University of St Andrews Library Hosted Journals
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/3885
2024-03-29T08:22:11ZFraming disaster: performativity & desire in the writings of Syrians in diaspora
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17559
In Framing Disaster, Performativity & Desire in the Writings of Syrians in Diaspora, Nusaiba Joan Imady examines the ways in which “… Syrians in diaspora have explored and redefined meaning in tradition and culture, specifically in relation to sexual violence, Syrian identity, and the validity of queer desire.” She seeks to capture the responses that are in danger of being lost in this now almost eight-year conflict, responses that collectively constitute a narrative that explains how people ‘surpass’ destruction of this magnitude and provides insights on the type of Syria that will eventually emerge from this ongoing tragedy.
2018-11-14T00:00:00ZImady, Nusaiba JoanIn Framing Disaster, Performativity & Desire in the Writings of Syrians in Diaspora, Nusaiba Joan Imady examines the ways in which “… Syrians in diaspora have explored and redefined meaning in tradition and culture, specifically in relation to sexual violence, Syrian identity, and the validity of queer desire.” She seeks to capture the responses that are in danger of being lost in this now almost eight-year conflict, responses that collectively constitute a narrative that explains how people ‘surpass’ destruction of this magnitude and provides insights on the type of Syria that will eventually emerge from this ongoing tragedy.Coercive control in conflict: implications for Syria
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17558
In Coercive Control in Conflict: Implications for Syria, Joanne Hopkins explores how the concept of coercive control can be used to help us understand the continuum of violence experienced by men and women in the Syrian conflict. Hopkins moves beyond what most similar studies focus on, “… the use of physical violence by the state ….” and “… the state's systematic use of torture, imprisonment and rape …” and focuses instead on the “… need to understand the way that the state and other actors have employed a strategy of creating an atmosphere of fear alongside the physical acts of violence.”
2018-11-14T00:00:00ZHopkins, JoanneIn Coercive Control in Conflict: Implications for Syria, Joanne Hopkins explores how the concept of coercive control can be used to help us understand the continuum of violence experienced by men and women in the Syrian conflict. Hopkins moves beyond what most similar studies focus on, “… the use of physical violence by the state ….” and “… the state's systematic use of torture, imprisonment and rape …” and focuses instead on the “… need to understand the way that the state and other actors have employed a strategy of creating an atmosphere of fear alongside the physical acts of violence.”"Exploding stars, dead dinosaurs, and zombies: youth ministry in the age of science" by Andrew Root
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17556
Review of: Andrew Root, Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018)
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZChaffee, SteveReview of: Andrew Root, Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018)Cosmology and incarnation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17555
Theological cosmology – usually expressed in terms of the doctrine of creation – has often been divorced from the cosmology of the scientist. It has also been divorced from our understanding of incarnation and salvation. In this paper Dr Chris Knight outlines his attempt over a number of years to bring these aspects of Christian thinking into a fuller relationship with each other. He does this by combining insights from two very different sources: the Eastern Orthodox tradition and the tendency towards philosophical naturalism, which has been a characteristic feature of the modern science-theology dialogue. He argues that part of our strategy in trying to re-think divine action must be to re-assess traditional Christian understandings, and outlines his exploration of the way in which the naturalism at the heart of the scientific enterprise can be interpreted in a theistic way.
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZKnight, Christopher C.Theological cosmology – usually expressed in terms of the doctrine of creation – has often been divorced from the cosmology of the scientist. It has also been divorced from our understanding of incarnation and salvation. In this paper Dr Chris Knight outlines his attempt over a number of years to bring these aspects of Christian thinking into a fuller relationship with each other. He does this by combining insights from two very different sources: the Eastern Orthodox tradition and the tendency towards philosophical naturalism, which has been a characteristic feature of the modern science-theology dialogue. He argues that part of our strategy in trying to re-think divine action must be to re-assess traditional Christian understandings, and outlines his exploration of the way in which the naturalism at the heart of the scientific enterprise can be interpreted in a theistic way."From cosmos to Canaan: the Bible in verse" by Jock Stein
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17554
Review of: Jock Stein, From Cosmos to Canaan: The Bible in Verse (Durham: Sacristy Press, 2018)
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZRitchie, MartinReview of: Jock Stein, From Cosmos to Canaan: The Bible in Verse (Durham: Sacristy Press, 2018)How soteriology can make sense of cosmology
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17553
This paper argues that in most of the literature on science and faith written from a Christian perspective theology is used to make sense of the natural world. Understanding the nature and character of the Creator gives Christians a framework for understanding creation. While this claim is rarely disputed, there is a lack of specific explanation as to how theology can make sense of the things we observe in nature, and specifically the relationship between theology and cosmology. By examining the wider literature on science and faith, as well as comparing the origins and development of the natural world with theological thought, this essay argues that the doctrine of sanctification has a valuable contribution to make to the conversation. It asserts in particular that it is possible for theology to make sense of the natural world by offering a specific analysis of the potential structural similarities that exist between soteriology and cosmological evolution.
(This paper was highly commended by the reading panel for the 2017 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZRusso, Mario A.This paper argues that in most of the literature on science and faith written from a Christian perspective theology is used to make sense of the natural world. Understanding the nature and character of the Creator gives Christians a framework for understanding creation. While this claim is rarely disputed, there is a lack of specific explanation as to how theology can make sense of the things we observe in nature, and specifically the relationship between theology and cosmology. By examining the wider literature on science and faith, as well as comparing the origins and development of the natural world with theological thought, this essay argues that the doctrine of sanctification has a valuable contribution to make to the conversation. It asserts in particular that it is possible for theology to make sense of the natural world by offering a specific analysis of the potential structural similarities that exist between soteriology and cosmological evolution.
(This paper was highly commended by the reading panel for the 2017 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)Religion and science: the search for a likely story
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17552
This paper is centred on a consideration of issues surrounding two of the biggest questions posed by current cosmological thought: cosmic origins (essentially, why is there something rather than nothing?) and order (why does the universe appear everywhere to be ordered by the laws of physics?). In exploring these issues, particularly in how they relate to arguments for the existence of God, David Fergusson cautions that we need to recognise the limitations of human understanding and, following Plato, suggests that we should not look for more than a likely story when seeking explanations in such difficult territory. His paper begins by considering how best to characterise the nature of the current relationship between science and religion, and concludes by rejecting the position that theology’s conversation with science is one that is not worth having.
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZFergusson, DavidThis paper is centred on a consideration of issues surrounding two of the biggest questions posed by current cosmological thought: cosmic origins (essentially, why is there something rather than nothing?) and order (why does the universe appear everywhere to be ordered by the laws of physics?). In exploring these issues, particularly in how they relate to arguments for the existence of God, David Fergusson cautions that we need to recognise the limitations of human understanding and, following Plato, suggests that we should not look for more than a likely story when seeking explanations in such difficult territory. His paper begins by considering how best to characterise the nature of the current relationship between science and religion, and concludes by rejecting the position that theology’s conversation with science is one that is not worth having.From Newton to Einstein
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17551
This and the two papers that follow were given at the 2018 Scottish Church Theology Society conference “Approaching the Mystery: Physics, Cosmology, Theology”. Here Robin Green sets the scene by giving a historical overview of the scientific background to the development of cosmology. The journey we are taken on begins with Isaac Newton’s drawing together of the work of his scientific predecessors into his theory of universal gravitation all the way through to Einstein’s development of modern cosmology.
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZGreen, RobinThis and the two papers that follow were given at the 2018 Scottish Church Theology Society conference “Approaching the Mystery: Physics, Cosmology, Theology”. Here Robin Green sets the scene by giving a historical overview of the scientific background to the development of cosmology. The journey we are taken on begins with Isaac Newton’s drawing together of the work of his scientific predecessors into his theory of universal gravitation all the way through to Einstein’s development of modern cosmology.The theology of preaching: a Reformed perspective
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17550
Paul Nimmo’s paper explores the larger framework of the Reformed tradition’s theology of preaching by drawing on a number of the classic sources and by examining the reasons why preaching has for so long occupied a central place in the life of Reformed churches. It goes on to consider the distinct but inseparable connections of the event of preaching to the Word and to the Spirit. In the face of the challenges facing the church in Scotland today the paper concludes by making the case that the need to reflect theologically about the centrality and significance of the preaching event becomes more rather than less necessary.
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZNimmo, Paul T.Paul Nimmo’s paper explores the larger framework of the Reformed tradition’s theology of preaching by drawing on a number of the classic sources and by examining the reasons why preaching has for so long occupied a central place in the life of Reformed churches. It goes on to consider the distinct but inseparable connections of the event of preaching to the Word and to the Spirit. In the face of the challenges facing the church in Scotland today the paper concludes by making the case that the need to reflect theologically about the centrality and significance of the preaching event becomes more rather than less necessary.Editorial (Vol 25, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17549
2018-12-11T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanIs Nigeria’s dark colonial past relevant in understanding the divided nation of today?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17327
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZOmoniyi, OkeOf decolonial imaginings in Black Panther
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17326
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZRazak, MuneerahFemale Genital Mutilation: dancing through
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17325
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZJaffier, Carol VictoriaExploring the ‘other’ – the importance of African feminism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17324
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZEseka, OluchukwuResurrecting the national spirit: Hector Hyppolite and Haitian Vodou
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17323
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZSzántó, Viktória‘Fixing’ Africa’s infrastructure: but at what price? Problematising Chinese infrastructure development in Africa
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/17322
2019-03-05T00:00:00ZZajontz, TimMilitarisation, memorialisation & multiculture: Muslims and the 2014 centenary commemorations of World War One in Britain
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16235
This essay focuses attention on the efforts to include Muslims from the past and present in a series of initiatives during the UK 2014 Centenary Commemorations, including the memorialisation of Muslim soldiers from WWI and the creation of the Poppy Hijab. For the armed forces, the revival of the historical legacy of a multicultural military serves to legitimise the military's image and their contemporary efforts in the War on Terror. On the other hand, the initiatives polarised opinion amongst supportive British Muslims and opponents of the Poppy Hijab. The essay situates these events in critical literature on militarisation and memorialisation.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZCohen, MaxThis essay focuses attention on the efforts to include Muslims from the past and present in a series of initiatives during the UK 2014 Centenary Commemorations, including the memorialisation of Muslim soldiers from WWI and the creation of the Poppy Hijab. For the armed forces, the revival of the historical legacy of a multicultural military serves to legitimise the military's image and their contemporary efforts in the War on Terror. On the other hand, the initiatives polarised opinion amongst supportive British Muslims and opponents of the Poppy Hijab. The essay situates these events in critical literature on militarisation and memorialisation.A preliminary overview of ICT use in the Boko Haram conflict: A cyberconflict perspective
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16234
This paper examines the use of information and communication technologies by the Boko Haram Islamist movement. While scholarly research on Boko Haram has developed in the last few decades, there is still a lack of research relating to crucial aspects of the conflict including the insurgents’ increasing uses of ICT. This paper uses the Cyberconflict conceptual tool to understand Boko Haram’s use of ICTs and contends that the use of digital media is particularly instrumental in the movement’s guerrilla-style warfare. Salient attributes of Boko Haram’s digital culture includes the use of the ICTs for information sharing, propaganda and psychological operations. Specifically, the study employed a qualitative approach relying on desk-based research, a combination of primary and secondary data and thematic analysis.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZOlabode, Shola AbidemiThis paper examines the use of information and communication technologies by the Boko Haram Islamist movement. While scholarly research on Boko Haram has developed in the last few decades, there is still a lack of research relating to crucial aspects of the conflict including the insurgents’ increasing uses of ICT. This paper uses the Cyberconflict conceptual tool to understand Boko Haram’s use of ICTs and contends that the use of digital media is particularly instrumental in the movement’s guerrilla-style warfare. Salient attributes of Boko Haram’s digital culture includes the use of the ICTs for information sharing, propaganda and psychological operations. Specifically, the study employed a qualitative approach relying on desk-based research, a combination of primary and secondary data and thematic analysis.Where does securitisation begin? The institutionalised securitisation of illegal immigration in Sweden: REVA and the ICFs
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16232
This dissertation studies how securitisation processes may become institutionalised by examining how the securitisation of illegal immigration at the EU level trickled down and became internalised by the Swedish government and police post-2001. Utilising discourse analysis, it investigates how the Swedish government and police spoke about REVA and the ICFs to show how the two institutions internalised the securitisation of illegal immigration. By applying a sociological understanding of Securitisation Theory, whereby not only speech acts but also contexts and bureaucratic developments are considered, it demonstrates how processes of securitisation can unfold also when securitising speech acts seem hidden.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZWassen, Stina FredrikaThis dissertation studies how securitisation processes may become institutionalised by examining how the securitisation of illegal immigration at the EU level trickled down and became internalised by the Swedish government and police post-2001. Utilising discourse analysis, it investigates how the Swedish government and police spoke about REVA and the ICFs to show how the two institutions internalised the securitisation of illegal immigration. By applying a sociological understanding of Securitisation Theory, whereby not only speech acts but also contexts and bureaucratic developments are considered, it demonstrates how processes of securitisation can unfold also when securitising speech acts seem hidden.Why there is no real difference between a terrorist organization and an organized crime faction, just a matter of interaction towards the state
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16229
In general the literature regarding terrorism and organized crime normally identifies the differences between these groups when political and/or ideological issue is involved. Its basic assumption normally assume whereas terrorist and organized criminals share similar attributes in their organizational structure and cross their financial interests by buying and selling services and goods from each other, their differences would reside in the means and ends. However, it is more correct to say the decision of whether an organization is a terrorist group is only based on whether the political demands of the group colliding or converging with the state’s interests.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZPetta, De LeonIn general the literature regarding terrorism and organized crime normally identifies the differences between these groups when political and/or ideological issue is involved. Its basic assumption normally assume whereas terrorist and organized criminals share similar attributes in their organizational structure and cross their financial interests by buying and selling services and goods from each other, their differences would reside in the means and ends. However, it is more correct to say the decision of whether an organization is a terrorist group is only based on whether the political demands of the group colliding or converging with the state’s interests.Are there Wolves among the sheep? Assessing the threat of unaffiliated actor terrorism in the context of the European migration crisis
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16228
The European Migration Crisis is increasingly linked to an exponentially rising threat of terrorism in Europe and a rapid disintegration of the EU’s security and integrity. However while the narrative of the terrorist ‘wolves’ hiding among the refugee ‘sheep’ becomes increasingly prevalent, little quantitative analysis has been made to substantiate it. This paper seeks to interrogate the evidence behind a key claim prevalent in that narrative; that ‘lone wolf’ terrorists have entered Europe under the cover of the crisis. On the basis of the available data, this paper contends that such a threat is minimal, the crisis presenting a social problem rather than a security issue.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZKempton, AlasdairThe European Migration Crisis is increasingly linked to an exponentially rising threat of terrorism in Europe and a rapid disintegration of the EU’s security and integrity. However while the narrative of the terrorist ‘wolves’ hiding among the refugee ‘sheep’ becomes increasingly prevalent, little quantitative analysis has been made to substantiate it. This paper seeks to interrogate the evidence behind a key claim prevalent in that narrative; that ‘lone wolf’ terrorists have entered Europe under the cover of the crisis. On the basis of the available data, this paper contends that such a threat is minimal, the crisis presenting a social problem rather than a security issue.Terrorism driven by high population growth
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/16223
A fundamental problem in conflict studies is how to explain the root causes of terrorism. This study suggests that terrorism thrives in specific regions with high growth rates of population that may generate income inequality and relative deprivation of people. In addition, geospatial analysis here reveals that countries with high association between fatalities for terrorist incidents and population growth are mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Middle East, East and South Asia. Overall, then, one of the causes of terrorism is due to sociodemographic factors combined with psychosocial risk factors.
2018-05-03T00:00:00ZCoccia, MarioA fundamental problem in conflict studies is how to explain the root causes of terrorism. This study suggests that terrorism thrives in specific regions with high growth rates of population that may generate income inequality and relative deprivation of people. In addition, geospatial analysis here reveals that countries with high association between fatalities for terrorist incidents and population growth are mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Middle East, East and South Asia. Overall, then, one of the causes of terrorism is due to sociodemographic factors combined with psychosocial risk factors."From Achimota to Arusha: an ecumenical journey of mission in Africa" edited by Lesmore Gibson Ezekiel and Jooseop Keum
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15869
Review of Lesmore Gibson Ezekiel and Jooseop Keum, eds., From Achimota to Arusha: An Ecumenical Journey of Mission in Africa (Nairobi: Acton Publishers; Geneva: WCC Publications, 2018)
2018-08-02T00:00:00ZMcGeoch, GrahamReview of Lesmore Gibson Ezekiel and Jooseop Keum, eds., From Achimota to Arusha: An Ecumenical Journey of Mission in Africa (Nairobi: Acton Publishers; Geneva: WCC Publications, 2018)"Atonement by the resurrection" by Michael M. Winter
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15868
Review of Michael M. Winter, Atonement by the Resurrection (Orton Southgate: Fastprint Publishing, 2017)
2018-08-02T00:00:00ZWright, JaimeReview of Michael M. Winter, Atonement by the Resurrection (Orton Southgate: Fastprint Publishing, 2017)"Mere science and Christian faith: bridging the divide with emerging adults" by Greg Cootsona
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15867
Review of Greg Cootsona, Mere Science and Christian Faith: Bridging the Divide with Emerging Adults (Inter-Varsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill., 2018)
2018-08-01T00:00:00ZRitchie, MartinReview of Greg Cootsona, Mere Science and Christian Faith: Bridging the Divide with Emerging Adults (Inter-Varsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill., 2018)Còmhraidhean: doing local theology in Argyll
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15866
Còmhraidhean (Gaelic for conversations) was the name chosen by a network of people based in Argyll for the series of meetings they established to help them better engage theologically with their own contemporary context. Their common concern was a commitment to the Christian faith and an awareness that many today have no place for traditional understandings of faith in God or Christian discipleship. The central questions became: how could this disconnect be overcome, and how could a renewed connection be formed between the contemporary world and the realities to which Christian faith bears witness? The themes for their còmhraidhean were: identifying culture and context; faith and friendship; faith in community; faith and the environment; the referenda on Scottish Independence and Brexit; believing in business; faith and national identity; Argyll’s Spiritual Landscape; and faith and the visual arts.
2018-08-01T00:00:00ZRoss, Kenneth R.Còmhraidhean (Gaelic for conversations) was the name chosen by a network of people based in Argyll for the series of meetings they established to help them better engage theologically with their own contemporary context. Their common concern was a commitment to the Christian faith and an awareness that many today have no place for traditional understandings of faith in God or Christian discipleship. The central questions became: how could this disconnect be overcome, and how could a renewed connection be formed between the contemporary world and the realities to which Christian faith bears witness? The themes for their còmhraidhean were: identifying culture and context; faith and friendship; faith in community; faith and the environment; the referenda on Scottish Independence and Brexit; believing in business; faith and national identity; Argyll’s Spiritual Landscape; and faith and the visual arts.From Big Bang to heat death? Theological considerations concerning modern cosmological issues
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15865
This essay sets out to challenge the widespread assumption that scientific explanations for the creation and destiny of the universe are directly opposed to religious or theological explanations of the cosmos. It begins by exploring the cosmic geography of the peoples of the Ancient Near East and examining linguistic elements of the biblical creation stories in order to demonstrate that our modern concerns about understanding the cosmos are not necessarily the same as those of the biblical authors. It goes on to discuss current areas of debate – such as the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, the concept of a multiverse, and the idea of ‘heat death’ as a potential end of the cosmos – and considers how far such concepts are compatible with Christian teaching.
(This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2017 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)
2018-07-31T00:00:00ZDeman, IsaakThis essay sets out to challenge the widespread assumption that scientific explanations for the creation and destiny of the universe are directly opposed to religious or theological explanations of the cosmos. It begins by exploring the cosmic geography of the peoples of the Ancient Near East and examining linguistic elements of the biblical creation stories in order to demonstrate that our modern concerns about understanding the cosmos are not necessarily the same as those of the biblical authors. It goes on to discuss current areas of debate – such as the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, the concept of a multiverse, and the idea of ‘heat death’ as a potential end of the cosmos – and considers how far such concepts are compatible with Christian teaching.
(This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2017 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)In memoriam Rev Dr Ian Masson Fraser / Fraser Prize essay 2017: views of the reading panel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15864
Preface to Fraser Prize essay for 2017
2018-07-31T00:00:00ZFraser Prize Reading PanelPreface to Fraser Prize essay for 2017Editorial (Vol 25, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15863
2018-07-31T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanDialogues I & II: some reflections
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15372
2018-03-22T00:00:00ZJack, AlisonDialogue II – Creative mission: today’s challenges
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15371
In this second conversation between the pair, Wes White and Ian Galloway reflect on some themes to have come out of the day conference, including creativity and innovation in mission, reconsidering the goal of youth work, and the importance in having confidence in the working of the Holy Spirit.
2018-03-22T00:00:00ZWhite, WesGalloway, IanIn this second conversation between the pair, Wes White and Ian Galloway reflect on some themes to have come out of the day conference, including creativity and innovation in mission, reconsidering the goal of youth work, and the importance in having confidence in the working of the Holy Spirit.Are we doing young people a service or disservice? And does local church youth ministry work?: A response to Pam Mellstrom
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15370
Reflections on the preceding paper in issue
2018-03-22T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanReflections on the preceding paper in issueAre we doing young people a service or disservice? And does local church youth ministry work?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15369
This paper asks some pertinent questions about the purpose of Christian youth work and ministry and the role of the Christian youth worker in the context of declining participation by 18–30s in church activities. It also examines issues of adolescent rites of passage, behaviour management and social control, and considers what some of the implications might be for the mission and discipleship of young people.
2018-03-22T00:00:00ZMellstrom, PamThis paper asks some pertinent questions about the purpose of Christian youth work and ministry and the role of the Christian youth worker in the context of declining participation by 18–30s in church activities. It also examines issues of adolescent rites of passage, behaviour management and social control, and considers what some of the implications might be for the mission and discipleship of young people.Mission in three metaphors: a response to Dave Close
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15368
Reflections on the preceding paper in issue
2018-03-22T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanReflections on the preceding paper in issueA long obedience in the same direction: a response to Malcolm Round
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15367
Reflections on the preceding paper in issue
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZPurves, JimReflections on the preceding paper in issueA long obedience in the same direction
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15366
This paper sets out to consider how to sustain long-term church growth in a Scottish suburban context and to consider what is a workable strategy for a mission-minded church today. Based on the experience of one minister’s ministry in one local church over 30 years, the paper sets out a number of principles that enabled the church to sustain significant growth over that period, and considers some basics that are all too easily overlooked.
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZRound, MalcolmThis paper sets out to consider how to sustain long-term church growth in a Scottish suburban context and to consider what is a workable strategy for a mission-minded church today. Based on the experience of one minister’s ministry in one local church over 30 years, the paper sets out a number of principles that enabled the church to sustain significant growth over that period, and considers some basics that are all too easily overlooked.Self-giving as the authentic call of the Christian: a response to Catriona Fletcher
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15365
Reflections on the preceding paper in issue
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZShields, TomReflections on the preceding paper in issueA ‘missionary impulse’ for Scotland today
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15364
Catriona Fletcher’s paper opens by reflecting on Pope Francis’ dream of ‘a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation’. She then asks how the church can centre itself on pastoral mission, and what might that look like in Scotland today?
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZFletcher, CatrionaCatriona Fletcher’s paper opens by reflecting on Pope Francis’ dream of ‘a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation’. She then asks how the church can centre itself on pastoral mission, and what might that look like in Scotland today?Connecting people to change lives: a response to Albert Bogle
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15363
Reflections on the preceding paper in issue
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanReflections on the preceding paper in issueEditorial (Vol 24, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15362
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanConnecting people to change lives
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15361
This paper sets out to explore the opportunities, challenges and dilemmas that arise when the church is willing to enter into partnership with a variety of secular institutions and agencies to help fulfil its mission. Can the church be faithful to the gospel and work alongside partners who don’t share its faith? Will secular money and values dilute the gospel message? What is more important – living out the gospel or speaking out the gospel?
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZBogle, AlbertThis paper sets out to explore the opportunities, challenges and dilemmas that arise when the church is willing to enter into partnership with a variety of secular institutions and agencies to help fulfil its mission. Can the church be faithful to the gospel and work alongside partners who don’t share its faith? Will secular money and values dilute the gospel message? What is more important – living out the gospel or speaking out the gospel?Dialogue I - Creative mission: today's challenges
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15360
Two dialogues between Wes White and Ian Galloway bookended the presentations at the “Exploring Mission in Scotland Today” day conference. The first of their discussions takes a close look at mission from the perspectives of the communities they work in: a revitalised church in an urban area, and a newly established church reaching out to refugees. They cover topics such as openness and hospitality, biblical theological robustness in mission, cross-community and interfaith work, and risk-taking leadership.
2018-03-21T00:00:00ZWhite, WesGalloway, IanTwo dialogues between Wes White and Ian Galloway bookended the presentations at the “Exploring Mission in Scotland Today” day conference. The first of their discussions takes a close look at mission from the perspectives of the communities they work in: a revitalised church in an urban area, and a newly established church reaching out to refugees. They cover topics such as openness and hospitality, biblical theological robustness in mission, cross-community and interfaith work, and risk-taking leadership.What the West owes Syrians
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15346
In What the West Owes Syrians, Diana Bashur explores another significant post-uprising reality, Syrian refugees and the costs involved in hosting them by Western countries. Here Bashur is seeking to draw our attention to an important, yet largely ignored, correlation between the profit incurred through arms sales by Western countries to countries that have provided support to the armed opposition and the costs involved in hosting Syrian refugees in the West. Bashur eloquently contrasts the extent to which the West was enthusiastic about the Arab Spring with the significant increase in arms sales to the region by EU and the US, 23% and 300% respectively. Bashur leaves us with the sobering probability that some European politicians “… may have opted for a tradeoff: making their taxpayers shoulder the short-term cost of hosting refugees in exchange for profits to the arms industry.”
2018-02-01T00:00:00ZBashur, DianaIn What the West Owes Syrians, Diana Bashur explores another significant post-uprising reality, Syrian refugees and the costs involved in hosting them by Western countries. Here Bashur is seeking to draw our attention to an important, yet largely ignored, correlation between the profit incurred through arms sales by Western countries to countries that have provided support to the armed opposition and the costs involved in hosting Syrian refugees in the West. Bashur eloquently contrasts the extent to which the West was enthusiastic about the Arab Spring with the significant increase in arms sales to the region by EU and the US, 23% and 300% respectively. Bashur leaves us with the sobering probability that some European politicians “… may have opted for a tradeoff: making their taxpayers shoulder the short-term cost of hosting refugees in exchange for profits to the arms industry.”Syria's reconstruction scramble
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15344
In Syria’s Reconstruction Scramble – Muriel Asseburg & Khaled Yacoub Oweis, focus on whether or not Europe should put aside its current reservations and become involved in the reconstruction effort. Asseburg and Oweis show that the realities of the post-uprising phase are in sharp contradiction with any meaningful attempt at reconstruction. Any involvement at this stage would amount to reducing reconstruction to the mere rebuilding of physical infrastructure even as actual fighting continues and without any prospects to a political settlement. The authors further conclude that Europe should instead “… play the long game and develop leverage to make future contributions serve state and peace-building purposes.”
2018-02-01T00:00:00ZAsseburg, MurielOweis, Khalid YacoubIn Syria’s Reconstruction Scramble – Muriel Asseburg & Khaled Yacoub Oweis, focus on whether or not Europe should put aside its current reservations and become involved in the reconstruction effort. Asseburg and Oweis show that the realities of the post-uprising phase are in sharp contradiction with any meaningful attempt at reconstruction. Any involvement at this stage would amount to reducing reconstruction to the mere rebuilding of physical infrastructure even as actual fighting continues and without any prospects to a political settlement. The authors further conclude that Europe should instead “… play the long game and develop leverage to make future contributions serve state and peace-building purposes.”Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 9, Issue 2
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15343
Preface to VOL 9, NO 2 (2017) of Syria Studies by Omar Imady.
2018-02-01T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface to VOL 9, NO 2 (2017) of Syria Studies by Omar Imady.Syria’s reconciliation agreements
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15342
In Syria’s Reconciliation Agreements, Raymond Hinnebusch and Omar Imady explore how the regime and the opposition interacted with the evolving idea of musalahat or ‘reconciliations’. At first, when neither side could unseat the other, these reconciliations were in essence, truces which reflected the war of attrition. As the regime grew stronger, largely after the Russian intervention, the musalahat evolved into several more advanced types, all designed to break the rebels, yet significantly different in the extent to which the regime was willing to agree to a more balanced arrangement. Hinnebusch and Imady proceed to examine the more recent, and internationally sanctioned, ‘deconfliction zones’ and show how they are similar, and different, from previous arrangements. The critical trademark of all of this, from a governance perspective, is the fact that all these arrangements entail, in various degrees, the decentralisation of government authority. The paper ends with the ironic conclusion that the Syria that may emerge from all this extensive decentralisation may resemble in certain ways the very Syria the protesters back in 2011 were advocating.
2018-02-01T00:00:00ZHinnebusch, RaymondImady, OmarIn Syria’s Reconciliation Agreements, Raymond Hinnebusch and Omar Imady explore how the regime and the opposition interacted with the evolving idea of musalahat or ‘reconciliations’. At first, when neither side could unseat the other, these reconciliations were in essence, truces which reflected the war of attrition. As the regime grew stronger, largely after the Russian intervention, the musalahat evolved into several more advanced types, all designed to break the rebels, yet significantly different in the extent to which the regime was willing to agree to a more balanced arrangement. Hinnebusch and Imady proceed to examine the more recent, and internationally sanctioned, ‘deconfliction zones’ and show how they are similar, and different, from previous arrangements. The critical trademark of all of this, from a governance perspective, is the fact that all these arrangements entail, in various degrees, the decentralisation of government authority. The paper ends with the ironic conclusion that the Syria that may emerge from all this extensive decentralisation may resemble in certain ways the very Syria the protesters back in 2011 were advocating.Women, power and land in Zimbabwe
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13216
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZMoffattova, AnyaThe African fashion movement and Afrofuturism in celebrating identity
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13215
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZWilliams, SarahDevelopment loans as a threat to young democracies: the IMF in Tunisia
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13214
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZSinger, MatthewThe Madarak Express railway
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13213
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZGrant, CameronThe path to emancipation: Angolan women
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13212
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZLuísa, RodriguesViegas, Gustavo MelloLocal entrepreneurs empowering Africa and reconstructing African identity
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13211
2018-04-08T00:00:00ZCarle, AnneFamine in the Republic of South Sudan
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13210
2017-06-10T00:00:00ZPeets, MarettSix years after the Arab Spring and Egyptians still do not have freedom
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13209
2017-06-10T00:00:00ZMjengwa, OlleFamine in a “failed” state: strategies from and for Somalia
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13208
2017-05-15T00:00:00ZJibril, HodhanThe challenges facing Mali's new interim government
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13207
2017-06-10T00:00:00ZBettine, YasmineFrom the freedom struggle to a fight for economic survival - Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13206
2017-11-26T00:00:00ZZajontz, TimIdentity and empowerment: an African evolution
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13205
2017-11-21T00:00:00ZGrant, CameronThe woman behind Mugabe
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13204
2017-11-21T00:00:00ZWard, KyraAfropolitanism; making sense of contemporary African diasporic identities
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/13203
2017-11-21T00:00:00ZHowel, Dylan“Christ, church and world: new studies in Bonhoeffer’s theology and ethics” edited by Michael Mawson and Philip G. Ziegler
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11592
Review of: Michael Mawson and Philip G. Ziegler (eds.), Christ, Church and World: New Studies in Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Ethics (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016)
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZHein Blanton, Claire ElizabethReview of: Michael Mawson and Philip G. Ziegler (eds.), Christ, Church and World: New Studies in Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Ethics (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016)“A time to keep: theology, mortality, and the shape of a human life” by Ephraim Radner
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11591
Review of: Ephraim Radner, A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2016)
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZErickson, AmyReview of: Ephraim Radner, A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life (Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2016)“The Oxford handbook of Christology” edited by Francesca Aran Murphy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11590
Review of: Francesca Aran Murphy (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Christology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015)
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZShepherd V, Albert L.Review of: Francesca Aran Murphy (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Christology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015)In other words: towards a poetic theology of the spoken Word of God
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11589
In this paper, Jacob Rollison considers poetry in its various relations. Poetry raises questions regarding the relation of the world to a ‘beyond’, and the relation of representation to presence. The question poetry poses to theology is: if Jesus Christ is the Word, is this to be understood prosaically or poetically? as representation or presence? To probe this question Rollison draws on the work of the French theologian, sociologist and poet Jacques Ellul. For Ellul, poetry manifests the inseparability of form and content in communication, resisting Kierkegaard’s ironic stance by viewing the word as inseparable from the life of the one who speaks it. This points, in turn, to an inseparability of form and content in theology and the presence of God in his revelation. In contrast to the post-structuralist view, the world is not a text. For Ellul, the central medium is God’s speech, temporal and non-spatial in its essence. His poetics of speech is in turn based on the poetics of the Word of God. The form, then, of the Apocalypse in Revelation ‘allows the comprehension of its content’: theology is a poetic listening and responding to the Word, architecture in movement. The concerns of theology as poetry are not simply with poetic ideas but with the richer world of poetic existence.
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZRollison, JacobIn this paper, Jacob Rollison considers poetry in its various relations. Poetry raises questions regarding the relation of the world to a ‘beyond’, and the relation of representation to presence. The question poetry poses to theology is: if Jesus Christ is the Word, is this to be understood prosaically or poetically? as representation or presence? To probe this question Rollison draws on the work of the French theologian, sociologist and poet Jacques Ellul. For Ellul, poetry manifests the inseparability of form and content in communication, resisting Kierkegaard’s ironic stance by viewing the word as inseparable from the life of the one who speaks it. This points, in turn, to an inseparability of form and content in theology and the presence of God in his revelation. In contrast to the post-structuralist view, the world is not a text. For Ellul, the central medium is God’s speech, temporal and non-spatial in its essence. His poetics of speech is in turn based on the poetics of the Word of God. The form, then, of the Apocalypse in Revelation ‘allows the comprehension of its content’: theology is a poetic listening and responding to the Word, architecture in movement. The concerns of theology as poetry are not simply with poetic ideas but with the richer world of poetic existence.What is the significance of poetry for theology today?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11588
Joan Jones begins this essay by exploring what is meant by the terms ‘theology’ and ‘poetry’. ‘Theology’ is defined as the disciplined attempts of human beings to understand God. That is, the effort to understand how the world is affected by God’s presence and activity, what kind of God he is, and what his purpose is. Jones then turns to how a knowledge of God might be expressed. Might this be poetically? This could be of help in theology’s disciplined search for perfect expression. The fact is, however, that theology and poetry have always worked together, be it in Scripture, liturgy or psalms and hymns. In turn, poetry often expresses theological truths. Is poetry, then, more significant than theology in the early twenty-first century? Jones answers this question by observing that, currently, personal self-definition is much more likely to take place through subjective means than through social objectivity, as was once the case. Jones concludes by pointing to the great outpouring of new liturgy evidenced in praise songs and poetry, which demonstrate both the potential of faith’s reality and relevance and its significance for twenty-first-century theology.
