Department: Theological Studies ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
15 matches in the database.
These are records: 1 - 15.
1.
Allen, John Joseph.
"A Great Mystery": The Analogy of the Sexes in the Trinitarian Communio of Hans Urs Von Balthasar in Light of a Feminist Perspective.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► This project attempts to expound the theological anthropology of Hans Urs von…
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▼ This project attempts to expound the theological anthropology of Hans Urs von Balthasar as a decidedly Trinitarian anthropology. The method of this project explores the writings of Balthasar on the analogy of the sexes grounded in the Godhead, and incorporates the critical engagement of feminist theologian Tina Beattie. Central to the conclusion of this thesis is an understanding of the Trinity as a reciprocal Gift-Exchange of Love between the Persons; a model after which the human sexes, male and female, were created and called to imitate. This thesis questions the degree to which Beattie's critique of Balthasar fails to take into account the Trinitarian grounding of Balthasar's vision of the human sexes.
Advisors/Committee Members: Levering, Matthew.
Subjects: Religion
Keywords: Trinitarian Anthropology; Hans Urs Von Balthasar; Tina Beattie; Nuptial Analogy; Trinity; Gender
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2.
Donahue, Maura Stephanie.
Moving Beyond the Corporation: Recovering an Ontology of Participation to Envision New Forms of Business.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2011, University of Dayton
► This thesis offers a critique of the publicly traded, for-profit corporate form…
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▼ This thesis offers a critique of the publicly traded, for-profit corporate form of business organization in light of the Catholic social tradition. It highlights the ways in which this organizational form is inconsistent with the view of the human person, work, and participation in the economy articulated in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Laborem Exercens and Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate. The thesis argues that the corporate form creates moral problems for both shareholders and employees, and it maintains that responses to Benedict XVI’s encyclical that seek positive social change through business must address legal and organizational issues of business structure. This thesis shows how a participatory ontology and deeper understanding of freedom as kenosis (in contrast to the unchecked freedom of the individual that undergirds the modern corporation) can help point the way toward new forms of business organization that seek to ameliorate the moral problems inherent to the corporate form. By engaging the work of John Milbank, D. Stephen Long, and others who, following Aquinas, articulate a participatory ontology, the thesis argues that such an ontology is critical to understanding human work and participation in the economy, as it allows the opportunity to question the prevalent understanding of individual freedom and its resulting lack of a unified economic telos. The last chapter responds to Pope Benedict XVI’s call to find new ways to understand business. Drawing on lessons learned about human work, the role of the person in economy, the critique of the corporation, and by engaging an ontology of participation, the thesis explores existing alternative business structures (including microfinance through Catholic Relief Services, the Economy of Communion business model, and the TOMS’ Shoes company) and suggests ways to mobilize the resources of the church as a means by which Christians might respond to Benedict’s call.
Advisors/Committee Members: Johnson, Kelly S.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: Catholic social teaching on work; moral critique of the corporation; participatory ontology; economic participation; business and economy; human development
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3.
Fannin, Jordan Rowan.
Beyond Engaging and Resisting: Reclaiming the City's Moral Vision and Reimagining the Church's Politics.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2010, University of Dayton
► This thesis examines the story of Englewood Christian Church (ECC) to provide…
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▼ This thesis examines the story of Englewood Christian Church (ECC) to provide a counternarrative for the ways in which Christians engage in politics. Challenging the false choice of engagement versus resistance, it first proposes that within the Christian tradition, the city is a moral good, functioning as biblical image, theological guide, and support for a common good. It also argues that the move out of cities – or suburbanization – is a moral story, both in its results and in the desires that produced it. The claim is then explored that the church is and should be a politics itself – indeed, the primary politics for Christians. Finally, it narrates the story of ECC and its unique practice of congregational conversation, its theological self-understanding as the Body of Christ, and its convictions about a shared life, examining the ways it meets the definition of a politics proposed above. This thesis concludes by articulating what meaning the singular example of ECC should have for Christians and for churches in other places.
Advisors/Committee Members: Johnson, Kelly S.
Subjects: Religion; Religious Congregations; Theology
Keywords: City; Cities; Theology; Church; Suburbanization; Politics
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4.
Gabrielli, Timothy R.
