Discussion Of Spirit Research Articles

Indigenous Wholistic Theory: A Knowledge Set for Practice

In this article, the author, establishes a knowledge set for Indigenous social work practice based on Indigenous wholistic theory. An overall framework using the circle is proposed and introduced followed by a more detailed and elaborated illustration using the four directions. The article identifies the need to articulate Indigenous wholistic theory and does so by employing a wholistic framework of the four directional circle. It then systematically moves around each direction, beginning in the east where a discussion of Spirit and Vision occurs. In the south a discussion of relationships, community and heart emerge. The western direction brings forth a discussion of the spirit of the ancestors and importance of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous knowledge production. The northern direction articulates ideas surrounding healing and movements and actions that guide practice. Finally, the article begins with a discussion on all four directions together with a final examination of the center fire where all elements interconnect and intersect. Lastly, the article proclaims the existence of Indigenous wholistic theory as a necessary knowledge set for practice.

Indigenous Wholistic Theory: A Knowledge Set for Practice1

In this article, the author establishes a knowledge set for Indigenous social work practice based on Indigenous wholistic theory. An overall framework using the circle is proposed and introduced followed by a more detailed and elaborated illustration using the four directions. The article identifies the need to articulate Indigenous wholistic theory and does so by employing a wholistic framework of the four directional circle. It then systematically moves around each direction, beginning in the east where a discussion of Spirit and vision occurs. In the south, a discussion of relationships, community, and heart emerge. The western direction brings forth a discussion of the Spirit of the ancestors and the importance of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous knowledge production. The northern direction articulates ideas surrounding healing and movements and actions that guide practice. The article begins with a discussion on all four directions together with a final examination of the Centre fire where all elements interconnect and intersect. Lastly, the article proclaims the existence of Indigenous wholistic theory as a necessary knowledge set for practice.

Book Review: God's Love through the Spirit: The Holy Spirit in Thomas Aquinas and John Wesley

God's Love Through Spirit: The Holy in Thomas Aquinas and John Wesley. Kenneth M. Loyer. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2014. xv + 295 pp. $65.00 (doth).As one might guess from title, Kenneth Loyer brings together strong strands from Catholic and Methodist traditions relating to Holy in this carefully written book. He juxtaposes eighteenth-century Methodist founder John Wesley and thirteenth-century Angelic Doctor of church Thomas Aquinas on Holy for several reasons.Foremost, he finds doctrine of Holy is much overlooked today, a gap that Aquinas and Wesley can fill. In first chapter, Loyer suggests that in contemporary Christianity, especially Methodism, Holy has been replaced by a spirit of social concern that reduces work of Holy to political action. He argues that contemporary (mis)construals of Holy may well turn theology into some pursuit, governed not by norms of divine revelation through historically unique person of Jesus Christ . . . but by economics, sociology, or anthropology. For all insights that can be provided by these and disciplines, they are no substitute for theology proper (pp. 12-13).Second, Loyer claims that Methodists do not know Wesleyan doctrines of Christian perfection and sanctification, which require a sound doctrine of Holy Spirit. In chapter 2, Loyer discusses Wesleys emblematic thoughts about Christian perfection and sanctification. Participation in God is a useful motif for interpreting Wesley on perfection . . . because it points to God as boundless source of all perfection and sanctifies very concept of (p. 27). Such participation in God is marked by emphasis on work of Holy Spirit (p. 45).Third, Loyer brings together Wesley and Aquinas because Wesley was a practical theologian, while Aquinas adds theological depth to thought about Holy Spirit. Loyer spends chapters 3, 4, and 5 of his book developing Thomas's doctrine of Trinity from Summa Theologica. These three chapters demonstrate Loyers deft exploration of Thomas's Summa; he invites reader to read Thomas with precision and great attention to detail. Reading these chapters is well worth time and effort.Highlights of these chapters include a description of Aquinas's painstaking discussion of Spirit's internal procession and relationship with Father and Son, such that is the very love with which Father and Son love each other (p. 100). Loyer also depicts Thomas's account of mutual love, love by which the Father loves himself and every creature (p. …

Self-Knowledge, Action and the Language of Confession in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

This paper offers an outline of the central issue Hegel is concerned with in his discussion of spirit. The issue is: how can we possibly confirm our basic and comprehensive claims to validity? In the ‘Spirit’ section of the Phenomenology, Hegel focuses on what we nowadays would call ‘thick conceptions’. The corresponding claims to knowledge relate (a) to a general worldview and (b) to the objective norms embedded in this worldview. Furthermore, they also include (c) a claim to self-knowledge, which is correlated to both.Hegel suggests that if we want to validate these claims we should not look at merely given facts but at the actions performed on the basis of these claims — it's the deed that matters. But in making claims, we are also addressing others. The resulting questions are: How can they possibly recognise the action as a manifestation of the underlying principles? What follows for my self-knowledge if I accept that the judgement of others contributes to what the action really is and thus what it says about me?The first part of the paper explores the general framework underlying Hegel's discussion of spirit. The second part exemplifies Hegel's conception by referring to different cultural realisations of spirit put forward in the sixth chapter of his Phenomenology: the focus will be on Hegel's interpretation of Sophocles' tragedy, Antigone. In the brief, final part I would like to point to three features of Hegel's account of spirit that I take to be still worthy of consideration.