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZJones, JoanJoan Jones begins this essay by exploring what is meant by the terms ‘theology’ and ‘poetry’. ‘Theology’ is defined as the disciplined attempts of human beings to understand God. That is, the effort to understand how the world is affected by God’s presence and activity, what kind of God he is, and what his purpose is. Jones then turns to how a knowledge of God might be expressed. Might this be poetically? This could be of help in theology’s disciplined search for perfect expression. The fact is, however, that theology and poetry have always worked together, be it in Scripture, liturgy or psalms and hymns. In turn, poetry often expresses theological truths. Is poetry, then, more significant than theology in the early twenty-first century? Jones answers this question by observing that, currently, personal self-definition is much more likely to take place through subjective means than through social objectivity, as was once the case. Jones concludes by pointing to the great outpouring of new liturgy evidenced in praise songs and poetry, which demonstrate both the potential of faith’s reality and relevance and its significance for twenty-first-century theology.Emily Dickinson: a poet at the limits
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11587
Emily Dickinson’s poetry has long been of interest to theologians due to her fascination with faith, doubt, death, and immortality. In this essay, Jaime Wright draws attention to the recent shift in Dickinsonian scholarship towards an examination of the scientific elements of her poetry and the interface between science and theology in her work. In noting this, however, Wright argues that ‘the pertinent intersection is epistemology’. The relation of science and theology is then explored utilising one of Dickinson’s favoured metaphors: that of circumference. By use of this metaphor, Dickinson expresses an understanding of the limits of scientific and theological knowledge. Wright then explores further the paradigm of epistemic limits or circumference in Dickinson’s poetry by means of its varying spatial points: that which is within a circumference (life, humanity, nature), at a circumference (death, dying), and beyond a circumference (God, immortality, eternity). The essay concludes with an affirmation of the continuing persistence of Dickinson’s faith in her life and in her work.
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZWright, JaimeEmily Dickinson’s poetry has long been of interest to theologians due to her fascination with faith, doubt, death, and immortality. In this essay, Jaime Wright draws attention to the recent shift in Dickinsonian scholarship towards an examination of the scientific elements of her poetry and the interface between science and theology in her work. In noting this, however, Wright argues that ‘the pertinent intersection is epistemology’. The relation of science and theology is then explored utilising one of Dickinson’s favoured metaphors: that of circumference. By use of this metaphor, Dickinson expresses an understanding of the limits of scientific and theological knowledge. Wright then explores further the paradigm of epistemic limits or circumference in Dickinson’s poetry by means of its varying spatial points: that which is within a circumference (life, humanity, nature), at a circumference (death, dying), and beyond a circumference (God, immortality, eternity). The essay concludes with an affirmation of the continuing persistence of Dickinson’s faith in her life and in her work.Where have all the poets gone?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11586
Against the background of a diminished presence of poetry in the life of the Church, this essay sets out to trace the theological contours of poetic expression. The territory covered takes in the poetic texts found throughout Scripture (where we see poetry sanctified for the purpose of divine revelation) to the use of poetry in worship (where we see how it has sanctified the Church to doxological purpose). An absence of poetic texts in Church life risks two possible outcomes. First, it provides fertile ground for an arid rationalism as a result of uncoupling of the imagination and affections from the knowledge of God. Second, it can contribute to a sidelining of aesthetics in Church life and a resultant dichotomizing of the sacred and secular. The essay concludes by considering how churches might respond to the absence of poets. This takes in new approaches to the use of the Psalter in worship and the composition of poetry that reflects the impulses of contemporary Christian life.
(This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2016 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZPass, Bruce R.Against the background of a diminished presence of poetry in the life of the Church, this essay sets out to trace the theological contours of poetic expression. The territory covered takes in the poetic texts found throughout Scripture (where we see poetry sanctified for the purpose of divine revelation) to the use of poetry in worship (where we see how it has sanctified the Church to doxological purpose). An absence of poetic texts in Church life risks two possible outcomes. First, it provides fertile ground for an arid rationalism as a result of uncoupling of the imagination and affections from the knowledge of God. Second, it can contribute to a sidelining of aesthetics in Church life and a resultant dichotomizing of the sacred and secular. The essay concludes by considering how churches might respond to the absence of poets. This takes in new approaches to the use of the Psalter in worship and the composition of poetry that reflects the impulses of contemporary Christian life.
(This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2016 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)Fraser Prize essay 2016: views of the reading panel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11585
Views of the reading panel
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZFraser Prize Reading PanelViews of the reading panelNature’s million-fuelèd bonfire: thoughts on honest poetic contemplation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11584
Christian poetry has often concentrated on the beauty of the natural world, ignoring the competition and struggle which are factors integral to evolution. Struggle in nature, however, may lead to God’s ends for his creatures and it is this that Christopher Southgate seeks to explore by examining the work of poets such as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Louis MacNeice and R. S. Thomas. He suggests that this kind of honest contemplation allows us to view the struggles in the natural world in counterpoint with the sense of God’s depth of engagement with all suffering; as such it represents a search for divine glory. To seek to glimpse this glory requires us to view nature through three complementary lenses: what the world discloses of its creator (gloria mundi); the gift – made possible by the character of the creation – of the Incarnate Christ and his self-surrender (gloria crucis); and the song of the new creation, in which creaturely flourishing will be attained without creaturely struggle (gloria in excelsis).
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZSouthgate, ChristopherChristian poetry has often concentrated on the beauty of the natural world, ignoring the competition and struggle which are factors integral to evolution. Struggle in nature, however, may lead to God’s ends for his creatures and it is this that Christopher Southgate seeks to explore by examining the work of poets such as Gerard Manley Hopkins, Louis MacNeice and R. S. Thomas. He suggests that this kind of honest contemplation allows us to view the struggles in the natural world in counterpoint with the sense of God’s depth of engagement with all suffering; as such it represents a search for divine glory. To seek to glimpse this glory requires us to view nature through three complementary lenses: what the world discloses of its creator (gloria mundi); the gift – made possible by the character of the creation – of the Incarnate Christ and his self-surrender (gloria crucis); and the song of the new creation, in which creaturely flourishing will be attained without creaturely struggle (gloria in excelsis).Editorial (Vol 24, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/11583
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian“Thomas F. Torrance and the Church fathers: a reformed, evangelical, and ecumenical reconstruction of the patristic tradition” by Jason R. Radcliff
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10971
Review of: Jason R. Radcliff, Thomas F. Torrance and the Church Fathers: A Reformed, Evangelical, and Ecumenical Reconstruction of the Patristic Tradition (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2014)
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZWalker, Robert T.Review of: Jason R. Radcliff, Thomas F. Torrance and the Church Fathers: A Reformed, Evangelical, and Ecumenical Reconstruction of the Patristic Tradition (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2014)“A Celtic Christology: the incarnation according to John Scottus Eriugena” by John F. Gavin
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10970
Review of: John F. Gavin, A Celtic Christology: The Incarnation According to John Scottus Eriugena (Eugene, Or.: Cascade Books, 2014)
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZHyland, William P.Review of: John F. Gavin, A Celtic Christology: The Incarnation According to John Scottus Eriugena (Eugene, Or.: Cascade Books, 2014)Evolution and the sacred: the evolutionary theology of John Haught in relation to Daoist philosophy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10969
This paper was submitted as an entry for the 2015 Fraser Prize and was highly commended by the judging panel for demonstrating the benefits of enriching and sharpening the views of one tradition by setting it alongside a different one. It explores the evolutionary theology of the American theologian John Haught in the light of a comparative study of Daoism. Drawing on key aspects of Haught’s thought and relating them to parallel Daoist concepts, the paper shows first that God, in creating, takes the risk of allowing the cosmos to exist in relative liberty; second, that God can still be involved in continuing evolution; and, lastly, that ‘higher’ categories of life and mind can emerge through evolution.
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZJang, JaehoThis paper was submitted as an entry for the 2015 Fraser Prize and was highly commended by the judging panel for demonstrating the benefits of enriching and sharpening the views of one tradition by setting it alongside a different one. It explores the evolutionary theology of the American theologian John Haught in the light of a comparative study of Daoism. Drawing on key aspects of Haught’s thought and relating them to parallel Daoist concepts, the paper shows first that God, in creating, takes the risk of allowing the cosmos to exist in relative liberty; second, that God can still be involved in continuing evolution; and, lastly, that ‘higher’ categories of life and mind can emerge through evolution.The gift of an aging church
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10968
Dr McKimmon argues that while secularisation is a permanent and irreversible process, the decline and death of the Church as we know it may yet be providential. The various forms that the Church has taken over the ages have often proved transitory: the past teaches us that history is an open-ended process, and the eclipse of institutions is shown to be inevitable. However, life may be lived with God yet without a Church, with a cloud of unknowing between the present and the future. Dr McKimmon criticises undue concentration on the current paradigm of ‘change in order to survive’ and concludes with a plea for deeper pastoral care for the Church in its current situation. The Church is indeed, he insists, a transitory organisation – however a sunset may be beautiful.
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZEric G., McKimmonDr McKimmon argues that while secularisation is a permanent and irreversible process, the decline and death of the Church as we know it may yet be providential. The various forms that the Church has taken over the ages have often proved transitory: the past teaches us that history is an open-ended process, and the eclipse of institutions is shown to be inevitable. However, life may be lived with God yet without a Church, with a cloud of unknowing between the present and the future. Dr McKimmon criticises undue concentration on the current paradigm of ‘change in order to survive’ and concludes with a plea for deeper pastoral care for the Church in its current situation. The Church is indeed, he insists, a transitory organisation – however a sunset may be beautiful.The Westminster Confession: unfinished business
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10967
In an extended study, Dr Macdonald gives an historical account of the changing status of the Westminster Confession of Faith in the Scottish Reformed churches. He focuses in particular on the debate within the Church of Scotland about what place a seventeenth-century statement of faith should have in a modern church, and whether the Westminster Confession should continue to be considered the Kirk’s ‘principal subordinate standard’ or simply a ‘historic statement of the faith of the Reformed Church’. In examining the issues and the work that went into formulating potential ways forward on this, Dr Macdonald shares useful insights as to the purpose and value of confessions and statements of faith. He concludes by suggesting that the status of the Westminster Confession is an issue the Church of Scotland would do well to return to.
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZMacdonald, Finlay A. J.In an extended study, Dr Macdonald gives an historical account of the changing status of the Westminster Confession of Faith in the Scottish Reformed churches. He focuses in particular on the debate within the Church of Scotland about what place a seventeenth-century statement of faith should have in a modern church, and whether the Westminster Confession should continue to be considered the Kirk’s ‘principal subordinate standard’ or simply a ‘historic statement of the faith of the Reformed Church’. In examining the issues and the work that went into formulating potential ways forward on this, Dr Macdonald shares useful insights as to the purpose and value of confessions and statements of faith. He concludes by suggesting that the status of the Westminster Confession is an issue the Church of Scotland would do well to return to.Editorial (Vol 23, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10966
2016-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian“More than communion: imagining an eschatological ecclesiology” by Scott MacDougall
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10963
Review of: Scott MacDougall, More than Communion: Imagining an Eschatological Ecclesiology, Ecclesiologcial Investigations 20 (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZBridley, NickReview of: Scott MacDougall, More than Communion: Imagining an Eschatological Ecclesiology, Ecclesiologcial Investigations 20 (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015)“Karl Barth on prayer” by Ashley Cocksworth
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10962
Review of: Ashley Cocksworth, Karl Barth on Prayer, T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZHein Blanton, Claire ElizabethReview of: Ashley Cocksworth, Karl Barth on Prayer, T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015)“The moral culture of the Scottish Enlightenment, 1690–1805” by Thomas Ahnert
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10961
Review of: Thomas Ahnert, The Moral Culture of the Scottish Enlightenment, 1690–1805 (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2014)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZElliott, MarkReview of: Thomas Ahnert, The Moral Culture of the Scottish Enlightenment, 1690–1805 (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2014)“Spiritual activism: leadership as service” by Alastair McIntosh and Matt Carmichael
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10960
Review of: Alastair McIntosh and Matt Carmichael, Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service (Cambridge: Green Books, 2016)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZHulbert, AlastairReview of: Alastair McIntosh and Matt Carmichael, Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service (Cambridge: Green Books, 2016)“A Catholic reading guide to universalism” by Robert Wild
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10959
Review of: Robert Wild, A Catholic Reading Guide to Universalism (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2015)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZSmith, KevinReview of: Robert Wild, A Catholic Reading Guide to Universalism (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2015)Tak the hand
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10958
In this paper David Scott discusses the theology and rites of ordination of the Scottish Reformed tradition and goes on to reflect on more specific aspects of ministry. His paper takes its title from his examination of the rites of ordination according to Knox’s liturgy whereby, rather than being set apart by the laying on of hands, new ministers were welcomed by colleagues who came forward to ‘tak the hand’ of the ordinand. Following on from a historical survey, the paper includes a critical review of the terminology of ministry in the contemporary Church of Scotland and reflects on issues relevant to ministry today such as assessment, training and the nature of ordination.
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZScott, David D.In this paper David Scott discusses the theology and rites of ordination of the Scottish Reformed tradition and goes on to reflect on more specific aspects of ministry. His paper takes its title from his examination of the rites of ordination according to Knox’s liturgy whereby, rather than being set apart by the laying on of hands, new ministers were welcomed by colleagues who came forward to ‘tak the hand’ of the ordinand. Following on from a historical survey, the paper includes a critical review of the terminology of ministry in the contemporary Church of Scotland and reflects on issues relevant to ministry today such as assessment, training and the nature of ordination.Tabernacles of the Spirit
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10957
In the classic tradition of the exploratory essay, George Gammack examines the theme of community in this paper. He details varied aspects of the creation of community among those who are retired, taking as its focus the Men’s Sheds movement. The paper explores the relationship between persons and community in later years, looking in particular at how those with a lifetime’s worth of skills and knowledge can continue to contribute to the life of a community. Along the way we are introduced to the work of authors such as Charles Taylor, Richard Niebuhr, Primo Levi, Seamus Heaney and Richard Sennett on the subject of work and what comes after it.
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZGammack, GeorgeIn the classic tradition of the exploratory essay, George Gammack examines the theme of community in this paper. He details varied aspects of the creation of community among those who are retired, taking as its focus the Men’s Sheds movement. The paper explores the relationship between persons and community in later years, looking in particular at how those with a lifetime’s worth of skills and knowledge can continue to contribute to the life of a community. Along the way we are introduced to the work of authors such as Charles Taylor, Richard Niebuhr, Primo Levi, Seamus Heaney and Richard Sennett on the subject of work and what comes after it.Taking Darwin seriously
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10956
Professor Neil Spurway considers Darwin’s theoretical development of evolution by natural selection alongside the picture presented in the creation narratives in Genesis, before undertaking a survey of the reception of Darwinism by theologians and others up to the present day. Rich in quotations from writers as diverse as Charles Kingsley, Austin Farrer, Teilhard de Chardin, Sarah Coakley and Simon Conway Morris (amongst many others), this wide-ranging discussion covers a great deal of territory as it considers how theology has responded to the perceived challenges posed by evolutionary thought.
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZSpurway, NeilProfessor Neil Spurway considers Darwin’s theoretical development of evolution by natural selection alongside the picture presented in the creation narratives in Genesis, before undertaking a survey of the reception of Darwinism by theologians and others up to the present day. Rich in quotations from writers as diverse as Charles Kingsley, Austin Farrer, Teilhard de Chardin, Sarah Coakley and Simon Conway Morris (amongst many others), this wide-ranging discussion covers a great deal of territory as it considers how theology has responded to the perceived challenges posed by evolutionary thought.A theology of daughterhood: the challenges of modern biology to theology today
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10955
Thanks to the benefits of modern medical science, the average life-span in European populations is gradually increasing. This longevity has resulted, in turn, in the number of older citizens increasing as a percentage of the overall population. Reflecting on these biological, statistical and generational facts, John Starr develops a theology of daughterhood drawing on the varied relationships of daughters to parents as this is found in the biblical sources. His preliminary study in this area is a first step towards developing a theological view of the contemporary social transformation of the role of daughters towards that of carers. (This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2015 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZStarr, JohnThanks to the benefits of modern medical science, the average life-span in European populations is gradually increasing. This longevity has resulted, in turn, in the number of older citizens increasing as a percentage of the overall population. Reflecting on these biological, statistical and generational facts, John Starr develops a theology of daughterhood drawing on the varied relationships of daughters to parents as this is found in the biblical sources. His preliminary study in this area is a first step towards developing a theological view of the contemporary social transformation of the role of daughters towards that of carers. (This paper was selected as the winning entry in the 2015 Fraser Essay Prize competition.)Fraser Prize essay 2015: views of the reading panel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10954
Views of the reading panel
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZFraser Prize Reading PanelViews of the reading panelEditorial (Vol 23, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10953
2016-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian“Looking unto Jesus: the Christ-centered piety of seventeenth-century baptists” by J. Stephen Yuille
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10943
Review of: J. Stephen Yuille, Looking Unto Jesus: The Christ-Centered Piety of Seventeenth-Century Baptists (Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press, 2014), pp. xxiv + 96. £10.00.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZBingham, Matthew C.Review of: J. Stephen Yuille, Looking Unto Jesus: The Christ-Centered Piety of Seventeenth-Century Baptists (Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press, 2014), pp. xxiv + 96. £10.00.“The love of wisdom: an introduction to philosophy for theologians” by Andrew Davison
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10942
Review of: Andrew Davison, The Love of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy for Theologians (London: SCM Press, 2013), pp. xvii + 310. £25.00.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZBirch, Jonathan C. P.Review of: Andrew Davison, The Love of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy for Theologians (London: SCM Press, 2013), pp. xvii + 310. £25.00.“Law and gospel in Emil Brunner’s earlier dialectical theology” by David Andrew Gilland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10941
Review of: David Andrew Gilland, Law and Gospel in Emil Brunner’s Earlier Dialectical Theology (T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology, v. 22; London: Bloomsbury, 2013), pp. xiv + 285. £19.99.
2015-12-15T00:00:00ZBrown, Cynthia BennettReview of: David Andrew Gilland, Law and Gospel in Emil Brunner’s Earlier Dialectical Theology (T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology, v. 22; London: Bloomsbury, 2013), pp. xiv + 285. £19.99.“The unknown God: responses to the new Atheists” edited by John Hughes
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10940
Review of: John Hughes, ed., The Unknown God: Responses to the New atheists (London: SCM Press, 2013), pp. xiv + 106. £12.99
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZBirch, Jonathan C. P.Review of: John Hughes, ed., The Unknown God: Responses to the New atheists (London: SCM Press, 2013), pp. xiv + 106. £12.99We need to talk – a meander
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10939
Dr Ian Fraser reminds us, that despite modern cultural assumptions to the contrary, the Book of Genesis states that human beings are expressly forbidden ‘to work their own will on the world’. We are to fulfil God’s will, not ours, for the development of the world. On the basis of Genesis, he argues, human beings are not simply to subdue the Earth, but to take care of it and cultivate it. This cherishing of the Earth and its living beings is, therefore, our human responsibility. Referring to the development of the universe, Fraser explores the meaning of ‘creation’, and argues for the importance of dialogue between the disciplines. He returns to the text of the first chapters of Genesis which presages the history contained in the Old and New Testaments and concludes by offering a further five cosmological points for further consideration.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZFraser, Ian M.Dr Ian Fraser reminds us, that despite modern cultural assumptions to the contrary, the Book of Genesis states that human beings are expressly forbidden ‘to work their own will on the world’. We are to fulfil God’s will, not ours, for the development of the world. On the basis of Genesis, he argues, human beings are not simply to subdue the Earth, but to take care of it and cultivate it. This cherishing of the Earth and its living beings is, therefore, our human responsibility. Referring to the development of the universe, Fraser explores the meaning of ‘creation’, and argues for the importance of dialogue between the disciplines. He returns to the text of the first chapters of Genesis which presages the history contained in the Old and New Testaments and concludes by offering a further five cosmological points for further consideration.The General Assembly of 2015
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10938
While in some Presbyterian Churches, discussion and analysis of Assembly debates and decisions are common this type of analysis is far less common in Scotland. In this paper, Johnston McKay offers us a survey of the debate concerning same-sex relationships in recent years, culminating in the 2015 General Assembly. He traces the history of the debate from 2009 onwards, in the events, discussions and debates following the decision of the Presbytery of Aberdeen to sustain a call to a minister in a homosexual partnership. McKay describes the divisions and tensions apparent in the Church of Scotland, but also demonstrates the way in which the introduction of a model of the Church as a ‘mixed economy’ and, then, the use of the concept of ‘constrained difference’ contributed towards a major resolution of the discussion.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZMcKay, JohnstonWhile in some Presbyterian Churches, discussion and analysis of Assembly debates and decisions are common this type of analysis is far less common in Scotland. In this paper, Johnston McKay offers us a survey of the debate concerning same-sex relationships in recent years, culminating in the 2015 General Assembly. He traces the history of the debate from 2009 onwards, in the events, discussions and debates following the decision of the Presbytery of Aberdeen to sustain a call to a minister in a homosexual partnership. McKay describes the divisions and tensions apparent in the Church of Scotland, but also demonstrates the way in which the introduction of a model of the Church as a ‘mixed economy’ and, then, the use of the concept of ‘constrained difference’ contributed towards a major resolution of the discussion.‘Not simply pastor-teacher, but also apostle, prophet and evangelist’: the changing role of the Church of Scotland parish minister
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10937
Neil Dougall sets out the five leadership roles for ministry in the Church as detailed in Ephesians 4:11, the ministries of: the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. In the Reformed churches, he reminds us, the pastor and the teacher are regarded as the ordinary, traditional offices, while the apostle, prophet and evangelist are considered to be extraordinary offices of the Church that have now ceased. Dougall argues that this emphasis was, perhaps, historically appropriate for the context of Christendom. There is a growing recognition, however, that a change in the role of the minister is becoming more necessary. Dougall offers a theological rationale for new ministries, developing towards implementation of the ministries of apostle, prophet and evangelist. He concludes by exploring the theology of T. F. Torrance concerning Christ’s High Priesthood, arguing that ministers share in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZDougall, NeilNeil Dougall sets out the five leadership roles for ministry in the Church as detailed in Ephesians 4:11, the ministries of: the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. In the Reformed churches, he reminds us, the pastor and the teacher are regarded as the ordinary, traditional offices, while the apostle, prophet and evangelist are considered to be extraordinary offices of the Church that have now ceased. Dougall argues that this emphasis was, perhaps, historically appropriate for the context of Christendom. There is a growing recognition, however, that a change in the role of the minister is becoming more necessary. Dougall offers a theological rationale for new ministries, developing towards implementation of the ministries of apostle, prophet and evangelist. He concludes by exploring the theology of T. F. Torrance concerning Christ’s High Priesthood, arguing that ministers share in the ministry of Jesus Christ.Practical theology: the past, present and future of a concept
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10936
This paper argues that if practical theology is to be sustainable in the academy it must engage more closely with Scripture, doctrine and tradition and, in so doing, attempt to address the whole of material life. More particularly, he argues, there are dangers in a purely pastoral understanding of practical theology, since the temptation is to derive this from secular sources. Practical theology, however, is also closely related to Christian ethics, opening the further possibility that one of the tasks of practical theology might be to study and critique aspects of the secular social and political order. Turning to the nature of practice itself, Grumett reflects on Alasdair MacIntyre’s definition of practice as a complex, socially rooted, co-operative activity, through which goods intrinsic to that endeavour are actualised in the course of attaining the standards of excellence native to that activity. Grumett suggests that MacIntyre is too dependent on Aristotelian ethics which are, ultimately, epistemologically self-referential, proposing instead a proper dualism of practice and doctrine. The implications of practice as a (pre)condition for understanding are then unfolded in a profoundly illuminating way.
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZGrumett, DavidThis paper argues that if practical theology is to be sustainable in the academy it must engage more closely with Scripture, doctrine and tradition and, in so doing, attempt to address the whole of material life. More particularly, he argues, there are dangers in a purely pastoral understanding of practical theology, since the temptation is to derive this from secular sources. Practical theology, however, is also closely related to Christian ethics, opening the further possibility that one of the tasks of practical theology might be to study and critique aspects of the secular social and political order. Turning to the nature of practice itself, Grumett reflects on Alasdair MacIntyre’s definition of practice as a complex, socially rooted, co-operative activity, through which goods intrinsic to that endeavour are actualised in the course of attaining the standards of excellence native to that activity. Grumett suggests that MacIntyre is too dependent on Aristotelian ethics which are, ultimately, epistemologically self-referential, proposing instead a proper dualism of practice and doctrine. The implications of practice as a (pre)condition for understanding are then unfolded in a profoundly illuminating way.Editorial (Vol 22, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10935
2015-12-20T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanInterrogating the construction of gendered identity in the Syrian nationalist narrative: Al-Husari, Aflaq and al-Arsuzi
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10932
In Interrogating the Construction of Gendered Identity in the Syrian Nationalist Narrative: Al-Husari, Aflaq and al-Arsuzi, Rahaf Aldoughli sheds an important light on how early Bathist theortricans planted the intellectual foundation for the way in which gender roles were to be understood and, subsequently, taught and applied in Baathist Syria. Using extensive quotes from original sources, Aldoughli documents the systematic masculinisation of conceptions of nationhood by Baathist theoreticians. Perhaps most significant was the “normalisation of militarism in the national narrative” which, resulted in perpetuating “a hierarchy that obstructs the elimination of the gender gap in the Syrian constitution and legislation.”
2017-04-21T00:00:00ZAldoughli, RahafIn Interrogating the Construction of Gendered Identity in the Syrian Nationalist Narrative: Al-Husari, Aflaq and al-Arsuzi, Rahaf Aldoughli sheds an important light on how early Bathist theortricans planted the intellectual foundation for the way in which gender roles were to be understood and, subsequently, taught and applied in Baathist Syria. Using extensive quotes from original sources, Aldoughli documents the systematic masculinisation of conceptions of nationhood by Baathist theoreticians. Perhaps most significant was the “normalisation of militarism in the national narrative” which, resulted in perpetuating “a hierarchy that obstructs the elimination of the gender gap in the Syrian constitution and legislation.”Isolating dissent, punishing the masses: siege warfare as counter-insurgency
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10931
In Isolating Dissent, Punishing the Masses: Siege Warfare as Counter-Insurgency, Will Todman analyses the intricate relationship between the nature of the Syrian regime and the military tactics it opted to use to supress those opposed to it, both during the insurgency phase, and the subsequent civil war. Sieges were effective because they allowed the regime to make optimal use of its military advantage. Once you have a segment of the population in a restricted area, you not only control food and medical supplies, but you can also unleash an indiscriminate bombardment campaign, as the regime indeed did. Todman provides a historic context to the use of these tactics by the Syrian regime (i.e. Hama), and addresses the important question of whether or not siege warfare helped the regime surive.
2017-04-21T00:00:00ZTodman, WillIn Isolating Dissent, Punishing the Masses: Siege Warfare as Counter-Insurgency, Will Todman analyses the intricate relationship between the nature of the Syrian regime and the military tactics it opted to use to supress those opposed to it, both during the insurgency phase, and the subsequent civil war. Sieges were effective because they allowed the regime to make optimal use of its military advantage. Once you have a segment of the population in a restricted area, you not only control food and medical supplies, but you can also unleash an indiscriminate bombardment campaign, as the regime indeed did. Todman provides a historic context to the use of these tactics by the Syrian regime (i.e. Hama), and addresses the important question of whether or not siege warfare helped the regime surive.Whose problem is it anyway? The depiction of Syrian refugee influx in political cartoons
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10930
Political cartoons demonstrate the Syrian refugee crisis and their influx into bordering and European countries from different perspectives by using both visual and verbal metaphors in a caricaturised way. For this reason, this research aims to reveal how political cartoons represent the perilous journey of Syrian refugees and their families visually and verbally. In this regard, twelve political cartoons were selected randomly from the international political cartoon website cagle.com between March 2011 and February 2016, referencing the Syrian refugee crisis, and have been analysed in accordance with metaphorical analysis. From this point of view, as the theoretical framework, this paper uses a semiotic approach that points out the relationship between signs and meanings. Representation of the Syrian refugee crisis, the political stances of the different countries, and their perceptions as reflected in political cartoons are the focus point of this research. Results show that countries remain generally indifferent to Syrian refugee movement. In fact, they do not see the issue as their own problem, and they only consider the threats to their security and socio-economic interests posed by the influx. Moreover, Syrian refugees are represented as lonely, vulnerable and unwanted.
2017-01-21T00:00:00ZÖzdemir, ÖzlemÖzdemir, EmrahPolitical cartoons demonstrate the Syrian refugee crisis and their influx into bordering and European countries from different perspectives by using both visual and verbal metaphors in a caricaturised way. For this reason, this research aims to reveal how political cartoons represent the perilous journey of Syrian refugees and their families visually and verbally. In this regard, twelve political cartoons were selected randomly from the international political cartoon website cagle.com between March 2011 and February 2016, referencing the Syrian refugee crisis, and have been analysed in accordance with metaphorical analysis. From this point of view, as the theoretical framework, this paper uses a semiotic approach that points out the relationship between signs and meanings. Representation of the Syrian refugee crisis, the political stances of the different countries, and their perceptions as reflected in political cartoons are the focus point of this research. Results show that countries remain generally indifferent to Syrian refugee movement. In fact, they do not see the issue as their own problem, and they only consider the threats to their security and socio-economic interests posed by the influx. Moreover, Syrian refugees are represented as lonely, vulnerable and unwanted.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 9, Issue 1
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10929
Preface to VOL 9, NO 1 (2017) by Omar Imady
2017-04-21T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface to VOL 9, NO 1 (2017) by Omar ImadyThe demise of the post-apartheid consensus and South Africa’s search for leadership
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10925
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZZajontz, TimA better future: teaching leadership in African schools
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10924
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZPeets, MarettSolar power: electrifying the continent
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10923
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZPeets, MarettMagufuli’s dilemma: corruption and the pursuit of democracy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10922
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZMwalupinde, OlleIn the name of ‘war’: Buhari’s national re- orientation campaign
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10921
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZJibril, HodhanAfrica – a home of leaders
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10920
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZFelaar, AdrianSafeguarding our world
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10919
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZFranklin, Lynn C.Boko Haram – terrorism against the leadership in Nigeria
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10918
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZHorvath, Henriett#FeesMustFall
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10917
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZGolding-Duffy, IsabellaColonial legacies, horizontal inequalities, and conflict in West Africa: a comparison of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10916
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZAtherton, BlakeBouteflika may run for a fifth term
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10915
2017-01-31T00:00:00ZBettine, Yasmine"The gift of the other: Levinas, Derrida, and a theology of hospitality" by Andrew Shepherd
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10444
Review of Andrew Shepherd, The Gift of the Other: Levinas, Derrida, and a Theology of Hospitality (Cambridge: James Clarke and Co., 2014)
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZStrømmen, HannahReview of Andrew Shepherd, The Gift of the Other: Levinas, Derrida, and a Theology of Hospitality (Cambridge: James Clarke and Co., 2014)"Karl Barth and the incarnation: Christology and the humility of God" by Darren O. Sumner
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10443
Review of Darren O. Sumner, Karl Barth and the Incarnation: Christology and the Humility of God (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2014)
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZMartindale, Trevor W.Review of Darren O. Sumner, Karl Barth and the Incarnation: Christology and the Humility of God (London; New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2014)"Balthasar: a (very) critical introduction" by Karen Kilby
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10442
Review of Karen Kilby, Balthasar: A (Very) Critical Introduction (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZMaican, PeterReview of Karen Kilby, Balthasar: A (Very) Critical Introduction (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)"The early Luther: stages in a reformation reorientation" by Berndt Hamm
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10441
Review of Berndt Hamm, The Early Luther: Stages in a Reformation Reorientation (trans. Martin J. Lohrmann; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2014)
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZDodson, ChrisReview of Berndt Hamm, The Early Luther: Stages in a Reformation Reorientation (trans. Martin J. Lohrmann; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2014)"Advancing practical theology: critical discipleship for disturbing times" by Eric Stoddart
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10440
Review of Eric Stoddart, Advancing Practical Theology: Critical Discipleship for Disturbing Times (London: SCM, 2014)
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZTomlinson, AnneReview of Eric Stoddart, Advancing Practical Theology: Critical Discipleship for Disturbing Times (London: SCM, 2014)Recent sacramental developments in the Kirk
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10439
This extended paper examines the procedure of the Church of Scotland in relation to the admission of children to the Eucharist before they make a public profession of faith. It considers the Kirk’s current legislation on paedocommunion in the context of: the Reformed doctrine of the sacraments; eighteenth-century discussion of the question; the protracted debate on the issue in recent decades; and the influence of the sacramentology of Karl Barth. It concludes by raising some important questions about the logic of the Kirk’s present practice and doctrine relating to the issue.
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZMacleod, MarkThis extended paper examines the procedure of the Church of Scotland in relation to the admission of children to the Eucharist before they make a public profession of faith. It considers the Kirk’s current legislation on paedocommunion in the context of: the Reformed doctrine of the sacraments; eighteenth-century discussion of the question; the protracted debate on the issue in recent decades; and the influence of the sacramentology of Karl Barth. It concludes by raising some important questions about the logic of the Kirk’s present practice and doctrine relating to the issue.Film in church: education, entertainment and outreach
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10438
Dr Robin Hill’s interest in using film to develop the life and work of the parish church was sparked by an assertion made by a fellow minister that the cinema had superseded the church as the place in Scottish public life which offered people a forum for considering spiritual and ethical issues. In this immensely practical paper he describes how his congregation set up a film club with the aim of retaking some of this lost ground. Included are an outline of the legal requirements to be considered with a venture of this kind; a list of films that worked well in stimulating serious discussion; and creative ideas on using film to enable churches to engage more deeply with their local communities.
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZHill, RobinDr Robin Hill’s interest in using film to develop the life and work of the parish church was sparked by an assertion made by a fellow minister that the cinema had superseded the church as the place in Scottish public life which offered people a forum for considering spiritual and ethical issues. In this immensely practical paper he describes how his congregation set up a film club with the aim of retaking some of this lost ground. Included are an outline of the legal requirements to be considered with a venture of this kind; a list of films that worked well in stimulating serious discussion; and creative ideas on using film to enable churches to engage more deeply with their local communities.Gregory of Nazianzus: on being a theologian
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10437
Dr Eirini Artemi’s paper explores the teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus (329–390 AD) on exactly what it is that qualifies someone to be called a theologian. Focusing particularly on his Twentieth Oration, On Theology, she places his thought on the subject against the background of a period in which many heresies had recently made their appearance, and when many ‘pseudo-theologians’ had come to prominence. Her paper explains why, at a time when orthodoxy was being severely tested, it was crucial that Gregory should set out the required conditions if someone was to become a true theologian and to connect closely with the vision of God.