Confirmation and Being Catholic in the United States: The Development of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Twentieth Century.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2010, University of Dayton
► This thesis examines the development of the Catholic sacrament of Confirmation in…
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▼ This thesis examines the development of the Catholic sacrament of Confirmation in the United States across the twentieth century. It argues that as United States Catholics’ relationship to their wider culture changes, Confirmation theology and practice changes to reflect that relationship. In order to illustrate the thesis, the work is broken into four periods – 1910-1959, 1960-1971, 1972-1980, 1981-2006 – each of which represents a different stage in the evolution of Confirmation in U.S. Catholic discourse and practice. At different points in its twentieth century history, Confirmation becomes the sacrament of: Catholic Action, the Liturgical Renewal, and the Charismatic Renewal. In the final period, there is a strong emphasis on the Confirmation as the sacrament of choice, that is the time when young Catholics are accorded the opportunity to choose Catholicism from among the religious options presented to them. Such an emphasis makes sense from an historical perspective, as this final period is characterized by what Catholic historian Jay Dolan has called “a rage for pluralism” among Catholics. The demands of pluralism seem to beg for a time when a young Catholic can choose Catholic Christianity as his or her particular religion. Some of the negative results of this “theology of choice” include: Confirmation understood as “graduation”; excessive pressure laid upon confirmandi to make a definitive choice at the moment of Confirmation; often unfulfilled expectations of a profound experience to occur on the day of Confirmation; a sacramental reinforcement of the dominant consumer model of religion and a voluntaristic understanding of the Church; and increased individualism among Catholics. In light of the dominance of this theology and the problems associated with it, the conclusion calls for a renewed emphasis on the Gift of the Holy Spirit received in the context of the Church. It points to the work of several theologians and catechists as examples of fruitful contributions to Confirmation theology in the direction of emphasizing the Holy Spirit and ecclesial formation.
Advisors/Committee Members: Doyle, Dennis.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: Sacrament of Confirmation; Sacramental Theology; U.S. Catholicism; Holy Spirit; Pluralism
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5.
Garmann, Ellen Christina.
“Faithful to Your Sacraments and Loyal in Your Service”: The Sacrament of Reconciliation as a Source of Spirituality and Collaboration In Ministry.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► This thesis explores the sacrament of reconciliation as a source of priestly…
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▼ This thesis explores the sacrament of reconciliation as a source of priestly spirituality, which informs ministerial identity. The significance and purpose of this thesis is to propose a sacramental model of spirituality that promotes respectful collaboration between priests and lay ecclesial ministers, which is called for by the United States' Bishops in Called and Gifted for the Third Millenium. This thesis outlines basic foundations of ministerial identity as understood in the Roman Catholic priesthood. It then examines spirituality as the component of ministerial identity where belief and practice converge. Finally, it provides a detailed analysis of two forms of the sacrament of penance, during which the rites are examined for spiritual dispositions and virtues that promote effective collaboration and mutual respect between priests and lay ecclesial ministers.
Advisors/Committee Members: Johnston, William.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: Sacrament of Penance; Spirituality of Reconciliation; Ministerial Identity; Priestly Spirituality; Clergy; Lay Ecclesial Ministers; Sacrament of Penance
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6.
Gomba, Eucharia P.
Love Without A Name: Celibates and Friendship.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2010, University of Dayton
► This research paper seeks to examine/investigate the role of friendship among men…
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▼ This research paper seeks to examine/investigate the role of friendship among men and women who took the vow of consecrated chastity. Despite their close connection with God, priests and nuns are human. They crave for intimacy and more often fall in love. This becomes complicated and sometimes devastating. The dual challenge faced by these celibates is to grow in communion with God and develop good relationships with people. This thesis attempts to meet that challenge by showing that human friendship enhances our understanding of friendship with God. Celibate life is not a solitary enterprise, but is what happens to us in relationship to others in friendship. Through biblical and theological reflection and a close analysis of the vow of chastity, I wish to show that it is possible to live great friendships in celibacy without the relationship being transformed into a marital romance. Chaste celibacy is a renunciation of what is beautiful in a human person for the sake of the Kingdom. It is a commitment of love. By living their vows faithfully and cultivating friendships, celibates become true signs and witnesses to the love and Kingdom of God.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bennett, Jana M.
Subjects: Clergy; Ethics; Religion; Religious Congregations; Spirituality; Theology
Keywords: human friendship; celibate life; love of God; relationships; chastity; vow; Catholic Church; love; priests; nuns; intimacy
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7.
Hebbeler, Michael H.
