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Recent Articles in Christianity
Star Spangled Saints: Ritual Practices That Legitimate War And Violence In The American Church, Terry Dewayne Shoemaker 
Western Kentucky University
Star Spangled Saints: Ritual Practices That Legitimate War And Violence In The American Church, Terry Dewayne Shoemaker
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The objective of this research is to analyze the ways in which the conservative,
American church has been ideologically and ritualistically shaped by an imperial culture enamored with war, the military, and violence; and how those positions and practices, in effect, legitimate war and the military. While many authors have surveyed historical Christian positions regarding war and the current nationalistic tendencies of conservative Christians, little research has been conducted to assess the effects of violence, nationalism, patriotism, and military enchantment on Christian rituals, practices, and ethos. Within this research, I argue that contemporary, conservative Christians have surpassed previously held nuanced ...
When God Dies: Deconversion From Theism As Analogous To The Experience Of Death, William David Simpson Western Kentucky University
When God Dies: Deconversion From Theism As Analogous To The Experience Of Death, William David Simpson
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In this thesis, I explore the psychological and experiential aspects of the shift from a supernatural theistic worldview (specifically born-again Christianity) to a
philosophically naturalistic and atheistic worldview in the context of the religious
landscape in the U.S. I posit that certain features of this transition, which is known as "deconversion,” can be thought of as potentially analogous, both psychologically and subjectively, to the experience of another's death as an objective environmental change. I provide anthropological and psychological evidence that believers often experience the God of born-again Christianity as an independently existing and active agent in the world ...
21st Century Evangelism And Church Growth Approach To Reach Urban Professionals In North America Metropolises, Ralph Baeza 
Liberty University
21st Century Evangelism And Church Growth Approach To Reach Urban Professionals In North America Metropolises, Ralph Baeza
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The call of Christ, as He stated in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:7-9, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8, is to be a continuous command to follow, in order to reach the different peoples group of the world including the urban professionals in North America metropolises. Based on surveys sent to Christian leaders in church congregations and professionals in the secular workplace along with the associated research in the subject, this thesis project reviews the Great Commission call to pursue urban professionals in metropolises, examining their lifestyle environment, past and current trends to reach them ...
Wesleyan Theology And Christian Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery 
Olivet Nazarene University
Wesleyan Theology And Christian Ethics, Kevin Twain Lowery
Faculty Scholarship - Theology
This presentation provides an overview of the intersection between Wesleyan theology and Christian ethics, essentially sketching the contours of Wesleyan moral theology. Of all the available options for framing Christian ethics, Wesleyan theology’s doctrines of: 1) sin, 2) prevenient grace, 3) revelation, and 4) sanctification make it best suited for virtue ethics. In essence, conscience (i.e., practical reasoning) and moral transformation are the primary means to pursuing the goals of moral purity, wholehearted love for God and others, and acting in ways that glorify God and edify others. Nevertheless, like other versions of virtue ethics, Wesleyan virtue ethics ...
Went Off To The Shakers: The First Converts Of South Union, William R. Black Western Kentucky University
Went Off To The Shakers: The First Converts Of South Union, William R. Black
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In 1807 the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (Shakers)
established a society near the Gasper River in Logan County, Kentucky. The society was soon named South Union, and it lasted until 1922, the longest-lasting Shaker community west of the Appalachians. Most of the first Shaker converts in Logan County had only a few years beforehand participated in a series of evangelical Presbyterian camp meetings known collectively as the Kentucky Revival, the Revival of 1800, or the Great Revival.Though Presbyterian revivalism and Shakerism shared certain characteristics (particularl millennialism and enthusiastic forms of worship), there were many ...
James T. Jeremiah: Bibliography Of Published Works, Cedarville University 
Cedarville University
James T. Jeremiah: Bibliography Of Published Works, Cedarville University
Cedarville University Archives Guides
No abstract provided.
Witnessing The Web: The Rhetoric Of American E-Vangelism And Persuasion Online, Amber M. Stamper 
University of Kentucky
Witnessing The Web: The Rhetoric Of American E-Vangelism And Persuasion Online, Amber M. Stamper
Theses and Dissertations--English
From the distribution of religious tracts at Ellis Island and Billy Sunday’s radio messages to televised recordings of the Billy Graham Crusade and Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, American evangelicals have long made a practice of utilizing mass media to spread the Gospel. Most recently, these Christian evangelists have gone online. As a contribution to scholarship in religious rhetoric and media studies, this dissertation offers evangelistic websites as a case study into the ways persuasion is carried out on the Internet. Through an analysis of digital texts—including several evangelical home pages, a chat room, discussion forums, and a ...
