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The Asbury University Brown Bag program is a periodic forum (3 times a semester) specifically designed to feature academic presentations to the faculty by current AU faculty who are preparing material for academic conference presentation and/or scholarly publication. These gatherings are intended to meet two different objectives. First, they serve our institution’s liberal arts identity by exposing other faculty not only to the questions, methods, and findings of other disciplines, but also to the nature and manner of the interpretations of the material as given by the presenting colleague. Second, they provide a supportive ‘in-house’ setting for AU faculty to share their work with their fellow colleagues and hopefully gain helpful feedback from the exchange.
Thursdays, 11:30 am – 12:30 pmLocation: Dougherty Dining Room
Thomas Merton’s Concept of the True Self: Implications for the Christian Treatment of Sex Addiction
This presentation is a summary of a recent publication and focuses on Thomas Merton’s concept of the true self and how it can influence a psychodynamic-informed Christian psychotherapy treatment of sex addiction. Five commonly used interventions are briefly highlighted that can foster a true self in clients who struggle with sex addiction.
A Look at Pedagogical Issues in Teaching About Vocation
Asbury University hosts a Lilly-funded High School Institute: “Youth Becoming Leaders (YBL)” with a primary objective “To enable high schools students’ sense of calling to be shaped by a deeper understanding of Scripture, theological texts, and tradition.” This research examines eight years of participant data regarding vocational calling. The data suggests our teaching on vocation is effective in helping adolescents search for identity and vocational calling. The pedagogical impact of vocational teaching will be examined.
Unstill Life: A Backyard Phenomenology of Bubbles
Artistic depictions of children blowing soap bubbles have existed since at least the 17th century. They are especially common in paintings during the Dutch Golden Age in which they symbolize life’s fragility and the fleetingness of existence. Inspired by the author’s experience watching her daughters play with bubbles, this talk will present an ekphrastic meditation on the bubble as both physical phenomenon and enchanting memento mori.
‘The Rest’ as Christian Perfection in John and Charles Wesley
Within the Christian tradition, “entering into rest” can refer to the blessed death of a believer. But John and Charles Wesley appropriate the language of “rest” from Hebrews 3-4 to refer to experiencing entire sanctification or Christian perfection. This study explores the possible antecedents or influences on the Wesleys’ interpretation of “the rest” that otherwise appears to be novel.
How can one course be strategically designed to serve multiple programs effectively, and should it be?
To increase enrollment and financial efficiency, institutions often offer courses across multiple programs. In the School of Education, online classes may include students from various academic levels, enriching discussion and promoting cost-effective delivery. Balassiano et al. (2014) note that dual-listed courses mirror real-world work environments. Join us to explore how these courses are tailored to meet degree requirements while fostering supportive, diverse online communities. Candidate feedback on the structure’s effectiveness will also be presented.
A Dark Cloud of Witnesses: The Mediatization of Evangelical Parishioners by Religious Digital Media Content Creators and Its Impact on Traditional Pastoral Authority.
This mixed-methods exemplar case study of two megachurches analyzed how pastoral authority corresponded to the mediatization processes of religious digital content creators. Focus groups revealed pastors’ perceptions of their waning authority and how their congregations might be inversely catechized by religious digital media. A quantitative survey assessed the mediatization of parishioners, exploring how they compare the authority of their pastor to religious digital content creators, as well as the role algorithms play in mediatization.