Digital Commons Network^™

God In The Dock: From Theory To Experience, The Odyssey Of The Theodicy Of C.S. Lewis, Anthony Vance Halford

Masters Theses

Problems, for us as humans, can be seen to as a moving target. There are two concerns that immediately come to the forefront. Those concerns are as follows: who defines the problem and how do they define the problem. Answering these two questions provides the direction for answering the next concern. And that concern then turns to how does one solve the problem? For solving a problem involves defining if there is a problem and can it be solved. Quite possibly the most confounding and complex problem to face humanity as a whole and Christianity specifically is the problem of …

Going Deeper With God Than King David: Cultivating Intimacy Using Hymns, Classical Sacred Songs, And Contemporary Christian Music, Ivy Elizabeth Cole

Masters Theses

In the time of King David, a worshipper did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to enhance worship as worshippers have today. At present, the modern church age worship leader utilizes mostly contemporary Christian music to help lead a congregation into the presence of God. However, the Psalms, hymns, and classical sacred songs may also be used in the exploration of enhancing a worship experience. This study explores the concept of music evoking an emotional response that may allow a worshipper to surrender to an intimate relationship with God. With studies in emotion related to music, Scriptural references, professional writings …

'Sing Unto The Lord A New Song--Just Not That One!' A Case Study Of Music Censorship In Free Will Baptist Colleges, Jon Edward Bullock

Masters Theses

Like so many of the world’s other religious institutions, the Christian church has a long and well-documented history of using music to enhance and enliven the spiritual experiences of believers. Many of the church’s greatest champions throughout history have spoken about the inherent power of music, but as history always seems to demonstrate, along with power comes the need for control. As long as church leaders have used music to attain spiritual progress, they have also censored music that threatens to impede that progress. Even today, many church leaders still rely on music censorship to protect the future and identity …

How Women Became Priests In Ireland: The Development Of Women’S Ordination In The Church Of Ireland, Meagan Farrell Howe

Masters Theses

30 years ago, the Church of Ireland allowed women’s ordination as deacons, then later priests and bishops. Leading to this doctrinal and social development, the Church of Ireland wrestled with big questions on the nature of Christian ministry and women’s roles in the church. Have the Bible and church tradition always upheld male headship? Are women being called by God to serve as deacons, priests and bishops? Can groups with major theological differences reconcile and remain one church? The author introduces this historic Irish development to a United States audience with relevant lessons for social transformation, following the human drama …

Hangin' With Judas: A Narrative Analysis Of Stephen Adly Guirgis's 'The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot', Constance Falconer

Masters Theses

Stephen Adly Guirgis has created an era-melting play, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which explores the timeless debate between divine mercy and free will. A systematic application of Walter R. Fisher's narrative analysis, through form identification and a functional analysis, determined how Guirgis accomplishes persuasion. This qualitative study focused on Guirgis's narrative, using Walter R. Fisher's narrative paradigm as a framework to answer the research question(s): (1) If Guirgis's ideology and created world in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot are foreign and imagined, how is narrative probability and narrative fidelity achieved?; and, (2) How does Guirgis persuade his …

An Apologetic To The Neo-Pagans As Represented By Dr. Gus Dizerega, William Tennison Smitherman Ii

Masters Theses

The current trend of multi-religious observance can be traced to various root sources. In particular, the advocacy of Christianity and another religious tradition is particularly strong within Neo-Pagan circles. Through historical investigation, as well as response to the writings of Dr. Gus DiZerega, a prominent Neo-Pagan proponent, these connection will be made. It will be posited that the core of modern neo-pagan belief and perhaps that of modern Celtic Christianity are found in similar traditions. This study, while not exhaustive is a beginning to a fruitful conversation between Christians and Neo-Pagans. It also provides a bridge to see that there …

The Conception Of The Proper Work Of A Missionary In The Correspondence Of Boniface, Albert Crawford

Masters Theses

First Paragraph:

The seventh through the tenth centuries witnessed a great expansion of the Roman Catholic Church to the north into lands that were partially or completely pagan. As one of the great missionary periods of the Church it demands the attention of the Church historian. As an important step in the civilization of Europe it demands the attention of the secular historian, as an expression of the contemporary doctrine of the nature of the Church and what is essential for the expansion of that Church into other cultures, it demands the attention of the theologian. The importance of this …