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1. Psychological Disorders (Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Post) (400 word

1. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Post) (400 word

1. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Post) (400 words) (APA format)
Topic: Suicide and Suicide Prevention
In your post, address the following prompts:
What factors are related to suicide?
How did your reading of the text change your ideas about how you might deal with a suicide threat by a friend or loved one?
What steps would they take in response to being aware of a friend’s potential suicide?
2. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Replies) (300 words) (APA format)
Topic: Suicide and Suicide Prevention
Alishia Sandecki posted Sep 18, 2024 10:41 PM
Warning. My post talks about a real suicide, please only read if not triggered.
Hello Class,
This week’s readings on suicide were shocking and very sad. Factors related to suicide seem to be overwhelming stress, mania and depression. In our text, Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (Duram et. al., 2019) states that “more than 80% of people who commit suicide suffer from a psychological disorder, usually a mood disorder, substance abuse, or impulse disorder.” (pg. 238).
Mood disorders such as bi-polar, go to two extremes of emotions such as mania and depression. People who commit suicide who have substance abuse disorders tend to abuse alcohol and opioids. And impulse disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, seem to be at a higher risk of self-harm and suicidal tendencies.
I recently had a death in my family, it was my niece’s dad. He was an alcoholic who had recently gone though inpatient rehab, and he was prescribed meds. Once he returned home, he relapsed, and he then committed suicide a day before father’s day just this year. It fit the statistics that I read about in the text that men tend to perform more violent forms of suicide, as he had a suicide attempt, took photos of his bloody face, sent them to my sister, who he had a child with and then tried again shortly after. It was his second attempt that he succeeded. There were obvious signs of distress in his Facebook posts and the last time I had talked to him just a week before I told him that I was worried for him and that he seemed like he was crying for help in the tones of his social media posts.
The night he hung himself he tagged me in a final post that was a poem about “a father who will always love his child”. He asked me in his post to let my niece know he always loved her. My sister and I were very surprised to discover that he had in fact followed through with this act. I cried and realized that when I see someone going through something that I should check in on them and see if I can offer them some kind of support.
When reading the test my idea of suicide changed because I thought that teens and adults committed suicide. However, that is not always the case, suicide is the “fifth leading cause of death from ages 5-14” (Duram et. al., 2019, p. 236). Typically, this behavior can run in families, it can be biological and learned behavior. According to our text there are suicidal ideations, suicidal plans where actual plans are made and fully thought through, and suicidal attempts (Duram et. al., 2019, p 236).
Suicide seems to happen due to a sense of hopelessness, or perception of being a burden, and a diminished sense of self. Suicide can also be used as a way to punish people they were hurt by during their life.
When someone in the family commits suicide, teens are more likely to imitate that form of suicide. About 5% of teens that commit suicide tend to imitate their family’s act in the same way. So this made me worried for my niece. Not only did she go through something horrific as her dad committing suicide in such a harsh way, but she is at an impressionable age where she is experiencing a diminished sense of self.
I realized that giving attention and making a person feel validated for their perceived stress can help bring someone closer, it can also help them find hope in a hopeless place in their life. I never make any of my family feel like a burden. I try to extend love and compassion to all, regardless of their place in my life. I am happy that my last words to Joey, my niece’s dad, were words of love and respect and concern.
Rest in peace Joey Iano.
Do you feel that maybe it can be the sudden changes of medications and substance abuse, along with their perceived interpretation of life stressors that lead them to suicide?
Thanks for reading,
~Ali
Reference
Durand, V. W., Barlow, D.H, Hoffman, S. (2019). Essentials of abnormal psychology. (8th edition). Cengage Text.
3. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Replies) (300 words) (APA format)
Topic: Suicide and Suicide Prevention
Ashley Murphy posted Sep 19, 2024 8:29 PM
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There are several factors that are related to suicide and suicidal ideation. Many believe that those who complete the act of suicide are simply depressed. Though depression is certainly linked to suicidal ideation, it is rarely the sole cause of a person being suicidal. Many who suffer with suicidal ideation have more than just depression to deal with. Individuals that have impulse control disorders, high levels of anxiety, and general hopelessness are at a very high risk of being suicidal.
Additionally, substance use is certainly a contributing factor for suicidal ideation. An example of this could be a chronic alcoholic, who does not see any hope of sobriety, but does not want to wait to die a slow death from drinking, may become suicidal. This person may have begun drinking as a coping mechinizim for dealing with stress, or depression. This person may believe that alcohol numbs them to the emotional pain they feel, not realizing that it is causing their depression or mood disorder to worsen. Along with the prolonged substance issues, alcohol also lowers inhibitions, allowing a person to be very impulsive in their actions, thus making the completion of the act of suicide more likely.
I have a very adverse reaction to the subject of suicide. For me, I have never reached the levels of sadness, despair, loneliness to have ever considered taking my own life. That being said, I was surprised to learn that depression, even chronic depression alone does not necessarily lead a person to being suicidal. I now understand that there are several factors that contribute to a person’s thoughts and feelings toward being suicidal. I was also surprised to learn that people who do not suffer from any diagnosed mood disorders also make up a large portion of individuals that complete the act of suicide.
If I had a friend or family member that presented as being suicidal, I would encourage them to speak about what is going on inside their heads. In many cases, it only takes one person to make a connection that lasts long enough to change the thought process of someone that is suicidal. I have helped people close to me in times of crisis and very low points in their lives. As I gain in knowledge of the intricacies of the human psyche, I have learned to be a better listener, and allow those people a friendly ear that will not judge, or offer solutions in a matter than makes them feel like it is simple to just not feel that way. I would also take steps to insure that person’s safety, up to and including law enforcement involvement, and hospitalization. However, letting someone know that they are not alone, that their life has value, and that there is still hope if they look for it, may be all they need to hear in that moment.
References:
Durand, V. M., Barlow, D. H., & Hofmann, S. G. (2019). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
4. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Post) (400 words) (APA format)
Topic: Understanding Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are among the most common psychological disorders, and the risk of developing them is increasing worldwide, particularly in younger people. Two fundamental experiences can contribute either singly or in combination to all specific mood disorders: a major depressive episode and a manic episode. A less severe episode of mania that does not cause impairment in social or occupational functioning is known as a hypomanic episode. An episode of mania coupled with anxiety or depression is known as a mixed episode or mixed state. In considering the aspects of mood disorders, answer the following in the discussion forum: How might a hypomanic episode be a help and a hindrance?
5. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Replies) (300 words) (APA format)
Topic: Understanding Mood Disorders
Alishia Sandecki posted Sep 18, 2024 11:04 PM
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Hello Class,
There are many forms of mood disorders: Bi-polar type I and type II, major depressive disorder, hypomania, unipolar, mixed features, persistent depressive disorder, premenstrual depressive disorder, disruptive mood disorder, and cyclothymic disorder. All were touched on in this week’s readings.
Hypomania is distinct because it is a mild version of a unipolar mania. Hypomania does not cause a marked impairment in social or occupational functioning and lasts about four days long.
Although hypomania does not seem to impair normal activities, it still adds to impulsivity. Also due to its short duration it may go undiagnosed and untreated. After a hypomania episode feeling of hopelessness and diminished sense of self still occur. Impulsive actions lead to risky behaviors and can be self-destructive like leading to substance abuse. This can lead to accidental suicide, suicide, or self-harm.
It’s common that in mood disorders, specifically bi-polar or borderline personality disorder, mania is preferred over depressive episodes. These episodes can be managed with medications and therapy. However, due to the enjoyment one feels during a manic episode most people will refuse medications, such as lithium that are known to help manage mania.
Quitting mind altering medications has an effect on the psychophysiology of the prescribed individual, which can create more issues. Also our text stated that once the disorder begins a cycle, it is ensuring that the disorder will continue. When the disorder continues it will increase the two factors that describe mood disorders such as chronicity and severity.
I found an interesting article that discusses what one may feel after a hypomania episode. Hypomania and mania (N.A, 2023) states that people can experience feeling very unhappy or ashamed about how they behaved. They may have taken on more commitments than they can handle, which adds to life stressors and diminished sense of self. Some can even have unclear memories about things said or done. And due to lack of sleep they may feel tired and feel like they need to reset to become normal again.
I don’t see any long-term benefit of experiencing episodes of mania.
Have you ever experienced episodes of mania or observed someone experiencing episodes of mania?
Thanks for reading,
~Ali
6. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Replies) (300 words) (APA format)
Topic: Understanding Mood Disorders
April Mendez posted Sep 20, 2024 12:02 AM
Coincidentally, during the same week as this prompt, I have been managing my sister’s hypomania episode, which is a frequently occurring comorbid disorder among individuals with autism (Dell’Osso et al., 2019). The biggest hindrance to her experiencing this is her therapist and psychiatrist not acknowledging the symptoms since it not at the level of mania. After bringing it to their attention, along with the mention of the family’s Bipolar history, I was met with the dismissive response that her spending did not reach the level of “thousands of dollars,” thus implying that it was not a matter of concern. Only now have they begun to acknowledge the existence of this problem, which is evident from her rapid and increasingly unintelligible speech, along with the exacerbation of other symptoms.
Hypomania has the advantage of being less intense than mania. Our father’s bipolar disorder manifested in manic episodes, rendering communication futile during those states. The primary issue arose from several days of sleep deprivation, leading to potential hallucinations and subsequent unpredictability. Fortunately, hypomania is a more manageable state as it allows for a greater level of functionality in comparison to manic episodes. To illustrate this, let’s consider the example of my sister. Unlike our late father, she is able to get some sleep. Nevertheless, I consistently remind her to go to bed earlier to mitigate the symptoms even more.
Despite my sister’s inability to recognize the symptoms at the beginning, she retains her presence of mind and heeds my observations when an episode starts. As a result, she can engage in a range of self-care and preventative actions. The incorporation of grounding techniques, additional sleep, and consistent check-ins prove to be immensely helpful. She has also started to limit her spending which was a huge issue before.
The primary advantage of hypomania, from my sister’s point of view, is the boost in motivation. Similar to my parents, she has grappled with depression for a significant portion of her life, a genetic predisposition that we were cognizant of. She grappled with comprehending and experiencing motivation…until the occurrence of a hypomanic episodes. Nevertheless, the primary challenge is to channel her motivation in a suitable manner. This may result in her abstaining from spending $300 on plants for a garden that she will inevitably lose interest in after a week. But, rather, plan her time and commitment with goals before making big purchases. As you can see, spending is a huge hindrance to the hypomania. Particularly if one lacks awareness due to being in a functional state.
How would you approach a loved one who is showing symptoms of hypomania? This was a difficult topic for my sister to accept. She was in denial for months and not getting help sooner hurt her more than helped, especially financially. What do you think is a good approach for a sensitive topic for those, especially with family history?
Reference
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
7. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Post) (400 words) (APA format)
Topic: Dissociative Identity Disorder
The rise in reported cases of dissociative identity disorder (DID) is astounding. Prior to 1980, only about 200 cases were reported worldwide; now thousands are reported annually. Your textbook discusses the controversies surrounding DID. What do you think? Review the controversy over dissociative disorders and share whether you believe the disorders are real or invented.
8. Psychological Disorders
(Discussion Board) (Discussion Board Replies) (300 words) (APA format)
Topic: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Jennifer Cerer posted Sep 23, 2024 2:17 AM
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Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is often argued as being fake, either a lie or a confusion brought on by professionals and the self. This is not true. Dissociative identity disorder is described as, “a disturbance in the normally integrative functions in identity, memory, and consciousness,” and must consist of two or more identities, called alters (Scott et al., 2023, p. 397). As with any disorder, there are always going to be those who are making it up or confused, but this does not mean that it is the majority of individuals diagnosed. The DSM-5 adds that DID, “can affect any aspect of an individual’s functioning”(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Thus, dissociative identity disorder is real and very difficult for those suffering from it. To argue that it is created by a victim is awful. This disorder absolutely has genuine symptoms.
Academics and professionals have found that dissociative identity disorder cannot be faked when comorbid disorders are present. “Comorbid depression, anxiety, [and] substance abuse,” are just a few of the disorders connected to DID, as well as, “functional neurological symptoms,” like seizures (Scott et al., 2023, p. 403). When responses to dissociative identity disorder are more than just psychological, and cross over into physical and biological symptoms, individuals will have a harder time lying.
For the very small amount of people who do not genuinely have DID, it is possible that, “alters are created in response to leading questions from therapists… [or] simulated purposefully for individual gain” (Durand et al., 2019, p. 189). There are a couple ways of distinguishing this. Those who do not suffer from a mood disorder, but suddenly have symptoms following a session with a new therapist, could be convincing themselves of more symptoms than they are really experiencing. On the other hand, those who are simply being dishonest for some kind of personal gain are going to describe details or symptoms that are inconsistent with genuine dissociative identity disorder (Scott et al., 2023, p. 404). Therefore, there needs to be more research done on the severity of genuine dissociative identity disorder. This is a good way to erase the idea that is it not real, while also denying those who are faking the attention they seek. If you were a therapist, how would you confirm diagnosed DID?
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.

These are the questions that needed to be answered: Further reflection question

These are the questions that needed to be answered:
Further reflection question

These are the questions that needed to be answered:
Further reflection questions:

What are some examples you think of that show how it is difficult to separate religion from other aspects of society and culture?

Elevator speeches. Try to come up with ” elevator speeches” ( 1-2 sentence descriptions) for: Shinto , Hinduism

Nationalism. Reflect on what you think this term means, and examples of nationalism you may be familiar with, Hint: Some types of nationalism exist in the U.S. If you are not familiar with nationalism, spend a few minutes doing research into the topic. Reflect on how it relates to what we are learning in class.
These are notes I wrote:
Pre-Aryas
Ingenious, Indus Valley civilization
-Southern Indians and Tamils may be partially descended from this civilization.

-Likely spoke a pre-Dravidian language

-Religion in the Indus Valley Civilization.
With an undeciphered language, we know little their religious practices.

Archeological sites are ambiguous and open to dispute.
There are no significant temple sites or monuments.
Worship may have been confines to the home.

-`but some modern Hindu groups claim a lineage to this civilization,
Proto- Hinduism
————————–

-There is some speculation that this deity figure represents the God, Siva.

Lotus posture.
Trident representation.
Identification ratio with animals.
Aryas invasion
————————

Tribes from Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Developed what would become the caste system (related to the four Venas)

(Ancestor language of most Indian, Persian and European languages including: Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Greek, Latin and German, English.

Spoke a language referred to as Proto Indo- European.

religion based on sacrifices and ancestor worship.

Would develop the Vedas around 1200BCE.