The Sister Karamazov: Dorothy Day's Encounter with Dostoevsky's Novel.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2009, University of Dayton
► This thesis explores the relationship between art and theology, arguing that literature…
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▼ This thesis explores the relationship between art and theology, arguing that literature plays a central role in the discipline. John Paul II gives voice to the importance of the arts in the life of the Church, and the influence of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel on Dorothy Day pays witness to the pope’s claim. Nicholas Boyle’s approach to literature as the “site” of theology is used to examine the imagery and discourse in The Brothers Karamazov as reflective of the Gospel story. Stanley Hauerwas’ approach to narrative theology is then applied to contextualize the novel in Dorothy’s life. Not only do encounters with Karamazov characters help guide her path to conversion, but Dostoevsky’s Incarnational vision of the Church takes shape in Dorothy’s daily practices and the formation of the Catholic Worker community. This exploration concludes with a look into the life and work of Fritz Eichenberg, who illustrated Dostoevsky’s novels as well as the Catholic Worker newspaper. Such a portrait enriches one’s understanding of Dostoevsky’s influence on Day and reaffirms John Paul’s claim that art is essential to the renewal of the Church.
Advisors/Committee Members: Johnson, Kelly.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: art and theology; literature and the Church; Dostoevsky and Dorothy Day
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8.
Howell, Roger William.
Peace and Human Rights in the Nuclear Age (The Encyclical and the Speech of 1963).
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► This thesis examines Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris and President…
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▼ This thesis examines Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris and President John F. Kennedy’s Commencement Address at American University. Both documents were produced in the spring of 1963 by two leaders who would leave the world stage that same year. This thesis examines these documents in the light of their historical setting and what they mean to humanity in the 21st century. Pacem in Terris and the Commencement Address at American University are two documents that provide perspective that resonates with the present, and provides a reminder of how elusive peace is today. Pacem in Terris is the cornerstone for Catholic social justice on peace and human rights. President Kennedy’s Commencement Address at American University, but for a few phrases, is largely forgotten. The nuclear age, gave urgency to Pope John XIII to make cooperation a priority among nations with the publication of Pacem in Terris. The significance of my research is to show that it is possible to commit to a vision that will lead to a peace that is solid yet flexible, to meet the challenges before humanity.
Advisors/Committee Members: Yocum, Sandra A.
Subjects: Peace Studies; Theology
Keywords: Nuclear; Peace; Pacem in Terris; Human Rights; Pope John XXIII; President John F. Kennedy; Thomas Merton
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9.
Hunter, Justus H.
The Influence of Stanley Cavell on Fergus Kerr's Wittgensteinian Theology.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2011, University of Dayton
► This thesis argues that Fergus Kerr reads Ludwig Wittgenstein through the lens…
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▼ This thesis argues that Fergus Kerr reads Ludwig Wittgenstein through the lens of Stanley Cavell, and this influence has an impact on Kerr’s theology. Chapter two outlines Cavell’s account of “the truth of skepticism.” For Cavell, our language does not rest upon necessary criteria (in this regard, skepticism is true), but is made possible by our attunement to one another, via our shared “forms of life.” Recognition of the truth of skepticism arouses an anxiety about the certainty of our knowledge and language. The problem we encounter is the tendency, when faced with skepticism’s truth, to engage in philosophical deflections which guide us back into imagining our language and knowledge rest upon more than “forms of life.” Wittgenstein's methods, on Cavell’s read, aim at the removal of these deflections, deflections which give rise to philosophical illusion. Thus, Wittgenstein’s philosophy is therapeutic – it aims to remove philosophical illusions so that we can see the truth already there. Chapters three and four describe that therapy. Chapter three is an excursus on Cora Diamond’s account of Wittgenstein’s early philosophy in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Against P.M.S. Hacker, Diamond argues that Wittgenstein’s aim in the Tractatus is therapeutic. On Diamond’s read, Wittgenstein guides his reader into imagining his propositions are meaningful, only to realize eventually that the same propositions were nonsense and we were deeply attracted to imagine them otherwise. In this way, Wittgenstein performs a therapy on his reader. Cavell reads the Investigations in a correlative way in his essay “The Availability of Wittgenstein’s Later Philosophy,” which is the subject of chapter four. Chapter five considers four “moments” in Fergus Kerr’s oeuvre wherein he engages, explicitly, with Wittgenstein’s philosophy. It is shown that the Cavellian themes perdure throughout, although we can see development in Kerr’s engagement with them. Chapter six then attempts to demonstrate how this engagement with Cavell’s Wittgenstein extends into Kerr’s other writing. The key here is Kerr’s engagement with Rahner. In moving through three “phases” of Kerr’s work: early (1980s), middle (1990s), and later (2000s), the chapter shows the transition between the early and middle phases from what was an inchoate, and at times underdeveloped criticism of Rahner’s theology to an appreciation. Kerr’s engagement with Russell Reno’s The Ordinary Transformed was pivotal in this shift. However, the Cavellian themes are shown to persist in spite of Kerr’s change of sympathy with regard to Rahner. Finally, the thesis closes with a suggestion that the themes hover in the background of Kerr’s most recent publications, most notably in his engagement with twentieth-century Catholic theology. This provides a partial explanation for the narration Kerr gives in Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians.