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZArtemi, EiriniDr Eirini Artemi’s paper explores the teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus (329–390 AD) on exactly what it is that qualifies someone to be called a theologian. Focusing particularly on his Twentieth Oration, On Theology, she places his thought on the subject against the background of a period in which many heresies had recently made their appearance, and when many ‘pseudo-theologians’ had come to prominence. Her paper explains why, at a time when orthodoxy was being severely tested, it was crucial that Gregory should set out the required conditions if someone was to become a true theologian and to connect closely with the vision of God.Guest editorial (Vol 22, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10436
2015-06-01T00:00:00ZStein, Jock"Prophetic liturgy: toward a transforming Christian praxis" by Tércio Bretanha Junker
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10434
Review of Tércio Bretanha Junker, Prophetic Liturgy: Toward a Transforming Christian Praxis (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2014)
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZDodson, ChrisReview of Tércio Bretanha Junker, Prophetic Liturgy: Toward a Transforming Christian Praxis (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2014)The legacy of Professor Thomas F. Torrance
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10433
As a former student of T. F. Torrance, John Miller is able to give a personal insight into the profoundly rich theological legacy left by Torrance to those who studied under him. While the day-to-day realities of ministry in a deprived urban parish in Glasgow meant that Dr Miller found it necessary to supplement what he had learned in Torrance's Dogmatics class with a new theological language informed by Liberation Theology, his paper considers various ways in which the rich grounding he had been provided with nevertheless remained at the core of his theological thinking.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZMiller, JohnAs a former student of T. F. Torrance, John Miller is able to give a personal insight into the profoundly rich theological legacy left by Torrance to those who studied under him. While the day-to-day realities of ministry in a deprived urban parish in Glasgow meant that Dr Miller found it necessary to supplement what he had learned in Torrance's Dogmatics class with a new theological language informed by Liberation Theology, his paper considers various ways in which the rich grounding he had been provided with nevertheless remained at the core of his theological thinking.Does the church in Scotland still need theology?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10432
In this paper, which was highly commended by the Fraser Prize 2013 Reading Panel, Jason Radcliff argues that the church should be theologically conditioned as the Body and Bride of Christ. Following Athanasius, Dr Radcliff argues that theology is the work of the Spirit who enables human understanding of God, allowing us, as Calvin maintained, to be ourselves. He concludes by emphasizing the necessity of theology in preaching and in discussions regarding the nature of ministry.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZRadcliff, JasonIn this paper, which was highly commended by the Fraser Prize 2013 Reading Panel, Jason Radcliff argues that the church should be theologically conditioned as the Body and Bride of Christ. Following Athanasius, Dr Radcliff argues that theology is the work of the Spirit who enables human understanding of God, allowing us, as Calvin maintained, to be ourselves. He concludes by emphasizing the necessity of theology in preaching and in discussions regarding the nature of ministry.Holy Communion, a sign and seal of salvation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10431
David W. Torrance offers a brief but comprehensive examination of the Reformed doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. He examines the foundations of the sacrament in the five great sacrificial offerings of Israel’s worship, as ordained by God. He then presents a picture of Holy Communion in the New Testament as a feast of thanksgiving commemorating God’s atonement in Christ for the sins of the world, and demonstrates how it is inextricably linked with the Cross, the Resurrection and the Great Commission.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZTorrance, David W.David W. Torrance offers a brief but comprehensive examination of the Reformed doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. He examines the foundations of the sacrament in the five great sacrificial offerings of Israel’s worship, as ordained by God. He then presents a picture of Holy Communion in the New Testament as a feast of thanksgiving commemorating God’s atonement in Christ for the sins of the world, and demonstrates how it is inextricably linked with the Cross, the Resurrection and the Great Commission.Church, state and national identity: some historical and theological reflections from a Catholic perspective
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10430
After tracing Scottish identity from its earliest beginnings to the Reformation and its aftermath, Mario Conti considers present-day discussions about the nation at a key point in its history. Observing how social, democratic governance at an appropriate level is of profound value, Rev Dr Conti argues for the pressing need for coherent vision and concludes with two personal recollections in which he reaffirms the contribution of faith, culture, and social ties to the wider issues of identity.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZConti, MarioAfter tracing Scottish identity from its earliest beginnings to the Reformation and its aftermath, Mario Conti considers present-day discussions about the nation at a key point in its history. Observing how social, democratic governance at an appropriate level is of profound value, Rev Dr Conti argues for the pressing need for coherent vision and concludes with two personal recollections in which he reaffirms the contribution of faith, culture, and social ties to the wider issues of identity.Is the Referendum question a theological question?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10429
Margaret Whyte’s essay (which was selected as winner of the Fraser Prize competition for 2014) puts forward the argument that the Referendum on Scottish independence raises highly relevant theological questions about nationhood, social welfare and justice, and the role of the church. She uses biblical, theological and ecclesiological material to present a balanced discussion of the question, taking in consideration of the current position of religion in society, and of ecumenical and inter-faith issues.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZWhyte, Margaret A. K.Margaret Whyte’s essay (which was selected as winner of the Fraser Prize competition for 2014) puts forward the argument that the Referendum on Scottish independence raises highly relevant theological questions about nationhood, social welfare and justice, and the role of the church. She uses biblical, theological and ecclesiological material to present a balanced discussion of the question, taking in consideration of the current position of religion in society, and of ecumenical and inter-faith issues.Fraser Prize essay 2014: views of the reading panel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10428
Views of the reading panel
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZFraser Prize reading panelViews of the reading panel"A great grievance: ecclesiastical lay patronage in Scotland until 1750" by Laurence A. B. Whitley
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10424
Review of Laurence A. B. Whitley, A Great Grievance: Ecclesiastical Lay Patronage in Scotland until 1750 (Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock, 2013)
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZSpurlock, ScottReview of Laurence A. B. Whitley, A Great Grievance: Ecclesiastical Lay Patronage in Scotland until 1750 (Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock, 2013)"The theological education of the ministry: soundings in the British reformed and dissenting traditions" by Alan P. F. Sell
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10423
Review of Alan P. F. Sell, The Theological Education of the Ministry: Soundings in the British Reformed and Dissenting Traditions (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2013)
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZDenniston, JaneReview of Alan P. F. Sell, The Theological Education of the Ministry: Soundings in the British Reformed and Dissenting Traditions (Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2013)"Theology in transposition: a constructive appraisal of T. F. Torrance" by Myk Habets
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10422
Review of Myk Habets, Theology in Transposition: A Constructive Appraisal of T. F. Torrance (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013)
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZShepherd V, Albert L.Review of Myk Habets, Theology in Transposition: A Constructive Appraisal of T. F. Torrance (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013)"Christianity and the political order: conflict, cooptation, and cooperation" by Kenneth R. Himes
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10421
Review of Kenneth R. Himes, Christianity and the Political Order: Conflict, Cooptation, and Cooperation (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2013)
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZStoddart, EricReview of Kenneth R. Himes, Christianity and the Political Order: Conflict, Cooptation, and Cooperation (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2013)A theology of missio Dei
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10420
In the popular usage, the primary definition of missio Dei is that mission is not something the church does, but God does. John Flett follows this with two further affirmations: as God is missionary, so the community which worships Him is missionary; and secondly that mission is set within an eschatological perspective and becomes the determining factor ‘between the times’. This article aims to correct the popular definition of the term by drawing on the work of Karl Barth, arguing that reconciliation across boundaries lies at the heart of the missio Dei.
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZFlett, John G.In the popular usage, the primary definition of missio Dei is that mission is not something the church does, but God does. John Flett follows this with two further affirmations: as God is missionary, so the community which worships Him is missionary; and secondly that mission is set within an eschatological perspective and becomes the determining factor ‘between the times’. This article aims to correct the popular definition of the term by drawing on the work of Karl Barth, arguing that reconciliation across boundaries lies at the heart of the missio Dei.A contemporary perspective on mission: the blue flower
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10419
Alison Milbank offers an aesthetic approach to models of mission and evangelism, arguing for a model which is responsive to cultural production. Drawing on Romanticism, particularly the work of Novalis, she challenges some current understandings of mission and suggests an alternative approach through philosophical dialogue.
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZMilbank, AlisonAlison Milbank offers an aesthetic approach to models of mission and evangelism, arguing for a model which is responsive to cultural production. Drawing on Romanticism, particularly the work of Novalis, she challenges some current understandings of mission and suggests an alternative approach through philosophical dialogue.Belief and unbelief: two sides of a coin
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10418
Grace Davie writes regarding the nature of religion in modern Europe, and addresses factors of key significance. She identifies five significant factors affecting contemporary religion in Europe: the cultural heritage, the historical role of the state church, new models of the growing market in religion, the arrival in Europe of new religious groups, and the growth of the secular lobby. All of these subsist alongside each other. Davie makes the interesting case that the same factors are equally present in unbelief.
[This paper originally appeared in Approaching Religion, vol. 2, no. 1 (2012), published by the Donner Institute. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the Editor.]
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZDavie, GraceGrace Davie writes regarding the nature of religion in modern Europe, and addresses factors of key significance. She identifies five significant factors affecting contemporary religion in Europe: the cultural heritage, the historical role of the state church, new models of the growing market in religion, the arrival in Europe of new religious groups, and the growth of the secular lobby. All of these subsist alongside each other. Davie makes the interesting case that the same factors are equally present in unbelief.
[This paper originally appeared in Approaching Religion, vol. 2, no. 1 (2012), published by the Donner Institute. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the Editor.]Does the church in Scotland still need theology?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10417
Liam Fraser’s prize-winning essay takes the approach of standing back to question the question of whether the church needs theology. This takes the form of investigating what the church in Scotland is like now, and also what theology has become and might become within it.
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZFraser, LiamLiam Fraser’s prize-winning essay takes the approach of standing back to question the question of whether the church needs theology. This takes the form of investigating what the church in Scotland is like now, and also what theology has become and might become within it.Fraser Prize essay 2013: views of the reading panel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10416
Views of the reading panel
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZFraser Prize reading panelViews of the reading panelEditorial (Vol 21, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10415
2014-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanThe emergence of the political voice of Syria’s civil society from within the non-violent movements of the Syrian uprising
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10355
In The Emergence of The Political Voice of Syria’s Civil Society from within the Non-violent Movements of the Syrian Uprising, Tamara Al-Om address one of the most important aspects and ironically least addressed, of the Syrian Uprising. As Al-Om points out in her article, we are far more tempted to focus on the sensational, i.e. war, than we are on the far less dramatic, i.e. a non-violent civil society movement. Further complicating the attempt to focus ion Syria’s civil society within the context of recent events, is the fact that this entails a far more in depth knowledge of Syria than the attempt to understand a military conflict. Many scholars are tempted to dismiss that Syria, or other countries in the region, even have what might be called a civil society. Al-Om emphasises the need for the international community to refocus its attention on opposition groups within Syria, that are not only not armed but also not political in the strict definition of the term. In the absence of such an approach, not only do we risk holding on to an approach to events in Syria that is significantly not in touch with the majority of Syria’s population, but, even more important, risk being alienated from the very civil society institutions that will play the critical role in the rebuilding of Syria once a resolution is reached.
2016-11-28T00:00:00ZAl-Om, TamaraIn The Emergence of The Political Voice of Syria’s Civil Society from within the Non-violent Movements of the Syrian Uprising, Tamara Al-Om address one of the most important aspects and ironically least addressed, of the Syrian Uprising. As Al-Om points out in her article, we are far more tempted to focus on the sensational, i.e. war, than we are on the far less dramatic, i.e. a non-violent civil society movement. Further complicating the attempt to focus ion Syria’s civil society within the context of recent events, is the fact that this entails a far more in depth knowledge of Syria than the attempt to understand a military conflict. Many scholars are tempted to dismiss that Syria, or other countries in the region, even have what might be called a civil society. Al-Om emphasises the need for the international community to refocus its attention on opposition groups within Syria, that are not only not armed but also not political in the strict definition of the term. In the absence of such an approach, not only do we risk holding on to an approach to events in Syria that is significantly not in touch with the majority of Syria’s population, but, even more important, risk being alienated from the very civil society institutions that will play the critical role in the rebuilding of Syria once a resolution is reached.The Kurdish identity; from banishment to empowerment
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10354
In The Kurdish identity; from Banishment to Empowerment, Ola Rifai explores one of the important manifestations of the Syrian Uprising, namely, how it has directly and indirectly influenced the manufacturing and perception of identity in Syria. Rifai focuses on the proliferation of Kurdish identities after 2011, and shows how, to a large extent, these identities were imposed from above by actors with very specific political agendas. Rifai further sheds light on how the Syrian regime interacted with these identities on the basis of security concerns, rather than on Baathist ideological principles. Various dynamics, as Rifai narrates, explain why the PYD’s vision of an exclusive Kurdish identity was far more empowered than visions of Kurdish identity that were more conciliatory or more willing to remain under some type of Syrian national framework. Though all of this can be traced back to the event of the Syrian Uprising, as with other similar outcomes, the foundations for all of this are far older than the Syrian Uprising and are seemingly the result of the failure of Syrian politicians from independence onwards to address minorities, both ethnic and religious, in a manner that is genuinely inclusive.
2016-11-16T00:00:00ZRifai, OlaIn The Kurdish identity; from Banishment to Empowerment, Ola Rifai explores one of the important manifestations of the Syrian Uprising, namely, how it has directly and indirectly influenced the manufacturing and perception of identity in Syria. Rifai focuses on the proliferation of Kurdish identities after 2011, and shows how, to a large extent, these identities were imposed from above by actors with very specific political agendas. Rifai further sheds light on how the Syrian regime interacted with these identities on the basis of security concerns, rather than on Baathist ideological principles. Various dynamics, as Rifai narrates, explain why the PYD’s vision of an exclusive Kurdish identity was far more empowered than visions of Kurdish identity that were more conciliatory or more willing to remain under some type of Syrian national framework. Though all of this can be traced back to the event of the Syrian Uprising, as with other similar outcomes, the foundations for all of this are far older than the Syrian Uprising and are seemingly the result of the failure of Syrian politicians from independence onwards to address minorities, both ethnic and religious, in a manner that is genuinely inclusive.Regional and international factors that prolong the Syrian crisis
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10353
In Regional and International factors that Prolong the Syrian Crisis, Eduardo W. Aboultaif provides an analytical survey of the various regional and international players who are directly or indirectly involved in the Syrian crisis. Aboultaif elucidates the subtle differences between political and economic concerns and explains, for example, how states often are willing to ignore their immediate economic interest when faced with political factors that are seen as national security threats. Aboultaif further describes the inter-consecutiveness of events in Syria and events in Russia, China and Iran, thereby revealing the logic underlying support to the Asad regime. Perhaps most important, and up to the time in which Aboultaif completed this article, the unwillingness of Arab states, and to a lesser extent Turkey, to act directly in the region without American support has served to define the nature of the regional conflict and, explains, to a large extent, the continuity of the crisis.
2016-11-16T00:00:00ZAboultaif, Eduardo WassimIn Regional and International factors that Prolong the Syrian Crisis, Eduardo W. Aboultaif provides an analytical survey of the various regional and international players who are directly or indirectly involved in the Syrian crisis. Aboultaif elucidates the subtle differences between political and economic concerns and explains, for example, how states often are willing to ignore their immediate economic interest when faced with political factors that are seen as national security threats. Aboultaif further describes the inter-consecutiveness of events in Syria and events in Russia, China and Iran, thereby revealing the logic underlying support to the Asad regime. Perhaps most important, and up to the time in which Aboultaif completed this article, the unwillingness of Arab states, and to a lesser extent Turkey, to act directly in the region without American support has served to define the nature of the regional conflict and, explains, to a large extent, the continuity of the crisis.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 8, Issue 2
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10352
Preface to VOL 8, NO 2 (2016) of Syria Studies by Omar Imady
2016-11-28T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface to VOL 8, NO 2 (2016) of Syria Studies by Omar ImadyOrganisationally secular: Damascene Islamist movements and the Syrian Uprising
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10351
In Organisationally Secular, Imady introduces a novel method in analysing popular movements, especially those with a religious orientation. Using ideas from organisational typology and organisational communication, Imady identifies what he terms ‘organisational secularism’, or movements, which are secular in so far as how they are manifested organisationally, yet religious on the level of what they stand for and what they are trying to achieve. His case studies are the Kaftariyyah and the Qubaysiyyat, two Damascene movements that are disliked by the opposition, and distrusted by loyalist voices. Through their organisational narrative, Imady sheds light on the way in which state and civil society interacted in Syria, especially in the period prior to the Syrian Uprising. Imady documents how the Kaftariyyah and the Qubaysiyyat evolved, organisationally, over time and identifies the relationship between their organisational features and the type of dynamics they have had to face.
2016-02-11T00:00:00ZImady, OmarIn Organisationally Secular, Imady introduces a novel method in analysing popular movements, especially those with a religious orientation. Using ideas from organisational typology and organisational communication, Imady identifies what he terms ‘organisational secularism’, or movements, which are secular in so far as how they are manifested organisationally, yet religious on the level of what they stand for and what they are trying to achieve. His case studies are the Kaftariyyah and the Qubaysiyyat, two Damascene movements that are disliked by the opposition, and distrusted by loyalist voices. Through their organisational narrative, Imady sheds light on the way in which state and civil society interacted in Syria, especially in the period prior to the Syrian Uprising. Imady documents how the Kaftariyyah and the Qubaysiyyat evolved, organisationally, over time and identifies the relationship between their organisational features and the type of dynamics they have had to face.More religious yet still secular? The shifting relationship between the secular and the religious in Syria
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10350
In More Religious, Yet Still Secular? The Shifting Relationship Between the Secular and the Religious in Syria, Line Khatib takes us on a more recent journey than that of Aldoughli’s narrative, and explores how secularism was in fact enriched by the very religious discourse assumed to be its antagonist. By focusing on the words and actions of various religious scholars active in recent Syrian history, Khatib documents the inclusiveness, moderation, and indeed ‘secularism’ of key religious scholars. She leaves us with a question, perhaps too early to be answered, on whether or not this type of religious sensibility is more representative of Syrians than that of the radical forces now fighting on the ground. In the current politicised and highly inflamed context, it is clearly too difficult to determine how deeply rooted this secular approach to Islam is amongst the majority of Muslims in Syria.
2016-02-11T00:00:00ZKhatib, LineIn More Religious, Yet Still Secular? The Shifting Relationship Between the Secular and the Religious in Syria, Line Khatib takes us on a more recent journey than that of Aldoughli’s narrative, and explores how secularism was in fact enriched by the very religious discourse assumed to be its antagonist. By focusing on the words and actions of various religious scholars active in recent Syrian history, Khatib documents the inclusiveness, moderation, and indeed ‘secularism’ of key religious scholars. She leaves us with a question, perhaps too early to be answered, on whether or not this type of religious sensibility is more representative of Syrians than that of the radical forces now fighting on the ground. In the current politicised and highly inflamed context, it is clearly too difficult to determine how deeply rooted this secular approach to Islam is amongst the majority of Muslims in Syria.Revisiting ideological borrowings in Syrian nationalist narratives: Sati ‘al-Husri, Michel ‘Aflaq and Zaki al-Arsuzi
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10349
In Revisiting Ideological Borrowings, Aldoughli takes us on an in-depth journey of the intellectual foundations of nationalism in Syria. Her focus is Sati’ al-Husri, a secular nationalist thinker whose work formed the basis of several nationalist political movements, including the Baath party. Aldoughli connects al-Husri’s thought with two subsequent political activists/thinkers, Michel Aflaq and Zaki al-Arsuzi, highlighting the extent to which they heavily relied on the intellectual contributions of al-Husri. Aldoughli illustrates the internal contradiction within their idea of nationalism, as first articulated by al-Husri, a contradiction which stems from the fact that two different traditions, i.e. the Germanic and the French, were being borrowed from, despite their opposing conceptions of nationalism. As one reads Aldoughli’s exploration of the secular legacy of Syria, one wonders whether secularism, irrespective of how broadly understood, will survive in any form in future Syria, or whether this phase was far too elitist and politicised to be capable of resisting the destruction of the last five years.
2016-02-11T00:00:00ZAldoughli, RahafIn Revisiting Ideological Borrowings, Aldoughli takes us on an in-depth journey of the intellectual foundations of nationalism in Syria. Her focus is Sati’ al-Husri, a secular nationalist thinker whose work formed the basis of several nationalist political movements, including the Baath party. Aldoughli connects al-Husri’s thought with two subsequent political activists/thinkers, Michel Aflaq and Zaki al-Arsuzi, highlighting the extent to which they heavily relied on the intellectual contributions of al-Husri. Aldoughli illustrates the internal contradiction within their idea of nationalism, as first articulated by al-Husri, a contradiction which stems from the fact that two different traditions, i.e. the Germanic and the French, were being borrowed from, despite their opposing conceptions of nationalism. As one reads Aldoughli’s exploration of the secular legacy of Syria, one wonders whether secularism, irrespective of how broadly understood, will survive in any form in future Syria, or whether this phase was far too elitist and politicised to be capable of resisting the destruction of the last five years.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 8, Issue 1
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10348
Preface to Syria Studies - Vol 8, No 1 (2016)
2016-02-11T00:00:00ZHinnebusch, RaymondPreface to Syria Studies - Vol 8, No 1 (2016)Book Review - Lil-tarikh wa-al-dhikra, qisat jihad wa-‘umur (For history and memory, the story of a struggle and a life) by Badr Deen Challah
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10347
Book Review of a work by a prominent Syrian merchant who forged an alliance with Hafez al-Asad.
2015-11-16T00:00:00ZImady, OmarBook Review of a work by a prominent Syrian merchant who forged an alliance with Hafez al-Asad.UK national print media coverage of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against refugee women in Syrian refugee camps
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10346
The vulnerability of Syrian refugee women does not draw the public attention it deserves. In this regard, media coverage thus has an important role to illustrate these women’s vulnerable situation and to create public awareness. This research aims to reveal the sensitivity and awareness level of the UK national print media of SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence) against refugee women in Syrian refugee camps. News published in five daily major UK national newspapers (Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph, Times and Sun) between March 15, 2011, and December 15, 2014 referencing Syrian refugee women have been analysed in accordance with feminist critical discourse analysis methods. Results show that media coverage of SGBV against Syrian refugee women is limited. Gender and violence perspectives of the refugee dilemma are mostly ignored.
2015-11-16T00:00:00ZÖzdemir, ÖzlemThe vulnerability of Syrian refugee women does not draw the public attention it deserves. In this regard, media coverage thus has an important role to illustrate these women’s vulnerable situation and to create public awareness. This research aims to reveal the sensitivity and awareness level of the UK national print media of SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence) against refugee women in Syrian refugee camps. News published in five daily major UK national newspapers (Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph, Times and Sun) between March 15, 2011, and December 15, 2014 referencing Syrian refugee women have been analysed in accordance with feminist critical discourse analysis methods. Results show that media coverage of SGBV against Syrian refugee women is limited. Gender and violence perspectives of the refugee dilemma are mostly ignored.Syria and the great powers (1946-1958): how western power politics pushed the country toward the Soviet Union
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10345
This paper reconstructs the political history of the Syrian Arab Republic from the time of the country's emergence as an independent state in 1946 to the merger with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic in 1958. Two main sources of documentary evidence are brought to add to this analysis: firstly, declassified British government sources are utilized; secondly, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) database on arms exports to the Middle East is used to back up the descriptive analysis of Western strategic interests in the Middle East during the early Cold War period with some relevant quantitative data.
From the beginning, Syria faced geopolitical challenges, which worked to undermine the country's political stability. Apart from intra-Arab conflicts and the issue of Zionist colonization in Palestine, Syria quickly developed into a focal point of the Cold War between the Western powers and the Soviet Union. This was due to the refusal of the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) governments to support Syria's statehood in economic and military terms. The Western rejection of substantial assistance to Syria, largely motivated by efforts to back up Israel and fully unrelated to the question of whether or not Syria was governed by democratic or authoritarian rulers, explains the country’s shift toward the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s.
Next, UK and US attempts to unseat Syrian governments through covert action (especially in 1949 and 1956-1957) are examined. It is shown that these events pushed Syria’s leaders to opt for merger with Nasser's Egypt and military assistance from the Soviet Union in order to avoid further destabilization. The paper concludes that Western failure to welcome Syria as an independent actor in the Middle East, which was due to the existence of previous strategic alignment with competing states in the region, opened the door for the Soviet Union to emerge as the long-term patron of the Syrian state.International Relations
2015-11-16T00:00:00ZDostal, Jörg MichaelThis paper reconstructs the political history of the Syrian Arab Republic from the time of the country's emergence as an independent state in 1946 to the merger with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic in 1958. Two main sources of documentary evidence are brought to add to this analysis: firstly, declassified British government sources are utilized; secondly, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) database on arms exports to the Middle East is used to back up the descriptive analysis of Western strategic interests in the Middle East during the early Cold War period with some relevant quantitative data.
From the beginning, Syria faced geopolitical challenges, which worked to undermine the country's political stability. Apart from intra-Arab conflicts and the issue of Zionist colonization in Palestine, Syria quickly developed into a focal point of the Cold War between the Western powers and the Soviet Union. This was due to the refusal of the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) governments to support Syria's statehood in economic and military terms. The Western rejection of substantial assistance to Syria, largely motivated by efforts to back up Israel and fully unrelated to the question of whether or not Syria was governed by democratic or authoritarian rulers, explains the country’s shift toward the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s.
Next, UK and US attempts to unseat Syrian governments through covert action (especially in 1949 and 1956-1957) are examined. It is shown that these events pushed Syria’s leaders to opt for merger with Nasser's Egypt and military assistance from the Soviet Union in order to avoid further destabilization. The paper concludes that Western failure to welcome Syria as an independent actor in the Middle East, which was due to the existence of previous strategic alignment with competing states in the region, opened the door for the Soviet Union to emerge as the long-term patron of the Syrian state.International RelationsPreface: Syria Studies, Vol 7, Issue 3
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10344
Preface to: Semblance of Order - Institutional Layers of the Syrian Uprising
2015-06-16T00:00:00ZHinnebusch, RaymondPreface to: Semblance of Order - Institutional Layers of the Syrian UprisingPreface: Syria Studies, Vol 7, Issue 4
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/10343
Introduction to Vol 7, number 4 (2015) by Omar Imady
2015-11-16T00:00:00ZImady, OmarIntroduction to Vol 7, number 4 (2015) by Omar ImadyMarilynne Robinson’s Calvinist apology in fiction and essay
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8833
While Calvinism has not fared particularly well in the mainstream Zeitgeist of late, Péter Pásztor’s paper reflects on how it has recently found a major apologist in the work of the novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson. He makes the case that Robinson’s fiction and essays attempt no less than a re-furnishing of Protestantism, Calvinism in particular, with the intellectual poignancy it used to bear in Western thought and imagination.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZPásztor, PéterWhile Calvinism has not fared particularly well in the mainstream Zeitgeist of late, Péter Pásztor’s paper reflects on how it has recently found a major apologist in the work of the novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson. He makes the case that Robinson’s fiction and essays attempt no less than a re-furnishing of Protestantism, Calvinism in particular, with the intellectual poignancy it used to bear in Western thought and imagination."Resurrection city: a theology of improvisation" by Peter Goodwin Heltzel
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8832
Review of Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Resurrection city: a theology of improvisation (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZWhite, WesleyReview of Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Resurrection city: a theology of improvisation (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)“Churches in exile: alternative models of church for Ireland in the 21st century” by Cathy Higgins
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8831
Review of Cathy Higgins, Churches in exile: alternative models of church for Ireland in the 21st century (Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Columbra Press, 2013).
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZRobinson, Leah E.Review of Cathy Higgins, Churches in exile: alternative models of church for Ireland in the 21st century (Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Columbra Press, 2013).John Baillie on the theology of revelation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8830
In his article, Daniel Valentine examines John Baillie’s book, The Idea of Revelation in Recent Thought from the formal perspective of broader historical theology. He sets out the two main topics of Baillie’s study – first, the relation of reason and revelation, and second, propositional views of revelation. Valentine follows Baillie’s thought through to its main conclusions, indicating that Baillie had, perhaps, failed to set his study of these problems in the broader historical context of theological tradition. This paper offers an introduction to the variety of perspectives concerning revelation.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZValentine, D. R.In his article, Daniel Valentine examines John Baillie’s book, The Idea of Revelation in Recent Thought from the formal perspective of broader historical theology. He sets out the two main topics of Baillie’s study – first, the relation of reason and revelation, and second, propositional views of revelation. Valentine follows Baillie’s thought through to its main conclusions, indicating that Baillie had, perhaps, failed to set his study of these problems in the broader historical context of theological tradition. This paper offers an introduction to the variety of perspectives concerning revelation.Taking the Lord’s name in vain
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8829
In his paper, Graham Monteith explores some of the social boundaries, or cultural limits, of language – an investigation, that is, of the liminal area of speech which issues from pain or anger, and is expressed in swearing and expletives. He draws on more recent literature to offer a reflection on Jesus’ suffering on the cross in the darkest moments of pain and utter desperation. He concludes with a message of hope in the continuing love of God.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZMonteith, W. GrahamIn his paper, Graham Monteith explores some of the social boundaries, or cultural limits, of language – an investigation, that is, of the liminal area of speech which issues from pain or anger, and is expressed in swearing and expletives. He draws on more recent literature to offer a reflection on Jesus’ suffering on the cross in the darkest moments of pain and utter desperation. He concludes with a message of hope in the continuing love of God.Sanctification: words for the weary
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8327
Within Reformed circles there has been a long and continuing debate on the relation of justification and sanctification. By drawing on the work of Andrew Murray, J. B. Torrance, T. F. Torrance and Gary Deddo, Alexandra Radcliff gives a succinct account of our justification and sanctification as inseparable in Christ, arguing that our sanctification in Christ is, then, the source of a new identity which liberates us, progressively, to live life in holiness.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZRadcliff, AlexandraWithin Reformed circles there has been a long and continuing debate on the relation of justification and sanctification. By drawing on the work of Andrew Murray, J. B. Torrance, T. F. Torrance and Gary Deddo, Alexandra Radcliff gives a succinct account of our justification and sanctification as inseparable in Christ, arguing that our sanctification in Christ is, then, the source of a new identity which liberates us, progressively, to live life in holiness.Pastoral care and counselling in Scotland since 1950
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8325
David Lyall’s paper covers the history of pastoral care and counselling in Scotland since the emergence of new movements within these disciplines in the 1950s. As teacher and practitioner David Lyall played an active role over several decades in many of the important changes in pastoral care in Scotland and he is, therefore, well placed to reflect on these developments and to offer a useful survey of the development of pastoral care and counselling in Scotland over the past sixty or so years.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZLyall, DavidDavid Lyall’s paper covers the history of pastoral care and counselling in Scotland since the emergence of new movements within these disciplines in the 1950s. As teacher and practitioner David Lyall played an active role over several decades in many of the important changes in pastoral care in Scotland and he is, therefore, well placed to reflect on these developments and to offer a useful survey of the development of pastoral care and counselling in Scotland over the past sixty or so years.The letter to the Ephesians
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8324
Two lectures given by N. T. Wright on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians at the 2013 SCTS conference are reproduced here verbatim. Presenting a fresh perspective on Ephesians, his exegesis of the letter is combined with an illuminating use of the nature of Second Temple Judaism and this wider context provides some rich and fruitful insights and as such provides a superb introduction, in nuce, to his important work on the Pauline corpus as well as to some aspects of his wider thought.
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZWright, N. T.Two lectures given by N. T. Wright on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians at the 2013 SCTS conference are reproduced here verbatim. Presenting a fresh perspective on Ephesians, his exegesis of the letter is combined with an illuminating use of the nature of Second Temple Judaism and this wider context provides some rich and fruitful insights and as such provides a superb introduction, in nuce, to his important work on the Pauline corpus as well as to some aspects of his wider thought.Editorial (Vol. 20, No. 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8323
2013-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"Christ and human rights: the transformative engagement" by George Newlands
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8322
Review of George Newlands, Christ and human rights: the transformative engagement (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006)
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZMcEnhill, PeterReview of George Newlands, Christ and human rights: the transformative engagement (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006)"Looking in the distance: the human search for meaning" by Richard Holloway
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8321
Review of Richard Holloway, Looking in the distance: the human search for meaning (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2004)
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZMcEnhill, PeterReview of Richard Holloway, Looking in the distance: the human search for meaning (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2004)"Go, tell them: thoughts towards a theology of preaching" by Robert Hendrie
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8320
Review of Robert Hendrie, Go, tell them: thoughts towards a theology of preaching (London: St Paul’s Publishing, 2006)
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of Robert Hendrie, Go, tell them: thoughts towards a theology of preaching (London: St Paul’s Publishing, 2006)"The man who went into the West: the life of R. S. Thomas" by Byron Rogers
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/8319
Review of Byron Rogers, The man who went into the West: the life of R. S. Thomas (London: Aurum Press, 2006)
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZCampbell, DenisReview of Byron Rogers, The man who went into the West: the life of R. S. Thomas (London: Aurum Press, 2006)"The serenity prayer: faith and politics in times of peace and war" by Elisabeth Sifton
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7940
Review of Elisabeth Sifton, The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Times of Peace and War (London: W. W. Norton & Co., 2004)
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZBeasley, RonaldReview of Elisabeth Sifton, The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Times of Peace and War (London: W. W. Norton & Co., 2004)"Peace, toleration and decay: the ecclesiology of later Stuart dissent" by Martin Sutherland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7939
Review of Martin Sutherland, Peace, Toleration and Decay: The Ecclesiology of Later Stuart Dissent (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2003)
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZOrchard, StephenReview of Martin Sutherland, Peace, Toleration and Decay: The Ecclesiology of Later Stuart Dissent (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2003)"Father Joe: the man who saved my soul" by Tony Hendra
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7938
Review of Tony Hendra, Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (London: Penguin Books, 2004)
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZCampbell, DenisReview of Tony Hendra, Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (London: Penguin Books, 2004)"Fifty key Christian thinkers" by Peter McEnhill & George Newlands
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7937
Review of Peter McEnhill & George Newlands, Fifty Key Christian Thinkers (London: Routledge, 2004)
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. DReview of Peter McEnhill & George Newlands, Fifty Key Christian Thinkers (London: Routledge, 2004)Death and the soaps
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7936
In the face of criticism that TV soap operas may not be the best place to debate the way the media covers issues relating to death and dying, Elizabeth Henderson identifies key areas of soaps’ make-up that gives them a surprisingly pertinent take on the subject. She goes on to look at how particular soaps handle the question of death and funerals and at what this says about modern views of the issues involved. She also raises the question of whether soaps play a role in encouraging the view that churches are becoming increasingly irrelevant with regard to funeral practice.
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, Elizabeth M.In the face of criticism that TV soap operas may not be the best place to debate the way the media covers issues relating to death and dying, Elizabeth Henderson identifies key areas of soaps’ make-up that gives them a surprisingly pertinent take on the subject. She goes on to look at how particular soaps handle the question of death and funerals and at what this says about modern views of the issues involved. She also raises the question of whether soaps play a role in encouraging the view that churches are becoming increasingly irrelevant with regard to funeral practice.Getting the wean done
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7935
In an age when institutional religion is in numerical decline, George Whyte ask why do parents seek baptism for their children? His paper arises from research based on interviews with parents bringing their children to be baptized. In considering their responses, he seeks to match them against what the Church of Scotland believes parents are asking for when they bring their children to the font. A number of his findings indicate that there is much work to be done by the church to communicate better what it sees as authentic reasons for baptism. It also demonstrates that there remain real opportunities for the church to connect with families – if it is willing to risk engaging with those outside the immediate church community.
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZWhyte, George J.In an age when institutional religion is in numerical decline, George Whyte ask why do parents seek baptism for their children? His paper arises from research based on interviews with parents bringing their children to be baptized. In considering their responses, he seeks to match them against what the Church of Scotland believes parents are asking for when they bring their children to the font. A number of his findings indicate that there is much work to be done by the church to communicate better what it sees as authentic reasons for baptism. It also demonstrates that there remain real opportunities for the church to connect with families – if it is willing to risk engaging with those outside the immediate church community.Discovery theology: reflecting people by the Tay
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7934
George Gammack’s paper emerges from the context of his ministry in the Whitfield area of Dundee. He describes a parish marked by significant levels of deprivation and seeks ways in which to forge a theology relevant to such an environment. As a key tool in this he employs a process of theological reflection, drawing lessons from the kind of encounters with people that characterise his parish work. Out of this, in the ‘City of Discovery’, he evolves what he calls ‘discovery theology’: a way of doing theology that is grounded in the incarnation and focussed on enabling church members to become people’s theologians. This is not a theology of abstract ideas but one that grows out of a ministry in a context where human need is great and material resources limited.
