Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Holy Bible (142)
- Authority of scripture (8)
- Inerrancy of scripture (7)
- Church (6)
- Discipleship (6)
-
- Inspiration of scripture (6)
- Church Growth (5)
- New Testament (5)
- Prayer (5)
- Salvation (5)
- Biblical canon (4)
- Cononicity of the Bible (4)
- Inspiration of Scripture (4)
- Old Testament (4)
- African American Church (3)
- Bible study (3)
- General revelation (3)
- Illumination of scripture (3)
- Missional (3)
- Spirituality (3)
- Worship (3)
- Accuracy of the Bible (2)
- Authority of the Bible (2)
- Bible translations (2)
- Biblical authority (2)
- Birth of Jesus (2)
- Christianity (2)
- Church Attendance (2)
- Church Decline (2)
- Counseling (2)
Articles 1 - 30 of 201
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Reading Scripture: Developing Intimacy With God, The Church, And Community, Tammy Janiece Jacko
Reading Scripture: Developing Intimacy With God, The Church, And Community, Tammy Janiece Jacko
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
By addressing the biblical literacy that results from not reading Scripture, and lack of discipline, Christians will experience spiritual growth, maturity, and a Christian worldview as a result of applying proper exegesis and hermeneutics of Scripture. The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry thesis project is to help Christians read the Bible by engaging in proper biblical interpretation. According to Fee and Stuart, “a text cannot mean what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers. The interpretation of the biblical text is what the original writer had first spoken or written,” directly from God; therefore, developing the skills …
A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Attitudes Towards Women Mentoring Other Women In The Church, Natasha Amy Pettigrew
A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Attitudes Towards Women Mentoring Other Women In The Church, Natasha Amy Pettigrew
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This qualitative phenomenological study explores the attitudes and views of women towards mentoring other women in the church for discipleship purposes. Although there are many benefits to women entering into a mentoring relationship for discipleship purposes, including spiritual growth, increase in the practice of spiritual disciplines, staying grounded in the Christian faith, and experiencing deeper intimacy with Christ, there is still a significant percentage of women who are not doing so. The researcher surveyed 37 Christian women between the ages of 18 and 65 to explore their attitudes and views towards women mentoring one another in the church for discipleship …
Developing An At Risk Youth Prevention Model In Local Church, Norman Dwight Vick
Developing An At Risk Youth Prevention Model In Local Church, Norman Dwight Vick
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Congregations must be spiritually positioned to receive and pass on the Gospel baton to all believers. This work will concentrate on those that are at risk for emotional disorders, particularly at the stage of adolescence. This effort will point to the young with emotive challenges that will assist them in being able to pass on the faith constructively and wholesomely. This dissertation will utilize an analytic approach that consists of multi-components related to mental health classifications and disorder, therefore, Christian leaders should be looking beyond secularism to provide support for adolescents who are at risk. Given the presence of millions …
A Biblical Model To Encourage Associate Ministers To Serve Effectively With Enjoyment, Marcus L. Ellison
A Biblical Model To Encourage Associate Ministers To Serve Effectively With Enjoyment, Marcus L. Ellison
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Associate Ministers play a vital role in the growth and development of healthy churches. Yet, too often, they grow impatient with their role and frustrated with their current assignment. This frustration often leads to dysfunction and a lack of spiritual development that ultimately hinders the growth of the church. So, what are the challenges that associate ministers face in serving in subordinate roles of leadership? As an Associate Minister for seven years, this researcher experienced this frustration while serving and waiting on God to open the next door of opportunity. The purpose of this project is to provide a biblical …
Racism In Southeast Texas Churches: A Plan For Reconciliation And Healing Among Its Church Community, William James Carter
Racism In Southeast Texas Churches: A Plan For Reconciliation And Healing Among Its Church Community, William James Carter
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A cursory look at many churches in the United States will show many local Churches are segregated by ethnicity and people groups. When this is done, it gives the appearance that the Church is broken because certain groups choose not to celebrate with others of different ethnicities. The problem is that there is a considerable reality to the appearance. With that, it is the intent of this project to examine the reasons for the divide. In order to determine the reasons, a survey will be provided, and classes taught examining the reasons for the divides. Additionally, this project will seek …
Acts Of The Holy Spirit In Leadership: A Case For Holy Leadership In The Church, Jeffrey James Boone Sr
Acts Of The Holy Spirit In Leadership: A Case For Holy Leadership In The Church, Jeffrey James Boone Sr
