Pub Date : 2018-05-29DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2018.1446933
Thomas E. Phillips
Rubin, associate professor of economics at Chapman University in Orange, CA, has provided a sophisticated and nuanced analysis of social, religious and cultural factors which contributed to the economic ascendency of the West over the Middle East in the modern era. First, an acknowledgement. I possess no professional training or economic expertise beyond the level of financial literacy acquired through reading in the popular press. My review is written from the perspective of a student of religion and culture, not as a trained economist or expert in economic history and theory. Still, even with these caveats, I find this book to be a remarkable achievement. Rubin’s work falls into two major sections. In the first section, Rubin’s theoretical work, he seeks to understand “some of the necessary determinants for long-run economic success” and also “how and why an economy might stagnate if those determinants are absent” (xiv). In the second section, Rubin’s applied work, he seeks to explain why the Middle East, which was economically ahead of the West at the end of the Middle Ages, fell so far behind the West in the early modern era. For Rubin, any unnuanced effort to point toward Islam as the culprit behind the financial stagnation in the Middle East is “ridiculous” (xiv). On a macro-level, Rubin’s theoretical perspective presumes that economic development requires cultural constructs that allow for change. Cultures—and their governing authorities—which stifle creative adaptation stagnate economically; cultures which make provisions for change experience economic growth. In Rubin’s analysis, religions can both foster and inhibit such required change. In thewake of Islam’s rise,Muslim societies saw a few centuries of positive economic growth, largely due to the political stability and trade friendly practices of Mohammed and his immediate successors. However, during the Ottoman period, these same societies began to stagnate, not because of “an inherent feature” of these societies, but rather because of “a lack of incentive to change” (21). Rubin’s theory of economic development (which is nicely illustrated in graphic form, 34) assumes that the primary enabling and limiting forces behind long economic development are the ruling authorities who shape laws and policies. He presumes that societies with a consistent pattern of appropriate laws andpolicieswill, over time, prosper. Still, as a realist, Rubin acknowledges that the first real priority of any governing authority is to remain in power, a priority which he understands the authorities to actualize via some combination of coercion and legitimation. On the one hand, coercion is effected rather bluntly through military and policing units. On the other hand, legitimization is achieved through the more complex and less overt mechanisms of religious authorities, local leaders, economic elites and other opinion leaders. Economic growth occurs, according to Rubin, when the key agents of legitimatization
{"title":"Rulers, Religion & Riches: Why the West Got Rich and the Middle East Did Not","authors":"Thomas E. Phillips","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2018.1446933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446933","url":null,"abstract":"Rubin, associate professor of economics at Chapman University in Orange, CA, has provided a sophisticated and nuanced analysis of social, religious and cultural factors which contributed to the economic ascendency of the West over the Middle East in the modern era. First, an acknowledgement. I possess no professional training or economic expertise beyond the level of financial literacy acquired through reading in the popular press. My review is written from the perspective of a student of religion and culture, not as a trained economist or expert in economic history and theory. Still, even with these caveats, I find this book to be a remarkable achievement. Rubin’s work falls into two major sections. In the first section, Rubin’s theoretical work, he seeks to understand “some of the necessary determinants for long-run economic success” and also “how and why an economy might stagnate if those determinants are absent” (xiv). In the second section, Rubin’s applied work, he seeks to explain why the Middle East, which was economically ahead of the West at the end of the Middle Ages, fell so far behind the West in the early modern era. For Rubin, any unnuanced effort to point toward Islam as the culprit behind the financial stagnation in the Middle East is “ridiculous” (xiv). On a macro-level, Rubin’s theoretical perspective presumes that economic development requires cultural constructs that allow for change. Cultures—and their governing authorities—which stifle creative adaptation stagnate economically; cultures which make provisions for change experience economic growth. In Rubin’s analysis, religions can both foster and inhibit such required change. In thewake of Islam’s rise,Muslim societies saw a few centuries of positive economic growth, largely due to the political stability and trade friendly practices of Mohammed and his immediate successors. However, during the Ottoman period, these same societies began to stagnate, not because of “an inherent feature” of these societies, but rather because of “a lack of incentive to change” (21). Rubin’s theory of economic development (which is nicely illustrated in graphic form, 34) assumes that the primary enabling and limiting forces behind long economic development are the ruling authorities who shape laws and policies. He presumes that societies with a consistent pattern of appropriate laws andpolicieswill, over time, prosper. Still, as a realist, Rubin acknowledges that the first real priority of any governing authority is to remain in power, a priority which he understands the authorities to actualize via some combination of coercion and legitimation. On the one hand, coercion is effected rather bluntly through military and policing units. On the other hand, legitimization is achieved through the more complex and less overt mechanisms of religious authorities, local leaders, economic elites and other opinion leaders. Economic growth occurs, according to Rubin, when the key agents of legitimatization ","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446933","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46922183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-05-29DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2018.1460903
Wendell G. Johnson
ABSTRACT Paul Tillich is widely regarded as one of the theological giants of twentieth-century theology, and yet, according to Russell Re Manning, remains perhaps the most neglected great theologian of recent times (Re Manning, 2009). This study, based on Tillich's three-volume Systematic Theology (1967) describes Tillich's epistemology and discusses its effect upon his Christology, specifically with a view towards the concept “the uniqueness of Christ.” The article concludes with bibliographic annotations on Tillich's life.
