Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Islam, Christianity, Traditional Religions And Power Politics In Northern Nigeria Since Pre-Islamic Period, Emmanuel M. Abar

Dissertations

Problem

Currently in Northern Nigeria, religious interaction among the three major religious traditions, Islam, Christianity, and African Traditional Religion, is marred by violent religious conflicts. Also, competing concepts of religious legitimacy, which appeal to the historical heritage of Nigeria, are often used to validate and justify the violation of religious freedom. Does the current state of religious interaction among the various religious groups reflect the true heritage of religious interaction in Northern Nigeria? Or is it possible that the history of the interaction between African Traditional Religions, Islam, and Christianity in the past might actually be a heritage that points …

The Unity Of The Church And Church Authority: A Comparative Study Of The Views And Practice Of Alexander Campbell And Ellen G. White, Wendy Ann Jackson

Dissertations

Problem. A clear understanding of the nature of church unity and the role of authority in the maintenance of unity is imperative for the church in the face of its increasing growth and diversity. While a considerable volume of literature addresses the topic of unity of the church, little attention has been paid to the historical dimensions of the differing viewpoints on church authority, which present contemporary obstacles to Christian unity.

Purpose. In an attempt to address this void, this dissertation examines the views of Alexander Campbell and Ellen White with regard to the nature of church unity and how …

Biblical Sources In The Development Of The Concept Of The Soul In The Writings Of The Fathers Of The Early Christian Church, 100-325 C.E., Thomas W. Toews

Dissertations

The topic of the human soul has seen renewed interest in recent years. Studies have been produced that have looked at the soul in light of modern science and medicine along with a continued focus on the thoughts of the ancients on this topic. The early Church Fathers played an important role in mediating the thoughts of the ancients to more recent times. Because of this role, it is important to understand what function the Scriptures had as a source of authority in this process.

In light of this, the following study researches and analyzes the usage of the two …

Principles Of Church-State Relationships In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Marcio D. Costa

Dissertations

The Topic

Since the beginnings of Seventh-day Adventism there have been real or perceived tensions between two contrasting perspectives of church-state relationships: (1) the “eschatological view” that a union of church and state will lead to persecution in the times preceding the second coming of Christ, and (2) the “temporal view” that in order to accomplish its mission in the present, the church needs to work in an independent, but non-conflictual relationship with the state as far as it can do so without violating its primary allegiance to God.

The Purpose

In order to discover Ellen G. White’s position on …

The Origin, Development, And History Of The Norwegian Seventh-Day Adventist Church From The 1840s To 1889, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason

Dissertations

This dissertation reconstructs chronologically the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway from the Haugian Pietist revival in the early 1800s to the establishment of the first Seventh-day Adventist Conference in Norway in 1887.

The present study has been based as far as possible on primary sources such as protocols, letters, legal documents, and articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers from the nineteenth century. A contextual-comparative approach was employed to evaluate the objectivity of a given source. Secondary sources have also been consulted for interpretation and as corroborating evidence, especially when no primary sources were available.

The study concludes …

The Role And Status Of The Catholic Church In The Church-State Relationship Within The Roman Empire From A.D. 306 To 814, Jean Carlos Zukowski

Dissertations

This study analyzes and compares information from historical documents on the role and status of the church in the development of church-state relationships within the Roman Empire from A.D. 306 to 814 (from Constantine's ascendancy to the throne, to Charlemagne's death).

After the introductory chapter, chapter 2 analyzes church-state relationships at the time of Constantine. The chapter presents the Christian and Roman ways of understanding religion before Constantine, the changes that occurred because of Constantine's conversion to Catholicism, and his religious policies.

Chapter 3 analyzes the church-state relationships that existed form the time of Constantine's sons to the reign of …

The 1919 Bible Conference And Its Significance For Seventh-Day Adventist History And Theology, Michael W. Campbell

Dissertations

The Topic

The 1919 Bible Conference was held immediately after World War I during a heightened interest in the apocalyptic and soon after the death of Ellen White. Patterned after the Fundamentalist prophetic conferences of 1918 and 1919, it was arguably the first “scholarly” conference held by Seventh-day Adventists. During a theologically turbulent time, Adventists found the emerging Fundamentalist movement attractive for its biblicist theology, its opposition to modernism and evolution, and the apparent popular appeal of its prophetic conferences.

The Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the significance of the 1919 Bible Conference for Seventh-day Adventist …

Reactions To The Seventh-Day Adventist Evangelical Conferences And Questions On Doctrine 1955-1971, Juhyeok Nam

Dissertations

Topic

The Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences of 1955-1956 resulted in the publication of articles favorable to Adventists in Eternity and Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, both of which evoked a variety of reactions among evangelicals and Adventists.

