Presence Of God Research Articles

Toward a Natural Theology of Abundance: Reorientation to a Sacramental Reality

This paper presents the Christian incorporation and transformation of the philosophical understanding of the relation between the material and immaterial. This transformation centers on the Incarnation of Christ, which changes both the relation or contact between the material and immaterial realms, and human knowledge concerning the immaterial divine presence in material reality. More than a descriptive, historical account, the paper is primarily a conceptual presentation that retrieves the historically early thought of Irenaeus of Lyons and Athanasius of Alexandria to argue for a theological account of sacramental reality. Drawing on the metaphysical function of sacraments—themselves “visible signs of invisible grace”—which convey that there is more to material reality than meets the eye, I argue that this “more” implies what I call “a theology of abundance” that pertains to the whole of created reality, in the abundant nature of creation and of the human being in particular, and especially apparent in human knowing. The implication of such a theology of abundance is a comprehensive reorientation of human being, knowing, and expression in response to the invisible presence of the divine in visible, sacramental reality.

Explaining the Perception of Spiritual Care from the Perspective of Hospitalized Patients: A Qualitative Study

Background and Objective: Spirituality has an undeniable impact on healing power, the ability to cope with and adapt to change, and health-related conditions. Spirituality is an essential component of health care; it is critical, vital, and distinct from other types of care. Therefore, the current study aimed to explain the perception of spiritual care from the perspective of hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out in the educational and medical centers of Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2020 using a qualitative approach and content analysis. Data were collected and analyzed concurrently through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 12 participants using purposive sampling. Results: The participants included seven women and five men. The mean age score of participants was 44.16±10.1 years. From the analysis of interviews, 366 primary codes, 10 subcategories, and 3 main categories were extracted, indicating participants' understanding of spiritual care. The categories included religious (belief in the presence of God, observance of Sharia rules, respect for religious beliefs), moral (respect for privacy, responsibility, honesty, secrecy), and emotional (protection, support, follow-up, and continuity of care). Conclusion: In light of the findings of this study, spiritual care has a religious and ethical foundation, and its supportive aspects should receive more emphasis. According to patients, spiritual care entails responsibility, honesty, and confidentiality, as well as considering moral values and religious beliefs as a valuable resource that maximizes patient's self-care control and recovery.

Raised Eyes and Humble Hearts: The Body as/in Space in Pss 123 and 131

As a mobile spatial field, the human body is a space andfunctions in space. The body governs spatial orientation and perceptions of direction, location and distance and determines human experiences and representations of space on the continuum between positive and negative and/or sacred and profane space. In the Psalter, space is represented and experienced through the eyes of a "lyrical I" whose body is located off-centre, in chaos and despair, or at-centre, in harmony and peace. Supplication and praise, ritual and prayer are all expressions of the lyrical I's desire to be located at-centre, in the presence of the deity, in sacred space. Sacred space is not an ontological location, but a subjective, bodily experience of being in the presence of the divine. An analysis of the whole-body experience of the lyrical I in Pss 123 and 131 illustrates the poet's longing for (Ps 123) and experience of being at-centre (Ps 131), in divine presence, i.e., in sacred space.

THE SPACE OF SPIRITUAL CORPORATION IN THE HUMAN DIMENSIONAL ASPECT

The article examines the issue of modern understanding of the component space of national culture, as well as the effects of various civilizational systems on the space of human cultural activity. It is noted that the phenomenon of national spirituality is a powerful factor in the self-development of the nation's moral existence, which reproduces the space of national culture (external and internal). 
 The purpose of the work is to determine the various degrees of human perception of the social space and the presence of God in the universe, nature, and philosophical systems.
 The research methodology consists in the use of dialectical and analytical methods to study the philosophical understanding of the spiritual values of a person. The functional-instrumental method is applied in order to identify the features of the progress of philosophical considerations and their impact on a person in modern society.
 Based on the considered concepts, it can be noted that the existence of spatial spiritual characteristics of physicality in the Ukrainian ethnic group are related to the interpretive aspects of creative power (Holy Trinity). Nowadays, the problem of cultural space is determined by a number of solutions to environmental problems, the close interaction of the biosphere and the noosphere. And also the problem of preserving the integrity of the environment, the solution of which is necessary for a person to exist. The priority solution to this problem is that the phenomenon of national spirituality acts as a powerful factor of self-development and moral improvement of the existence of the nation and individual. The solution of the specified problem is connected with many human interests, as well as the creation of civilizational comfort in the functioning of the mechanisms of today's complex philosophical processes. The spiritual aspect of the spatial characteristics of national culture today is due to the need for a philosophical counterbalance in the conditions of modern globalization.

