Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2013, Psychology

Due to divine struggles' (i.e., struggles with God) links to poor well-being, studies have begun to identify their predictors, such as perceptions of God. Studies have also shown that relationships with God and parents tend to be similar. The current study aimed to expand upon these prior studies by exploring both parental and divine qualities' predictions of two divine struggles—disappointment/anger toward God, and religious fear/guilt. Parent characteristics, perceptions of God, and divine struggles were assessed among undergraduates (N = 185). Use of multiple parent measures enabled systematic examination of parental qualities beyond the brief measures of previous studies. This study suggested that perceived parental Warmth and Commitment, Facilitation of the relationship, and Negativity were associated with anxious attachment to God and divine struggles. Anxious attachment to God mediated parental factors' predictions of divine struggles. Maternal factors tended to eclipse paternal factors. Negativity and sometimes Warmth and Commitment overshadowed Facilitation.

Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, International Marian Research Institute

DENIS the Carthusian affirms Mary as the summa contemplatrix, interpreting the plenitude of grace of Luke 1:28 to include the theological gift of wisdom. In Dionysian thought, the gift of wisdom equates to mystical theology, unitive wisdom, or contemplation by negation, the highest form of prayer possible in this life to a wayfarer. Denis the Carthusian makes an original contribution to Marian studies by positing the exemplarity of Mary's prayer, in accord with Denis's notion of contemplation, suggesting that Mary enjoyed a singular perfection in Her intellectual knowledge of God before the Incarnation; was later instructed in mystical theology by Her Divine Son, the God-Man; and attained to the contemplative vision of God while still on earth as a foreshadowing of the beatific vision Mary now possesses in heaven. This doctoral dissertation, written by a cloistered monk not unlike Denis the Carthusian, seeks to penetrate the silence and solitude of contemplative monastic life lived by one of Christianity's most prolific authors and popularly hailed "the last of the schoolmen" to explore the notion of Marian contemplation and the incomparability of Mary's prayer for twenty-first century imitation and pastoral application.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Theology

This dissertation seeks to offer an account of the presence of the Word of God in human words, the presence of Jesus in the Church's speech about him. This topic is explored by taking Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth as interlocutors, framing an ecumenical and systematic approach to analyzing the mystery of the Church's preaching and teaching through comparing and contrasting their works on the Word of God. Special focus is on the role of handing on the Word in three genres: biblical exegesis, sermons, and systematic presentations of Christian doctrine (summa and dogmatics). My aim is to offer a Catholic and ecumenical theology of the Word of God: my three-genre focus is essential to this task.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Psychology

The current study examined the role of God attachment as a mediator of the relationship between religiosity and psychological adjustment and of the relationship between spirituality and psychological adjustment in a sample of young adults. Undergraduate psychology students completed questionnaires that assessed each of these variables. The study included participants of all faiths as well as atheists and agnostics. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the fit of the proposed model to the data collected. Two separate analyses were conducted: one set of analyses with atheists and agnostics included and another set with them excluded. Results based on all of the participants indicated a poor fit of the model to the data. Once atheists and agnostics were removed from the sample, there was a mediocre fit of the model to the data. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine whether the different types of religiosity: intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest subscales loaded onto the same factor as the spirituality subscales. The religiosity and spirituality subscales were subjected to a principal component analysis, followed by a varimax rotation. Results indicated that the intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity subscales and the spirituality subscales loaded onto one factor (Connection with the Divine), while quest subscales loaded onto a second factor (Quest). Finally, a one-way ANOVA found significant ethnic differences on the intrinsic and quest doubt religiosity scales, all of the spirituality scales, and all of the God attachment measures. The results of this study show that even though the model was not a close fit, young adults in this sample appear to be exploring their religious and spiritual beliefs as their means on the intrinsic, extrinsic, quest doubt, and quest tentativeness subscales were higher than comparable groups. This is congruent with the developmental task of identity formation during this period of life. If a client expresses the imp (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2004, Theatre

This thesis exists in two parts, practical and written. The practical element was the direction of Ron Elisha's play TWO. The second part is this written thesis, which focuses on developing a critical framework for this play and others of its kind. Included in the written thesis will be an establishment of this critical framework, a structural analysis of Two, and an application of the aforementioned critical framework to the text of Two. Finally, a study of the application of this critical theory from a directorial standpoint will be undertaken, with special attention paid to the use of dramatic action as an expression of the changing nature of religious belief.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Bioethics