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZGammack, GeorgeGeorge Gammack’s paper emerges from the context of his ministry in the Whitfield area of Dundee. He describes a parish marked by significant levels of deprivation and seeks ways in which to forge a theology relevant to such an environment. As a key tool in this he employs a process of theological reflection, drawing lessons from the kind of encounters with people that characterise his parish work. Out of this, in the ‘City of Discovery’, he evolves what he calls ‘discovery theology’: a way of doing theology that is grounded in the incarnation and focussed on enabling church members to become people’s theologians. This is not a theology of abstract ideas but one that grows out of a ministry in a context where human need is great and material resources limited.“Donnez-moi une place”: an introduction to the theological ethics of France Quéré
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7933
David Sinclair first presented this reflection on the writing of the French ethicist France Quéré (1936–95) at the inaugural meeting of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council in order to demonstrate the kind of thinking that would be necessary when approaching the kinds of ethical issues facing the Council. Prominent in the French protestant community as a patristic theologian, Quéré’s subsequent work on the family, the place of women in society, and disability issues led to her becoming a member of the French National Consultative Ethics Committee. This paper picks out some of the key themes from her writing during this period: human rights and the quest for justice; suffering and death; love and sex; and drug addiction, as well as outlining her engagement with reception theory.
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZSinclair, DavidDavid Sinclair first presented this reflection on the writing of the French ethicist France Quéré (1936–95) at the inaugural meeting of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council in order to demonstrate the kind of thinking that would be necessary when approaching the kinds of ethical issues facing the Council. Prominent in the French protestant community as a patristic theologian, Quéré’s subsequent work on the family, the place of women in society, and disability issues led to her becoming a member of the French National Consultative Ethics Committee. This paper picks out some of the key themes from her writing during this period: human rights and the quest for justice; suffering and death; love and sex; and drug addiction, as well as outlining her engagement with reception theory.Editorial (Vol 13, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7932
2006-06-01T00:00:00ZLyall, DavidVredeman de Vries: geometry and freedom
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7355
As a result of his highly imaginative perspectival illustrations, late sixteenth-century Dutch architect Hans Vredeman de Vries remained at the pivot point of transferring perspectival developments from Italy to a northern European setting. He brought about a revolution in the genre of the architectural city-view, stood as a giant of that artistic category, and initiated a widespread architectural following that could be felt in buildings from every province of his home country to as far away as regional towns in Peru.
This essay introduces the use of geometry in Vredeman’s illustrations from his 1604 treatise Perspective and gives an account of the meanings behind vantage points, picture planes, and the viewing subject in those representations. A commentary on the notion of repetition in perspectival vistas and an explanation of the significance surrounding the placement of the centric point in his engravings is also dealt with. The centric points of Vredeman’s plates are seldom placed on a blank architectural surface. Instead, we encounter deliberate openings that allow us to travel beyond the pictorial plane and that remind us of the artificial nature of the environment being shown. Someone might theoretically be looking back at us, configuring the world before us, and thereby reinforcing the arbitrariness of our point of view.
Overall, this paper aims to look anew at the symbolic significance of the perspective engravings of Vredeman de Vries. The writing ends with a summary on what it might mean to transcend a perspective.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZRecktenwald, OlafAs a result of his highly imaginative perspectival illustrations, late sixteenth-century Dutch architect Hans Vredeman de Vries remained at the pivot point of transferring perspectival developments from Italy to a northern European setting. He brought about a revolution in the genre of the architectural city-view, stood as a giant of that artistic category, and initiated a widespread architectural following that could be felt in buildings from every province of his home country to as far away as regional towns in Peru.
This essay introduces the use of geometry in Vredeman’s illustrations from his 1604 treatise Perspective and gives an account of the meanings behind vantage points, picture planes, and the viewing subject in those representations. A commentary on the notion of repetition in perspectival vistas and an explanation of the significance surrounding the placement of the centric point in his engravings is also dealt with. The centric points of Vredeman’s plates are seldom placed on a blank architectural surface. Instead, we encounter deliberate openings that allow us to travel beyond the pictorial plane and that remind us of the artificial nature of the environment being shown. Someone might theoretically be looking back at us, configuring the world before us, and thereby reinforcing the arbitrariness of our point of view.
Overall, this paper aims to look anew at the symbolic significance of the perspective engravings of Vredeman de Vries. The writing ends with a summary on what it might mean to transcend a perspective.Price and Gilpin in the cottage garden: reading the picturesque in late Victorian watercolors
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7354
In his book American Picturesque, John Conron asserts that the picturesque “leads a nineteenth-century life very much distinguishable from its eighteenth century predecessors.” How was the nineteenth century life of the picturesque different as seen through such cottage scene pictures? What was uniquely picturesque about the Victorian cottage garden and its depiction by artists, especially those working with watercolors? How do the characters populating these pictures correspond with the favored picturesque figures found in Price? By addressing the taste for cottage garden pictures, and the work of artists like Helen Allingham and Thomas James Lloyd, one may perhaps uniquely access the Victorian life of the picturesque ideal.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZPalmor, LaurenIn his book American Picturesque, John Conron asserts that the picturesque “leads a nineteenth-century life very much distinguishable from its eighteenth century predecessors.” How was the nineteenth century life of the picturesque different as seen through such cottage scene pictures? What was uniquely picturesque about the Victorian cottage garden and its depiction by artists, especially those working with watercolors? How do the characters populating these pictures correspond with the favored picturesque figures found in Price? By addressing the taste for cottage garden pictures, and the work of artists like Helen Allingham and Thomas James Lloyd, one may perhaps uniquely access the Victorian life of the picturesque ideal."An urge to take off from the earth": how Malevich embodies the role of 'shamanic artist' in his early career.
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7353
The article submitted will bear the following title: “An Urge To Take Off From The Earth”: How Malevich Embodies The Role of ‘Shamanic Artist’ In His Early Career. Its main arguments can be summarized as follows: Firstly it will examine how Malevich appears to undergo an experience which parallels both the ecstatic and the didactic initiation process of a neophyte shaman. It will do this by looking at Malevich’s writings, his pedagogical role as a teacher of his own artistic school, and indeed his teaching methods, and how these aspects are allegorical to the shamanic initiatory experience. Then it will consider how Malevich, through the metaphorical implications of Uspensky’s higher cosmic reality, defined by the fourth dimension, and indeed in the heightened status of art and his embodiment of the Nietzschean ‘super-artist’, is able to embark on a shamanic ‘soul-journey’, transcending earthly reality, and consequently, is able to philanthropically transform the world through the ideology of his Suprematist vision, for the attainment of cosmic equilibrium. This article will make a significant contribution to Art-Historical scholarship for it is an aspect of Malevich’s paradigmatic oeuvre that has yet to be examined, despite the presence of some compelling evidence, and indeed provides grounds for undertaking more extensive research into the connection between Malevich’s radical modern aesthetic and the shamanic phenomenon.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZGill, Charlotte LucyThe article submitted will bear the following title: “An Urge To Take Off From The Earth”: How Malevich Embodies The Role of ‘Shamanic Artist’ In His Early Career. Its main arguments can be summarized as follows: Firstly it will examine how Malevich appears to undergo an experience which parallels both the ecstatic and the didactic initiation process of a neophyte shaman. It will do this by looking at Malevich’s writings, his pedagogical role as a teacher of his own artistic school, and indeed his teaching methods, and how these aspects are allegorical to the shamanic initiatory experience. Then it will consider how Malevich, through the metaphorical implications of Uspensky’s higher cosmic reality, defined by the fourth dimension, and indeed in the heightened status of art and his embodiment of the Nietzschean ‘super-artist’, is able to embark on a shamanic ‘soul-journey’, transcending earthly reality, and consequently, is able to philanthropically transform the world through the ideology of his Suprematist vision, for the attainment of cosmic equilibrium. This article will make a significant contribution to Art-Historical scholarship for it is an aspect of Malevich’s paradigmatic oeuvre that has yet to be examined, despite the presence of some compelling evidence, and indeed provides grounds for undertaking more extensive research into the connection between Malevich’s radical modern aesthetic and the shamanic phenomenon.Development of Social Structures within a changing Museum Frame
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7350
This paper looks at how social and epistemological structures have developed within museums. It focuses on the definitions of Michel Foucault´s discourses and Niklas Luhmann’s definitions of social systems and seeks to identify how the work of these to theorists can shape new structures under which museums themselves can form new social frames of future development.
As museums experience greater responsibilities and the curator's role especially is under significant change, the historical, cultural and epistemological development of museums are under debate too. This calls for new ways of understanding social structures and systems within changing frames of museum theory and practice. As the works of Foucault and Luhmann have rarely been put together they can form new ways of looking at the development and shape of already existing structures within museums. Interestingly, their works suggest that museums themselves, as social systems, have the best opportunities to define future development structures of social inclusion and definition.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZNielsen, Jane KThis paper looks at how social and epistemological structures have developed within museums. It focuses on the definitions of Michel Foucault´s discourses and Niklas Luhmann’s definitions of social systems and seeks to identify how the work of these to theorists can shape new structures under which museums themselves can form new social frames of future development.
As museums experience greater responsibilities and the curator's role especially is under significant change, the historical, cultural and epistemological development of museums are under debate too. This calls for new ways of understanding social structures and systems within changing frames of museum theory and practice. As the works of Foucault and Luhmann have rarely been put together they can form new ways of looking at the development and shape of already existing structures within museums. Interestingly, their works suggest that museums themselves, as social systems, have the best opportunities to define future development structures of social inclusion and definition.Park fiction - a participatory artistic park project
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7349
The extraordinary green recreational area Park Fiction was proposed, planned, and established by a group of artists, residents, and local institutions in Hamburg from 1994 until 2005. The project was financially supported with public funds from the programme Art in Public Spaces sponsored by the Hamburg Department of Culture. The special combination of art and social work of the group has been seen as an important one and was honoured with an invitation to present Park Fiction at the documenta 11 in 2002. The basic conditions and the main phases of the eleven year history of the project are outlined in the text. Difficulties and helpful conditions are analysed. Special regard is given to the combination of social work and art in the project. The significance of the project for the careers of the project members is also taken into account. At the end, the subtle instrumentalisation of the park within the gentrification process of Hamburg is considered.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZRühse, ViolaThe extraordinary green recreational area Park Fiction was proposed, planned, and established by a group of artists, residents, and local institutions in Hamburg from 1994 until 2005. The project was financially supported with public funds from the programme Art in Public Spaces sponsored by the Hamburg Department of Culture. The special combination of art and social work of the group has been seen as an important one and was honoured with an invitation to present Park Fiction at the documenta 11 in 2002. The basic conditions and the main phases of the eleven year history of the project are outlined in the text. Difficulties and helpful conditions are analysed. Special regard is given to the combination of social work and art in the project. The significance of the project for the careers of the project members is also taken into account. At the end, the subtle instrumentalisation of the park within the gentrification process of Hamburg is considered.The tools of war and industry: the erasure of the family in Käthe Kollwitz's Der Krieg
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7348
Käthe Kollwitz is unquestionably one of the most significant artists of the modern period. As seen through her 275 prints, Kollwitz’s visual language is both poignant and universal, allowing for lasting international acclaim. Traditionally, her work has been overshadowed by readings of her subject matter as a nearly fanatical obsession with the tragedies of life. Indeed, her persona has become entangled in a myth of self-torment and oppression. This article argues for the existence of a polarity within her work which has rarely been explored before. This polarity is revealed in several of her works including one of her most celebrated series, Der Krieg. I evaluate Kollwitz’s work beyond the simple answer of human emotions, in the process revealing a complexity beyond just tragedy. Kollwitz was always a political artist and her work is saturated with radical ideas concerning women, the role of the family, and the public sphere. Apart of a larger work, this article tries to examine the series, Der Krieg as a predecessor to the concepts often linked with modern feminist thought. I argue that Der Krieg challenges the stability of the nuclear family by highlighting the necessity of the community. This challenge aimed to free women from their domestic chains, thereby adding domestic life to Germany’s national reforms following World War I. Kollwitz once stated that she wanted “to cultivate the seed that was placed [within her] until the last small twig had grown.” Her artworks, spanning four decades, have continued to serve as the seeds for other’s ideas and implanted within many viewers ideas for a better future.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZKajs, ElizabethKäthe Kollwitz is unquestionably one of the most significant artists of the modern period. As seen through her 275 prints, Kollwitz’s visual language is both poignant and universal, allowing for lasting international acclaim. Traditionally, her work has been overshadowed by readings of her subject matter as a nearly fanatical obsession with the tragedies of life. Indeed, her persona has become entangled in a myth of self-torment and oppression. This article argues for the existence of a polarity within her work which has rarely been explored before. This polarity is revealed in several of her works including one of her most celebrated series, Der Krieg. I evaluate Kollwitz’s work beyond the simple answer of human emotions, in the process revealing a complexity beyond just tragedy. Kollwitz was always a political artist and her work is saturated with radical ideas concerning women, the role of the family, and the public sphere. Apart of a larger work, this article tries to examine the series, Der Krieg as a predecessor to the concepts often linked with modern feminist thought. I argue that Der Krieg challenges the stability of the nuclear family by highlighting the necessity of the community. This challenge aimed to free women from their domestic chains, thereby adding domestic life to Germany’s national reforms following World War I. Kollwitz once stated that she wanted “to cultivate the seed that was placed [within her] until the last small twig had grown.” Her artworks, spanning four decades, have continued to serve as the seeds for other’s ideas and implanted within many viewers ideas for a better future.Tommaso Salini revisited: two new attributions
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7347
Tommaso Salini (c.1575–1625) is a frequently forgotten Baroque artist that fell under Caravaggio’s spell, despite having a tempestuous relationship with the great painter. Salini, also known as Mao, was a friend of Giovanni Baglione, the Italian art biographer, who included Salini in his Le vite de’ pittori (1642). Salini is better remembered for his role in the Baglione libel trial of 1603 than he is for his oil paintings, which sit between Caravaggio’s innovative way of painting and Baglione’s mediocre Mannerism.
Art historians have often shied away from exploring Salini’s career because the canvases that have carried his name seem stylistically dissimilar. The recent tendency has been to attribute these works to the anonymous ‘Pseudo-Salini’ painters, but this should form the topic of a separate article. The twentieth century saw art historians generously attribute an excessive amount of work to Salini, and many of these pictures were probably done decades after his death. In order for Salini’s oeuvre to be presented with accuracy, connoisseurs have had to inspect the original works that Baglione mentions being by Salini’s hand, as well as the pictures that have been successfully attributed to him.
Bearing in mind what Baglione wrote, Salini can be revealed as an innovate artist and still life specialist. This article includes a newly attributed still life (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) as a forgotten Salini, as well as a refreshed attribution of the masterful Piping Shepherd Boy (Foundling Museum, London). These works add weight to Salini being a more famous and better-known painter in his own time than scholarship has shown.
2014-07-08T00:00:00ZThom, Aaron JamesTommaso Salini (c.1575–1625) is a frequently forgotten Baroque artist that fell under Caravaggio’s spell, despite having a tempestuous relationship with the great painter. Salini, also known as Mao, was a friend of Giovanni Baglione, the Italian art biographer, who included Salini in his Le vite de’ pittori (1642). Salini is better remembered for his role in the Baglione libel trial of 1603 than he is for his oil paintings, which sit between Caravaggio’s innovative way of painting and Baglione’s mediocre Mannerism.
Art historians have often shied away from exploring Salini’s career because the canvases that have carried his name seem stylistically dissimilar. The recent tendency has been to attribute these works to the anonymous ‘Pseudo-Salini’ painters, but this should form the topic of a separate article. The twentieth century saw art historians generously attribute an excessive amount of work to Salini, and many of these pictures were probably done decades after his death. In order for Salini’s oeuvre to be presented with accuracy, connoisseurs have had to inspect the original works that Baglione mentions being by Salini’s hand, as well as the pictures that have been successfully attributed to him.
Bearing in mind what Baglione wrote, Salini can be revealed as an innovate artist and still life specialist. This article includes a newly attributed still life (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) as a forgotten Salini, as well as a refreshed attribution of the masterful Piping Shepherd Boy (Foundling Museum, London). These works add weight to Salini being a more famous and better-known painter in his own time than scholarship has shown.Rev Professor A. C. Cheyne: a tribute
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7312
Stewart Brown here presents an affectionate portrait of the distinguished church historian A. C. Cheyne (1924-2006), who held the Chair of Ecclesiastical History at New College, Edinburgh from 1964 to 1986.
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZBrown, Stewart J.Stewart Brown here presents an affectionate portrait of the distinguished church historian A. C. Cheyne (1924-2006), who held the Chair of Ecclesiastical History at New College, Edinburgh from 1964 to 1986.All aboard?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7311
Kevin Franz’s paper puts forward two fundamental approaches for ecumencial engagement in Scotland: restoration, that is, seeking by a process of healing to restore what has been lost; and exploration, asking what the ecumenical vision requires of the Church in today’s reality. He examines the outworking of these two approaches through the work of ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland).
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZFranz, KevinKevin Franz’s paper puts forward two fundamental approaches for ecumencial engagement in Scotland: restoration, that is, seeking by a process of healing to restore what has been lost; and exploration, asking what the ecumenical vision requires of the Church in today’s reality. He examines the outworking of these two approaches through the work of ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland).Ecumenical action in the Gorbals
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7309
In the face of huge change in the religious landscape in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, John Harvey reflects on how two very different ecumenical projects – the Gorbals Group Ministry, a base community, and the Bridging the Gap project, a joint venture between the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic church – sought to make a difference to the community through practical ecumenical action.
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZHarvey, JohnIn the face of huge change in the religious landscape in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, John Harvey reflects on how two very different ecumenical projects – the Gorbals Group Ministry, a base community, and the Bridging the Gap project, a joint venture between the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic church – sought to make a difference to the community through practical ecumenical action.A reading of the 9th Assembly: God, in Your Grace, transform the world
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7308
Graham McGeoch considers the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in the context of previous assemblies and of changing circumstances which have required the Council to focus its activities. His paper gives a reading of key issues that marked his experience of the Assembly. These include the option for the poor that emerged strongly from its Latin American setting, and reflection on the Eucharist as it is lived out in the experience of the ecumenical family.
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZMcGeoch, GrahamGraham McGeoch considers the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in the context of previous assemblies and of changing circumstances which have required the Council to focus its activities. His paper gives a reading of key issues that marked his experience of the Assembly. These include the option for the poor that emerged strongly from its Latin American setting, and reflection on the Eucharist as it is lived out in the experience of the ecumenical family.Port Alegre and after
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7303
In a highly personal paper taking in an account of his own ecumenical formation, Norman Shanks considers both the progress of and outcomes from the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and looks at its significance for the development of the ecumenical movement in a time when it is faced by a number of significant challenges.
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZShanks, Norman J.In a highly personal paper taking in an account of his own ecumenical formation, Norman Shanks considers both the progress of and outcomes from the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and looks at its significance for the development of the ecumenical movement in a time when it is faced by a number of significant challenges.Being ecumenical in Scotland today
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7277
Sheilagh Kesting identifies four areas which affect the ecumenical landscape of Scotland: the legacy of centuries of bitter religious division; continuing sectarianism; the dominance of the Church of Scotland (and more latterly the Roman Catholic church); and attitudes of local clergy and national denominations. While setting out the challenges each of these creates, her paper goes on to demonstrate that seemingly negative factors can also prove to be points of opportunity.
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZKesting, Sheilagh M.Sheilagh Kesting identifies four areas which affect the ecumenical landscape of Scotland: the legacy of centuries of bitter religious division; continuing sectarianism; the dominance of the Church of Scotland (and more latterly the Roman Catholic church); and attitudes of local clergy and national denominations. While setting out the challenges each of these creates, her paper goes on to demonstrate that seemingly negative factors can also prove to be points of opportunity.Editorial (Vol 14, No. 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7276
2006-12-01T00:00:00ZLyall, David"Back from the brink: stories of churches which refused to die" by Heather & Pat Wraight
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7275
Review of
Heather & Pat Wraight, Back From the Brink: Stories of Churches Which Refused To Die (London: Christian Research, 2006)
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZKavanagh, JoeReview of
Heather & Pat Wraight, Back From the Brink: Stories of Churches Which Refused To Die (London: Christian Research, 2006)"Who's afraid of postmodernism? Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to church" by James K. A. Smith
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7274
Review of James K. A. Smith, Who's afraid of postmodernism? Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to church by James K. A. Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2006)
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZStone, LanceReview of James K. A. Smith, Who's afraid of postmodernism? Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to church by James K. A. Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2006)"Habermas and theology" by Nicholas Adams
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7273
Review of Nicholas Adams, Habermas and theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZCha, Sang Y.Review of Nicholas Adams, Habermas and theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)Towards a theology of experience - through an exploration of the practice of healing ministry
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7272
Jenny Williams takes us with her on a very personal journey of self-discovery as she writes of the theology which has emerged from her experience of working creatively with the tensions that have been present throughout her career and which are integral to her ministry as Chaplain to the Christian Fellowship of Healing.
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZWilliams, JennyJenny Williams takes us with her on a very personal journey of self-discovery as she writes of the theology which has emerged from her experience of working creatively with the tensions that have been present throughout her career and which are integral to her ministry as Chaplain to the Christian Fellowship of Healing.Incomplete theology: reflections on a theology of hospice chaplaincy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7271
Working as a hospice chaplain, Tom Gordon's theology is generated by his perception of that healing of spirit which comes when healing of body is no longer possible. The theology which emerges from the reality of this engagement with the Christian tradition is fragmentary rather than systematic, but with its own truth and profundity.
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZGordon, TomWorking as a hospice chaplain, Tom Gordon's theology is generated by his perception of that healing of spirit which comes when healing of body is no longer possible. The theology which emerges from the reality of this engagement with the Christian tradition is fragmentary rather than systematic, but with its own truth and profundity.'What becomes possible in that place': reflections on ecumenical location
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7269
Taking as her starting point the physical shape of churches and Christian events (in particular last year's 9th Assembly of the WCC), Kathy Galloway goes on to use this concept of `shape' to examine the current make-up of the modern ecumenical movement as a whole; and, via the Christology of Rowan Williams, to assess where it needs to go and explore how it might get there.
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZGalloway, KathyTaking as her starting point the physical shape of churches and Christian events (in particular last year's 9th Assembly of the WCC), Kathy Galloway goes on to use this concept of `shape' to examine the current make-up of the modern ecumenical movement as a whole; and, via the Christology of Rowan Williams, to assess where it needs to go and explore how it might get there.A question of identity
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7268
Alison Elliot works in an academic context whose raison d'être is precisely the relationship between theology and issues in the public domain. She brings the added perspective of her year as Moderator of the General Assembly to reflect upon the role of the Church of Scotland as a national church in the 21st century. This is an issue which may come to assume increasing importance as the different churches in Scotland learn that they must work together in an increasingly secular country.
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZElliot, AlisonAlison Elliot works in an academic context whose raison d'être is precisely the relationship between theology and issues in the public domain. She brings the added perspective of her year as Moderator of the General Assembly to reflect upon the role of the Church of Scotland as a national church in the 21st century. This is an issue which may come to assume increasing importance as the different churches in Scotland learn that they must work together in an increasingly secular country.What is wrong with the Old Testament? Some reflections on war and violence in the Hebrew Bible
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7267
In this his Inaugural Lecture as Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at New College, Hans Barstad looks at how we can approach the Hebrew Bible without disregarding its difficult passages, and explores how we can use these to gain a deeper Christian understanding of contemporary issues such as war and violence.
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZBarstad, Hans M.In this his Inaugural Lecture as Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at New College, Hans Barstad looks at how we can approach the Hebrew Bible without disregarding its difficult passages, and explores how we can use these to gain a deeper Christian understanding of contemporary issues such as war and violence.Editorial (Vol 4, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7265
2007-06-01T00:00:00ZLyall, David"Letters to God from the wilderness" by Ronald Beasley
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7261
Review of
Ronald Beasley, letters to God from the wilderness (Edinburgh: Shoving Leopard Productions, 2006)
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of
Ronald Beasley, letters to God from the wilderness (Edinburgh: Shoving Leopard Productions, 2006)"The witness of the student Christian movement: 'church ahead of the church'" by Robin Boyd
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7260
Review of
Robin Boyd, The witness of the student Christian movement: 'church ahead of the church' (London: SPCK, 2007)
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZMujunen, ValtteriReview of
Robin Boyd, The witness of the student Christian movement: 'church ahead of the church' (London: SPCK, 2007)"Jesus of Nazareth: From the baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7257
Review of
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth: From the baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration (trans. A.J. Walker; London: Bloomsbury, 2007)
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZCampbell, DenisReview of
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth: From the baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration (trans. A.J. Walker; London: Bloomsbury, 2007)"Scottish piety: A miscellany from five centuries" by A. C. Cheyne
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7256
Review of
A. C. Cheyne, Scottish Piety: A Miscellany from Five Centuries (Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, 2007)
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of
A. C. Cheyne, Scottish Piety: A Miscellany from Five Centuries (Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, 2007)The McIntyre papers
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7255
David Fergusson undertakes a survey of five decades worth of McIntyre's papers, producing a portrait that takes in many of his accomplishments as well as some of the challenges he had to face along the way.
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZFergusson, DavidDavid Fergusson undertakes a survey of five decades worth of McIntyre's papers, producing a portrait that takes in many of his accomplishments as well as some of the challenges he had to face along the way.Theology, imagination and Scottish literature
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7254
Alison Jack uses works of Scottish literature, both classic and contemporary, as a way into McIntyre's exposition of faith, theology and imagination in a distinctly Scottish context.
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZJack, AlisonAlison Jack uses works of Scottish literature, both classic and contemporary, as a way into McIntyre's exposition of faith, theology and imagination in a distinctly Scottish context.John McIntyre and history
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7253
George Newlands takes us on a tour through McIntyre's writings on one of the central themes of his scholarship, the relationship between Christianity and history.
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZNewlands, GeorgeGeorge Newlands takes us on a tour through McIntyre's writings on one of the central themes of his scholarship, the relationship between Christianity and history.John McIntyre (1916-2005)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7250
After supplying a brief biography, D. W. D. Shaw employs one of McIntyre's own favoured tools, the use of models, to examine the many facets of his career in the church and the academy.
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.After supplying a brief biography, D. W. D. Shaw employs one of McIntyre's own favoured tools, the use of models, to examine the many facets of his career in the church and the academy.Editorial (Vol 14, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7249
2007-12-01T00:00:00ZLyall, DavidHow a microfinance network could have preempted the Syrian uprising
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7222
The story shared below sheds light on a hitherto unknown prelude to the Syrian Uprising of March 2011. It is a story of a microfinance network of sanadiq, or village funds, that was first established in an area known as Jabal al-Hoss, southeast of Aleppo, and was eventually disseminated throughout rural Syria. The story begins in 1996, when Syria hosted its first conference on poverty, and it ends in 2009, after the Syrian government shut down the sanadiq established at Jabal al- Hoss. For a brief period of time, over 7,000 inhabitants of Jabal al-Hoss were directly involved in an institutional setup, which empowered them politically and financially, and which constituted a model that was emulated not only in other parts of Syria, but in Lebanon and Jordan as well. In attacking and eventually dismantling this network, the Syrian government inadvertently lost an important opportunity to deflate the sense of political and economic marginalization of Syria’s rural inhabitants, which eventually found expression in the Arab spring.
Issue title: tribes & neighborhoods: the dynamics of subtlety
2014-02-05T00:00:00ZImady, OmarThe story shared below sheds light on a hitherto unknown prelude to the Syrian Uprising of March 2011. It is a story of a microfinance network of sanadiq, or village funds, that was first established in an area known as Jabal al-Hoss, southeast of Aleppo, and was eventually disseminated throughout rural Syria. The story begins in 1996, when Syria hosted its first conference on poverty, and it ends in 2009, after the Syrian government shut down the sanadiq established at Jabal al- Hoss. For a brief period of time, over 7,000 inhabitants of Jabal al-Hoss were directly involved in an institutional setup, which empowered them politically and financially, and which constituted a model that was emulated not only in other parts of Syria, but in Lebanon and Jordan as well. In attacking and eventually dismantling this network, the Syrian government inadvertently lost an important opportunity to deflate the sense of political and economic marginalization of Syria’s rural inhabitants, which eventually found expression in the Arab spring.Analyzing the domestic and international conflict in Syria: are there lessons from political science?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7221
This article contributes to the discussion about opportunities for and barriers to domestically-driven political reform in the Syrian Arab Republic. The argument is put forward in five sections. In the first section, relevant political science approaches analyzing the Syrian case from a domestic and global perspective are briefly discussed. The second section sketches the early political history of Syria between 1920 and 1970, while the third section explains how the regime led by Hafiz al-Assad was able to use the period after 1970 to consolidate Syrian statehood, establish a national security state, and emerge as a strong regional geopolitical player. Section four analyzes the period of the Presidency of Bashar al-Assad before the current crisis (from 2000 until March 2011). Lastly, section five discusses the recent escalation of the Syrian domestic crisis toward the largest armed conflict in the country’s history. Section five also scrutinizes the domestic political reform program as advanced by the Syrian government since April 2011 (essentially the new 2012 Syrian constitution and the new multiparty system). A conclusion sums up both the theoretical and empirical arguments.
Issue title: tribes & neighborhoods: the dynamics of subtlety
2014-02-05T00:00:00ZDostal, Jörg MichaelThis article contributes to the discussion about opportunities for and barriers to domestically-driven political reform in the Syrian Arab Republic. The argument is put forward in five sections. In the first section, relevant political science approaches analyzing the Syrian case from a domestic and global perspective are briefly discussed. The second section sketches the early political history of Syria between 1920 and 1970, while the third section explains how the regime led by Hafiz al-Assad was able to use the period after 1970 to consolidate Syrian statehood, establish a national security state, and emerge as a strong regional geopolitical player. Section four analyzes the period of the Presidency of Bashar al-Assad before the current crisis (from 2000 until March 2011). Lastly, section five discusses the recent escalation of the Syrian domestic crisis toward the largest armed conflict in the country’s history. Section five also scrutinizes the domestic political reform program as advanced by the Syrian government since April 2011 (essentially the new 2012 Syrian constitution and the new multiparty system). A conclusion sums up both the theoretical and empirical arguments.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 6, Issue 1
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7220
An introduction to Volume 6.1 - Contextualizing the Syrian Uprising.
Issue title: contextualizing the Syrian uprising
2014-02-05T00:00:00ZHinnebusch, RaymondAn introduction to Volume 6.1 - Contextualizing the Syrian Uprising.The making of a cosmopolitan quarter: Sha’laan in the 20th century
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7218
In 2001, the French Institute in Damascus (IFPO), in collaboration with the Maison de l’Orient de la Méditerranée/Université de Lyon 2 (GREMMO), and the Faculty of Architecture and Geography at the University of Damascus, began a multidisciplinary study of Damascus which undertook to examine the architecture, and the socio-economic development of Sha’laan. Dr Anne-Marie Bianquis, a geographer at GREMMO, began the scoping study of the Sha’laan quarter in that year. This included an examination of cadastral surveys, satellite photographs and detailed descriptions of the quarter by French bureaucrats, visitors’ reports and private diaries. In June 2006, with the mission of Dr Françoise Metral, some of the notable families of this quarter were identified and interviewed. Dr Metral’s survey highlighted the fact that the extended family of the Ruwalla Bedouin tribal leader, Emir Nuri Sha’laan, had played a significant part in establishing this once late Ottoman agricultural settlement into an important political and economic centre of Damascus. My role in the project was to contribute to the ethnographic history of the quarter through the personal testimonies of its inhabitants. With the support of a grant from the Council for British research in the Levant (CBRL), I made three research trips to Damascus between May 2008 and April 2009 seeking out a representative sample of the oldest living residents of the quarter who could contribute to an anthropology of this quarter. I engaged a research assistant, Jihad Darwaza, who ably sought out and negotiated informed consent with potential interviewees. Over three two-week periods I conducted a total of 22 interviews with a wide range of current and former residents in the quarter from the grandson of the Emir Nuri Sha’laan to a retired geography teacher turned bookseller. We interviewed shopkeepers and merchants who had maintained business in the quarter for over a half century and others who had been present in the quarter for decades but had recently sold up and moved to outlying suburbs of the city to take advantage of soaring real estate prices in Sha’laan.
Issue title: tribes & neighborhoods: the dynamics of subtlety
2014-06-06T00:00:00ZChatty, DawnIn 2001, the French Institute in Damascus (IFPO), in collaboration with the Maison de l’Orient de la Méditerranée/Université de Lyon 2 (GREMMO), and the Faculty of Architecture and Geography at the University of Damascus, began a multidisciplinary study of Damascus which undertook to examine the architecture, and the socio-economic development of Sha’laan. Dr Anne-Marie Bianquis, a geographer at GREMMO, began the scoping study of the Sha’laan quarter in that year. This included an examination of cadastral surveys, satellite photographs and detailed descriptions of the quarter by French bureaucrats, visitors’ reports and private diaries. In June 2006, with the mission of Dr Françoise Metral, some of the notable families of this quarter were identified and interviewed. Dr Metral’s survey highlighted the fact that the extended family of the Ruwalla Bedouin tribal leader, Emir Nuri Sha’laan, had played a significant part in establishing this once late Ottoman agricultural settlement into an important political and economic centre of Damascus. My role in the project was to contribute to the ethnographic history of the quarter through the personal testimonies of its inhabitants. With the support of a grant from the Council for British research in the Levant (CBRL), I made three research trips to Damascus between May 2008 and April 2009 seeking out a representative sample of the oldest living residents of the quarter who could contribute to an anthropology of this quarter. I engaged a research assistant, Jihad Darwaza, who ably sought out and negotiated informed consent with potential interviewees. Over three two-week periods I conducted a total of 22 interviews with a wide range of current and former residents in the quarter from the grandson of the Emir Nuri Sha’laan to a retired geography teacher turned bookseller. We interviewed shopkeepers and merchants who had maintained business in the quarter for over a half century and others who had been present in the quarter for decades but had recently sold up and moved to outlying suburbs of the city to take advantage of soaring real estate prices in Sha’laan.Tribes and tribalism in the Syrian uprising
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7217
This article attempts to explain the re-emergence of tribalism in Syria. Arab tribes in Syria have retained their solidarity networks and held on to their belief in the “ideology of a common lineage”, as well as to the importance of marriage and alliances, despite the fact that many have been driven from nomadism to sedentary agriculture and herding or to a settled life on the outskirts of cities. Most of the research conducted so far into the Syrian uprising has focused on the sectarian element of the conflict. Yet, there is also a tribal dimension to the conflict. This paper will shed light on the resurgence of tribalism during the Syrian uprising and investigate the role of Arab tribes during this period.
Issue title: tribes & neighborhoods: the dynamics of subtlety
2014-06-06T00:00:00ZDukhan, HaianThis article attempts to explain the re-emergence of tribalism in Syria. Arab tribes in Syria have retained their solidarity networks and held on to their belief in the “ideology of a common lineage”, as well as to the importance of marriage and alliances, despite the fact that many have been driven from nomadism to sedentary agriculture and herding or to a settled life on the outskirts of cities. Most of the research conducted so far into the Syrian uprising has focused on the sectarian element of the conflict. Yet, there is also a tribal dimension to the conflict. This paper will shed light on the resurgence of tribalism during the Syrian uprising and investigate the role of Arab tribes during this period.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 6, Issue 2
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7216
Preface by Omar Imady, the Managing Editor of Syria Studies.
