The Toronto Blessing: Key to Evaluating Recent Revivals

The charismatic revivals of recent decades have sparked as much controversy as they have revival fires. Pentecostal and charismatic churches generally embraced the revivals at Toronto (1994), Pensacola (1995-2000), Lakeland (2008), and Mobile (2010) as genuine works of the Holy Spirit, but non-charismatic Christians are often unsure of what to think. On the one hand, Christians do not want to be so gullible that they believe any miracle report or legitimize any manifestation as authentic. On the other hand, Christians do not want to attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the flesh or to the devil. Evaluating any revival movement is therefore a serious undertaking, but conclusions must be drawn after close inspection. This paper argues that the Toronto Blessing, from which the subsequent revivals were spawned, was not a genuine revival of God because of its promotion of signs and wonders (in place of repentance and salvation), its misguided emphasis upon the Holy Spirit (in place of Jesus Christ), and its counterfeit manifestations which are not from the Holy Spirit. This paper examines the theological background, the key leaders, the revival itself, and the legacy of the Toronto Blessing before offering a critique of the movement

The Theological Method of Friedrich Schleiermacher

What Friedrich Schleiermacher is most known for is his theological method of deriving doctrine from religious experience. He believed that religious piety is to be found in the “feeling of absolute dependence”, and all subsequent doctrines must be discovered through reflection upon religious experience. Understanding and critiquing Schleiermacher’s theological method requires examining his theological influences, his “feeling of absolute dependence,” and a few examples from his systematic theology. In the end, Schleiermacher’s theological method is ingenious but misguided because it is based on a faulty religious epistemology of human experience. What is needed instead is an objective standard of truth from outside of human nature–namely, God’s revelation found in the Bible

Jimmy Bedgood

SSgt. Jimmy Bedgood, May 20, 1946 - May 6, 1968 Native Sons Exhibit Pagehttps://kb.gcsu.edu/nativesons/1012/thumbnail.jp

A comparative study of parameterized and full thermal-convection models in the interpretation of heat flow from cratons and mobile belts

Heat flow from Archean cratons worldwide is typically lower than from younger mobile belts surrounding them. The contrast in heat flow between cratons and mobile belts has been attributed in previous studies to the greater thermal resistance of thicker lithosphere beneath the cratons which impedes the flow of mantle heat through the cratons and forces more mantle heat to escape through thinner mobile belt lithosphere. This interpretation is based on thermal models which employ a parameterized convection algorithm to calculate heat transfer in the sublithospheric mantle. We test this interpretation by comparing thermal models constructed using the parameterized convection scheme with models developed using an algorithm for full thermal convection. We show that thermal models constructed using the two different convection algorithms yield similar surface heat flow and thermal structure to moderate depths within the lithosphere. Therefore, we conclude that the interpretation of the heat-flow observations in terms of thicker lithosphere under Archean cratons than under mobile belts is robust in the sense that surface heat flow is not sensitive to the details of heat transfer within the convecting mantle and how deep mantle heat is delivered to the base of the lithosphere.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74756/1/j.1365-246X.1993.tb04665.x.pd

The impacts of natural flood management approaches on in-channel sediment quality

Natural Flood Management (NFM) techniques aim to reduce downstream flooding by storing and slowing the flow of stormwater to river channels. These techniques include a range of measures, including setback stormwater outfalls and the physical restoration of channels and floodplains, to improve the natural functioning of catchments. An additional benefit of NFM measures is the potential reduction in sediment and pollutant delivery to the channel. Urban development releases a variety of heavy metal and nutrient pollutants that enter rivers through stormwater outfalls with adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem. In this study, the influence of channel modification and quality of the river habitat on the sediment quality surrounding stormwater outfalls was assessed. Sediment samples were taken at several outfalls within the Johnson Creek catchment, Oregon, USA, and analysed for a variety of urban pollutants. The level of river habitat quality and modification at each site were assessed using a semi-quantitative scoring methodology. Significant increases in pollutant levels were observed at outfalls, with a greater and more variable increase at direct compared to setback outfalls. Removal efficiency of certain pollutants was found to be significantly correlated to the level of habitat quality or modification (for Fe, Ba, Sn, Mg, P, K) indicating that more natural reaches had greater potential for pollutant removal. The findings highlight the multiple benefits associated with NFM and river restoration approaches in relation to sediment quality and pollutant content