Advisors/Committee Members: Kallenberg, Dr. Brad.
Subjects: Religion; Theology
Keywords: Fergus Kerr; Stanley Cavell; Wittgenstein; Roman Catholic Theology
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10.
Menno, Justin James.
Tradition Adrift: The History and Development of the Blessing of the Fleet in Stonington, Connecticut, 1950-2007.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2011, University of Dayton
► The following study is a narrative account of the history and development…
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▼ The following study is a narrative account of the history and development of the annual Blessing of the Fleet held in Stonington, Connecticut from its earliest celebrations in the 1950s to its most recent in 2007. Particular attention is devoted to the ethnic Portuguese community of Stonington, their historical organization and shaping of the local fishing fleet, and their creative development of the annual Blessing. By attending to the history and development of the annual Blessing, this account primarily seeks to describe the event in terms of the people who simply and affectionately referred to it as the “Blessing.” As a historical-theological account, this study proceeds according to a lex orandi, lex credendi approach. As a consequence, special attention is given to the content and mode of prayers that have been offered over the course of the annual Blessing‟s history and celebration. These prayers are not only primary sites for reflection on the origin and destiny of this community‟s historical and anticipated life in Christ, but are departure points for an analysis concerning how various dimensions of the local fleet‟s life have been formally shaped through the celebration of the annual Blessing. In short, this study is a particular reflection on the integration of labor in liturgy in the U.S. An important focus of this study centers on how the history and development of the annual Blessing has been informed by other popular liturgies in the ethnic Portuguese community of Stonington, American Protestant piety in the mid-twentieth century, economic and regulatory issues concerning the local fishing fleet, and the pressures fishing exerted on local family life. And no figure at the annual Blessing drew together these various influences more than St. Peter. Because the life this community celebrated and anticipated was publically displayed at the annual Blessing in terms of the life of the communion of saints, this study describes in detail how the community addressed St. Peter, where they variously placed and processed him over the course of the event, and how devotion to him was integrally related to the vocation of fishing in the local fleet.
Advisors/Committee Members: Smith, Anthony.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: fleet blessing; blessing of the fleet
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11.
Pasternak Post, Alyssa R.
“Dare to Speak”: This Land Is Home to Me from Idea to Promulgation (May 1973 - February 1975) and Beyond.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2011, University of Dayton
► This thesis constructs an historical narrative of the writing and promulgation of…
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▼ This thesis constructs an historical narrative of the writing and promulgation of This Land Is Home to Me: A Pastoral on Powerlessness in Appalachia by the Catholic Bishops of the Region (1975). It first investigates ecclesial influences on the pastoral, including Latin American liberation theology and the Second Vatican Council, as well as important social contexts. Such exploration serves as a background for exploring the history of the pastoral, including the idea’s inception, the composition through several drafts, a private meeting between Appalachian bishops and industry leaders, and its ultimate promulgation in February 1975. The thesis then examines the pastoral’s influence on other Catholic Church documents, as well as the lives of individuals and the formation of communities throughout Appalachia, especially West Virginia. Ultimately, although it emerges from a statistically small Catholic region, This Land Is Home to Me is important in the history of the Catholic Church in Appalachia and, more broadly, in the United States because the boldness of its message in promoting human dignity spoke to the situation in Appalachia and throughout the country.
Advisors/Committee Members: Yocum, Sandra A.
Subjects: Religious History; Theology
Keywords: This Land Is Home to Me; Catholicism in Appalachia; Appalachian pastoral letter; US Catholicism; West Virginia Catholicism; Christianity in Appalachia
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12.
Ross, Karen E.