摘要Paul Tillich被广泛认为是二十世纪神学的巨人之一，但在Russell Re Manning看来，他可能仍然是近代最被忽视的伟大神学家（Re Manning，2009）。本研究以蒂里奇的三卷本《系统神学》（1967）为基础，描述了蒂里奇的认识论，并讨论了它对他的基督论的影响，特别是对“基督的独特性”这一概念的看法。
{"title":"Christology as a Function of Epistemology: A Bibliographic Study in the Theology of Paul Tillich","authors":"Wendell G. Johnson","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2018.1460903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2018.1460903","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Paul Tillich is widely regarded as one of the theological giants of twentieth-century theology, and yet, according to Russell Re Manning, remains perhaps the most neglected great theologian of recent times (Re Manning, 2009). This study, based on Tillich's three-volume Systematic Theology (1967) describes Tillich's epistemology and discusses its effect upon his Christology, specifically with a view towards the concept “the uniqueness of Christ.” The article concludes with bibliographic annotations on Tillich's life.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2018.1460903","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47023646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-25DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2018.1446709
Shan Zeng
ABSTRACT In the genealogy of Matthew, there is a numerical ‘discrepancy’ between the actual totals of generations (fourteen, fourteen, and thirteen) recorded in Matthew 1:12-16 and the stated totals (fourteen, fourteen, and fourteen) in 1:17. This paper argues that Matthew's genealogy is devised by inserting breaks based on the pattern and concept of Chronicles in order to convey the unique Matthean message. This argument will be defended by showing the similarities between Chronicles and Matthew: (1) Matthew follows the Chronicler by putting the genealogy at the beginning of the whole book as an introduction to convey the Matthean messages; (2) by combining concepts of kingship and priesthood; (3) by mentioning ‘the sons of Israel’ and ‘all Israel’; (4) by including Gentiles; (5) by using retribution theology; (6) by employing intensification in his chiastic genealogical structure; (7) Matthewâ..s omission of several kings is in line with the Chronicler's ideology of cultic-oriented kingship; (8) Matthew shares the Chronicler's point of view that Judah's deportation to Babylon does not invalidate Yahweh's promise for the Davidic kingdom. Thus, the apparent numerical ‘discrepancy’ is deliberately devised by the Matthean author, just as the Chronicler uses the numerical discrepancy to highlight his emphases in the genealogies.