Problems with the hypothesis
———————————————–

Without deciphering the language, no way to verify.
Similarities could be coincidental as most Aryas reference to Siva date to the Vedas at least 1000 years later.
There is political controversy behind the claim.

The four Varnas were representative of the sacred order:

From the body of Purusha (cosmic being) would emerge the four classes of traditional Indian Society.

From his mouth, the Priests.

From his arms, the warriors and administrators.

From his thighs, the merchants.

From his feet, the laborers and servants.

Some terms:

Samsara- The ceaselessly turning wheel of the cosmos; birth, life, death, and rebirth.

Dharma- the duties one has in their life in maintenance of Samsara.

Karma- the effect, good or bad, depending on one’s performances of their dharma, Karma can also be seen as divine or cosmic action.

Moksha- liberation from Samsara.

Yoga- A discipline in obtaining both maintenance and liberation. There are different kinds of yoga.

Avatar- incarnation of a deity on Earth.

Maintenance through rituals:

Fire sacrifice- food offered up in rituals we though to sustain the gods, who in turn maintained the cosmos. Sacrifice thus, maintained the cosmos.

The Upanishads:

While individual lives may change, the self or atm is eternal END.

Basic Principles:

Karma, which was once only about ritual, was applied to all action.

Birth, death and rebirth set a pattern for all cosmos

Basic principle:

Samsara is now a bad thing.

Continual rebirth and necessarily death is seen as a prison.

Liberation is possible

It is achieved through the self-realization and knowledge that Atman is Brahman.

Atman- Brahman:

The essence of the Yama parable is the scriptable establishment of the non-duality of the self (atman) and the cosmos (Brahman).

The realization that the self is the same as all creation is the obtainment of Moksha and liberation from Samsara.

Realization ensures that reincarnation ceases by dispelling the illusion (Maya) of an autonomous self. The self is Brahman and Brahman is the self.

Thursday’s work
————————

The Upanishads

While individual lives may change, the self or atman is eternal and never changing.

Vedantic thought shifted the view of death as a gateway to the afterlife and instead saw it as a natural part of an eternal cycle.

The ideal of Moksha becomes the liberation of the self from death to rebirth.

The parable of Yama and Nachiketas details this.

Basic Principles:

Karma, which was once only about ritual, was applied to all action.

Birth, death and rebirth set a pattern for all the cosmos.

All lives are a series of death.

Even places od heavenly reward or punishment were temporary.

Good action, the following of ones dharma and ethical decisions affected the position of one’s re-birth, or liberation.

The Bhagavad Gita:

Part of an epic called the Mahabharata ( 3rd – 4th century BCE)

4 Yogas/Paths:

Karma Yoga – Action/service

Jnana Yoga – knowledge

Bhakti Yoga – worship/devotion

Raja Yoga – meditation

Shakti: Goddess Worship:

Devi
Kali

Key terms cont.

Trimurti – Hindu “trinity” (Euro-Christian influence here?)

Brahma (creator)

Shiva (the destroyer)

Vishnu (preservation)
2. Monism – the cosmos is one essence; everything is Brahma

Some Hindus might be considered is Brahma

Others might be polytheist

Others might be henotheists, etc.
3. Hindu and other types of nationalism:

Evidence of other types of nationalism

Nationalism cannot be neatly described as:

Political, religious, racial, etc.

This shows us how much social/cultural overlap there are between these categories, and how religious literacy is essential to understanding the world around us.

These are the questions that needed to be answered: Further reflection question

These are the questions that needed to be answered:
Further reflection question

These are the questions that needed to be answered:
Further reflection questions:

What are some examples you think of that show how it is difficult to separate religion from other aspects of society and culture?

Elevator speeches. Try to come up with ” elevator speeches” ( 1-2 sentence descriptions) for: Shinto , Hinduism

-Likely spoke a pre-Dravidian language

-Religion in the Indus Valley Civilization.
With an undeciphered language, we know little their religious practices.

Archeological sites are ambiguous and open to dispute.
There are no significant temple sites or monuments.
Worship may have been confines to the home.

-`but some modern Hindu groups claim a lineage to this civilization,
Proto- Hinduism
————————–

-There is some speculation that this deity figure represents the God, Siva.

Lotus posture.
Trident representation.
Identification ratio with animals.
Aryas invasion
————————

Tribes from Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Developed what would become the caste system (related to the four Venas)

(Ancestor language of most Indian, Persian and European languages including: Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Greek, Latin and German, English.

Spoke a language referred to as Proto Indo- European.

religion based on sacrifices and ancestor worship.

Would develop the Vedas around 1200BCE.

Problems with the hypothesis
———————————————–

The four Varnas were representative of the sacred order:

From the body of Purusha (cosmic being) would emerge the four classes of traditional Indian Society.

From his mouth, the Priests.

From his arms, the warriors and administrators.

From his thighs, the merchants.

From his feet, the laborers and servants.

Some terms:

Samsara- The ceaselessly turning wheel of the cosmos; birth, life, death, and rebirth.

Dharma- the duties one has in their life in maintenance of Samsara.

Karma- the effect, good or bad, depending on one’s performances of their dharma, Karma can also be seen as divine or cosmic action.

Moksha- liberation from Samsara.

Yoga- A discipline in obtaining both maintenance and liberation. There are different kinds of yoga.

Avatar- incarnation of a deity on Earth.

Maintenance through rituals:

Fire sacrifice- food offered up in rituals we though to sustain the gods, who in turn maintained the cosmos. Sacrifice thus, maintained the cosmos.

The Upanishads:

While individual lives may change, the self or atm is eternal END.

Basic Principles:

Karma, which was once only about ritual, was applied to all action.

Birth, death and rebirth set a pattern for all cosmos

Basic principle:

Samsara is now a bad thing.

Continual rebirth and necessarily death is seen as a prison.

Liberation is possible

It is achieved through the self-realization and knowledge that Atman is Brahman.

Atman- Brahman:

The essence of the Yama parable is the scriptable establishment of the non-duality of the self (atman) and the cosmos (Brahman).

The realization that the self is the same as all creation is the obtainment of Moksha and liberation from Samsara.

Realization ensures that reincarnation ceases by dispelling the illusion (Maya) of an autonomous self. The self is Brahman and Brahman is the self.

Thursday’s work
————————

The Upanishads

While individual lives may change, the self or atman is eternal and never changing.

Vedantic thought shifted the view of death as a gateway to the afterlife and instead saw it as a natural part of an eternal cycle.

The ideal of Moksha becomes the liberation of the self from death to rebirth.

The parable of Yama and Nachiketas details this.

Basic Principles:

Karma, which was once only about ritual, was applied to all action.

Birth, death and rebirth set a pattern for all the cosmos.

All lives are a series of death.

Even places od heavenly reward or punishment were temporary.

Good action, the following of ones dharma and ethical decisions affected the position of one’s re-birth, or liberation.

The Bhagavad Gita:

Part of an epic called the Mahabharata ( 3rd – 4th century BCE)

4 Yogas/Paths:

Karma Yoga – Action/service

Jnana Yoga – knowledge

Bhakti Yoga – worship/devotion

Raja Yoga – meditation

Shakti: Goddess Worship:

Devi
Kali

Key terms cont.

Trimurti – Hindu “trinity” (Euro-Christian influence here?)

Brahma (creator)

Shiva (the destroyer)

Vishnu (preservation)
2. Monism – the cosmos is one essence; everything is Brahma

Some Hindus might be considered is Brahma

Others might be polytheist

Others might be henotheists, etc.
3. Hindu and other types of nationalism:

Evidence of other types of nationalism

Nationalism cannot be neatly described as:

Political, religious, racial, etc.

This shows us how much social/cultural overlap there are between these categories, and how religious literacy is essential to understanding the world around us.

1. Social Action Week 2 Discussion Discussion Board Post- (Original Content On

1. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Post- (Original Content On

1. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Post- (Original Content Only) (400 words) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Discussion: What is Social Justice?
Context: According to The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice, “The term social justice references a social circumstance in which historical inequities between peoples based on various dimensions of social identity (e.g., race, class, gender) have been remedied so that measurable proportional equality across all peoples exists.” Further, in a 2017 letter to the Regis community, former university president, Father John P. Fitzgibbon, laid out three Jesuit principles. The third principle reads as follows:
We believe the University serves not only itself and its students but is called to be a force for justice and peace in society, above all, in defense of the poor and marginalized. For us, to seek the “greater glory of God” is to bear responsibility for the most pressing issues of our time. This means exploring not only the dynamics of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, and culture, but also the social and structural implications of privilege, power, and social political order in America and the wider world.
Father Fitzgibbon’s declaration, as well as the six Key Jesuit Values, you read this week give us a good sense of how Regis University understands social justice and social action. How do you understand social justice?
Task: This discussion asks you to do two things:
How do you define social justice? What anchors your understanding of social justice? That is, is there a text, religion, practice, philosophy, or idea that informs your understanding of social justice? Explain.
How did you come about your “anchor”? Is it family tradition? Cultural norm? Countercultural response? How does this anchor inform your identity? Have you ever questioned the validity of this anchor?
Using the Peace and Justice Research Guide developed by the Regis Library, identify an article, book, or website that adds dimension or a new perspective to your definition of social justice. This source can align with your ideas of social justice, but it can also contrast with your ideas. Briefly summarize the source, describe the philosophy and/or basic assumptions of its author(s), and explain how it adds dimension or perspective to your definition of social justice.
2. Discussion
Discussion Board Post- (Original Content Only) (400 words) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Discussion: Craft of Poetry as Social Action
Context
This week we will all read Audre Lorde’s poem, “Power” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53918/power-56d233adafeb3) and consider the ways in which it speaks to social justice.
Task
Please respond to the three questions below (500 words) in your discussion post.
In what ways does this poem engage with issues of social justice? (Quote specific examples).
What do you notice about the poem’s use of craft (sound, image, idea, form)?
How do those craft elements speak to the social justice content in the work?
3. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Social Justice: Easier said than done
Contains unread posts
MaryAnn Mace posted Sep 4, 2024 7:40 PM
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Looking at social justice from a broad perspective, my definition would entail bringing equity or a social balance to circumstances where equality does not exist for individuals. Social justice implies action is taken to create equanimity in society for those who are not treated fairly, i.e. justly. This reminds me of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This could be considered the goal of social justice.
Hmmm, now that I bring up the Golden Rule, perhaps that is the foundation for my belief in Social Justice. I’m a very fair-minded person and approach and interact with others based on that premise. My interactions and treatment of others involve an equal playing field perspective – everyone with whom I interact is given consideration and respect unless they do something to cause me to treat them otherwise. I do not come from a particularly religious family, so faith does not serve as an influencer for me, maybe it is just common courtesy and traditional values that drive me. I have never questioned treating people otherwise and rarely is my approach questioned by me.
However, in considering brief research that I conducted about the Golden Rule, the rule is referenced in both New and Old Testaments as a pronouncement by Jesus of Nazareth in his Sermon on the Mount (Wikipedia). Further, attribution about variations of the Golden Rule is given to other ancient Middle Eastern cultures, so it appears, the concept is universal. This never occurred to me. Interesting what a person can learn in one simple Google search!
Article: Parity of participation? Primary-school children reflect critically on being successful during schooling
Hargreaves, Eleanore, Denise Buchanan & Laura Quick. “Parity of participation? Primary-school children reflect critically on being successful during schooling.” Oxford Review of Education, 2021. DOI: 10.1080/03054985.2021.1886916
Our society’s discussion and challenges with social justice beg the question: What about the children? Ideally, the children of today will benefit from any advances made in social justice, but how are children dealing with the issue themselves now? One can only imagine how they internalize the concept. A recent article discusses this issue which is difficult enough for adults to grapple.
The author of the article defines social justice as “a) distribution of wealth; b) recognition of status; and c) representation of voice” (Hargreaves 1). Having these facilitates a “parity of participation” in a community. Article findings reveal that children who do not excel in certain subjects may be ostracized and face obstacles to equal participation in school because of this. This would mean ostracized children would not have equal access to “material resources including teachers, lessons and subjects; equal status among all other children; and has their voice heard as they make an equitable active contribution to decision-making in schooling” (Hargreaves 2). The article doesn’t so much as offer solutions as it does to point out the urgency of correcting the issue.
4. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Equity for All
Contains unread posts
Sheryl Tirol posted Sep 5, 2024 3:55 PM
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When I think of social justice, equity and respect immediately come to mind. These values are foundational to the concept of justice, which is about fairness, giving people what they deserve, and doing what is right to maintain balance. However, our society has often struggled with maintaining that balance. My understanding of social justice is grounded in both my faith and lived experiences. Growing up Catholic, I’ve learned that we are called to live out our faith by working toward a just world, following the example of Jesus, who cared for the marginalized and stood for justice. This includes supporting efforts to reduce poverty, fighting for workers’ rights, and advocating for peace and human dignity.
The Jesuit values are closely aligned with this vision of social justice, particularly Magis—striving for excellence—and cura personalis—caring for the whole person. Both resonate deeply with me, as they call us not only to do better but also to care for each individual in their entirety. These principles guide my approach to social justice and reflect the values I hold dear.
My anchor is rooted in both my faith and life experiences. These foundations guide my belief that every human being deserves to be treated with dignity. At the core of this belief, I strive, as the Jesuits teach, to see God in all people. Living by the golden rule has been a guiding principle for me, though I recognize that I’ve fallen short at times. There have been moments when I’ve questioned these values, especially when I’ve been treated without the same respect I extend to others. Personally, I’ve encountered individuals who claim to be deeply devout but fail to practice what they preach regarding social justice. Yet, I’ve come to realize that no one is perfect. Despite the disappointment I feel when confronted with injustice, I refuse to let it erode my commitment to treating others with respect. I hold fast to my standards, knowing that the way I conduct myself defines who I am, not the actions of others. Ultimately I know for myself at least, it is progress not perfection and when we fall short, we must make an effort to learn from what our mistakes and try again.
The article “Justice Poetry” by Lisa Ampleman explores how poetry serves as a vehicle for social justice, particularly reflecting on the work of Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan. It highlights the tradition of “poetry of witness,” where poets like Berrigan, Adrienne Rich, and Ross Gay address societal injustices, urging readers to reflect and act. Berrigan, known for his Catholic faith and anti-nuclear activism, used poetry to question injustices and inspire action, particularly through a lens of peace. Ampleman’s article broadens the idea of social justice by highlighting the power of art and empathy. It argues that just being aware of injustice isn’t enough and encourages real action. This adds a new layer to the Catholic idea of seeing God in everyone, extending the conversation beyond religion to urge readers to not just notice injustice but to actively work against it.
One thing I appreciated in this article was a perspective from poet Natalie Diaz who says: “she is ‘skeptical of what witness has become in poetry,’ in part because she is wary of empathy, which she calls “selfish.” ‘We can’t have empathy for the people we drop bombs on because we aren’t afraid bombs will be dropped on us,’ she says. In other words, social justice poetry can fail if people who are privileged and safe feel that just because they have read a poem about war, they have experienced the feelings of those who are terrorized by war. Such empathy is voyeuristic and empty if readers fail to take any further action.”
This section resonated with me because I think we can fall into trap of saying we have educated ourselves about these issues and think we have it all figured out or worse don’t think more work needs to continue within social justice. I believe our writing can continue to elevate and inform those in our community and beyond. As many prolific writers such as James Baldwin have paved the way for us to tell those stories, we as writers have a responsibility to continue speaking up and writing about these issues. If the last five years have taught us anything, we have made progress but there is still so much work to be done.
Works Cited:
Ampleman, Lisa. “Finding the Catholic Voices in Social Justice Poetry.” America Magazine.org, April 17, 2017.
5. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Power is not Powerless
Contains unread posts
MaryAnn Mace posted Sep 5, 2024 8:06 PM
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I have to confess that I am not proficient at deciphering poetry. Perhaps that is because I’m several decades out from having studied it. As well, poetry is best understood from discussion. There is a poetic license and structure unique to the genre that speaks differently to each of us, so it helps when there is a combined perspective. What I see in this poem is likely entirely different from another’s impression. I feel my one-sided input may be a little lacking. What I do feel from this poem is strong imagery and emotion. As well, there is an overt social justice message that is powerful.
As a creative piece with its use of poetic devices, the poem effectively communicates gut-wrenching emotion leaving one depleted. At least I was. At the end, I was angry because I could feel the author’s pain, anguish, and futility. These emotions are expressed through the imagery the poem creates:
“I am trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds
and a dead child dragging his shattered black
face off the edge of my sleep”
The line length which prompts the pace of the poem forces the reader to feel the content more powerfully and consider the message more thoughtfully.
One thing that is very clear in this poem is its impressions of social justice…or lack thereof for the dying boy. Stanza three depicts the bigoted police officer’s contempt for the boy with “Die you little motherfucker” a brutally cruel sentiment. Further insult is added by the officer’s admission that all he saw was the boy’s color as rationale for the shooting. While too common an occurrence, I still can’t conceive that people think this way over someone’s skin color as the reason for hate.
Then in following the not guilty verdict, adding further insult and vitriol, there is the line:
“they had dragged her 4’10” black Woman’s frame
over the hot coals
of four centuries of white male approval
until she let go
the first real power she ever had”
I interpret this as meaning any power the woman (assume the mother) had attained as a Black woman was wiped out with the acquittal and obliterated any gains in society as a person of color.
I believe poetry can generate a more powerful punch than “simple” rhetoric. Maybe this comes from poetry’s language and form which can be more condensed than prose. In culinary terms, like stock is to broth. Overall, “Power” is a good example of a poem that packs quite an emotional wallop within its limited lines.
6. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
Powerful Images by Audre Lorde
Contains unread posts
Sheryl Tirol posted Sep 7, 2024 8:28 AM
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1.
In the poem Power by Audre Lorde, we see a strong example of her engagement with social justice issues. Lorde shows how a group of white men pressures a Black woman to change her opinion in a police brutality case.