Purpose

This study identifies and analyzes various evangelical and Adventist responses to the Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Conferences and Questions on Doctrine. In particular, this investigation examines the interaction between the major theological camps that emerged within and outside the Adventist church.

Sources

This research is a documentary/analytical study of materials produced between 1955 and 1971 in reaction to the Seventh-day Adventist …

The Historical Development Of The Religion Curriculum At Battle Creek College, 1874-1901, Medardo Esau Marroquin

Dissertations

Topic. This study focused on the evaluation of the historical development of the religion curriculum at Battle Creek College from its founding in 1874, to its removal to Berrien Springs in 1901. Battle Creek College was the first Seventh-day Adventist educational enterprise. As such, it became influential in establishing the direction of subsequent Adventist education, and the foundation of Adventist educational philosophy.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to trace the development of the religion curriculum in relation to the purposes and goal statements of the college as they changed from 1874 to 1901, and in relation to …

The Issue Of Antitrinitarianism In The Fifteenth-Century Novgorod-Moscow Movement: Analysis And Evaluation, Oleg Zhigankov

Dissertations

This study attempts to examine the trinitarian beliefs of the fifteenth-century Novgorod-Moscow movement, analyzing both their own writings and the polemical writings of those who considered their teaching antitrinitarian.

The main objective of the present research is to contribute to the restoration of the authentic theological identity of this movement. Chapter 1 defines the problem, which has already been raised by some nineteenth-century scholars who have pointed out that the allegedly antitrinitarian character of the Subbotniks' movement must be open for further discussion. It also shows that no systematic research on Subbotniks' theology has ever been produced.

The second chapter …

Principles For Reorganization Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Administrative Structure, 1888-1903 Implications For An International Church, Barry David Oliver

Dissertations

This study investigates the process of reorganization of the administrative structures of the Seventh-day Adventist Church between 1888 and 1903. From the findings of the investigation are drawn some implications which relate to the need for contemporary denominational structures that accommodate and facilitate the mission of the church. The first three chapters present a documentary account of the process of reorganization. Chapter one places the study within the context of the nineteenth-century American Protestant missionary movement. Chapters two and three tell the story of reorganization on the basis of denominational archival materials. Chapters four and five analyze theological foundations and …

Warren Eugene Howell, Seventh-Day Adventist Educational Administrator, John Francis Waters

Dissertations

Problem. Warren Eugene Howell served the Seventh-day Adventist educational system as an administrator and teacher for thirty-four years. He pioneered in two important Adventist educational institutions and led the General Conference Education Department during a critical period in the history of Seventh-day Adventist education. Notwithstanding Howell's contribution to Adventist education, no comprehensive study of his administration has been attempted.

Method. In this study a historical-documentary method of research has been used. Correspondence collections; minutes of boards, committees, and faculty meetings; church periodicals; transcripts of lectures; and miscellaneous archival materials have provided primary source materials. These sources may be found …

James White And The Development Of Seventh-Day Adventist Organization, 1844-1881, Andrew Gordon Mustard

Dissertations

The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from the Millerite movement of the 1840s. After the Disappointment of 1844 the unique features of Sabbatarian Adventism emerged--in particular, the seventh-day Sabbath and the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary--and were consolidated among scattered groups of believers by the end of1848.

This study describes the development of Seventh-day Adventist organization between 1844 and 1881, examines its theological and biblical foundations, and evaluates the influence of James White, the leading figure in promoting church order.

Chapter I presents the aims and purposes of the work, the methodology followed, the sources considered, and a biographical …

The Philosophy Of Christian Service And Its Practice In The Seventh-Day Adventist Senior Academies Of The United States During The 1979-1980 School Year, Edward M. Norton

Dissertations

Problem. Service-learning in the educational system of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the United States, as is true in public education, generally has been overshadowed by a subject-matter orientation. It was the purpose of this study to determine the level of practice of service to others in the secondary schools of the Adventist church in the United States, to research the principles necessary to write a philosophy of service, and to specify the organizational components required for service projects.

Method. Two types of closely related research were used in this study : descriptive analysis and descriptive developmental. A descriptive analysis …

Major Contextual Dimensions And Dynamic Factors In The Transmission Of The Judeo-Christian Religious Heritage According To Selected Writings Of Ellen G. White, Juan Navarro

Dissertations

Purpose. Christianity claims to have directly received by revelation from God a body of knowledge which has been preserved, developed, and handed down through generations. The purpose of this study was to determine what, according to Ellen White, are the major contextual dimensions in the transmission of this religious heritage and the dynamic factors involved in the process.

Method. The approach to this documentary study consisted of (1) carefully reading selected writings of White and collecting every statement related to the investigation; (2) logically arranging the information gathered; and (3) analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing, and presenting the findings in an expository …