Spiritual Transformation at Austin Christian Church

This project was designed to meet a need at the Austin Christian Church (ACC) for enhancing the spiritual formation of new converts to Christianity by providing clear direction for mentors seeking to disciple others into the image of Christ. The scope of this project is focused directly on taking the first steps toward a deliberate pathway for spiritual formation by establishing the foundational principles. The apostle Paul’s pastoral theology provides the theological rationale for the project. Theosis, the theologically rich description of the Christian transformative process, also informs the theological foundation for the project. Drawing on the work of Richard Foster and Urban Holmes, the project consults the rich history of Christian spiritual formation to guide a pathway that is balanced and honors important aspects of each spiritual tradition. The intervention was conducted using a purposeful sample of members at ACC. The diverse development team was chosen from amongst the small group leaders at ACC to create a pathway for spiritual formation. The immediate objective of the project was to establish a short list of themes, or pillars, upon which a pathway for spiritual formation might be constructed. The intervention was intended to draw upon the experience of mature Christian leaders, allowing their lived experience to work in concert with biblical theology to outline steps in order to guide mentors in the process of maturing new Christians. The intervention yielded a list of seven pillars that after processing the data were reduced to four: 1) knowing the triune God, 2) understanding identity in Christ, 3) living in a community of faith, and 4) embracing mission. These four pillars will form the foundation of a clear pathway for spiritual formation that will include studies, exercises, and experiences intended to produce maturity in young Christians

Cruciformity, Differentiation, and Christian Spiritual Formation

This paper is an examination of two seemingly counterintuitive concepts in Christian spiritual formation. The concept of cruciformity presents the goal of spiritual formation as kenosis, or “emptying oneself of self.” The differentiation of self, as presented in Systems Theory, defines maturity as possessing a clear sense of self. Cruciformity, with its call to kenosis, does not seem to value individuality, making it susceptible to the trappings of enmeshment that emerge from an unbalanced focus on others. Cruciformity seems to judge differentiation as being too balanced, reserving for itself a degree of self-focus that would be deemed inappropriate. It is the thesis of this paper that the kind of spiritual maturity called for by Christ is by necessity kenotic, but that cruciformity and kenosis are only truly possible when a healthy degree of differentiation is present. Therefore, a pursuit of differentiation must be simultaneous with, if not prerequisite to, a commitment to a life of cruciformity. This paper will explore and synthesize cruciformity and differentiation, examining how they complement one another and provide a well-rounded foundation for Christian spiritual formation

Science vs. science: the complexities of interdisciplinary research

Human-Computer Interaction and Web Science are radically interdisciplinary fields, but what does this mean in practical terms? Undertaking research (and writing papers) that encompass multiple disciplinary perspectives and methods is a serious challenge and it is difficult to maintain conferences that fairly review and host contributions from multiple disciplines. The colocation of the ACM WebSci conference with CHI in Paris, offers an unusual opportunity to bring these two communities together. Previous discussions have considered how to conduct interdisciplinary work that bridges HCI/WebSci with specific areas. Our objective is to provide a space for interested researchers from both communities to share their views and approaches to tackling the tensions and complexities associated with interdisciplinary work, whatever fields are being bridged

Structure of grepafloxacin relative to activity and safety profile

A comparison of the structure of ciprofloxacin and grepafloxacin shows that the two compounds are similar, with two exceptions: grepafloxacin has a methyl group at the 5 position and a methyl group attached to the 7-piperazinyl substituent. At the 1 position, both compounds have a cyclopropyl group, which is important for potency, but limits anaerobic activity. The methylpiperazine at position 7 in grepafloxacin is associated with its enhanced Gram-positive activity and long half-life. The methyl group at R5 is also thought to enhance Gram-positive activity. Ciprofloxacin's piperazine group at the 7 position is associated with good Gram-negative activity. Grepafloxacin's Gram-negative activity is comparable to that of ciprofloxacin's against Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and enteric Gram-negative bacilli.Studies of resistance development to fluoroquinolones suggest that grepafloxacin is associated with a reduced selection of resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, which is possibly related to the inhibition or avoidance of efflux transport by NorA

The Carolina Gay Association, the Southeastern Gay Conferences, and Gay Liberation in the 1970S South

This project explores how the successes and failures of local organizing networks in the South shaped national conversations on the rights of queer Americans. Its starting point is 1970 with the Triangle Gay Alliance’s formation in Raleigh, and it ends in 1978 with the third annual Southeastern Gay Conference and repeal of Miami-Dade County’s nondiscrimination ordinance. Paying close attention to the founding of the Carolina Gay Association in 1975 and the subsequent Southeastern Gay Conferences (SEGCs), the thesis connects the attendance at conferences to locally-organized activist groups from North Carolina to Florida to show that rather than being “lonely hunters” without political or social goals, queer Southerners were in fact developing tactics to extend their rights and stake their claim to their homes in the Southeast. Finally, the project looks to the various political actions, literary organizations, and other community groups that formed as direct results of the Southeastern Gay Conferences, pointing to their centrality in an increasingly active and aware queer South. The first chapter provides the backdrop of national gay liberation and the political climate that led to the formation of various queer groups as well as opposition to their formation, especially the Carolina Gay Association at UNC Chapel Hill. The middle chapter focuses on the Southeastern Gay Conferences of 1976, 1977 and 1978, and on the events that occurred during them specifically, as well as the issues that emerged from them. The final chapter begins to examine the outcomes of the organizing that coalesced at the SEGCs, specifically the Miami-Dade nondiscrimination ordinance, Womonwrites Conferences, and lesbian literary ventures such as Sinister Wisdom and Feminary