Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Christianity (2)
- Evangelical (2)
- New Testament (2)
- Addiction (1)
- African American Male (1)
-
- Afterlife (1)
- Alcoholism (1)
- American Religion (1)
- American Religious History (1)
- Associate Ministers (1)
- Bible Literacy (1)
- Brian McLaren (1)
- Canon (1)
- Carl F. H. Henry (1)
- Chiasm (1)
- Chiasmus (1)
- Church (1)
- Church Revival (1)
- Congregation (1)
- Counseling (1)
- Counter Apologist (1)
- Cultural Engagement (1)
- Discipleship (1)
- Early Christianity (1)
- Ecclesiology (1)
- Education (1)
- Evangelicalism (1)
- Ex-offender (1)
- Existentialism (1)
- Fulfillment (1)
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
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 …
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 …
The Role Of Biblical Literacy In Discipling Believers In The Local Church, Joseph G. Austin
The Role Of Biblical Literacy In Discipling Believers In The Local Church, Joseph G. Austin
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The degradation of biblical literacy has increased in recent years to the point that many church attendees have very little actual knowledge or understanding of Biblical truths. This lack of knowledge is a direct correlation to the lack of moral foundations for many of today’s believers, particularly with younger generations. The goal of this paper is to provide a balanced, substantive, and interactive plan for churches, large and small, to integrate into their discipleship programs or use to assist the local church in establishing a discipleship program. The process will include surveys gauging the level of biblical literacy among self-identified …
Development And Implementation Of Selected Spiritual Disciplines For The Worship Team Leaders Of Monte Vista Baptist Church, Clifton Edwin Kosier
Development And Implementation Of Selected Spiritual Disciplines For The Worship Team Leaders Of Monte Vista Baptist Church, Clifton Edwin Kosier
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
One of the foremost doxological problems of the twenty-first century is complacency in worship. Deficient spiritual development of the follower of Christ is rampant among Christians; many believers, suffering from this, have moved away from the purpose of man - to have a love relationship. This relationship has been replaced with a task-oriented spirit. No longer do we leave worship ready to make a difference for the Kingdom of God, but Christians come to complete a task and remove it from a long list of “to dos” in their busy world. Corporate worship has become habitual while lacking spiritual meaning. …
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.
The Date Of The Muratorian Fragment: An Inference To The Best Explanation, John F. Lingelbach
The Date Of The Muratorian Fragment: An Inference To The Best Explanation, John F. Lingelbach
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Three hundred years after its discovery, scholars find themselves unable to identify the more likely of the two hypotheses regarding the date of the Muratorian Fragment, whether it is a late second- to early third-century composition or a fourth-century composition. In light of the lingering problem of the Muratorian Fragment’s date and its significance, a new study has been conducted, and this dissertation features an exposition of that study’s conduct and findings. The study sought to break the impasse and identify the more likely of the two hypotheses regarding the date of the Fragment—that it is either a late second- …
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 Study On Church Revival And Growth Through Prayer Ministries: The Case Of Busan Sooyoungro Church In Korea, Dong Won Chun
A Study On Church Revival And Growth Through Prayer Ministries: The Case Of Busan Sooyoungro Church In Korea, Dong Won Chun
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this study is to emphasize the necessity and importance of prayer ministries by studying the effect of prayer church revival and growth and to offer practical and concrete suggestions. Korean churches are currently experiencing a serious crisis of stagnation and decline due to their focus on the quantitative measurement of success and the moral failure of pastors. It is certain that various aspects of churches must go through major changes in order to overcome the current crisis and to revitalize the churches. It is meaningful to highlight the role of prayer ministries as a part of the …
The Logic Of Intersubjectivity: Brian Mclaren’S Philosophy Of Christian Religion, Darren M. Slade
The Logic Of Intersubjectivity: Brian Mclaren’S Philosophy Of Christian Religion, Darren M. Slade
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
To survey harsh criticisms against Brian Douglas McLaren (1956‒), readers gain the inaccurate impression that he is a heretical relativist who denies objective truth and logic. While McLaren’s inflammatory and provocative writing style is partly to blame, this study also suspects that his critics base much of their analyses on only small portions of his overall corpus. The result becomes a caricature of McLaren’s actual philosophy of religion. The thesis of this dissertation is simple: McLaren is, in fact, a rationalist and empiricist, who utilizes irony, humor, generalization, and ridicule to disturb those expressions of faith common to mainstream, Western …
An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore
An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted …
TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard
TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A theological doctrine of eternal life raises certain qualitative and existential questions. Considering the unfathomable duration, one may rightly ask, what will that experience be like and will it meet the experiential needs of human beings so that there are no intimations of boredom. Eternity, then, creates a potential existential problem for humanity. The problem is potential because eternity creates a certain need, a need which can concisely be stated in this way: quality must overcome quantity. Both Christianity and Islam teach human beings are intended to live forever so both religions must overcome this problem if eternal life within …
Carl F. H. Henry's Presuppositional Theology And Its Implications Within Educational Settings, Adam L. Lickey
Carl F. H. Henry's Presuppositional Theology And Its Implications Within Educational Settings, Adam L. Lickey
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
In the mid-twentieth century Carl F. H. Henry was committed to articulating a cohesive theological understanding from an evangelical perspective. The primary feature of Henry’s theology was the ultimate authority of God’s Word. This presupposition impacted every area of his thinking and manifest itself in the practical outworking of theology. This dissertation argues that Carl Henry’s theistic presuppositions provide a workable framework for the practice of education. This thesis will be developed in three ways: establishing the consistency of revelational theism, demonstrating the irrationality of naturalism, and analyzing Carl Henry’s published perspective toward the American educational system. This study will …
Resolving Intergenerational Conflict Within The Rural Black Churches Of Central Virginia, Patrick Ward Bland
Resolving Intergenerational Conflict Within The Rural Black Churches Of Central Virginia, Patrick Ward Bland
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to assist church leaders and their congregations in the rural black churches in Central Virginia to become more aware of the intergenerational conflict that has governed and, in some instances, legitimated the church. Qualitative and quantitative analysis and academic research revealed a majority of rural black churches in central Virginia are challenged with limited increase in membership because of the frequency of blatant disregard shown among the various generations. This thesis proposes a biblical model for Christian pastors and church leaders to provide resourceful methods of leading their congregations into more productive growth.
The Matthew 16:13-18:20 Chiasm As The Fountainhead Of Matthean Proto-Ecclesiology, Nicholas A. Dodson
The Matthew 16:13-18:20 Chiasm As The Fountainhead Of Matthean Proto-Ecclesiology, Nicholas A. Dodson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The only two instances of the Greek term ἐκκλησία (usually translated “church”) found in the Gospels are in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. These two passages have been examined, debated, and interpreted in a number of ways by various scholars. The present dissertation presents considerable exegetical evidence that these two uses of ἐκκλησία are actually part of a larger literary structure called a chiasmus, which connects the passages in which Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 are found. Because these are highly significant ecclesiological passages, this study further develops the connection of the chiastic structure to other foundational ecclesiological passages, namely the Matthean …