Dallas International University

Multilingualism has reached high levels in our increasingly interconnected, globalizing world. Multilingual complexities are not new in the world of missions. Barnabas and Paul’s initial visit to Lystra (Acts 14:8-20) was occasioned by significant linguistic complexity. A sociolinguistic reading of this narrative provides a nuanced understanding of what was occurring during this event and the impact of these misunderstandings. This study provides insights on navigating complex multilingual environments in current missions and is accompanied by innovative ministry strategies that communicate in the best language(s) without requiring missionaries or church planters to learn multiple languages.

The Lutheran World Federation invested considerable time and resources in the 1990s exploring the relationship between Christian worship and culture. As a result of their research, they have put forth the assertion in "The Nairobi Statement" that worship relates dynamically to culture in at least four ways: transcultural, contextual, counter-cultural and cross-cultural. Numerous position papers and several important publications have been generated by theologians, anthropologists, and liturgists exploring these matters, but missiologists have been largely missing from the conversation. This article attempts to engage in a much needed discussion with four missiologists who analyze the four areas identified and apply a missiological lens to the conversation. More papers and publications merit additional reflections by other missiologists on this important issue in the years ahead.

The relationship between arts and mission has been a particularly troubled one. Today, many believe that Christian mission has too often dismissed, demeaned, or even destroyed local arts expressions around the world in an effort to impose the West's imperial project of “The 3 Cs”—Commerce, Christianity, and Civilization. But a new conversation is emerging that examines more closely the intersectional relationship between arts and mission when they are understood and carried out in more fruitful and healthy ways. In this introductory article to the April 2024 issue of “Transformation,” five conversation areas between the arts and mission are explored: Biblical roots, creative expressions, mission history, cultural influences, and worship practices. Subsequent articles throughout this issue of the journal then illustrate the five conversations in more detail.

When a translation of a text is complete, the presentation of the text should, as much as possible, avoid any influence that could reduce the impact or acceptability of the contents of the text. This is especially true of faith-critical texts, whether they are of Christian or Islamic origin. The study and comparison of different art traditions can help us reduce the possibility of such unfortunate influences. Since Christians and Muslims have very different assumptions even about the nature of God (or Allah) as he reveals himself through sacred writings, it is not surprising that Christians and Muslims also have very different art traditions. The paper first introduces the principles of classical Western Christian art and of classical Islamic art, since these traditions were approximate contemporaries. It then compares differences in color symbolism, important symbols in each faith tradition (including Islamic calligraphy), and in the forms and functions of traditional architecture.

The term ‘son of God’ has been a source of confusion and controversy in the history of Christian–Muslim encounter. Christian tradition regards the gospel according to John as the account which most clearly portrays the deity of Christ and points to his being the ‘son of God’ as proof of his divinity and equality with God. This chapter presents a Muslim scholar’s challenge to this understanding. After examining the term in the Hebrew scriptures, he argues that the term ‘son of God’ in John’s gospel refers to an anointed king (messiah) who, as heir of the Davidic kingdom, has authority to act as God’s surrogate on the earth. The equality of the son does not refer to a divine nature but his being God’s unique agent possessing full authority from God. It is not a claim to be on par with God or an incarnation of God. A Christian scholar’s response, after explaining the broad scope of usage of ‘God’ and ‘son of God’ in the Jewish scriptures, agrees with the exegetical emphasis on divinity as referring to Jesus’ unique authority as the Christ. Yet there are other nuances of meaning, such as his revelatory relationship to God. He then traces developments from John’s usage to those in later Christian theology. Questions over the inner nature of God in Christian Trinitarian theology and Muslim kalam debates are a related, but different topic, yet one in which there is much common ground. The final section offers implications for Muslim–Christian dialogue that accord with Cornille’s five preconditions.

