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Tag Archives | 2008

James Coe

By on October 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Coe, James and Paul Carr. “Magnificence at Work: Living Faith in Business.” Christian Scholar’s Review 38, no. 1 (Fall, 2008): 163-164.

Abstract: Magnificence at Work: Living Faith in Business begins with the profound suggestion that work is a paramount consideration and an integral facet of faith-especially from a Christian perspective: “work has always been the locus of God’s calling. It would be surprising if it were not, for work matters profoundly as a creative act, as a contribution to sustenance and community, and as a mark of human dignity and personal identity” (11). John Dalla Costa draws inferences as well as direct quotes from biblical perspectives that Jesus utilized the platform of “entrepreneurial commerce” in the gospel of Luke (20). He suggests that we knew the occupation of the disciples before we even knew their names as Jesus walked into their midst while they “were repairing and cleaning nets;” he points out as well that Christ was in their midst while they worked, and “he is in our midst while we are at work” (21). This is a very powerful reminder that while we work, Jesus and his teachings are with us also. It is evident the author is making the assertion that one cannot simply be a Christian in one facet of life but relinquish one’s faith while working. As an answer to this modern day reality, the author calls for spiritual growth and three stages of soul work.

James Coe

By on September 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Coe, James and Paul Carr. “Intuitive Leadership: Embracing A Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor & Chaos.” Christian Scholar’s Review 38, no. 1 (Fall, 2008): 164-166.

Abstract: Alan Roxburgh begins the “Forward” to this text with an interesting and concise mes- sage regarding why and for whom the book was written and the intended story of the book. While Roxburgh suggests that the book is intended to be a guide for leaders, it appears as though the book may be aimed at pastors or preachers. At the same time, however, it ad- dresses the attributes of leaders in order to incorporate people of many areas of calling. “Forward” suggests the book’s intent: “It doesn’t provide a program or even a set of simple principles that, if properly applied, lead to all the answers. In these pages you will engage with the story of one leader’s journey as he engages those questions I keep hearing leaders asking all over North America” (11).

Dale Linton

By on September 3, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Linton, Dale. “Schools as Communities.” Journal Of Research On Christian Education 17, no. 2 (September 2008): 247-249.

Abstract: Edited by James Drexler, PhD, of Covent College, this book is a compilation of various works by 21 experienced Christian educational practitioners affiliated with several Christian institutions of higher education, the Association of Christian Schools International, or current educational leaders in prominent K-12 Christian schools. Four central themes, “community,” “a grace based perspective,” “the ‘weightier issues of the law,’ and “culturally relevant and engaged,” are integrated throughout the book’s focus on various educational leadership issues and subjects. The book is divided into four sections: Building Community: Foundational Principles; Building Community Among Faculty and Staff; Building Community for Student, and Building Community with Others with Strategic chapters imbedded within each section. A “Now What? Application to Practice” is provided at the end of each chapter allowing the reader(s) a means of reflection and practical application of the principles presented.

Thomas Kuntzleman

By on August 14, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Kuntzleman, Thomas S., David Sellers, and Rachel Hoffmeyer. “‘ Having a Ball with Chemistry’: More Things to Try.” Journal of Chemical Education 85, no. 11 (2008): 1478.

Abstract: A short outreach activity is described in which students test the rebound properties of superballs, racquetballs, “happy” balls and “sad balls” at many temperatures. After conducting the experiment, students use the test results to estimate the glass transition temperature of the elastic polymer that comprises each ball. The activity is used to segue into the classic demonstration of dipping a racquetball in liquid nitrogen and watching it shatter when thrown against a hard surface. In addition, students are encouraged to relate the results of the experiment to the importance of warming up muscles before exercise.

Richard Wallace

By on May 16, 2008 in Faculty Publications

Wallace, Richard Cheever. “Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite.” Christian Scholar’s Review 37, no. 4 (Summer, 2008): 515-518.

Abstract: Evangelicals (including elite ones), as well as scholars and students of sociology, political science, communication, and business will likely find this book stimulating both in the facts it presents and the interpretations it offers. Along with the famous names are less well-known but organizationally prominent individuals including U.S. Senators, cabinet officials, entrepreneurs, executives, and major scientists. “Studio executives relied on this office and its Catholic counterpart to ensure that the film industry produced movies that would be well received” (118).\n Cosmopolitan evangelicals often see the “cheesy” subculture itself as a problem in promoting the evangelical cause.

Margaret O’Rourke-Kelly

By on April 29, 2008 in Faculty Publications

O’Rourke-Kelly, Margaret. Phenomenal Women: The Dora Stockman Story. Canton, MI: Zoe Life Publishing, 2008.
Phenomenal Women

It was a moment of serendipity while Margaret O’Rourke Kelly was working on her own campaign for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, that she discovered the archival records of Dora Hall Stockman, the first woman to hold elected state office in Michigan. This began her fascination with this often overlooked historical figure but through Hall Stockman’s plays, stories, poetry, songs and overwhelming contributions to the agricultural community, she has created an intriguing biography of a strong, patriotic woman of God, often ahead of her time, who overcame the constraints of her life and times to make a lasting contribution to American society.

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.