Issue title: tribes & neighborhoods: the dynamics of subtlety
2014-06-06T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface by Omar Imady, the Managing Editor of Syria Studies.The strategy & goals of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Syrian Revolution
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7198
Since the Hama events of 1982 that led to the Muslim Brotherhood’s forced exile from Syria, the group’s aim has been the return to Syria. To achieve their goals, they have made use of different negotiation channels with the Assad regime during the past three decades. However, at one point, those channels were cut, and, being ostracized not only by the Syrian authorities, but also by many in the political opposition to the regime, the Brotherhood has crossed the threshold of relative and discontinuous passivity to full-blown oppositional activity. This paper examines the different strategies they have followed, such as political activity, provision of humanitarian aid, the exertion of influence on armed groups combating the regime, and the benefitting from the ideological similarities they bear with the newly elected regimes as well as the Turkish ruling party. Building on the information we examine, it is our hypothesis that the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood seemed to be the best-organized and coherent oppositional group might not necessarily lead them to power, especially when more radical groups with a jihadist strategy have taken the lead of the Islamist field and the situation remains extremely complex.
Issue title: Preludes to the Islamic State: contextualizing the rise of extremism in the Syrian Uprising
2014-12-01T00:00:00ZRamírez, NaomíSince the Hama events of 1982 that led to the Muslim Brotherhood’s forced exile from Syria, the group’s aim has been the return to Syria. To achieve their goals, they have made use of different negotiation channels with the Assad regime during the past three decades. However, at one point, those channels were cut, and, being ostracized not only by the Syrian authorities, but also by many in the political opposition to the regime, the Brotherhood has crossed the threshold of relative and discontinuous passivity to full-blown oppositional activity. This paper examines the different strategies they have followed, such as political activity, provision of humanitarian aid, the exertion of influence on armed groups combating the regime, and the benefitting from the ideological similarities they bear with the newly elected regimes as well as the Turkish ruling party. Building on the information we examine, it is our hypothesis that the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood seemed to be the best-organized and coherent oppositional group might not necessarily lead them to power, especially when more radical groups with a jihadist strategy have taken the lead of the Islamist field and the situation remains extremely complex.The Syrian War: religious & political representations
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7195
The analysis of the social media content of: Syrian & foreign - opposition & loyalist - official & informal will allow us to understand the extent to which political claims can (or cannot) overlook religious antagonisms. Indeed, the intensity of sectarian content rapidly increased as a direct response to the level of brutality used by both sides.
Issue title: Preludes to the Islamic State: contextualizing the rise of extremism in the Syrian Uprising
2014-12-01T00:00:00ZValter, StéphaneThe analysis of the social media content of: Syrian & foreign - opposition & loyalist - official & informal will allow us to understand the extent to which political claims can (or cannot) overlook religious antagonisms. Indeed, the intensity of sectarian content rapidly increased as a direct response to the level of brutality used by both sides.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 6, Issue 3
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7192
Preface to Vol 6, Number 3:
Preludes to the Islamic State:
contextualizing the rise of extremism in the Syrian uprising
Issue title: Preludes to the Islamic State: contextualizing the rise of extremism in the Syrian Uprising
2014-12-01T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface to Vol 6, Number 3:
Preludes to the Islamic State:
contextualizing the rise of extremism in the Syrian uprisingThe revolution “from below” and its misinterpretations “from above”. The case of Syria’s neglected civil society
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7191
In The Revolution “From Below” and Its Misinterpretations “From Above”. The Case of Syria’s Neglected Civil Society, Brownlee reminds us that civil society in the Arab world in general, and in Syria in particular, was not born in the Arab Spring, and perhaps more important, it was not eliminated even after the Uprising evolved into an armed conflict. Through various case studies, Brownlee documents not only how well established the civil society experience in Syria was, but also how resilient it has been to the various attempts by both sides of the conflict to crush it. Yet, as Brownlee’s findings illustrate, Western scholarship is generally captive to an Orientalist approach, which presupposes an attractive and easily accessible narrative, again seemingly sympathetic, and proceeds to explore reality through its prism. Hence, Western media created a bipolar narrative according to which the Syrian population rose in unity against an oppressive regime. This is not only an oversimplification, but it also ignores very important facts that cannot be reconciled with it. Aspects of the narrative that are deemed too complicated however, as Brownlee documents, are simply censored, even when the crisis continues to evolve in a manner that is markedly inconsistent with the bipolar narrative Western media is attached to.
2015-01-19T00:00:00ZBrownlee, Billie JeanneIn The Revolution “From Below” and Its Misinterpretations “From Above”. The Case of Syria’s Neglected Civil Society, Brownlee reminds us that civil society in the Arab world in general, and in Syria in particular, was not born in the Arab Spring, and perhaps more important, it was not eliminated even after the Uprising evolved into an armed conflict. Through various case studies, Brownlee documents not only how well established the civil society experience in Syria was, but also how resilient it has been to the various attempts by both sides of the conflict to crush it. Yet, as Brownlee’s findings illustrate, Western scholarship is generally captive to an Orientalist approach, which presupposes an attractive and easily accessible narrative, again seemingly sympathetic, and proceeds to explore reality through its prism. Hence, Western media created a bipolar narrative according to which the Syrian population rose in unity against an oppressive regime. This is not only an oversimplification, but it also ignores very important facts that cannot be reconciled with it. Aspects of the narrative that are deemed too complicated however, as Brownlee documents, are simply censored, even when the crisis continues to evolve in a manner that is markedly inconsistent with the bipolar narrative Western media is attached to.Untold stories of Syrian women surviving war
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7189
In "I must save my life and not risk my family’s safety!”: Untold Stories of Syrian Women Surviving War, Alhayek provides several case studies of Syrian women whose lives were irreversibly changed as a result of the events that unfolded after March 2011. The stories of these women vividly illustrate how difficult it is to come up with a neat and easily accessible profile for the suffering of Syrian women. Yet, this is precisely what Western media, albeit sympathetic, has attempted to achieve. Stories on child brides being sold to wealthy old men from the Gulf, though on the surface highlighting the suffering that Syrian women have undergone, are shown by Alhayek to have grossly misrepresented not only Syrian women, who are in fact as complex and multi-faceted as their Western counterparts, but also Syrian families for being willing to take part in such arrangements in the first place. Through interviews with six Syrian women, Alhayek brings home the idea that our understanding of the Syrian Uprising must be based on stories that are collected from below rather than on stereotypes imposed from above. The case studies defy any simplified narrative that one may wish to impose on them. In one case study, for example, the army is directly responsible for killing civilians, while in the other the army is shown to have been very respectful of women, especially in the early phase of the Uprising.
Issue title: Sympathetic stereotypes: the Syrian Uprising in western media and scholarship
2015-01-19T00:00:00ZAlhayek, KattyIn "I must save my life and not risk my family’s safety!”: Untold Stories of Syrian Women Surviving War, Alhayek provides several case studies of Syrian women whose lives were irreversibly changed as a result of the events that unfolded after March 2011. The stories of these women vividly illustrate how difficult it is to come up with a neat and easily accessible profile for the suffering of Syrian women. Yet, this is precisely what Western media, albeit sympathetic, has attempted to achieve. Stories on child brides being sold to wealthy old men from the Gulf, though on the surface highlighting the suffering that Syrian women have undergone, are shown by Alhayek to have grossly misrepresented not only Syrian women, who are in fact as complex and multi-faceted as their Western counterparts, but also Syrian families for being willing to take part in such arrangements in the first place. Through interviews with six Syrian women, Alhayek brings home the idea that our understanding of the Syrian Uprising must be based on stories that are collected from below rather than on stereotypes imposed from above. The case studies defy any simplified narrative that one may wish to impose on them. In one case study, for example, the army is directly responsible for killing civilians, while in the other the army is shown to have been very respectful of women, especially in the early phase of the Uprising.Preface: Syria Studies, Vol 7, Issue 1
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7188
Preface to Vol VII - 1 (2015):
sympathetic stereotypes:
the Syrian Uprising in western media and scholarship
Issue title: Sympathetic stereotypes: the Syrian Uprising in western media and scholarship
2015-01-19T00:00:00ZImady, OmarPreface to Vol VII - 1 (2015):
sympathetic stereotypes:
the Syrian Uprising in western media and scholarshipCoping with Asad: Lebanese prime ministers’ strategies
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7185
Issue title: The view from without: Syria & its neighbours
2015-03-24T00:00:00ZOsoegawa, TakuSunni Islamists in Tripoli and the Asad regime 1966-2014
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7174
Issue title: The view from without: Syria & its neighbours
2015-03-24T00:00:00ZGade, TineThe Syrian Civil War and Turkey-Syria-Iran relations
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7172
Issue title: The view from without: Syria & its neighbours
2015-03-24T00:00:00ZOktav, Özden ZeynepPreface: Syria Studies, Vol 7, Issue 2
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7171
Issue title: The view from without: Syria & its neighbours
2015-03-24T00:00:00ZImady, OmarBook review: Mohammed Imady
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7169
Book Review: Mohammed Imady, The evolving concepts of development in Syria: Damascus: Dar Tlas Lil-Dirasat wa-al-Nashr, 2004
Issue title: Semblance of order: institutional layers of the Syrian Uprising
2015-06-16T00:00:00ZArslanian, FerdinandBook Review: Mohammed Imady, The evolving concepts of development in Syria: Damascus: Dar Tlas Lil-Dirasat wa-al-Nashr, 2004Governance without government in Syria: civil society and state building during conflict
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7168
This article aims to break new ground in academia by bridging the existing knowledge and practice gap on governance during conflict. It seeks to understand the governance dynamics during conflict in the non-government-controlled parts of Syria. It pays particular attention to civil society and state building processes. In doing so, the study spans historical and geographical width. Historically, to understand the roots of the conflict, it assesses the state-civil society-market dynamics of governance in Syria prior to 2011. Nevertheless, its focus is on contemporary Syria between March, 2011 and May, 2014. Geographically, its particular attention and in-depth analysis is on three areas in the non-government-controlled parts: Al-Raqqa (the city), Deir Ez-zor (Al-Mayadeen and the city) and Aleppo (the city).
Issue title: Semblance of order: institutional layers of the Syrian Uprising
2015-06-16T00:00:00ZKhalaf, RanaThis article aims to break new ground in academia by bridging the existing knowledge and practice gap on governance during conflict. It seeks to understand the governance dynamics during conflict in the non-government-controlled parts of Syria. It pays particular attention to civil society and state building processes. In doing so, the study spans historical and geographical width. Historically, to understand the roots of the conflict, it assesses the state-civil society-market dynamics of governance in Syria prior to 2011. Nevertheless, its focus is on contemporary Syria between March, 2011 and May, 2014. Geographically, its particular attention and in-depth analysis is on three areas in the non-government-controlled parts: Al-Raqqa (the city), Deir Ez-zor (Al-Mayadeen and the city) and Aleppo (the city).Mapping the ailing (but resilient) Syrian banking sector
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7167
The purpose of this research is to provide a broad overview of the banking sector in Syria with a focus on the ownership structure of banks operating in the country, and the impact of the conflict on the investments in this sector.
Issue title: Semblance of order: institutional layers of the Syrian Uprising
2015-06-16T00:00:00Zal-Kattan, RashadThe purpose of this research is to provide a broad overview of the banking sector in Syria with a focus on the ownership structure of banks operating in the country, and the impact of the conflict on the investments in this sector.Sandra Walklate and Gabe Mythen, contradictions of terrorism: security, risk and resilience. London and New York: Routledge 2014.
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7166
194 pp., US $ 44.95 [Paperback]; ISBN 978-0-415-62653-8.
Reviewed by Nick J. Sciullo
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZSciullo, Nick J.194 pp., US $ 44.95 [Paperback]; ISBN 978-0-415-62653-8.
Reviewed by Nick J. SciulloOff with their heads: the Islamic State and civilian beheadings
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7165
This commentary evaluates the use of beheadings by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. We place beheadings in a broader historical context and draw from academic research in terrorism studies and the social sciences to explain why the Islamic State has adopted such brutal tactics. We outline the strategic logic of beheading and evaluate explanations related to symbolic politics, culture, and organizational dynamics. We conclude with a discussion about the future of Islamic State violence.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZZech, Steven T.Kelly, Zane M.This commentary evaluates the use of beheadings by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. We place beheadings in a broader historical context and draw from academic research in terrorism studies and the social sciences to explain why the Islamic State has adopted such brutal tactics. We outline the strategic logic of beheading and evaluate explanations related to symbolic politics, culture, and organizational dynamics. We conclude with a discussion about the future of Islamic State violence.Al Qaida’s persuasive devices in the digital world
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7162
The study examines the application of the post-World War II U.S. Armed Forces propaganda analysis methods as a valid framework for the analysis of modern extremist social media. Using Jihadist and Islamic extremist, Al Qaida core, affiliate and associate (AQAA), digital media products, the framework examines persuasive devices used to attempt to appeal to potential recruits and ultimately incite them to violence. The findings of the content analysis extend previous examinations and provide a unique lens in which to view the appeals used in messaging to encourage potential violent actors in civil society. The examination categorizes tools of persuasion with the aim to validate the applicability of a historical framework in exploring modern messaging, informing future counter-narratives, and providing law enforcement cues in the analysis and determination of ongoing threats in their respective jurisdictions.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZBachmann, MichaelWright, Julia E.The study examines the application of the post-World War II U.S. Armed Forces propaganda analysis methods as a valid framework for the analysis of modern extremist social media. Using Jihadist and Islamic extremist, Al Qaida core, affiliate and associate (AQAA), digital media products, the framework examines persuasive devices used to attempt to appeal to potential recruits and ultimately incite them to violence. The findings of the content analysis extend previous examinations and provide a unique lens in which to view the appeals used in messaging to encourage potential violent actors in civil society. The examination categorizes tools of persuasion with the aim to validate the applicability of a historical framework in exploring modern messaging, informing future counter-narratives, and providing law enforcement cues in the analysis and determination of ongoing threats in their respective jurisdictions.Confronting Islamic Jihadist movements
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7161
This paper argues that in order to win the long-term fight against Islamic Jihadist movements, we must confront their ideological foundations and provide the majority of Muslims with an alternative narrative that satisfies their social identity needs for a positive esteem. By analysing social identity dynamics of Western-Muslim interactions, this paper presents some novel ideas that can lead to the creation of such a narrative.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZUpal, M. AfzalThis paper argues that in order to win the long-term fight against Islamic Jihadist movements, we must confront their ideological foundations and provide the majority of Muslims with an alternative narrative that satisfies their social identity needs for a positive esteem. By analysing social identity dynamics of Western-Muslim interactions, this paper presents some novel ideas that can lead to the creation of such a narrative.Terrorism in Indonesia: a review on rehabilitation and deradicalization
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7160
In the context where terrorism is viewed as an act of crime based on ideology, rehabilitating offenders are significantly critical. This journal aims to identify terror activists’ behavior transformation process, critical development areas needed in changing terrorism perpetrators’ behavior, key elements in rehabilitation, criterions for successful rehabilitation, and parameters of effective deradicalization according to those who have disengaged from violence and criminal activities. Data were collected from forty three former terrorism perpetrators and religious activists inside and outside prisons using unstructured interviews, focused group discussions, and a list of questions in a questionnaire. The result shows that behavior transformation is possible and there are six dimensions of critical areas of development needed in rehabilitating terror activists in Indonesia. The result also indicates some inputs for successful rehabilitation and effective deradicalization.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZZora, A. SukabdiIn the context where terrorism is viewed as an act of crime based on ideology, rehabilitating offenders are significantly critical. This journal aims to identify terror activists’ behavior transformation process, critical development areas needed in changing terrorism perpetrators’ behavior, key elements in rehabilitation, criterions for successful rehabilitation, and parameters of effective deradicalization according to those who have disengaged from violence and criminal activities. Data were collected from forty three former terrorism perpetrators and religious activists inside and outside prisons using unstructured interviews, focused group discussions, and a list of questions in a questionnaire. The result shows that behavior transformation is possible and there are six dimensions of critical areas of development needed in rehabilitating terror activists in Indonesia. The result also indicates some inputs for successful rehabilitation and effective deradicalization.Fundamentalism and terrorism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7143
Citizens worldwide are becoming all too familiar with the accelerated frequency of terrorist attacks in the 21st century, particularly with those involving a religious underpinning. Why, though, have religiously-affiliated acts of terrorism become such a common occurrence? By examining how religious fundamentalism has accelerated and intensified terrorism within the modern world, scholars can focus on determining the “why”. By historically defining terrorism and fundamentalism and then placing them within the context of current religio-political and socio-political discourse, one can observe the shift from nationalism into terrorism and therefore understanding the innate interconnectedness of fundamentalism and terrorism as a whole.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZRausch, Cassandra ChristinaCitizens worldwide are becoming all too familiar with the accelerated frequency of terrorist attacks in the 21st century, particularly with those involving a religious underpinning. Why, though, have religiously-affiliated acts of terrorism become such a common occurrence? By examining how religious fundamentalism has accelerated and intensified terrorism within the modern world, scholars can focus on determining the “why”. By historically defining terrorism and fundamentalism and then placing them within the context of current religio-political and socio-political discourse, one can observe the shift from nationalism into terrorism and therefore understanding the innate interconnectedness of fundamentalism and terrorism as a whole.The Arab Awakening and US counterterrorism in the Greater Middle East: a missed opportunity
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7142
In 2011, the Arab Awakening offered an opportunity to the Obama administration to advance the US interest to counter terrorism in the Greater Middle East without compromising its commitment to the promotion of democracy. As of early 2015, however, with the exception of still-hopeful Tunisia, democracy has not made any significant progress in Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, old and new regional extremist groups have become increasingly active. How did the Obama administration miss the opportunity offered by the Arab Awakening? What actions could the United States take to reverse current unfavorable trends and advance US policies of counterterrorism and democratization in the region?
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZLilli, EugenioIn 2011, the Arab Awakening offered an opportunity to the Obama administration to advance the US interest to counter terrorism in the Greater Middle East without compromising its commitment to the promotion of democracy. As of early 2015, however, with the exception of still-hopeful Tunisia, democracy has not made any significant progress in Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, old and new regional extremist groups have become increasingly active. How did the Obama administration miss the opportunity offered by the Arab Awakening? What actions could the United States take to reverse current unfavorable trends and advance US policies of counterterrorism and democratization in the region?This is not your mother’s terrorism: social media, online radicalization and the practice of political jamming
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7141
It is commonly recognized that social media presents vast new opportunities for terrorist groups seeking to radicalize audiences. However, few scholars have studied the actual mechanisms by which radicalizing messages are delivered to those audiences. Within this paper, the author explores one key aspect of the phenomenon of ‘jihadi cool’ – that is, the rendering of pro-Islamic terrorism into something hip and trendy among online audiences. Discussed is the use of political jamming: a subversive, satirical activity that draws on humor to reinforce ideological messages. The opportunity for countering these messages through the same technique is also considered.
2015-05-25T00:00:00ZHuey, LauraIt is commonly recognized that social media presents vast new opportunities for terrorist groups seeking to radicalize audiences. However, few scholars have studied the actual mechanisms by which radicalizing messages are delivered to those audiences. Within this paper, the author explores one key aspect of the phenomenon of ‘jihadi cool’ – that is, the rendering of pro-Islamic terrorism into something hip and trendy among online audiences. Discussed is the use of political jamming: a subversive, satirical activity that draws on humor to reinforce ideological messages. The opportunity for countering these messages through the same technique is also considered.Warren Chin. Britain and the war on terror: policy, strategy and operations
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/6662
Dorchester: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2013. pp.250. £65.00. ISBN: 978-0-7546-9528-8. Reviewed by Sarah V. Marsden.
2015-02-04T00:00:00ZMarsden, Sarah V.Dorchester: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2013. pp.250. £65.00. ISBN: 978-0-7546-9528-8. Reviewed by Sarah V. Marsden.The evaluation of the effectiveness of counterterrorism policies on the PKK-inflicted violence during the democratization process of Turkey
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/6661
This study tries to explore the relationship between soft-line governmental policy interventions of Turkey and the responses of the PKK (The Kurdistan Workers’ Party) by using time series data from 1995 to 2010. The negative binomial specifications for two models, the number of incidents and the number casualties are used. The aggregated impact of soft-line policies on the level of violence is found to be positive and significant. In one hand, Turkey’s EU accession process had a decreasing impact on PKK inflicted violence. On the other hand, the Active Repentance Law increased the violence in the short run. It was found that defiance based governmental policy interventions of Turkey had an increasing impact on the PKK-inflicted violence.
2015-02-04T00:00:00ZCiftci, IrfanKula, SedatThis study tries to explore the relationship between soft-line governmental policy interventions of Turkey and the responses of the PKK (The Kurdistan Workers’ Party) by using time series data from 1995 to 2010. The negative binomial specifications for two models, the number of incidents and the number casualties are used. The aggregated impact of soft-line policies on the level of violence is found to be positive and significant. In one hand, Turkey’s EU accession process had a decreasing impact on PKK inflicted violence. On the other hand, the Active Repentance Law increased the violence in the short run. It was found that defiance based governmental policy interventions of Turkey had an increasing impact on the PKK-inflicted violence.Changing the rules of war: the controversies surrounding the United States’ expanded use of drones
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/6660
The Obama administration has an opportunity, and some would say an obligation, to create a doctrine that sets guidelines for the development and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. There are a number of debates surrounding the use of drones, the most contentious of which have been as to whether governments have legal authorization to do so, and of how combatant status is defined under current international law. In Obama’s first term, his administration worked to rollback the world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. His efforts and vision of a world without nuclear weapons was one of the reasons why President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize—inclusive, of course, of his effort to strengthen international diplomacy. Yet, during this same period, his administration has developed and utilized revolutionary military technologies that may well become signature weapons of the 21st century. Since 9/11, there has been an alarming increase in the use of drones.
2015-02-04T00:00:00ZBoussios, EmanuelThe Obama administration has an opportunity, and some would say an obligation, to create a doctrine that sets guidelines for the development and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. There are a number of debates surrounding the use of drones, the most contentious of which have been as to whether governments have legal authorization to do so, and of how combatant status is defined under current international law. In Obama’s first term, his administration worked to rollback the world’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. His efforts and vision of a world without nuclear weapons was one of the reasons why President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize—inclusive, of course, of his effort to strengthen international diplomacy. Yet, during this same period, his administration has developed and utilized revolutionary military technologies that may well become signature weapons of the 21st century. Since 9/11, there has been an alarming increase in the use of drones.Expanding the paradigm: countering violent extremism in Britain and the need for a youth centric community based approach
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/6659
In recent years, both academics and politicians alike have struggled to develop a coherent strategy on how to hone in the threat posed by Islamic extremists at home and abroad. This issue has taken center stage in recent months with the emergence of the Islamic State (IS). This article will explore the UK’s experience with trying to contain Islamic extremism, focusing particularly on the role youth development may play in future endeavors.
2015-02-04T00:00:00ZPowers, Samuel TylerIn recent years, both academics and politicians alike have struggled to develop a coherent strategy on how to hone in the threat posed by Islamic extremists at home and abroad. This issue has taken center stage in recent months with the emergence of the Islamic State (IS). This article will explore the UK’s experience with trying to contain Islamic extremism, focusing particularly on the role youth development may play in future endeavors.The use of structures in communication networks to track membership in terrorist groups
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/6658
This concept paper investigates possibilities to detect terrorist cells based on communications between individuals without the need for wiretapping. The advantages of such procedure are apparent: fewer (if any) legal requirements, and, most importantly, the possibility to automate the surveillance. After a brief review of the pertinent literature, we offer three approaches that are designed to aid in the detection of not only terrorist cells, but also the command structures within the cells. The techniques are demonstrated by using a small illustration. The paper concludes by outlining limitations of the procedures described here.
2015-02-04T00:00:00ZEiselt, H. A.Bhadbury, J.This concept paper investigates possibilities to detect terrorist cells based on communications between individuals without the need for wiretapping. The advantages of such procedure are apparent: fewer (if any) legal requirements, and, most importantly, the possibility to automate the surveillance. After a brief review of the pertinent literature, we offer three approaches that are designed to aid in the detection of not only terrorist cells, but also the command structures within the cells. The techniques are demonstrated by using a small illustration. The paper concludes by outlining limitations of the procedures described here."Conversations with Barth on preaching" by William H. Willimon
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5815
Review of
William H. Willimon, Conversations with Barth on Preaching (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006)
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZCampbell, DenisReview of
William H. Willimon, Conversations with Barth on Preaching (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006)"God's companions: reimagining Christian ethics" by Samuel Wells
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5814
Review of
Samuel Wells, God's Companions: Reimagining Christian Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006)
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZCha, Sang Y.Review of
Samuel Wells, God's Companions: Reimagining Christian Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006)"James Denney (1856-1917): an intellectual and contextual biography" by James M. Gordon
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5813
Review of
James M. Gordon, James Denney (1856-1917): An Intellectual and Contextual Biography (Bletchley: Paternoster, 2006)
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZMcEnhill, PeterReview of
James M. Gordon, James Denney (1856-1917): An Intellectual and Contextual Biography (Bletchley: Paternoster, 2006)"Christian wisdom: desiring God and learning in love" by David Ford
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5812
Review of
David Ford, Christian Wisdom: Desiring God and Learning in Love (Cambridge: CUP, 2007)
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZCha, Sang Y.Review of
David Ford, Christian Wisdom: Desiring God and Learning in Love (Cambridge: CUP, 2007)'Blossoming spirits': communication despite dementia
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5811
Despite the very real barriers faced by those caring for people with severe dementia, Jane Blackley argues that communication is not only possible, but for Christians is an imperative. While being realistic about the extent of the challenges involved, she puts forward a number of very practical suggestions for ways in which communication can be established and maintained.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZBlackley, Jane M.Despite the very real barriers faced by those caring for people with severe dementia, Jane Blackley argues that communication is not only possible, but for Christians is an imperative. While being realistic about the extent of the challenges involved, she puts forward a number of very practical suggestions for ways in which communication can be established and maintained.On the song of songs: a beautiful and enriching love
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5810
Hilary Smith, exploring the issue of human sexuality in the Song of Songs, writes from the perspective of preaching from a lectionary passage when it might have been easier to preach on one of the other readings. She finds that it is a text that has a surprising amount to say to our disordered society.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZSmith, Hilary W.Hilary Smith, exploring the issue of human sexuality in the Song of Songs, writes from the perspective of preaching from a lectionary passage when it might have been easier to preach on one of the other readings. She finds that it is a text that has a surprising amount to say to our disordered society.The final destiny of the unevangelised
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5809
Some prefer to skirt around this thorny theological issue, but it is one that is nonetheless encountered from time to time in pastoral situations involving bereavement. Gordon Grant draws upon scriptural evidence, the thought of the early Church, and cutting edge contemporary theology to attempt to recast an eschatology for the unevangelised and to consider the implications of this for funeral rites in today's Church.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZGrant, GordonSome prefer to skirt around this thorny theological issue, but it is one that is nonetheless encountered from time to time in pastoral situations involving bereavement. Gordon Grant draws upon scriptural evidence, the thought of the early Church, and cutting edge contemporary theology to attempt to recast an eschatology for the unevangelised and to consider the implications of this for funeral rites in today's Church.Lost in translation: what did Bonhoeffer mean by 'coming of age'?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5808
The writings of few twentieth-century theologians have been as widely read as those of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, however Peter Potter argues that misinterpretation of certain key phrases in English translations of his work has led to serious confusion about aspects of his thought. He looks in particular at the phrase 'a world come of age', examining in detail how a deeper understanding of Bonhoeffer's intention has so much more to say to us today than has often been apparent in studies of his work.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZPotter, Peter M.The writings of few twentieth-century theologians have been as widely read as those of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, however Peter Potter argues that misinterpretation of certain key phrases in English translations of his work has led to serious confusion about aspects of his thought. He looks in particular at the phrase 'a world come of age', examining in detail how a deeper understanding of Bonhoeffer's intention has so much more to say to us today than has often been apparent in studies of his work.Reconciling memories
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5807
In this paper Alan Falconer examines the lessons learned from a study into the way in which memories of past events have shaped - and held captive - communities in Northern Ireland. He seeks to apply these lessons to inter-church relations and considers what would be involved in establishing a process that sets out to break the cycle of action and reaction that has helped deepen divisions between branches of the Christian Church.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZFalconer, Alan D.In this paper Alan Falconer examines the lessons learned from a study into the way in which memories of past events have shaped - and held captive - communities in Northern Ireland. He seeks to apply these lessons to inter-church relations and considers what would be involved in establishing a process that sets out to break the cycle of action and reaction that has helped deepen divisions between branches of the Christian Church.Faith-ful citizens? Christian churches and social cohesion in Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5806
The issue of social cohesion in Scotland (or the lack of it) has been thrown into sharp perspective by the attempted bombing of Glasgow Airport in 2007. Cecilia Clegg asks what Christian churches are doing to aid the integration of people so that positive social cohesion can be promoted and violence, particularly religiously-motivated violence, becomes less likely.
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZClegg, CeceliaThe issue of social cohesion in Scotland (or the lack of it) has been thrown into sharp perspective by the attempted bombing of Glasgow Airport in 2007. Cecilia Clegg asks what Christian churches are doing to aid the integration of people so that positive social cohesion can be promoted and violence, particularly religiously-motivated violence, becomes less likely.Editorial (Vol 15, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5805
2008-06-01T00:00:00ZLyall, David"The legacy of Billy Graham: critical reflections on America's greatest evangelist" edited by Michael G Long
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5765
Review of
Michael G Long (ed.), The Legacy of Billy Graham: Critical Reflections on America's Greatest Evangelist (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008)
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZCampbell, DenisReview of
Michael G Long (ed.), The Legacy of Billy Graham: Critical Reflections on America's Greatest Evangelist (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008)"The Eucharist: bodies, bread and resurrection" by Andrea Bieler & Luise Schottroff
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5764
Review of
Andrea Bieler & Luise Schottroff, The Eucharist: Bodies, Bread and Resurrection (Minneapolis, Mn.: Fortress Press, 2007)
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMcEnhill, PeterReview of
Andrea Bieler & Luise Schottroff, The Eucharist: Bodies, Bread and Resurrection (Minneapolis, Mn.: Fortress Press, 2007)"The weakest link and other sermons on the Lord's Supper" by Ian MacLeod
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5763
Review of
Ian MacLeod, The Weakest Link and Other Sermons on the Lord's Supper (Guildford: Grosvenor Publishing House, 2007)
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMcEnhill, PeterReview of
Ian MacLeod, The Weakest Link and Other Sermons on the Lord's Supper (Guildford: Grosvenor Publishing House, 2007)"Making a meal of it: rethinking the theology of the Lord's Supper" by Ben Witherington III
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5762
Review of
Ben Witherington III, Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper (Waco, Tx.: Baylor University Press, 2007)
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMackenzie, JonReview of
Ben Witherington III, Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper (Waco, Tx.: Baylor University Press, 2007)The sacrament in one man's ministry
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5761
Beginning with a personal reflection on the place of Holy Communion in his own life and ministry, Gilleasbuig Macmillan goes on to draw on this experience to present some thoughts on the nature of the sacrament and on how it may be practiced.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMacmillan, GilleasbuigBeginning with a personal reflection on the place of Holy Communion in his own life and ministry, Gilleasbuig Macmillan goes on to draw on this experience to present some thoughts on the nature of the sacrament and on how it may be practiced.Continuity and discontinuity: the Lord's Supper in historical perspective
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5760
While the Reformation brought a transformation in the way the Lord's Supper was celebrated in Scotland, Henry Sefton's paper shows that the change in practice was not at complete as might be thought, and that through the centuries that followed there has been a survival of a number of older traditions.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZSefton, HenryWhile the Reformation brought a transformation in the way the Lord's Supper was celebrated in Scotland, Henry Sefton's paper shows that the change in practice was not at complete as might be thought, and that through the centuries that followed there has been a survival of a number of older traditions.Epiclesis: a way of life
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5759
The epiclesis is that part of the prayer of consecration of the Eucharistic elements by which the Holy Spirit is invoked. Roddy Hamilton's essay raises some very thought-provoking questions about what is going on at this point in the service, what this means for church practice, and about how it speaks to a wider world.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZHamilton, RoddyThe epiclesis is that part of the prayer of consecration of the Eucharistic elements by which the Holy Spirit is invoked. Roddy Hamilton's essay raises some very thought-provoking questions about what is going on at this point in the service, what this means for church practice, and about how it speaks to a wider world.'We will take what you offer': communion as countercultural act
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5758
Muriel Pearson's consideration of Holy Communion is rooted in life of a parish church, exploring how the living out of the central message of the sacrament in a community setting can be a profoundly countercultural act.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZPearson, MurielMuriel Pearson's consideration of Holy Communion is rooted in life of a parish church, exploring how the living out of the central message of the sacrament in a community setting can be a profoundly countercultural act.'In this sacrament the whole of what our religion means is expressed'
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5757
A passage from C. H. Dodd's Christian Worship provides the basis for an examination of Holy Communion in the life and worship of a community and a survey of recent work by scholars of the Reformed tradition on development of thought and practice on the sacrament.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZFalconer, Alan D.A passage from C. H. Dodd's Christian Worship provides the basis for an examination of Holy Communion in the life and worship of a community and a survey of recent work by scholars of the Reformed tradition on development of thought and practice on the sacrament.The Feill: the Lord's supper as feast
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5756
From Robert Bruce and Samuel Rutherford onwards, Donald Macleod draws on a wide range of sources to reflect on the profound significance of the Communion Season (Gaelic: Feill, or Feast) in the Scottish Church and in the Highland tradition in particular.
