Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Not My Church: Confessional Living In An All-Consuming World, Cody Macmillan

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

What I hope to offer in the following pages is a vision for the Church that is not our own in a world that is increasingly foreign to us. In a discussion of the Scriptures and the Sacraments, I would like to present three ways in which this Church is distinctly alien in nature. She presents alien standards, alien sentiment, and alien strength to which we are called to subscribe, submit, and surrender. In presenting the alien nature of this church, I offer points of contrast and comparison with the culture to which we are tempted to succumb. These comparisons …

The Beginnings Of Jewish Missions In The Lcms, Jaron Melin

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Mission is the theological account of the relationship between the church and the world. Where are the Jews in this relationship? If the church and the Jews had a relationship status on Facebook, then it might say, “It’s complicated.” This may be true of any kind of missions, but this shows itself to be especially true in Lutheran history and in particular LCMS-history. I look at the histories as recorded by Meyer, Lieske, Cohen, Parviz, and others on the early history of Jewish Missions in the LCMS, and I reflect on the context and theology behind them using missiologists like …

Letter From The Chairman: Over One Hundred Years Of Student Publications At Concordia Seminary, Ben Vanderhyde

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

For hundreds of years, in various countries, through various languages, Christian pastors have exhorted their people to lift up their hearts in the liturgy of Holy Communion. Whether or not every church has always used these precise words, the exhortation is universal among Christians. We are called to put our faith and trust in the one who is above us; to set our hope firmly on the one whose second advent is on the verge of dawning; to aim all of our desires and affections toward the one who made us. In short, we lift up our hearts to the …

Pierre Manent: The Empire Of Modernity And The Church’S Response, Hayden Lukas

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Manent’s body of work often problematizes the modern conservative impulse to draw on the history of thought with modernity’s conception of history, and this essay will attempt to explain this dynamic. To do this, I will explain the basics of Manent’s account of modernity as a way of evaluating history, drawing on the work of other political philosophers to supplement Manent’s account. Then I will examine how the work of Manent and Emile Perreau-Saussine, with the Catholic response to the Enlightenment, can contribute to the Church’s strategy to engage with the puzzle of modernity. .

Learning The Liturgy With Mr. Miyagi: The Case For Liturgical Catechesis, Benjamin Leeper

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Using the narrative of The Karate Kid as a guide, I will demonstrate that Christian formation is a matter of recontextualizing liturgical practices in the daily life of the believer, so that she knows when, where, and how to use the precogni¬tive spiritual habits formed by Word and Sacrament in Christian worship. This understanding challenges prevalent liturgical theology, which tends to assume an automatic connection—or worse, no connection at all— between worship and daily life, by highlighting the necessity of locating for believers the telos of the church’s rites and ceremonies in discipleship. Finally, I will provide concrete examples of …

Tradition: Handing Down The Light To The Next Generation, Kristen Einertson

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

When my husband and I found out that I was pregnant with our first child, we started discussing the ways we hoped to hand down the faith to our children one day. Initially, the things that our own parents had done when we were younger helped us to come up with a pretty familiar list of activities: getting them baptized soon after they arrived, going to church regularly, teaching them to pray before mealtimes and bedtime, reading Bible stories, and familiarizing them with the church’s hymns. If there was one nearby—and we wanted to get a little crazy—maybe we would …

The Church Is The House Of Abraham - Reflections On Martin Luther’S Teaching On Hospitality Toward Exiles, Leopoldo Sánchez

Concordia Pages

From Dr. Sánchez: According to the United Nations, more than 65 million people (about 23 million of them refugees) are counted as forcibly displaced due to persecution, war, and violence. Only one percent are resettled each year, and over half of them are children. The numbers are staggering. Closer to home, about three-quarters of the US foreign-born population (33.8 million) are lawful immigrants, and some 11 million are unauthorized immigrants. In a world experiencing the greatest transnational movement of refugees and immigrants in history, including those coming to our shores and their children, one is right to ask what Lutheran …

Christian Identity Meets Identity Politics: A Lutheran Approach To Political Engagement, Michael Hanson

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Identity politics has become a frequently referenced and much maligned term used to describe a trend in political engagement in the early 21^st century. Identity politics is employed across the political spectrum and has critics on both the left and right in the United States. Christian Identity Meets Identity Politics examines the contours of identity politics to understand and consider the concerns which lead neighbors to engage in identity politics, accounts for the needs of those neighbors who are denied God’s gift of justice through the state, considers criticisms leveled against identity politics within the greater view of Western …

Best Practices In Lcms Congregational Mergers Into Multisite Ministries, Brian Hesse

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hesse, Brian J. “Best Practices in LCMS Congregational Mergers into Multisite Ministries.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 171 pp.