Active Religion: James Ireland, The Separate Baptists, And The Great Awakening In Virginia, 1760-1775, Cooper Pasque Liberty University
Active Religion: James Ireland, The Separate Baptists, And The Great Awakening In Virginia, 1760-1775, Cooper Pasque
Masters Theses
In the mid-eighteenth century, the religious fervor of the Great Awakening entered Virginia. Evangelical Baptists soon threatened to undermine the authority of the Anglican Church and its planter patrons. Despite their efforts to quiet the Baptists, evangelical religion took root in Virginia by the end of the American Revolution. Historical works on these events offer valid but incomplete explanations. Puzzling dynamics in the Virginian context require a more complex interpretation. The life of James Ireland provides a unique window into possible answers. His autobiography provides evidence for what appears to be the most fundamental reason for evangelicalism's successes in ...
Loving Your Neighbor: A Guide To Developing And Sustaining Community Service Projects, Rickey Houston Liberty University
Loving Your Neighbor: A Guide To Developing And Sustaining Community Service Projects, Rickey Houston
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A current ministry concern is mobilizing and engaging the congregation in service projects throughout the immediate and surrounding communities to spread the love of Christ and build the kingdom of God. The purpose of this project is to examine and shed light on an approach or approaches to effectively transform service beyond the walls of the congregation to intentional, appropriate, and relevant service within the community. This subject matter has the potential of transforming congregations from a predominant notion of interaction with self to interaction with organizations and individuals who are part of the church's mission field. In addition ...
Key Strategies In Effective Pastoral Leadership In The Africa Gospel Church, Kenya: Biblical Foundations For Leadership And Healthy Church Growth, Philip Ngasura Liberty University
Key Strategies In Effective Pastoral Leadership In The Africa Gospel Church, Kenya: Biblical Foundations For Leadership And Healthy Church Growth, Philip Ngasura
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this Thesis Project is to understand the strategies for effective pastoral leadership based on Biblical foundations necessary for leadership and healthy church growth in the Africa Gospel Church-Kenya. Research will be conducted through questionnaires and surveys of 15-20 Christian Leaders analyzing and evaluating the status of urban churches, rural churches, mission fields, and institutions of the Africa Gospel Church-Kenya. The main objective is to provide key principles for effective pastoral leadership and healthy church growth in terms of spiritual life, leadership, staff development, services, finances, and ministry potentials. Lastly, this project will suggest and outline strategic approaches ...
They Came Up Out Of The Water: Evangelicalism And Ethiopian Baptists In The Southern Lowcountry And Jamaica, 1737-1806, Samantha Futrell Liberty University
They Came Up Out Of The Water: Evangelicalism And Ethiopian Baptists In The Southern Lowcountry And Jamaica, 1737-1806, Samantha Futrell
Masters Theses
The Ethiopian Baptists in the eighteenth century Atlantic were not actually Ethiopians at all, but people of West African descent, traded as slaves to the southern lowcountry and Jamaica. Their identification with Ethiopia did not come from their geographic ancestry, but from a Christian heritage that they became a part of when they accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ. The evolution of this evangelical Afro-Baptist movement occurred in three stages. First, white evangelicals, like George Whitefield, carried Christianity to African American populations in South Carolina during the Great Awakening. Second, African American leaders, such as George Liele, rose up as ...
Weaver Of Allegory: John Bunyan's Use Of The Medieval Theme Of Vice And Virtue As Devotional Writer And Social Critic In The Holy War, David Madsen Liberty University
Weaver Of Allegory: John Bunyan's Use Of The Medieval Theme Of Vice And Virtue As Devotional Writer And Social Critic In The Holy War, David Madsen
Masters Theses
The literary artistry of Bunyan's The Holy War is overshadowed by the longstanding popularity of his greatest-known work The Pilgrim's Progress. However, The Holy War displays an impressive intricately-woven story with several complex strands of allegorical meaning. One such strand is its emphasis on the theme of virtue and vice in literature of the Middle Ages. In The Holy War, Bunyan applies this thematic thread from the Medieval Psychomachia and morality plays to his allegory in seventeenth-century Restoration England. The present research begins with an exploration of allegory as story with emphasis on Bunyan's role as storyteller ...
Does God Have A Right To Judge? The Aztecs' False Worship Practices Result In God's Judgment In The Unlikely Form Of Hernán Cortés, Lisa Timmons Liberty University
Does God Have A Right To Judge? The Aztecs' False Worship Practices Result In God's Judgment In The Unlikely Form Of Hernán Cortés, Lisa Timmons
Masters Theses
This thesis covers religious aspects of the Aztec culture before and after the conquest of Hernán Cortés between 1519 and 1521. One aspect of this thesis details the Aztecs' history and rise to power, followed by their rapid demise at the hands of Spanish conquistadors, while the other examines the highly flawed but effective instrument used in the destruction of their sprawling Mesoamerican empire--a conquistador from Spain by the name of Hernán Cortés. At the root of this controversial topic is God's perfect justice in relation to this culture's blatant and repeated disregard for those created in His ...
