Navigation

Author Archive | Robbie Bolton

Ines Jindra

By on April 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Jindra, Ines W. “Religious Stage Development among Converts to Different Religious Groups.” International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 18, no. 3 (2008): 195-215. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10508610802115768.

Abstract: Only a few studies have dealt with the relationship between faith development theory and conversion or apostasy, though some have called for these studies. In this study, I compare religious judgment and religious stage transformations of 47 converts, focusing specifically on four case studies of conversions to Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Unitarian Universalists. The research was conducted from 2001 to 2006 in the midwestern United States and utilized religious dilemmas, narrative biographical interviews, and content analysis. It was found that there was a close affinity between a person’s conversion or apostasy narrative and their trajectory of religious judgment.

Robert Woods

By on April 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Woods, Robert H., Jr. “Review of Communication, Media, and Identity: A Christian Theory of Communication.” Journal of Media and Religion 7, no. 3 (2008): 190-194. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15348420802223213.

Abstract: Reviews the book, Communication, Media, and Identity: A Christian Theory of Communication by Robert S. Fortner (2007). Throughout this scholarly book, which culls from a wide range of literature on the philosophy and theology of communication, Fortner defines some of the basic characteristics or norms of Christian communication. He nicely summarizes these characteristics in chapter 11 on “Implications,” which reads like a manifesto of Christian communication. Readers could begin with chapter 11 before tackling chapters 1-10 as a way to keep the “big ideas” in mind throughout the chapters; it makes for a great introduction to the major issues. The author’s work is ideally suited for anyone teaching communication from a biblical perspective or for those interested in critiquing or conducting faith-based scholarship.

Michael Buratovich

By on February 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Buratovich, Michael. “Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America’s Soul/40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, Oxycontin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania.” Christian Scholar’s Review 37, no. 2 (Winter, 2008): 253-257.

Abstract: The city of Dover, Pennsylvania is located approximately thirty miles south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. You would not expect this small town to make national news, but on November 19, 2004, the Dover Area School District issued a press release that required biology teachers to read a statement to their ninth-grade biology students that said, in part: “Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of the life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, Of Pandas and People, is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves . . . .” This statement sparked the famous Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al. trial, in which John E. Jones, Federal judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, ruled that the Dover Area School Board attempted to introduce religion into public schools and that Intelligent Design (ID) is not science and has no place in a high school biology class.

Jack Baker

By on February 7, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Baker, Jack R. “Christ’s Crucifixion and ‘Robin Hood and the Monk’: a Latin Charm Against Thieves in Cambridge, University Library, MS Ff.5.48.” Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society 14, no. 1 (2008): 71-85.

Abstract: The study offers a commentary, transcription, and translation of a previously unpublished Latin version of a charm against thieves titled _Contra ffures et latrones_. In the charm, the story of the two thieves who are crucified with Christ becomes a signification for those travelers who seek to avoid roadside robbers. The charm is bound in a 15th century MS attributed to Gilbert Pilkington that includes the earliest known Robin Hood poem, and allows us to point toward the very real fear of thieves in the late Middle Ages, observe the steps taken for protection against them, and empathize with the thief’s potential for redemption.

Robert Woods

By on September 29, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Ebersole, Samuel, and Robert Woods. “Motivations for viewing reality television: a uses and gratification analysis.” Southwestern Mass Communication Journal 23, no. 1 (September 2007): 23-42.

Abstract: This survey research examines motives for viewing Reality TV programs. Employing a uses and gratifications approach, this study found five factors that explain program choice preference: personal identification with real characters, entertainment, mood change, pass time, and vicarious participation. The relationships of the aforementioned factors to viewers’ level of TV viewing, affinity for viewing, perceived realism, and parasocial interaction were examined. The study found that Reality TV viewers expand previous notions of ritualized or instrumental viewing categories identified by earlier TV viewer research, and that the interactive nature of Reality TV programming may contribute to the strong sense of personal identification that many viewers experience.

