Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Seminar On The Dynamics, Prevention, And Legal Implications Of Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Jorge E. Rico

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Clergy sexual misconduct has become a major problem among Christian denominations. It involves violation of expectations and the breaking of public trust. There is also a growing awareness in our society of the legal implications of clergy sexual misconduct. This present study was to prepare, present, and evaluate a seminar for pastors on the dynamics, prevention, and legal implications of clergy sexual misconduct.

Method

Research was done to help ministers understand the dynamics, prevention, and legal implications of clergy sexual misconduct. Then, a seminar was conducted in four areas of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. This seminar was …

A Strategy To Reach The English-Speaking People Of The Bay Islands Of Honduras, Stavely P. Elwin

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The English-speaking Seventh-day Adventist church in the Bay Islands has experienced slow growth over the last ten years. An evaluation reveals that some of the problems include poor evangelistic methods, few well trained pastors and workers, the churches' lack of support from the local mission and pastors, and no material provisions for the departments of the church. In addition, programs are lacking to help members come in contact with secular-minded people, and the methods used to improve the retention rate of newly- baptized members indicate there is a tremendous need for change in the style of evangelism in the …

Barriers In Traditional Ashanti Religion To Membership In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Amofah-Anane Asamoah

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The persistence of traditional belief and practice among about 30 percent of Ashanti traditionalists presents a great challenge to the Ashanti SDA Church on how to engage the traditionalists' with the gospel. The darker side of the Ashanti world is characterized by fear and insecurity. While Christianity presents an attractive doctrine of salvation in a transcendent sense, its emissaries have failed to provide satisfying ways of dealing with the forces of the spirit world. In addition, the Ashanti institution of chieftaincy involves closely connected socio-political and religious rites. The chief is both the central officiant in rituals of tendence …

The Development And Implementation Of A Marriage Support Group And Its Evaluation Using The Das In The Thousand Oaks Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Robert Norman Randall

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Divorces and separations have proliferated in Adventist churches. This project studied the ministry of churches to marriages. Were members' marriages in need? was the church presently being helpful to the marriages of its members? Would the model of a marriage support group put forward by the researcher be helpful to marriages?

Method

The Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to survey 600 randomly selected married people from the Anglo churches of the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The thirty-two-question scale measured four characteristics of marriage: satisfaction, cohesion, consensus, and affection. An additional section evaluated the church's ministry to their …

The Empirical Development Of An Instructional Product Designed To Enhance The Cognitive Awareness Of And The Modification Of Affect Toward The Disability Condition, Rikard Ashmore Bailey

Dissertations

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church had no empirically developed instructional product in the form of an educational curriculum designed to enhance the cognitive awareness of and the modification of affect toward the disability condition. The purpose of this project was to develop empirically an instructional product in disability awarenesstraining for Seventh-day Adventist church members and their guests so to better build aninteractive, empowered, and inclusive sense of community.

Method. The developmental process of Baker and Schutz (1971) was used to produce and validate the instructional product. First, the content of the curriculum to train Seventh-day Adventist church members and their …

Imminency And Restorationism In Early Christianity, Timothy E. Crosby

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The problem of the delay of the Parousia is one of the central problems of the Christian faith. In the Seventh-day Adventist Church it usually takes the form of a short delay (100+ years), whereas among New Testament scholars it takes the form of a long delay (1900+ years). This study seeks to shed light on the problem as perceived by New Testament scholars.

Method

In order to delve deeply into the meaning of a handful of cruxes in the New Testament having to do with the imminence of the Parousia, the study attempted to examine all of the …

Bipolar Preaching For Hispanic Evangelism In The North American Division, Eradio Alonso

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

This dissertation deals with the bipolar concept of preaching as it applies to Seventh-day Adventist evangelism in a Hispanic-American context. Bipolar preaching is preaching that focuses on answering human problems or needs by applying eternal truth to the human condition. In my experience bipolar preaching was missing for many years. This project attempts to make the homiletical theory of bipolar preaching better understood I hope that it will be integrated into the preaching ministry in general and into evangelistic preaching in particular. The Hispanic evangelistic sermon seems to be well-anchored in the Word of God, but it does not …

Development Of A Program For Intentional Growth In The Antioch Seventh-Day Adventist Congregation, Long Island, New York, Trevor Saint Aubyn Forbes

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Antioch Seventh-day Adventist congregation was started in 1988 and grew steadily; however, for the last four years membership growth has plateaued. This lack of church growth has caused much concern among the church’s administration. The original hope and intention that the congregation would establish a growing church was founded on the premise that in order for the congregation to grow, it must implement intentional church growth programs.

