND BUSINESS AND FINANCE BETWEEN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PRINCIPALS WITH AND WITHOUT GRADUATE DEGREES.
- Creator
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Robinson, Dennis, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study analyzed the performance of a sample of K-12 Assemblies of God Christian school principals on the Christian School Principal Preparation Assessment Questionnaire (CSPPAQ). The CSPPAQ, developed especially for this study, assesses knowledge in three areas: knowledge of the Bible, knowledge of private school law, and knowledge of business and finance. A sample size of 102 was determined using the sample size formula, based on a population of 611and a bound of 4 (+ 2). Numerous school...
Show moreThis study analyzed the performance of a sample of K-12 Assemblies of God Christian school principals on the Christian School Principal Preparation Assessment Questionnaire (CSPPAQ). The CSPPAQ, developed especially for this study, assesses knowledge in three areas: knowledge of the Bible, knowledge of private school law, and knowledge of business and finance. A sample size of 102 was determined using the sample size formula, based on a population of 611and a bound of 4 (+ 2). Numerous school closures over the course of this study caused the population size to drop to 490. This fact, coupled with a 45% survey return rate called for an adjustment of the bound to 6.4 (+ 3.2) for a sample size of 42. The scores in each of the three sub-areas as well as the composite score were then analyzed to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between principals without a graduate degree and those with a graduate degree in Bible/theology, educational leadership and other (any other graduate degree). A single factor ANOVA procedure was used and determined that no statistically significant relationship exists for mean score in knowledge of the Bible (F=1.05, p>.05). Mean score for knowledge of private school law showed a marginally significant difference (F=2.8, p=.054). Mean score in knowledge of business and finance also showed no significant relationship (F=1.7, p>.05) with the same result for the composite score (F=2.18, p>.05). Mean scores in the areas of private school law and business and finance were low (18.7 and 16.2 respectively). Calculating a percentage score for these areas would compute to 53% (18.7/35) and 54% (16.2/30) respectively, indicating a low knowledge base for these areas. Percentage composite score was also low at 63% (55.2/88). The data showed that it did not seem to make a difference whether the respondents had attained a graduate degree in any of the tested fields; there was little or no significant difference in their score. This evidence suggests that no current study program adequately prepares an individual with the knowledge base needed to effectively lead a Christian school, especially in the areas of private school law and business and finance. Given that the review of literature showed that Christian schools most often fail due to financial reasons, this finding is particularly significant. It was suggested that universities look at the principal preparation programs to determine if they can add material which would help to better prepare the Christian school principal. This study indicates a knowledge deficit in the areas of business and finance and private school law, materials added in those areas might prove helpful to this group. Follow-on study was suggested in a larger population of Christian schools, perhaps in the Association of Christian Schools International, to more definitively determine if specially designed graduate programs need to be developed for this population of administrators.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003879, ucf:48726
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003879
- Title
- For the Good That We Can Do: African Presses, Christian Rhetoric, and White Minority Rule in South Africa, 1899-1924.
- Creator
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Marsh, Ian, Walker, Ezekiel, Dandrow, Edward, Foster, Amy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research examines Christian rhetoric as a source of resistance to white minority rule in South Africa within African newspapers in the first two decades of the twentieth-century. Many of the African editors and writers for these papers were educated by evangelical protestant missionaries that arrived in South Africa during the nineteenth century. Most prior research on these presses has examined the importance of Christianity, but has not taken into account the evolution of its use over...
Show moreThis research examines Christian rhetoric as a source of resistance to white minority rule in South Africa within African newspapers in the first two decades of the twentieth-century. Many of the African editors and writers for these papers were educated by evangelical protestant missionaries that arrived in South Africa during the nineteenth century. Most prior research on these presses has examined the importance of Christianity, but has not taken into account the evolution of its use over the entirety of the period. Without this emphasis on evolving utilization, the current scholarship lacks a complete understanding of African newspapers and their relationships with Christianity, the African population, and white minority rule. This research shows the importance of this evolution in the larger legacy of African resistance to marginalization in twentieth-century South Africa.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006763, ucf:51849
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006763
- Title
- In Double Exile: A Memoir.
