A Biblical Investigation of Matriarchal Structures in Ancient Semitic Life

This paper shall demonstrate that a gender-stratified template for the leadership of family and government believed to be modeled after ancient Semitic patriarchal structures according to a pattern found in Old Testament biblical texts is erroneous. It shall demonstrate that strong elements of matriarchalism existed alongside of patriarchalism, and that Old Testament texts offer no accurate template for gender-based governance

Aimee Semple McPherson’s Pentecostalism, Darwinism, Eugenics, the Disenfranchised, and the Scopes Monkey Trial

This article posits that the cultural battle waged by Aimee Semple McPherson in concert with William Jennings Bryan over evolution and modernism was largely focused on a popular social theory linked to eugenics. On July 21, 1925, in the city of Dayton, Tennessee, a twentieth-century watershed event became a harbinger of the age: The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, popularly known as the Scopes Monkey Trial. The public remembers the event as spotlighting the fundamentalist-modernist controversy with respect to the teaching of evolution in the public-school curriculum against the protests of fundamentalist Christians who advocated Creationism. The historical event was far more complicated than the popular recollection. By revisiting primary materials, this investigation will demonstrate that much of the protest voiced by McPherson and Bryan involved Social Darwinism and eugenics and a concern over the impact of these popular theories upon the Social Gospel

Reconnecting with the Mystics: Kathryn Kuhlman and the Reshaping of Early Pentecostalism

Kathryn Kuhlman helped to shape a generation of Pentecostal/Charismatic theology and praxis by reintroducing a depth of spirituality which harkened back to the teachings of the mystics. She introduced the concept of spiritual silence to a generation of Sawdust Trail Pentecostals known for their exuberant and lively worship services, and she popularized the experience of being ‘slain in the Spirit.’ But her most notable innovation resulted from discarding healing lines and cards together with a healing theology based upon the faith of the adherents. Instead, she invited pilgrims into a transcendent experience of the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, which rested upon a foundation of love

Incarcerated Women: Theological Reflections on Their Stories

The author offers theological reflections on the stories of incarcerated women. She notes the weak response of the church to human trafficking and prostitution which may be stimulated by the church\u27s practical theology of women. She discusses the relationship of incarceration with early sexual abuse, drugs or alcohol addiction and early sexual trauma. She stresses the need to adopt a better theology of both men and women as a platform for the dignity of all humanity

Scandal and Censure: A Reinvestigation of the Socio-Political Forces Surrounding the Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson

This paper sets the oft-told narrative of McPherson’s disappearance and alleged sexual misconduct into important aspects of the historical context of her era. Although the accusations against the evangelist were widely embraced by the Pentecostal community—and although they continue to exhibit a shaping effect upon her legacy and legend—this paper uses primary historical research to reexamine these events through the lens of emerging, powerful cultural forces, including entrenched female biases common in the post-Victorian era, the ascendance of the American mob, the public’s rejection of prohibition and revulsion against the Women’s Temperance Union and recent Suffragist gains, and the desire of the religious establishment to censure McPherson for casting off role assignment proclivities. This paper will revisit the story and provide a theory that offers compelling, unexplored evidence that connects these events in McPherson’s life with the rowdy and colorfully distinctive characteristics of her time

Scandal and Censure: A Reinvestigation of the Socio-Political Forces Surrounding the Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson

AbstractThis paper sets the oft-told narrative of McPherson’s disappearance and alleged sexual misconduct into important aspects of the historical context of her era. Although the accusations against the evangelist were widely embraced by the Pentecostal community—and although they continue to exhibit a shaping effect upon her legacy and legend—this paper uses primary historical research to reexamine these events through the lens of emerging, powerful cultural forces, including entrenched female biases common in the post-Victorian era, the ascendance of the American mob, the public’s rejection of prohibition and revulsion against the Women’s Temperance Union and recent Suffragist gains, and the desire of the religious establishment to censure McPherson for casting off role assignment proclivities. This paper will revisit the story and provide a theory that offers compelling, unexplored evidence that connects these events in McPherson’s life with the rowdy and colorfully distinctive characteristics of her time

Alocucion religioso politica...en la solemnidad nacional del aniversario de la constitucion

Pronunciada en la Iglesia colegial de San Nicolas de Alicant

Repeat dose NRPT (nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene) increases NAD+ levels in humans safely and sustainably: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

NRPT is a combination of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) precursor vitamin found in milk, and pterostilbene (PT), a polyphenol found in blueberries. Here, we report this first-in-humans clinical trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a repeat dose of NRPT (commercially known as Basis). NRPT was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study in a population of 120 healthy adults between the ages of 60 and 80 years. The study consisted of three treatment arms: placebo, recommended dose of NRPT (NRPT 1X), and double dose of NRPT (NRPT 2X). All subjects took their blinded supplement daily for eight weeks. Analysis of NAD⁺ in whole blood demonstrated that NRPT significantly increases the concentration of NAD⁺ in a dose-dependent manner. NAD⁺ levels increased by approximately 40% in the NRPT 1X group and approximately 90% in the NRPT 2X group after 4 weeks as compared to placebo and baseline. Furthermore, this significant increase in NAD⁺ levels was sustained throughout the entire 8-week trial. NAD⁺ levels did not increase for the placebo group during the trial. No serious adverse events were reported in this study. This study shows that a repeat dose of NRPT is a safe and effective way to increase NAD⁺ levels sustainably

System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation

The operation of satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) has been linked to a variety of benefits to both the spacecraft platform and mission design. Critically, for Earth observation (EO) missions a reduction in altitude can enable smaller and less powerful payloads to achieve the same performance as larger instruments or sensors at higher altitude, with significant benefits to the spacecraft design. As a result, renewed interest in the exploitation of these orbits has spurred the development of new technologies that have the potential to enable sustainable operations in this lower altitude range. In this paper, system models are developed for (i) novel materials that improve aerodynamic performance enabling reduced drag or increased lift production and resistance to atomic oxygen erosion and (ii) atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) for sustained drag compensation or mitigation in VLEO. Attitude and orbit control methods that can take advantage of the aerodynamic forces and torques in VLEO are also discussed. These system models are integrated into a framework for concept-level satellite design and this approach is used to explore the system-level trade-offs for future EO spacecraft enabled by these new technologies. A case-study presented for an optical very-high resolution spacecraft demonstrates the significant potential of reducing orbital altitude using these technologies and indicates possible savings of up to 75% in system mass and over 50% in development and manufacturing costs in comparison to current state-of-the-art missions. For a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, the reduction in mass and cost with altitude were shown to be smaller, though it was noted that currently available cost models do not capture recent commercial advancements in this segment. These results account for the additional propulsive and power requirements needed to sustain operations in VLEO and indicate that future EO missions could benefit significantly by operating in this altitude range. Furthermore, it is shown that only modest advancements in technologies already under development may begin to enable exploitation of this lower altitude range. In addition to the upstream benefits of reduced capital expense and a faster return on investment, lower costs and increased access to high quality observational data may also be passed to the downstream EO industry, with impact across a wide range of commercial, societal, and environmental application areas