Michael Buratovich

By on May 7, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Amin, Amr, and Michael Buratovich. “The Anti-Cancer Charm of Flavonoids: A Cup-of-Tea Will Do!.” Recent Patents On Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery 2, no. 2 (June 2007): 109-117. doi: 10.2174/157489207780832414

Abstract: Hormone-dependent cancers of the breast, prostate and colon have, in the past decade, become the leading causes of morbidityand mortality. Billions of dollars have been, and still are being spent to study cancers like these, and, in the past three decades, thanks towork by thousands of dedicated scientists, tremendous advancements in the understanding and treatment of cancer have been made. Nevertheless, as there is no sure-fire cure for a variety of cancers to date, natural protection against cancer has been receiving a great deal of attention lately not only from cancer patients but, surprisingly, from physicians as well. Phytoestrogens, plant-derived secondary metabolites, are diphenolic substances with structural similarity to naturally-occurring human steroid hormones. Phytoestrogens are normally divided into three main classes: flavonoids, coumestans and lignans. Flavonoids are found in almost all plant families in the leaves, stems, roots, flowers and seeds of plants and are among the most popular anti-cancer candidates. Flavonoidic derivatives have a wide range of biological actions such as antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiallergic activities. Some of these benefits are explained by the potent antioxidant effects of flavonoids, which include metal chelation and free-radical scavenging activities. Patent applications regarding flavonoids range from protocols for extraction and purification from natural resources and the establishment of various biological activities for these extracts to novel methods for the production and isolation of flavonoids with known biological activities. This review will bring the reader up to date on the current knowledge and research available in the field of flavonoids and hormone-dependent cancers, and many of the submitted patents that exploit flavonoids.

David Johnson

By on May 7, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Labban, Abdul, Roger Berg, Jian Zhou, David A. Johnson, and Edgar F. Westrum. “Heat capacities and derived thermodynamic properties of lithium, sodium, and potassium disilicates from T =(5 to 350)K in both vitreous and crystalline states.” Journal Of Chemical Thermodynamics 39, no. 7 (July 2007): 991-1000. doi: 10.1016/j.jct.2007.01.001

Abstract: Abstract: Cryogenic heat capacities determined by equilibrium adiabatic calorimetry from T =(6 to 350)K on Li, Na, and K disilicates in both crystalline and vitreous phases are adjusted to end member composition and the vitreous/crystal difference ascertained. The thermophysical properties of these and related phases are estimated, compared, and updated. The values at T =298.15K of {S ∘(T)− S ∘(0)}/R for stoichiometric compositions of alkali disilicate (M2O·2SiO2): vitreous, crystal: Li, 16.30, 14.65; Na, 20.67, 19.47; and K, 23.26, 23.00. Entropy differences confirm greater disorder in the vitreous compounds compared with the crystalline compounds. The entropy data also show that disorder increases with decreasing atomic mass of the alkali ion.

Robert Eells

By on February 16, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Eells, Robert J. “Where did the Party Go?: William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy.” Fides Et Historia 39, no. 1 (Winter, 2007): 149-152.

Abstract: “To use a biblical analogy,” according to the author, “one could say that the Democratic Party exchanged its birthright for a mess of pottage” (271). The birthright was true, principled Jeffersonian liberalism-incarnate in the third president and later embodied in Andrew Jackson, Martin VanBuren, and especially in William Jennings Bryan’s evangelical populism. Pottage, on the other hand, was the disastrous direction first taken by Woodrow Wilson, then quickly followed by the Hamiltonian statism of FDR, LBJ, and the author’s particular nemesis, Hubert H. Humphrey.

Robert Woods and Brian Walrath

By on January 13, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Woods, Robert, and Brian Walrath. The Message in the Music: Studying Contemporary Praise and Worship. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007.

The Making of an Ordinary Saint The definitive guide to the meaning of today’s most popular praise and worship songs. Few things influence Christians’ understanding of the faith more than the songs they sing in worship. The explosion of praise and worship music in the last fifteen years has profoundly affected our experience of God. So what are those songs telling us about who God is? In what ways have they made us more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ? In what ways have they failed to embody the full message of the gospel?

Working with the lists of the most frequently sung praise and worship songs from recent years, the authors of this book offer an objective but supportive assessment of the meaning and contribution of the Christian music that has been so important in the lives of contemporary believers.

Martin Covey

By on January 13, 2007 in Faculty Publications

Covey, Martin. “Introduction: Work and Families.” Michigan Family Review 12 (2007): 1-6.

Abstract: This issue of Michigan Family Review explores the interface of families and the world of work. Articles include work related topics such as the challenges of long distance commuting and how families have adapted to this form of work. Other articles explore the role of occupational status on leisure activities, and the challenges and adaptive strategies of the work poor in rural areas.