Method

In order to learn how churches grow, I surveyed literature on church growth. I also interviewed six pastors of growing churches — three who are Seventh-day Adventists and three who …

A Strategy For Church Planting Among The Ewe-Speaking People Of The Volta Region, Ghana, Emmanuel Osei

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Since the Seventh-day Adventist Church came to Ghana over one hundred years ago, there has not been any concrete and coordinated plan to establish SDA churches among the Ewe-speaking people of the Volta Region, Ghana. Unconsciously or otherwise, the Volta Region has been left unentered by the church, particularly the area from Ho southward to the sea. This study was undertaken to develop a strategy for reaching the Ewe-speaking people group (of the Volta Region Ghana) through church-planting ministry by which converts won would be gathered to form congregations of the Seventh- day Adventist Church.

Method

In an attempt …

A Study Of The "Grassroots Integrated Development Agency" In Uganda, John B. D. Kakembo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

When poverty in Uganda deepened due to the miseries and destabilization caused by economic mismanagement, turbulent politics, and the incessant civil wars in Uganda up to 1985, all public, private, and religious organizations were adversely affected. At the end of 1985, conditions in the Seventh-day Adventist church were characterized by massive poverty among its rural membership, a slow church-growth annual rate of 4.9 percent--the lowest tithe per capita in the Eastern Africa Division (EAD)--and the lowest remuneration scales for pastors in the EAD. In 1986, an indigenous, grassroots organization sprouted in the SDA church under the leadership of a …

Understanding And Dealing With Ancestral Practices In Botswana, Stanley P. Chikwekwe

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Ancestral and other traditional practices continue to trouble the Seventh-day Adventist Church in several parts of the world. It is not uncommon for believers to seek ancestors' mediation whenever they are faced with problems. Most church members deny that ancestral and other traditional practices exist within the church, whereas others do not want to discuss the issue o f traditional practices because of fear of being labeled superstitious. The denial is due to the way the church has handled ancestral practices in the past. Because most members do not know what to do when problems come, they revert to …

A Suggested Methodology For Establishing Evangelistic Contact With The Upper Classes In Jamaica, Denton W. Rhone

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in Jamaica in 1903. Since then, the church has grown with membership totalling 162,831 by 1995. In 1995, there were 2,500,000 inhabitants in Jamaica, with 1 in 15 claiming to be a Seventh-day Adventist. Jamaicans can be divided into nine social classes; the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been successful in reaching mainly two of these classes, the poor and the lower-middle. Presently the SDA Church and the upper classes are insulated from each other. This dissertation suggests an approach to establish contact with the upper classes so that they can be reached with …

Falling From The Faith : Causes Of Membership Dropout In The Grenada Mission Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Clinton P. Lewis

Professional Dissertations DMin

This study endeavored to find the causes of membership dropout in the Grenada Mission of Seventh-day Adventists and the ways that it may be reduced. The dissertation investigates the biblical and theological basis for seeking to reduce dropouts by undertaking a study of the Great Commission and God’s concern for dropouts. A select review of relevant literature on dropouts was done in an effort to get an overview of the problem in various denominations and regions, as well as to receive insights in reducing dropouts.

One hundred and sixty-nine questionnaires were completed by dropouts, and twenty-one by church leaders in …

Toward A Theology Of Youth Ministry And Its Praxis In The Local Church, Luis Fernando Ortiz

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

In many Seventh-day Adventist churches in North America patterns of non involvement among the youth were observed. Young people were attending church on Sabbath, but almost none of them were leaders. The objective of this dissertation was to identify biblical principles for the development of a youth ministry in which leaders build responsible servant leaders and encourage young people to grow, learn, and use their gifts in Christian ministry.