“Today that 37 year old white man
with 13 years of police forcing
was set free
by eleven white men who said they were satisfied
justice had been done
and one Black Woman who said
“They convinced me” meaning
they had dragged her 4’10” black Woman’s frame
over the hot coals
of four centuries of white male approval
until she let go
the first real power she ever had
and lined her own womb with cement
to make a graveyard for our children.”
The imagery of the Black woman being dragged “over the hot coals of four centuries of white male approval” highlights the historical and ongoing oppression of Black women in America. The powerful metaphor of her womb becoming “a graveyard for our children” speaks to the destruction of future generations and the deep trauma inflicted on marginalized communities.
In this passage, Lorde explains that if she doesn’t use her writing to speak out against injustice, she risks becoming indifferent and corrupt. She believes that ignoring her responsibility to address the oppression of marginalized groups would cause her talents to go to waste. Her power, like an unused wire, would be useless if she didn’t use it to make a difference and create change.
“But unless I learn to use
the difference between poetry and rhetoric
my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold
or lie limp and useless as an unconnected wire”
In this opening line, Lorde connects to social justice by showing how serious the fight against oppression is. She contrasts poetry (speaking the truth) with rhetoric (empty talk) and says that a real commitment to justice might mean sacrificing yourself to protect future generations. She emphasizes that people have a responsibility to confront injustice, or else their children will continue to suffer.
“The difference between poetry and rhetoric
is being ready to kill
yourself
instead of your children.”

2.
Lorde uses powerful imagery and sound to create a visceral sense of violence and grief. The line “trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds” evokes the relentless pain experienced by the Black community, and the metaphor of a “desert” highlights feelings of isolation and desolation. The sharp sounds in phrases like “raw gunshot wounds” mirror the violence described, while the image of “a dead child dragging his shattered black face” off the edge of sleep conveys how trauma haunts the speaker, even in their dreams. This use of vivid, haunting images forces the reader to confront the brutal reality of racial violence, emphasizing the weight of living in a world filled with this constant threat.

“I am trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds
and a dead child dragging his shattered black
face off the edge of my sleep”
The repeated harsh sounds in lines like “the desert of raw gunshot wounds” create a sharp rhythm that mimics the violence. The similar sounds in words like “raw” and “gunshot” highlight the brutality, making the violence feel real and unsettling. The way sentences continue onto the next line keeps the tension high, pushing the reader forward and showing how relentless the injustice is.
One of the central ideas in “Power” is the corrupting force of systemic racism, particularly in the justice system. The idea of “power” is explored not just as a tool for liberation but also as something that can be corrupted if not used responsibly, as seen in the lines where Lorde contrasts poetry and rhetoric. Lorde suggests that silence in the face of injustice allows power to “run corrupt.” Lorde’s use of simple, straightforward language, along with the poem’s structure, creates a feeling of urgency and raw emotion in her criticism of power and injustice.
3.
Lorde’s craft elements work together to highlight the poem’s social justice themes, making the violence and racism described feel immediate and impactful. The image of a policeman standing over a child’s blood with “cop shoes” vividly depicts the brutality and dehumanization in the scene. This stark image highlights the violent impact of systemic racism and the disregard for innocent lives. In the following passage, Lorde provides a vivid image to evoke emotion and help people really understand how this kind of brutal injustice cannot continue.
A policeman who shot down a ten year old in Queens
stood over the boy with his cop shoes in childish blood
and a voice said “Die you little motherfucker” and
there are tapes to prove it. At his trial
this policeman said in his own defense
“I didn’t notice the size nor nothing else
only the color”. And
there are tapes to prove that, too.
Lorde criticizes the justice system and societal structures that cause violence against marginalized groups. The poem shows how power can be abused and how racial bias leads to violence, highlighting its focus on social justice. I feel like she gives readers a challenge or call to action to not stand idly by to allow this kind of violence to continue.
No pun intended but this was a very powerful poem to illustrate the continued injustice that happens in our world. It is raw and direct but I believe incredibly effective when trying to actually show people the constant violence inflicted upon them. I’m really glad we used this to explain the value and importance of continued creative work in the social justice space.
Works Cited:
Lorde, Audre. “Power.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53918/power-56d233adafeb3. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024.

7. Writing Assignment: Craft of Poetry as Social Action
(Original Content Only) (3 pages) (APA citation) (In-text citations are a must)
Context
This week your research toward your Portfolio Projects will specifically explore how the craft of poetry engages with writing as social action.
Task
In this writing assignment, you’ll choose one of the prompts below to respond to, based on your MA concentration or MFA specialization. Specialization is: Liberal Studies
Creative Writing
Write a pantoum about a social justice issue of your choice.
Pantoum
Donald Justice, Pantoum of the Great Depression.
Chris Green, American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans. Another Chicago Magazine.net 2020/09/23, this is a chorus or community this is a new way to write a pantoum an interview with Chris Green.
Craft Writing Rubric

Literature
Read a database article or book chapter that speaks to your final literary analysis project (in relation to social justice poetry). Summarize and reflect on the article or chapter you selected. Discuss what you learned and how it defines/approaches literature and/or your essay topic in relation to social justice. How does this reading speak to or impact the thesis of your final essay? Use MLA citations and title each reflection as per the article or chapter you chose (3 double-spaced pages).
Reflection Rubric

Pedagogy
Read a chapter from Power and Identity in the Creative Writing Classroom or Teaching to Transgress. Summarize and reflect on the chapter you selected. Discuss what you learned and how it defines/approaches creative writing pedagogy in relation to social justice. How would you approach the methodologies discussed? What kind of group exercises (related to poetry) would you assign? Please use MLA citations and title each reflection as per the chapter you chose (3 double-spaced pages)

1. Social Action Week 2 Discussion Discussion Board Post- (Original Content On

1. Social Action
Week 2 Discussion
Discussion Board Post- (Original Content On

EVAN 401 Discussions Instructions The student will complete 3 Discussions in t

EVAN 401 Discussions
Instructions
The student will complete 3 Discussions in t

EVAN 401 Discussions
Instructions
The student will complete 3 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at
least 400 words, then post two replies of at least 200 words each. The student will use the
Discussion Template to structure their initial thread. However, they will not upload files to the
discussion. Instead, the initial thread should be copied and pasted into the Canvas
discussion. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least two citations
from Scripture, textbooks, or course videos in parenthetical format. Citations are not required for
replies.
Discussion: Devotional Life
In the My Answer videos, Billy Graham shares personal things about himself and his life. Here you are asked to do the same thing. In this module’s Watch items, Billy Graham affirmed that he believes the Bible is the Word of God. In fact, this belief is so strong that it leads him to read the Bible each day to hear from God and to quote it in sermons so that others will hear God speaking to them.
Describe your devotional life and habits in your thread. The text must start with your main idea. For example, “My devotional life can be described as …” After a clear and concise opening statement, illustrate and support your ideas with Scripture, explanations, quotes, and illustrations.
The format of the thread must have 1 paragraph for each part of the main idea statement. For example, if you wrote, “my devotional life can be described as journaling through a book of the Bible,” then you might write one paragraph about the way that you journal. Consider telling a personal story about how you got started. Write a second paragraph about the way you read through a book of the Bible, set up your schedule, or give other details. Include a quote or two. In every case, the main idea statement determines the content (illustrations, quotes, and stories) as well as the format (number of paragraphs and order of topics) of the thread. Your grade will be based on the assignment rubric. Look at it ahead of time for help. Since it is often easier to write in a document first and then paste the text into the forum, a Discussion Template has been provided as a working document.
Discussion Personal Practices
In the My Answer videos, Billy Graham shares personal things about himself and his life. Here you are asked to do the same thing. In this module’s Watch items, Billy Graham listed some financial and personal practices that he and Cliff Barrows established for themselves as evangelists, such as taking a salary instead of love gifts, and not being alone with women. Billy Graham also talked about how it takes a team of people with integrity to have an evangelistic ministry.
Describe your standards of ministry/personal integrity in your thread. The text must start with your main idea. For example, “My standards are…” After a clear and concise opening statement, illustrate and support your ideas with Scripture, explanations, quotes, and illustrations.
The format of the thread must have 1 paragraph for each part of the main idea statement. For example, if you wrote, “my financial standards come from a class I took at church, and I learned my standards for ministry from my pastor,” then you might write one paragraph about the financial advice you picked up and follow. Consider sharing a quote or two. Write a second paragraph about the things your pastor shared. This would be a good place for a personal story. In every case, the main idea statement determines the content (illustrations, quotes, and stories) as well as the format (number of paragraphs and order of topics) of the thread. Since it is often easier to write in a document first and then paste the text into the forum, a Discussion Template has been provided as a working document.
Discussion Gifts and Calling
In the My Answer videos, Billy Graham shares personal things about himself and his life. Here you are asked to do the same thing. In this module’s Watch items, Billy Graham shared his feelings about the message and calling of an evangelist. While we frequently think of the evangelist in the setting of large crusades, Billy Graham told stories about his modest beginnings in Florida. Being an evangelist is great gift, but it is often done in humble circumstances.
Describe your spiritual gift or calling in your thread. The text must start with your main idea. For example, “My gifts and calling could be described as…” After a clear and concise opening statement, illustrate and support your ideas with Scripture, explanations, quotes, and illustrations.
The format of the thread must have 1 paragraph for each part of the main idea statement. For example, if you wrote, “my gifts and calling could be described as child evangelism,” then you might write one paragraph about the need and strategy or working with children. Consider sharing a quote or two. Write a second paragraph about the role of evangelism in children’s ministry. This would be a good place for a personal story. In every case, the main idea statement determines the content (support, illustrations, quotes, and stories) as well as the format (number of paragraphs and order of topics) of the thread. Since it is often easier to write in a document first and then paste the text into the forum, a Discussion Template has been provided as a working document.
RLGN 490 Discussions
Instructions
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a
thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. The student will complete 2
Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of 300 – 350 words by 11:59 p.m.
(ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. The student must then post 1 reply of 100 –
200 words each by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the assigned Module: Week. The student is
required to engage and document sources, which may include the Bible, journal articles,
textbooks, the JFL library, and course presentations. For Discussions in this class, students will
not be able to view other student posts until their own thread has been submitted.
Discussion: What Separates Good Research from Poor Research
After reading pages 17 — 19 in the Vyhmeister & Robertson textbook, answer the following question in a unique thread: What separates good research from poor research? As part of your answer, identify and describe at least two elements that characterize good research + identify and describe at least two elements that characterize poor research. Each point should contain critical thinking and analysis (poor research elements should not simply be the opposite of good research elements).
Discussion: Finding Scholarly Journals Tutorial
After viewing Finding Peer-Reviewed & Scholarly Articles, for the thread component of the Discussion, create a text-based, step-by-step tutorial on how to locate journal articles in the library (Think in terms of having to teach someone else how to find journal articles).