From Aristotle to Engelhardt, philosophers and ethicists have struggled to find epistemic justification for a single set of provable and canonical content-full ethics to guide the moral decision making of the individual and nation-state alike. Where those such as Beauchamp and Childress in their account of Principlism presume something of a Rawlsian ‘common morality,' others such as H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. argue that we may not take for granted even the simplest of presumptions regarding good and right moral action without either begging the question, arbitrarily affirming a particular point of departure, or invoking an infinite regress (Engelhardt ix, Beauchamp and Childress 3-5, 444-457). Herein, I aim to accomplish two purposes. First, I mean to call out the elephant in the room: If there is no God; if there is no creator or creators; if there is no higher transcendent purpose or meaning behind existence or ultimate judgement for our actions, then truly there is no absolute right or wrong. The Enlightenment Project has failed, and will necessarily fail to find a single set of provable canonical content-full ethics (Engelhardt vii). Second, I will propose a conceptual conjecture to assist with the consideration of this dilemma which I call A Priori's Wager. I propose that the human person is necessarily either the product of a creator or creators, and therefore possessing of a priori pre-existent purpose and meaning; or that the human person is the product of mere time and chance, and therefore possessing of only the post hoc purposes and meanings which we arbitrarily apply to ourselves. I argue that either of these premises may be true, but that the current scientific and philosophical methodologies available to us may neither prove nor disprove either premise. Given these competing premises of which one is necessarily true, but neither may be proven, I argue that we find ourselves fixed in something of a superposition of both transcendent obligati (open full item for complete abstract)

M.A. (Master of Arts in English), Ohio Dominican University, 2024, English

This thesis explores John Steinbeck's enduring literary legacy and his portrayal of the complex relationship between America and religion in 20th-century America. Through an analysis of To a God Unknown, East of Eden, and The Grapes of Wrath, this study delves into his examination of the American Dream and its connection to religion, particularly Christianity. In these novels, Steinbeck portrays his vision of a successful America as a nation characterized by interdependence, empathy, and equality, regularly placing these traits in a religious context and aligning them with Christian symbolism and ideology. By emphasizing the responsibility that man has for his fellow man, Steinbeck places the American everyman into a Godlike role, bypassing traditional religious beliefs that America has been founded on and centered around and introducing a new idea of religion within America that Steinbeck envisioned as leading the nation to fulfill its potential for greatness.

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Psychology

While research examining common struggles of religious deidentification is growing, there is little research examining process variables of psychological adjustment. Individuals who deidentify from high-cost religions often experience anger or other negative emotions toward God, themselves, other individuals in the religion of origin, or the entire religion of origin. What role might forgiveness play in relation to these deidentification experiences? Event-specific forgiveness toward the self, God, specific others, and the entire community of origin was explored among 293 individuals who pulled away from ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Several factors accounted for unique variance in different types of forgiveness, which in turn had implications for mental health. In a few cases, levels of spiritual harm and abuse moderated the relationship between specific forgiveness and wellbeing outcomes. Overall, situation-specific forgiveness toward multiple transgressors may be an important factor when considering the psychological adjustment of those who pull away from high-cost religions.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2023, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the Christian formation in a select group of women in a virtual community through an eight-week study using "Forming: Change by Grace Curriculum, 10th Anniversary Edition" written by David Takle. The design of the project included the administration of pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The project results showed positive growth in all five categories of measured goals. The participants showed the highest improvement in their practice of two-way journaling on the subject of processing their disappointments.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The goal is to shine light theologically on the role of transformational leadership in the missional church. What concepts about pneumatological discipleship, influence, power, authority, and transformational leadership suit a radically missional church? Radical missional challenges demand new notions about servant and transformational leadership. Pneumatological discipleship, as well as transformational leadership, must reflect the identity, calling, life, and order of the church. This autoethnographic action research project, therefore, addresses life in the Trinity and participation in the Missio Dei and outlines the radically missional church as the point of entry to develop transformational leadership insights and pneumatological discipleship practices. It contributes towards creating an appropriate model of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership for radically missional churches. Recent developments in the theology of mission seem to address the area of missional ecclesiology comprehensively. However, there is a gap in the development of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership models based on the concept of authority in the radically missional church.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, History