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMacleod, DonaldFrom Robert Bruce and Samuel Rutherford onwards, Donald Macleod draws on a wide range of sources to reflect on the profound significance of the Communion Season (Gaelic: Feill, or Feast) in the Scottish Church and in the Highland tradition in particular.Editorial (Vol 15, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5755
2008-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"The hint half guessed" by Alastair Hulbert
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5752
Review of
Alastair Hulbert, The Hint Half Guessed (Edinburgh: J. R. Reid, 2008)
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of
Alastair Hulbert, The Hint Half Guessed (Edinburgh: J. R. Reid, 2008)"Orthodox and modern: studies in the theology of Karl Barth" by Bruce L. McCormack
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5751
Review of
Bruce L. McCormack: Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2008)
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, FrancesReview of
Bruce L. McCormack: Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2008)"Public theology in cultural engagement" edited by Stephen R. Holmes
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5750
Review of
Stephen R. Holmes (ed.), Public Theology in Cultural Engagement (Milton Keynes, Paternoster, 2008)
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZSexton, Jason S.Review of
Stephen R. Holmes (ed.), Public Theology in Cultural Engagement (Milton Keynes, Paternoster, 2008)"On Rowan Williams: critical essays" edited by Matheson Russell
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5749
Review of
Matheson Russell (ed.): On Rowan Williams: Critical Essays (Eugene, Or.: Cascade Books, 2009)
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZMackenzie, JonReview of
Matheson Russell (ed.): On Rowan Williams: Critical Essays (Eugene, Or.: Cascade Books, 2009)The Beuk o Amos
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5748
The Book of Amos is notable amongst Old Testament books for its evocative language and imagery. If we needed a fresh reminder of its power, it is ably provided here in a translation by Duncan Sneddon which displays the characteristic strength of fluent Scots speech.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZSneddon, DuncanThe Book of Amos is notable amongst Old Testament books for its evocative language and imagery. If we needed a fresh reminder of its power, it is ably provided here in a translation by Duncan Sneddon which displays the characteristic strength of fluent Scots speech.The Joint Declaration on the doctrine of Justification: an exposition and a critique from a Reformed perspective
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5747
The Joint Declaration made by the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches in 1999 stands as a considerable marker on the road towards a common understanding of one of the central questions to have divided the Church at the time of the Reformation. John McPake offers a concise and very valuable guide to the Joint Declaration and places Reformed doctrine in relation to it.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZMcPake, John L.The Joint Declaration made by the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches in 1999 stands as a considerable marker on the road towards a common understanding of one of the central questions to have divided the Church at the time of the Reformation. John McPake offers a concise and very valuable guide to the Joint Declaration and places Reformed doctrine in relation to it.The reality of addressing God in prayer
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5746
Graham Monteith uses the thought of the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid to explore ways in which modern speech act theory can be employed to extend our understanding of communication with God through prayer.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZMonteith, W. GrahamGraham Monteith uses the thought of the eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid to explore ways in which modern speech act theory can be employed to extend our understanding of communication with God through prayer.There are lies, damned lies and Romanticism: a classical approach to the problem of theoria
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5745
By way of Schleiermacher, Goethe, Walter Scott, Collingwood, Coleridge, Aristotle and a host of others, Douglas Templeton's paper suggests, using a crafted literary style in which form and content are intimately related, that we re-think the concept of Romanticism.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZTempleton, DouglasBy way of Schleiermacher, Goethe, Walter Scott, Collingwood, Coleridge, Aristotle and a host of others, Douglas Templeton's paper suggests, using a crafted literary style in which form and content are intimately related, that we re-think the concept of Romanticism.Thirteen findings on the Bible
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5744
Drawing on experience gleaned from living and working amongst those on the margins of society and on extensive biblical study, Andrew Parker recasts a whole range of questions concerning the Bible and the marginalized. While he expects that not everyone will agree with his conclusions, they are an invitation to thought, dialogue, and debate.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZParker, AndrewDrawing on experience gleaned from living and working amongst those on the margins of society and on extensive biblical study, Andrew Parker recasts a whole range of questions concerning the Bible and the marginalized. While he expects that not everyone will agree with his conclusions, they are an invitation to thought, dialogue, and debate.Prayer: when the 'whole thing' becomes 'the whole blessed thing' - perspectives on George MacLeod and the founding of the Iona community
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5743
Best known for his political activism and as the founder of the Iona Community, George MacLeod remains one of the most influential Scottish churchmen of the twentieth century. In this paper, James Gordon introduces us to the fascinating relation between MacLeod's prayers and his political and cultural thinking.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZGordon, JimBest known for his political activism and as the founder of the Iona Community, George MacLeod remains one of the most influential Scottish churchmen of the twentieth century. In this paper, James Gordon introduces us to the fascinating relation between MacLeod's prayers and his political and cultural thinking.Liberation, not independence: a practical theological paradigm for people in Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5742
The Scottish National Party have stated their intention to provide a referendum by which people in Scotland can express their view on independence. With reference to John Paul II, Jürgen Moltmann, and the sociologist Manuel Castells, Eric Stoddart examines the SNP's case for an independent Scotland and finds it politically, ethically and theologically inadequate, arguing instead that liberation will serve as a much better paradigm in which to frame the future for people in Scotland.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZStoddart, EricThe Scottish National Party have stated their intention to provide a referendum by which people in Scotland can express their view on independence. With reference to John Paul II, Jürgen Moltmann, and the sociologist Manuel Castells, Eric Stoddart examines the SNP's case for an independent Scotland and finds it politically, ethically and theologically inadequate, arguing instead that liberation will serve as a much better paradigm in which to frame the future for people in Scotland.Church and state in Scotland: the Articles Declaratory
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5741
A special commission has been tasked by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to report on that article of the Church's constitution which declares it to be the national church in Scotland. Marjory MacLean's paper offers some background and sets out questions very pertinent to the debate.
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZMacLean, Marjory A.A special commission has been tasked by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to report on that article of the Church's constitution which declares it to be the national church in Scotland. Marjory MacLean's paper offers some background and sets out questions very pertinent to the debate.Editorial (Vol 16, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5740
2009-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"A reader's guide to Calvin's Institutes" by Anthony N. S. Lane; "A theological guide to Calvin's Institutes: essays and analysis" edited by David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5739
Reviews of
Anthony N. S. Lane, A Reader's Guide to Calvin's Institutes (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Publishing Group, 2009).
David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback (eds.), A Theological Guide to Calvin's Institutes: Essays and Analysis (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Publishing, 2008)
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZEglinton, JamesReviews of
Anthony N. S. Lane, A Reader's Guide to Calvin's Institutes (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Publishing Group, 2009).
David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback (eds.), A Theological Guide to Calvin's Institutes: Essays and Analysis (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Publishing, 2008)"Calvin and the Bible" edited by Donald K. McKim
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5738
Review of
Donald K. McKim (ed.), Calvin and the Bible (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZCranfield, Mary M.Review of
Donald K. McKim (ed.), Calvin and the Bible (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)"Calvin, participation, and the gift: the activity of believers in union with Christ" by J. Todd Billings
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5737
Review of
J. Todd Billings, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2007)
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZCanlis, JulieReview of
J. Todd Billings, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2007)"Calvin" by Bruce Gordon
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5736
Review of
Bruce Gordon, Calvin (New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale University Press, 2009)
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZKato, YoshiReview of
Bruce Gordon, Calvin (New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale University Press, 2009)"Calvin: a brief guide to his life and thought" by Willem van't Spijker; "Calvin: a guide for the perplexed" by Paul Helm
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5735
Reviews of
Willem van't Spijker, Calvin: A Brief Guide to His Life and Thought (trans. Lyle D. Bierma; Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009);
Paul Helm, Calvin: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: T&T Clark, 2008)
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZWardley, JasonReviews of
Willem van't Spijker, Calvin: A Brief Guide to His Life and Thought (trans. Lyle D. Bierma; Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009);
Paul Helm, Calvin: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: T&T Clark, 2008)What does it mean to be human? John Calvin's surprising answer
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5734
Julie Canlis offers an introduction to her wider studies concerning Calvin's profound understanding of the mediation of Christ. She demonstrates that an understanding of relationality is at the heart of Calvin's views on our participation in Christ and, through Christ, our relational being in the Father.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZCanlis, JulieJulie Canlis offers an introduction to her wider studies concerning Calvin's profound understanding of the mediation of Christ. She demonstrates that an understanding of relationality is at the heart of Calvin's views on our participation in Christ and, through Christ, our relational being in the Father.Calvinism and the arts
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5733
Susan Hardman Moore's article is a study of the wider impact of Calvin's theological approach to signs and signifieds, i.e., his steady insistence on words and the Word. In this paper, she draws our attention to the nature of the intellectual transformation this insistence brought about in aspects of the thought of Northern Europe.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZHardman Moore, SusanSusan Hardman Moore's article is a study of the wider impact of Calvin's theological approach to signs and signifieds, i.e., his steady insistence on words and the Word. In this paper, she draws our attention to the nature of the intellectual transformation this insistence brought about in aspects of the thought of Northern Europe.Some history and histories of Calvin in the context of the Reformation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5732
In a major article, Ian Hazlitt re-examines historical interpretations and caricatures of Calvin from a variety of perspectives regarding: predestination; l'affaire Servetus; anti-Calvin sentiment; Calvin's influence in England and Scotland; and, finally, Calvin as kill-joy. What emerges from this study is not, of course, the Calvin of contemporary media portrayal, but Calvin the man.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZHazlett, IanIn a major article, Ian Hazlitt re-examines historical interpretations and caricatures of Calvin from a variety of perspectives regarding: predestination; l'affaire Servetus; anti-Calvin sentiment; Calvin's influence in England and Scotland; and, finally, Calvin as kill-joy. What emerges from this study is not, of course, the Calvin of contemporary media portrayal, but Calvin the man.Scotland and the example of Geneva
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5731
Jane Dawson examines the extent to which the new Reformed church in Scotland owed a debt to the Genevan model and looks at how, as the Reformation in Europe progressed, the 'example of Geneva' became the 'example of Scotland'.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZDawson, Jane E. A.Jane Dawson examines the extent to which the new Reformed church in Scotland owed a debt to the Genevan model and looks at how, as the Reformation in Europe progressed, the 'example of Geneva' became the 'example of Scotland'.The influence of Calvinism on politics
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5730
In a paper that challenges contemporary Reformed thinking, Donald Macleod draws our attention to Calvin's views on politics. He touches on the thought of Alexander Shields, Abraham Kuyper, and the Barmen Declaration and brings us up to the present day. He draws the article to a close by suggesting that the Reformed Church in Scotland has yet to answer the challenge of contemporary secular values.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZMacleod, DonaldIn a paper that challenges contemporary Reformed thinking, Donald Macleod draws our attention to Calvin's views on politics. He touches on the thought of Alexander Shields, Abraham Kuyper, and the Barmen Declaration and brings us up to the present day. He draws the article to a close by suggesting that the Reformed Church in Scotland has yet to answer the challenge of contemporary secular values.Editorial (Vol 16, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5729
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanT. F. Torrance: reflections of a parish minister
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5726
Reflections by a former student of T. F. Torrance
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZRandall, David J.Reflections by a former student of T. F. TorranceConformed to the truth
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5725
Reflections by a former student of T. F. Torrance
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZSimpson, EddieReflections by a former student of T. F. TorranceThomas F. Torrance: reflections of a former student
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5724
Colin Williamson describes his time as a student in T. F. Torrance's class at New College in the late 1960s and how he remained in contact with the professor during his subsequent ministry in the Church of Scotland.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZWilliamson, ColinColin Williamson describes his time as a student in T. F. Torrance's class at New College in the late 1960s and how he remained in contact with the professor during his subsequent ministry in the Church of Scotland.The realist and onto-relational frame of T. F. Torrance’s Incarnational and Trinitarian theology
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5723
It is almost a truism to say that Torrance’s theology is incarnational and Trinitarian, so central were these two foci to his entire theological work. What is perhaps not as readily recognized is that this incarnational and Trinitarian theology takes place within a surrounding two-dimensional framework that can be identified as realist and onto-relational. Gary Deddo argues that these two aspects are essential to understanding Torrance’s framework for pursuing the theological task. After exploring these themes theologically he considers their implications for practical theology and for Christian ministry.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZDeddo, GaryIt is almost a truism to say that Torrance’s theology is incarnational and Trinitarian, so central were these two foci to his entire theological work. What is perhaps not as readily recognized is that this incarnational and Trinitarian theology takes place within a surrounding two-dimensional framework that can be identified as realist and onto-relational. Gary Deddo argues that these two aspects are essential to understanding Torrance’s framework for pursuing the theological task. After exploring these themes theologically he considers their implications for practical theology and for Christian ministry.Incarnation and Atonement: an overview
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5722
The purpose of this paper is twofold. It is first to provide, particularly for students and those not yet familiar with Torrance, a brief orientation to the nature, aim and character of his dogmatics lectures. Secondly, it is to complement the previous article (based on an address given at the launch of the Incarnation volume) by selecting and outlining certain of the main themes in the lectures, particularly those appropriate to Atonement and not already highlighted, in order to give a wider overview of some of their most fundamental and distinctive concepts.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZWalker, Robert T.The purpose of this paper is twofold. It is first to provide, particularly for students and those not yet familiar with Torrance, a brief orientation to the nature, aim and character of his dogmatics lectures. Secondly, it is to complement the previous article (based on an address given at the launch of the Incarnation volume) by selecting and outlining certain of the main themes in the lectures, particularly those appropriate to Atonement and not already highlighted, in order to give a wider overview of some of their most fundamental and distinctive concepts.Theological Science in retrospect
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5721
Re-reading T. F. Torrance’s Theological Science with the experience gained from thirty-five years in Christian ministry, Peter Forster finds a practical simplicity at the core of this famously difficult work. His paper explores specific aspects of Torrance’s understanding of the relation between theology and modern science, remarkable not only for its pioneering achievement but also for the fact that it came from the very heart of his own Christian conviction and experience.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZForster, PeterRe-reading T. F. Torrance’s Theological Science with the experience gained from thirty-five years in Christian ministry, Peter Forster finds a practical simplicity at the core of this famously difficult work. His paper explores specific aspects of Torrance’s understanding of the relation between theology and modern science, remarkable not only for its pioneering achievement but also for the fact that it came from the very heart of his own Christian conviction and experience.The Torrance dogmatics lectures
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5720
The recent publication of Torrance’s dogmatics lectures, given to students at New College in the University of Edinburgh from 1952 to 1978, have provided us with a way into his theology that is both accessible and profound. This paper outlines the nature, aim and character of the lectures and picks out some of the main themes from them in order to give a wider overview of some of their most fundamental and distinctive concepts.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZWalker, Robert T.The recent publication of Torrance’s dogmatics lectures, given to students at New College in the University of Edinburgh from 1952 to 1978, have provided us with a way into his theology that is both accessible and profound. This paper outlines the nature, aim and character of the lectures and picks out some of the main themes from them in order to give a wider overview of some of their most fundamental and distinctive concepts.Worship as thanksgiving: the offering of life
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5719
Sandra Fach contributes a fresh reading of T. F. Torrance’s renowned essay “The Mind of Christ in Worship: The Problem of Apollinarianism in the Liturgy”. As well as providing an insight into Torrance’s theology of worship, particularly the idea of worship as thanksgiving, she also explores his emphasis on Christ’s mediatorial role with particular reference to two other Scottish theologians, William Milligan and John McLeod Campbell.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZFach, SandraSandra Fach contributes a fresh reading of T. F. Torrance’s renowned essay “The Mind of Christ in Worship: The Problem of Apollinarianism in the Liturgy”. As well as providing an insight into Torrance’s theology of worship, particularly the idea of worship as thanksgiving, she also explores his emphasis on Christ’s mediatorial role with particular reference to two other Scottish theologians, William Milligan and John McLeod Campbell.The shape of Torrance theology
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5718
For Andrew Purves, ‘shape’ is too static a concept to delineate the theology of T. F. Torrance. Rather, his is a theology on the move, based as it is on knowledge of God in, through, and as Jesus Christ. His paper explores the Christological nature of Torrance’s kinetic theology focussing on the homoousial relationship between Christ and the Father; the relationship between the incarnation and the atonement; and the two-fold ministry of Jesus Christ, ministering the things of God to humankind and the things of humankind to God.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZPurves, AndrewFor Andrew Purves, ‘shape’ is too static a concept to delineate the theology of T. F. Torrance. Rather, his is a theology on the move, based as it is on knowledge of God in, through, and as Jesus Christ. His paper explores the Christological nature of Torrance’s kinetic theology focussing on the homoousial relationship between Christ and the Father; the relationship between the incarnation and the atonement; and the two-fold ministry of Jesus Christ, ministering the things of God to humankind and the things of humankind to God.A skirmish in the early reception of Karl Barth in Scotland: the exchange between Thomas F. Torrance and Brand Blanshard
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5717
With an introduction by Iain Torrance, this paper reproduces a series of letters in The Scotsman newspaper between T. F. Torrance and the distinguished American philosopher Brand Blanshard. This (at times highly contentious) exchange was occasioned by views expressed by Blanshard in his 1952 Gifford Lectures on Barth and Brunner and what he called their ‘theology of crisis’. The letters give a fascinating insight into the way this new theology was perceived in the English-speaking world at the time.
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZTorrance, T. F.Blanshard, BrandGreenfield, D. W.With an introduction by Iain Torrance, this paper reproduces a series of letters in The Scotsman newspaper between T. F. Torrance and the distinguished American philosopher Brand Blanshard. This (at times highly contentious) exchange was occasioned by views expressed by Blanshard in his 1952 Gifford Lectures on Barth and Brunner and what he called their ‘theology of crisis’. The letters give a fascinating insight into the way this new theology was perceived in the English-speaking world at the time.Editorial (Vol 16, Special issue)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5716
2009-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"Not under bondage: biblical divorce for abuse, adultery and desertion" by Barbara Roberts
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5713
Review of Barbara Roberts, Not Under Bondage: Biblical Divorce for Abuse, Adultery and Desertion (Victoria, Australia: Maschil Press, 2008)
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZRobertson, Norma P.Review of Barbara Roberts, Not Under Bondage: Biblical Divorce for Abuse, Adultery and Desertion (Victoria, Australia: Maschil Press, 2008)"Growing citizens: an interdisciplinary reflection on citizenship education" by Alison Elliot & Heidi Poon
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5712
Review of
Alison Elliot & Heidi Poon, Growing Citizens: An Interdisciplinary Reflection on Citizenship Education (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2009)
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZSzaszi, AndreaReview of
Alison Elliot & Heidi Poon, Growing Citizens: An Interdisciplinary Reflection on Citizenship Education (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2009)"Worship and liturgy in context" edited by Duncan B. Forrester & Doug Gay
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5711
Review of
Duncan B. Forrester & Doug Gay (eds.), Worship and Liturgy in Context (London: SCM Press, 2009)
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, FrancesReview of
Duncan B. Forrester & Doug Gay (eds.), Worship and Liturgy in Context (London: SCM Press, 2009)"Jesus and philosophy" by Don Cupitt
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5710
Review of Don Cupitt: Jesus and Philosophy (London: SCM Press, 2009)
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZZimmerman, NigelReview of Don Cupitt: Jesus and Philosophy (London: SCM Press, 2009)"Faith and its critics: a conversation" by David Fergusson
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5709
Review of
David Fergusson, Faith and its Critics: A Conversation (Oxford: OUP, 2008)
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZNewlands, GeorgeReview of
David Fergusson, Faith and its Critics: A Conversation (Oxford: OUP, 2008)Three reflections
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5708
Professor Cranfield contributes three short biblical reflections: considering points of contact between the parable of the Good Samaritan and an incident recorded in 2 Chronicles; some points of issue with Francis Watson’s Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith; and thoughts on ‘the works of the law’ in Romans 3:20, and on Romans, rather than Galatians, being the best way into a study of Paul’s theology.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZCranfield, C. E. B.Professor Cranfield contributes three short biblical reflections: considering points of contact between the parable of the Good Samaritan and an incident recorded in 2 Chronicles; some points of issue with Francis Watson’s Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith; and thoughts on ‘the works of the law’ in Romans 3:20, and on Romans, rather than Galatians, being the best way into a study of Paul’s theology.Maggie’s Centres: a hermeneutic of spirituality
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5707
In her paper, Jenny Williams examines the term ‘spirituality’ and looks at the way this is used in the wider context of cancer care through the support offered in Maggie’s Centres. By undertaking an examination of how the concept of ‘spirituality’ is currently used, this article suggests how, ultimately, the term might be better understood and re-appropriated as part of the Church’s vocabulary of pastoral care.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZWilliams, JennyIn her paper, Jenny Williams examines the term ‘spirituality’ and looks at the way this is used in the wider context of cancer care through the support offered in Maggie’s Centres. By undertaking an examination of how the concept of ‘spirituality’ is currently used, this article suggests how, ultimately, the term might be better understood and re-appropriated as part of the Church’s vocabulary of pastoral care.Torn between two identities: Edward Irving’s Scottish presbyterianism and British nationalism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5706
The career of the Scottish theologian Edward Irving (1792–1834) was one of remarkable highs and lows. One of the most celebrated preachers of his day and an important forerunner of the modern charismatic movement, he died broken and rejected, aged just 42. Byung Sun Lee provides us with a fascinating historical account of his ministry bringing into focus the complexity of his Scottish and British identities, coupled with the tension between his presbyterianism and pre-millennialism.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZLee, Byung SunThe career of the Scottish theologian Edward Irving (1792–1834) was one of remarkable highs and lows. One of the most celebrated preachers of his day and an important forerunner of the modern charismatic movement, he died broken and rejected, aged just 42. Byung Sun Lee provides us with a fascinating historical account of his ministry bringing into focus the complexity of his Scottish and British identities, coupled with the tension between his presbyterianism and pre-millennialism.Some benefits of going organic: Herman Bavinck’s theology of the visible church
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5705
The thought of the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) has aroused a great deal of interest of late as a result of the publication of a newly-translated English edition of his magisterial Reformed Dogmatics. James Eglinton’s study of his doctrine of the Church comes as a timely reminder that it is possible to maintain the essential balance in ecclesiological thinking between the visible and invisible Church in a creative way.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZEglinton, JamesThe thought of the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) has aroused a great deal of interest of late as a result of the publication of a newly-translated English edition of his magisterial Reformed Dogmatics. James Eglinton’s study of his doctrine of the Church comes as a timely reminder that it is possible to maintain the essential balance in ecclesiological thinking between the visible and invisible Church in a creative way.Edinburgh 1910: Scottish roots and contemporary challenges
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5704
The World Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh in 1910, is probably the best known ecclesiastical event to have taken place in Scotland and arguably the most influential. This paper examines not only the conference and its impact, but goes on to reflect more generally on Christian mission today, particularly the profoundly different context facing the Church in Europe one hundred years on.
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZRoss, Kenneth R.The World Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh in 1910, is probably the best known ecclesiastical event to have taken place in Scotland and arguably the most influential. This paper examines not only the conference and its impact, but goes on to reflect more generally on Christian mission today, particularly the profoundly different context facing the Church in Europe one hundred years on.Editorial (Vol 17, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5703
2010-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"Sin and politics: issues in Reformed theology" by Jeong Kii Min
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5699
Review of
Jeong Kii Min, Sin and Politics: Issues in Reformed Theology (New York: Peter Lang, 2009)
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZDavis, Richard A.Review of
Jeong Kii Min, Sin and Politics: Issues in Reformed Theology (New York: Peter Lang, 2009)"Literature and the Scottish Reformation" edited by Crawford Gribben and David George Mullan
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5698
Review of
Crawford Gribben and David George Mullan (eds), Literature and the Scottish Reformation (Farnham: Ashgate, 2009)
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZJack, AlisonReview of
Crawford Gribben and David George Mullan (eds), Literature and the Scottish Reformation (Farnham: Ashgate, 2009)"Reformation: the dangerous birth of the modern world" by Harry Reid
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5697
Review of
Harry Reid, Reformation: The Dangerous Birth of the Modern World (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2010)
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZPedan, AlisonReview of
Harry Reid, Reformation: The Dangerous Birth of the Modern World (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2010)"A history of Christianity: the first three thousand years" by Diarmaid MacCulloch
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5696
Review of
Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (London: Allen Lane, 2009)
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZMackenzie, JonReview of
Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (London: Allen Lane, 2009)Reformed theology in Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5694
Marking the legacy of the Reformation, Donald Macleod undertakes a survey of the Scottish Reformed theological tradition. While this is a wide field abounding with complex issues and fascinating personalities, he expertly guides us through it by focusing on the issues of Christology, the atonement, the doctrine of the Church, the notion of spiritual independence, and the relation of Christianity and science as understood theologically.
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZMacleod, DonaldMarking the legacy of the Reformation, Donald Macleod undertakes a survey of the Scottish Reformed theological tradition. While this is a wide field abounding with complex issues and fascinating personalities, he expertly guides us through it by focusing on the issues of Christology, the atonement, the doctrine of the Church, the notion of spiritual independence, and the relation of Christianity and science as understood theologically.Editorial (Vol 17, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5693
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanUnderstanding our present – anticipating our future
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5692
After a brief history by way of background, Finlay Macdonald invites us to view current issues in the Church of Scotland in the context of, and in continuity with, issues from its past. He argues that structures and institutions manifest a continuity of principle or tradition which is evidenced in the recurrence of certain key issues, the church-state relation for example. He also offers a finely-crafted discussion on issues of contemporary significance for the Church and the relation of these to the still discernible principles which underlie them.
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZMacdonald, FinlayAfter a brief history by way of background, Finlay Macdonald invites us to view current issues in the Church of Scotland in the context of, and in continuity with, issues from its past. He argues that structures and institutions manifest a continuity of principle or tradition which is evidenced in the recurrence of certain key issues, the church-state relation for example. He also offers a finely-crafted discussion on issues of contemporary significance for the Church and the relation of these to the still discernible principles which underlie them.Calvin in Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5691
Although Scottish Calvinism has had a very negative press of late, this paper finds much that came out of the Reformation that was positive or progressive. David Fergusson evaluates Calvin’s influence on Scotland by considering the impact his thought has had in the areas of doctrine, church, politics and society. He makes clear that the original vision of the Reformed Church of Scotland is still important today and suggests how it may have something fresh to offer the Church in the discussion of current questions.
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZFergusson, DavidAlthough Scottish Calvinism has had a very negative press of late, this paper finds much that came out of the Reformation that was positive or progressive. David Fergusson evaluates Calvin’s influence on Scotland by considering the impact his thought has had in the areas of doctrine, church, politics and society. He makes clear that the original vision of the Reformed Church of Scotland is still important today and suggests how it may have something fresh to offer the Church in the discussion of current questions.A new version of the Scots Confession, 1560
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5690
Ian Hazlett’s chief aim in producing this new version of one of the key Reformation documents is to make the Scots Confession accessible to a new generation of readers. By carefully updating its language he has allowed the authentic voice of the Scots Reformers to come through to us loud and clear. He has also provided an extremely valuable introduction which will guide readers in exploring the Confession’s theological context more extensively.
2010-12-01T00:00:00ZHazlett, IanIan Hazlett’s chief aim in producing this new version of one of the key Reformation documents is to make the Scots Confession accessible to a new generation of readers. By carefully updating its language he has allowed the authentic voice of the Scots Reformers to come through to us loud and clear. He has also provided an extremely valuable introduction which will guide readers in exploring the Confession’s theological context more extensively."Advocacy and exodus: from Moses to the Mental Health Act" by George Gammack
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5689
Review of
George Gammack, Advocacy and Exodus: From Moses to the Mental Health Act (London: Spiderwise, 2011)
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of
George Gammack, Advocacy and Exodus: From Moses to the Mental Health Act (London: Spiderwise, 2011)"Freedom and order: history, politics and the English Bible" by Nick Spencer
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5688
Review of
Nick Spencer, Freedom and Order: History, Politics and the English Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011)
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZMoseley, CarysReview of
Nick Spencer, Freedom and Order: History, Politics and the English Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011)"The King James Bible after four hundred years: literary, linguistic, and cultural influences" edited by Hannibal Hamlin and Norman W. Jones
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5687
Review of
Hannibal Hamlin and Norman W. Jones (eds.): The King James Bible After Four Hundred Years: Literary, Linguistic, and Cultural Influences (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010)
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, Frances M.Review of
Hannibal Hamlin and Norman W. Jones (eds.): The King James Bible After Four Hundred Years: Literary, Linguistic, and Cultural Influences (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010)"Unity and diversity: the founders of the Free Church of Scotland" by Sandy Finlayson
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5686
Review of
Sandy Finlayson, Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland (Fearn: Christian Focus, 2010).
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZStatham, ToddReview of
Sandy Finlayson, Unity and Diversity: The Founders of the Free Church of Scotland (Fearn: Christian Focus, 2010).The old question of Barth’s universalism: an examination with reference to Tom Greggs and T. F. Torrance
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5685
In the course of reflecting on Tom Greggs' recent claim that Barth ‘did not reject universalism [...] only problematic elements associated with it’, Mark Koonz raises the fascinating question of Barth’s doctrinal position on universalism. That is, the question as to whether limited atonement or universalism are two separate, mutually exclusive alternatives. This paper argues that Barth’s understanding is a good deal more complex than Greggs allows for. Limited atonement and universalism are related, not by way of paradox or as contraries, but through the absolute freedom of the grace of the living God in Jesus Christ. The paper also draws on T. F. Torrance to illuminate further the way in which these doctrines might be harmonised coherently.
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZKoonz, MarkIn the course of reflecting on Tom Greggs' recent claim that Barth ‘did not reject universalism [...] only problematic elements associated with it’, Mark Koonz raises the fascinating question of Barth’s doctrinal position on universalism. That is, the question as to whether limited atonement or universalism are two separate, mutually exclusive alternatives. This paper argues that Barth’s understanding is a good deal more complex than Greggs allows for. Limited atonement and universalism are related, not by way of paradox or as contraries, but through the absolute freedom of the grace of the living God in Jesus Christ. The paper also draws on T. F. Torrance to illuminate further the way in which these doctrines might be harmonised coherently.Preparing for enabling the ministries of the Church: where are we and where do we want to be?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5684
For Martin Scott one of the main challenges for the Church of Scotland lies in the integration of the intellectual, practical and spiritual aspects of ministry formation with structured theological reflection that is both ecumenical in outlook and mindful of its Reformed origins. However, theological training patterns of the present and future will be distinctively different in structure – the reflective and formative components will require to be much more collaborative. A theological education of this kind will seek to foster a learning community engaging in education for mission and leadership. There will also be a recognition of the importance of lifelong training as an entitlement. Dr Scott writes of this type of theological reflection as ‘connecting head, hands and heart’ in a seamless integration with ongoing learning and development. This, he argues, is how the Gospels portray Jesus Himself – as offering a foundation in discipleship for His followers and modelling life for those who minister in His footsteps.
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZScott, MartinFor Martin Scott one of the main challenges for the Church of Scotland lies in the integration of the intellectual, practical and spiritual aspects of ministry formation with structured theological reflection that is both ecumenical in outlook and mindful of its Reformed origins. However, theological training patterns of the present and future will be distinctively different in structure – the reflective and formative components will require to be much more collaborative. A theological education of this kind will seek to foster a learning community engaging in education for mission and leadership. There will also be a recognition of the importance of lifelong training as an entitlement. Dr Scott writes of this type of theological reflection as ‘connecting head, hands and heart’ in a seamless integration with ongoing learning and development. This, he argues, is how the Gospels portray Jesus Himself – as offering a foundation in discipleship for His followers and modelling life for those who minister in His footsteps.Praying for the Christian departed: a brief view of the doctrine and practice in Scottish Episcopacy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5683
In this extended paper the earlier theological tradition of the Scottish Episcopal Church is set out in historic form through examination of its leading representatives. Key texts and their place in the Episcopal tradition are approached through a close, scholarly study of prayer for the dear departed. Some theologians in this tradition may already be more familiar to students of T. F. Torrance – John Forbes of Corse, for example. Others, such as William Forbes and Thomas Rattray may be less familiar, however. The significance of this paper is that we have not only a doctrinal discussion on the range, scope and legitimacy of prayer for the dead but also an introduction to some of the riches of the Scottish Episcopal theological tradition.
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZKornahrens, DouglasIn this extended paper the earlier theological tradition of the Scottish Episcopal Church is set out in historic form through examination of its leading representatives. Key texts and their place in the Episcopal tradition are approached through a close, scholarly study of prayer for the dear departed. Some theologians in this tradition may already be more familiar to students of T. F. Torrance – John Forbes of Corse, for example. Others, such as William Forbes and Thomas Rattray may be less familiar, however. The significance of this paper is that we have not only a doctrinal discussion on the range, scope and legitimacy of prayer for the dead but also an introduction to some of the riches of the Scottish Episcopal theological tradition.Formation for ministry in the Scottish Episcopal Church
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5682
In his paper, written from the perspective of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Michael Fuller argues that attention to the formation of those called to authorised ministry in the church has never been more essential than at the present. The churches are facing challenges from within and without as they witness to the Christian faith in word and deed in twenty-first century Scotland. Traditional models of formation which, in the Anglican tradition, have involved candidates for ministry spending time together in learning communities, are now under acute pressure in terms both of financial viability and the fewer numbers called to full-time ministry. The necessity remains, however, for the provision of a fully validated programme that is pedagogically and academically sound. The goal is to provide a range of foundational competencies within the framework of a programme offering a system robust enough to include small student numbers dispersed across the whole of Scotland.
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZFuller, MichaelIn his paper, written from the perspective of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Michael Fuller argues that attention to the formation of those called to authorised ministry in the church has never been more essential than at the present. The churches are facing challenges from within and without as they witness to the Christian faith in word and deed in twenty-first century Scotland. Traditional models of formation which, in the Anglican tradition, have involved candidates for ministry spending time together in learning communities, are now under acute pressure in terms both of financial viability and the fewer numbers called to full-time ministry. The necessity remains, however, for the provision of a fully validated programme that is pedagogically and academically sound. The goal is to provide a range of foundational competencies within the framework of a programme offering a system robust enough to include small student numbers dispersed across the whole of Scotland.Editorial (Vol 18, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5681
2011-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian“Prophecy in the ancient Near East: a philological and sociological comparison” by Jonathan Stökl
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5678
Review of
Jonathan Stökl, Prophecy in the Ancient Near East: A Philological and Sociological Comparison (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 56; Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2012)
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZHjadjiev, Tchavdar S.Review of
Jonathan Stökl, Prophecy in the Ancient Near East: A Philological and Sociological Comparison (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 56; Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2012)“Legends of Scottish saints: readings, hymns and prayers for the commemorations of Scottish saints in the Aberdeen Breviary” edited by Alan MacQuarrie
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5677
Review of
Alan MacQuarrie, ed., Legends of Scottish Saints: Readings, Hymns and Prayers for the Commemorations of Scottish Saints in the Aberdeen Breviary (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2012)
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZBradley, IanReview of
Alan MacQuarrie, ed., Legends of Scottish Saints: Readings, Hymns and Prayers for the Commemorations of Scottish Saints in the Aberdeen Breviary (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2012)“Fulfilling a vision: the contribution of the Church of Scotland to school education, 1772–1872” by John Stevenson
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5676
Review of
John Stevenson, Fulfilling a Vision: The Contribution of the Church of Scotland to School Education, 1772–1872 (Eugene, Or. Pickwick Publications, 2012)
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZGalbraith, DouglasReview of
John Stevenson, Fulfilling a Vision: The Contribution of the Church of Scotland to School Education, 1772–1872 (Eugene, Or. Pickwick Publications, 2012)“After Vatican II: trajectories and hermeneutics” edited by James L. Heft SJ with John O’Malley
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5675
Review of
James L. Heft SJ with John O’Malley, eds., After Vatican II: Trajectories and Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZHawkesley, TheodoraReview of
James L. Heft SJ with John O’Malley, eds., After Vatican II: Trajectories and Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012)Note on Romans 11:32
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5674
Professor Cranfield has contributed a brief note reflecting on Paul’s intended meaning of this verse.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZCranfield, C. E. B.Professor Cranfield has contributed a brief note reflecting on Paul’s intended meaning of this verse.Refreshing the foundations: an introduction to biblical Introduction
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5673
George Nicol’s briefing paper introduces us to the sub-genre of the Old or New Testament Introduction. In doing so he also offers a model of how to incorporate and reference text and video media in one single narrative exposition, applicable across a range of disciplines. His paper includes a very useful survey of significant recent Introductions which will be invaluable to anyone seeking to undertake a course of study to extend or refresh their knowledge of biblical Introduction.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZNicol, George G.George Nicol’s briefing paper introduces us to the sub-genre of the Old or New Testament Introduction. In doing so he also offers a model of how to incorporate and reference text and video media in one single narrative exposition, applicable across a range of disciplines. His paper includes a very useful survey of significant recent Introductions which will be invaluable to anyone seeking to undertake a course of study to extend or refresh their knowledge of biblical Introduction.A Reformed asceticism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5672
Jason Radcliff argues for the possibility of a Reformed asceticism, not as a condition of salvation, but as a form of life. He provides evidence from the Bible, particularly the thought of the apostle Paul, as well as from the work of Athanasius and the Scottish theologians T. F. Torrance and Henry Scougal. He argues that asceticism has much to offer the contemporary ecclesiastical situation and deserves to be recovered by the Reformed community.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZRadcliff, JasonJason Radcliff argues for the possibility of a Reformed asceticism, not as a condition of salvation, but as a form of life. He provides evidence from the Bible, particularly the thought of the apostle Paul, as well as from the work of Athanasius and the Scottish theologians T. F. Torrance and Henry Scougal. He argues that asceticism has much to offer the contemporary ecclesiastical situation and deserves to be recovered by the Reformed community.The Scots abroad: migration and mission
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5671
Kenneth Ross’s essay begins with an overview of the migration of the Scots round the world in the age of colonialism. He then examines this more closely, exploring the relationship between migration and missions in the diaspora church. Beginning with mission-migrant relations in Malawi, Ross then points to more general, more deeply-rooted tensions arising in the Scottish diaspora, reflected in the conflicting interests of expatriate churches and mission agencies.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZRoss, Kenneth R.Kenneth Ross’s essay begins with an overview of the migration of the Scots round the world in the age of colonialism. He then examines this more closely, exploring the relationship between migration and missions in the diaspora church. Beginning with mission-migrant relations in Malawi, Ross then points to more general, more deeply-rooted tensions arising in the Scottish diaspora, reflected in the conflicting interests of expatriate churches and mission agencies.Ian Fraser: theology and ecumenism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5670
Tim Duffy places the work of Ian Fraser in the context of Presbyterian culture, and more particularly as part of an influential network within the Church of Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s. The article also touches on Fraser’s work as a hymn-writer, his wider social commitments, and similarities between the shifting polarities of Hugh MacDiarmid’s thought and the dialectical play between the interpersonal and the social in Fraser’s work.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZDuffy, TimTim Duffy places the work of Ian Fraser in the context of Presbyterian culture, and more particularly as part of an influential network within the Church of Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s. The article also touches on Fraser’s work as a hymn-writer, his wider social commitments, and similarities between the shifting polarities of Hugh MacDiarmid’s thought and the dialectical play between the interpersonal and the social in Fraser’s work.How individuals with profound intellectual impairments can be models for the church in Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5669
This is the prize-winning essay in the inaugural Fraser Prize competition, organised by Theology in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Church Theology Society, for which submissions were invited on the theme of ‘The Church in Scotland in relation to status and power’. The essay explores ways in which Gospel values can be embodied in the intellectually-impaired, who can then serve as a model for the church.