1. Renewal and Transformation (Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format)

1. Renewal and Transformation

(Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format)

1. Renewal and Transformation

(Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format) (footnotes are a must) (13 pages)
The student can choose either (1) a church Replant strategy of a dying congregation or a two church merger or (2) a revitalization strategy for church growth/multiplication. Both projects must focus on conversion growth rather than transitional growth and include the following: (1) vision and mission, (2) reaching the unreachable, (3) disciple-making, (4) community impact, (5) systems for growth, (6) demographic and psychographic research (see article link: Are You Using Psychographics?), and (7) the importance of Trinitarian (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) dependance and guidance. The student must cite the course resources and employ the use of at least three other sources (books, articles, peer reviewed journals, websites, etc.).
Option 1: Church Replant
The church replant strategy can focus on completely replanting a dying congregation or merging two church congregations to form one. Following the guidelines above, the student will develop a practical strategy. If the student chooses a church merger, indicate the number of people within the merging congregations, leadership development, financial outcomes, and any doctrinal compromises. Neither strategy requires implementation but should be designed as though implementation would occur.
Option 2: Church Revitalization
The church revitalization strategy should focus on spiritual renewal, processes involved for transformation, leadership development/investment, and cultural/community engagement. The strategy does not require implementation but should be designed as though implementation is possible.

The student paper should follow Turabian 9 formatting, double spaced, 1” margins, and Times New Roman 12-point font. I would expect the final project to be at least thirteen (13) pages to be adequate.
The paper should be presented as such:
2. Christian Theology
Personal Reflection Paper
(Original Content Only) (1300 words) (Kate Turabian Format) (footnotes are a must)
Students will submit a 1300 word paper reflecting on the most significant things learned during this course.
Subjects learned in the course: Week 2: God in Three Persons – Theology Proper, Week 3: God’s Marvelous Creation and its Horrifying Corruption, Week 5: The Breath of God – Pneumatology, Week 6: Christ’s Redeeming Work – Soteriology

3. Christian Theology
(300-word summary of transcript) (APA citation)
Okay, good evening class, I hope you all are doing good, I hope you all are doing well today and we’re thankful to God for the progress that we’ve made so far, we are just about to conclude this course, it’s been a wonderful, great experience journeying with you in this course and we are now in week seven and we pray that the grace that has led us to this point will be the same grace that will continue to lead us to the very end. Amen? Amen. Okay, let’s go ahead and open with a word of prayer and then we will begin with our session for today.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we love you. Yes.
We trust you. Yes. We believe in you, oh God.
Yes. We know that without you we can do nothing, but with you all things are possible. We know that unless you build, he who builds, builds in vain and so we trust you.
We pledge our allegiance to you, oh God. Just as the branches can do nothing without the vine, we profess that we can do nothing without you. So God, please help us.
Help each student in this class, thus far by your grace and onwards by your grace. I ask that you meet each student at the point of their need. You know the areas where they are struggling.
You know the challenges that they are currently facing. So I intercede for them, oh God, and I ask that you help them, for you are our help. You are our rock and our redeemer.
You are our ever-present help in times of trouble. We ask that you go before us in tonight’s session, so that everything that we will discuss tonight will be led by your spirit and that by the end of this Zoom session, your name will be glorified and our joy made complete. In Jesus’ mighty name we have prayed.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Amen. All right. This is our last Collaborate session for this class and we will be looking at the doctrine of the last things.
We will look at eschatology. But again, in week seven, the module for week seven is ecclesiology and I encourage you to watch my video lecture on ecclesiology, if you’ve not already done so, as it covers some important points, important concepts about ecclesiology that you should be aware of. Subjects such as the characteristics of the church, the ordinances of the church, the ministries of the church, the government of the church, and so pay attention to that video as it will provide you with the essential information you need and knowledge and understanding about the doctrine of the church.
So what I want us to do today is, since next week is week eight and we will be looking at the doctrine of the last things or what is yet to come, I want our meeting to focus on that. So I want us to touch on some important points about eschatology to give you the perspective that you should have as we round up this class. So that’s the objective.
Now, among the topics of interest within Christian theology, the doctrine of the last things or eschatology is one of those very controversial and complex doctrines. And many scholars speculate and it’s been one of the major bones of contention among many theologians and many scholars given how the Bible treats it, that the way the Bible talks about eschatology, especially in the book of Revelation, it’s very complex and confusing, often not very clear. So it’s one of those areas where there’s a lot of personal convictions, personal or what we call pocket driven theology, so to speak.
Yet this subject of the last things is nonetheless a very important subject that when we study Christian theology, we cannot conclude Christian theology without at least covering some of the essential topics on the subject of the last things or eschatology. So what we’re going to do in this lecture, we’re going to focus on the following sub themes on the subject of eschatology. We’re going to look at humankind and death.
We will look at the great tribulation. We’ll touch on the return of Christ. We will look at the judgment, the millennium, and then we’re going to end with the doctrine why the doctrine of the last things is important, why you should take it seriously as you develop your theological convictions.
So this is what we want to look at for our collaborative session for tonight. Okay. So let’s begin with humankind and death.
Humankind and death. And the question we want to address here is what happens when a man dies? What happens to a man or what happens to a woman or let’s say what happens to a human being when he or she dies? Who would like to share their presupposition on this? Okay. Your presupposition are your convictions about a subject which you have developed whether consciously or unconsciously based on what you’ve read or what you’ve heard.
These are your presuppositions about a given topic. So who would like to share their presupposition on what happens to a human being when they die? Yes, Troy. The Bible doesn’t give us a great deal of detail, but Paul does say in 2 Corinthians that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
So in whatever case, I mean, I don’t think it’s like a purgatory thing. It’s a good, pleasant thing. But when a believer dies, they’re present with the Lord in some state.
Good. Very good point, Troy. I will hear from three others and then we’ll move on.
We’ll hear from Logan and James and then Darlene in that order. Okay. So the verse that comes to my mind is when Jesus was interacting with the thieves on the cross to his right and left, and he told the one that expressed repentance and recognized that he wasn’t, he was God, that he would be with him in paradise.
So I agree with my brother, Troy, there. Okay, good. James? Yes.
Yes, Professor. When a person dies, they go to the grave and they await judgment. Now, there’s some controversy on whether judgment day in the spiritual world, I don’t know if time passes like it does for us, but they await the judgment.
And so, and once they’re judged, then they’ll go to, when judgment day comes, then either they’ll go to be with God for eternity, or either they’ll be thrown into the lake of fire. Okay. Good, good, good point.
Well explained, James. Darlene? Yes. My understanding of death, because we are made up of body, soul, and spirit, my understanding is that the only thing that goes, gets buried in the grave is our flesh.
Our spirit goes back to God and our soul goes to wherever we have prepared it to go, whether it be heaven or hell. And we’re waiting for the judgment day and after we are judged, and then our final destination, whether it be heaven or hell, will be determined by God. Okay, good.
Good point. All right. Very good answers.
Very thoughtful responses to the question on what happens when a man dies. Now let’s delve a little bit deeper on this subject. Okay.
For us to really do justice on this question, it is important for us to be clear on the components of man. Okay. There are two major schools of thought on the components of man.
Now there is the view known as the dichotomous view. The dichotomous view posits that humankind is a composite of two distinct components, namely the body and the soul or the spirit. So the soul and spirit are used interchangeably to refer to one component, the abstract component of our human essence.
So according to dichotomies, humankind is made up of concrete component and an abstract component. The concrete component is the body. The abstract component is the soul or the spirit, which the Bible uses interchangeably to refer to the same thing.
That’s why it is known as the dichotomous view. Then we have the trichotomous view. This view posits that humankind is a composite of three distinct components, namely the body, the soul, and the spirit.
Three distinct components. So how you respond to the question what happens to a man when he dies will depend on your take. So if you argue that a man is a composite of three components, body, soul, and spirit, then you must be ready to explain what happens when a person dies.
Where does a soul go to? Where does a spirit go to? Where does the body go to? But if you take on the dichotomous view, which is the view that I take, which is my view and the view of many other reputable scholars, which posits that humankind is a composite of two components, the abstract and the concrete. So from this dichotomous point of view, what happens when a man dies is if the person is righteous, his or her body, that’s the concrete part or component, remains in the grave, as some of you have just explained now, while the abstract components, that is the spirit or the soul, go to be with God. Okay.
And that’s it. So that’s a simplistic explanation from a dichotomous perspective on what happens when a man dies. But if the deceased is an unrighteous person, his or her body remains in the grave while his or her soul goes to hell.
Okay. So only two components, the abstract or the concrete. The concrete remains in the grave.
The abstract either goes to heaven, as Troy mentioned, to be absent from the body is to be with Christ. That’s what we believe. Or if the deceased was not a believer, then their soul or their spirit goes to hell.
And these are some of the passages to support this dichotomous view on what happens to man. Second Corinthians chapter five, verse eight says, yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. And in Luke chapter 16, we learn about the rich man and Lazarus.
And these are all biblical passages to support what happens when we die. So again, there are two views concerning the components of man. Now, those who believe that man is a composite of three distinct components would have probably a different explanation of what happens when a man dies.
But from a strictly evangelical perspective, we believe that when a man dies, their spirit goes to be with God or their soul goes to be with God if they are believers, while their bodies remain in the grave awaiting the second coming of Christ, which we are going to look at momentarily. So any question about what happens to a man when they die, especially as explained from this dichotomous point of view. So let’s move on to the great tribulation.
Now, the great tribulation, the word tribulation in itself simply means suffering or a state of great suffering. So the great tribulation is as a theological concept, which the Bible talks about. And there are two main schools of thoughts on the subject of the great tribulation.
The first school of thought is known as the pre-tribulation rapture view, that is, rapture before the tribulation. So this view holds that believers will be secretly taken into heaven upon the return of Christ prior to the great tribulation. So according to the pre-tribulation rapture view, believers will not go through the tribulation before the tribulation begins, Christ would have taken them out of this world.
Then we have the post-tribulation rapture view, the view that the rapture will only occur after the tribulation. So this view posits that believers will go through the great tribulation and after they’ve gone through the great tribulation, they will be raptured into heaven upon the return of Christ. Now, there are many serious scholars who argue in favor of the pre-tribulation rapture view, and there are also other serious scholars who argue in favor of the post-tribulation rapture view.
And there are biblical passages to support these claims, especially the post-tribulation rapture view, which says believers will go through the tribulation and then at the second coming of Christ, Christ will rescue them out of the tribulation, and then they will spend eternity with him. But I will leave that up to you to decide on what view you lean towards. Perhaps let me ask one student who subscribes to the pre-tribulation rapture view and another student who subscribes to the post- tribulation rapture view, I want you to make your pitch.
Who would like to just share with us briefly why you think that the pre-tribulation rapture view is what is most biblical or Bible centered, or why the post-tribulation rapture view is the one that you think is Bible centered? James, do you want to speak to any of these? Yes, I want to speak on the post-tribulation rapture view. I just know the Bible says that God is going to have to shorten the time of the Antichrist because if not, he will fool the very elect. And it also says that when Jesus comes back after the rapture, or after the tribulation, that his people are going to reign with him for a thousand years.
I think that’s what I had to say real short. Right, okay, good, good. Thank you for sharing that, James.
Anyone who leans more towards the pre-tribulation rapture view? Yes, Angela? Actually, I wanted to speak on the post-tribulation. So the post-tribulation, I feel like is more centered to the Bible for the fact that when you go through the tribulation, you’re still pretty much living in the flesh. You don’t understand that much.
But after the tribulation, if you survived it and made it true, that is when you will find Christ. Before tribulation, you don’t know anything. But when you went through the tribulation, it takes you to exactly where God wants you.
That’s when you can find who you are or what really the kingdom of God is all about. You know, your flesh will be destroyed and you will find Christ. Okay, good, good point.
Tessie? I tend to lean a little bit more to pre because somewhere where I’ve read before where it says that the dead in Christ shall rise first, then they which remain shall be caught up. I believe that once we die, that like you were saying earlier, you know, however we feel where our soul will be, I believe that after he brings us out of the earth at that time, then that’s when the tribulation will start. So I’m a pre-tribulation person.
Okay, good. Now let’s have someone open to Acts chapter 14 verse 22 and read. And then someone open to Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. Let’s look at that quickly.
Anyone who finds any of the verses can read. Acts 14.22 says, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Okay, so that text seemed to be suggesting that believers is through many tribulations that believers will enter the kingdom of God.
So it doesn’t seem to suggest that they will be exempt from tribulation. Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the east land called Athmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus. Good.
So Paul, John identified himself as what? A companion, a partner in tribulation. So he had, in other words, he’s saying, we believers, we are going through tribulation and I’m not different from you. I’m one of you.
We are all going through tribulation. Okay. Romans chapter 8 verse 35.
Let’s have someone read Romans 8.35. Romans 8.35. Okay, I’m reading in the NLT, but it says, can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death? Okay. Thank you. I love using the NLT for a simplified version, but I wanted to hear that word tribulation.
So can we have another translation of that on Romans? Right. Okay. He says, who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Okay.
You see, that’s it. Again, that talks about the suffering that believers will go through. And Paul is saying nothing will separate us from the love of God.
No trial or tribulations will separate us from love of God. So the Christians in the first century did not think that tribulation was something that was futuristic. They understood that they were going through tribulation.
Okay. When all of the apostles died horrible deaths, some were stoned to death, some were crucified upside down, some died of sword wounds, some faced difficult circumstances. Now they were not thinking that there was going to be another type of tribulation that was to come ahead.
They understood that they were going through the tribulation. So there is more merit in leaning towards the post-tribulation rapture view. So from that post-tribulation perspective, the argument there is that we are currently going through the tribulation in a sense, and we are looking forward to the second coming of Christ.
Okay. And when Christ comes, He’s going to take us away from this life of pain and suffering, and then we will spend eternity with Him. So there is arguments in favor of the pre-tribulation rapture view, which is why it is mentioned here.
But I would want to lean more in the post-tribulation rapture view. But this is something you could write a paper on, and you can critique both perspectives and make an argument on the one that is more Bible-centered. But I would say that the post-tribulation rapture view seemed to have more biblical backing, and it makes more sense.
And I will explain further as we go why the post-tribulation rapture view seemed to be more consistent with the general biblical narrative, as I’m going to point out just in a moment. All right. I see Troy.
Let’s hear from Troy, Darlene, and Alfred, and then we’ll move on. I was just going to say real quick, I was raised in the assemblies of God, so I was always taught pre-trib. But when I read Revelation as an adult, I noticed in Revelation 13 and Revelation 14, there are places where it says this calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints.
If the saints have been raptured, then why is there a need for endurance? Right. Exactly. And ultimately, Jesus said, no man will know you’re supposed to be ready today, so I’m a pan-tripper.
If you’re ready, it’ll pan out. Right. Exactly.
Exactly. So that’s the idea. So you see, when I spoke about systematic theology the other time, when you develop a doctrine, you need to consider all the other factors.
So the post-trip fits more in the general biblical narrative, because it has that element of waiting for Christ. You know, we are going through suffering, and we are waiting for when Christ is going to come and deliver us. Now that Troy mentions that, let’s open to Revelation chapter 7, verse 13 to 14.
Revelation 7, 13 to 14, and read that real quick. It talks about believers coming out of the tribulation. Then one of the elders addressed me saying, who are these clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? I said,

4. Cosmogony
(Original Content Only) (Discussion Board Post) (700 words) (APA citations) (in-text citations are a must)
Each student will create an initial post of 700 words based on one of the below topics.
Dual Revelation
Origins of the Cosmos
Origins of Life
Directions for initial post:
Point of View: Write from your point of view as a pastor/minister, future pastor/minister or Christian leader.
Audience: Assume that the post will be read by Christians, but you should write it in such a way that non-Christians will be able to read and interact with the post and be motivated to consider its ideas.
Content: Your post should develop one big idea. Blog posts should demonstrate that you are thinking through the lecture content and textbook readings assigned for weeks 1–3 (for Blog #1) and weeks 1–6 (for Blog #2). Use that content as a foundation, or inspiration, to write a provocative post that will peak others’ interest in the subject matter as well, especially non-Christians.
Resources: Use of multimedia (weblinks, audio links, video, images, etc.) are strongly encouraged. Each blogging interface has a tool bar to insert files and multimedia.
Hook: Create a motivation for people to read your post. It might be a meme you saw on social media, a current news events, or a Scripture verse/passage. This should be a strong enough hook that a non-Christian would be interested in the topic as well.
Summarize: Explain what you have learned about the subject you have chosen to address based on the required lecture or reading material. Be clear and concise in your approach.
References: Blog posts should not simply be a statement of your opinion. Rather, they should include appropriate references to a reputable, peer-reviewed journal article. This is a critical feature in order to help build a bridge with a STEMM-oriented reader.
Worldview: Connect the key idea you are discussing to the Christian worldview. What essential worldview questions are answered?
Tone: Keep in mind that unless you have a background in science, you are not an expert in science. So you will want to strive to keep your post factual, and carefully worded in as neutral and objective of way as possible.

