A Phenomenological Analysis of Contemporary Familification in Christian Community in the Los Angeles District Association

In Matthew 8:22, Jesus says, “Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead” (Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2007). With these jarring words, He demanded that His hearers reject the social norms of their society and join His new group (Hellerman, 2009a). That change creates a compelling shift in the social order and draws believers into the family of God and into community with one another. This phenomenological study investigated whether something similar to the Pauline Familification exhibited in the first century church, exists in Christian community among adult church members within the Los Angeles District Association of the Western Baptist State Convention and the perceived impact of physical distancing on the growth and development of contemporary community. In this research, Familification is defined as “the gaining of a new Father, and a new group of brothers and sisters as believers respond to the gospel” (Hellerman, 2009a). This research seeks to build upon the work of Hellerman by investigating a theoretical foundation for his thinking in a specific local context

Relocating Community to the Virtual: Sound Knowledge, Affective Listening, and the (Dis)Embodying of Sound and Space

Music within Protestant church communities frequently reduces the distinction between performers and audience, emphasizing the collective, participatory role of all congregation members, in manners of music making similar to those discussed by Thomas Turino. This dynamic helps establish individual and communal identities. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, church communities saw changes in their services, music, and ways of life. Meeting in a physical building proved impossible due to the dangers of COVID-19 and many churches mitigated these dangers by streaming, recording, and posting services online. Between 2020 and 2022, I observed and participated in changes to technological production and mediation for church services at St. Paul, a Methodist church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Employing participant-observation and autoethnography, this study aims to understand, from musical, physical and social perspectives, how church members cope and are coping with these changes. At St. Paul, like at other churches, participatory music making and socialization with fellow congregation members are meaningful parts of the worship service. Christians create closeness to one another through collective hymn singing and other forms of communal music making. I argue that technology has affected Christian worship, communal singing, and the congregation’s sense of community in both positive and negative ways. This project reveals how St. Paul’s relocation of its community to the virtual realm during the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of sound knowledge and affective listening—which I define as the process of people listening to one another and acknowledging one another’s emotions, thereby experiencing and creating sound meaningfully together. I further demonstrate the limits of online services, due to varying access to and anxieties surrounding use of technology for some church members, and the importance of physical space in defining a sense of communal togetherness

21st century class meeting : Wesleyan discipleship with software facilitated blended learning

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/2527/thumbnail.jp

Boundless Community: A Virtual Platform Designed for Collaborative Development of Emotional Well-Being

This research aims to apply the US Army concept of spiritual readiness to help Christians manage emotional stress in a civilian context through an online community. This project invites disconnected Christians to join an online community where they can address negative emotions by developing self-awareness of their maladaptive thinking and embody the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. This approach assists individuals in building emotional resilience, a concept emphasized in the military. This project addresses five negative emotions (anger, shame, sadness, fear, and loneliness) by replacing them with positive emotions taught in the Bible. The project consists of eight weekly sessions, each addressing one of the five negative emotions and three theological virtues. Through engaging discussions and a connection with God, participants develop their coping mechanisms. Each session will involve collaborative discussions on familiar subjects, encouraging self-reflection and a deeper understanding of the topics. Through fostering spirituality within a group environment, individuals can learn from one another to develop coping strategies for negative emotions linked to challenging situations. This research project has two primary implications. Firstly, it develops a virtual program to overcome the geographical limitations that disconnect Christians so they can experience deep fellowship without the need for in-person interaction. Secondly, it pioneers the use of a non-traditional approach to spirituality, focusing on the practical aspects of biblical teachings

Hybrid Affects of Religious Nationalism: Pilgrimages to Kosovo and the Soundscapes of the Utopian Past

In this paper I analyze the contemporary practice of Serbian pilgrimages to Kosovo, which have been on the rise in the aftermath of the Kosovo Declaration of Independence. Designating the Serbian pilgrimage to Kosovo as a hybrid affective experience, I investigate how sentiments of religion and nation interact through the media of sound and music, pointing out the role of the shared lived experience of the community. I discuss how affects, which are alternately produced by the social machines of religion and of nation, become hybridized and synergistically reinforced in situ, not only relying on discursive games and strategies, but also on the immediacy of the lived ‘truth’. I emphasize in particular the role of musical experience in this process, showing how music activates mnemonic processes and provokes affects in the community as it is uncritically inscribed on the bodies of the individuals through both communal music-listening and music-making

Serving Higher Education's Highest Goals: Assessment of the Academic Library as Place

An empirical study was conducted using methods borrowed from the psychology of religion (instead of corporate assessment techniques) to assess whether the academic library as place supports students’ desire to feel connected to higher education’s mission. The findings from an in-person survey of fifty-four students at three universities showed a preference for exterior and interior images of traditional libraries over those classed as modern, and those images evoked feelings of scholarship, engagement,spirituality, and other positive emotions, as well as subjects’ desire to use those spaces more than they currently use their existing library