- Creator
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Beckwin, Deborah, Nwakanma, Obi, Roney, Lisa, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and...
Show moreIn Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and nowhere. I am never a stranger and I never quite belong.(") This memoir explores this tension between alienation and connection, as a second-generation immigrant grows up navigating between various cultures: to dominant American culture, evangelical Christian/Southern culture, African-American culture, and Ghanaian culture. In an attempt to understand the present, this thesis is a sankofa journey back into the author's history. Spanning over four decades, the memoir uncovers various exilic configurations: exiled from family, from ethnic heritage, from home, and from one's self.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005304, ucf:50529
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005304
- Title
- THE POWER IN MULTIPLYING: GROWTH IN NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS.
- Creator
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Wrobel, Nicole, Gleig, Ann, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Starting in November of 2016, a documentary series aired on the original network A[and]E where it continues to capture the attention of thousands of viewers in America. Scientology: The Aftermath, starring the well-known King of Queens and Dancing with the Stars actress Leah Remini and former senior executive of the church of Scientology International and Sea Organization Mike Rinder, aim to reveal the "truth" that hides behind the church of Scientology. The show interviews ex-practitioners...
Show moreStarting in November of 2016, a documentary series aired on the original network A[and]E where it continues to capture the attention of thousands of viewers in America. Scientology: The Aftermath, starring the well-known King of Queens and Dancing with the Stars actress Leah Remini and former senior executive of the church of Scientology International and Sea Organization Mike Rinder, aim to reveal the "truth" that hides behind the church of Scientology. The show interviews ex-practitioners who claim their lives have been deeply impacted by the church and who want to assist in revealing the shocking stories of abuse and harassment the church tries to keep secret. The goal of the show, in short, is to not only share the "real" face of Scientology to the public, but to also reach out and assist people who have been affected personally by the church; some have lost their family and friends while others have been followed or monitored by church members. A simple Google search on Scientology brings up multiple news headlines on the church being labeled as a "cult" and "criminal" while magazines in the lines of grocery stores display the downfall on the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes due to the intensity of the Church of Scientology. Yet Scientology isn't alone in receiving negative attention from the media. Christian Science has been accused of depriving the ill of needed medical attention which has led to some members becoming severely ill and dying in some cases. Most of these cases are children that were deprived of needed medical assistance due to their parents' religious views. Religious Studies scholar, Mary Bednarowski, adds that due to these circumstances, Christian Science has long experienced harsh criticism. With families and anti-cult movements protesting in the streets, ads, books, and magazines displaying their opposition, and the media labeling these movements as "dangerous", why would people join and remain in these New Religious Movements? What is it that makes these religious movements alluring and what are their adherents benefiting from them?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000325, ucf:45732
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000325
- Title
- Confrontational Christianity: Contextual Theology and Its Radicalization of the South African Anti-Apartheid Church Struggle.
- Creator
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Rodriguez, Miguel, Walker, Ezekiel, Sacher, John, Zhang, Hong, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This paper is intended to analyze the contributions of Contextual Theology and Contextual theologians to dismantling the South African apartheid system. It is intended to demonstrate that the South African churches failed to effectively politicize and radicalize to confront the government until the advent of Contextual Theology in South Africa. Contextual Theology provided the Christian clergy the theological justification to unite with anti-apartheid organizations. Its very concept of...
Show moreThis paper is intended to analyze the contributions of Contextual Theology and Contextual theologians to dismantling the South African apartheid system. It is intended to demonstrate that the South African churches failed to effectively politicize and radicalize to confront the government until the advent of Contextual Theology in South Africa. Contextual Theology provided the Christian clergy the theological justification to unite with anti-apartheid organizations. Its very concept of working with the poor and oppressed helped the churches gain favor with the black masses that were mostly Christian. Its borrowing from Marxist philosophy appealed to anti-apartheid organizations. Additionally, Contextual theologians, who were primarily black, began filling prominent leadership roles in their churches and within the ecumenical organizations. They were mainly responsible for radicalizing the churches and the ecumenical organizations. They also filled an important anti-apartheid political leadership vacuum when most political leaders were banned, jailed, or killed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004322, ucf:49484
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004322