Bodies of God in the Bible? Divine Incorporeality, Divine Presence, and Revelation

Abstract This article will address some claims in recent biblical scholarship about God having a body. This will involve first considering what recent advocates of divine embodiment in the Bible are actually asserting. The following section will then examine the conception of a body that one finds in Aristotle and some Christian authors like Thomas Aquinas in order to discern whether or in what sense proponents of divine embodiment in the Bible in fact present something contrary to the doctrine of divine incorporeality. There, the article also offers a few thoughts on why one might want to retain the doctrine of divine incorporeality and contend that one can maintain divine incorporeality while still making sense of the Bible’s corporeal or anthropomorphic descriptions of God.

Nenilava, Prophetess of Madagascar: Her Life and the Ongoing Revival She Inspired by James B. Vigen and Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

Reviewed by: Nenilava, Prophetess of Madagascar: Her Life and the Ongoing Revival She Inspired by James B. Vigen and Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Mark Nygard Nenilava, Prophetess of Madagascar: Her Life and the Ongoing Revival She Inspired. By James B. Vigen and Sarah Hinlicky Wilson. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2021. 137 pp. From my mother Martha, I learned a respect, even a kind of reverence, for the lives of contemporary saints. "A washer of dishes in the church kitchen is as noble in God's sight as the pastor of the church," she would tell us, and I remember paying attention to see who these wonderful people working in the kitchen were. Two elderly, specially-gifted sisters who dusted our pews at First Lutheran in Minot were often discussed and appreciated at the Sunday dinner table. I have since marked where they are buried, and to this day I look for their tombstones as I drive by. This is a book of that kind of respect and even reverence for a contemporary saint. She is not a saint from North Dakota, so her [End Page 224] sainthood requires some interpretation for those who find Madagascar an exotic place. But she was a saint deeply loved by literally millions of Malagasy, and her humble story and its effects are still reverberating in the Malagasy Lutheran Church (MLC) and beyond, twenty-five years after her passing. Hagiography this book may be, but it is an academic hagiography. It reflects an orderly approach to the life and work of Germaine Volahavana (1920–1998), affectionately known as Nenilava, with presentation of data and thoughtful reflection. The first chapter—a history of the revival that she inspired until 1970—is an English translation of an oral account that she provided Zakaria Tsivoery, a MLC pastor, during her lifetime. Unquestionably the centerpiece of the work, it takes up the first half and furnishes the basic raw material for an insider's understanding of Nenilava and her work—preaching, casting out of demons, strengthening through laying on of hands, and assignment of personal hymn or scripture passages (45). Reading this chapter is an unvarnished, cross-cultural experience for the Western reader, from the merely peculiar, like an unusual consciousness of direction ("a photo of the baby was taken on the east side of the church," 42), to spiritual matters affecting the shape of faith, like awareness of divine presence ("Then Jesus took her by the hand and led her into the pulpit," 10) or of evil ("It isn't me who makes them vomit, but the devil who does it!" 32). It is with some relief, then, that the Western reader finds mediating voices in the second half of the book. In chapter two James Vigen finishes the story of Nenilava's life after 1970, including her travel abroad and the establishment of a healing center in France. In chapter three he proceeds to assess Nenilava and her ministry from his own perspective, including remembrances from the Madagascar missionary community and pertinent insights by theologian Paul Tillich, psychologist M. Scott Peck, and British missionary John V. Taylor. In a conclusion that might better be called a discussion opener, Sarah Wilson offers a series of brief, open-ended theological perspectives on noteworthy elements of Nenilava's story—evil spirits, healing and miracles, healing and sin, and "emergent offices of ministry" that focus outward towards the unbaptized rather than on the inward care of the established flock (127–28). This thoughtful [End Page 225] mediation by two sensitive American pastors/teachers with long international experience will make the Nenileva story coherent for many American readers. This is not a book for the unadventurous. Mild-thinking American Lutherans, accustomed to their favorite paradigms and narratives, may leave the book troubled and even angry. On the other hand, this may be just the book for the unadventurous, as one generation of saints calls out to another to stretch and grow and imagine fresh ministry for fresh situations. The work is accessible. Its pages should be able to ruffle seminarian and parishioner alike. Given all the Malagasy place names in the text and the pitiful knowledge of Malagasy geography of, at least, this...