In this MAP the process of a church merger is evaluated for the development of Best Practices in LCMS Congregational Mergers into Multisite Ministries. These best practices aredeveloped with special considerations towards LCMS ecclesiology, missiology and Martin Luther’s Distinction of God’s Two Kingdoms. Best practice recommendations are included for LCMS church mergers, especially for those congregations considering multisite ministry.

Developing A Mentor-Method Of Evangelism At Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri, Nathan Kuhlman

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Kuhlman, Nathan, A. “Developing a Mentor-Method of Evangelism at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri.” D.Min. MAP, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 196pp.

Past models of evangelism are not as effective as they once were. To meet a changing, post-Christian culture, a model of evangelism that better speaks in today’s context is necessary. To address this need, this project was born. The purpose of this project was to develop and launch a mentor-method approach to evangelism at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri. This was accomplished through the launch of a pilot group of 12 test subjects from Redeemer who worked through a 10-week …

The Power Of God’S Word: Jeremiah Speaks To Kenya Today, Jared Otieno Magero

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Magero Jared Otieno “The power of God’s Word: Jeremiah speaks to Kenya today.” Master of Arts Thesis. Concordia Seminary, 2018. 106pp.

This thesis searched what moved Jeremiah to keep proclaiming God’s Word when the people opposed it, when by proclaiming God’s Word Jeremiah himself went through a lot of suffering and persecution, and when the people instead heard and delighted in the words of false prophets. My research explored how the theology of the powerful Word of God and the task of its proclaimer speak to my church in Kenya where, even though we are a confessional church, we are …

Exploring What It Means To Be A Faithful Christian In Twenty-First Century America, Scott Busacker

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Busacker, Scott, M. “Exploring What It Means To Be a Faithful Christian in Twenty-First Century America.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 187 pp.

This Major Applied Project seeks to explore what it means to be a faithful Christian in Twenty-First Century America. It explores the Biblical and Confessional Lutheran understanding of faithfulness. It then surveys the unique history of religion in America, highlighting the importance of both religious zeal and individual liberty. Christianity in America is going through a period of change. It is no longer culturally established. Thus, Christians need to deliberately consider how to …

Expository Preaching At The Dawn Of The Reformation: An Evaluation Of Martin Luther As Preacher In Light Of Modern Expository Theory, Randall Rozelle

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This thesis examines Martin Luther as an expository preacher. Contemporary authors such as Ewald Plass, Peter Brooks, Fred Meuser, Sydney Greidanus, James MacKinnon, John MacArthur, and Hughes Oliphant Old describe Luther as an expository preacher, yet none of them clarifies how or in what way they reach that conclusion. To that end, chapter 1 introduces Luther as a preacher and the need for this study.

Chapter 2 defines modern expository theory and presents a four-fold method for creating faithful, expository sermons.

Chapter 3 tracks Luther’s change in hermeneutic from a medieval, allegorical approach to a Christ-centered, historical-grammatical method. Luther’s postils …

Cultivating Cultural Competence Among The Leadership Of A Multi-Ethnic Congregation For Zion Lutheran Church, Oneida Wisconsin, Mark Schumm

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Schumm, Mark E., “Cultivating Cultural Competence Among the Leadership of a Multi-Ethnic Congregation for Zion Lutheran Church, Oneida, Wisconsin.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 164 pp.

Zion Lutheran Church is a congregation composed of Native American and Anglo members serving a multi-ethnic community. A group of leaders from Zion took part in a learning community designed to explore Biblical understanding of church, mission, culture, and the history of the community. The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory was administered at the beginning and conclusion of the project to assess growth in cultural competence.