{"title":"Deliberate Numerical Discrepancy of Generation in the Genealogy of Matthew","authors":"Shan Zeng","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2018.1446709","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446709","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In the genealogy of Matthew, there is a numerical ‘discrepancy’ between the actual totals of generations (fourteen, fourteen, and thirteen) recorded in Matthew 1:12-16 and the stated totals (fourteen, fourteen, and fourteen) in 1:17. This paper argues that Matthew's genealogy is devised by inserting breaks based on the pattern and concept of Chronicles in order to convey the unique Matthean message. This argument will be defended by showing the similarities between Chronicles and Matthew: (1) Matthew follows the Chronicler by putting the genealogy at the beginning of the whole book as an introduction to convey the Matthean messages; (2) by combining concepts of kingship and priesthood; (3) by mentioning ‘the sons of Israel’ and ‘all Israel’; (4) by including Gentiles; (5) by using retribution theology; (6) by employing intensification in his chiastic genealogical structure; (7) Matthewâ..s omission of several kings is in line with the Chronicler's ideology of cultic-oriented kingship; (8) Matthew shares the Chronicler's point of view that Judah's deportation to Babylon does not invalidate Yahweh's promise for the Davidic kingdom. Thus, the apparent numerical ‘discrepancy’ is deliberately devised by the Matthean author, just as the Chronicler uses the numerical discrepancy to highlight his emphases in the genealogies.","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446709","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45826308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-16DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2018.1446702
Darko Lacovic, Sanjica Faletar Tanacković
ABSTRACT This article presents a segment of the results gathered in a doctoral study that investigated information needs and behavior of Catholic priests in Croatia. The study focused on parish priests in particular and their information needs and behavior in the liturgy and care-giving role. The research was conducted with the help of quantitative and qualitative methodology. Print questionnaires were filled out by 327 respondents, while in the follow-up interviews 20 respondents took part. Research results show that respondents, in the care-giving role and liturgy, require information about theology, general culture, psychology, and pedagogy. More than half of respondents find information for liturgy on religious websites and in their personal parish libraries. However, in their care-giving role they seek information most often from their parishers, members in parish pastoral and economic boards, and from colleagues at their regular meetings organized by the (arch)diocese. Both in liturgy and care-giving role, respondents use religious publications to a much larger degree than secular books, magazines, or newspapers. The respondents explained that in liturgy they consult colleagues and parishers in order to exchange advices and ideas, while in the care-giving role some respondents also prefer to seek an advice from an expert in specific field. The results of this study can help Catholic Church and theological faculties when preparing the information literacy courses for future parish priests.
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Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1398580
Barbara S. Spies
{"title":"Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality: From Popular Culture to Religion","authors":"Barbara S. Spies","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2017.1398580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2017.1398580","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2017.1398580","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43392944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1394767
Elizabeth Miraglia
{"title":"Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy","authors":"Elizabeth Miraglia","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2017.1394767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2017.1394767","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2017.1394767","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43608636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1394770
Jennifer Woodruff Tait
{"title":"American Covenant: A History of Civil Religion from the Puritans to the Present","authors":"Jennifer Woodruff Tait","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2017.1394770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2017.1394770","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2017.1394770","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59914092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1369765
Caleb C. Afulike
ABSTRACT This article seeks to explore the manner in which Luke depicts the social aspects of the ministry of Jesus and the apostles in Luke-Acts based on his citations from Isa. 61.1–2 and 58.6. In essence, it demonstrates that Luke's appropriation of Isaiah motifs was not just spiritual but also practical. In doing this, the author appraises the dominant interpretive rubrics with which scholars have discussed the influence of Isaiah on Luke's account, namely, jubilee and second exodus. While acknowledging that these are prominent Isaiah themes in Luke, the author argues for a third—the kingdom of God as the controlling theme in Luke, to which both jubilee and second exodus are subsets. Exodus is necessary for the formation of a new nation or kingdom but it is not in itself the kingdom. Jubilee is the governing principle of the kingdom of God, a theme that runs through Luke-Act.
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Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2017.1415072
E. Miller
{"title":"Religion in Museums: Global and Multidisciplinary Perspectives","authors":"E. Miller","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2017.1415072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2017.1415072","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2017.1415072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46746426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-03-29DOI: 10.1080/10477845.2018.1446639
Kris Veldheer
For a small volume, this book packs a big punch. What sets this work apart from other writing following the violent attack and murder of twelve people on January 7, 2015 at the offices of the satir...
{"title":"Unfashionable Objections to Islamophobic Cartoons","authors":"Kris Veldheer","doi":"10.1080/10477845.2018.1446639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446639","url":null,"abstract":"For a small volume, this book packs a big punch. What sets this work apart from other writing following the violent attack and murder of twelve people on January 7, 2015 at the offices of the satir...","PeriodicalId":35378,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religious and Theological Information","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/10477845.2018.1446639","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42165973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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