Public Participation in Scientific Research: a Framework for Deliberate Design

Members of the public participate in scientific research in many different contexts, stemming from traditions as varied as participatory action research and citizen science. Particularly in conservation and natural resource management contexts, where research often addresses complex social–ecological questions, the emphasis on and nature of this participation can significantly affect both the way that projects are designed and the outcomes that projects achieve. We review and integrate recent work in these and other fields, which has converged such that we propose the term public participation in scientific research (PPSR) to discuss initiatives from diverse fields and traditions. We describe three predominant models of PPSR and call upon case studies suggesting that—regardless of the research context—project outcomes are influenced by (1) the degree of public participation in the research process and (2) the quality of public participation as negotiated during project design. To illustrate relationships between the quality of participation and outcomes, we offer a framework that considers how scientific and public interests are negotiated for project design toward multiple, integrated goals. We suggest that this framework and models, used in tandem, can support deliberate design of PPSR efforts that will enhance their outcomes for scientific research, individual participants, and social–ecological systems

Pain, agitation, and behavioural problems in people with dementia admitted to general hospital wards

Pain is underdetected and undertreated in people with dementia. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of pain in people with dementia admitted to general hospitals and explore the association between pain and behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD). We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 230 people, aged above 70, with dementia and unplanned medical admissions to 2 UK hospitals. Participants were assessed at baseline and every 4 days for self-reported pain (yes/no question and FACES scale) and observed pain (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia scale [PAINAD]) at movement and at rest, for agitation (Cohen–Mansfield Agitating Inventory [CMAI]) and BPSD (Behavioural Pathology in Alzheimer Disease Scale [BEHAVE-AD]). On admission, 27% of participants self-reported pain rising to 39% on at least 1 occasion during admission. Half of them were able to complete the FACES scale, this proportion decreasing with more severe dementia. Using the PAINAD, 19% had pain at rest and 57% had pain on movement on at least 1 occasion (in 16%, this was persistent throughout the admission). In controlled analyses, pain was not associated with CMAI scores but was strongly associated with total BEHAVE-AD scores, both when pain was assessed on movement (b 5 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5 0.07- 0.32, P 5 0.002) and at rest (b 5 0.41, 95% CI 5 0.14-0.69, P 5 0.003). The association was the strongest for aggression and anxiety. Pain was common in people with dementia admitted to the acute hospital and associated with BPSD. Improved pain management may reduce distressing behaviours and improve the quality of hospital care for people with dementia

Pain assessment for people with dementia: a systematic review of systematic reviews of pain assessment tools.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence of under-detection and poor management of pain in patients with dementia, in both long-term and acute care. Accurate assessment of pain in people with dementia is challenging and pain assessment tools have received considerable attention over the years, with an increasing number of tools made available. Systematic reviews on the evidence of their validity and utility mostly compare different sets of tools. This review of systematic reviews analyses and summarises evidence concerning the psychometric properties and clinical utility of pain assessment tools in adults with dementia or cognitive impairment. METHODS: We searched for systematic reviews of pain assessment tools providing evidence of reliability, validity and clinical utility. Two reviewers independently assessed each review and extracted data from them, with a third reviewer mediating when consensus was not reached. Analysis of the data was carried out collaboratively. The reviews were synthesised using a narrative synthesis approach. RESULTS: We retrieved 441 potentially eligible reviews, 23 met the criteria for inclusion and 8 provided data for extraction. Each review evaluated between 8 and 13 tools, in aggregate providing evidence on a total of 28 tools. The quality of the reviews varied and the reporting often lacked sufficient methodological detail for quality assessment. The 28 tools appear to have been studied in a variety of settings and with varied types of patients. The reviews identified several methodological limitations across the original studies. The lack of a 'gold standard' significantly hinders the evaluation of tools' validity. Most importantly, the samples were small providing limited evidence for use of any of the tools across settings or populations. CONCLUSIONS: There are a considerable number of pain assessment tools available for use with the elderly cognitive impaired population. However there is limited evidence about their reliability, validity and clinical utility. On the basis of this review no one tool can be recommended given the existing evidence