YHWH in a Suit: Kəbôd YHWH as the Regalia of the Priestly God

Kāḇôḏ in kəḇôḏ YHWH has been translated predominantly with abstract words such as “glory” or “presence” throughout the Hebrew Bible. Some scholars argue that kəḇôḏ YHWH simultaneously marks the divine presence and hides the divine essence. These understandings do not capture the specific function and signification of kəḇôḏ YHWH in the pentateuchal Priestly source (P and H). In P and H, kəḇôḏ YHWH conveys the imagery of radiant, fiery clothing, comparable to Mesopotamian melammu. The deity always appears before the public with kəḇôḏ YHWH, whereas the text never says that the deity meets anyone privately with it. kəḇôḏ YHWH expresses the royal aspect of the deity who requires honor and submission. This understanding of kəḇôḏ YHWH in P reveals that the Priestly God is not abstract, enigmatic, or transcendent.

The Solitary Mind in the Anatomy of Melancholy

The Solitary Mind in <i>the Anatomy of Melancholy</i>

Hearing the non-violence in a silent departure (John 8:59 and 10:39)

The provocative exchanges between Jesus and his interlocutors in John 8 and 10 both climax in the interlocutors rejecting Jesus’s claims and seeking to stone him before tersely describing Jesus’s escape from a premature death: in John 8:59, Jesus hides himself and departs from the temple, whereas in John 10:39, he merely departs. These enigmatic descriptions of departure create “narrative silences.” Considering ancient expectations for violent divine retribution against those who failed to recognize and honor a deity’s manifestation, I argue these “narrative silences” would have provoked an ancient audience to anticipate violent divine judgment. John, however, subverts this expectation. While maintaining that Jesus’s departure from the temple, and, later, from the world, are divine judgment in the form of the removal of the divine presence, John nevertheless presents this judgment as distinctively non-violent. This non-violent divine judgment in turn furthers the Gospel’s aim of convincing the audience to accept the Gospel’s claim that Jesus is the enfleshed divine presence.

Keteladanan Kepemimpinan Hamba Tuhan Upaya Penerapan Kesadaran Pentingnya Beribadah

Exemplary leadership of God's servants in carrying out efforts to raise awareness of the importance of worship. This is very important for society. Provide more understanding and exemplary than God's servant who can influence or make an exemplary example that reflects the basic ministry of Jesus the Messiah who is an example. In this study, there is a symptom that causes church members not to consider worship as important in building public awareness to prioritize worship with the aim of each working and glorifying God in worship. The presence of God's servant in the organization to perform ministry. Services that are carried out humbly can encourage the congregation to pray and provide an understanding of the importance of worship which will change the pattern of life that God really wants.

Ralph K. Hawkins. Discovering Exodus: Content, Interpretation, Reception

Ralph K. Hawkins. <i>Discovering Exodus: Content, Interpretation, Reception</i>

Mission as Hospitality with Refugees and Other Migrants: Exploring Ross Langmead’s “Guests and Hosts” in Australian Churches

Abstract This article explores the “mission of God” and its relationship with refugees and migrants in Australia. At its best, this mission is experienced as hospitality to, by, and with people of cultural diversity. Ross Langmead (2014) called for a theology of mission as an expression of divine hospitality to those marginalized and forcefully displaced, and recalled the significance of the cultural diversity that the Bible celebrates. By hospitably serving and learning from refugees and migrants, Australian local churches function as both guests and hosts. Langmead suggested this hospitality has ten dimensions including advocacy, meals, mutual learning, and “openness to a transforming divine presence” (2014:39ff). It is this last dimension that invites reflection as to how all ten may be more broadly applied. This article is a conversation on the experience of Australian churches at large in giving and receiving hospitality with refugees and other migrants. The conversation demonstrates the value of practicing hospitality for the sake of mutual learning and shared mission amongst the global diaspora in the Australian context.