“And Now for Something Completely Different”: A “Pythonic” Reading of Pentecost?

AbstractJack Levison’s discussion of spirit filling in Acts, although highly inventive, ultimately lacks cogency. His attempt to view the episode of the slave girl possessed of a “pythonic spirit” as paradigmatic for understanding the experience of the believers at Pentecost fails because of a misreading of the Acts 16 text and a misrepresentation of Luke’s interests with respect to the Hellenistic religious context of early Christianity. Levison’s reading of the Pentecost event is similarly flawed by the importation of unwarranted parallels from the Hellenistic religious environment. Positively, the study points to the need for further research on the subject of ecstasy in the New Testament.

The Angelic Spirit in Early Christianity: Justin, the Martyr and Philosopher

In the conclusion of his article entitled “The Angelic Spirit in Early Judaism,” John R. Levison invited the scholarly community to use his work as “a suitable foundation for discussion of the angelic spirit” in early Christianity. A few years later, in his study of angelomorphic christology, Charles A. Gieschen highlighted the need for similar work in the field of early pneumatology. The case for angelomorphic pneumatology has been argued at length with respect to the Book of Revelation, the Shepherd of Hermas, and Clement of Alexandria. This essay contributes to the discussion by pursuing the occurrence of the “angelic spirit” in the writings of Justin Martyr.

Between Sociology and Theology: The Spirit of Capitalism Debate

This paper revisits the debate on the Spirit of Capitalism in order to show how this well-known sociological theme might be revitalised through an encounter with themes from theology. The paper seeks to offer some of the resources by which it might be possible to think about the ‘moral texture’ of the German tradition of sociology. In so doing, it seeks to compare and contrast the general theme of the Spirit of Capitalism in the work of the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich with debates raised in the neo-Kantian sociology of Georg Simmel and Max Weber. Tillich's discussion of the Spirit of Capitalism is discussed in detail and it is used as the basis for some concluding speculations about the relationship between the disciplines of sociology and theology.

A Discussion of the Basic Spirit of the Election Laws and the Significance of Direct Elections of People's Congresses at the County Level

The Laws of the People's Republic of China for the National People's Congress (NPC) and Local People's Congresses at All Levels (hereinafter briefly referred to as New Election Laws) approved at the Second Session of the Fifth NPC have become effective as of 1 January 1980. This is an important event in our political life attracting worldwide attention.

Six Simple Truths

We launched a discussion of the civic spirit in poetry with articles by S. Vasil'ev and V. Bokov (Literaturnaia gazeta, No. 5). The discussion is continued in today's issue by Pavel Antokol'sky. We are also publishing the first reactions from readers.

Henry More and Robert Boyle on the Spirit of Nature

The idea of an immaterial, imperceptive, and non-rational organizer of inert matter, a so-called Spirit of Nature, underwent an interesting, if relatively limited, revival in England during the second half of the XVIIth century.1 The origin of this idea, which existed in numerous allotropic forms, may be discovered primarily in Neoplatonic thought (although the influence of the Aristotelian theory of substantial form with its attendant teleology must be taken into account), but its significance in the XVIIth century may best be understood if it is viewed as a reaction against the new philosophies of the day. Apologists for religion in particular were attracted to the Spirit of Nature because they saw in it an escape from the suspected atheistic consequences of the dualism, mechanism, and atomism which the writings of Bacon, Descartes, and Hobbes had popularized. The concept was current under a number of names including the Spirit of Nature, the vis formatrix, the vital influence or principle, plastic nature, and the hylarchic principle. It was very much a part of the intellectual milieu of the age; scientists of the eminence of Harvey found the idea useful, and men of lesser renown like Sir Thomas Browne, Kenelm Digby, Henry Power, and William Charleton 2 referred casually to it, while Ralph Cudworth analyzed it extensively in The True Intellectual System of the Universe.3 Others, like Thomas Vaughan, who were conscientious Platonists and who delved in magic, theosophy, and related traditions of esoteric knowledge, defended an extreme version of the same idea, an anima mundi. It was Henry More, however, who first transferred the discussion of the Spirit of Nature from the realm of metaphysical theory and logical analysis into the area of physics. His defense of the Spirit of Nature formed part of his larger task of establishing the existence of spirit (hence of Godnullus spiritus, nullus Dei was one of More's favorite maxims) in a world beset by atheism and religious indifference. Few contemporary philosophers or scientists would have wished to take issue with More in his laudable and lengthy attempts to establish the existence of the

How Public Spirited Is American Business?

IN attempting to answer question posed by title of this article, I shall refer to several hundred large corporations which we think of collectively as business. This restriction of subject is made only in interests of clarity and brevity. A discussion of public spirit of our several million smaller enterprises would be both useful and important, but it would require special treatment beyond scope of this paper. Thus in following paragraphs, when such words as business, businessman, leader, are used without qualifying adjectives, they refer exclusively to big business.' Many of leaders of America's large corporations are deeply concerned about their obligations to society. This is not an entirely new phenomenon. The concepts of stewardship and the gospel of wealth are, of course, old ideas dating back perhaps several centuries. And for at least fifty years, a growing number of businessmen have seriously pondered their role in modern society and have earnestly considered how this role might be integrated more fully into total social structure. Only within past few years, however, and particularly since World War II, have large numbers of business leaders actively preached doctrine that they are servants of society and proclaimed their obligations not only to-