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Bishop Bo Harald Giertz-Pietism And The Ordo Salutis-The Office Of The Holy Ministry, The Word, And Soul Care, Eric Andrae

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Though acknowledged as one of the most influential European churchman of the past century, and widely lauded in American Lutheran circles as the author of the acclaimed The Hammer of God, much remains to be learned in the U.S. of Bishop Emeritus Dr. Bo Harald Giertz (Gothenburg [Goteborg] diocese, Church of Sweden, served 1949-1970) and of his theology, especially concerning the specific doctrine which served as the foundation of the novel, the Order of Grace. Furthermore, interest in Giertz in America is increasing rapidly: several translation projects are underway, a film based on the first chapter of The Hammer of …

The Old Testament Source Of Rev 21:3c, Helen Cadogan

Master of Art Theology Thesis

This paper intends an assessment of the textual form of Rev 21:3c as an OT reference; as such it may have something to contribute to the discussion commenced by Menken and continued by Schuchard on deciphering the form of the OT in the NT. Even though other aspects of Revelation study may be vital, the limitations of this research preclude more than the most cursory excursion, if any at all, into the ongoing dialogue on the use of the OT in the NT,language, style, authorship, unity, symbolism, the historical context of Revelation, or whether the author of the Gospel, the …

The Image Of God And Human Identity: An Explanation Informed By The Two Kinds Of Righteousness, Lucas Woodford

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

For centuries discussion and debate over the image of God has engaged theologians of every tradition. What is the image of God? Of what does it consist? How does Scripture speak of this image? Does it relate to all human beings? Establishing answers and definitions to such questions is a difficult yet vitally important task. Significant to these discussions are the implications that such definitions will have upon the understanding of human identity and human existence.

Treatments on the image of God have a variety of definitions and interpretations depending on the individual theologian and their theological tradition. There are …

An Examination Of The Left, Right And Center Parties In The American Lutheran Controversy Of The Mid-Nineteenth Century, Philip Hendrickson

Master of Art Theology Thesis

James Voelz recently published a two-part essay in Concordia Journal entitled, “Contemporary Americans Make Poor Confessional Lutherans."! In his essay, Dr. Voelz points out that the rampant liberty that permeates American life is constantly at odds with the desire of Lutherans to remain confessional, doctrinal and liturgical. He states, "All of the factors involved in such a church, viz., doctrinal formulations, confessional statements, and uniform liturgical practices, are restrictive and non-libertarian. They rub against the grain of every contemporary American. Which means that to embrace them is to be truly counter-cultural.”

This tension between being Lutheran and being American is …

Killing And Making Alive As The Vital Work Of The Spirit In Preaching According To Martin Luther, Peter Kirby

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The Protestant Reformation involved a recovery of just this distinction between primary and secondary discourse, and not only the distinction, but the priority of "primary" discourse, that is, the necessity of Gospel as the Word that forgives in the here and now.

Hermeneutical Implications Of Certain Pre-Pauline Passages In The Pauline Corpus Of The New Testament, Inta Ivanovska

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Postmodern linguistics and philosophy have challenged the possibility that an author, a text, or a reader of a text possesses or can possess complete objectivity. It claims that an "independent, objective, reason-driven reader" is merely a "communally dependent, subjective, presupposition-bound agent." Similarly, an author is regarded as subject who through the text merely expresses the perspectives he has acquired through his own, contextually-shaped experiences. Moreover, once created, a text is not to be regarded as an entity which bears its own intrinsic meaning; nor is a text the expression of an "original," authorial intent. Rather, a text is merely a …

Submit To Whom? An Exegetical Study Of Romans 13:1-7, Bradley Smith

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This thesis will address the question of referent, specifically, who or what is the referent ̍εξονσια and its parallels in Romans 13:1-7. This is a unique endeavor in recent scholarship on Rom. 13:1-7. For, although much has been written on Rom. 13:1-7, recent scholarship has been concerned with the pragmatic nature of the text. The nature and meaning of submission, the orders of creation in light of the holocaust, and concerns of unjust states are some of the issues driving the research into Rom. 13 in recent years