Phenomenology Out of Bounds? Jean-Yves Lacoste’s Phenomenology and the Presence of God

This article articulates Jean-Yves Lacoste’s account of phenomenology. It does so by tracing Lacoste’s relation to Husserl. Although the influence of Heidegger on Lacoste’s thinking has been sufficiently studied, his relation to the father of phenomenology perhaps is not. The aim of this essay is to see whether Lacoste’s practice of phenomenology still qualifies as phenomenology proper or whether, as some might be inclined to think, it is an improper venturing into the terrain of theology. For this, we offer an account both of Lacoste’s conception of “theological thinking” and of the phenomenon he describes so beautifully, the presence of God in liturgical and sacramental presence. This article concludes by, perhaps, putting into parentheses some of Lacoste’s findings by pointing to Jacques Derrida’s take on Husserl’s Origin of Geometry, questioning once more the bounds and boundaries of Lacoste’s phenomenology of faith and opening avenues for further research.

Investigating the Relationship Between Perceived Impact of Terrorist Attacks, Resilience, and Religious Beliefs on Death Anxiety in Students in Islamabad

Objectives The present research aims to explore the perceived impact of terrorist attacks on death anxiety in terms of dread, lack of control, and extent of exposure. In addition, this study is conducted to explore the moderating effect of resilience attributes and religious beliefs. Methods In this study, the samples include 359 students (directly perceived = 159, and indirectly perceived = 200). The students were in the age range of 15 to 22 years. The samples were collected from Islamabad City and Rawalpindi City, Pakistan. A total of 223 of the participants were male with a mean age of 18.97 years and a standard deviation of 2.48, and the remaining 136 participants were female with a mean age of 18.53 and a standard deviation of 2.68. The data were collected through the perceived impact of terrorist attack scale (Khan &amp; Rafiq, 2016), the death anxiety scale (Templer, 1970), the resilience scale for adults (Friborg, 2003), and the religiosity questionnaire (Rafiq &amp; Shehzadi, 2013). We used the quantitative research method in this study. After the data collection, they were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 23. Meanwhile, descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and moderation was done. Results The results of the correlational analysis indicated that the perceived impact of terrorist attacks (dread, lack of control, and extent of exposure) was significantly and positively (P ≥ 0.001) associated with death anxiety among directly and indirectly perceived individuals; however, directly perceived individuals were less fearful about death when compared to indirectly perceived individuals. Religious beliefs and resilience attributes had moderating effects on the relationship between the perceived impact of terrorist attacks and death anxiety. Conclusion According to the findings, we can conclude that the belief about the hereafter, the presence of God, and coping may reduce death anxiety more in directly exposed individuals compared to indirectly exposed people.

Philosophy, Power, Evolution (Based on the Works of V.V. Bibikhin)

The article attempts to discover the semantic and historical connections between the concepts of philosophy, power and evolution on the basis of the works of V.V. Bibikhin. In the first part of the text, referring to his works “The Power of Russia” and “Searching for One's Own in Plato's “Alcibiades”, it is shown that philosophical power paradoxically turns out to be powerless. It is power over one's own thoughts first of all, and it is in this way that philosophy can influence political power. The second part of the work analyzes the book by V.V. Bibikhin “The Wood”, dedicated to the problem of living matter in ancient and modern biology, as well as the factors of evolution. The author of this book admits a metaphysical assumption about the influence of supernatural beings (gods, angels, demons) on the evolution of the human species. This idea is considered at the point of intersection of scientific, philosophical and theological intentions. In the third part of the text, an attempt is made to illustrate and combine the main ideas of the first and second parts on the example of the activities of Socrates, which turned out to be a non-trivial way of influencing the evolution of political power by the power of philosophical thought inspired by the divine presence (the voice of a demon).

