It was once thought that small influences could not have a large impact on a grand scale. However, in the 1960s Edward Lorenz discovered that very small disturbances in weather conditions could have a great effect on huge weather systems. With an understanding of chaos theory, which posits that everything matters, I argue that a life based on the lessons of a theology inspired by postmodernism can provide a lens through which to see and act in this chaotic world. By living by this belief, the ability to give the true gift, which is an impossibility and is always to come, becomes meaningful. Curriculum studies allows for many wide ranging topics to be discussed and because of its wide ranging influence it is the avenue through which creating positive change in the world could occur. Inspiring, or even more specifically, resacralizing education is a mission to awaken the spirit, passion, love, creativity, and imagination that has for so long been deadened to standardization, test scores, and the factory model teaching.
","abstract_html":"<p>It was once thought that small influences could not have a large impact on a grand scale. However, in the 1960s Edward Lorenz discovered that very small disturbances in weather conditions could have a great effect on huge weather systems. With an understanding of chaos theory, which posits that everything matters, I argue that a life based on the lessons of a theology inspired by postmodernism can provide a lens through which to see and act in this chaotic world. By living by this belief, the ability to give the true gift, which is an impossibility and is always to come, becomes meaningful. Curriculum studies allows for many wide ranging topics to be discussed and because of its wide ranging influence it is the avenue through which creating positive change in the world could occur. Inspiring, or even more specifically, resacralizing education is a mission to awaken the spirit, passion, love, creativity, and imagination that has for so long been deadened to standardization, test scores, and the factory model teaching.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jones, Thomas B"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)","degree_level":"Dissertation (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Marla Morris","Daniel Chapman","Reta Whitlock"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z","subjects":["ETD","Chaos theory","Theology","Curriculum","Education","Gift","Impossibility","Resacralization","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1115","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Marla Morris","Daniel Chapman","Reta Whitlock"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jones, Thomas B"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-04-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Chaos theory","Theology","Curriculum","Education","Gift","Impossibility","Resacralization","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1115"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["It was once thought that small influences could not have a large impact on a grand scale. However, in the 1960s Edward Lorenz discovered that very small disturbances in weather conditions could have a great effect on huge weather systems. With an understanding of chaos theory, which posits that everything matters, I argue that a life based on the lessons of a theology inspired by postmodernism can provide a lens through which to see and act in this chaotic world. By living by this belief, the ability to give the true gift, which is an impossibility and is always to come, becomes meaningful. Curriculum studies allows for many wide ranging topics to be discussed and because of its wide ranging influence it is the avenue through which creating positive change in the world could occur. Inspiring, or even more specifically, resacralizing education is a mission to awaken the spirit, passion, love, creativity, and imagination that has for so long been deadened to standardization, test scores, and the factory model teaching.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Chaos Theory, Theology, and Curriculum: Striving Towards the Impossibility of the Gift"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Marla Morris","Daniel Chapman","Reta Whitlock"],"dc:creator":["Jones, Thomas B"],"dc:date.available":["2014-04-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["It was once thought that small influences could not have a large impact on a grand scale. However, in the 1960s Edward Lorenz discovered that very small disturbances in weather conditions could have a great effect on huge weather systems. With an understanding of chaos theory, which posits that everything matters, I argue that a life based on the lessons of a theology inspired by postmodernism can provide a lens through which to see and act in this chaotic world. By living by this belief, the ability to give the true gift, which is an impossibility and is always to come, becomes meaningful. Curriculum studies allows for many wide ranging topics to be discussed and because of its wide ranging influence it is the avenue through which creating positive change in the world could occur. Inspiring, or even more specifically, resacralizing education is a mission to awaken the spirit, passion, love, creativity, and imagination that has for so long been deadened to standardization, test scores, and the factory model teaching.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1115"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Chaos theory","Theology","Curriculum","Education","Gift","Impossibility","Resacralization","Curriculum and Instruction","Curriculum and Social Inquiry"],"dc:title":["Chaos Theory, Theology, and Curriculum: Striving Towards the Impossibility of the Gift"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z"}