1. Renewal and Transformation (Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format) (f

1. Renewal and Transformation
(Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format) (f

1. Renewal and Transformation
(Original Content Only) (Kate Turabian Format) (footnotes are a must) (13 pages)
The student can choose either (1) a church Replant strategy of a dying congregation or a two church merger or (2) a revitalization strategy for church growth/multiplication. Both projects must focus on conversion growth rather than transitional growth and include the following: (1) vision and mission, (2) reaching the unreachable, (3) disciple-making, (4) community impact, (5) systems for growth, (6) demographic and psychographic research (see article link: Are You Using Psychographics?), and (7) the importance of Trinitarian (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) dependance and guidance. The student must cite the course resources and employ the use of at least three other sources (books, articles, peer reviewed journals, websites, etc.).
Option 1: Church Replant
The church replant strategy can focus on completely replanting a dying congregation or merging two church congregations to form one. Following the guidelines above, the student will develop a practical strategy. If the student chooses a church merger, indicate the number of people within the merging congregations, leadership development, financial outcomes, and any doctrinal compromises. Neither strategy requires implementation but should be designed as though implementation would occur.
Option 2: Church Revitalization
The church revitalization strategy should focus on spiritual renewal, processes involved for transformation, leadership development/investment, and cultural/community engagement. The strategy does not require implementation but should be designed as though implementation is possible.
The student paper should follow Turabian 9 formatting, double spaced, 1” margins, and Times New Roman 12-point font. I would expect the final project to be at least thirteen (13) pages to be adequate.
The paper should be presented as such:
Title Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
Demographics & Psychographics
Vision & Mission
Reaching the Unreachable
Disciple-Making
Community Impact
Church Systems Applied for Growth
Trinitarian Guidance
Conclusion
2. Christian Theology
Personal Reflection Paper
(Original Content Only) (1300 words) (Kate Turabian Format) (footnotes are a must)
Students will submit a 1300 word paper reflecting on the most significant things learned during this course.
Subjects learned in the course: Week 2: God in Three Persons – Theology Proper, Week 3: God’s Marvelous Creation and its Horrifying Corruption, Week 5: The Breath of God – Pneumatology, Week 6: Christ’s Redeeming Work – Soteriology
3. Christian Theology
(300-word summary of transcript below) (APA citation)
Okay, good evening class, I hope you all are doing good, I hope you all are doing well today and we’re thankful to God for the progress that we’ve made so far, we are just about to conclude this course, it’s been a wonderful, great experience journeying with you in this course and we are now in week seven and we pray that the grace that has led us to this point will be the same grace that will continue to lead us to the very end. Amen? Amen. Okay, let’s go ahead and open with a word of prayer and then we will begin with our session for today.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we love you. Yes.
We trust you. Yes. We believe in you, oh God.
Yes. We know that without you we can do nothing, but with you all things are possible. We know that unless you build, he who builds, builds in vain and so we trust you.
We pledge our allegiance to you, oh God. Just as the branches can do nothing without the vine, we profess that we can do nothing without you. So God, please help us.
Help each student in this class, thus far by your grace and onwards by your grace. I ask that you meet each student at the point of their need. You know the areas where they are struggling.
You know the challenges that they are currently facing. So I intercede for them, oh God, and I ask that you help them, for you are our help. You are our rock and our redeemer.
You are our ever-present help in times of trouble. We ask that you go before us in tonight’s session, so that everything that we will discuss tonight will be led by your spirit and that by the end of this Zoom session, your name will be glorified and our joy made complete. In Jesus’ mighty name we have prayed.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Amen. All right. This is our last Collaborate session for this class and we will be looking at the doctrine of the last things.
We will look at eschatology. But again, in week seven, the module for week seven is ecclesiology and I encourage you to watch my video lecture on ecclesiology, if you’ve not already done so, as it covers some important points, important concepts about ecclesiology that you should be aware of. Subjects such as the characteristics of the church, the ordinances of the church, the ministries of the church, the government of the church, and so pay attention to that video as it will provide you with the essential information you need and knowledge and understanding about the doctrine of the church.
So what I want us to do today is, since next week is week eight and we will be looking at the doctrine of the last things or what is yet to come, I want our meeting to focus on that. So I want us to touch on some important points about eschatology to give you the perspective that you should have as we round up this class. So that’s the objective.
Now, among the topics of interest within Christian theology, the doctrine of the last things or eschatology is one of those very controversial and complex doctrines. And many scholars speculate and it’s been one of the major bones of contention among many theologians and many scholars given how the Bible treats it, that the way the Bible talks about eschatology, especially in the book of Revelation, it’s very complex and confusing, often not very clear. So it’s one of those areas where there’s a lot of personal convictions, personal or what we call pocket driven theology, so to speak.
Yet this subject of the last things is nonetheless a very important subject that when we study Christian theology, we cannot conclude Christian theology without at least covering some of the essential topics on the subject of the last things or eschatology. So what we’re going to do in this lecture, we’re going to focus on the following sub themes on the subject of eschatology. We’re going to look at humankind and death.
We will look at the great tribulation. We’ll touch on the return of Christ. We will look at the judgment, the millennium, and then we’re going to end with the doctrine why the doctrine of the last things is important, why you should take it seriously as you develop your theological convictions.
So this is what we want to look at for our collaborative session for tonight. Okay. So let’s begin with humankind and death.
Humankind and death. And the question we want to address here is what happens when a man dies? What happens to a man or what happens to a woman or let’s say what happens to a human being when he or she dies? Who would like to share their presupposition on this? Okay. Your presupposition are your convictions about a subject which you have developed whether consciously or unconsciously based on what you’ve read or what you’ve heard.
These are your presuppositions about a given topic. So who would like to share their presupposition on what happens to a human being when they die? Yes, Troy. The Bible doesn’t give us a great deal of detail, but Paul does say in 2 Corinthians that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
So in whatever case, I mean, I don’t think it’s like a purgatory thing. It’s a good, pleasant thing. But when a believer dies, they’re present with the Lord in some state.
Good. Very good point, Troy. I will hear from three others and then we’ll move on.
We’ll hear from Logan and James and then Darlene in that order. Okay. So the verse that comes to my mind is when Jesus was interacting with the thieves on the cross to his right and left, and he told the one that expressed repentance and recognized that he wasn’t, he was God, that he would be with him in paradise.
So I agree with my brother, Troy, there. Okay, good. James? Yes.
Yes, Professor. When a person dies, they go to the grave and they await judgment. Now, there’s some controversy on whether judgment day in the spiritual world, I don’t know if time passes like it does for us, but they await the judgment.
And so, and once they’re judged, then they’ll go to, when judgment day comes, then either they’ll go to be with God for eternity, or either they’ll be thrown into the lake of fire. Okay. Good, good, good point.
Well explained, James. Darlene? Yes. My understanding of death, because we are made up of body, soul, and spirit, my understanding is that the only thing that goes, gets buried in the grave is our flesh.
Our spirit goes back to God and our soul goes to wherever we have prepared it to go, whether it be heaven or hell. And we’re waiting for the judgment day and after we are judged, and then our final destination, whether it be heaven or hell, will be determined by God. Okay, good.
Good point. All right. Very good answers.
Very thoughtful responses to the question on what happens when a man dies. Now let’s delve a little bit deeper on this subject. Okay.
For us to really do justice on this question, it is important for us to be clear on the components of man. Okay. There are two major schools of thought on the components of man.
Now there is the view known as the dichotomous view. The dichotomous view posits that humankind is a composite of two distinct components, namely the body and the soul or the spirit. So the soul and spirit are used interchangeably to refer to one component, the abstract component of our human essence.
So according to dichotomies, humankind is made up of concrete component and an abstract component. The concrete component is the body. The abstract component is the soul or the spirit, which the Bible uses interchangeably to refer to the same thing.
That’s why it is known as the dichotomous view. Then we have the trichotomous view. This view posits that humankind is a composite of three distinct components, namely the body, the soul, and the spirit.
Three distinct components. So how you respond to the question what happens to a man when he dies will depend on your take. So if you argue that a man is a composite of three components, body, soul, and spirit, then you must be ready to explain what happens when a person dies.
Where does a soul go to? Where does a spirit go to? Where does the body go to? But if you take on the dichotomous view, which is the view that I take, which is my view and the view of many other reputable scholars, which posits that humankind is a composite of two components, the abstract and the concrete. So from this dichotomous point of view, what happens when a man dies is if the person is righteous, his or her body, that’s the concrete part or component, remains in the grave, as some of you have just explained now, while the abstract components, that is the spirit or the soul, go to be with God. Okay.
And that’s it. So that’s a simplistic explanation from a dichotomous perspective on what happens when a man dies. But if the deceased is an unrighteous person, his or her body remains in the grave while his or her soul goes to hell.
Okay. So only two components, the abstract or the concrete. The concrete remains in the grave.
The abstract either goes to heaven, as Troy mentioned, to be absent from the body is to be with Christ. That’s what we believe. Or if the deceased was not a believer, then their soul or their spirit goes to hell.
And these are some of the passages to support this dichotomous view on what happens to man. Second Corinthians chapter five, verse eight says, yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. And in Luke chapter 16, we learn about the rich man and Lazarus.
And these are all biblical passages to support what happens when we die. So again, there are two views concerning the components of man. Now, those who believe that man is a composite of three distinct components would have probably a different explanation of what happens when a man dies.
But from a strictly evangelical perspective, we believe that when a man dies, their spirit goes to be with God or their soul goes to be with God if they are believers, while their bodies remain in the grave awaiting the second coming of Christ, which we are going to look at momentarily. So any question about what happens to a man when they die, especially as explained from this dichotomous point of view. So let’s move on to the great tribulation.
Now, the great tribulation, the word tribulation in itself simply means suffering or a state of great suffering. So the great tribulation is as a theological concept, which the Bible talks about. And there are two main schools of thoughts on the subject of the great tribulation.
The first school of thought is known as the pre-tribulation rapture view, that is, rapture before the tribulation. So this view holds that believers will be secretly taken into heaven upon the return of Christ prior to the great tribulation. So according to the pre-tribulation rapture view, believers will not go through the tribulation before the tribulation begins, Christ would have taken them out of this world.
Then we have the post-tribulation rapture view, the view that the rapture will only occur after the tribulation. So this view posits that believers will go through the great tribulation and after they’ve gone through the great tribulation, they will be raptured into heaven upon the return of Christ. Now, there are many serious scholars who argue in favor of the pre-tribulation rapture view, and there are also other serious scholars who argue in favor of the post-tribulation rapture view.
And there are biblical passages to support these claims, especially the post-tribulation rapture view, which says believers will go through the tribulation and then at the second coming of Christ, Christ will rescue them out of the tribulation, and then they will spend eternity with him. But I will leave that up to you to decide on what view you lean towards. Perhaps let me ask one student who subscribes to the pre-tribulation rapture view and another student who subscribes to the post- tribulation rapture view, I want you to make your pitch.
Who would like to just share with us briefly why you think that the pre-tribulation rapture view is what is most biblical or Bible centered, or why the post-tribulation rapture view is the one that you think is Bible centered? James, do you want to speak to any of these? Yes, I want to speak on the post-tribulation rapture view. I just know the Bible says that God is going to have to shorten the time of the Antichrist because if not, he will fool the very elect. And it also says that when Jesus comes back after the rapture, or after the tribulation, that his people are going to reign with him for a thousand years.
I think that’s what I had to say real short. Right, okay, good, good. Thank you for sharing that, James.
Anyone who leans more towards the pre-tribulation rapture view? Yes, Angela? Actually, I wanted to speak on the post-tribulation. So the post-tribulation, I feel like is more centered to the Bible for the fact that when you go through the tribulation, you’re still pretty much living in the flesh. You don’t understand that much.
But after the tribulation, if you survived it and made it true, that is when you will find Christ. Before tribulation, you don’t know anything. But when you went through the tribulation, it takes you to exactly where God wants you.
That’s when you can find who you are or what really the kingdom of God is all about. You know, your flesh will be destroyed and you will find Christ. Okay, good, good point.
Tessie? I tend to lean a little bit more to pre because somewhere where I’ve read before where it says that the dead in Christ shall rise first, then they which remain shall be caught up. I believe that once we die, that like you were saying earlier, you know, however we feel where our soul will be, I believe that after he brings us out of the earth at that time, then that’s when the tribulation will start. So I’m a pre-tribulation person.
Okay, good. Now let’s have someone open to Acts chapter 14 verse 22 and read. And then someone open to Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. Let’s look at that quickly.
Anyone who finds any of the verses can read. Acts 14.22 says, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. Okay, so that text seemed to be suggesting that believers is through many tribulations that believers will enter the kingdom of God.
So it doesn’t seem to suggest that they will be exempt from tribulation. Revelation chapter 1 verse 9. I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the east land called Athmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus. Good.
So Paul, John identified himself as what? A companion, a partner in tribulation. So he had, in other words, he’s saying, we believers, we are going through tribulation and I’m not different from you. I’m one of you.
We are all going through tribulation. Okay. Romans chapter 8 verse 35.
Let’s have someone read Romans 8.35. Romans 8.35. Okay, I’m reading in the NLT, but it says, can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death? Okay. Thank you. I love using the NLT for a simplified version, but I wanted to hear that word tribulation.
So can we have another translation of that on Romans? Right. Okay. He says, who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Okay.
You see, that’s it. Again, that talks about the suffering that believers will go through. And Paul is saying nothing will separate us from the love of God.
No trial or tribulations will separate us from love of God. So the Christians in the first century did not think that tribulation was something that was futuristic. They understood that they were going through tribulation.
Okay. When all of the apostles died horrible deaths, some were stoned to death, some were crucified upside down, some died of sword wounds, some faced difficult circumstances. Now they were not thinking that there was going to be another type of tribulation that was to come ahead.
They understood that they were going through the tribulation. So there is more merit in leaning towards the post-tribulation rapture view. So from that post-tribulation perspective, the argument there is that we are currently going through the tribulation in a sense, and we are looking forward to the second coming of Christ.
Okay. And when Christ comes, He’s going to take us away from this life of pain and suffering, and then we will spend eternity with Him. So there is arguments in favor of the pre-tribulation rapture view, which is why it is mentioned here.
But I would want to lean more in the post-tribulation rapture view. But this is something you could write a paper on, and you can critique both perspectives and make an argument on the one that is more Bible-centered. But I would say that the post-tribulation rapture view seemed to have more biblical backing, and it makes more sense.
And I will explain further as we go why the post-tribulation rapture view seemed to be more consistent with the general biblical narrative, as I’m going to point out just in a moment. All right. I see Troy.
Let’s hear from Troy, Darlene, and Alfred, and then we’ll move on. I was just going to say real quick, I was raised in the assemblies of God, so I was always taught pre-trib. But when I read Revelation as an adult, I noticed in Revelation 13 and Revelation 14, there are places where it says this calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints.
If the saints have been raptured, then why is there a need for endurance? Right. Exactly. And ultimately, Jesus said, no man will know you’re supposed to be ready today, so I’m a pan-tripper.
If you’re ready, it’ll pan out. Right. Exactly.
Exactly. So that’s the idea. So you see, when I spoke about systematic theology the other time, when you develop a doctrine, you need to consider all the other factors.
So the post-trip fits more in the general biblical narrative, because it has that element of waiting for Christ. You know, we are going through suffering, and we are waiting for when Christ is going to come and deliver us. Now that Troy mentions that, let’s open to Revelation chapter 7, verse 13 to 14.
Revelation 7, 13 to 14, and read that real quick. It talks about believers coming out of the tribulation. Then one of the elders addressed me saying, who are these clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? I said,
4. Cosmogony
(Original Content Only) (Discussion Board Post) (700 words) (APA citations) (in-text citations are a must)
Each student will create an initial post of 700 words based on one of the below topics.
Dual Revelation
Origins of the Cosmos
Origins of Life
Directions for initial post:
Point of View: Write from your point of view as a pastor/minister, future pastor/minister or Christian leader.
Audience: Assume that the post will be read by Christians, but you should write it in such a way that non-Christians will be able to read and interact with the post and be motivated to consider its ideas.
Content: Your post should develop one big idea. Blog posts should demonstrate that you are thinking through the lecture content and textbook readings assigned for weeks 1–3 (for Blog #1) and weeks 1–6 (for Blog #2). Use that content as a foundation, or inspiration, to write a provocative post that will peak others’ interest in the subject matter as well, especially non-Christians.
Resources: Use of multimedia (weblinks, audio links, video, images, etc.) are strongly encouraged. Each blogging interface has a tool bar to insert files and multimedia.
Hook: Create a motivation for people to read your post. It might be a meme you saw on social media, a current news events, or a Scripture verse/passage. This should be a strong enough hook that a non-Christian would be interested in the topic as well.
Summarize: Explain what you have learned about the subject you have chosen to address based on the required lecture or reading material. Be clear and concise in your approach.
References: Blog posts should not simply be a statement of your opinion. Rather, they should include appropriate references to a reputable, peer-reviewed journal article. This is a critical feature in order to help build a bridge with a STEMM-oriented reader.
Worldview: Connect the key idea you are discussing to the Christian worldview. What essential worldview questions are answered?
Tone: Keep in mind that unless you have a background in science, you are not an expert in science. So you will want to strive to keep your post factual, and carefully worded in as neutral and objective of way as possible.