Method

The Scriptures were searched for a biblical background for youth work and principles for successful youth involvement. The word “youth” was analyzed in the Old and New Testaments together …

Can Covenant Theology Be Found In Daniel Chapter 8? : A Study Of Daniel Chapter 8 In The Light Of The Covenant, Mildrid Nilsen

Master's Theses

Problem

Daniel chapter 8 appears to contain covenant related thiniking, but few seem to have recognised this possibility. This study was undertaken to explore the possibility for seeing Dan 8 in a covenant context.

Method

The study was a systematic contextual investigation of Dan 8 in the light of the covenant as found in especially Deut 32. Dan 8 was also looked at in the light of the Babylonian exile because it was seen that there were parallels betwen this and the activity of the little horn. I looked at the covenant-curse-reversal aspects found in Deut 32 to see whether …

The Contribution Of Terminological Patterns To The Literary Structure Of Leviticus, Wilfried Warning

Dissertations

The aim and purpose of this dissertation is to investigate both the microstructure and macrostructure of Leviticus on the basis of terminological patterns.

The first chapter deals with the method of analysis and the scope of the study. Aiming at detecting thestructural outline, it is concerned only with terminology and not with the theology of Leviticus. The methodology employed is one aspect of rhetorical criticism.

Chapter 2 presents the basic working hypothesis: Leviticus has been structured by means of thirty-seven divine speeches (DS). The plausibility of this hypothesis is tested by applying it to Lev 16:1, by investigating the terminological …

Selected Factors Influencing Academic Success Of First-Year Students In Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary Schools In Rwanda, Salomon Maniraguha

Dissertations

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools recruit students through a severe entrance examination. However, after 9 months of schooling, more than 20% fail without possibility of repeating the grade or pursuing studies in less academically challenging schools. They are pushed out without means of coping with real life. This situation has multiple negative impacts on families who sell all their belongings in order to send their children to school where they can be prepared for a better life. It is for the interest of the Rwandese to learn which factors may contribute to maintaining these students in school.

Method. Data were …

The Development Of A Church-Based Seminar On The Impact Of Historicist Eschatology Upon Seventh-Day Adventist Marital Life, Etzer Obas

Dissertations

Problem. The reading of Eph 5:25-27 shows that Christ will marry the church in a state of holiness and blamelessness. Family life on earth must follow the model of the love of Jesus for the church. But there are no guides, seminars, or studies that combine marital life and preparation for Christ's second coming.

Method. This dissertation developed a seminar that emphasized the belief in the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as accepted by the Apostolic Church. Such belief affects all aspects of the Christian life and particularly the family lifestyle. The seminar tied together eschatology and family …

Predictors Of Divorce Adjustment Among Members Of Three Conservative Protestant Denominations, Andreas Erben

Dissertations

Problem. Only a few attempts have been made thus far to explore the situation of Christian divorced men and women in a scholarly manner. The basic question for this research was to find out what social factors, religious factors, and coping strategies are related to the divorce adjustment of divorced Christians who are members of predominately conservative Protestant denominations and how well these Christians adjust to divorce.

Method. The population for this research project was composed of all currently divorced men and women residing in the United States of America who are members of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, the Church …

A Critical Study Of Carl F. H. Henry's Portrayal Of The Human Role In Revelation And Inspiration, Boxter Kharbteng

Dissertations

This dissertation investigated Carl F. H. Henry's portrayal of the human role in his doctrines of revelation and inspiration. The study queried whether his depiction of that role in revelation is harmonious or consistent with the one given in inspiration. This question arises from a consideration of Henry's own formulation of his doctrines of revelation, inspiration, and man. The thesis of this dissertation is that inasmuch as man has the innate ability to receive, understand, and impart revelation without divine help, he should likewise be expected to exercise that ability at the level of inspiration without detailed or comprehensive superintendence …

The Time Of The Reign Of Christ In 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 In Light Of Early Christian Session Theology, Roger P. Lucas

Dissertations

This dissertation reviews interpretations of the time of the Reign of Christ portrayed in 1 Cor 15:24-28 in light of early Christian Session Tradition. From an assessment of these views, it determines whether, and to what degree, utilizing contemporary tradition is warranted in order to comprehend Paul's assumed understanding regarding the temporal scope of Christ's rule.

