Theology and Religion*
All items relating to the Department can be found under Theology and Religion*. They are also listed under their sub-discipline.
Recent Deposits
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Life-Prolonging Medical Care and Religiosity at the End of Life.
Studies from around the world indicate that highly religious people request and receive more aggressive end-of-life medical care than their less religious counterparts. Research suggests that patients who express strong ... -
Answering the call: Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire ministry in light of the New Evangelization
This thesis explores the theology and ministry of Bishop Robert Barron, a prominent American Catholic evangelist. Specifically, it analyzes the purpose, content, and success of his evangelization program in light of the ... -
The role of scripture in the theology of Jürgen Moltmann
The sum total of dissertations engaging Jürgen Moltmann’s work—numbering over 400—is testament to both his widespread appeal and the controversy of his claims. But while Moltmann’s interlocutors provide significant comment ... -
Contronymic secularism: The constitutional politics of religion in Fiji
In 2012, Fiji’s military regime declared secularism as an official policy for Fiji’s new constitution, and the key to securing inter-religious tolerance and an inclusive public space for Indigenous (iTaukei) Fijian Christians ... -
Co-partakers of the Promise: Israel and the Gentiles in Ephesians
This thesis describes how the epistle to the Ephesians portrays the relationship of Jewish and gentile Christ-believers to each other and to Israel. The question of ‘the church and Israel’ is of perennial interest to ... -
Lift up your guts: A liturgical anthropology in conversation with Schmemann and Calvin
Does the Church’s traditional teaching on the Eucharist require that humans have a metaphysically distinct soul? This thesis tests the validity of theological anthropologies that reject ontological dualism and emphasise ... -
The Absent Vedas
The Vedas were first described by a European author in a text dating from the 1580s, which was subsequently copied by other authors and appeared in translation in most of the major European languages in the course of the ... -
'Where Christ Speaks': Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Bibliology and Exegesis
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's writings include a significant amount of biblical interpretation, but his potential contributions in the fields of biblical studies and theological exegesis of Scripture have not been sufficiently ... -
Christ, Salvation and Eschatology from Colossians: Developing a Response to Melanesian Concept of Gutpela Sindaun
In this thesis I explored the Melanesian concept of “good life” or gutpela sindaun in PNG Pidgin. Gutpela sindaun or gutpela laip is a life of spiritual and material wholeness, which is regarded as immediately available. ... -
John 18:28–19:22 and the paradox of judgement
Why does the Johannine Pilate refuse to rewrite his inscription on Jesus’ cross? And why had the chief priests demanded “he himself said, I am King of the Ἰουδαῖοι” over “King of the Ἰουδαῖοι” in the first place? Thus John ... -
To Put a New Face on the Matter: The Parables of Jesus in their Gospel Contexts
The application of form criticism to the study of the NT Gospels in the twentieth century led to parable scholarship generally giving little interpretive weight to the parables’ immediate narrative contexts and Gospel ... -
How Theology Shapes Practice in Faith-Based Organisations Supporting Families in New Zealand
The biblical imperatives for Christians to love their neighbour (Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31), care for widows and orphans (Jam 1:27), seek the good of the communities in which they are located (Jer 29:7), and respond to the ... -
Church Responses to Gender-Based Violence Against Women in Samoa
This is a research report from a New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research Project (August 2017-December 2018), which was conducted as a partnership between Piula Theological College, National University of Samoa, University ... -
Black light/whiteness rests my mind: Evocations of the spiritual in the art and practice of Ralph Hotere and Joanna Margaret Paul
This dissertation examines the art and practices of two Aotearoa New Zealand artists Ralph Hotere (1931-2013) and Joanna Margaret Paul (1945-2003) with a specific focus on their spiritual sensibilities, and in response to ... -
Lifting our Gaze: Election, Eschatology and the Sovereignty of God in John Calvin's teaching on the Christian Life
This thesis addresses the question of how the church finds its bearings in the present world. From where does the church get guidance? And how is the church’s life shaped? Through engagement with John Calvin, I argue ... -
Karl Barth's Doctrine of Sanctification: An Exploration of Church Dogmatics §66
This thesis is an investigation of Karl Barth’s doctrine of sanctification as found in §66 of the Church Dogmatics. The work involves two main tasks. First, it is an exercise in close and attentive interpretation of this ... -
Hilary of Poitiers and the Concept of Divine Personhood
The primary focus of this dissertation is the development of the notion of divine personhood in the writings of Hilary of Poitiers, doctor and bishop of the Church. The impetus for this study was my Licence thesis, where ... -
The Dhammakāyānussati-kathā: A Trace of “Siam's Borān Buddhism” from the Reign of Rāmā I (1782-1809 CE.)
The Dhammakāya text genre appears in manuscripts, inscriptions, and printed texts found in Central Thailand, Northern Thailand, and Cambodia. Texts belonging to this genre share the same core Pāli verses, and date back ... -
Our interests and Christ : the Christian existentialism of Helmut Rex
This thesis assesses both the historical and ongoing contribution to theology in New Zealand of Helmut Rex. Born in 1913 and educated in Berlin, Rex joined the Confessing Church as a trainee pastor and soon came into ... -
Love, Conscience and Neighbours in the Gallows: The Ethic of Søren Kierkegaard’s Works of Love Applied to U.S. Capital Punishment
This thesis argues that Søren Kierkegaard’s ethics in his Works of Love (1847) can provide the basis for a comprehensive Christian opposition to capital punishment, particularly as it currently manifests in the United ...