Christianity Commons^™

Praying For Your Children (Portuguese), Elmer L. Towns, Dave Earley

Towns Foreign Language Book Collection

No abstract provided.

What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know About Sunday School (Portuguese), Elmer L. Towns

Towns Foreign Language Book Collection

No abstract provided.

Seeing A Pneuma(Tic Body): The Apologetic Interests Of Luke 24:36–43, Daniel A. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Revisiting The Empty Tomb: The Early History Of Easter, Daniel A. Smith

Faculty Publications

The Gospels disagree on what happened at the empty tomb, on who was there, and on what they saw or heard. The fact that our earliest written witness to the risen Christ, Paul, says nothing of the empty tomb has long provoked the question, what did early believers know about Easter, and when did they know it? Daniel A. Smith seeks to get behind the theological and apologetic concern to "prove" the resurrection and asks, where did the accounts of the early tomb come from, and what purpose did they originally serve? He shows that Paul is a valuable witness …

God And Time: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Experiencing The Spirit: The Magnificat, Luther, And Feminists, Lois E. Malcolm

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Overhearing Resonances: Jesus And Ethics In King And Bonhoeffer, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ecology And Theology In Dialogue : Death And Resurrection From An Ecological And Theological Perspective, Elizabeth Mcduffie

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Towards An African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: A Response To The Rise Of Neo-Pentecostalism In Tanzanian Christianity, Faith Lugazia

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

In this dissertation, 1 seek to lay the groundwork for developing an African inculturation of biblical pneumatology relevant to the Tanzanian context. The Neo- Pentecostal phenomenon is a strong reality in Tanzania today. Neo-Pentecostal churches and groups are mushrooming, emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit and drawing on the heritage of African spirituality and worldview. Many mainline Protestants, including Lutherans, participate and worship in these churches and groups, yet they maintain their formal membership in their mother churches. This could be due, in part, to the fact that Lutheran theology and teaching in Tanzania has tended to pay little …

Martin Buber's “I And Thou”, Pastoral Counseling And Reading Text: A Proposal For An Integrated Approach, David Hawkinson

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

Pastoral care and the biblical tradition are inextricably linked in the minds of Jews and Christians for whom a central human task and calling is healing which leads to wholeness with each other, the world and God.This study explores the possibility of integrating reading the biblical text with a pastoral counseling approach informed by Martin Buber's I-Thou relation that serves this goal of healing and wholeness.

In Martin Buber's I-Thou wholeness is understood in relational terms. Healing is accomplished through "meeting" each other in genuine encounter. Buber's I-Thou dialogical philosophy has influenced a relational approach for the practice of pastoral …

A Local Christian Community's Missional Imagination: Accessing, Cultivating, And Assessing Missional Discernment In Civil Society, Johannes Gerhardus Jacobus Swart

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

This dissertation explores a particular local Christian community's socially-embodied theology as their missional imagination in civil society from within a research question on how to access, cultivate, and assess such missional imagination. The research question is addressed through a phenomenological approach to such particular local Christian community's process of discernment.

In following the trajectory of this particular local Christian community's process of discernment, the research journey became embedded in the playful imagination of this local Christian community's engagement with their discernment question, and how their critical reflectiveness from within this playful imagination opened up the possibilities of God's preferred and …

Complexities Of Pastoral Change And Transition In The Megachurches Of The Baptist General Conference, Evangelical Lutheran Church In America, And Presbyterian Church (Usa), Sheila Strobel Smith

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

The emergence of the megachurch in the United States represents a unique phenomenon which was shaped by a variety of cultural, political, economic, and religious forces. Megachurches have grown exponentially in recent years and now exercise unprecedented influence on the religious landscape in this country. Accompanying this phenomenon is a new and unique group of leaders who have guided these congregations through periods of rapid growth and substantial organizational change.

