Practical Theology Commons^™

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum, Julius T. Medenblik, Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Jeffery A. D. Weima, Shannon Jammal-Hollemans

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Main Features
3 - Hurting Churches & Hurting Pastors by Jul Medenblik
4 - Grief & Doubt in the Christian Life
8 - Christian Triumphalism by Gibson Danjuma
12 - Dementia & Wilderness by Mary L. Vanden Berg

Q&A: The Hurting Church
16 - Are Christians Allowed to Grieve the Death of a Loved One? by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
18 - Where Does Pastoral Care End? by Shannon Jammal - Hollemans
20 - What to Do When Church Leadership Feels Lonely? by Cecil Van Niejenhuis

Calvin Seminary News
22 - Calvin Seminary Names New Canadian Church Relations Liaison: Shawn …

Vanity Of Vanities Or Song Of Songs? Music Education From A Biblical Perspective, Sandra Yang

Faculty Integration Papers

The last chorus of a beloved gospel hymn reads, “Christ without, all is vain! Christ within, all is gain.” Without Him, life at best is the vanity of vanities with nothing new under the sun. With Him, though, as our regenerated new life within, our life is a continual song of songs, full of meaning, full of potential, full of the life that is the very Christ Himself. To know Him and the power of His resurrection (Phil. 3:10) has been my principal aim since I met Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes …

Daniel 11 Decoded: An Exegetical, Historical, And Theological Study [Review] / Doukhan, Jacques., Roy Gane

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

A Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Middle Bronze Age From The Tell Taanach Excavations In 1963, ‘66 And ‘68, Ronald H. Wakeman

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Deepening Our Welcome- Embracing Relational Hospitality In Our Homes, Rance Settle

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Settle, Rance A. Deepening Our Welcome: Embracing Relational Hospitality in Our Homes. Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 162 pp.

A benchmark for success in the service industry is effective hospitality. The implication is that the service industry business model must create an environment where people feel welcome. This practice fosters a surface level hospitality but would not necessarily foster deep relationships. My goal for my ministry context was not only to give tools to show hospitality but to go deeper and show biblical hospitality – which is not only about making people feel welcome but is …

Shall Be Bright At Last: Reflections On Suffering And Hope In The Letters Of Paul, Nijay Gupta, Martha Byrne Van Houten, Sarah Swartzendruber, Alec Ward, Martha Ekhoff, Anna S. Carlson, Jared Bucko, Paul C. Moldovan, Alex Finkelson

Monographs

These nine essays on suffering offer exercises in Christian hope. The contributors reveal honest and tender wounds of the many harsh realities of life in a broken world awaiting full redemption. They meditate on Paul's holy words that teach us to pray with expectation and live by faith. They encourage fellow pilgrims to trust the path and stick together.

Shall Be Bright at Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

CC BY-NC-SA

Whither The Body: Using The Church’S Hymnody To Reassert The Hope Of The Bodily Resurrection, Ruth Mcdonnell

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

McDonnell, Ruth E. “Whither the Body: Using the Church’s Hymnody to Reassert the Hope of the Bodily Resurrection.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 216 pp.

Contemporary American cultural narratives of death and life after death are often inconsistent with the biblical doctrine of the resurrection. Indeed, the biblical message can be missed or distorted by these contemporary narratives and the ways metaphor is used to express them. This dissertation asserts that the evocative power of metaphor can be guided by the use of narrative. By applying the biblical narrative, rather than some other narrative, and by connecting the salvation story …

The Function Of Military Language In The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Narrative (Mark 6:30–44): A Narrative-Cognitive Study, Oleg Kostuyk

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Salvation: Contours Of Adventist Soteriology [Review] / Martin F. Hanna, Darius W. Jankiewicz, And John W. Reeve, Eds., Stephen Bauer

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

A Week In The Life Of A Greco-Roman Woman [Review] / Beers, Holly., Carina O. Prestes

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Triptych In Tears: Towards A Theology Of Redemption. Facing Sexual Abuse Within The Church, Glenn J. Morrison

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

The article seeks to develop a pastoral theological response to sexual abuse within the Church. The response introduces the importance of the emotivity or affectivity of tears as the basis for a theology of redemption. To this end, three key biblical passages, Ps. 137, Matt 2:16-18 and John 11:1-44, speaking directly of tears or weeping, will help to form as it were, A Triptych. The aim here is to help to ‘think otherwise’ to become close to the Father’s heart (Jn 1:18), the newness and nearness of the Kingdom of God, and hence to encounter the outrage, pain, hurt and …

Empowering Laity To Engage In Pastoral Care Ministry: A Proposal For Capacity Building And Supervision For Larger Congregation With Special Reference To Kohima Ao Baptist Church, Nagaland, India., Tsuwainla Jamir

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis explores how to provide effective lay pastoral counseling in a large congregation, with particular reference to Kohima Ao Baptist Church in Nagaland, India.