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZKate, SainsburyThis is the prize-winning essay in the inaugural Fraser Prize competition, organised by Theology in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Church Theology Society, for which submissions were invited on the theme of ‘The Church in Scotland in relation to status and power’. The essay explores ways in which Gospel values can be embodied in the intellectually-impaired, who can then serve as a model for the church.Editorial (Vol 20, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5668
2013-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian"God and the art of happiness: an offering of pastoral doctrinal theology" by Ellen T. Charry
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5657
Ellen T. Charry: God and the Art of Happiness: An Offering of Pastoral Doctrinal Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm B Eerdmans, 2011).
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZGlover, NeilEllen T. Charry: God and the Art of Happiness: An Offering of Pastoral Doctrinal Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm B Eerdmans, 2011)."Political engagement as Biblical mandate" by Paul Hanson
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5656
Review of
Paul Hanson: Political Engagement as Biblical Mandate (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2010).
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZGunnarsson, GrettarReview of
Paul Hanson: Political Engagement as Biblical Mandate (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2010)."The Holy Spirit and the renewal of all things: pneumatology in Paul and Jürgen Moltmann" by T. David Beck
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5655
Review of
T. David Beck, The Holy Spirit and the Renewal of All Things: Pneumatology in Paul and Jürgen Moltmann (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2010).
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, FrancesReview of
T. David Beck, The Holy Spirit and the Renewal of All Things: Pneumatology in Paul and Jürgen Moltmann (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 2010)."Hospitable God: the transformative dream" by George Newlands & Allen Smith
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5654
Review of
George Newlands & Allen Smith, Hospitable God: The Transformative Dream (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010).
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZShaw, D. W. D.Review of
George Newlands & Allen Smith, Hospitable God: The Transformative Dream (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010).The place of women and the perils of biblical interpretation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5651
With regard to exegesis of the Bible, Niall Martin argues persuasively that we pause to think objectively about whether or not the Bible contains only explicit teaching and instruction with regard to life. Accepting that there are, of course, explicit teachings in the New Testament, he argues that the Scriptures can also be used to illuminate our thinking rather than to provide for regulated conduct. For example, with regard to the Law, Martin juxtaposes the fascinating story of Ruth with the approach of the Book of Ezra. What emerges is a much greater emphasis on contrast or dialectic in our Scriptural exegesis.
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZMartin, R. Niall D.With regard to exegesis of the Bible, Niall Martin argues persuasively that we pause to think objectively about whether or not the Bible contains only explicit teaching and instruction with regard to life. Accepting that there are, of course, explicit teachings in the New Testament, he argues that the Scriptures can also be used to illuminate our thinking rather than to provide for regulated conduct. For example, with regard to the Law, Martin juxtaposes the fascinating story of Ruth with the approach of the Book of Ezra. What emerges is a much greater emphasis on contrast or dialectic in our Scriptural exegesis.An analysis of the doctrine of the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the functional Christology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5650
Christian George approaches Charles Spurgeon’s sermons in terms of a preached Christology, that is, a Christology not confined to dogmatics but operative in preaching. If we want to know what a model of Christology might look like preached, here in Spurgeon’s sermons we find it. This is because, as George notes, for Spurgeon, true Christianity involved ‘personally living with a personal Saviour, personally trusting a personal Redeemer, personally crying out to a personal Intercessor.’ For those who preach, Spurgeon’s sermons constitute a challenge – to proclaim, for example, the High Priesthood of Christ, the nature of His mediation, the range and depth of His intercession – and, at the same time, offer a model of how this might be done.
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZGeorge, ChristianChristian George approaches Charles Spurgeon’s sermons in terms of a preached Christology, that is, a Christology not confined to dogmatics but operative in preaching. If we want to know what a model of Christology might look like preached, here in Spurgeon’s sermons we find it. This is because, as George notes, for Spurgeon, true Christianity involved ‘personally living with a personal Saviour, personally trusting a personal Redeemer, personally crying out to a personal Intercessor.’ For those who preach, Spurgeon’s sermons constitute a challenge – to proclaim, for example, the High Priesthood of Christ, the nature of His mediation, the range and depth of His intercession – and, at the same time, offer a model of how this might be done.George MacLeod’s open-air preaching: performance and counter-performance
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5649
Stuart Blythe uses the methodology of performance to analyse George MacLeod’s open-air preaching. He points out that MacLeod’s preaching was derived from a theology of the incarnation, and an understanding of the paradoxes and dichotomies of common human life. This preaching, Blythe suggests, was also a counter-performance in the context of outlooks and ideologies inimical to the gospel. The paper raises interesting issues related to preaching as performance, and the further question as to whether or not the life and work of the Church as a whole might now be better understood as a counter-performance.
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZBlythe, Stuart M.Stuart Blythe uses the methodology of performance to analyse George MacLeod’s open-air preaching. He points out that MacLeod’s preaching was derived from a theology of the incarnation, and an understanding of the paradoxes and dichotomies of common human life. This preaching, Blythe suggests, was also a counter-performance in the context of outlooks and ideologies inimical to the gospel. The paper raises interesting issues related to preaching as performance, and the further question as to whether or not the life and work of the Church as a whole might now be better understood as a counter-performance.Islam and the Kirk?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5648
In this paper, Glenn Chestnutt reflects theologically on aspects of the current context of the Church of Scotland. Drawing on Karl Barth, Daniel Migliore and Mona Siddiqui, he argues that there is a potentially enriching opportunity for reflection for the Kirk as it considers the truth claims of Islam. This would take place, not simply in dialogue, but through genuine encounter and authentic interaction.
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZChestnutt, Glenn A.In this paper, Glenn Chestnutt reflects theologically on aspects of the current context of the Church of Scotland. Drawing on Karl Barth, Daniel Migliore and Mona Siddiqui, he argues that there is a potentially enriching opportunity for reflection for the Kirk as it considers the truth claims of Islam. This would take place, not simply in dialogue, but through genuine encounter and authentic interaction.Editorial (Vol 18, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5647
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanA people in exile, on the Way of the Cross: ministry deployment and ongoing decline in the Church of Scotland
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5646
In his paper, developed from original work for the Presbytery of Edinburgh, David Denniston broaches the difficult but essential task of beginning to think theologically about the Church in our own immediate context. Though, in the past, there have been theologians who have reflected on the relative power and status of the Church in society – the work of Donald MacKinnon for example – more recently this has been a rather minor consideration for more dominant discourses. In this paper, however, Denniston explores the future of the Church as a following of the Way of the Cross.
2011-06-01T00:00:00ZDenniston, DavidIn his paper, developed from original work for the Presbytery of Edinburgh, David Denniston broaches the difficult but essential task of beginning to think theologically about the Church in our own immediate context. Though, in the past, there have been theologians who have reflected on the relative power and status of the Church in society – the work of Donald MacKinnon for example – more recently this has been a rather minor consideration for more dominant discourses. In this paper, however, Denniston explores the future of the Church as a following of the Way of the Cross.Waste land: theological reflection on brownfield rehabilitation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5645
In counterpoint to the preceding papers, Paul Ede offers a reflection on the relationship between contemporary ecology and Christology. His paper draws on his experience of involvement with a community church in the practicalities of the restoration of a brownfield site in the Possilpark area of Glasgow. The paper expresses much of his personal passion about encouraging charismatic and Pentecostal communities to discover the value of creation care within the mission of the Church, and reflects on the implications of the project in the light of Christological, Trinitarian and biblical perspectives.
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZEde, PaulIn counterpoint to the preceding papers, Paul Ede offers a reflection on the relationship between contemporary ecology and Christology. His paper draws on his experience of involvement with a community church in the practicalities of the restoration of a brownfield site in the Possilpark area of Glasgow. The paper expresses much of his personal passion about encouraging charismatic and Pentecostal communities to discover the value of creation care within the mission of the Church, and reflects on the implications of the project in the light of Christological, Trinitarian and biblical perspectives.Cold war theology: a controversial religious image of King James VI & I in England and on the Continent in 1603
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5644
A former student of James Cameron’s, Ian Hazlett contributes a paper very much in the spirit of his teacher. It considers the afterlife of the King’s (or Negative) Confession, commissioned by James VI of Scotland in 1581 as a clear statement of his Calvinist credentials. By the time he gained the crown of England in 1603 however, his evolving religious views meant it had become a document he sought to distance himself from. Both Protestant and Catholic propagandists and publishers, keen to give a particular picture of the theological sympathies of the new English king, subsequently produced a surprisingly varied selection of versions of the Confession. These sources and what they can tell us about the theology and politics of the day are considered here for the first time in a scholarly study.
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZHazlett, IanA former student of James Cameron’s, Ian Hazlett contributes a paper very much in the spirit of his teacher. It considers the afterlife of the King’s (or Negative) Confession, commissioned by James VI of Scotland in 1581 as a clear statement of his Calvinist credentials. By the time he gained the crown of England in 1603 however, his evolving religious views meant it had become a document he sought to distance himself from. Both Protestant and Catholic propagandists and publishers, keen to give a particular picture of the theological sympathies of the new English king, subsequently produced a surprisingly varied selection of versions of the Confession. These sources and what they can tell us about the theology and politics of the day are considered here for the first time in a scholarly study.Being a postgraduate student of James K. Cameron
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5643
Bruce Gordon recounts how his time spent as a student of James Cameron effectively shaped him as a scholar. Central to this was the need for breadth – to strive to understand the whole of the temporal and spatial sphere he sought to operate in as a church historian – as well as rigorous standards in the finer arts of research and writing. From this emerges a portrait of James Cameron as a man as well as a teacher: one with an incisive mind coupled with a generosity of spirit that led him to share his expertise and to draw out the best from others.
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZGordon, BruceBruce Gordon recounts how his time spent as a student of James Cameron effectively shaped him as a scholar. Central to this was the need for breadth – to strive to understand the whole of the temporal and spatial sphere he sought to operate in as a church historian – as well as rigorous standards in the finer arts of research and writing. From this emerges a portrait of James Cameron as a man as well as a teacher: one with an incisive mind coupled with a generosity of spirit that led him to share his expertise and to draw out the best from others.Reflections on the ongoing dialogue between Renaissance and Reformation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5642
Euan Cameron’s paper revisits a recurring theme that was central to his father’s (and to his own) historical endeavour: the relationship between Renaissance humanism and the Reformation. His study takes in critiques of pre-Reform religious practice, scholastic techniques in theological enquiry; different understandings of the early church; and changing attitudes to dogma over the course of the period.
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZCameron, EuanEuan Cameron’s paper revisits a recurring theme that was central to his father’s (and to his own) historical endeavour: the relationship between Renaissance humanism and the Reformation. His study takes in critiques of pre-Reform religious practice, scholastic techniques in theological enquiry; different understandings of the early church; and changing attitudes to dogma over the course of the period.Professor James Cameron: introduction by a late-coming beneficiary
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5641
Mark Elliot’s introduction to this selection of papers from the symposium presents a sketch of James Cameron’s contribution to scholarship as encountered through some of his notable writings. The result is a fascinating tour of Scottish church history in the Reformation era, taking in many of the texts, ideas and personalities that helped shape a church and a nation.
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZElliot, Mark W.Mark Elliot’s introduction to this selection of papers from the symposium presents a sketch of James Cameron’s contribution to scholarship as encountered through some of his notable writings. The result is a fascinating tour of Scottish church history in the Reformation era, taking in many of the texts, ideas and personalities that helped shape a church and a nation.Editorial (Vol 19, No 1)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5640
2012-06-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, Ian“Union with Christ: reframing theology and ministry for the church” by J. Todd Billings
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5638
Review of
J. Todd Billings, Union With Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2011)
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZRadcliff, JasonReview of
J. Todd Billings, Union With Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2011)“Understanding religion and popular culture” edited by Terry Ray Clark and Dan W. Clanton Jr.
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5637
Review of
Terry Ray Clark and Dan W. Clanton Jr., eds, Understanding Religion and Popular Culture: Theories, Themes, Products and Practices (London; New York: Routledge, 2012)
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZHenderson, FrancesReview of
Terry Ray Clark and Dan W. Clanton Jr., eds, Understanding Religion and Popular Culture: Theories, Themes, Products and Practices (London; New York: Routledge, 2012)“Leadership in the church for a people of hope” by Mervyn Davies and Graham Dodds
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5636
Review of
Mervyn Davies and Graham Dodds, Leadership in the Church for a People of Hope (London: T&T Clark, 2011)
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZKim, David W.Review of
Mervyn Davies and Graham Dodds, Leadership in the Church for a People of Hope (London: T&T Clark, 2011)Review article: “T. F. Torrance, gospel, church and ministry” edited by Jock Stein
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5635
Review of
Thomas F. Torrance, Gospel, Church, and Ministry (Thomas F. Torrance Collected Studies I; ed. Jock Stein; Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2012).
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZWalker, Robert T.Review of
Thomas F. Torrance, Gospel, Church, and Ministry (Thomas F. Torrance Collected Studies I; ed. Jock Stein; Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, 2012).The landscape of apologetics
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5634
Donald Bruce gives an account of his own involvement in apologetics, offering an understanding of the kind of background typical of a Christian apologist in the twenty-first century. He introduces us to the work of Os Guinness, raises some of the commonly-posed issues relating to the frontier between faith and science and concludes, appropriately, with Christ and His gospel.
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZBruce, DonaldDonald Bruce gives an account of his own involvement in apologetics, offering an understanding of the kind of background typical of a Christian apologist in the twenty-first century. He introduces us to the work of Os Guinness, raises some of the commonly-posed issues relating to the frontier between faith and science and concludes, appropriately, with Christ and His gospel.Thomas Reid, Hume and theology
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5633
Joe Houston unfolds the subtlety of some of the fundamental aspects of Thomas Reid’s response to Hume’s scepticism and religious agnosticism. He discusses Hume’s awareness of the tension between scepticism and daily life; his foundationalist notions of rational belief; and the relation of modes of belief to the physical world, past events and causation. He then considers Reid’s counter-argument, that as humans we are constituted with belief-forming dispositions, and that there are no non-circular justifications available for each of the modes of belief-formation, only the principles of common sense.
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZJoseph, HoustonJoe Houston unfolds the subtlety of some of the fundamental aspects of Thomas Reid’s response to Hume’s scepticism and religious agnosticism. He discusses Hume’s awareness of the tension between scepticism and daily life; his foundationalist notions of rational belief; and the relation of modes of belief to the physical world, past events and causation. He then considers Reid’s counter-argument, that as humans we are constituted with belief-forming dispositions, and that there are no non-circular justifications available for each of the modes of belief-formation, only the principles of common sense.Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5631
Alexander Broadie introduces us to Hume’s Dialogues, sets Hume in his context, and explains how subtle Hume’s arguments actually are. Professor Broadie shows us how Hume’s genius is shown in the subtle but wider questions he raises. His conclusion is that in the Dialogues Hume is operating in sceptical mode, a further illustration of the diversity of his philosophical approach.
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZBroadie, AlexanderAlexander Broadie introduces us to Hume’s Dialogues, sets Hume in his context, and explains how subtle Hume’s arguments actually are. Professor Broadie shows us how Hume’s genius is shown in the subtle but wider questions he raises. His conclusion is that in the Dialogues Hume is operating in sceptical mode, a further illustration of the diversity of his philosophical approach.Hume and Reid: a common legacy
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5630
Lord Sutherland provides a lucid introduction to factors in the cultural legacy which David Hume and Thomas Reid inherited. These factors included Calvinism and the characteristic Scottish practice of reasoning from first principles. He then goes on to unfold the continuing relevance of Hume’s ideas to contemporary debate concerning the family, education and civil society.
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZSutherland, Lord StewartLord Sutherland provides a lucid introduction to factors in the cultural legacy which David Hume and Thomas Reid inherited. These factors included Calvinism and the characteristic Scottish practice of reasoning from first principles. He then goes on to unfold the continuing relevance of Hume’s ideas to contemporary debate concerning the family, education and civil society.Editorial (Vol 19, No 2)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5629
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZMaxwell, IanJustin Gest. Apart: alienated and engaged Muslims in the West. London, Hurst & Company, 2010
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5628
Cloth, 256 pages, ISBN: 978-0-231-70188-4, $35.00, Reviewed by Alison McConnell, Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO), Gulu, Uganda
2011-02-02T00:00:00ZMcConnell, AlisonCloth, 256 pages, ISBN: 978-0-231-70188-4, $35.00, Reviewed by Alison McConnell, Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO), Gulu, UgandaGilles Kepel. Beyond terror and martyrdom: the future of the Middle East. Cambridge, MA, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2008
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5627
Paperback $27.95, pp. 336. ISBN: 9780674031388, Reviewed by Scott Nicholas Romaniuk, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
2011-02-02T00:00:00ZRomaniuk, Scott NicholasPaperback $27.95, pp. 336. ISBN: 9780674031388, Reviewed by Scott Nicholas Romaniuk, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United KingdomJohn Calvert. Sayyid Qutb and the origins of radical Islamism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2010
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5626
pp. vii+377, (Hardback). ISBN978-0-231-70104-4, Reviewed by Mohamed Daadaoui, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, O.K., US
2011-01-24T00:00:00ZDaadaoui, Mohamedpp. vii+377, (Hardback). ISBN978-0-231-70104-4, Reviewed by Mohamed Daadaoui, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, O.K., USGraham Fuller. A world without Islam. London: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5625
Paperback £13.99; pp. 336. ISBN-13: 978-0316041195, Reviewed by Gilbert Ramsay, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
2011-01-13T00:00:00ZRamsay, GilbertPaperback £13.99; pp. 336. ISBN-13: 978-0316041195, Reviewed by Gilbert Ramsay, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UKDonald Liddick. Eco-terrorism: radical environmental and animal liberation movements. Westport, Connecticut, Praeger Publishers, 2006
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5624
Hardcover $39.95, pp. 300. ISBN-13: 978-0-27598-535-6 Reviewed by Michael Loadenthal, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., US
2011-01-13T00:00:00ZLoadenthal, MichaelHardcover $39.95, pp. 300. ISBN-13: 978-0-27598-535-6 Reviewed by Michael Loadenthal, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USGangs and terrorist: dangerous classmates in Minnesota’s Somali community
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5623
Morning television programs are suddenly interrupted across the world as pictures of frightened people running panicked through downtown city streets fill the airwaves. In the background, smoke and flames billow from a towering icon of the cityscape. Panic grips the US as security goes on high alert across the nation, bringing a virtual standstill to transportation and commerce. The Commodities Exchange closes during the middle of the day sending shockwaves through the global financial establishment.
2011-04-26T00:00:00ZBrown, ChristopherMorning television programs are suddenly interrupted across the world as pictures of frightened people running panicked through downtown city streets fill the airwaves. In the background, smoke and flames billow from a towering icon of the cityscape. Panic grips the US as security goes on high alert across the nation, bringing a virtual standstill to transportation and commerce. The Commodities Exchange closes during the middle of the day sending shockwaves through the global financial establishment.Revolts in the Arab world: is it bad news for Islamic terrorists?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5622
Everything started when a young man set himself on fire in the provincial town of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi, this was his name, was selling fruit and vegetables on the street without a license. After a policewoman stopped him and confiscated his cart and produce, he felt so angry and desperate that he took that drastic decision. It was December 17th,2010. Since then a long series of demonstrations, riots and revolts have quickly and unabatedly spread from Tunisia throughout the Arab world. Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain, among others, were all affected in one way or another by these events. Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak experienced the same fate.
2011-04-07T00:00:00ZLilli, EugenioEverything started when a young man set himself on fire in the provincial town of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi, this was his name, was selling fruit and vegetables on the street without a license. After a policewoman stopped him and confiscated his cart and produce, he felt so angry and desperate that he took that drastic decision. It was December 17th,2010. Since then a long series of demonstrations, riots and revolts have quickly and unabatedly spread from Tunisia throughout the Arab world. Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain, among others, were all affected in one way or another by these events. Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak experienced the same fate.What do ‘middle class’ terrorists tell us about the link between poverty and terrorism?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5621
Introduced in 2006, the Prevent workstream of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) has provided a focus for often heated debates about what drives people to support or take part in violent extremism and terrorism in the UK. Six months after the new Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government announced an extensive review of Prevent, David Cameron used his speech to the Munich Security Conference 2011 [1]to set out his position in relation to these debates. He distanced himself from what he referred to as the ‘hard right’ and the ‘soft left’.
2011-04-07T00:00:00ZBusher, JoelIntroduced in 2006, the Prevent workstream of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) has provided a focus for often heated debates about what drives people to support or take part in violent extremism and terrorism in the UK. Six months after the new Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government announced an extensive review of Prevent, David Cameron used his speech to the Munich Security Conference 2011 [1]to set out his position in relation to these debates. He distanced himself from what he referred to as the ‘hard right’ and the ‘soft left’.Repairing the cracked lens: redefining British Muslim identity in Conservative Britain
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5620
The recent landmark election results in 2010 witnessed the end of an era for Labour under Gordon Brown and the herald of a new political landscape with the Coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The challenges for the new coalition are no less daunting than they were under the former government. The need to examine aspects of British identity from political and cultural perspectives has never been more poignant, especially in the face of continuing threats from domestic and international extremism – both far right and religious. The defeat of the BNP in Dagenham last year, resulting in all of its twelve councilors failing to be reelected can be considered a positive outcome for British politics so far as right wing extremism is concerned. The increase in Muslim MPs is also considered by many as another positive for British politics. While these apparent achievements may reflect the more appealing façade of the political climate, a redefining of who and what represents Muslim identity in 21st century Britain is necessary in view of the increasing misunderstanding and rictus gap between wider non-Muslim society and Muslim communities.
2011-03-14T00:00:00ZBaker, Abdul HaqqThe recent landmark election results in 2010 witnessed the end of an era for Labour under Gordon Brown and the herald of a new political landscape with the Coalition government of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The challenges for the new coalition are no less daunting than they were under the former government. The need to examine aspects of British identity from political and cultural perspectives has never been more poignant, especially in the face of continuing threats from domestic and international extremism – both far right and religious. The defeat of the BNP in Dagenham last year, resulting in all of its twelve councilors failing to be reelected can be considered a positive outcome for British politics so far as right wing extremism is concerned. The increase in Muslim MPs is also considered by many as another positive for British politics. While these apparent achievements may reflect the more appealing façade of the political climate, a redefining of who and what represents Muslim identity in 21st century Britain is necessary in view of the increasing misunderstanding and rictus gap between wider non-Muslim society and Muslim communities.The need for situational awareness in a CBRNE attack
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5619
Six years before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and eight years before the United States went to war with Saddam Hussein for his alleged concealment of chemical and biological weapons caches, Japan's Tokyo subway was struck by one of the most vicious terror attacks in modern history. The 1995 Sarin terrorist attack represents an important case study for post-9/11 emergency managers because it highlights the key issues first responders and public health officials face when confronted with a CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) mass-casualty attack.
2011-02-02T00:00:00ZNelms, JordanSix years before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and eight years before the United States went to war with Saddam Hussein for his alleged concealment of chemical and biological weapons caches, Japan's Tokyo subway was struck by one of the most vicious terror attacks in modern history. The 1995 Sarin terrorist attack represents an important case study for post-9/11 emergency managers because it highlights the key issues first responders and public health officials face when confronted with a CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) mass-casualty attack.The peril of hasty triumphalism and Osama bin Laden’s death
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5618
On May 1, 2011 the headlines of a large number of newspapers and TV channels around the world were saying “justice has been done”. Those were the words used by the US President Barack Obama to announce to the world the killing of Osama bin Laden, the number one terrorist on the US most-wanted list.
2011-05-13T00:00:00ZLilli, EugenioOn May 1, 2011 the headlines of a large number of newspapers and TV channels around the world were saying “justice has been done”. Those were the words used by the US President Barack Obama to announce to the world the killing of Osama bin Laden, the number one terrorist on the US most-wanted list.The Central Intelligence Agency’s armed Remotely Piloted Vehicle-supported counter-insurgency campaign in Pakistan – a mission undermined by unintended consequences?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5614
This paper views America's 'drones-first' counter-insurgency effort in Pakistan through the lens of Merton's theory of the unintended consequences of purposive action. It also references Beck’s Risk Society thesis, America’s Revolution in Military Affairs doctrine, Toft’s theory of isomorphic learning, Langer’s theory of mindfulness, Highly Reliable Organisations theory and the social construction of technology (SCOT) argument. With reference to Merton’s theory, the CIA-directed armed Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) campaign has manifest functions, latent functions and latent dysfunctions. Measured against numbers of suspected insurgents killed, the campaign can be judged a success. Measured against the level of collateral damage or the state of US-Pakistan relations, the campaign can be judged a failure. Values determine the choice of metrics. Because RPV operations eliminate risk to American service personnel, and because this is popular with both US citizens and politicians, collateral damage (the killing of civilians) is not considered a policy-changing dysfunction. However, the latent dysfunctions of America's drones-first policy may be so great as to undermine that policy's intended manifest function – to make a net contribution to the War on Terror. In Vietnam the latent dysfunctions of Westmoreland’s attritional war undermined America’s policy of containment. Vietnam holds a lesson for the Obama administration.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZBennett, SimonThis paper views America's 'drones-first' counter-insurgency effort in Pakistan through the lens of Merton's theory of the unintended consequences of purposive action. It also references Beck’s Risk Society thesis, America’s Revolution in Military Affairs doctrine, Toft’s theory of isomorphic learning, Langer’s theory of mindfulness, Highly Reliable Organisations theory and the social construction of technology (SCOT) argument. With reference to Merton’s theory, the CIA-directed armed Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) campaign has manifest functions, latent functions and latent dysfunctions. Measured against numbers of suspected insurgents killed, the campaign can be judged a success. Measured against the level of collateral damage or the state of US-Pakistan relations, the campaign can be judged a failure. Values determine the choice of metrics. Because RPV operations eliminate risk to American service personnel, and because this is popular with both US citizens and politicians, collateral damage (the killing of civilians) is not considered a policy-changing dysfunction. However, the latent dysfunctions of America's drones-first policy may be so great as to undermine that policy's intended manifest function – to make a net contribution to the War on Terror. In Vietnam the latent dysfunctions of Westmoreland’s attritional war undermined America’s policy of containment. Vietnam holds a lesson for the Obama administration.Human bombing - a religious act
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5613
The issue of human bombing, which is popularly known as suicide bombing has become important in the Western world since the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks. Since then the issue of human bombing has become important to academia, the media, and security experts. This interest has resulted in much literature attempting to explain why human bombings take place and what motivates the bombers; for instance, the works of Gambetta (2006); Pape (2006); Merari (2010); Hafez (2006, 2007); Wright (2007); Bloom (2005, 2010); Friedman (2005); and Khosrokhavar (2005).
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZIlyas, MohammedThe issue of human bombing, which is popularly known as suicide bombing has become important in the Western world since the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks. Since then the issue of human bombing has become important to academia, the media, and security experts. This interest has resulted in much literature attempting to explain why human bombings take place and what motivates the bombers; for instance, the works of Gambetta (2006); Pape (2006); Merari (2010); Hafez (2006, 2007); Wright (2007); Bloom (2005, 2010); Friedman (2005); and Khosrokhavar (2005).Entering the black hole: the Taliban, terrorism, and organised crime
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5612
Cooperation and imitation among crime and terror groups in recent years has given rise to a crime-terror nexus. A linear conceptualisation of a crime-terror spectrum, suggests that complete convergence of crime and terror in a failed state can give rise to a ‘black hole.’ Theoretical models of the crime-terror nexus, however, do not specify the means by which a crime-terror group enters this black hole state, yet others do not. Using the Taliban movement as a case study, this article presents a theoretical extension of black hole theory, using organisation-level characteristics to merge black hole theory with the crime-terror continuum.
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZPhillips, Matthew D.Kamen, Emily A.Cooperation and imitation among crime and terror groups in recent years has given rise to a crime-terror nexus. A linear conceptualisation of a crime-terror spectrum, suggests that complete convergence of crime and terror in a failed state can give rise to a ‘black hole.’ Theoretical models of the crime-terror nexus, however, do not specify the means by which a crime-terror group enters this black hole state, yet others do not. Using the Taliban movement as a case study, this article presents a theoretical extension of black hole theory, using organisation-level characteristics to merge black hole theory with the crime-terror continuum.The theatre of cruelty: dehumanization, objectification & Abu Ghraib
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5611
A clumsy pyramid of kneeling men, naked apart from the hoods over their heads, with a smiling, fair-headed woman and a grinning man with a moustache, wearing green cleaning gloves; a slight woman with a blank expression and a man on the floor, on a limp leash; a hooded, robed figure, standing on a box with his arms outstretched and a pose similar to the crucifixion, with sinister wires behind him, and otherwise blank surroundings. A row of more hooded, naked men, forced to do sexual acts as a female prison guard (Lynndie England), tanned and wearing various shades of khaki, grins and does a thumbs up sign, pointing at him, her cigarette tilted and her expression not altogether different from Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. A man in uniform and a black beanie hat, sitting on an Iraqi prisoner. Another pyramid of naked detainees, with a man and women behind them, smiling arm in arm, as if they are standing by a caught wild boar or large fish, or a well-organised barbeque. The moustached man (Charles Graner), again smiling and giving a thumbs up sign, this time over a corpse, whose bloody eyes have been bandaged. A naked prisoner covering his ears, as several dogs bark at him, and soldiers watch on. Another prisoner chained to a bed-frame, with some underpants covering his face. These infamous scenes, shown in the Abu Ghraib photographs, shocked many people, and the perpetrators of the torture depicted were condemned by the relevant authorities. They transformed from clandestine mementos of hidden violence to records of an international scandal and evidence of serious crime. Their meaning changed depending on who saw them, how they were interpreted, what reactions they provoked, and the rulings of the courts regarding the people involved. They went from being private victory shots, to an international public relations disaster, to evidence of breaking of the Geneva Convention.
2014-09-30T00:00:00ZSpens, ChristianaA clumsy pyramid of kneeling men, naked apart from the hoods over their heads, with a smiling, fair-headed woman and a grinning man with a moustache, wearing green cleaning gloves; a slight woman with a blank expression and a man on the floor, on a limp leash; a hooded, robed figure, standing on a box with his arms outstretched and a pose similar to the crucifixion, with sinister wires behind him, and otherwise blank surroundings. A row of more hooded, naked men, forced to do sexual acts as a female prison guard (Lynndie England), tanned and wearing various shades of khaki, grins and does a thumbs up sign, pointing at him, her cigarette tilted and her expression not altogether different from Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. A man in uniform and a black beanie hat, sitting on an Iraqi prisoner. Another pyramid of naked detainees, with a man and women behind them, smiling arm in arm, as if they are standing by a caught wild boar or large fish, or a well-organised barbeque. The moustached man (Charles Graner), again smiling and giving a thumbs up sign, this time over a corpse, whose bloody eyes have been bandaged. A naked prisoner covering his ears, as several dogs bark at him, and soldiers watch on. Another prisoner chained to a bed-frame, with some underpants covering his face. These infamous scenes, shown in the Abu Ghraib photographs, shocked many people, and the perpetrators of the torture depicted were condemned by the relevant authorities. They transformed from clandestine mementos of hidden violence to records of an international scandal and evidence of serious crime. Their meaning changed depending on who saw them, how they were interpreted, what reactions they provoked, and the rulings of the courts regarding the people involved. They went from being private victory shots, to an international public relations disaster, to evidence of breaking of the Geneva Convention.Al-Qaeda in Gaza: isolating “the base”
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5610
In 1996, Osama bin Laden declared jihad against the American forces occupying Saudi Arabia, calling for Muslims to expel the infidels from the “land of the two holy places.” The first sacred ground mentioned in this statement, however, was not Saudi Arabia but Palestine. His words seething with hatred, bin Laden scorned the Arab regimes for failing to recapture Jerusalem and described the situation as a festering wound upon the Islamic umma.[1] Fourteen years later, even after orchestrating devastating attacks in three Western capitals, Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda is still unable to do much against Israel besides issuing scathing diatribes. Its most vigorous efforts to establish itself in the Palestinian arena have been in the Gaza Strip. Here, however, al-Qaeda-linked groups are stymied by a perhaps surprising adversary: Hamas. But despite Hamas’s efforts to suppress them, Salafi-jihadi groups maintain an underground presence. Even if al-Qaeda affiliates remain weak operationally in comparison to Hamas, al-Qaeda’s ideology of global jihad seems to be on the rise in Gaza. Meanwhile, the al-Qaeda leadership is relentless in pursuing new and ingenious ways for its agents to penetrate the Strip. A Hamas weakened by a tightened blockade or another war with Israel would leave an opening for Salafi-jihadi militants. The prospect of these al-Qaeda-linked factions upsetting a fragile peace needs to be considered among the many other factors relevant to engagement with Hamas.