It is anticipated that many megachurches will encounter significant challenges in the future as the current senior pastors retire. Since existing research on megachurches has focused primarily on the congregations, …

Sharing Witness Along The Way: Engaging The Lived Theology Of An Urban Congregation In Evangelical, Public, And Missional Strands, Scott J. Hagley

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

This ethnographic phenomenology explores the lived theology of an urban congregation as it engages with civil society. Drawing methodological considerations from Jen-Luc Marion, Paul Ricoeur, and James Clifford, the research journey attends theologically to the sociality embodied both within the congregation and with its neighborhood for the sake of participating with this congregation in bringing to discourse its lived evangelical, public, and missional theological strands.

Drawing upon Charles Taylor's use of moral frameworks in relationship to narratives, practices, and goods, the evangelical strand explores intimacy as a strongly valued good. Theologically, such a good makes possible James McClendon's vision of …

Youth Homelessness: A Cry For Right Memory And Embrace, Matthew Maas

Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) Papers

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Controversial Issues In Moral Education: Approaches And Attitudes Of Christian School Educators, Samuel J. Smith

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This study investigated the approaches and attitudes of Christian school teachers as they addressed controversial issues in moral education. Thirteen teachers from four schools were interviewed extensively. A hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was implemented. Participants conveyed that they attempted to remain pedagogically neutral in matters relating to denominational differences among Christian churches. While acknowledging that indoctrinative techniques may alienate students, teachers chose to indoctrinate selectively, especially in matters critical to the Christian faith. Issues impacting the classrooms included abortion, sex, doctrine, homosexuality, evolution, etc. Teachers rarely chose to remain neutral on controversial issues unless by doing so they sensed that they …

Trinitarian Christology: The Grammar Of The Christian Faith And The Foundation For A Theology Of Religious Pluralism, Eric Christensen

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

This essay explores the interaction of George Lindbeck’s cultural-linguistic model of religious knowledge and Jacques Dupuis’ trinitarian Christology as a model for a theology of religious pluralism. The goal is to provide a basic overview of how the work of these two thinkers might work together to articulate a theology of religious pluralsim. In summary, a cultural-linguistic model does not provide conclusions in advance for the theology of religions. Rather, it allows a freedom in which to explore how doctrines might be formulated in order to remain true to the inherited tradition, to contemporary religious experience, and to the situation …

Evaluating “A Common Word”: The Problem Of “Points Of Contact”, Larry Poston

Bible & Religion Educator Scholarship

Why “points of contact” between Christianity and Islam are mythical—and why Christians must stay true to the task of missions that lies before us.

In September 2007, 138 Muslim scholars and clergymen issued a response to Pope Benedict XVI’s 2006 Regensburg address. The document was entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You” and was designed to promote “open intellectual exchange and mutual understanding” between the world’s Christian and Muslim communities. The authors claimed that the basis for peace between Christianity and Islam has always existed: the Muslim shahadah (“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger”), …

Let There Be No Division Among You: Historical Realities And Biblical Principles Towards Racial Reconciliation In The North American Classical Pentecostal Movement, Anthony R. Roberts

Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership (MAML)

In its early history, the North American Classical Pentecostal Movement demonstrated racial harmony among its constituency, especially during the Azusa Street Revival. However, within a couple years of the birth of Classical Pentecostalism, several events led to the racial segregation of the movement; segregation that has persisted into the present era. Racial reconciliation within the North American Classical Pentecostal Movement will likely occur through understanding the role that past racial injustices have played in the Spirit-filled tradition, and recognizing that baptism of the Holy Spirit is a unifying experience that unifies people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The following …

Organizational Justice: Perceptions Of Being Fairly Treated, David R. Dunaetz

Selected Faculty Publications

When members of mission organizations perceive injustice within their organization, they work less effectively and attrition is more likely. This paper examines various types of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational) which need to be monitored and maximized to help mission organizations accomplish their goals.

2010 Perihelion - Oru Yearbook, Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

Perihelion: ORU Yearbooks

The Oral Roberts University Student Yearbook, the Perihelion, is produced by ORU Media and Communications department.

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