Preaching The Law With The Gospel, Jonathan Saur

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Preaching tools like the Revised Common Lectionary infrequently draw preachers to the legal texts of the Pentateuch, even though the New Testament, and especially the four Gospels, are heavily influenced by the legal texts of the Pentateuch. Congregations are at a disadvantage in understanding the New Testament message when one of the primary sources that shaped the New Testament is ignored. This study addresses this problem by utilizing relevant scholarship focused on New Testament interpretation of the legal texts to develop suggestions for preaching these texts. The four gospels are surveyed to glean insights into how they interpret the legal …

Preaching The Witness Of Last Words: How Biblical Farewell Speeches Shape Contemporary Listeners' Theological Legacy, Derek J. Engfelt

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project explores several last words speeches in Scripture, in an attempt to mine core theological convictions. It considers the subject of theological legacy. It seeks to ascertain whether or not the preaching of last words of witness will be effective in influencing listeners’ consideration of their own cherished spiritual values. By means of a series of six sermons the author endeavored to encourage listeners to incorporate into their own lives of faith the treasured spiritual values that have been passed down to them as a theological legacy and to give greater thought as to what core theological convictions they …

Preaching Hope: Young Adult Fantasy And Science Fiction As Conversation Partners With Scripture, Kathleen Monson Lutes

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis treats young adult science fiction and fantasy as a conversation partner with scripture, particularly but not limited to themes of apocalypse, revelation, and end-times, for the purposes of preaching God’s love and hope in a chaotic world. Included in this conversation is The Hunger Games trilogy, Divergent trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Last Battle, and Warm Bodies. The dominant themes discussed are prophecy, sin/evil/repentance, resistance, and the Great Battle. This work provides a voice for preaching difficult themes, including end-times, in a world of fear and darkness. It particularly offers an example for preaching the timelessness of …

There Is A Word: Using A Queer Hermeneutic Toward Liberative And Prophetic Biblical Preaching, Dewayne L. Davis

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Preaching to, for, and about LGBTQ people is too often characterized by ambivalence, homophobia, and microaggressions couched as speaking truth in love. And yet, the biblical text includes themes, images, and stories with liberating and prophetic messages for LGBTQ people that include and affirm them within the body of Christ. This thesis argues that preachers can proclaim a liberating, prophetic word for the LGBTQ people within their congregations by using a queer hermeneutic, the intentional and conscious interpretation of the biblical text using the experience, information, and knowledge about LGBTQ people as the lens through which to bridge the world …

Congregational Exegesis: Toward Shared Proclamation, Tracy Crick-Butler

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Recognizing that theological diversity is a reality in many mainline churches, this thesis considers the value of exegeting the congregation to gain knowledge of the congregation’s lived and local theology. That knowledge is then used to write and preach four sermons with the intent of helping both the listener and the preacher deepen their understanding of Jesus. An additional focus is on the challenge for the preacher to make clear and bold theological claims. Using an Action-Reflection method of research, interactive exegetical tools, questionnaires, surveys and a personal preaching journal, this project is carried out by a minister in a …

Reaching The Diaspora: Streamed Worship And Preaching In The Lutheran Church Of Australia, Cultivating Koinonia And Ecclesia, Timothy Paul Stringer

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Streamed worship has been happening in the Lutheran Church of Australia since 2013. Who is it reaching? Where is it reaching? Is it connecting them to community and the church? Is the preaching reaching the people who gather outside of the physical church buildings? Is there anything we can do to improve the reach, the connection and the sense of belonging to the wider church even when living remotely or kept away from regular worship by illness, disability or work commitments? This exploratory case study seeks to find these answers and more and then to offer ways forward for the …

The Reflective Preacher: Effective Habits For Homiletical Self-Assessment, Brenda Froberg Legred

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Biblical preaching is the key to church growth and health. Research shows that people are choosing not to worship because of mediocre messages from the pulpit. Yet, people are hungry for what God has to say about their life and context. The pastor-preacher must take the preaching task very seriously, devoting time and energy to the endeavor and seeking to continually improve their craft. The problem is that most pastors do not develop effective habits for homiletical self-assessment. This researcher will offer strategies and tools for faithful preaching and ideas for becoming a more reflective preacher. There are acquired skills …

Missional Leadership In Times Of Congregational Transition, Tormod O. Svensson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Congregational transitions are points of change, providing opportunities to introduce a missional understanding and direction of ministry. Missional leadership in times of congregational transition includes case studies of three ELCA congregations in transition, led by pastors who have a missional understanding of leadership, processed through the lenses of transformational pastoral leadership, congregational transitions, what it might mean to be sent by God, the Holy Spirit leading and empowering, missional ecclesiology, and congregational spiritual practices. It draws on resources by Allen Roxburgh, Patrick Keifert, Dwight Zscheile, Craig Van Gelder, Lee Bolman, Terrence Deal, Peter Northouse, William and Susan Bridges, and others.