Genocide In The Old Testament?, John Smart Liberty University
Genocide In The Old Testament?, John Smart
Senior Honors Papers
This study examines the warfare commanded by God during the invasion of Canaan by Joshua. These battles were examples of ḥerem warfare in which Yahweh Himself initiated and waged war against the Canaanites. Through historical and Biblical study it becomes clear that the Canaanites were an extraordinarily wicked people and God exercised great patience in dealing with them before their final destruction. Furthermore, the invasion of Canaan was instrumental in God’s larger salvation history. Sadly, pain and death are the direct ramifications of man’s sinful rebellion against God. The themes of war and condemnation are in theological continuity ...
A Response To Clark Pinnock's Hope For The Unevangelized As Seen In A Wideness In God's Mercy, Joshua Covert Liberty University
A Response To Clark Pinnock's Hope For The Unevangelized As Seen In A Wideness In God's Mercy, Joshua Covert
Masters Theses
This paper will offer a response to Clark H. Pinnock's hope for the unevangelized as seen in A Wideness in God's Mercy. Pinnock argues that God saves individuals based upon their faith not primarily their knowledge. Pinnock develops a concept called the faith principle which he uses to support his claims. Pinnock provides five examples of unevangelized persons who are saved through faith without knowledge of Christ. Through Pinnock's faith principle and these five examples he argues that the unevangelized do not need special revelation - knowledge of Christ. It will be argued that the five examples provided ...
Developing A Curriculum For African American Pastors And Church Leaders In Crescent City, Florida, Cornelius Golden Liberty University
Developing A Curriculum For African American Pastors And Church Leaders In Crescent City, Florida, Cornelius Golden
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
It is the writer's premise that there is a great void, particularly within the African American Church of academic training in theology amongst clergy and church leaders in rural areas. However, training is disparately needed. The training should be very practical and engaging. The writer proposes to develop a curriculum designed to develop the non-seminary trained pastor in six vital areas of ministry: (1) Church History, (2) Church Administration, (3) Theology, (4) Ethics, (5) Evangelism, and (6) Pastoral Care. This project would be useful to the life and work of the church because it makes available a researched curriculum ...
Staff Healthy Small Groups: A Model For Enlisting, Training, And Motivating Lay Leaders, Steven Weems Liberty University
Staff Healthy Small Groups: A Model For Enlisting, Training, And Motivating Lay Leaders, Steven Weems
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to assist small to medium sized churches in their efforts to enlist, train, and motivate lay leadership within their church. This project is designed to help these churches achieve four specific goals; One, come to a biblical understanding of lay leadership. Two, learn how to identify and enlist the right people into spiritual leadership. Three, train those leaders for specific leadership roles within the church. Four, to keep these lay leaders motivated to achieve their set goals within their specific ministry. One of the primary responsibilities of a pastoral staff is the spiritual health ...
The Role Of The Pastor As The Primary Worship Leader In The Local Church, Roger Holliman Liberty University
The Role Of The Pastor As The Primary Worship Leader In The Local Church, Roger Holliman
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to encourage pastors to embrace their role as the principle worship leader, rather than to accept and believe "I am not the worship leader." This thesis project investigates and examines a senior pastor's theological duty and obligation as the worship leader of his or her church, and provides the biblical mandate and approaches for how to do this effectively and as a team leader. Through personal interviews of six pastors, plus current research on the topic of worship, this thesis provides instructions on how senior pastors may implement strategies to enhance their understanding ...
Professional Naval Chaplaincy: The Ministry Of The Navy Chaplain In A U.S. Navy Bureau Of Medicine And Surgery Hospital, Russell Hale Liberty University
Man’S Great Dilemma And God’S Greater Provision: The Doctrine Of Justification And Its Necessary Role As The Foundation For Understanding Romans 6, Christina L. Fuselli Liberty University
Man’S Great Dilemma And God’S Greater Provision: The Doctrine Of Justification And Its Necessary Role As The Foundation For Understanding Romans 6, Christina L. Fuselli
Senior Honors Papers
All of mankind faces a great dilemma, whether they realize it or not, regarding their state of depravity in sin. No man could ever devise a solution for the problem; even great philosophers have been stumped over how a righteous God could possibly save sinners. Yet God’s answer to man’s dilemma is the death of Christ, whereby He has made the way to declare man righteous while remaining righteous Himself. The marvelous truths presented in Romans go even further to reveal that not only has righteousness been provided, but those who have been identified in the death and ...
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