Receiver, Bearer, And Giver Of God's Spirit-Jesus' Life And Mission In The Spirit As A Ground For Understanding Christology, Trinity, And Proclamation, Leopoldo Sanchez

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

In this project, I assess the usefulness of a Spirit-christology for reflection on Jesus’ perennial question, "But who do you say that I am?" (Mt. 16:15), and its implications for christology itself, trinitarian theology, and the proclamation of Jesus' story.1 I argue that reading the life and mission of Jesus as receiver, bearer, and giver of God's Spirit—i.e., a"Spirit-christology"2 —invigorates and complements classic Logos-oriented approaches to christology, Trinity, and proclamation.

Like many proposals in systematic theology, mine has both critical and constructive tasks. Critically, I investigate some reasons for the partial eclipse of the place of the Holy Spirit in …

The Jesus Name Controversy-A Doctrinal Development In The Pentecostal Movement Of The Twentieth Century, Paul Buford

Master of Art Theology Thesis

The preceding comments have been about the Pentecostal movement as a whole, but this thesis is concerned primarily with its third stream, the Oneness Pentecostal movement, that deserves attention in its own right. As Walter J. Hollenweger in The Pentecostals observes, there is "also a not inconsiderable group of Pentecostals for whom the only valid baptism is that carried out 'in the name of Jesus. According to Hollenweger, the dispute regarding the correct formula of baptism-a dispute between Trinitarian Pentecostals who baptize in the titles of the Trinity following Matthew 28:19 and the Oneness Pentecostals who baptize in Jesus' name …

Fifty Years Of Theological Education In The Gutnius Lutheran Church Of Papua New Guinea: 1948-1998, John Eggert

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The Gutnius Lutheran Church (GLC) is one of two Lutheran churches in the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, the other Lutheran church being the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea. This brief review of the geographical, cultural and political settings of Papua New Guinea (PNG) will provide the physical context in which the Gutnius Lutheran Church and the theological education programs, which this study will examine, developed.

Military Imagery In Preaching: An Effective Means Of Nurturing A Lutheran Identity In The Military, Mark Steiner

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This major applied project consisted of two parts: a research component addressing the theoretical application of military imagery in preaching to a Lutheran military audience and an evaluative process, which tested the application of military imagery in preaching. The theoretical component, based upon the contributions of literature on cross cultural studies, leadership, strategic planning, rhetoric, and homiletics, recommended a homiletical strategy for preaching military imagery. The evaluative component validated the application of military imagery in preaching and recommended a strategy for promoting organic unity of military imagery with the other elements of the worship service.

A Theology Of Ministerial Practice, Paul Kelm

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Competing agendas and changing culture create a need for churches to consciously determine why they will do what they do the way they do.

This project develops four doctrinal bases for a theology of ministerial practice. It summarizes literature on philosophy of ministry. Research in five Lutheran churches identifies gaps in the way people view ministry. Chapter four provides a comprehensive rationale and definition for a theology of ministerial practice.

One church's experience demonstrates the value of thinking through and developing "guiding principles" that apply a church's theology to its culture in shaping ministerial practice.

Who Do I Say That You Are? Anthropology And The Theology Of Theosis In The Finnish School Of Tuomo Mannermaa, William Schumacher

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Part of what drives the present study is the conviction that anthropology matters in theology. That is to say, theology must find new ways (or recover and translate old ways) to answer questions about what it means to be human. One purpose of this study, then, is to try to reclaim the doctrine de homine as a vital and pertinent dimension of the whole theological enterprise, rather than relegate anthropology to non-theological (or even anti-theological) disciplines. The anthropological suggestions that arise from the studies of the Finnish school, intriguing and stimulating in some respects, ultimately fall short of this goal, …