1. Social Psychology (Original Content Only) (3 paragraph discussion board p

1. Social Psychology

(Original Content Only) (3 paragraph discussion board p

1. Social Psychology

(Original Content Only) (3 paragraph discussion board post) (apa citations are a must) (in-text citations are a must)

DQ1-REPLY HERE
Contains unread posts
Topic: Prejudice Theories
Psychologists have long argued the reasons why people discriminate against others. This activity will allow you to contemplate these reasons in more depth.
Please answer the following questions.
What are the differences and similarities between cognitive and motivational theories of prejudice?
In your view, do certain types of personalities tend to use either cognitive or motivational theories more readily? Draw from your knowledge of several areas of psychology to justify your answer.
Given what you know of theories of prejudice, do you believe that prejudice and discrimination are universal phenomena? Why or why not?
2. Social Psychology

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Elizabeth Noble posted Jun 18, 2024 10:14 AM
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Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination are all very important issues and topics that play a factor in people’s lives in different ways. “The roots of prejudice can be found in the cognitive and emotional processes that social psychologists have measured with reference to a variety of different social groups” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 186). Some people may face being a target for multiple reasons, from their race, gender, sexuality, and other aspects of their lives. Others may only have a few, but all three have serious and important aspects in the lives of many and need to be looked at. When looking at cognitive and motivational theories of prejudices, there are differences that can be noticed when analyzing the matter. “Stereotypes are considered the cognitive component of attitudes towards a social group-specifically, beliefs about what a particular group is like. Prejudice is considered the affective component, or the feelings we have about a particular group” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 191). Notice that while motivational and cognitive focus on two different parts, they overlap. However, that will be focused on in a bit since the focus is on the differences. In the aspect of cognitive theories, the focus is on stereotypes. “Stereotypes act as theories, guiding what we attend to, and exerting strong effects on how we process social information (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 201, cited by Yzerbyt, Rocher, & Schradron, 1997). From the cognitive aspect, we put people in certain groups, leading to how we look and even interact with the individuals. “Categorizing people according to their group membership can be efficient for human beings who may invest little cognitive effort in many situations” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 200). To save time and energy for other things, people put others in categories to determine how to respond or approach them, but often, in doing this, we are inaccurate and can produce a wrong or incomplete picture of an individual. With all this in mind, the motivational aspect is brought in from those stereotypes, as pointed out before, and will be done again. “Stereotypes can serve important motivational purposes; in addition to providing us with a sense that we can predict others’ behavior, they can help us feel positive about our own group identity in comparison to other social groups” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 200). From the motivational theory, the traits placed on one of the other social groups can leave the person feeling positive and with higher self-esteem about the group they belong with. As seen later in the chapter, this can bring problems, especially when ignoring negative factors of one own group; however, currently, we can see that the stereotypes made in the cognitive phase led to helping in the motivational aspect. Building off that, we can look at the similarities between motivational and cognitive theories. As can be seen from their differences, the two overlap and connect to one another. With both theories, individuals can better understand the reason for prejudice occurring from both the cognitive and motivational sides of the line. Even though they both serve different purposes regarding prejudice, there is a connection as the cognitive aspect of the schemes can lead to the motivational part. Another similarity is that these two theories influence and impact attitudes and behaviors toward others. These are only a few similarities that can be seen between the theories.
I believe certain personality types turn more to one of the two theories than the other. Depending on the person, personality, and thought process, their choices when looking at a theory will reflect that based on how they handle certain issues. In prejudice, the personality that tends to be seen more in these circumstances is the authoritarian personality. “Authoritarian personalities have a number of characteristics. They are very concerned with status and upholding convention; they are very conformist; they tend to be very obsequious towards people they see as having a higher status than them but treat those ‘below’ them with contempt and they are suspicious of and hostile towards those they see as different” (“The Authoritarian Personality”, n.d., para 1). With what we learned about conformity, we can see how they conform to the people around them, fit their beliefs, or adapt to theirs. This leads to others with similar personalities and views possibly expanding, allowing for prejudiced views to grow, especially once people teach it to their children, peers, and others within their social circle. Look at hate groups and how they can bring people into their inner circle by giving them a safe space to let their prejudices and dislike for certain people grow among people who feel the same as them.
Prejudice and discrimination are universal phenomena; however, their extent and form may vary depending on the area. Social learning is a huge factor in the matter of prejudice and discrimination. “According to the social learning view, children acquire negative attitudes toward various social groups because they hear such views expressed by significant others, and because they are directly rewarded (with love, praise, and approval) for adopting these views” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 215). Children tend to learn from the adults in their lives, and picking up on their prejudice, then seeing the positives of what may come from them adapting to it, such as love or approval as they seek, will allow it to stick. This can lead to cycles continuing since they will do the same if they have children, most likely. However, globally, people have different cultures, views, and beliefs, allowing for different prejudices, discrimination, and stereotypes to arise in other parts of the world. Prejudices we may have here in America may not be the same in England, for example. So, while prejudice and discrimination are universal, the extent and ways can be different based on the part of the world. However, while they may differ, everyone has some biases and views toward people, and how we handle and conduct ourselves is the most important part. Question for the class: We saw some ways to reduce prejudice; do you feel schools can use some of these options, such as the contact hypothesis, to break the prejudice children may have towards others they picked up from their home life and adults? If so, what ways do you think could reduce prejudice?
References
Branscombe, N. R., & Baron, R. A. (2017). Social Psychology (P. Kapur, Ed.; 14th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc
3. Social Psychology

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Jennifer Cerer posted Jun 17, 2024 2:44 PM
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Academics who research prejudice generally conclude that there are two strains of theory: cognitive and motivational. Cognitive theories of prejudice argue that “people do indeed have implicit racial attitudes that are automatically elicited, and that such automatically elicited attitudes can, in turn, influence important forms of behavior such as decisions concerning others and the degree of friendliness that is expressed in interactions with them” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 237). Individual’s subconscious, automatic actions can be learned over time. The social learning view is defined as being when “children acquire negative attitudes toward various social groups because they hear such views” being expressed by those they value and listen to (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 240). These prejudice beliefs and statements are going to then solidify over time.
However, the social identity theory can be used to promote a prejudice theory that is more motivational. Motivational prejudice comes from a belief that those who are prejudice are benefitted by it. “It has been argued that low-status groups should discriminate more than high-status groups because the former have greater identity needs than the latter,” but it is continuously reported that “contrary to what one might expect, high-status groups discriminate more than low-status groups” (Guimond & Dambrun, 2002, p. 901). The prejudice against those with less is what keeps those with plenty in control of the group. This is applicable on a world scale. Whether it concerns social class, race, gender, etc., people are always going to be exposed to those who believe that what they are makes them superior. Do you feel that there are places in the world in which prejudice does not exist?
References
Branscombe, N. R., & Baron, R. A. (2017). Social Psychology (P. Kapur, Ed.; 14th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
4. Social Psychology

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Contains unread posts
Topic: Tackling Hate Crimes
Hate crimes continue to occur in today’s society despite our perceptions that society has become more “politically correct.” Use this exercise to help deconstruct the reasons why hate crimes occur and to identify ways that we may reduce their future occurrence.
Use your knowledge of prejudice and discrimination to address the following items.
Identify a hate crime in the news. Provide a brief summary of the events that occurred.
Analyze the event using your knowledge of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. (Be sure to cite outside sources and/or your textbook.) In your analysis, explain and apply the theory or theories that best explain the perpetrator’s actions.
What strategies could individuals or society use to decrease the incidence of these types of hate crimes in the future?
5. Social Psychology

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Jennifer Cerer posted Jun 17, 2024 2:45 PM
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Violence brought on by prejudice and discrimination can often produce a hate crime. In the Denver-metro area, there was recently a spike in numbers of hate crimes against those who are transgender. Usually, Denver is known for its wide acceptance of lifestyles and preferences, but this NBC 9 News update was quite shocking. They used the example of a recent hate crime that had happened earlier this year in which someone was physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation by two men in Aurora (Irizarry, 2024). This has not been the only reported hate crime this year, with the article insisting that there is currently a rise in such crimes in the Denver area.
“All prejudices are not the same — or at least they are not based on the same type of negative feelings” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 228). This news story was a good example to highlight that race is not the only motivator of a hate crime. This was clearly because of the individual’s sexual orientation. However, just because there is an explanation for it, does not make it right. There needs to be a way to reverse prejudice and discriminatory thoughts in people before they turn to violence. It is reported that “exposure to positive exemplars from social groups can decrease implicit prejudice toward those groups” (Columb & Plant, 2011, p. 499). The more familiarity with the group one is prejudice against, the less prejudice against the group they become. There should also be better education of tolerance to children and adolescents. What are some methods you would use?
References
Branscombe, N. R., & Baron, R. A. (2017). Social Psychology (P. Kapur, Ed.; 14th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
6. Social Psychology

