Arts and Humanities Commons^™

In Gratitude For Tim Keller (1950-2023), Justin Bailey

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The primary purpose of preaching is to give people an encounter with the beauty of Jesus Christ."

Posting about the influence of Tim Keller from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/in-gratitude-for-tim-keller-1950-2023/

Disruptive Homiletics: Liberationist Hermeneutics And The Preconditions Of Critical Consciousness, Joel (J.T.) Young

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Study On Bible Study Group To Improve Expository Preaching Preparation: The Case Of 701 Korean Church Bible Study Group, Young Shik Choi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rapid growth in number of Korean churches have led the period of quantitative revival. However, at same time, diverse problem emerged such as materialism and secularization. The main reason was due to the lack of spiritual growth of the church members. In this regard, expository preaching which provides clear understanding of the scripture and applications to live as healthy Christians is inevitable. Many preachers in the past have had interest in and tried expository preaching but they could not write down their script with elements of expository preaching due to the lack of understanding and training in this field. …

Charismatic And Expository Preaching: A Case Study Of Two Preaching Methods Within The Local Church, Lewis D. Mathis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching by far is the primary tool used within the Body of Christ to spread the gospel throughout the world and draw people to the ecclesia (church). For centuries the fundamental approach to heralding the Word of God has been rooted in expository preaching. This theologically sound approach has been shadowed by the rise of the Charismatic Movement and its preaching. Therefore, this thesis project study foci will be on "Charismatic and Expository Preaching: A Case Study of Two Preaching Methods within the Local Church." This study is necessary to determine if these two forms of preaching can co-exist or …

Shared Oversight: Equipping Elders To Shepherd The Flock, Eric Michael Hartman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leadership structures vary greatly across various faith traditions, but how much flexibility is biblically warranted? Far from being silent, the Bible is descriptive and prescriptive with regard to a plurality of leadership within a congregation. These elders, also called overseers, are to shepherd the flock (Acts 20:17, 28). The problem is that there is often lack training to that end. This study constructed a process for training elders and/or potential elders within a congregation to better understand the nature of plurality and parity of those tasked with caring for God’s people. The four training sessions covered the following: (1) The …

Preaching To Millennials: A Content Analysis Of Preachers' Communication As It Relates To Millennial Congregants, Matthew Joel Hastings

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American church is facing a decline in attendance (Barna, 2014). This truth is especially prevalent in the millennial generation, the largest yet also the least religious American generation. Many of whom describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. The church has a unique opportunity through the weekly sermon that other organizations do not have. This opportunity provides the ability to verbally communicate in person with the entire organization at one time. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis study was to better understand how preachers who led the fastest growing churches in the Southern Baptist Convention used communication tactics …

Healing Through Preaching: Recovery For Red Oaks Baptist Church, Darin Scott Wilt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry thesis, Healing Through Preaching: Recovery for Red Oaks Baptist Church, is to address the need for healing Red Oaks Baptist Church’s members through a coordinated preaching and counseling ministry. Research shows there is a lack of information available on how to preach to a church after a traumatic event such as a church split or revitalization effort. The literature available addresses church problems that may have led a specific situation but does not help the pastor use the preaching of scripture to lead the church in recovery and to use God’s word to …

Self-Efficacy Among Christian Educators, Jonathan Blake Tolbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christian educators often lack specialized training in message delivery which leads to a lower self-efficacy. Christian educators devote their lives to fulfillment of the Great Commission; it is the job of the church universal to provide resources and support that equip the saints to boldly share the Gospel with great confidence. When self-efficacy is low, confidence is low. Theological foundations are often strong and well-developed by the local church. The practical aspect of preaching, meaning delivery, is an area that is underrepresented in academic research. This project presents specialized training in message delivery as a catalyst for improving self-efficacy. The …

Prayerlessness: Using Expository Sermons To Change The Way Believer's Pray, Joshua Kenton Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In America, the church is operating with less supernatural power than it once did or currently does in other parts of the world, especially as it relates to those like East Barbourville Baptist Church who belong to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). For example, the Annual Church Profile data of the SBC for the 2018 year reveals that its overall membership has reached a thirty-year low. Likewise, the data reveals a decline in baptisms for the tenth year in a row. Yet, the church has access to more ministry tools and better training than any previous generation, so what is …

Episcopal Sermons In The Library Of Appalachian Preaching, Robert Ellison, Larry Sheret

English Faculty Research

The Library of Appalachian Preaching provides online access to sermons preached in Appalachia, or elsewhere by preachers with ties to the Appalachian region. This article, in a newsletter published by the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, discusses Episcopal sermons that are currently in the Library, and some that will be added in the very near future. 