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of the research is to remove worldly leadership from, Abundant Life Community Christian Church (ALCCC), and to replace it with a biblical leadership model. Biblical leadership is spiritual and holy. Biblical leadership is predicated upon Jesus Christ's leadership example and teachings. The first-century Apostles’ leadership modeled the words and works of Jesus Christ. The problem of secular leadership at ALCCC is the cause of stagnation and declination of the church. Worldly leadership at ALCCC is the root cause of inefficiency, ineffectiveness, in-house fighting, strife, division, rivalry, preeminence, predominance, lack of humility, outreach neglect, evangelism neglect, and unproductivity. The …
The Intersection Of Ministry And Mental Health: Worship Leaders With Depression, Benjamin Bartow Harrison
The Intersection Of Ministry And Mental Health: Worship Leaders With Depression, Benjamin Bartow Harrison
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Despite the fact the mental health issues are becoming more destigmatized among those in society, pastors and other church staff still face unique challenges when seeking treatment for mental health issues. This study considers the perspectives of ministers who often struggle in silence with depression. This qualitative historical research study will identify the unique challenges faced when battling depression that have not yet been studied concerning the lives of worship leaders in various stages of such mental health issues. Time demands, financial challenges, and stigma have emerged as common themes through exploration of a small body of existing literature and …
A Phenomenological Study Of Early Resignation Among Southern Territory Salvation Army Officers, Everette F. Platt
A Phenomenological Study Of Early Resignation Among Southern Territory Salvation Army Officers, Everette F. Platt
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand early resignation of Salvation Army officers in the Southern Territory by investigating their lived experiences with the phenomenon. The theories guiding this study were role identity, as it explains the differences in perceptions and actions that accompany a role and emotional intelligence (EI), which refers to a generic competence in perceiving emotions, both in oneself and in others. The central research question addressed how former Salvation Army officers in the Southern Territory perceive that their officership experiences impacted their decision to resign early. The subquestions for this study addressed (a) …
A Christ-Centered, Attachment Based, Church Program For The Healing Of Father Wounds, Stephen J. Madosky I
A Christ-Centered, Attachment Based, Church Program For The Healing Of Father Wounds, Stephen J. Madosky I
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Father wounds have devastated the hearts of men as to make impotent their effectiveness as fathers, leaders, and ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This dissertation used Christ- centered attachment-based theories to develop a church-driven program that includes discipleship disciplines along with counseling techniques to help develop a more secure relational attachment to God and therefore producing psychospiritual benefits, such as a greater love of self, others, and God. This research evaluated the efficacy of the development of this Christ-centered, attachment-based church program for the Healing of Father wounds. This program development looks to secure the participants’ attachment to …
Eradicating Recidivism: Evangelism For African American Men Impacted By Mass Incarceration, Anthony Mark Berry
Eradicating Recidivism: Evangelism For African American Men Impacted By Mass Incarceration, Anthony Mark Berry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The Prison Industrial Complex impacts 2.3 million people, affects the poor, and the nation's minority family's ability to retain a sense of unity. These data impact community health with the absence of the father figures, lack of power to gain viable income, and in some cases, the right to vote. The issue decimates African American young men. This topic is needed because the research suggests a cyclic nature of excavation of human capital by incarceration and is depleting communities of capital by jailing wage earners from the Black community. Voting capital is dwindling in some states where felony crimes remove …
The American Unreformation: The Undoing Of American Evangelical Prominence And The Rise Of The Religiously Unaffiliated Nones, H G. Walker
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
With over sixty percent of Protestant churches in America experiencing either plateaued or declining numbers, the ineffectiveness or outright inattention to evangelistic efforts is magnified by the aggressive growth of the Nones population; therefore, this dissertation project seeks to answer one central question related to the current increase in the number of Americans identifying as religiously unaffiliated: Are there identifiable religious resurgence mechanisms in American religious history that address the current rise of the Nones and if initiated would facilitate future religious resurgence? Lower levels of religious affiliation reveal a weakening of the heart of the Evangelical position on evangelization …
Christian Higher Education And Participation In The Redemptive Work Of God, John R. Markley
Christian Higher Education And Participation In The Redemptive Work Of God, John R. Markley
Faculty Publications and Presentations