Proposals For The Development Of Strategies, Including Workshops, To Advance Unity And Harmony Concerning Charismatic Gifts Of The Holy Spirit In The Ethiopian Evangelical Church, Hailu Bulaka

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Bulaka, Hailu Yohannes “A Proposal for the Implementation of Workshops and Other Strategies That Will Advance Unity and Harmony Concerning Charismatic Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 122 pp.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) is the largest Lutheran Church in Africa with 8.35 million members, which proclaims the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church is experiencing what many see as the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. This sometimes causes conflict and division among members. For our unity and harmony …

Empowering A Local Church To Reflect Revelation 7_9 Unity Through Multi-Ethnic, Bilingual, Combined Worship, Mark Bowditch

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Bowditch, Mark “Empowering a Local Church to Reflect Revelation 7:9 Unity Through Multi-Ethnic, Bilingual, Combined Worship.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 347 pages.

The purpose of this MAP was to carry out field research specifically designed to answer the research question: “Can multi-ethnic, bilingual, combined worship services be developed at Mt. Calvary that will foster Christian unity and fellowship among two different cultures?” This effort presupposed that it is God’s will for His people, the Church, to be joined together in unity and fellowship on earth—as they will be in heaven (Rev 7:9). The basic problem …

Lcms Identity And Mission In The American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology Through Strategic Lutheran Missiology, Gregory Seltz

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Seltz, Gregory P., “LCMS Identity and Mission in the American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology through Strategic Lutheran Missiology.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 304 pp.

This dissertation addresses the challenges of the American urban context by dialoging with James Cone’s Black Theology in order to construct an LCMS urban missiology. This LCMS urban missiology is a dynamic, Two-Kingdom, sacramental engagement strategy that addresses the issues endemic to the urban community for the sake of the community and for the sake of the Gospel. The American urban setting is fraught with challenges: identity politics, ethnic-sociological fragmentation, and the delegitimation-politicization …

A Congregational & Legal Study In The Practice Of Hospitality At Faith Community Center, Lacey, Washington, Matthew Henry

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Henry, Matthew R. “A Congregational and Legal Study in the Practice of Faith Community Center.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 171 pages.

Churches that practice hospitality by operating community centers must remain faithful in their confession and abide by anti-discrimination laws. This project provides the necessary theological and legal guidance for community center ministry in morally diverse settings. Surveys conducted before and after a congregational presentation at Faith Lutheran Church, Lacey, WA, reveal opinions of both limits and freedoms as to what activities and groups may be permitted or disallowed. As an expression of love for …

Prayerbook Of Christ, Prayerbook Of The Church: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’S Christological Interpretation Of The Psalms, Brad Pribbenow

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Pribbenow, Brad A. “Prayerbook of Christ, Prayerbook of the Church: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 260pp.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), German Lutheran theologian and pastor, is known as an ethicist, church reformer, political resistor, seminary professor, and martyr. Yet overlooked by many scholars is his contribution to the history of interpretation of the Psalms. Bonhoeffer’s interpretive approach toward the Psalms, which shares many characteristics of pre-critical exegesis, is built on a two-pronged hermeneutic emphasizing the relationship of the Psalms to prayer and to Jesus Christ the Crucified One. The distinguishing mark of his unique …

Tithing: A Biblical Principle For The Sustenance Of Pastor Of The Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Liberia, Simon Dapaye

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Tithing: A Biblical Principle for the Sustenance of Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia Dapaye, Simon Tenyen, “Tithing: A Biblical Principle for the Sustenance of Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia.” Master of Arts Thesis. Concordia Seminary, 2016. 115pp.

This thesis discusses the implication of Numbers 18:22–32 and Malachi 3:6–12 regarding the sustenance of the priesthood and its bearing on New Testament stewardship and giving with an emphasis on a pastor's sustenance. These Old Testament texts set the basis for the Levite tithe, instituted for the sustenance of the priests and Levites, whose function was to …

Proper 12 • Ephesians 3:14–21 • July 26, 2015, Benjamin Haupt

Concordia Journal

Paul is praying that the Ephesian Christians will be able to see the blueprints, so to speak, for the new church construction project, that is the building project of the church of God, the body of Christ.

Promissio Spei God's Eschatological Action In The Church, Richard Aaron Davenport

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Davenport, Richard A. "Promissio Spei: God's Eschatological Action in the Church. “Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2012. 213 pp.