Homer Lee Terry Papers, 1955-1984, Homer Lee Terry

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Homer Lee Terry Papers, 1955-1984.

Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, 1965-2019, Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019).

Finding Aid For Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Robert Lynn Anderson Papers

Finding aid for the Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019).

An Examination Of Preaching And Church Leadership Within Royal Baptist Church, Jeffie L. Powell Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout this qualitative investigation, the researcher will examine prevalent preaching and leadership styles to promote congregational growth and development. Additionally, a proposed organized dossier for Royal Baptist Church will be implemented, delineating a biblical, practical, compelling leadership style. To explore for analysis, the researcher will assess their contemporary church leadership style juxtaposing favored leadership styles found in the literature. After creating a baseline, the researcher will interview seven ministers via face–to–face, telephone, video messaging, and email, assessing their church preferred leadership style, comparing their preferred preaching and leadership style against techniques found in the literature. Lastly, the researcher will provide …

Stewardship, Jacob Arnold

Sylvanus Carter Homiletics Award

This is a sermon submission for the 2018 Sylvanus Carter Homiletics Award. The sermon originates from Philippians 4:10-20 (NIV) and discusses the topic of stewardship. This was presented to a group of professors and peers within the School of Theology and Christian Ministry on April 10th, 2018. It was one of three presented, with Hannah Jones receiving first, Marcus Winters second, Jacob Arnold third.

Turning “Bad Jews Into Worse Christians”: Hermann Adler And The London Society For Promoting Christianity Amongst The Jews, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

This paper explores how sermons contributed to Jewish-Christian relations in Victorian England. I begin with a rhetorical analysis of sermons preached on behalf of the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, the largest and best known missionary organization of its kind. I then examine a collection of sermons in which Hermann Adler, then rabbi of London’s Bayswater Synagogue and later Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, pushes back against their efforts, offering the “true explanations” of passages which, in his view, had been improperly employed by Christian preachers. Finally, I trace a kind of “feedback loop” in which …

Beautiful Feet, Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Society is hearing a message from evangelicals. Is it a message of justice, mercy, hope, peace, healing, and salvation?"

Posting about ­­­­­­­­our witness to the world from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

http://inallthings.org/beautiful-feet/

The Trinity...The Biblical Mandates For Preaching, Teaching, Worshipping And Evangelism In The Local Church, Pedreto Graham-Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Trinity is viewed as the bedrock of the Christian faith. Notwithstanding, the worship of the Trinity in local churches today are hardly mentioned by pastors in their sermon. The researcher chose this topic to introduce the importance of assimilating the worship of the Trinity in the areas of the four key biblical mandates. The researcher surveyed 50 Southern Baptist Pastors and 10 members were selected from each church to participate. It was discovered that both pastors and members lack the essential understanding of incorporating the worship of the Trinity in these four areas of the ministry. The results of …

Four Case Studies In Teaching Sermons At A Public University, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

In this paper, delivered at the March 2017 meeting of the Northeast Modern Language Association, I discuss my experience with teaching sermons at Marshall University, a public institution in Huntington, WV. I have done this in four classes over the past several years: “Good Essays” (a 200-level general-education course in the English Department); “God Talk” (another gen-ed course, team-taught with a faculty member in religious studies); “Sermon: Text and Performance” (a 400-level class in the Honors College); and “The Victorian Spoken Word” (a graduate seminar in English).

The audiences were very different, as were the texts we used (Newman, Spurgeon, …

Gano, John Allen, 1805-1887 (Sc 3096), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3096. Letters from church leaders in the central Kentucky region to John Allen Gano, a Christian Church minister in Bourbon County, Kentucky. The letters reference the charisma of Gano’s sermons and solicit his visitation to various church meetings and services.