This dissertation seeks to unearth the inherent complexity of relations among evangelical missionaries, their filial churches, Catholics, and secular actors in the context of Protestantism's precipitous rise in Brazil between the 1910s and 1960s. It argues that American Protestant missionaries proved to be crucial agents of cultural change who successfully imparted to their Brazilian believers facets of their anti-Communist, paternalistic, and intermittently apolitical ideologies over the course of several systems of government, including two dictatorships. Crucially, this dissertation situates missionaries as intersectional, transnational, and non-state actors within the larger framework of U.S.-Brazilian religiopolitics, cultural transfusion, and the construction of gender, economic, and racial norms. Although far from passive recipients of American evangelical ideas, Brazil's newly-converted Protestants embraced U.S. missionaries' thought to a considerable extent, thereby cementing the incisive cultural change that American missionaries had sought to foster in Brazil. In doing so, Brazilian church workers and leaders refashioned U.S. norms of evangelicalism while also increasingly advocating for the nationalization (indigenization) of evangelical denominations. Basing itself on four case studies of U.S.-founded or influenced evangelical churches, this dissertation unravels the many contradictions and complications inherent to U.S. missionary work in Brazil. These factors include Brazilian evangelicals' wavering between apoliticism and political activism, a vying for influence with the Catholic Church, the legacy of Jim Crow and its consequences to mission work in Brazil, as well as a series of intra-church disputes that ultimately resulted in the nationalization (indigenization) of each church. At the core of the evangelical experience between the 1910s and 1960s stood an identitarian quest to gain legitimacy among Brazil's secular and religious authoritie (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts in Catholic Studies, Mount St. Mary's Seminary & School of Theology, 2022, School of Theology

The goal of the paper is to explore St. Thomas Aquinas' theology of happiness and its relationship to the natural desire to see God. More specifically, it seeks to address whether this natural desire to see God is innate or elicited. There are two different schools of thought on this matter. Some scholars, such as Bl. John Duns Scotus and Henri Cardinal de Lubac maintain that the natural desire to see God is an innate and unconscious desire that is separate from knowledge. On the other hand, many Thomists such as Cajetan, Suarez, John of St. Thomas, Garrigou-Lagrange, and Jacques Maritain contend that the natural desire to see God is a naturally elicited movement of the will that stems from knowledge. Both of these positions have different implications regarding the human ability to love God and to attain complete happiness. Dr. Lawrence Feingold, a Thomistic theologian and prolific author, has written extensively about this in one of his books: The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas Aquinas and His Interpreters. Utilizing his book, this paper will provide a summary of St. Thomas' theology of happiness, examine these two different interpretations of Aquinas' texts, and then suggest some conclusions from this research.

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Music History

“The Star-Spangled Banner,” which serves as the United States' national anthem, has experienced a flux of controversial attention in the 21st century. The melody, which originates from a British song titled “To Anacreon in Heaven,” has been paired with a variety of lyrics in the U.S. dating before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” whose poetry was inspired by the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key, who authored the text of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was just one of many U.S. citizens who utilized this melody in the 19th century to express their feelings about the country in regard to a particular historical event. Key, a lawyer and slave-owner, reveals his attitude toward the U.S. specifically in the three later verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which depicts the tragedies of slavery in the 19th century. Scholars such as Mark Clague, Carlos Abril, and William Robin have analyzed the national anthem's lyrics, as well as its performance practices, in context with the history of the U.S., tracing the transformation and function of the national anthem over the 200 years of its existence. This thesis explores the use of the national anthem in racial politics leading up to (and specifically in) the 21st century, the ways in which it does and does not adhere to the ideologies and democracy of the present-day United States, and its implicit representation of systemic racism that is highlighted by the social and political movement “Black Lives Matter.” Analyzing the function of the national anthem, its performance practices, and reactions to these practices, this thesis argues that “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays a role in upholding systemic racism by shining a light on its use as a vehicle of protest and political expression, a use that has been a defining characteristic of the original melody since it made its way to the U.S.

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2021, Theological Studies

This thesis examines the desert mothers' and fathers' view of contemplation as a journey toward theosis, or communion with God. To accomplish this, “contemplation” is analyzed within the fifth century document, The Conferences of John Cassian¸ where John Cassian, the document's author, has conversations with various desert abbas on the monastic life. The argument presented within this thesis is that ascetic practices of renunciation and purification serve as a catalyst for the contemplative life where the contemplator comes face-to-face with God. In the process of experiencing purity of heart, the contemplator transforms into the likeness of God. Also needed in the process of transformation is the cultivation of silence, for it is within silence the contemplator recognizes God's nearness. The conclusion of this thesis ties together the themes of theological anthropology, renunciation, purity of heart, and contemplation in the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Mary, an exemplar to the abbas in the Conferences, personifies transformation by contemplation through her choosing “the one thing necessary.”

Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.), University of Dayton, 2021, International Marian Research Institute

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Mariology of St. Lawrence of Brindisi in order to show how he applied the psalms to Mary. It will be shown how he found the literal sense of the text important for understanding the mysteries of the faith. His sermons in the Mariale were not meant to be scholarly examinations, but Brindisi often went back to the Hebrew text to have the best possible meaning of what the sacred writer intended. Next, it will be shown how finding Mary in the psalms requires the use of the spiritual senses of Scripture. Then there will be shown a spirituality of the psalms with Mary as a model of the faithful and also an intercessor on their behalf. Finally, the psalms will show the way to heaven; and it is Mary who led the way by living a virtuous life. Now she aids the faithful in attaining the same goal.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2020, Theology

