Papers by Taylor Bradman
Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies: An International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Interfaith Dialogue, 2021
Social media have become a normative part of culture, with both positive and negative implication... more Social media have become a normative part of culture, with both positive and negative implications. More recently, studies demonstrate that social media may contribute to mental health issues. This essay seeks to understand this phenomenon through the lens of self-objectification and self-comparison theories concerning why some who use social media to gain the approval of others as the foundation for their identity still end up unhappy after receiving such approval. The essay proposes that people who engage in this behavior remain unhappy because they do not understand their status as an image- bearer of God, and how images are to function in society. A sound under- standing of images is essential. The essay engages Biblical theology as a helpful guide to demonstrate that social identities are to be cultivated and formed through friendship. Friendships help shape who we are as human beings and build a sense of belonging through the organic formation of a community.
The history of African Traditional Religion is complex, but fairly new in academic study. It is h... more The history of African Traditional Religion is complex, but fairly new in academic study. It is hard to pinpoint an exact date for when African Traditional Religion started since it is ingrained in the lives of the people and their culture, and their cultures have “shaped their religion” (Mbiti 2015, 10). However, the interest in African Traditional Religion started in the late 1800s to early 1900s during Imperialism for the purpose of effectively ruling Africans in Europeans colonies. This interest also saw a rise in missions to Africa since key missionaries saw their religion as pagan and the people in dire need of saving. In this paper, I examine the rise of African religion studies during Imperialism as well as missions and the churches attempt to evangelize Africa. I argue that it is because of these enterprises that led to the belief of African religion being judged as pagan and animistic, instead of another world religion; and this is exactly why John Mbiti writes his Concepts of God in Africa to counter the claims against African religion and show that it deserves to be on the same scale as major world faiths.
This is an unpublished paper for a Global Church Planting class at Trinity Evangelical Divinity S... more This is an unpublished paper for a Global Church Planting class at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This is a hypothetical strategy paper for planting a church in Berlin. I don't know if this strategy will work in Berlin, however, I have seen this strategy work across the globe in various contexts.
As society progresses, so does acceptance, as one poll from Pew Research Center indicates in a st... more As society progresses, so does acceptance, as one poll from Pew Research Center indicates in a study focusing on the LGBTQ community. This study shows that 81% of the American population is accepting of this community, which is significantly higher than it was in 1993, when only 63% of the American population accepted this lifestyle. 1 While this community is still the minority within the American population, and much has been written on this community, few have written on the topic of intersexuality and the Christian faith, and how one should counsel those who are intersexed from a Christian perspective. However, I will seek to add a voice into this discussion by providing an overview about intersexuality, theological insights about how to think about intersexuality, and counseling insights and how to better serve this community.
This paper is the product of a directed study under Dr. Andrew Schmutzer at Moody Bible Institute... more This paper is the product of a directed study under Dr. Andrew Schmutzer at Moody Bible Institute in regards to a Biblical Theology of Lament.
Conference Presentations by Taylor Bradman
This was a paper I presented at the Midwestern Evangelical Theological Society at Grace Bible Col... more This was a paper I presented at the Midwestern Evangelical Theological Society at Grace Bible College in Wyoming, MI. The corresponding handout is after the paper's bibliography.
Book Reviews by Taylor Bradman
Calvin Theological Journal, 2020
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Papers by Taylor Bradman
Conference Presentations by Taylor Bradman
Book Reviews by Taylor Bradman