This history of distinctively Christian institutions of higher education in America signals the importance of missional vigilance for stakeholders. This article proposes a framework for Christian faculty to approach their work of educating students in a distinctively Christian way, by orienting each discipline and field of study to the main points of redemptive history as defined by Christian theology. When we train students at a Christian institution, we should be training them to become participants in the redemptive work of God. By taking an intentional approach to this (i.e., orienting our disciplines and the subject-matter to redemptive history), we help …
Genesis 10 & 11: A Theological And Geographical Framework For The Mission Of Paul, Jackson Scott Richardson
Genesis 10 & 11: A Theological And Geographical Framework For The Mission Of Paul, Jackson Scott Richardson
Masters Theses
The aim of this thesis is to offer a holistic solution to the purpose problem. Current scholarship has yet to provide a perspective that accounts for both the theological perspectives of Paul’s missional work and geographical plans of Paul’s missionary journeys. By establishing the Table of Nations and the Tower of Babel as a common factor from which Paul’s theological perspectives and geographical decision making derive, this study will build a foundation from which future work can gain insight into Pauline thought and encourage a renewed emphasis on understanding Genesis 10 and 11 when considering biblical study of the New …
A Mixed Methods Approach To The Implementation Of Simple Church At Greenhouse Community Church, Jeff Michael Wheeland
A Mixed Methods Approach To The Implementation Of Simple Church At Greenhouse Community Church, Jeff Michael Wheeland
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The majority of Evangelical Churches in America are declining. The majority of Christian and Missionary Alliances churches in America are also declining. Greenhouse Community Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Houston, Texas was in decline. Greenhouse Community Church lacked a simple discipleship plan. Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger wrote Simple Church and discovered after conducting research that vibrant, growing churches in America had a simple discipleship plan, whereas declining and plateaued churches had a complex plan or no plan at all. A mixed methods approach of both quantitative and qualitative research was applied to the congregation at Greenhouse …
Believers But Not Followers: The Unstoppable Misconduct And Neglect Of Christians Outside Ministries Duties, Fabio Delgado
Believers But Not Followers: The Unstoppable Misconduct And Neglect Of Christians Outside Ministries Duties, Fabio Delgado
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Christianity is embedded in moral conduct, values, and norms which require believers to project a Christ-like nature. While the whole concept of Christianity is embodied in faith and righteousness, the current generation of believers has exhibited an increased state of secularism which contradicts biblical morals and drifts them further from the religious faith. This research stems from the increasingly common notion of “believers but not followers,” where Christians wittingly abandon their ministerial duties and engage in misconduct. The selection of this topic emanates from the deep concern regarding the rising trend of hypocrisy among believers and mainly propagated by events …
Missional Metamorphosis: How Identity, Presence, And Praxis Are Reshaping Disciple Making Within Post-Christian Contexts, Justin Thomas Wester
Missional Metamorphosis: How Identity, Presence, And Praxis Are Reshaping Disciple Making Within Post-Christian Contexts, Justin Thomas Wester
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The American Church’s current disciple-making paradigm is struggling to engage post-Christian contexts with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite American society’s steady trending away from a biblical worldview, dwindling church attendance, and declining religious affiliation, the American Church is still operating under a disciple-making paradigm conducive for the Christendom era. What changes must occur to help churches break away from an antiquated paradigm and embrace a more contextually appropriate expression? This project helps to answer that question by capturing and expressing how changes in ecclesial identity, contextual presence, and corporate praxis are altering disciple-making paradigms within post-Christian contexts. Utilizing quantitative …
Declining Church Attendance: Five Reasons Why Millennials Have Stopped Attending Church, Charles Eugene Sumpter
Declining Church Attendance: Five Reasons Why Millennials Have Stopped Attending Church, Charles Eugene Sumpter
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
During the past decade, every denomination has recorded a decline in church attendance despite a continual increase in the US population. Research organizations including the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion Research conducted an untold number of surveys providing statistics that ascertain reasons for declining church attendance and why people are leaving the church. Failure to address the issue of declining attendance will lead to more church failures and an increased number of people with no church affiliation. This research document will review data from the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion …
Pastoral Counseling And The African American Churches Of Metro Atlanta: Breaking The Stigma Associated With Asking For Help, Lasonja Chanta Richardson