Sexism is a reality in the Catholic Church. The Church's teaching on women, though true, needs to be explicated more carefully to avoid a sense of woman's incompleteness in both humanity (through misunderstood “complementarity”) and imaging the Trinitarian God (if she only images God as “mother” in a family). Augustine can help bring balance to the lacuna. Review of feminist theologians on Augustine find two major concerns: inequality between women and men in imaging God, and a question of his development in appreciating women in the Church (Chapter One). His letters track such a growth, but from a mix of positive and negative statements to increasingly positive assessments of women (Chapter Two). Augustine finds women to be equal with men in being the image of God, in their minds, but female and male bodies do not equally represent God's image. The representation corresponds to contemplative and “temporal management” aspects of mind in every human. Only the contemplative aspect is “image of God”; the temporal management aspect is not unless joined with the contemplative. Augustine wants to stress, however, that women are God's image, and in this life all of us are and are not yet God's image. The inequality in representation is problematic, but the inequality is resolved in the Incarnation of Christ, the divine Word “married” to humanity Inequality is resolved for women and men completely in the resurrection of women's and men's bodies to the fullness of redeemed equality. This is what it means according to Augustine to grow up fully into the Image of God, Christ (Eph. 4:15) (Chapter Three). Christ, the union of divinity and humanity gives himself to the women and men of the Church through the bishop's body so that the bishop in his embodiment is devoted to the temporal management of the Church. The bishop finds himself in such embodied solidarity with women in the Church that they are better understood as incorporated into each other so closely that (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2020, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact participants' awareness of God's presence among a select group of current and former members of the United Methodist Church, Paradise Valley, Arizona via participation in a three-day retreat based in the practice of prayer. The design of the project included the administration of pre and post assessments, along with qualitative questions. Participants' journals were also evaluated. The results of the prayer retreat revealed that the participants became more aware of God's presence, God's good nature, and they felt more positive about their personal identities. Participants also desired to continue prayer practices.

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2019, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact community leaders of Columbus, Ohio to understand how to develop a low-income inner-city community based upon kingdom of God economic principles through a ten-week study. The scope of research included biblical, theological, historical and contemporary writings on Christian community development and transformational leadership. The design of the project was to develop a community of Christ followers who will use Christian education and spiritual formation to bring fellowship (koinonia) and restoration to a low-income African-American community. The results of the project revealed that the participants desired to see the City Church of Columbus operate in solidarity to bring the kingdom of God to our city. The participants and the residents, who live in a marginalized community, had a high transformational experience. The participants had a paradigm shift regarding the understanding of the Scriptures. They understood that they were to bring the rule and reign of God to their neighborhoods by using their occupational vocation.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2018, Experimental Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Religiosity is positively related to self-regulation, though more research is needed to understand the nature of this relationship. For example, relatively few studies have examined the link between religiosity and delay-of-gratification (i.e., resisting immediate temptation in favor of some objectively larger, delayed reward). Most of the limited research on this topic has conceptualized and operationalized religiosity as though it were a unidimensional construct. We review literature that, instead, suggests religiosity be treated as a two-dimensional construct – consisting of organizational (i.e., religious practice/community) and personal religiosity (i.e., religious belief) dimensions. Personal religiosity elements are more strongly associated with asceticism than are organizational religiosity elements. Therefore, we hypothesized that personal religiosity would lead to greater delay-of-gratification than would organizational religiosity. Furthermore, we hypothesized that cognitive construal level, rational-experiential processing, and/or deontological thinking would mediate this effect. Consistent with the former hypothesis, experimental results indicated that activating personal, but not organizational, religiosity concepts increased delay-of-gratification. We did not find support for the latter hypothesis. We discuss the implications of these findings and future research directions.

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2018, Theology

St. John of the Cross is presented as an authentic epistemologist with a comprehensive theory of mystical knowledge. He describes the nature and excellence of mystical knowledge and explains how it may be attained through an unyielding and total adherence to the human telos—union with God—and through the dark night, in which a kenosis of the sensory and intellectual faculties leads to a gradual transformation of our apprehensive capacity. Mystical knowledge has the characteristics of passivity, substantiality, supra-abundance, and ineffability; it is a dynamic loving communication between God and the soul capable of transforming the whole person. The radical demands of nada on the intellect, the will, and the memory placed by John's epistemology can be understood through a rationale of divine love. The necessary operation of faith in the dark night, which transcends reason through a loving trust of the Master amidst intellectual and affective suffering, is described. John's insight into divine love as the fountain of all knowledge and inspiration, his thorough analysis on the power of the theological virtues to elevate our intellectual faculties, and his wisdom about the relationship between human suffering and divine knowledge make him a unique epistemologist with much to contribute to our philosophical conversations today.