Roots Reloaded. Culture, Identity and Social Development in the Digital Age

This edited volume is designed to explore different perspectives of culture, identity and social development using the impact of the digital age as a common thread, aiming at interdisciplinary audiences. Cases of communities and individuals using new technology as a tool to preserve and explore their cultural heritage alongside new media as a source for social orientation ranging from language acquisition to health-related issues will be covered. Therefore, aspects such as Art and Cultural Studies, Media and Communication, Behavioral Science, Psychology, Philosophy and innovative approaches used by creative individuals are included. From the Aboriginal tribes of Australia, to the Maoris of New Zealand, to the mystical teachings of Sufi brotherhoods, the significance of the oral and written traditions and their current relation to online activities shall be discussed in the opening article. The book continues with a closer look at obesity awareness support groups and their impact on social media, Facebook usage in language learning context, smartphone addiction and internet dependency, as well as online media reporting of controversial ethical issues. The Digital progress has already left its dominating mark as the world entered the 21st century. Without a doubt, as technology continues its ascent, society will be faced with new and altering values in an effort to catch-up with this extraordinary Digitization, adapt satisfactorily in order to utilize these strong developments in everyday life

BEST PRACTICE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR ADDRESSING TRAUMA AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A PRACTITIONER GUIDE

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts approximately 3.6% of adults and 5% of adolescents in the United States and has pervasive impacts on occupational performance (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) likely encounter clients with PTSD frequently due to this widespread prevalence in addition to trauma being comorbid with a variety of mental and physical health conditions. Despite the widespread prevalence of trauma, many OTPs find that trauma-informed care is not adequately implemented in practice (Holman et al., 2022). There is a gap in the literature regarding occupational performance deficits experienced among clients with trauma, knowledge of how to address trauma in practice among OTPs, and application of trauma related knowledge to practice. Best Practice Occupational Therapy Interventions for Addressing Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Practitioner Guide (see appendix A) was created to bridge this gap. A needs assessment including a literature review, skilled observation, and collaboration with an OTP with expertise in trauma, was conducted to inform the guide. The guide leads the OTP through the occupational therapy process, discusses impacts of trauma, and addresses common comorbidities. With trauma being highly prevalent and having widespread impacts on occupational performance, Best Practice Occupational Therapy Interventions for Addressing Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Practitioner Guide is needed to provide OTPs with knowledge on how to address it in practice

Faith Commitments and Spiritual Influences as Correlates of Adolescents\u27 Involvement in Service in the Valuegenesis Study

Purpose. The first goal of this research was to examine the changes that took place over the three administrations of the Valuegenesis survey, in terms of students’ involvement in service. Secondly this study sought to determine the relationship between adolescents’ commitment to religious values and Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, and their involvement in service to others. The third goal of this research was to explore the relationship between home, church, and school variables, and the participation in acts of service of students attending Seventh-day Adventist schools. Methodology. The present research study uses quantitative research methods and is a secondary analysis. Correlations studies were done using the Valuegenesis data obtained by permission from the Hancock Research Institute. The population sample included students in Grades 6 through 12 from Seventh-day Adventist schools across North America. Results. Findings from one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) provided empirical evidence to the changes in adolescents’ service involvement patterns over the three administrations of the Valuegenesis study (1990–1991, 2000–2001, and 2010–2011). ANOVA test results for the Horizontal Faith scale indicated a decrease in adolescents’ service involvement patterns from Valuegenesis1 to Valuegenesis2 and Valuegenesis1. Although results for the Evangelism scale were slightly higher in Valuegenesis1 than in Valuegenesis2 and Valuegenesis3, the mean scores in all three studies indicated the same frequency of students’ involvement in mission-oriented service. Likewise, though a slight increase was shown for the Altruism scale from Valuegenesis1 to Valuegenesis2, the mean scores indicated the same frequency of voluntary service involvement among adolescents participating in the studies. Canonical correlation employed to test the second hypothesis revealed significant relationship between adolescents’ commitment to religious values and their involvement in service. Results indicated that the greater adolescents’ commitment to religious values and Seventh-day Adventist beliefs the greater their involvement in service. Canonical correlational analysis, employed to test the third hypothesis, identified significant relationship between home, church, and school variables, and the service involvement of adolescents attending Seventh-day Adventist schools. Thus findings from the canonical correlation revealed that the greater the spiritual influences at home, at church, and at the Seventh-day Adventist school the greater adolescents’ involvement in service. Conclusions. Consistent with results from this study, there are some changes in the service involvement attitudes of teenagers from the first to the second and third administrations of the Valuegenesis study. Meanwhile this research indicated that adolescents’ commitment to religious values and beliefs is significantly related to their involvement in serving others. The current study also revealed a close connection between the influences of the home, the denominational school, and the church, and adolescent students’ voluntary participation in service to others

Visible practices of Christian community in online video small groups

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