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Kyle Linstroth posted Jun 18, 2024 12:54 AM
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Paul Bittner, a 42-year-old, white man was arrested in Washington after “allegedly targeting and attacking a Black sixth-grade student walking with classmates during a field trip” (Howard, 2024, para 1). Students from Whatcom Middle School were on a field trip, when Mr. Bittner joined the group of students. Mr. Bittner allegedly pushed the Black sixth grader, and before punching the child in the face asked the child, “Are you going to talk to a white man like that?” (Howard, 2024, para 5).
In modern society, people often conceal their prejudices from others and express their bigotry in private, and prejudice is often expressed in subtle forms of behavior (Branscombe & Baron, 2017). This is not an example of a subtle or disguised form of discrimination, often expressed in modern day racism. This was an example of “old-fashioned racism, encompassing blatant feelings of superiority” (Branscome & Baron, 2017, p. 211). Mr. Bittner seemed to target and have conscious intent “to discriminate against members of the target group” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p.191). The malice and conscious intent reflect Mr. Bittner’s deep-seated prejudice beliefs. Mr. Bittner’s prejudice was learned. This is in alignment with the social learning theory, where “children acquire negative attitudes towards various social groups because they hear such views expressed by significant others and because they are rewarded for adopting their views” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 215). Mr. Bittner’s feelings of superiority reflect the fact that his prejudiced beliefs were not only learned, but part of his social identity. “Prejudice is derived from our tendency to divide the world into ‘us’ and “them” and to view our own group more favorably than various groups” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p.220).
One such way to combat racism, is through social influence. Racism is a learned social phenomenon, so it stands to reason, through social influence, it can be unlearned. Racial attitudes develop from early experiences, as well as from the current members of one’s group. “If people can be induced to believe that their prejudiced views are “out of line” with those of most other people, especially those they respect, they may well change those views toward a less prejudiced position” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 219). In addition, collective guilt can be used as a means of reducing racism. It has been found that ‘reflecting on racial inequality can be an effective means of lowering racism” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p.217). Lastly, increasing contact and exposure between different groups, can help reduce racism. The contact hypothesis suggests, increased contact between groups, “can lead to a growing recognition of similarities between them, which can change the categorizations that people employ” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p.215). Increased contact between groups, can break down the us-vs.-them effect, and “can reduce prejudice by reducing anxiety about future encounters with outgroup members” (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p.216).
My question for the class, why is Black Entertainment Television (BET) not considered racist? When White Entertainment Television, if there was one, would be?
References
Branscombe, N. R., & Baron, R. A. (2017). Social Psychology (P. Kapur, Ed.; 14th ed.).
Pearson Education, Inc.
7. Graduate Transform/writing

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Topic: Domestic Religious Extremism and Religious Extremist Groups
You are in the midst of writing a Literature Review, a genre that you likely have not been assigned before. This can be a daunting task, but it is an important one because not only does it develop many of the skills that are key for your graduate school success, it is also a genre in which you will have to write again once you get to the Capstone course. Practicing this now, without all the concerns that come with the Capstone, is important for your future success.
Description
Think about your experience with the Literature Review thus far, as well as the end-product that you aim to create. What advantages does this process have for you as a graduate student and as a (future) professional? Which of your skills do you feel this is developing, even if the progress is hard-won?
8. Graduate Transformation/Writing

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Carly Spallone posted Jun 18, 2024 3:07 PM
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What I admire about this class is that the final project has been in working accumulation since the beginning weeks, rather than trying to force an extensive project in the last busy weeks. So, thank you for this. As a refresher, my research is based around my master’s graduate studies of criminology. I am still narrowing down if I want to have my emphasis on either human behavior or criminology, so for this route I decided to do more research on the human behavior aspect. My research question is “do biological and environmental conditions play a role in breeding violent offenders?”. I have made progress in the accumulation of all of my sources, such as findings in the biological field around prenatal alcohol exposure and how it generates cognitive impairments around comprehension and social judgment which can lead to psychopathy and violent tendencies. These neural disconnections occur in areas such as the amygdala, insula, and the superior temporal gyrus, and angular gyrus/temporoparietal junction. Looking to the environmental side, attachment theories have been primary to my research as how poor relationships between child and parent, both in abuse and neglect, muttles the sense of self versus object that can breed violent, physically uncomfortable, and inappropriately-timed behavior as the child advances in age. Now working toward the end product, I am moving into the specifics of the formatting stage. The APA manual is guiding me, specifically within chapter 15. Yet, my question arises on the table on page 182, as it has a chart for “An introduction to the texts being reviewed, the authors’ main claims relevant to your review question, evaluation of the authors’ claims, including any counter-evidence, final section setting out the conclusion of your argument, and summary of your evaluation of literature reviewed to assess the texts’ combined contribution to answering your review question.” (APA,2020, p,181) Is this the “body” of the paper that gets done 7 separate times for each source? If not, what goes in the body paragraphs? A literature review is defined as a “reviewer’s constructively critical account, developing an argument designed to convince a particular audience about what the published – and possibly also unpublished – literature (theory, research, practice or policy) indicates is and is not known about one or more questions that the reviewer has framed.” (APA,2020, p,179). The process of conducting a literature review aids me as I further my graduate career as I work toward my capstone and dissertation. Literature reviews are a step further than just summarizing what already exists but taking that one step further in using research to enforce what is already known. This forces me to form a strong argument around my research on what is important, irrelevant, and what existing gaps there are in my field of research. This then increases my probability of conceiving my readers, being professors, colleagues, or any academic journals if I wish to publish. The interaction with other bodies of text is working on my developing skill of being more critical as a reader. Prior to this class, my research process consisted of picking the first or second source that popped up just for the sake that it had content that I needed. However, working the literature review and connecting to the critical analysis from week 5 made me realize I need to be more strict on what sources I choose to engage with, such as notions of organization, tone, theme, etc. There are so many sources out there, and settling on the first one makes me a lazy researcher who settles, rather than digging deeper to find something far better. Referencing these strong sources increases my credibility as a researcher, hence making my argument likely to be more convincing to my audience.
References:
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.

1. Christian Theology (Original Content Only) (3000 words) (Kate-Turabian style

1. Christian Theology
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1. Christian Theology
(Original Content Only) (3000 words) (Kate-Turabian style) (footnotes are a must)
Topic: The Doctrine of Predestination
Students will submit a 3000-word research paper, not including footnotes and bibliography, focusing on a one topic covered in this course. This paper should contain a cover page, introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography. A minimum of 7 reputable academic sources beyond the course textbooks are required.
As the name suggests, the paper should be a piece of academic research. These 7+ resources are above-and-beyond course textbooks, the Bible, and rudimentary tools like Strong’s or Vine’s, etc. There are many popular-level books available you may want to use, but please keep in mind that this is intended to be a work of scholarship (not pop-level writing). Feel free to use Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, lexicons, commentaries, journal articles, and other academic resources. Your paper should have a clear, logical structure, and there should be a clear connection between the ideas you present.
2. Renewal and Transformation
(Original Content Only) (Discussion Board Post) (400 words) (Kate Turabian Style)
Nieuwhof used an analogy; he stated that he owned a gym membership, but his goal was not gym attendance but rather personal fitness (Lasting Impact, 43). With that in mind, answer Nieuwhof’s profound question, “What if you helped your attendees be the church, not just go to church?” (51).
What strategies might you employ to help your attendees be the church?
In light of Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27, how important are relationships (a) with God and (b) with humanity?
How do relationships influence or drive church revitalization?
The Discussion Board experience for this class has been designed to foster the kinds of meaningful relationships that are essential to quality education. These relationships are built over the term of a class as individuals share time in learning with each other. As in a physical classroom, the quality of the relationships that is built and the depth of the learning experience depend on what effort you put into it.
Discussions are expected to contain substantial reflection on the weekly material that integrates lectures, reading, and supplemental sources into your creative writing. It also is expected that you will incorporate rich multimedia elements into your answers and comments such as photos, pictures, word photos, videos, web-links, digital files, and music. Be creative and be led by the Holy Spirit.
Initial Post: Create an Initial Post of at least 300 words based on the material covered in the module(s) that week. Here are some possible avenues that you can use:Summarize: Be sure to teach us what you have learned about the subject you have chosen to address from that week’s lecture, reading, or interaction. Spend time teaching through your answers in a concise and clear manner
Opine: What do you agree with or disagree with in this week’s lecture or reading as it relates to your chosen topic? What can you add to what has been presented from your wealth of experience and knowledge on this topic? How would you approach the topic differently?
Apply: Your studies are all about the application of knowledge to real-world contexts to solve problems in the context of ministry. How does the topic you have chosen to relate to the real world? How does it relate to your life or ministry? How might it be applied to problems in your context of ministry?
Innovate: What new ideas can you see that emerge from your consideration of the topic and the way it might be applied to you, your ministry, or other ministries?

3. Renewal and Transformation
(Original Content Only) (Discussion Board Reply) (300 words per reply) (Kate Turabian Style)
Russell Ewing
SundayJun 16 at 9:50pm
Manage Discussion Entry
In this week’s discussion board, three questions that need to be answered have been asked.
What strategies might you employ to help be the church?
I believe that there are multiple strategies that a pastor can use to help the church be the church. So many churches of various sizes are inward-focused instead of outwardly focused. One way that can be very effective is getting the people out of the building and getting them involved in the community. The people need to see that people are hurting and need compassion and personal or one-on-one ministry. Doing Christian service in the community shows that the church cares and loves its community.
In light of DT 6:5 and Luke 10:27, how important are relationships with God and humanity?
Undoubtedly, relationships are the cornerstone of our existence. From the very beginning, God created Adam and Eve with the intention of fostering a continuous relationship. Although sin disrupted this relationship, God’s love for His creation was so profound that He sent His son to restore humanity’s relationship with Him. Jesus, too, emphasized the importance of relationships by developing deep connections with His disciples. In fact, the second great commandment is a testament to the significance of relationships: love our neighbors as ourselves.
How do relationships influence or drive church revitalization?
I firmly believe that relationships can drive church revitalization. If a church is going to turn around and return to health, it must build relationships with the community. The church has to be outward-focused. The church needs to build relationships with community leaders and offer support to them. Congregation members need to develop relationships with their neighbors and show them the love of Jesus. These relationships will show that the church is relevant and can be depended on in times of need. Just the other day, in the community where I am planting the church, we had a family whose house burnt down. Thankfully, we have developed a relationship with the family before this happened. They know that we care for them and are there for them. We pray that we can minister to this family because of the relationships/friendships we have already built.

4. Renewal and Transformation
(Original Content Only) (Discussion Board Reply) (300 words per reply) (Kate Turabian Style)
Discussion Post Week 7
Good Evening Everyone!
The question that Carey Nieuwhof asked was, “What if you helped your attendees be the church, not just go to church?” By getting to know our attendees and their families, we can help to unlock their potential, by making disciples. This means truly connecting with our community. Through open ears and listening hearts, we can discover their unique gifts and aspirations. Then, together, we can equip them to use those gifts and serve the church and the community, making the church a vibrant force for good, not just within our walls, but everywhere.
The strategies we can employ to help attendees be the church would be first meeting people where they are. Learning not just about the demographics but learning about the psychographics. Learning about what the attendees enjoy. Once we learn about what they enjoy we can ask them to serve in those capacities within the church. For example, I have the majority of retirees at my church. By finding out what they did when they worked, they can share their knowledge with other attendees. One of the sisters at my church used to work at the office that helped with property taxes. Since I found that out, I have asked her to share her knowledge with others in the church who are having problems understanding their property taxes. She helped me understand as well. I was able to share with others. This can be a service to other attendees at church.
Those who have retired from working with children or young people, even if they no longer want to work with young people or children, can be a resource to help those who work with children.
This strategy reminds me of the “Surge Strategy “ that we discussed in class tonight. Not only being prepared for the Big Days in church but making sure that people are in place, using the gifts they have to serve others, as in the “Current serve team needs”.
In light of Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27, how important are relationships (a) with God and (b) with humanity? We should not only teach the body to love God, but we should also live it and demonstrate it. We should love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and then love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus also said this in Matthew 22:37-39.
How do relationships influence or drive church revitalization? The attendees can bring in other attendees that they have relationships with. For example, leading to the big days, inviting family and friends. The church was formed on relationships. In Acts 2:44-47 we see that the church was together, they were in relationship and helped one another. God is calling us to the now as well.
Blessings!
Janis Barnes

5. (Original Content Only) (Zoom meeting Summary) (300 words)

