Khyati
Gupta Honors Project
Matt
Marston Honors Project
Ricky
James Honors Project
Kenneth
Townsend Honors Project
Khyati
Gupta Honors Project (2005)
My
project is a synthesis of religious and cultural understandings
of medicine. I analyze the place of alternative medical practices
in the prevalent medical systems that are mainly governed by the
politics of the market. The idea of treatment - curing and healing
- cannot be solely interpreted in terms of physical well-being
because spiritual, emotional, social and behavioral aspects are
integral parts of concepts of health. Alternative medical practices
that build on a religious and cultural understanding of humans
promise such a wholesome solution. Using Ayurveda, traditional
Indian medicine, as my model for a dualistic 'scientific' and
'socio-religious' approach, I argue for the importance of the
co-existence - not the integration - of biomedicine and alternative
medicine.
Student
Projects Index
Matt
Marston Honors Project [2004]
My
project is an exploration and critique of the theology of mission
with the central focus on Karl Barth. I see a common error in
both evangelical and liberal missiologies and attempt to use Barth
to correct the problem.After exploring Barth's theology of mission
and using him to address problematic elements in several contemporary
missiologists' work, I argue for Barth's lasting value to missiology.
Student
Projects Index
Ricky
James Honors Project [2003]
"Looking
For Hope Through Stained Glass: Christian Proposals for Economic
Change"
My project
is an attempt to answer the question posed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
to the Christian Church: “Are we of any use?” The thesis
begins, surprisingly, with a secular source, David Schweickart,
Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University. In Schweickart I
found a kindred spirit haunted by the same visions of rampant
poverty, worker dissatisfaction, and an unequal distribution of
wealth. I wanted to believe that the church had responses to these
same visions. I wanted to believe that the church was still of
use to us. I used Schweickart as a secular challenge and starting
point and sought to find out how Christian communities offered
responses to these challenges. By searching these responses I
established my own proposal, taking from these sources those ideas
which I most identified with, which seemed to be most successful,
and those that could also be compatible with the ideas of people,
like David Schweickart, who are working for a more humane society.
The proposal, borrowing from the terminology of H. Richard Niebuhr,
is called “Christ Ahead of Culture.” Its theological
claims are that (1) people are equal in dignity regardless of
race, ethnicity, gender, or age, (2) the church must openly confront
injustice, (3) basic human rights include life, food, shelter,
rest, medical care, and basic education, (4) all persons were
created for wealth and no one was predestined for poverty, and
(5) work is a powerful tool for humankind and the church has a
responsibility to ensure that it is always exercised in a just
manner--with capital subordinate to labor. The practical side
of the proposal includes the establishment of cooperatives following
the example of the Mondragon Cooperatives.
Student
Projects Index
Kenneth
Townsend Honors Project [2003]
“Faith-Based
Initiatives and the Search for Consensus-Building Dialogue”
In
my honors thesis “Faith-Based Initiatives and the Search
for Consensus-Building Dialogue,” I argue for the creation
and promotion of robust methods of consensus building. One of
the guiding purposes of my research has been to connect complex
theoretical frameworks with practical public policy concerns in
order to show how theory can indeed inform practice. By pointing
to some of the deliberation surrounding the recent debate on faith-based
initiatives, I insist that similar methods can be applied to other
contentious political issues. Only by genuinely embracing the
viewpoints of all parties can we ensure that we arrive at substantive
and meaningful compromise. Since religion in the United States
is proving not to be as easily dispensable as many secular narratives
would have predicted, our pluralist democracy must be willing
to bring religious viewpoints into discussion with secular perspectives.
Instead of necessarily stifling attempts at consensus-building,
I argue that religion can provide not only the tentativeness needed
for us to be willing to listen to other perspectives, but also
the sense of passion necessary to make our efforts seem worthwhile.
By promoting a recognition of the “spark of the sacred”
in every human (a phrase of Dr. Martin Luther King), I argue that
religious views of humanity can help the establishment of robust
consensus-building practices.
Student
Projects Index