The Bora language of Peru has six phonemic vowels, conventionally transcribed as /i ε a o ɨ ɯ/. This inventory is noteworthy since it appears to exhibit a three-way backness distinction among three high unrounded vowels. In this paper we present audiovisual data which confirms two significant facts: (1) /ɯ/ is high, back, and unrounded; and (2) the only vowel produced with lip rounding is /o/. However, the experiment further reveals that the Bora segment traditionally written /ɨ/ is actually not central but rather a possibly novel type of front vowel, articulated with substantial contact between the tongue and both the upper and lower teeth. We use the methodology of Iskarous (2010) to estimate vocal tract area functions for Bora vowels based on their observed formant frequencies and amplitudes. The results of this procedure support our claim that /ɨ/ is front and /ɯ/ is back. Several phonological alternations also motivate this characterization. The opening of the mouth and dental contact visible in the production of /ɨ/ are correlated with its acoustic measurements, albeit in a previously undocumented way. We conclude that Bora’s /ɨ/ should be reclassified as /i̪/ – front and dental.p { line-height: 115%; text-align: left; orphans: 2; widows: 2; margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; background: transparent }

The two books of Amharic proverbs and the book of Amharic riddles under review document Amharic oral traditions far beyond what others have done previously. They all build on previous scholarship. In addition, each one adds new examples to what has been published before. But it is also important to note that each book has added significant new methodological contributions to their field. They will be valued by those who use and enjoy Amharic oral traditions in their lives. They will also be valued by scholars who study these Amharic oral traditions. In addition, these books can serve as inspirations and models for speakers of other languages, in the Horn and beyond.

This research calls attention to the powerlessness of everyday people in the Philippines, by discovering what kind of power is in play, how the fallen powers can be named and made visible, and then ultimately the ways through which power should be restored. First, this paper traces back to Pre-Hispanic times and the Spanish colonial rule period in the Filipino history to investigate the foundation of contemporary power structures of the Philippines, Second, the distinctive traits of power structures in the modern Philippines are explored, with a focus on how structural evil has been situated in the system through the patron–client relation, elitism, and oligarchy, and how it causes and perpetuates the powerlessness of everyday people in the Philippines. Then, a theology of power and the church are presented as the ultimate ways through which power should be restored.

Orthographic depth is a key concept in literacy acquisition and can be measured separately for completeness, simplicity and consistency. The first of these is pertinent to discussions about whether tone should be marked in African orthographies, because a zero tone representation is relatively incomplete and deep whereas a full tone orthography is relatively complete and shallow. We undertook a series of literacy experiments in ten Niger-Congo languages to test the extent to which full tone marking contributes to reading and writing skills. In a within-subject design that closely follows Bird (1999b) , participants orally read two full tone and two zero tone texts and also added tone accents to unmarked versions of two of the texts. Speed, accuracy, comprehension, as well as a range of linguistic, ethno-literacy, demographic and L2 literacy variables were tracked. The present article narrows the scope of the wider research project ( Roberts & Walter 2021 ) to two of the languages, Yoruba and Ife, which are linguistically similar, yet have highly dissimilar results. In Yoruba, full tone marking does not contribute to any improvement in reading measurements, and tone writing skills are generally poor. In Ife, on the other hand, full tone marking contributes to speed, accuracy and comprehension, and tone writing is the most accurate of all the languages. The results suggest that the social profile of the participant and the ethno-literacy profile of the language community are more predictive of reading and writing performance than is the linguistic profile of the language.

