Digital Commons Network^™

Roman Slave Trade And The Critique Of Babylon In Revelation 18, Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Crucifixion And The Will Of God According To John, Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

For All What Saints? Preaching All Saints Day, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

American culture has either trivialized All Saints Eve into a time of free candy or idealized All Saints Day as a festival of the unachievable. The texts are more real than that—and so is sainthood.

Powerpoint In Preaching? Yes...But!, Andrew Root

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Leading In The Midst Of Change: A Theologically Grounded, Theoretically Informed Hermeneutic Of Change, Terri L. Elton

Faculty Publications

This essay proposes a hermeneutic of change, grounded in theology and theory, which can inform church leaders’ strategic actions in the midst of change. Drawing from the work of practical theology, it looks at four vantage points proposed by Don Browning: descriptive, historical, systematic, and strategic. The descriptive view offers two insights: God is active and present in the midst of change and God’s people are simultaneously saints and sinners. The historical perspective points out that God has always been in the midst of change, but God’s love and promises for the world have not changed. Systematic theology fuses the …

Is The Automobile Essential To Freedom?: Yes!, Rolf A. Jacobson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"Shepherd My Sheep": Preaching For The Sake Of Greater Works Than These, Karoline M. Lewis

Faculty Publications

The conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15–19 highlights Peter’s work as an apostle but also reveals our own call to care for the sheep—as Jesus says, to “do the works that I do.” The text offers an opportunity to preach about Christian vocation and daily life.

The Ethics Of Driving, Amy E. Marga

Faculty Publications

The concept of “neighbor” takes on entirely new meanings in our mobile society. Who becomes my neighbor when I am behind the wheel? What is the consequence of my driving to my neighbors around the globe? What about the impact on our nonhuman “neighbors”? The ethics of driving has many dimensions for the Christian person of goodwill.

What Every Christian Should Know About Amos And Hosea, Rolf A. Jacobson

Faculty Publications

To overcome the biblical illiteracy of the churches, leaders need to teach parishioners the basic content of the Bible. This essay offers a resource for that important task.

Understanding The Nature And Impact Of Alcoholism : Implications For Ministry In Kenya, Margaret Kemunto Obaga

Master of Theology Theses

No abstract provided.

Resisting The Human Need For Enemies, Or What Would Harry Potter Do?, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

Most mass-mediated popular cultures surround us with enemies, offering up vivid depictions of a world seen as either “for us” or “against us.” Christian faith, on the other hand, draws us towards love even in the presence of hatred. A close look at the surprisingly countercultural world of Harry Potter provides some ways forward in walking the path of love.

My Sinful Self: The Self As Enemy, Steven D. Paulson

Faculty Publications

“We have met the enemy, and he is us,” said Pogo. The “us” is our sinful self, which can be disposed of only by dying to faith in our own power to believe and rising to faith as the daily gift of Christ. For this, we need a preacher, the bringer of an external word to which we can cling

"Changing The Face Of The Enemy": Martin Luther King, Jr., And The Beloved Community, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

Martin Luther King, Jr., begins with Jesus’ command to love the enemy and moves to an understanding that in the “beloved community” God is “changing the face of the enemy.” In that beloved community, where all are brought together in a way that changes all, true freedom is found.

Blessing, Well-Being, And Salvation: Should Lutherans Learn To Dance To Another Tune?, Guillermo C. Hansen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Animal Speech As Revelation In Genesis 3 And Numbers 22, Cameron B. R. Howard

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“The Altar Of Certitude”: Reflections On “Setting” And Rhetorical Interpretation Of The Psalms, Rolf A. Jacobson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"The Altar Of Certitude": Reflections On "Setting" And Rhetorical Interpretations Of The Psalms, Rolf A. Jacobson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Theodicy In The Book Of Job, Bernard Chuni Sande

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Missional Interim Ministry Processes A Case Study, Christopher Edwin Hagen

Doctor of Ministry Theses

A case study of conducting an interim missionally. Presents theological and theoretical bases for missional interim processes and description of an actual interim period in which the interim was approached missionally. Units of analyses are environment/context, power/leadership, conflict, organizational restructuring, trust, and conventional interim tasks. Interpretation of data is by time-sequence analysis and explanation building.

Charismatic power yielded to democratic expressions through process of legitimization. Political organizing within congregation was method for power transformation. Goal was communicative action that discerned the mission of God, determined congregation’s calling within that mission, and described congregation’s ministries to carry out its calling. i

Reframing Mission: An Action-Research Intervention Into A Mainline Judicatory, Dwight J. Zscheile

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

A system-wide, action-research intervention into a mainline church judicatory sought to empower its members to respond to the adaptive challenges facing them through reframing their understanding of mission in light of their changing context and theological tradition, and through actively discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit. Recognizing that the problems facing mainline denominational systems in 21st century America require attention to foundational questions of identity and purpose in a post-Christendom era, this study utilized a multi-layered, participatory process that encouraged grass-roots transformation.

Over the course of one year, approximately 2,000 members of a diocese of the Episcopal Church participated …

Two Kinds Of Authority: Law And Gospel, Steven D. Paulson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A More True ‘Domestic And Foreign Missionary Society’: Toward A Missional Polity For The Episcopal Church., Dwight J. Zscheile

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Preaching In Lutheran Pulpits In The Age Of Confessionalization, Mary Jane Haemig, Robert Kolb

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"Jesus' Resurrection, The Signs, And The Dynamics Of Faith In The Gospel Of John.", Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Envious Enemies Of The Cross Of Christ (Philippians 3:18), David E. Fredrickson

Faculty Publications

Contrary to the common understanding, the “enemies of the cross of Christ” in Phil 3:18 are the same people who “proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry” in 1:15. These “enemies” want Paul’s fame, but not the suffering that is built into loving.

"How Do We Meet Students Where They Are, While Challenging Them Further?" : Teaching Developmentally., Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Listening And Learning To Teach In Theological Contexts: An Appreciative Inquiry Model, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.