Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Ancestral Beliefs And Practices: A Program For Developing Christian Faith Among Adventists In Zimbabwe, Zebron Masukume Ncube

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Every Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Zimbabwe at one time or another has had to deal with a situation where church members consult their ancestors when threatened by sickness, death, misfortune, or a series of tragedies. The Adventist church correctly takes a strong stand against ancestral practices. Despite such a stand the ancestral practices have persisted among many Adventists. Paradoxically, while church members are given the correct teaching before baptism, many continue to regard the ancestors as the court of appeal in times of crisis. This study is undertaken to understand the nature of this traditional religion in order to …

Lessons On Spiritual Growth And A Pilot Test Of Their Effectiveness, Delbert W. Dunavant

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A congregation's primary expectation of their pastor is his/her ability to provide competent guidance in spiritual formation. My education never offered me a class in spiritual formation and this deficiency has not been eliminated since my formal theological education. Therefore, I felt inept when I tried to provide spiritual guidance.

Method

This study began first with the Bible and included literature on spiritual formation. The selected materials were summarized into seventeen lessons. The ii first eleven lessons explain the obstacles to spiritual formation, the holiness of God, and how Christians can experience holiness. The last six lessons explain the …

The Training Of Lay Persons For Careproviding Ministries Among Hispanics, Eliezer Castanon

Professional Dissertations DMin

This study attempted to develop a program that would provide Hispanic laypersons with skills and techniques for careproviding. Laypersons should be able to identify their gifts and particular ministries and use behavioral methods to minister to the members of the church and their respective community. Laypersons have been well-trained to do traditional evangelism, but no one has developed a program to train Hispanic laypersons in the careproviding ministry. Many pastors have multichurch districts, so their time to counsel and care for the flock is limited. In addition, pastors are not usually accessible. Laypersons, who live in the immediate area, once …

An Approach To A Holistic Ministry In A Seventh-Day Adventist Urban Church In Uganda, Nathaniel Mumbere Walemba

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The SDA church in Uganda started in rural areas among rural people. But the situation has changed. Although the majority of the church membership nationwide is still rural, a large percentage is now urban in the real sense of the word. Moreover, it is estimated that by the year 2000, membership in city churches will have doubled. This urbanised membership requires an urbanized approach to ministry. Furthermore, as in any developing country, Ugandan urbanites have many needs which can be met only by a holistic approach to ministry. This study is undertaken to make a contribution toward achieving that …

The Deeper Life Conference: An Adventist Adaptation Of The Spiritual Retreat Concept, Norman A. Yeager

Professional Dissertations DMin

One of the most important responsibilities a pastor faces is to teach the parishioners in his charge how to maintain a deep personal relationship with God. The Seventh-day Adventist church has not developed tools that will enable the pastor to demonstrate to the parishioners how they may grow in their relationship to God.

The Deeper Life Conference is designed to help meet this need within the Seventh-day Adventist church through the adaptation of the spiritual retreat concept. This retreat concept is to be found in both the classical church background and was adapted by the Protestants during and after the …

An Approach To Motivation For Volunteer Church Ministries, A Wayne Owen

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

One of the important aspects of the minister's work is that of motivating his parishioners in the work of ministry. This involvement is not only necessary to the work of the church but also for the development of the parishioners' faith and growth in Christian maturity. It is the purpose of this study to determine the results of the implementation of psychological and sociological principles outlined in the literature of business and education in the administration of a local church.

Method

The principles of motivation that would apply to volunteer ministries were implemented in the various departments of the …

Strategy For Holy Week Incarnational Evangelism For The West Puerto Rico Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Efren Pagan

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Most of the people living in Puerto Rico claim or are claimed to be Catholics by the Catholic leadership of the Island. Most of them have only a form of religion, having lost sight of the power of Christ's religion. They need to be led back to Christ, even though they are unconscious of their situation or of their spiritual need.

Method

Each person is unique, but some characteristics are similar to most of the people in a specific group. Catholics constitute a large group in Puerto Rico. To reach them, one must understand them and approach them in …

The Effects Of Regional Accreditation On The Achievement Of Aims, Goals, And Mission Of Seventh-Day Adventist Academies In The United States As Perceived By Principals And Teachers, Garnet P. Spence

Dissertations

Problem. There has been an on-going debate as to whether SDA academies should seek regional accreditation. No studies were found on principals' and teachers' perceptions of the effects of regional accreditation on the aims, goals, and mission of Seventh-day Adventist academies in the United States. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the principals' and teachers' perceptions of the effect of regional accreditation on the aims, goals, and mission of Seventh-day Adventist academies in the United States.