Homiletical Aesthetics: A Paradigmatic Proposal For A Holistic Experience Of Preaching, Sunggu Yang

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

The article is a proposal for a paradigmatic change in homiletical pedagogy. In North America today, most homiletical training at the seminary or divinity school is either text-driven or know-how-driven (or, at times, topic-driven). Thus, the homiletical training focuses on (1) how to exposit a text for a key topic, (2) how to structure a sermon, (3) how to deliver a message, and (4) how to analyze the text-driven sermon. While admitting the usefulness of this current textual or know-how pedagogy, the article suggests the addition of a holistic-aesthetic component of preaching, which I will later call numen-participatory education or …

Retelling Inspired Stories: An Overview Of Preaching Biblical Narrative, Michael L. Frye

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis serves as an overview of preaching narrative passages of Scripture. The stories in the Bible are powerful and impacting when preached properly. Expositional preaching is the most effective model from which to preach narrative because exposition respects the nature and form of narrative as a genre of literature. The interpretation of narratives must be approached in a unique way to accommodate the literary elements and plot development of each story. Once the big idea of a biblical story has been discovered, the preacher must present the passage in narrative form, contrasting a traditional sermon outline of several points. …

Homiletical Discipleship: Developing An Approach To Small Group Study Based On Sunday Morning Exposition, Lance Cole

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Jesus promised to make Peter a “fisher of men,” while The Great Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. The purpose of this project is to create a discipleship approach for the local church that helps teach the church’s members based on the Sunday morning sermon. One disciple making problem is that many people attend a church to spectate and not participate. Some sit for years listening to the pastor preach without having any desire to be an active disciple. Others completely leave the church after a short time. This approach for churches will teach them how to …

Book Review: A Vision For Preaching, Jeremy M. Kimble

Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Entrenching African Pentecostalism In The United States Of America: A Study Of A Ghanaian Founded Charismatic Church In South Florida, Raymond K. Awadzi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the past three decades, there has been a rapid growth of African Pentecostal Christianity on America’s Christian religious scene. In general, researchers in Christian mission studies have concluded that the flow of Christian religious currents from Africa and other Third World countries to the West is something of a Christian mission in reverse process. Using agency and invention of tradition as the theoretical leads, this study explores the roles lay immigrants played in the rooting of the Christian Restoration Ministries International (CRMI), a Ghanaian founded charismatic church, in Miami, as a case study of how African Pentecostal churches originate …

Preaching As Foolishness, Steven D. Paulson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Other-Typological Illustration Of The Exodus Story According To Dr. King’S Perception Of Universal Reconciliation In His Sermon On Exodus 14:30, Sunggu Yang

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

The article contends that Dr King makes an other-typological illustrative use of the Exodus story in his preaching – one of the most significant biblical narratives that the Black church in the US holds dear. This peculiar use of the Exodus story differentiates itself from the conventional typological understanding and use of the same story in the Black church’s history. While in the latter the Exodus story has a symbolic meaning of the irreconcilable conflict between the oppressed and the oppressing reality, in the former the same story contains a spiritual lesson that what is really hoped for in the …

The Abrahamic Pilgrimage Story In Sermons: An Ontological-Narrative Foundation Of Asian American Life In Faith, Sunggu Yang

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Sang Hyun Lee and many other Asian American scholars have found that the Abrahamic pilgrimage story has been an ontological-narrative backbone of Asian American faith constructs. This article further explores their previous research by suggesting three distinct theological narrative styles of the given Abrahamic pilgrimage saga: the allegorical- typological narrative style, the illustrative narrative style, and the eschatologicalsymbolic narrative style. However, though distinct, the styles are closely associated with one another. I will show sermon excerpts by Asian American preachers that are good examples of the theological-spiritual embodiment of the three styles.

Effectively Ministering To Congregants With Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Jason Whitehurst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A survey of recent medical studies show a rise each year in the number of people diagnosed with A.D.D., or Attention Deficit Disorder. However, pastors have not been adequately educated on how to effectively communicate, counsel, and minister to those with A.D.D. The goal of this project is to educate pastors and church leaders about the nature of A.D.D., the statistics, the symptoms, so that they may better understand how to minister to these people in their congregation. Medical statistics, findings, and new approaches to preaching and ministering will be utilized in this project to fulfill the goal.

Insights From Charles Spurgeon's Preaching For A Changing Culture, John Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project has been done in order to increase the amount of literature available that demonstrates how to preach to a 21st century culture and to enlighten preachers to the timeless truths that transcend from the great 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon. A close evaluation of Charles Spurgeon's biblical preaching reveals a model for pastors to emulate in a post-modern context in the local church. Spurgeon was a master communicator and a survey of his mid to late 1800's preaching reveals those areas of his ministry that are still useful in the New Millennium. By reviewing Spurgeon's sermons and writings, …