The survey of interpretations shows that opinions are divided between two primary theses: a post-Parousia Reign of Christ and a pre-Parousia Reign of Christ. This scholarly impasse exists because there is a lack of explicit data regarding the beginning point of Christ's reign and …

Eschatological Paradigm And Moral Theory In Contemporary Christian Ethics: Stephen Charles Mott And Thomas W. Ogletree, Larry Lee Lichtenwalter

Dissertations

Twentieth-century re-interpreted eschatology introduces a paradigm for Christian ethics that engenders significant divergence among Christian ethicists in the way its application influences moral theory. These divergences indicate the need to clarify the issues revolving around its methodological application in order to bring credible structure for applying the eschatological paradigm in Christian ethics.

A set of analytical distinctions and procedural suggestions in this study provide an extensive framework for comparatively observing where ethicists begin, move, and end in terms of using eschatology as paradigm in their moral theory: (1) role and function of paradigms, (2) levels of paradigm operation (macro, meso, …

The Laying On Of Hands On Joshua: An Exegetical Study Of Numbers 27:12-23 And Deuteronomy 34:9, Keith Edward Mattingly

Dissertations

This study investigates the procedural techniques, symbolic meanings, and tangible effects of the laying on of hands (samach yad) in the installation of Joshua to the position of Israel's leader as presented in Num 27:12-23 and Deut 34:9.

The Introduction reviews the purpose, delimitations, and methodology of the dissertation and also provides a review of the different and sometimes conflicting opinions regarding the significance of Joshua's installation and of the significance of his receiving the laying on of hands.

Chapter 1 offers a study of the ancient Near Eastern cognates and related terms of samach and yad in a representative …

Metaphors And Similes For Yahweh In Hosea 14:2-9 (1-8) : A Study Of Hoseanic Pictorial Language, Bernhard Oestreich

Dissertations

Problem.

Compared with the effort to interpret other parts of the book of Hosea, especially the first three chapters, the final chapter has been rather neglected. Additionally, the variety of explanations offered for certain biblical images in Hos 14 indicates a necessity to clarify the methods of interpretation of biblical metaphorical language.

Method.

Chapter 1 clarifies the theory of metaphors on which the study is based.

Chapter 2 determines the limitation and the structure of the passage Hos 2:2-9 (Eng. 1-8). In chapters 3 to 6 the metaphors and similes of this passage which refer to Yahweh, i.e., "healing," "loving," …

A Comparative Study Of The Sabbath Theologies Of A.H. Lewis And J.N. Andrews, Siegfried H. Roeske

Dissertations

Problem. Although Seventh Day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists share a common heritage in the Sabbath doctrine, it has been recognized that significant differences in the Sabbath theologies of the denominations are distinguishable. However, literature that substantiates the nature of the differences in theology has not been researched and compared. The purpose of this study was primarily to investigate and compare differences in the theology of the two denominations as seen in the writings of representative theologians Seventh Day Baptist A. H. Lewis and Seventh-Adventist J. N. Andrews, and secondarily to consider how the differences may have affected the vitality of …

The Michael Figure In The Book Of Daniel, Lewis O. Anderson

Dissertations

Problem. In the book of Daniel, The Michael figure, although mentioned only three times, occupies a prominent position in history and at the eschaton as the heavenly guardian prince of Israel. The Michael problem, although complex, may be understood as basically twofold: Who is Michael? What is Michael's function?

In the first question, a basic issue is whether Michael is a prominent angel, or a divine, messianic being. Another issue in this same question is the extent to which Michael is to be identified with other OT beings, within or outside the book of Daniel, such as the Son of …

The Use And Abuse Of Authority: An Investigation Of The Ἐξουσία Passages In Revelation, Laszlo I. Hangyas

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to carry outa linguistic, structural, and exegetical investigation of the term ἐξουσία as it occurs in the Greek text of the Apocalypse.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the pertinent literature dealing with ἐξουσία. The review follows a chronological order to demonstrate a trend in the development of ἐξουσία studies. Earlier works put more emphasis on the meaning of power or authority, whereas recent studies point to liberty and right as the primary meaning of ἐξουσία. The current tendency emphasizes philosophical and socio-ethical aspects without due consideration of the etymology of the term.

Chapter …