Method. Items selected from the Evaluative Criteria checklist of the National Study of Secondary School Evaluation (1981) and from the Evaluative …

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 …

Occupational Choice And Academic Planning In The Colombia-Venezuela Union Of Seventh-Day Adventists : A Needs Assessment, Leonardo Suescun Franco

Dissertations

Problem. In Colombia and Venezuela the number of students demanding higher education commonly surpasses the capacity of their educational systems. Furthermore, the academic programs may not match the occupational needs of the region. When academic planning occurs without systematic needs assessment, resources are wasted and graduates are ill prepared tor the labor market.

The Subjects. The subjects included senior high-school students attending SDA institutions, teachers serving those schools, the students’ parents/representatives, school and church administrators, and SDA members within Colombia and Venezuela.

The Method. A design for needs assessment was developed upon the implementation of a Data Flow …

The Successive, Corresponding Epochal Arrangement Of The "Chronogenealogies" Of Genesis 5 And 11b In The Three Textual Traditions : Lxxa, Sp, And Mt, Colin L. House

Dissertations

Problem. The research problem of this study has been, How might church pastors and college Bible teachers answer questions from members/students regarding the three numerically disparate versions of Gen 5 and 11b?

Method. The categories of chronological data investigated were: prepaternal, remainder, life span, anno mundi, and postflood birth and death. Analysis preceded synthesis, and the formulation of hypotheses followed the investigation of the data. It was assumed that the necessary arithmetic commonly used within Torah was available to the ordinary reader. In hypothetical reconstructions, investigation was confined to extant variants rather than fictitious numbers.

Findings. An …

A Study Of The Religious Attitudes And Behaviors Of Seventh-Day Adventist Adolescents In North America Related To Their Family, Educational, And Church Backgrounds, Janet Leigh Kangas

Dissertations

Problem. Why are Seventh-day Adventist youth leaving the church in North America? This study, the first report of a 10-year longitudinal research project, sought to identify attitudes and behaviors of Adventist adolescents and examine possible correlations with the religious backgrounds and influences of their homes, churches, and schools.

Method. One church was randomly chosen for every 1,000 members within each local conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church in North America which totaled 695 congregations. Eventually 659 of the 695 church clerks responded, producing the names of 2,429 eligible baptized 15- and 16-year old youth. A questionnaire designed to report their …

Relationship Of Caning To Internal-External Locus Of Control Among Selected African Secondary And College Students, James R. Kilmer

Dissertations

Problem. Harsh punishment has been recognized as an antecedent of external locus of control. External locus of control has been associated with negative aspects of academic and social development. Educators in Africa need to know if caning is associated with external locus of control.

Method. This study was an ex post facto design. The population was 732 African students between the ages of 17 and 31 years in their third or final year of secondary school or first or second year of college. All students were from Seventh-day Adventist schools located in the English-speaking African countries of Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, …

A Study Of Group Attitudes Toward The Professional Status Of Teachers In Selected Adventist Elementary And Secondary Schools, Edward Joseph Kunitz

Dissertations

Problem. It was not known to what extent groups associated with Adventist education supported the professional role orientation of teaching which in turn affected the work behavior and morale of teachers.

Method. A Professional Role Orientation Scale (PROS) was responded to by 701 randomly selected subjects. The scale contained four criteria identifying professional aspects of teaching as a profession. Responses to the instrument were item weight analyzed and judged for point multiserial reliability before insertion into a BMDP statistical program. Four null hypotheses were tested using two-way ANOVA with the Scheffe test for multiple mean comparisons. Stepwise multiple regressions were …

A Study For Educational Administrators Concerning The Relationships Between Selected Dimensions Of Christian Education And Student Spirituality In Seventh-Day Adventist Day Academies In The United States Of America, Bruce R. Youlden