The Vagina Dialogues: Essentialist and Constructionist Views of Female Sexuality in Contemporary Feminist Theology.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2011, University of Dayton
► This thesis involves close readings of both essentialist and constructionist theological views…
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▼ This thesis involves close readings of both essentialist and constructionist theological views of female sexuality, specifically in regards to reproduction. In particular the philosophies of the female body in the writings of “essentialist” theologian Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and “constructionist” theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether are explored and analyzed. This thesis seeks to uncover new understandings of sexual freedom for women by examining both essentialist and constructionist views of female sexuality within contemporary feminist theology based on the various reactions to the Church’s teachings on reproduction and emerging feminist philosophy of gender.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bennett, Jana.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: Female Sexuality, Gender, Catholic Church, New Feminism
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13.
Weickert, David C.
The Virtue of Detachment in the Christian Tradition: A Study of St. John of the Cross and Thomas Merton.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► In popular reflection on vocation, expectations for the holiness of the laity…
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▼ In popular reflection on vocation, expectations for the holiness of the laity are often set quite low. Many reserve high holiness to those who take vows or are ordained, or banish mystic union with God from the realm of ordinary experience which everyday Christians could hope to enjoy. There remains a significant and irreducible difference between the vocations in the role that each vocation plays in the Church, yet each vocation's fundamental orientation is towards union with God and remains unfulfilled if it does not accomplish uniting the disciple to God. An important obstacle to the actual accomplishment of union in this life by many disciples is a misunderstanding of the detachment. Detachment is relevant to every Christian disciple because it is an irreplaceable element on the way to union. Detachment allows for the authentic formation of the disciple's identity in Christ, is necessary for the perfection of the theological virtues, and is the image of the mystical marriage with God. In the growth of the soul's union with God, the disciple learns how to truly love both God and others, so detachment properly understood is learning to love with one's whole self.
Advisors/Committee Members: Levering, Matthew.
Subjects: Theology
Keywords: St. John of the Cross; Thomas Merton; Detachment; Vocation
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14.
Wykes, James Culver.
The Contextualized Noah: The Deluge Patriarch in Genesis, Jubilees, and Pseudo-Philo.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► The figure of Noah – who appears in the biblical book of Genesis…
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▼ The figure of Noah – who appears in the biblical book of Genesis as well as this story's retelling in Jubilees and Pseudo-Philo – consists of a complex set of characteristics. A number of them are malleable, meaning that each work adapts Noah for their specific purpose: Genesis uses him as an axis of history; Jubilees, a priest; and Pseudo-Philo, a prophet. However, despite their diversity, several qualities remain constant in all three texts, regardless of their particularities. This thesis enumerates which qualities retain their stability and which ones change, as well as attempting to explain what about this character might have served the uses of this varied group of authors.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bunta, Silviu N.
Subjects: Bible; Biblical Studies; Comparative; Theology
Keywords: Noah; Genesis 6-9; Jubilees; Pseudo-Philo
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15.
Yankech, Justin M.
Jesus, Symbol of Christ: The Christology of Raimon Panikkar.
Degree: MA, Theological Studies, 2012, University of Dayton
► The present study investigates the means by which Raimon Panikkar negotiates between…
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▼ The present study investigates the means by which Raimon Panikkar negotiates between the traditional principles of Catholic theology and Christology and the goals and needs of his conceptions of religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue. During the last half of the 20th century Raimon Panikkar was a major figure in the field of comparative religion, interreligious dialogue and theology of religions. Based upon his work in those fields, Panikkar came to develop an account of the person and office of Christ. What resulted was a conception of Christ that began with the traditional principles of Catholic Christology and ultimately resulted in an account of Christ that stands in tension with some of those principles. This study examines the Christology of Raimon Panikkar, as it developed in response to his work in religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue, in light of the Christological principles outlined by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. As an ecumenical council, Chalcedon established certain principles necessary for any orthodox account of Christ. Also, this study consults the Christological documents of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in order to establish how those principles were being maintained and interpreted in current debates over Christological accounts. In particular, the principle of the communicatio idiomatum, the communication of idioms, certified at Chalcedon, and utilized by the CDF, has played a major role in establishing the boundaries of Christology in contemporary Catholic theology. As a result of these sources, the conclusion of this study is that while Panikkar faithfully begins with the traditional principles of Catholic Christology, his concerns for religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue lead him to an account of Christ which stands in tension with Catholic Christological principles established by Chalcedon and overseen by the CDF; in particular, the communicatio idiomatum.
Advisors/Committee Members: Doyle, Dennis.
Subjects: Religion; Theology
Keywords: Christology; Panikkar, Raimon; Chalcedon; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Interreligious Dialogue; Religious Pluralism
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