Autonomy or Multi-Site? A Policy Capturing Study of Two Models of Church Planting for the Guidance of Future Site Planting at Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas

The purpose of this study was to produce a set of reasoned recommendations for future site planting for Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, KS. Ascension unintentionally became a multi-site congregation in 2002. This study looks at thirteen Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations. Six congregations planted independent congregations (daughter sites). Six congregations planted multi-site venues (sister sites). One congregation has used both models of church planting. The primary component for information gathering was a survey seeking information from each of these churches on how they decided which model to follow. Understanding the reasoning and assumptions made by these churches, I developed a set of recommendations was developed to help Ascension Lutheran Church choose which model to follow for our next plant

Behavioral Mechanisms in HIV Epidemiology and Prevention: Past, Present, and Future Roles

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72261/1/j.1728-4465.2009.00202.x.pd

Writing history of Buddhist thought in the twentieth century: Yinshun (1906-2005) in the context of Chinese Buddhist historiography

Venerable Yinshun 印 順 (1906–2005) was the eminent scholar-monk in twentieth-century Chinese Buddhism. This paper is about his historiographical practice and tries to outline his position in Chinese Buddhist historiography especially in reference to the Song dynasty historian Zhipan 志磐 (thirteenth century). It tries to answer the question in what ways Yinshun can be said to have modernized Buddhist historiography for Chinese Buddhism

On the Use of Historical Social Network Analysis in the Study of Chinese Buddhism: The Case of Dao’an, Huiyuan, and Kumārajīva

This paper is part of a larger research project that attempts to apply historical social network analysis to the study of Chinese Buddhist history. The underlying research questions are whether social network analysis (SNA) metrics can be gainfully applied to Buddhist history, and whether network visualizations can enable us to better understand historical constellations and discover new patterns. Fundamental to this effort is a dataset of Buddhist biographies and lineage data that has been growing steadily over the past thirteen years: the Historical Social Network of Chinese Buddhism. The current dataset records interactions between more than 17,500 actors in Chinese Buddhist history. It is openly available and, in principle, all visualizations and metrics below are reproducible. This paper focuses on a characteristic formation at the beginning of the main network component, a “triangle” formed by the communities of Dao’an 道安 (314–385 CE), Huiyuan 慧遠 (334–416), and Kumārajīva (ca. 344–413). The first section interprets this joint formation as a factor in the establishment of Mahāyāna Buddhism in China. The second section explores how social network analysis can be used to identify hitherto neglected, but still important, actors in Buddhist history

Who was “Central” in the History of Chinese Buddhism? : A Social Network Approach

Hidden in the Buddhist biographical literature on eminent monks is a large amount of information about who knew whom. It is especially rich for the time between 300 and 1000 CE, when the four major collections of “Biographies of Eminent Monks” (gaoseng zhuan) allow us to date and locate the relationships of individuals to a degree unimaginable for the religious history of Europe or India in that period. Using open data from the Gaoseng Zhuan projects conducted between 2007 and 2012 at Dharma Drum Mountain, Taiwan, this article applies centrality measures to identify key players in the currently available data. The dataset connects actors with places and other actors; often connections can be dated. The version of the large, undirected network used here contains ca. 6,500 actors and ca. 13,000 links. The largest component contains ca. 5,500 actors connected by ca. 10,000 links. Comparing the set of key players based on Degree Centrality with those indicated by Betweenness Centrality, a meaningful constellation appears. Degree based centrality yields a list of translators and important patrons. Translation teams constitute cliques that contribute to the high degree value of their leader. Imperial patrons interface with monastic leaders as well as with the secular domain, moreover, records of such interactions are privileged in the sources. Betweenness Centrality, on the other hand, yields famous Chan masters of the late Tang and early Song Dynasty. This reflects both the rising importance of the lineage paradigm in Chinese Buddhist historiography as well as the seminal position of these figures between earlier and later forms of Chinese Buddhis

Factors Associated with Early Sexual Debut among Ghanaian Women from the Manya – Krobo District, – Ghana, 2011

Affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics GW, School of Public Health and Health Services Title: Factors associated with early sexual debut among Ghanaian women from the Manya – Krobo district, – Ghana, 2011 Background: The dipo, a Krobo puberty initiation rite practiced annually among an estimated 2,000 Ghanaian females ages 2–20, is a cultural rite of passage into womanhood that is intended to promote abstinence from sexual activity until marriage. Objectives: This study examined the risk of early sexual debut among dipo-initiated Krobo females versus uninitiated Krobo females. This study also assessed Manya–Krobo societal opinions regarding the sexual health outcomes of initiates and existing modifications of the rite. Methods: Mixed-methods. Utilizing a retrospective cohort study design, we surveyed 306 unwed Krobo females from Agormanya ages 13–20. We employed Cox proportional hazard regressions assessing the effects of model covariates upon sexual debut and age at sexual debut. Qualitative analysis included nine interviews conducted among Manya–Krobo district community members who either supported or opposed the dipo. Responses were analyzed using Dedoose QDA software to determine patterns in attitudes and opinions regarding initiates’ sexual behaviors and to identify current ceremonial changes. Results: Dipo initiated participants had a 1.8 increased hazard rate of early sexual debut as compared to uninitiated participants after adjusting for covariates, however, results were not statistically significant (aHR: 1.8, 95% C.I: 0.8–4.0). Qualitative data indicated that some dipo opponents stated participation promotes promiscuity and teen pregnancy while select supporters asserted the rite protects participants from these outcomes. Key ceremonial changes included a reduction in age eligibility and length of dipo preparatory period. Conclusions: These study findings do not offer conclusive evidence that participation in the dipo increases the risk of early sexual debut among initiated versus uninitiated Krobo females. Study findings suggest the reduction in age of dipo eligibility may increase the likelihood of sexual debut following the ceremony. Participants who received the rite as toddlers had a greater length of time between the dipo and adulthood to become sexually active post-initiation than females who were initiated during their late teens/early twenties

The General and the Bodhisattva: Commander Hou Jigao Travels to Mount Putuo

Mount Putuo, the Chinese Potalaka, is located in the Zhoushan archipelago not far off the coast from Ningbo. The abode of Avalokiteğvara/Guanyin was not only a popular pilgrimage site, but also played a strategic role for the naval control of the archipelago, especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In late imperial China, a number of military officials patronized the temples on Mount Putuo. In this paper we will follow Regional Commander Hou Jigao to Mount Putuo through a close reading of his travelogue (1588). Hou’s travelogue offers a firsthand account of how a high-ranking military official experienced the island. As a case study, it serves as reference for future research into the connection between the military and institutional Buddhism in late imperial China, a topic that has received little attention so far

Adolescents and parents\u27 perceptions of best time for sex and sexual communications from two communities in the Eastern and Volta Regions of Ghana: Implications for HIV and AIDS education

Background Adolescents and parents’ differ in their perceptions regarding engaging in sexual activity and protecting themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The views of adolescents and parents from two south-eastern communities in Ghana regarding best time for sex and sexual communications were examined. Methods Focus Group interviews were conducted with parents and adolescents (both In-school and Out-of school) from two communities (Somanya and Adidome) in the Eastern and Volta regions of Ghana with epidemiological differentials in HIV infection. Results Findings showed parents and adolescents agree that the best timing for sexual activity amongst adolescents is determined by socioeconomic viability. In practice however, there were tensions between adolescents and parents crystallized by spoilt generation and physiological drive ideologies. Whilst one community relied on a more communal approach in controlling their children; the other relied on a confrontational approach. Sex-talk is examined as a measure to reduce these tensions, and children in both communities were ambivalent over sexual communication between their parents and themselves. Parents from the two communities however differed in their perceptions. Whilst parents in one community attributed reduced teenage pregnancies to sex education, those in the other community indicated a generalized adolescents’ sexual activeness manifested in the perceived widespread delinquency in the community. Conclusion Parents in both communities reported significant barriers to parents-adolescents sexual communication. Parents in both communities should be educated to discuss the broader issues on sexuality that affects adolescents and their reproductive health needs