Dissertations

Problem

Central to Christian education are the twin goals of leading students into a personal relationship with Christ and nurturing student spirituality. Yet, while the importance of these goals were generally recognized by Christian educators, the dimensions of Christian education which have greatest impact on adolescent spirituality were not identified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to research (1) possible differences in the levels of student spirituality between Seventh-day Adventist day academies in the United States, (2) possible differences in the levels of spiritual nurture in selected dimensions of Christian education (3) possible relationships between the selected dimensions of …

Alexander Hegius (Ca. 1433-98) : His Life, Philosophy, And Pedagogy, John V. Matthews

Dissertations

Problem. There are scholars who have suggested that Alexander Hegius was among the three most important educators of the fifteenth century. Whether or not this can be substantiated is open to question. The fact remains that he was a pivotal figure in the development of education in the Northern Renaissance. Scholars have argued at length about his life, the obscure details of which are significant for understanding the youth of Desiderius Erasmus. There are also a few outdated studies that deal in a cursory manner with his pedagogy. Although some of this material is based on genuine primary research, only …

Preparation And Practice Of Ministry : A Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Ministerial Education In The Philippines, Crisolito Vasquez Dela Cruz

Dissertations

Background and purpose of the study. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the present undergraduate ministerial degree offered at Philippine Union College is able to prepare the ministry adequately to meet the demands in the North Philippines. This study surveyed the opinions of administrators/departmental directors, pastors, religion and seminary faculty, and selected laymen.

Methodology. Societal background and statistics of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Philippines were collected and organized from existing sources. Information concerning the graduates were obtained by aquestionnaire with two five-point scales. Data were analyzed and rankings were developed for levels …

The Problem Of Synoptic Relationships In The Development And Testing Of A Methodology For The Reconstruction Of The Matthean Community, Robert K. Mciver

Dissertations

Problem. The problem faced in this study was to discover a method of obtaining data concerning the Matthean community in a way that does not pre-suppose a solution to the problem of Synoptic relationships. To find such a methodology has become desirable because of the recent reopening of the question of Synoptic relationships.

Method. By comparing the Synoptic Gospels it is possible to detect patterns of differences between them. Particularly helpful is the material unique to the Gospel of Matthew. This is examined to discover the characteristic emphases of the Gospel. Further investigation showed that the sequences of events were …

Protection And Reward: The Significance Of Ancient Midrashic Expositions On Genesis 15:1-6, Aecio E. Cairus

Dissertations

Genesis 15:1-6, because of its content, provides singular opportunities for the study of ancient midrashic documents. This kind of study is being increasingly performed, and has interest from a theological, historical and--especially--exegetical viewpoint.

Chapter 1 attentively analyzes the treatment of the entire unit in midrashic documents (Jubilees, Genesis Apocryphon, Philo, Josephus, the Targumim, and Genesis Rabbah), identifies their individual theological and exegetical concerns, and shows their progression over time. The most ancient ones are found to emphasize the covenantal aspects of the passage, while later documents stress the eschatological reward of Abraham as a fruit of his good works.

Chapter …

Orthodoxy And Heresy In Hans Küng: An Analysis And Critique Of His Criteria And Norms Of Christian Truth And Error, C. Enrique Espinosa

Dissertations

This investigation deals with the concepts of orthodoxy and heresy in the thought of the Swiss theologian Hans Kung.

Chapter I sketches the broad outlines of the development of Christian orthodoxy and, by implication, of the heresy which opposed it, starting with the New Testament times. The most relevant elements constituting the structure of the orthodoxy-heresy antithesis are identified, described, and analyzed. The attention is thus focused on the traditional and modern principles, criteria, norms, and theological issues which have interplayed in the church's efforts to understand the Christian message correctly.

Chapter II shows that the pastoral concerns which constitute …

The Function Of Christ's Suffering In I Peter 2:21, Madelynn Jones-Haldeman

Dissertations

Problem. The phrase "because Christ also suffered for you" in 1 Peter 2:21b has been interpreted to suggest the vicarious death of Christ. The problem posed by this understanding results from the comparison made between Christ and the slaves who are invited to follow Christ's example. Therefore this study sought to determine the function of Christ's suffering in 1 Peter 2:21b and the nature of the example left to the slaves.

Method. The Greek grammar and literary style of the pericope were analyzed; documents that discussed the slave-master relationship in the first centuries B.C. and A.D. were studied; and books, …