Last Prophet and Last Day: Shaykhī, Bābī and Bahā’ī Exegesis of the “Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40)

The appearance of post-Islamic religions, the Bābī and Bahā’ī Faiths, is a theoretical impossibility from an orthodox Muslim perspective, since the Qur’ān designates the Prophet Muḥammad as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40), widely understood as meaning the “Last of the Prophets”. To overcome this problem, the respective prophet-founders, the Bāb (1819–1850) and Bahā’u’llāh (1817–1892), each presented novel approaches which this article will explore. In short, the Bāb revealed a “new” Qur’ān, i.e., the Qayyūm al-Asmā’ (1844), and Bahā’u’llāh wrote the Kitāb-i Īqān (Book of Certitude) in January 1861. While acknowledging Muḥammad as the last prophet in the “Prophetic Cycle”, the Bāb and Bahā’u’llāh inaugurated the advent of the “Cycle of Fulfillment”. This new era was foretold in the Qur’ān by way of a symbolic code, understood metaphorically and spiritually. A key concept is that of the “divine presence” (liqā’ Allāh), i.e., the encounter/“meeting” with God, whereby Q. 33:44, Q. 83:6, Q. 7:35 (and their respective parallels) effectively transcend Q. 33:40. Recognizing that the Bāb and Bahā’u’llāh each manifests the “divine presence” thereby constitutes a “realized eschatology”. This paper represents the first time that a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the Shaykhī, Bābī, and Bahā’ī viewpoints on the subject of the “Seal of the Prophets” has been made and is the result of a collaboration between two scholars working in the United States and Russia.

Jika Tuhan Tidak Ada, Segala Sesuatu Diperbolehkan? Tinjauan Kritis akan Moralitas Manusia Dihadapan Ateis

This article examines Jean-Paul Sartre's materialistic atheism perspective on the rejection of God's existence and its implications on human freedom and morality. Sartre argues that the existence of God limits human freedom, hence humans must pursue their existence without the presence of God. However, the article also explores criticisms of Sartre's views, indicating that the absence of God in moral thought can lead to ethical dilemmas, especially in the context of law and justice. Additionally, the article discusses Sartre's failure to acknowledge the impact of God's absence on metaphysical authority and human sacred identity. Through its analysis, the author aims to highlight the complexity of the relationship between the existence of God, human freedom, and the foundation of morality.

The Present Challenge of the Supernatural in the Church of God

One must never forget that it is God alone who has ultimate authority over all things in heaven and on earth. The power of the Church is based strongly on discipleship that is entrenched in individuals and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In general, the term Christianity as a supernatural religion is still in some ways foreign to the ears of the church of God. Even supernatural concepts may be considered heretical if they are not understood correctly. Where there is a lack of information about the mystical supernatural world, everything that smells of occultism is convicted as a violation of the second law and is considered as a sin. Supernatural Christianity actually invites people back to the church of God to find the essence of their spirituality that is manifested in "intimacy" by God’s creatures in daily life. The research method adopted in this study was a descriptive qualitative method in which some of the literature related to the topic of supernatural life in Christianity was analysed. The results of this study indicate that Christians are a representation of God's own presence because the knowledge of the Creator God is all present in the Lordship of Christ. The search for the Creator in the supernatural universe is not an endless search, but a clear search with a definite identity found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. The church must invite the congregation to fall down in peace in the presence of God so that the bond between God and His church can be strengthened and then the Church of God will be able to practice the teachings of God more fully in the lives of believers’. Believers must master the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them to strengthen their own theological identity, while they should also practice the different spiritual gifts in a personal way that allows them to introspect and serve God in spirit and in truth.

Urban Taxi Slogans: The People's Arts

Urban Taxi Slogans: The People's Arts

QUANTUM THEOLOGY AND “‘WE’ AND ‘THEY’”

QUANTUM THEOLOGY AND “‘WE’ AND ‘THEY’”