Pastoral Counseling And The African American Churches Of Metro Atlanta: Breaking The Stigma Associated With Asking For Help, Lasonja Chanta Richardson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A stigma exists in the African American Christian community that seeking counseling services displays a lack of faith and therefore is unspiritual; however, as a new generation emerges with more liberal views on counseling and the role of the church, an opportunity to define pastoral counseling as an acceptable practice is emerging. The current lack of pastoral counseling in the African American church is negatively affecting the spiritual health of the church but offering counseling services will increase spiritual maturity. African American churches must re-evaluate their stance on pastoral counseling and begin to emphasize pastoral counseling as not only acceptable, …
Sonship: Biblical Concepts And The Need For Spiritual Father And Son Relationships In The Church, Anthony Batiste Thompson Jr
Sonship: Biblical Concepts And The Need For Spiritual Father And Son Relationships In The Church, Anthony Batiste Thompson Jr
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This research exposes and explains the biblical concept and purpose of sonship in the church. More specifically, it will illustrate an effective model of the spiritual father and son relationship between pastors and their leaders and followers showing how to duplicate the same patterns according to God’s design for the Church. The rationale for this topic is derived from perceiving the need to address the deficiency in the effective duplication of leadership within the Church. Regarding leadership, much of the Church has neglected or deviated from the need for spiritual fathers to leaders and how this biblical concept and principle …
The African American Church Response To Homosexuality And The Reasons There Is No Response, Robert Jackson Jr
The African American Church Response To Homosexuality And The Reasons There Is No Response, Robert Jackson Jr
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Although the Bible records over eight passages which directly condemns homosexuality, many African-American churches are silent on this controversial issue. The purpose of this thesis is to present information that suggests that the African-American church compromises on this Biblical principle, by embracing homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, both outside and within the church. The church leadership has chosen to either overlook or accept this lifestyle. Based on statistical surveys and interviews, this project will offer practical and Biblical solutions and advice to all churches and ethnic groups, assisting them in dealing with the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage. The …
Would An Omnibenevolent God Allow Some To Be Lost Who Would Have Been Saved In Different Circumstances? A New Molinist Theodicy Against The Problem Of The Contingently Lost, Zachary Paul Breitenbach
Would An Omnibenevolent God Allow Some To Be Lost Who Would Have Been Saved In Different Circumstances? A New Molinist Theodicy Against The Problem Of The Contingently Lost, Zachary Paul Breitenbach
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation addresses a particular issue within the soteriological problem of evil: Would an omnibenevolent God allow anyone to be lost who would have freely chosen to be saved in other circumstances? It critiques various Molinist theodicies that respond to this issue, especially the prominent theodicy of William Lane Craig. Ultimately a new Molinist theodicy is proposed. An argument is also given for how this soteriological theodicy can help to reduce concerns in the broader problem of evil relating to the amount of evil observed in this life and the apparent gratuitousness of some evil.
A Study Of The Renewal Of Worship Through The Restoration Of The Public Nature Of The Gospel: A Case Study Of The Seed Church, Jubilee Together, And Cris, Kang Hyeok Lee
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The Korean church which advocated evangelicalism is now in crisis. It is because the actual meaning of the Kingdom of God and the public and social significance of the gospel have been lost while the aspect of the individual salvation or the church itself has been its primary concern. As a result of losing the social meaning of sin and salvation, Christianity as a holistic truth has been excluded from the public sphere and is merely regarded as a personal religion. The gospel and the church, which have been reduced to religion and institutions and have acquiesced in the divided …
Analyzing Millennial Student Perceptions Of Spiritual Development While Attending Religious Colleges In The United States, Gregory Thomas Adams
Analyzing Millennial Student Perceptions Of Spiritual Development While Attending Religious Colleges In The United States, Gregory Thomas Adams
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this study was to measure the perceived degree of spiritual development of graduating seniors at 26 denominational religious colleges and universities in the United States to analyze the possible effects of secularization on religious colleges. The study focused on the Millennial religious college student and suggests an approach towards improving the academic environment at religious colleges to promote a positive atmosphere for improving spiritual development. A question on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was analyzed over an eight-year period to determine student and denominational college trends. The researcher determined the degree of perceived spiritual growth …
Mitigating Decline Of Church Growth Resulting From Misunderstanding Of Selected Messianic Passages In Psalms And Isaiah, Hiwatha Bell
Mitigating Decline Of Church Growth Resulting From Misunderstanding Of Selected Messianic Passages In Psalms And Isaiah, Hiwatha Bell