This dissertation, a work in systematic theology, examines the nature of Christian hope in the context of current scholarship in systematic theology. Its goal is to assess the way in which Christian hope is rooted in God's word of promise and the extent to which that promise affects Christian life. The eschatological outlook presented in Scripture shows that God's promises, and the hope that they offer, are presented to all of creation. This dissertation investigates the process by which the communication of …

Johann Walter- Pioneer Church Musician, Arthur Eichhorn

Master of Art Theology Thesis

The intent of this paper is to show how the practical aspects of church music in the Reformation Era and in succeeding generations proclaimed the Word of God. During these early years of Lutheran music development, the music demonstrates how it was being shaped and formed by Lutheran thought. The music of Johann Walter is a prime example. As a composer who served the Reformation, he had a profound influence on the generations that followed. To understand the context of his music, we first look at the history of this era as well as the style of music being composed …

Fishing For Men While Fishing With Men- Relationships Built Through Recreational Experiences As A Tool For Effective Evangelism In Contemporary American Culture, Jonathan Rockey

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Rockey, Jonathan R. "Fishing for Men while Fishing with Men: Relationships Built through Recreational Experiences as a Tool for Effective Evangelism in Contemporary American Culture." D.Min Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, 2008.316 pp. with Appendices.

The stated goal of this project is "to evaluate a program for the equipping of volunteers for sharing the good news of God's love in Jesus in a recreational setting, and to evaluate the results of that equipping in the lives of these participants by looking at their willingness to witness and the effects they describe that arose from the experience and the process …

Women's Ordination- A Litmus Test For Antinomianism, Joseph Omolo

Master of Art Theology Thesis

When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to which I belong, established a deaconess college at the beginning of this century to train young women for parish work, it was not clear which kind of education they were going to be offered. Many observers, both from within and without, saw this as a signal that the church was moving towards the ordination of women. When the first crop of deaconesses graduated and were deployed into the parishes, a great confusion reigned among the members, both clergy and ordinary Christians, regarding the role of these new workers. To compound the …

The Confessional Liturgical Revival Of Theodor Kliefoth And The Works Of Liturgical Revision Of The Preface In Nineteenth-Century Sweden: The Vitality Of The Lord's Supper As Confessed In "He Alone Is Worthy!", Naomichi Masaki

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Masaki, Naomichi. "The Confessional Liturgical Revival of Theodor Kliefoth and the Works of Liturgical Revision of the Preface in Nineteenth-Century Sweden: The Vitality of the Lord’s Supper as Confessed in "He Alone Is Worthy!" Ph.D. diss., St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Seminary, 2005. 379 pp.

The vitality of the Divine Service of the Church of Sweden was enlivened during the second half of the nineteenth century. In this dissertation, the acclamation in the Preface of the Lord’s Supper, "He alone is worthy of thanks and praise!" which emerged through the works of the liturgical revision during that time, is taken as …

The Christological And Ecclesial Pacifism Of Stanley Hauerwas-A Lutheran Analysis And Appraisal, Joel Lehenbauer

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The first purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore and examine the nature and content of Hauerwas's pacifist convictions and claims as a way of understanding more deeply and clearly his contribution to contemporary theology and ethics. There are, as we will see, many different varieties of pacifism. What are the essential characteristics of Hauerwas's pacifism, and what distinguishes it from these other varieties? Where do his pacifist convictions fit into his program for reforming Christian ethics? How do they inform and impact his theology as a whole?

A second purpose will be to examine Hauerwas's pacifism in the …

The Spirit Of God And The Salvation Of Israel-Recovery Of An Economic View Of The Trinity, Gayle Wilson

Master of Art Theology Thesis

In this thesis, I will survey the story of the Spirit of God in the pages of the Old Testament, in the salvation of God's people in their creation, their sustenance and their preservation until the gift of the promised Spirit-bearer, Jesus of Nazareth, i.e., an economic Spirit. We will examine the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, and will see how a concept which represents wind and breath is actually very substantive in meaning. I will briefly survey metaphors and symbols used of the Spirit to deepen our perception of the Spirit. We will see how the Spirit was active …

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 …

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 …