2010-11-30T00:00:00ZMarshall, WarrenIn 1996, Osama bin Laden declared jihad against the American forces occupying Saudi Arabia, calling for Muslims to expel the infidels from the “land of the two holy places.” The first sacred ground mentioned in this statement, however, was not Saudi Arabia but Palestine. His words seething with hatred, bin Laden scorned the Arab regimes for failing to recapture Jerusalem and described the situation as a festering wound upon the Islamic umma.[1] Fourteen years later, even after orchestrating devastating attacks in three Western capitals, Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda is still unable to do much against Israel besides issuing scathing diatribes. Its most vigorous efforts to establish itself in the Palestinian arena have been in the Gaza Strip. Here, however, al-Qaeda-linked groups are stymied by a perhaps surprising adversary: Hamas. But despite Hamas’s efforts to suppress them, Salafi-jihadi groups maintain an underground presence. Even if al-Qaeda affiliates remain weak operationally in comparison to Hamas, al-Qaeda’s ideology of global jihad seems to be on the rise in Gaza. Meanwhile, the al-Qaeda leadership is relentless in pursuing new and ingenious ways for its agents to penetrate the Strip. A Hamas weakened by a tightened blockade or another war with Israel would leave an opening for Salafi-jihadi militants. The prospect of these al-Qaeda-linked factions upsetting a fragile peace needs to be considered among the many other factors relevant to engagement with Hamas.Thinking about the 'law of unintended consequences'
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5609
The United State’s now-not-so-covert drone based program targeting Al Qaeda (AQ) and Taliban commanders based in Pakistan’s inhospitable and hostile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FETA) has been operational since 2004. However, US air strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt have steadily escalated over the past three years. The US has claimed that these attacks have successfully decimated core Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership. This past September alone the US military conducted 26 drone strikes in Pakistan, racking up a figure that the BBC is calling the "highest monthly total for the past six years". Not only do these steadily escalating drone strikes raise some pertinent questions about US/NATO successes claimed under the rubric of the Global War on Terror (or if you prefer, the Overseas Contingency Operations) but they also shed some light on the deteriorating political situation in Pakistan.
2010-10-13T00:00:00ZSingh, RashmiThe United State’s now-not-so-covert drone based program targeting Al Qaeda (AQ) and Taliban commanders based in Pakistan’s inhospitable and hostile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FETA) has been operational since 2004. However, US air strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt have steadily escalated over the past three years. The US has claimed that these attacks have successfully decimated core Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership. This past September alone the US military conducted 26 drone strikes in Pakistan, racking up a figure that the BBC is calling the "highest monthly total for the past six years". Not only do these steadily escalating drone strikes raise some pertinent questions about US/NATO successes claimed under the rubric of the Global War on Terror (or if you prefer, the Overseas Contingency Operations) but they also shed some light on the deteriorating political situation in Pakistan.Myriam Denov. Child soldiers: Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2010
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5608
Paperback £16.99, pp. 246. ISBN-13: 9780521693219, Reviewed by Emma Leonard, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
2010-07-28T00:00:00ZLeonard, EmmaPaperback £16.99, pp. 246. ISBN-13: 9780521693219, Reviewed by Emma Leonard, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UKAudrey Kurth Cronin. How terrorism ends: understanding the decline and demise of terrorist campaigns. Princeton University Press: New Jersey, 2009
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5607
pp. 330. $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-4008-3114-2., Reviewed by Cheryl M. Graham,University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
2010-10-29T00:00:00ZGraham, Cheryl M.pp. 330. $29.95 ISBN: 978-1-4008-3114-2., Reviewed by Cheryl M. Graham,University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UKDecentralised leadership in contemporary jihadism: towards a global social movement
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5606
On October 19th 2003, nearly six months after the outset of the invasion of Iraq by US troops, a video was released by al-Qaeda media arm al-Sahab showing Osama bin Laden directly threatening Spain. In his words, Spain, then governed by Prime Minister José Maria Aznar from the Partido Popular (PP), may face a terrorist attack should Spanish military forces continue to be part of the coalition that invaded Iraq[1] and toppled the Saddam Hussein regime. Less than six months later, on March 11th 2004, Madrid was shaken by coordinated bomb attacks in several commuter trains at peak hours, killing 191 people and wounding thousands. The “first well-known al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist conspiracy in Europe”[2] had been in preparation for years thanks to the long-term presence of radical Islamists on Spanish soil. The first jihadist bombing on this continent since 9/11[3] seemed to have answered Osama bin Laden’s warning call. Those who later claimed responsibility for these attacks pointed out Iraq as their main source of motivation. Symbolically the bombings were carried out a few days before the first anniversary of Iraq’s invasion. On the national scene, because “terrorism is meant to terrify”[4] and affect an audience, terrorists clearly intended to affect the outcome of the national general elections scheduled three days later. The Madrid terrorists were not self-starters, nor were they members of al-Qaeda who had performed an oath of allegiance to bin Laden. Instead, they were mostly first-generation immigrants from Northern Africa or the Near East who had been settled in Spain for years, had decent jobs and for some of them wives and children[5]. The setting up of the Madrid bombings was an illustration of the rising context of the contemporary jihadist movement, targeting a country and blaming it for what was happening thousands of kilometres away. This example is highly valuable to describe the continuously evolving nature of the jihadist movement up to now.
2011-05-18T00:00:00ZBartolo, RomainOn October 19th 2003, nearly six months after the outset of the invasion of Iraq by US troops, a video was released by al-Qaeda media arm al-Sahab showing Osama bin Laden directly threatening Spain. In his words, Spain, then governed by Prime Minister José Maria Aznar from the Partido Popular (PP), may face a terrorist attack should Spanish military forces continue to be part of the coalition that invaded Iraq[1] and toppled the Saddam Hussein regime. Less than six months later, on March 11th 2004, Madrid was shaken by coordinated bomb attacks in several commuter trains at peak hours, killing 191 people and wounding thousands. The “first well-known al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist conspiracy in Europe”[2] had been in preparation for years thanks to the long-term presence of radical Islamists on Spanish soil. The first jihadist bombing on this continent since 9/11[3] seemed to have answered Osama bin Laden’s warning call. Those who later claimed responsibility for these attacks pointed out Iraq as their main source of motivation. Symbolically the bombings were carried out a few days before the first anniversary of Iraq’s invasion. On the national scene, because “terrorism is meant to terrify”[4] and affect an audience, terrorists clearly intended to affect the outcome of the national general elections scheduled three days later. The Madrid terrorists were not self-starters, nor were they members of al-Qaeda who had performed an oath of allegiance to bin Laden. Instead, they were mostly first-generation immigrants from Northern Africa or the Near East who had been settled in Spain for years, had decent jobs and for some of them wives and children[5]. The setting up of the Madrid bombings was an illustration of the rising context of the contemporary jihadist movement, targeting a country and blaming it for what was happening thousands of kilometres away. This example is highly valuable to describe the continuously evolving nature of the jihadist movement up to now.Listening to the victims of terrorism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5605
When my grandfather retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1924 society paid little attention to the perspectives and needs of the victims of crime. This was as true for the victims of terrorism as for victims of other crimes. More recently the perspectives and interests of victims of crime in general and the victims of terrorism in particular have often assumed significant importance, not least in politics and in the media.
2011-01-14T00:00:00ZRobert, LambertWhen my grandfather retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1924 society paid little attention to the perspectives and needs of the victims of crime. This was as true for the victims of terrorism as for victims of other crimes. More recently the perspectives and interests of victims of crime in general and the victims of terrorism in particular have often assumed significant importance, not least in politics and in the media.Electoral politics and ETA’s ceasefire
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5604
The recent Euskadi ta Alkartasuna (ETA) ceasefire declaration has been received with much interest and fanfare by the international media. The same announcement was met instead with a tangible lack of enthusiasm by Spanish and Basque political figures. The Spanish president Zapatero, the Basque president Lopez and Urkullu, the leader of the most voted Basque nationalist party (PNV), agreed that the communiqué was a ‘step forward’ but ultimately ‘insufficient’ and ‘not the news the country had been hoping for’. Such mix of scepticism and disappointment is partly a product of the previous failed experience with the 2006 ETA truce. Months of painstakingly slow negotiations between ETA and government representatives were then shattered with a bomb attack at Madrid airport that killed two people. The outcome left the Zapatero’s government frustrated and unwilling to get their fingers burnt again.
2011-01-24T00:00:00ZArgomaniz, JavierThe recent Euskadi ta Alkartasuna (ETA) ceasefire declaration has been received with much interest and fanfare by the international media. The same announcement was met instead with a tangible lack of enthusiasm by Spanish and Basque political figures. The Spanish president Zapatero, the Basque president Lopez and Urkullu, the leader of the most voted Basque nationalist party (PNV), agreed that the communiqué was a ‘step forward’ but ultimately ‘insufficient’ and ‘not the news the country had been hoping for’. Such mix of scepticism and disappointment is partly a product of the previous failed experience with the 2006 ETA truce. Months of painstakingly slow negotiations between ETA and government representatives were then shattered with a bomb attack at Madrid airport that killed two people. The outcome left the Zapatero’s government frustrated and unwilling to get their fingers burnt again.An analysis of the public reporting to Lothian and Borders police on perceived terrorism-related matters after the Glasgow Airport terrorist attack in 2007
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5600
The Glasgow Airport terrorist attack of 2007 led to the initiation of a Lothian and Borders Police operation to investigate an expected increase in the public reporting of terrorism-related matters. This paper considers the two specific areas of data in respect of these reports: the reporters and the information they imparted. An analysis of reporter characteristics is undertaken, highlighting areas of interest concerning age, employment and place of birth. The information imparted to the police is then analysed with particular aspects of reporting identified, primarily the activity the subject was undertaking, with sub-analysis of ethnicity of subjects and premises cited. The influence of the media is also considered. The conclusions centre on the prevalence of Asian subjects in the reporting, an apparent lack of minority reporters and the nature of the public implications concerning terrorist activity as opposed to overt expressions of the nature of suspicions.
2010-09-27T00:00:00ZGallagher, MartinThe Glasgow Airport terrorist attack of 2007 led to the initiation of a Lothian and Borders Police operation to investigate an expected increase in the public reporting of terrorism-related matters. This paper considers the two specific areas of data in respect of these reports: the reporters and the information they imparted. An analysis of reporter characteristics is undertaken, highlighting areas of interest concerning age, employment and place of birth. The information imparted to the police is then analysed with particular aspects of reporting identified, primarily the activity the subject was undertaking, with sub-analysis of ethnicity of subjects and premises cited. The influence of the media is also considered. The conclusions centre on the prevalence of Asian subjects in the reporting, an apparent lack of minority reporters and the nature of the public implications concerning terrorist activity as opposed to overt expressions of the nature of suspicions.Andrew Silke, et al., (edited by Andrew Silke). Prisons, terrorism and extremism: critical issues in management, radicalisation and reform
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5598
Routledge: Oxon UK, 2014. pp. 282. £28.99. ISBN: 978-0-415-81038-8.
Reviewed by Robert W. Hand
2014-09-01T00:00:00ZHand, Robert W.Routledge: Oxon UK, 2014. pp. 282. £28.99. ISBN: 978-0-415-81038-8.
Reviewed by Robert W. HandAnthony Richards, Peter Fussey and Andrew Silke (eds.). Terrorism and the Olympics: major event security and lessons for the future
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5597
Routledge: Oxon UK, 2011. pp. 243. Hardcover: £68.50-£81.00. ISBN: 978–0–415–49939–2. Paperback (Avail. 1 Apr 2012): £24.95. Amazon Kindle: £56.52.
Reviewed by Robert W. Hand University of Aberdeen Istanbul, Turkey
2012-07-10T00:00:00ZHand, Robert W.Routledge: Oxon UK, 2011. pp. 243. Hardcover: £68.50-£81.00. ISBN: 978–0–415–49939–2. Paperback (Avail. 1 Apr 2012): £24.95. Amazon Kindle: £56.52.
Reviewed by Robert W. Hand University of Aberdeen Istanbul, TurkeyCase studies in exploiting terrorist group divisions with disinformation and divisive/black propaganda
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5596
Counterterrorism operations should be exploiting the divisions and infighting of terrorist groups. The overall goal should be to make fewer mistakes than the jihadis, help increase inter-group and intra-group tension, and further their disconnection from the wider public. This paper argues that strategic psychological operations (PSYOP) that focus on exploiting rifts in leadership, differences in strategic planning, and ethnic, national and tribal differences within and among terrorist groups could be an integral part of overall counterterrorism efforts. Using three case studies, chosen because of the attention given to them in the international community and the illuminating group and leadership characteristics that can be found in many other jihadist organisations, the paper illustrates that PSYOP that expand on the existing framework could be very effective in countering the jihadist threat.
2010-07-22T00:00:00ZGarner, GeorgeCounterterrorism operations should be exploiting the divisions and infighting of terrorist groups. The overall goal should be to make fewer mistakes than the jihadis, help increase inter-group and intra-group tension, and further their disconnection from the wider public. This paper argues that strategic psychological operations (PSYOP) that focus on exploiting rifts in leadership, differences in strategic planning, and ethnic, national and tribal differences within and among terrorist groups could be an integral part of overall counterterrorism efforts. Using three case studies, chosen because of the attention given to them in the international community and the illuminating group and leadership characteristics that can be found in many other jihadist organisations, the paper illustrates that PSYOP that expand on the existing framework could be very effective in countering the jihadist threat.Revenge or reward? The case of Somalia’s suicide bombers
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5595
This article explores the social mechanisms that lead to the emergence of suicide attacks in new theatres, as well as factors influencing the frequency of such suicide attacks, by studying one of the states in which suicide attacks have most recently occurred – Somalia. The article argues that a suicide attack in the Somali setting seems to be a well-planned reaction to diplomatic or military moves by opposing parties in the conflict. However, it also poses that the initial emergence of suicide attacks in Somalia is grounded in ideological elements new to Somalia. The article thus argues that while frequency variations in suicide attacks are best understood as the result of rational calculations within an organisation, ideological elements and organisational belief systems have to be explored in order to understand the initial adoption of suicide attacks in Somalia.
2010-07-22T00:00:00ZHansen, Stig JarleThis article explores the social mechanisms that lead to the emergence of suicide attacks in new theatres, as well as factors influencing the frequency of such suicide attacks, by studying one of the states in which suicide attacks have most recently occurred – Somalia. The article argues that a suicide attack in the Somali setting seems to be a well-planned reaction to diplomatic or military moves by opposing parties in the conflict. However, it also poses that the initial emergence of suicide attacks in Somalia is grounded in ideological elements new to Somalia. The article thus argues that while frequency variations in suicide attacks are best understood as the result of rational calculations within an organisation, ideological elements and organisational belief systems have to be explored in order to understand the initial adoption of suicide attacks in Somalia.Drones, the US and the new wars in Africa
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/5586
Since the early 20th Century, Africa has witnessed varying degrees of subversion from the Mau Mau nationalist campaigners in Kenya in the 1950s to acts by rebel groups in the infamous intrastate wars of Sub-Saharan Africa. While the first movement evolved mainly from political acts geared towards the struggle for independence, the latter was mostly evident in attempts to obtain psychological or strategic advantages by combatants in the brutal civil wars of Liberia, Sierra Leone, the African Great Lakes region and a number of such civil war theatres in Africa. The element of unrestrained violence commonly identified as a defining feature of terrorism (Attuquayefio, 2006), was palpable in all these movements, yet the socio-political or military drive for these movements barely included religion. The 1990s, however, marked the dawn of religious fundamentalism and its induced terrorism in Africa. With an overwhelming proportion of these terrorist movements tracing their foundations to Islam, a religion that is ordinarily portrayed as one of peace ironically continues to roll out some of the worst acts of terrorism in Africa. This arguably came to the limelight with the August 7, 1998 terrorist bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam that killed over two hundred people. Subsequently in 2002, an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya was attacked. (Lyman & Morrison, 2004) The attribution of these events to the Egypt-based Islamic Jihad and other Al Qaeda surrogates such as its name sake in the Islamic Maghreb was the first public indication that international terrorist organisations were inducing affiliates on the continent. Subsequently, actions of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, the rise of Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, the insurrection of Islamic Fundamentalists in Mali in March 2012 as well as the renewed interest in security on the continent by the US and key European countries such as the United Kingdom and France all point to Africa’s emerging relevance as a frontier for the global War on Terrorism.
2014-09-29T00:00:00ZAttuquayefio, PhilipSince the early 20th Century, Africa has witnessed varying degrees of subversion from the Mau Mau nationalist campaigners in Kenya in the 1950s to acts by rebel groups in the infamous intrastate wars of Sub-Saharan Africa. While the first movement evolved mainly from political acts geared towards the struggle for independence, the latter was mostly evident in attempts to obtain psychological or strategic advantages by combatants in the brutal civil wars of Liberia, Sierra Leone, the African Great Lakes region and a number of such civil war theatres in Africa. The element of unrestrained violence commonly identified as a defining feature of terrorism (Attuquayefio, 2006), was palpable in all these movements, yet the socio-political or military drive for these movements barely included religion. The 1990s, however, marked the dawn of religious fundamentalism and its induced terrorism in Africa. With an overwhelming proportion of these terrorist movements tracing their foundations to Islam, a religion that is ordinarily portrayed as one of peace ironically continues to roll out some of the worst acts of terrorism in Africa. This arguably came to the limelight with the August 7, 1998 terrorist bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam that killed over two hundred people. Subsequently in 2002, an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya was attacked. (Lyman & Morrison, 2004) The attribution of these events to the Egypt-based Islamic Jihad and other Al Qaeda surrogates such as its name sake in the Islamic Maghreb was the first public indication that international terrorist organisations were inducing affiliates on the continent. Subsequently, actions of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, the rise of Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria, the insurrection of Islamic Fundamentalists in Mali in March 2012 as well as the renewed interest in security on the continent by the US and key European countries such as the United Kingdom and France all point to Africa’s emerging relevance as a frontier for the global War on Terrorism.Operation Pillar of Defence and the 2013 Israeli elections: defensive or provocative intervention?
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4928
Based on the research on the psychological and political effects of terrorism, this paper focuses on the possible use of provocative counter-terrorism operations in order to influence the outcome of elections. Exploring the case of the Israeli Operation Pillar of Defence, that occurred from 14 November, 2012 to 21 November, the study resorts to qualitative and quantitative methods in a semi-flexible design with a view to exploring whether this operation, and the major escalation it took part in, was necessary and proportionate. The findings are that, in light of the broader context and Israeli experience with counter-terrorism responses, the political exploitation of the psychological effects of this crisis may have been a major motive in the decision to launch this operation.
2014-06-02T00:00:00ZOrenes, PhilippseBased on the research on the psychological and political effects of terrorism, this paper focuses on the possible use of provocative counter-terrorism operations in order to influence the outcome of elections. Exploring the case of the Israeli Operation Pillar of Defence, that occurred from 14 November, 2012 to 21 November, the study resorts to qualitative and quantitative methods in a semi-flexible design with a view to exploring whether this operation, and the major escalation it took part in, was necessary and proportionate. The findings are that, in light of the broader context and Israeli experience with counter-terrorism responses, the political exploitation of the psychological effects of this crisis may have been a major motive in the decision to launch this operation.Adversarial framing: President Bashar al-Assad’s depiction of the armed Syrian opposition
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4927
This paper evaluates how Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is framing his opponents in the context of the Syrian civil war. The question is addressed by conducting a qualitative thematic analysis of 13 interviews he gave to international television news networks and newspapers between March and November 2013. It is found that Al-Assad consequently labels the armed opposition as “terrorists” preponderantly composed of groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda. The “terrorists” are framed as posing a threat to the region as well as to international security on a global scale. Furthermore, Al-Assad denies the armed opposition its Syrian grassroots by portraying them as outside aggressors fighting for foreign interests. They are also depicted as “enemies of the Syrian people”, responsible for all the atrocities and human suffering committed during the Syrian civil war.
2014-06-02T00:00:00ZMerz, FabienThis paper evaluates how Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is framing his opponents in the context of the Syrian civil war. The question is addressed by conducting a qualitative thematic analysis of 13 interviews he gave to international television news networks and newspapers between March and November 2013. It is found that Al-Assad consequently labels the armed opposition as “terrorists” preponderantly composed of groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda. The “terrorists” are framed as posing a threat to the region as well as to international security on a global scale. Furthermore, Al-Assad denies the armed opposition its Syrian grassroots by portraying them as outside aggressors fighting for foreign interests. They are also depicted as “enemies of the Syrian people”, responsible for all the atrocities and human suffering committed during the Syrian civil war.Operation Enduring Freedom: institutional constraints, alliance commitments, and the power capabilities of counterterrorism
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4926
What prompted states to participate in the War on Terror? Conventional wisdom concludes that the endeavor is an unpopular exercise in US imperialism, yet this argument is juxtaposed with the overwhelming amount of international support in its initial stages. Additionally, while there is a great depth and breadth of information on aggregate terrorist attacks and their theoretical motivation, there is relatively little with regards to counterterrorist behavior. This study represents the first of its kind to examine from a global perspective the counterterrorist behavior of states by linking it to the conflict theories of general and immediate deterrence. The results will show how democratic characteristics inhibit military commitment while alliance obligations act as an outside constraint that engenders preemptive behavior. However, once committed militarily, state capabilities are the main influence on the level of preemptive action applied. This analysis supports the utilization of traditional conflict theories when examining state counterterrorist behavior.
2014-06-02T00:00:00ZKattelman, Kyle T.What prompted states to participate in the War on Terror? Conventional wisdom concludes that the endeavor is an unpopular exercise in US imperialism, yet this argument is juxtaposed with the overwhelming amount of international support in its initial stages. Additionally, while there is a great depth and breadth of information on aggregate terrorist attacks and their theoretical motivation, there is relatively little with regards to counterterrorist behavior. This study represents the first of its kind to examine from a global perspective the counterterrorist behavior of states by linking it to the conflict theories of general and immediate deterrence. The results will show how democratic characteristics inhibit military commitment while alliance obligations act as an outside constraint that engenders preemptive behavior. However, once committed militarily, state capabilities are the main influence on the level of preemptive action applied. This analysis supports the utilization of traditional conflict theories when examining state counterterrorist behavior.A case study of Anders B. Breivik’s intergroup conceptualisation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4925
This paper undertakes summative content analytical case study of Anders Behring Breivik’s political manifesto, analysing Breivik’s conceptualisations of social ingroup and outgroup, and how these concepts interact. Findings indicate that Breivik conceptualises his ingroup on a three-level scale, ranging from specific to general. The outgroup is conceptualised as twofold, seen as either originating inside Breivik’s ingroup society or outside. A basic interaction pattern between the two group-conceptualisations was found, suggesting mutual reinforcement and a self-replicating pattern of radicalization and entrenched group-conceptualisation. Ingroup categories appeared to exist as hierarchical subsets, while outgroup categories were clearly differentiated as separate entities.
2014-06-02T00:00:00ZHolmen Johnsen, MathiasThis paper undertakes summative content analytical case study of Anders Behring Breivik’s political manifesto, analysing Breivik’s conceptualisations of social ingroup and outgroup, and how these concepts interact. Findings indicate that Breivik conceptualises his ingroup on a three-level scale, ranging from specific to general. The outgroup is conceptualised as twofold, seen as either originating inside Breivik’s ingroup society or outside. A basic interaction pattern between the two group-conceptualisations was found, suggesting mutual reinforcement and a self-replicating pattern of radicalization and entrenched group-conceptualisation. Ingroup categories appeared to exist as hierarchical subsets, while outgroup categories were clearly differentiated as separate entities.Assessing Boko Haram: a conversation
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4924
In terms of the current terrorist organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Boko Haram is undoubtedly one of the most high profile and among the more long-established. Following a panel session on the group at the 2013 conference of the Society for Terrorism Research at the university of East London, two of the panellists discuss the conceptualisation of the group, the nature and scale of the threat posed by the group, and what responses might offer a viable route away from the violence that has affected particularly Northern Nigeria since the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZAmaliya, MarkNwankpa, MichaelIn terms of the current terrorist organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Boko Haram is undoubtedly one of the most high profile and among the more long-established. Following a panel session on the group at the 2013 conference of the Society for Terrorism Research at the university of East London, two of the panellists discuss the conceptualisation of the group, the nature and scale of the threat posed by the group, and what responses might offer a viable route away from the violence that has affected particularly Northern Nigeria since the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency.Who is to teach “these guys” to “shoot less?”
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4923
While conducting research on counter-terrorism (CT) systems of the Central and Eastern European Member States of the European Union, a unique perspective on the European involvement in countering terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa was offered to the author by a Czech defence ministry official. In his view, the fact that his country made a decision to contribute “boots on the ground” to the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) was astonishing, to say the least: “Things like Mali, you sometimes wonder how these thing happen, even if you are part of them (Havranek 2013).” Thus a decision to participate in this latest CT motivated (building a Malian military capable of taking on the jihadists of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM) EU venture in Africa seems not to have been preceded by a careful analysis and weighting of the options on behalf of his country. In fact, it seemed like a knee jerk reaction to a call for troops from France and subsequently from Brussels. In the end, we might even speculate if, in this very case, the Czech Republic duly settled on a number of troops to be sent to Mali (very low – in dozens) and comfortably ticked off the box on its involvement in yet another Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military mission in Africa, and its contribution to external aspects of combating terrorism on EU level.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-01-10T00:00:00ZRekawek, KacperWhile conducting research on counter-terrorism (CT) systems of the Central and Eastern European Member States of the European Union, a unique perspective on the European involvement in countering terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa was offered to the author by a Czech defence ministry official. In his view, the fact that his country made a decision to contribute “boots on the ground” to the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) was astonishing, to say the least: “Things like Mali, you sometimes wonder how these thing happen, even if you are part of them (Havranek 2013).” Thus a decision to participate in this latest CT motivated (building a Malian military capable of taking on the jihadists of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM) EU venture in Africa seems not to have been preceded by a careful analysis and weighting of the options on behalf of his country. In fact, it seemed like a knee jerk reaction to a call for troops from France and subsequently from Brussels. In the end, we might even speculate if, in this very case, the Czech Republic duly settled on a number of troops to be sent to Mali (very low – in dozens) and comfortably ticked off the box on its involvement in yet another Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military mission in Africa, and its contribution to external aspects of combating terrorism on EU level.The politics of amnesty in Nigeria: a comparative analysis of the Boko Haram and Niger Delta insurgencies
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4922
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the Niger Delta amnesty programme and the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria. The motivation for comparing the two groups derives from the growing demand from some notable groups and individuals, mainly from the northern part of Nigeria, that the Boko Haram insurgents be granted amnesty just as the Niger Delta armed militants. One of such strong voices in favour of amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents is the Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiSa’adAbubakar, who, on the 7th of March 2013, called for “total and unconditional” amnesty for Boko Haram. Sultan Abubakar’s demand has attracted mixed reaction as it is largely supported by the northern group-Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and rejected by others such as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The most serious reaction comes from the presidency in its commission, on April 24th 2013, of a presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North. After an extension by 2 months of its initial 90 days task, the Turaki-led Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North has finally submitted its recommendations to the president. Two key recommendations are: the need to set up an advisory committee for continuous dialogue with Boko Haram (as the leadership of Boko Haram refused to dialogue) and a victims’ support fund to help victims of Boko Haram.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZNwankpa, MichaelThis paper presents a comparative analysis of the Niger Delta amnesty programme and the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria. The motivation for comparing the two groups derives from the growing demand from some notable groups and individuals, mainly from the northern part of Nigeria, that the Boko Haram insurgents be granted amnesty just as the Niger Delta armed militants. One of such strong voices in favour of amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents is the Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiSa’adAbubakar, who, on the 7th of March 2013, called for “total and unconditional” amnesty for Boko Haram. Sultan Abubakar’s demand has attracted mixed reaction as it is largely supported by the northern group-Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and rejected by others such as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The most serious reaction comes from the presidency in its commission, on April 24th 2013, of a presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North. After an extension by 2 months of its initial 90 days task, the Turaki-led Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North has finally submitted its recommendations to the president. Two key recommendations are: the need to set up an advisory committee for continuous dialogue with Boko Haram (as the leadership of Boko Haram refused to dialogue) and a victims’ support fund to help victims of Boko Haram.‘Soldiers of God or Allah’: Religious Politicization and the Boko Haram Crisis in Nigeria
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4920
Several works on Boko Haram have underscored the issues of state weakness and bad governance in Nigeria as the major problematic fuelling the group’s violent activities. While the state fragility argument is indispensable, this paper argues that the religious dimension is also critical to any attempt to understand the Boko Haram crisis. To this end, the paper will examine how the historical and contemporary processes of religious politicization in Nigeria have contributed to the rise and radicalization of Boko Haram.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZMaiangwa, BenjaminSeveral works on Boko Haram have underscored the issues of state weakness and bad governance in Nigeria as the major problematic fuelling the group’s violent activities. While the state fragility argument is indispensable, this paper argues that the religious dimension is also critical to any attempt to understand the Boko Haram crisis. To this end, the paper will examine how the historical and contemporary processes of religious politicization in Nigeria have contributed to the rise and radicalization of Boko Haram.Women, Gender and the evolving tactics of Boko Haram
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4919
This article addresses an under-researched aspect of Boko Haram’s activities: gender-based violence (GBV) and its targeting of women. It argues that 2013 marked a significant evolution in Boko Haram’s tactics, with a series of kidnappings, in which one of the main features was the instrumental use of women. This was in response to corresponding tactics by the Nigerian security forces. Additionally the analysis provides evidence of a shift by Boko Haram to include women in its operations, in response to increased pressure on male operatives. It also considers the gendered rationale for instrumentalizing women within the framework of Boko Haram’s ideology and culture, arguing for a greater appreciation of how gender factors in the group’s violence.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZZenn, JacobPearson, ElizabethThis article addresses an under-researched aspect of Boko Haram’s activities: gender-based violence (GBV) and its targeting of women. It argues that 2013 marked a significant evolution in Boko Haram’s tactics, with a series of kidnappings, in which one of the main features was the instrumental use of women. This was in response to corresponding tactics by the Nigerian security forces. Additionally the analysis provides evidence of a shift by Boko Haram to include women in its operations, in response to increased pressure on male operatives. It also considers the gendered rationale for instrumentalizing women within the framework of Boko Haram’s ideology and culture, arguing for a greater appreciation of how gender factors in the group’s violence.Tracing Al Shabaab’s Decision to Cooperate with Al Qaeda in Somalia (2008)
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4918
l Shabaab, a Somali insurgent with predominantly nationalistic causes (alongside transnational [global Jihad] and Islamic goals) made the choice to fight on behalf of Al Qaeda in 2008. The decision to do so contrasted with Al Shabaab’s previous behaviour of actively denying cooperation and distancing itself from Al Qaeda. This study aims to uncover factors that contributed to Al Shabaab’s decision through the use of process-tracing. The results show that Al Shabaab’s declaration of cooperation with Al Qaeda in August 2008 was brought about by a series of events that traced back to four factors: public reactions to the implementation of a Salafi ideology, the shift to a radical leadership, Al Shabaab’s inability to maintain stability in areas under its control and its increasing attacks by Al Shabaab on the Somali public. Al Shabaab pursued cooperation with Al Qaeda after realizing that their nationalistic preference was no longer achievable in the near future.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZSjah, Adlini Ilma Ghaisanyl Shabaab, a Somali insurgent with predominantly nationalistic causes (alongside transnational [global Jihad] and Islamic goals) made the choice to fight on behalf of Al Qaeda in 2008. The decision to do so contrasted with Al Shabaab’s previous behaviour of actively denying cooperation and distancing itself from Al Qaeda. This study aims to uncover factors that contributed to Al Shabaab’s decision through the use of process-tracing. The results show that Al Shabaab’s declaration of cooperation with Al Qaeda in August 2008 was brought about by a series of events that traced back to four factors: public reactions to the implementation of a Salafi ideology, the shift to a radical leadership, Al Shabaab’s inability to maintain stability in areas under its control and its increasing attacks by Al Shabaab on the Somali public. Al Shabaab pursued cooperation with Al Qaeda after realizing that their nationalistic preference was no longer achievable in the near future.Terrorism without Borders: Somalia’s Al-Shabaab and the global jihad network
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4916
This article sets out to explore the evolution, operational strategy and transnational dimensions of Harakat Al-Shabab al-Mujahedeen (aka Al-Shabab), the Somali-based Islamist terrorist group. The article argues that Al-Shabab’s latest Westgate attack in Kenya should be understood in the light of the group’s deepening ties with Al-Qaeda and its global jihad, especially since 2009 when Al-Shabab formally pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda and welcomed the organisation’s core members into its leadership.
Special Edition issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZAgbiboa, Daniel E.This article sets out to explore the evolution, operational strategy and transnational dimensions of Harakat Al-Shabab al-Mujahedeen (aka Al-Shabab), the Somali-based Islamist terrorist group. The article argues that Al-Shabab’s latest Westgate attack in Kenya should be understood in the light of the group’s deepening ties with Al-Qaeda and its global jihad, especially since 2009 when Al-Shabab formally pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda and welcomed the organisation’s core members into its leadership.Sub Saharan African Terrorist Groups’ use of the Internet
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4915
Recent actions by French military forces in Niger and the global prominence of terrorist groups such as Al Shabaab and Boko Haram, have highlighted the growing counter terrorist focus on the countries of Sub Saharan Africa. Additionally in a post Bin Laden world and with the immanent withdrawal of coalition combat troops from Afghanistan, there is the possibility of Africa as a continent becoming the new front in the Global War on Terror (Mben et al., 2013). However, it is a mistake to assume that Africa’s story is uniformly one of violence and death. Vibrant cultures and a rugged entrepreneurial spirit have combined with a robust Internet backbone, to create the embryonic emergence of high tech hotspots across Africa. With rising IT literacy levels, more and more Africans are becoming connected to the information super highway on a daily basis (Graham, 2010). A tiny minority of these Africans are terrorists.
Special Edition Issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZBertram, StewartEllison, KeithRecent actions by French military forces in Niger and the global prominence of terrorist groups such as Al Shabaab and Boko Haram, have highlighted the growing counter terrorist focus on the countries of Sub Saharan Africa. Additionally in a post Bin Laden world and with the immanent withdrawal of coalition combat troops from Afghanistan, there is the possibility of Africa as a continent becoming the new front in the Global War on Terror (Mben et al., 2013). However, it is a mistake to assume that Africa’s story is uniformly one of violence and death. Vibrant cultures and a rugged entrepreneurial spirit have combined with a robust Internet backbone, to create the embryonic emergence of high tech hotspots across Africa. With rising IT literacy levels, more and more Africans are becoming connected to the information super highway on a daily basis (Graham, 2010). A tiny minority of these Africans are terrorists.Introduction: Terrorism and Counter-terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4912
Special Edition Issue - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
2014-02-10T00:00:00ZBusher, JoelThe role of NIA in the War on Terror: an appraisal of National Investigation Act
https://hdl.handle.net/10023/4902
The National Investigation Act, 2008 (NIA ACT) has been enacted and notified on 31 December 2008 and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) only exclusive counterterrorism agency has been constituted to investigate terrorism and related offences. The NIA is mandated to investigate and prosecute offences under the Acts mentioned in the Schedule which includes offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 that have inter-state and/or international linkages, which are assigned to it by the Government. Although the NIA Act provide for a comparatively straightforward procedure for investigation of terrorism and related activities, not given the necessary powers to prevent the enumerated offences.
2013-09-24T00:00:00ZKiran, R. Bhanu KrishnaThe National Investigation Act, 2008 (NIA ACT) has been enacted and notified on 31 December 2008 and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) only exclusive counterterrorism agency has been constituted to investigate terrorism and related offences. The NIA is mandated to investigate and prosecute offences under the Acts mentioned in the Schedule which includes offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 that have inter-state and/or international linkages, which are assigned to it by the Government. Although the NIA Act provide for a comparatively straightforward procedure for investigation of terrorism and related activities, not given the necessary powers to prevent the enumerated offences.