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Paul admonishes the leaders in Ephesus to guard the flock whom God gave them oversight, to develop their spiritual insight by advancing their Scriptural aptitude so they would be able to withstand opposing forces outside the church as well as threats that would emerge from inside the church (Acts 20:28-30). Christ often engaged religious leaders in Judaism, accusing them of evangelizing to others (Matt. 23:15) and misleading those whom they had evangelized and proselytized (Matt. 15:1-13). The Bible is replete with Scriptures that require the shepherd to protect the sheep from wolves, thus the impetus for this report. This report …
A Correlation And Causal-Comparative Study Of The Worldview Of K-12 California Christian Educators, Mariellen True
A Correlation And Causal-Comparative Study Of The Worldview Of K-12 California Christian Educators, Mariellen True
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Christian schools identify developing a Christian worldview in students as an important component of the school’s mission. Many influences affect student achievement. The teacher is one of those influences. At a Christian school, it is reasonable to expect that educators possess a Christian worldview. This study sought to examine the Christian worldview of K-12 Christian educators from ACSI member Christian schools in California. Participants took the Three-Dimensional Worldview Survey (3DWS) and the Worldview Measurement Project Survey (WMPS). Christian educators participated in this study voluntarily and anonymously. The survey results were analyzed to determine if the 3DWS correlated to the WMPS …
Turabian Citations From The Theological Journal Library, Randy L. Miller
Turabian Citations From The Theological Journal Library, Randy L. Miller
Faculty Publications and Presentations
The Theological Journal Library for Galaxie is a tremendous source for conservative scholarly theological and biblical journal articles. However, the database doesn’t provide suggested Turabian citations. This handout tells how to develop properly formatted bibliography and footnote entries, including determining the inclusive pages for the entire article.
The Rise Of The Part-Time Worship Leader In The Mid-Size Southern Baptist Church, Donald Oren Blakeney
The Rise Of The Part-Time Worship Leader In The Mid-Size Southern Baptist Church, Donald Oren Blakeney
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of part-time, bivocational, semi-retired and volunteer worship leaders within mid-size Southern Baptist church and the need for further training and education through a denominationally-driven mentor program. The known decline in attendance and financial giving that most Southern Baptist churches have experienced has affected the moneys available to fill staffing needs and thereby require a reassessment of staff positions; the percentage of the budget allocated for staffing and continuing education. Most of these part-time worship leaders are already educated in another field and cannot allot the resources for a return to …
Trying Times: 21st Century Sexual Revolution, Churches And Ministers At-Risk, Samuel H. Murray
Trying Times: 21st Century Sexual Revolution, Churches And Ministers At-Risk, Samuel H. Murray
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The 21st Century Sexual Revolution in America is redefining marriage, gender identity, human sexuality and public interaction while simultaneously challenging those who dare disagree. As the pastor of a small church, this writer is concerned about potential litigation as a result of these societal changes. These issues are rapidly emerging and evolving. Governmental bodies, corporations, advocacy groups, and courts at all levels are engaged. Churches and ministers may be at risk of adverse legal actions. A review of legal cases will reveal trends and precedents concerning these issues. Individual interviews will engage ministers and churches as to their preparedness and/or …
The Distortion Of The Trinity: An Investigation Of The Trinity As Evidenced In The Teachings Of Three Major Religions, Laken Hendron
The Distortion Of The Trinity: An Investigation Of The Trinity As Evidenced In The Teachings Of Three Major Religions, Laken Hendron
Masters Theses
The nature of the Trinity is a central and salvific doctrine within biblical Christianity. The divine nature of the person of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is pertinent to Christian teachings and a proper understanding of God is crucial to authentic worship and belief. Cults or heterodoxic religions, such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostalism have discounted, distorted or dismissed the Three-in-One doctrine of the Trinity, as found in classical Christian theism. These false doctrines can affect teachings about justification, sanctification, the role and work of the cross and an understanding of the nature of God. The …
The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Biblical Unity In Its Role As An Apologetic, Caroline Boozer
The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Biblical Unity In Its Role As An Apologetic, Caroline Boozer
Masters Theses
This thesis will consider the effect that ethnicity has on identity formation as it impacts church unity. Unity is the chief form of evidence by which the Christian church is supposed to be recognized. The way that believers love one another is how Jesus teaches people will know that they are His disciples (John 13:35). Ethnic tensions are a cause of disunity in both the Old and New Testaments. The issue of ethnic identity and relations and the impact that they have on unity in the church is an apologetic for the power and counter-cultural teachings of Jesus. The purpose …