Purpose Since the term orthorexia nervosa (ON) was coined from the Greek (ὀρθός, right and ὄρεξις, appetite) in 1997 to describe an obsession with “correct” eating, it has been used worldwide without a consistent definition. Although multiple authors have proposed diagnostic criteria, and many theoretical papers have been published, no consensus definition of ON exists, empirical primary evidence is limited, and ON is not a standardized diagnosis. These gaps prevent research to identify risk and protective factors, pathophysiology, functional consequences, and evidence-based therapeutic treatments. The aims of the current study are to categorize the common observations and presentations of ON pathology among experts in the eating disorder field, propose tentative diagnostic criteria, and consider which DSM chapter and category would be most appropriate for ON should it be included. Methods 47 eating disorder researchers and multidisciplinary treatment specialists from 14 different countries across four continents completed a three-phase modified Delphi process, with 75% agreement determined as the threshold for a statement to be included in the final consensus document. In phase I, participants were asked via online survey to agree or disagree with 67 statements about ON in four categories: A–Definition, Clinical Aspects, Duration; B–Consequences; C–Onset; D–Exclusion Criteria, and comment on their rationale. Responses were used to modify the statements which were then provided to the same participants for phase II, a second round of feedback, again in online survey form. Responses to phase II were used to modify and improve the statements for phase III, in which statements that met the predetermined 75% of agreement threshold were provided for review and commentary by all participants. Results 27 statements met or exceeded the consensus threshold and were compiled into proposed diagnostic criteria for ON. Conclusions This is the first time a standardized definition of ON has been developed from a worldwide, multidisciplinary cohort of experts. It represents a summary of observations, clinical expertise, and research findings from a wide base of knowledge. It may be used as a base for diagnosis, treatment protocols, and further research to answer the open questions that remain, particularly the functional consequences of ON and how it might be prevented or identified and intervened upon in its early stages. Although the participants encompass many countries and disciplines, further research will be needed to determine if these diagnostic criteria are applicable to the experience of ON in geographic areas not represented in the current expert panel. Level of evidence Level V: opinions of expert committees

Epidural lysis of adhesions is a procedure used to treat axial and radicular spine pain. This chapter describes the cervical technique and steps to avoid complications. The goal of the procedure is to inject therapeutic medications at the site of pathology. The site of pathology is determined by history, physical exam, and imaging studies, including epidurography. Epidurography is performed by injecting myelogram‐grade radiopaque contrast into the epidural space to demonstrate areas of epidural adhesions that do not fill with contrast normally. Following catheter placement into the scar area, additional contrast is used to open the epidural space and neural foramina. Using a paramedian approach allows smooth passage of the RX Coudé needle to the midpoint of the interlaminar space. Local anesthetic is injected to provide analgesia and to test for subdural blockade. Complications occur despite following proper procedure and patients need to understand this prior to the procedure.

Bible translation and indigenous hymnody have always been important parts of the localization of the Christian faith. In this study, we describe how local songwriters creating songs with lyrics based on translated scriptures play a vital role in the process of localization in Christian communities in Indonesia. We focus primarily on thirty-nine scripture songwriting workshops that we and our colleagues conducted over the past six years in Indonesia, as well as ongoing interactions we had with communities in Ambon and Central Sulawesi. We begin with a literature review to establish the influences which shaped our songwriting workshops and our motivation for conducting them, and then we describe the workshops themselves and the process of musical localization that took place. Throughout the study, we highlight the role of local agency, the importance of fusion genres, and the creation of unique Christian identities through the localization of music.

This study examines the links between leader communication (as conceptualized through motivating language) and follower organizational identification as mediated by follower cultural knowledge and fit. Results show that motivating language has a positive and strong effect on follower organizational identification with a one standard deviation increase in motivating language corresponding to over a half of a standard deviation increase in follower organizational identification. This influence comes partly through growth in a follower’s cultural knowledge and fit, but also through a direct influence. Model testing occurred with subjects from the USA and India with the model fitting equally well in both nations. These findings have important implications for research and practice which are explained in the paper’s discussion and conclusion section.

In his novel The Power and the Glory, Graham Greene creates a recalled proverb in the memory of a sad Mexican priest. ‘He remembered a proverb—it came out of the recesses of his own childhood, his father had used it—“The best smell is bread, the best savour is salt, the best love that of children.”’¹ Though the thoughts and dialogue are from a Spanish-speaking context, the novel is entirely in English, including this proverb. Frank De Caro, studying Greene’s use of proverbs in The Power and the Glory, was puzzled about the source of this proverb. He searched a number of collections of Spanish proverbs, but this ‘revealed nothing which would seem to be the basis for the proverb’.² He concluded, ‘This appears to be a made-up proverb, not traditional but one created by Greene himself for the novel’.³ Authors creating proverbs for their work is not unknown. It has been done by a number of other authors, most famously by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings, but also by other authors, including Herman Melville, Ernest Bramah, Aldous Huxley, and C. S. Lewis.