All right, we should be recording now. Yep, we are. Excellent, fantastic.
So tonight, or this time that we have together, we’re going to do something just a little bit different. I need to go over the aspects of how to use attractional methods so that you can become a disciple-making church. So while we’re going to look at, while the main function is sort of attractional methods, I’m a both-and sort of person.
And anybody who knows me long enough knows I’m very missional minded. But I don’t think we need to throw out specific things when we talk about how we’re trying to reach lostness or even disciple-lostness. I think we can do both.
So it’s not like a seeker-sensitive model. It’s not anything like that. But it does, for a fact, I know this.
I know that I have personally seen churches, and I’ve utilized this right up until COVID, and then we kind of had to shut down some things. But this methodology works very well and multiplies churches rapidly, like as in growing, like you could use this as a multiplication model for growing and then planting and growing and planting, if you wanted to, or a church plant that’s small and then increases rapidly, or even a struggling revitalized church or church that needs to revitalize, they can use some of these methods. So we’re going to look at that.
That’s sort of our underpinning with our time. But I do want to first stress the paper that’s due next week, this practicum that, remember, everything in this course is like a practicum, right? And it’s designed that way specifically so that you can take the principles and concepts, and then you’re applying them to your specific ministry or your life or what you want to do as you gain your degree or whatever it is you do. But you should be able to take these with you, whether it’s immediately you’re doing it now, or you’re doing it down the road, or even working for like an organization, or a specific denomination.
Now, you know, people get a degree, and then they want to go to work for an organization, like a mission organization or denomination, and the denomination needs them to help them in doing specific things. These are models that you’re applying, right? You’re learning all of these things so that you can put them to practice. So the final assignment, you have a choice here, actually have several choices.
We’re going to talk about some of those. But the two choices that you have within what the assignment has to be is either one, a replant means you’re taking a church that, let’s say, like I had a church where almost everybody in the church was from an area that was like 30 miles away, and they had kept driving to the building. And so the building, like, let’s say an older congregation, and you had a generation that was missed, but maybe like, people started coming to grandma’s church, but they drove away, they moved away, grandma’s passed on.
Now they still come to the building and worship as a church in that building. But they realize that we’re farther away. So do you pick that up and replant it into an area where it’s going to be? Or are you really going to bless that community? And, you know, kind of bear down and serve that community.
You can, that’s one reason for a replant. There’s several others, but a replant can also take place for a dying congregation where you want to change the name, change the DNA, all that kind of stuff. And, or you’re going to merge into another church, like maybe there’s a small dying church nearby.
And I’ve been in conversations and helped several, I even, I think I even write one thing in my book about one of the church plants that wanted to come along and be a part or a dying church that wanted to come along and be a part of our church. And I had to deny them that ability, they would have, it would have been unhealthy, it would have been toxic for us to take on that many people and that much money, the resources they had, it wouldn’t have worked well. But the point is you’re going to come up with this strategy, either to replant a dying congregation or merge one.
That’s the first part. Or you come up with a revitalization strategy for church growth and multiplication, right? So you’re either a replant or a merger or number two, you’re just doing a revitalization strategy. You have a dying congregation and you want to help them revitalize right where they are.
So really there’s sort of three angles you can take with that. The first one doesn’t have to be a replant strategy with a dying congregation and merge. You can either have a merger.
So technically you can have three. I just wanted it to be that a church merger is a replant. So that’s why it’s there.
So you either have a replant or revitalization, right? And in either one of those projects that you’re going to do, make sure that you’re concentrating on on the aspect of of seeing conversion growth. We don’t want to just shuffle deck chairs, right? Taking other members from other churches and bringing them in and then growing because then technically the church isn’t growing at all. All we’re doing is just taking other people.
I was very firm with this as a pastor. When I would see new people, I would ask them if they were new, who invited them? How did they get there? Had they been there before? And then if they said they came from another church, I said, does the pastor know that you’re here? I was pretty like, yeah. I actually had one couple that I told them I think they needed to go back and talk to their pastor and and let them let the pastor know that they were leaving.
I just I believe in integrity. And so, you know, call it for what it is. I know people that wouldn’t do that.
That’s just my conviction with that. So we’re looking for conversion growth, transfer growth. That means we’re going to have to really focus somewhere in here with discipleship, which is it is part of there’s seven components, but you don’t necessarily have to look at these components, breaking them down as into each section that has to be there.
Now, on the bottom, I have what your paper should look like with title page, table of contents, have a demographic section and psychographics. We can kind of look at that for a moment. A section that has vision and mission.
You’ve already done your vision lens. So pretty simple. Now it’s plug and play, right? You get to just talk about what your vision is going to be, how you know you how the churches is unified together because you’ve taken gone through a vision lens practicum.
So now you know what it is. And then you explain the vision and mission in that. So that’s probably not even going to be a full page, right? Because you’re just going to really explain that sort of vision lens again and what the vision and mission is of this replan or of this revitalization.
But here you see, we go back up to the top, those seven elements, vision and mission, reaching the unreachable, which means there’s an evangelistic proponent here or component. And then number three, disciple making. This means that you’re going to have to explain how you are going to make disciples, right? You can’t just say, oh, we’re going to go out into the community and then we’re going to reach people.
What does that mean, right? What strategy are you going to employ to actually make a disciple? It doesn’t have to be exhaustive, but that section should probably be at least a page, page and a half, because you’re explaining how you’re making disciple makers in that. Number four, community impact. So I think, trying to think here, I think I’ve allowed certain, I’ve allowed certain students to combine community impact with disciple making, as long as they’re sustained in that you can see community impact and you can see, because you could technically say I’m making disciples by bringing, by mentoring the person, walking them into the community outreaches and serving with them, and they get to see how I serve and, you know, and within that we have small group within the community trying to make an impact when we’re serving for or when we’re doing vocational training.
So those two sort of could be combined if I, if you want to combine that, that’s fine, but I would label the section like community impact and disciple making just so that I see it and that it’s concise, but they go, they go together. Systems for growth, we’re going to look at that tonight. Demographic and psychographic research, and if you’re not familiar, there’s a link there to explain, there’s a little, a small article that I wrote on psychographics, but for the most part, demographics just tell you like how many white black, you know, Latino, you know, specific races are in an area and maybe age group, men and women, there’s some good ones that are out there.
And then psychographics though actually tell you more about the people, they tell you what they watch on television or what they’re streaming, you know, what they tend to like to eat. Those are big things because now we really get down to the nitty gritty and who the people are in that area, what they like, what they worship and stuff like that. So psychographics can be important.
And of course you can cite that article. And then the last thing we want to make sure that we’re Trinitarian. So somewhere woven into this paper, you know, if you’re going to make it a whole section, make it a section.
If you don’t, if you’re not making a section, then you can intertwine within the paper, you know, the leading of father, son, Holy spirit, and you can get biblical with that. Right. And, but that’s one of the elements here at Regent, like we are thoroughly Trinitarian.
So we want to, excuse me, we want to talk about how there’s guidance there with the spirit, how maybe the spirit is guiding us. We are relying on the presence of God and, you know, the blood of Christ to, to be with us, whatever it may be. There’s, you know, it’s intentional about the work that we do, right.
We’re saved by Christ, redeemed by him. And we are sanctified through the power of the spirit to be aligned back with the father. So, you know, those are things that we’re talking about.
How, how are you being led and guided? So those are the things that have to be woven into the paper and they have the options there. Option one, option two, this does require, as it says there, that you have to cite the sources that are the course of that means all the books that are in there. At least once these books are there for a reason, right? Like new off community impact, right? You’re going to write something in there about that.
And use a quote from there somewhere. And like the, like the flywheel, like when you’re talking about, you know, reaching the unreachable or community impact or systems for growth, either one of those, I know that the flywheel working. But the main thing is use those course resources and then find three additional.
Now, if you want to use the psychographic article, you can do that. That would be now you just need two more, right? But you can find out which ones you want as well as those options. So you have option one, option two, not to throw in more, but if you wanted to use and make this into PowerPoint, I allow you to turn in a PowerPoint instead of a paper.
But that means you have to do have at least like 20 slides because you’re going to have to have also notes like so you’re still required to have citations. So your citations have to be in the notes section. And it has to be appealing, you know, visually appealing.
It has to probably have some graphs or kind of charts in there and maybe even some voice recording, right? You have to really be innovative with that if you’re going to use a PowerPoint, like record your own voice in a section, making a vignette of this is what you’re going to do. And I’m fine with it that because I have some people that have said, I think I’ve only had one person in the last couple of years that actually did a PowerPoint and I’m fine with it, but I like to give the option. So those are the two options that you have writing, but I find when you write, you tend to really assimilate the material just a little bit better.
All right. Let’s see one. Awesome.
So yeah. Any questions you guys have on the paper? Because the other people are going to watch this, have to get a recording. So your question may be what they want to ask.
No question for you. All right. We’re going to move on then to the good stuff.
So I’ve expressed this before that there are what we call, I like to call them waves. There are specific waves in a regular calendar that the church can ride. And that’s why I like to call them waves because surfers ride waves, right? And you can’t create a wave, right? You ride away.
So if you’re a surfer, you don’t go out and try to create waves by smacking your board up and down. And I think a lot of times churches try to do that. What we can do is we can ride waves.
So we know that there are two natural waves. At least there’s even a little bit. I would say there’s three, if not four, or even maybe a little fifth, two foot wave that’s in there too.
But you’re going to see how to apply and use these natural waves that are in society. We’re not so far gone yet in Western society where Easter and Christmas are far gone. They’re still big days within the church, ecclesiastically.
These days are still held, even if people don’t know Jesus and don’t know God, they celebrate Christmas for the most part, right? And maybe they would go to a, if they’re invited, we know 86%, that’s just not some number thrown out. Those are the numbers. 86% of people say they would attend church if they were invited.
So the invitation is still the biggest evangelistic tool that the church has, right? Word of mouth, inviting people to come. So we have Easter and then Christmas. But in between there is just this long, long period where you’re like, what do you do with that? How do you grow? And how do you, everyone’s banging their heads against the wall.
Especially if you had a year like this year where you had Advent and after Advent, we had a really quick turnaround and all of a sudden Ash Wednesday was in February on Valentine’s Day. So we didn’t even get like a full two months before we have to start thinking about Easter. But how do you do that if you know that those are days? Now, sometimes churches will have maybe a cantata for Christmas.
That’s like the traditional stuff, right? Oh, we got a cantata that’s there. I’m not going to throw that out or bash that. But yeah, could that technically work sort of as an attractional method.
And then you have Easter, like maybe you have an Easter egg or a petting zoo. I’ve seen it all, those kinds of things. But I want to show you a little bit more in depth of really how to grow effectively.
And it is programmatic and there are systems in play here. But if you’re like that and you like systems, you’ll probably geek out about it and love this. So this is what I call the surge strategy.
And I sort of, you know, this is just from, you look at the same things from Birch, the flywheel, it’s just calling these big days. We know we have Easter. We know that there’s a big day that we squeeze in the Western world within autumn, that time period when people go back to school or whatever it may be.
There’s something around that time period, whether August or September, where people start coming back. They’re gone for the summer and they’re at least done with some busyness of life and they’re looking to get back into rhythms, if anything. And then we have Christmas.
So we’re going to say, we’re just going to take these three for a moment. And what I’m going to teach you is this attractional method. And then I’m going to break down how systems are applied within that.
So the first one you see is Easter. And then on the left hand side of Easter, you see these colored dots, red, yellow, green, and it’s like bluish. And then you kind of go over the hump and there’s purple.
What this graph is showing you is that it’s saying you can take a congregation of a hundred people. And one of the objectives, one of the main objectives is we want to double the size by an attendance day on Easter. We want to double our attendance.
Now the goal, I’m going to show you that the goal is not attendance. Matter of fact, I can push this real quick. This is the goal.
The overall goal is the side thing. We’re just going to use this, right? Getting people in, we’re going to get them engaged in first services and events. We’re going to get them connected to small groups or life groups, community engagement, whatever that is.
That’s the essential part. That’s what we really want to do. So the goal isn’t just have as many people as we can possibly get to.
Although if we can double in size, you’re going to see how this this works right along the side. So we’re going to look at that slide again, but let me show you how this works. About five weeks out, you’re going to start planning.
And this is why I said, once we get into the prior to the 40 days of length, you really have to be engaged in. We need to start thinking about our Easter service, because this is a service where I don’t care if you’re going to do it inside, outside, whatever, whatever it is that you have planned. This is going to be a big day for you, right? This is the big day.
So by the red, that day is basically five weeks out from Easter. You have to start having those meetings with a worship leader. Maybe you have someone that’s that’s leading worship.
Maybe you have someone that is working with youth. But. You’re definitely going to want to create a system where you have and we’re going to get into this a little bit where you have parking lot greeters and then some things that go along with that.
So I know that sounds ambiguous if you’re taking notes, but hold on, we’re going to come back to it. But I want to show you how this plays out before I get too in depth. About five weeks out, we start planning and every week we’re going to we’re going to really hone down this service.
We’re going to we’re going to make sure that this is the best like that our message is aligning with our worship, that we have the right greeters, that we have the right ushers, that perhaps we have someone in the parking lot greeting people in. Maybe we have a host tent outside that tells them where to go. We’re going to address all those things.
Easter comes and prior to that, within those probably around the yellow and green, we want to get everybody in the congregation involved. So I always like to do where you had cards and you would have at least like five or six cards on every seat. And you would ask people to write a name on one of those on those cards and give it to the person that they wrote.
And hopefully they’re thinking about you’re going to press. Maybe if you’re a pastor, you’re going to preach on, you know, reaching out, you know, and what it means for the gospel and how it transforms lives. And then you talk about, you know, we’ve given you these cards that you can hand to people.
So it already breaks the ice and you’re going to invite people to this Easter Sunday. Maybe when it gets to the green, you’re at you. Maybe the church buys some yard signs that they want to hand out on the green Sunday and say, hey, these are for anybody who wants them.
We don’t have ones for everyone, but if you want to put out yard signs, here’s some yard signs. By the blue, after that next week comes, you’re really going to start to press upon the people to, hey, on social media, tag the church that’s in there and say, hey, come for Easter. We’re going to ramp things up and we’re really going to start to use social media to work that as well.
So you can see that there’s an intentionality about each week and we’re building off of that so that we can get up to Easter. Now, the way that this works is if you can double the attendance, what we have found by empirical evidence is about 35% of those people stay. It’s not a huge number, but it’s pretty big because think about it.
If you had 100, start out with 100, 200 show or 100 more show up. Now you have 200, right? So at the end of this, you’re going to have at least 135. You’ve increased by 35 people.
Now it gets a whole lot more technical in the aspect of there’s a lot more involved where you’re going to have follow through. We’re going to talk about the follow through, but for our purposes of just finishing out this chart before we move on, so I can explain to you better, I’ll say this. You go from 100, 100 more people come, 35 stay.
You’re rolling into autumn with 135. Let’s say you’ve maintained that. You do the same thing again, weeks out, you’re planning for this big event.
Now remember, in between Easter and autumn is a big day too, which is Mother’s Day. I would say, man, that’s why I said you can ride a wave on Easter and hit this wave and then barely even come down and Mother’s Day is there. You’re back up into another wave on Mother’s Day.
And I put this in, if you read my discussion post last week, I talked about how you could do it with like children’s stuff. And so I don’t need to go back over it again, but you can almost use that other little wave. These are just the three big ones, but there are several other little ones that are in there you can utilize.
But for our understanding, let’s say you have 135, 135 more show up. Why? Because people are inviting. If every person there invites five people, they have five cards.
If everyone invites five people, at least if one out of five shows, that’s doubling your attendance. And some people are going to be able to, they’re going to have three people. Some people are going to have no people.
It’s going to average out though to about one person if people are active with this. And it goes up to 270. Well, 35% of 135 is 47.
That means you end up with 182. And then you take it into Christmas time, same thing. It’s invitation.
You’re working through Advent now and you’re really pushing. I’ll tell you what I think really crushes it on Christmas. For me, the biggest Sunday or the biggest, not Sunday, but the biggest attendance day we had all year in the revitalization that I did had 200 people.
That was the biggest service I ever had. And there was only like 20 people when I got there. Out of the seven years I was there, the biggest attended service was a candlelight service Christmas Eve.
We just promoted it and it was crushed. It was like 200, just a little over 200. And we were like, wow, like the first time we’d ever seen anything like that in that church.
And yeah, this stuff works. And then by the time you come back down, you’re adding once again, 64 now, because now it’s 182. What’s 35% of 182? It’s approximately 64.
So 64 and 182 is going to give you 246. That’s what that Mother’s Day or any others that you’re putting in there. But you can see this is intentionality about planning, which you’re going to in a moment, you’re going to see.
But this is taking a church in the beginning of the year that had about 100 to 246. Now, if your plan is to, hey, once, because you have all year, right? Once we hit like 150, we want to be sending out a church planner. That’s fine.
You can use this whole thing as multiplication. Maybe you have other leaders that you’re looking at sending out and you’re replacing them. This is a year.
You have 12 months to start or, you know, 10 months at least to start developing other leaders. So you can utilize this process for leadership development and disciple making. So I put here in the bottom paragraph, while attendance seems like the driver that’s driving, it’s really people, right? People invite others that they meet, and we’re going to talk about follow-up here and interaction, right? The pastor’s position is not—this is not about the pastor being the, you know, apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher.
This is technically a model or a method for the pastor to really train the ministry for saints because you’re wanting them to engage that. Here’s a—this is what I used. I made this for our second church plan.
So we were reaching military. And by the way, you may be like, oh man, you got to have like a church hundred to do this. No, we did this with six.
So all that it is, is you just have longer time to hit your hit number, right? Now I will say that we wanted to use mailers. If you’ve ever utilized mailers, there are