Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Emergent Worship: A Study On "Contemplation" In The Emerging Church, Filip Milosavljevic

Honors Theses

Due to great interest and popularity of various contemplative practices among youth leaders, clergy, and church members across all denominational—including Seventh-day Adventism—and religious lines, this project will analyze the nature of selected Emergent contemplative practices, in particular those promulgated by the CAC. The primary goal is to find out whether “contemplation” and contemplative practices, as promoted by Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and their Emergent colleagues, are appropriate in Christian worship. This study will also contrast such contemplative practices and spirituality with the concept of contemplation in the Bible and in the writings of Ellen G. White. As a scientific addendum …

A Strategy Toward Healing And Reconciliation Through Forgiveness Training For The Members Of The Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Glenford Baxter

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A focus group at the Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church, prior to the onset of this research, identified three key areas of conflict that must be addressed in order to improve its spiritual life and experience growth. One of the identified areas of conflict was the lack of forgiveness and a need for reconciliation among members. Unwillingness on the part of some members to both give and receive forgiveness has led to significant declines in attendance and loss of members over the past ten years.

Method

The project undertakes the development of a four-part biblical sermon series over two month …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Awareness And Educational Program In Dallas-Fort Worth Korean Church Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Jong Keun Han

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Research has established that Seventh-day Adventist families in the Korean community currently living in the United States of America are experiencing increasing levels of domestic violence. It has become increasingly clear that all is not well in the family unit, a core unit of any church and society. During numerous Korean ministerial association meetings, pastors have in the recent past been expressing their growing frustrations about family quarrels. Quarrels in the family have been seen to lead to violence in the homes of many congregation members. While domestic violence is well-known, yet not much talked about problem among Koreans …

Avaliacao Da Revista Do Anciao Com O Fim De Melhorar Sua Eficacia Na Preparacao De Anciaos Para O Ministerio, Paulo Roberto Pinheiro

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problema. O Brasil é um país de dimensão continental e, a cada ano, se amplia aceleradamente o número de membros e congregações adventistas. Para liderar essas congregações são eleitas pessoas das próprias comunidades, na qualidade de anciãos de igreja, as quais recebem a supervisão de um pastor distrital. Sendo poucos os pastores em relação à quantidade de congregações, os anciãos precisam ser treinados continuamente para o exercício de seu ministério. A Revista do Ancião foi criada, no Brasil, com esse propósito. No entanto, desde sua origem, em 2001, ela nunca havia sido avaliada para se verificar se realmente tem atendido …

Optimizing A Full-Time Music Ministry Team For A Church Planting Project In The Northern Asia-Pacific Division, Dong Hee Shin

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Despite the support of the music ministry of the Golden Angels (GA), a full-time music ministry team of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) for the Pioneer Mission Movement (PMM), a church planting project of the NSD, PMM missionaries request changes be made to the ministry of the Golden Angels be optimized to meet the needs.

Task. The task of this project is to develop and implement strategies for optimizing the music ministry of the GA to better ensure the success of the PMM evangelistic meetings.

Results. Currently, eight young people from four different countries are members of the ninth …

Building Authentic Biblical Community At The Pine Forge Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gary I. Banks

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A spirit of division at the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist Church is adversely affecting its ability to agree on mission and ministry focus.

Method

Over the course of 12 months, an investigation of the source of division was conducted through pastoral observation, surveys of the adult members, and a focus group of pastors of churches on boarding academy campuses. The data from the focus group and surveys was compared to that of the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist church. A Bible study series on building authentic biblical community was also conducted that taught biblical principles focusing on putting aside differences …

Progama Para Evangelizar A Los Inmigrantes Hispanos De La Iglesia Adventista Del Septimo Dia De West Valley En Phoenix, Arizona, Enoc Marquez

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The West Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, has the challenge to serve, evangelize and retain immigrant visitors that arrive to the church in search of attention and a remedy for their needs. The truth is that there is no structured program to achieve this goal. Because of this, the church was searching for a way to find strategies to serve them in such a way they feel welcome in the church and they are prepared to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior, and become members of a church. With this background in mind, the West Valley …

The Concept Of Divine Love In The Context Of The God-World Relationship, John C. Peckham

Dissertations

The love of God is central to God's relationship to the world. This dissertation addresses the conflict of interpretation between the transcendent-voluntarist and immanent-experientialist models regarding divine love in the context of the God-world relationship by applying a canonical methodology. Chapter 1 introduces the background, purpose, problem, scope, and plan of study as well as the final-form canonical theological method employed in the investigation. Chapter 2 briefly surveys the historical theology of love, tracing the central conceptions of divine love and the God-world relationship by selected, highly influential thinkers. Chapter 3 presents and analyzes the irreconcilable interpretations of divine love …

Developing A Discipleship Ministry For Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In The West Central Korean Conference, Jae Sun Kim

Professional Dissertations DMin

Purpose. The purpose of this Ministry Focus Project document was to develop a theoretical and practical framework for implementing a discipleship ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the West Central Korean Conference in South Korea and ultimately to cultivate a consciousness of discipleship among Adventists. The worldwide Seventh-day Adventist denomination is growing, but it seems that Adventist churches are failing in the area of discipleship. Making disciples needs to be an important part of our Adventist culture. A discipleship curriculum would help the pastors and members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Korea to become mature, committed, reproducing witnesses …

Cross-Cultural Servant-Leadership For The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Papua New Guinea, Loren Kekes Poli

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Providing leadership for a diverse Papua New Guinea (PNG) remains a challenge for the Seventh-day Adventist church. There are more than 750 languages in current use and yet very little is being done to provide representation or give consideration to the cultural differences.

Method

A mixed-method research, both qualitative and quantitative, that included a review of literature, interviews, case studies, and a survey designed for use in PNG was used to conduct this research designed to explore and identify the knowledge of leadership from the context of PNG and how that understanding influences the support, perceptions, and practices of …

A University Course's Influence On Students' Perpectives Regarding Sabbathkeeping As Spiritual Discipline, Ifeoma I. Kwesi

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Although most students who attend Oakwood University are self-identified Seventh-day Adventist Christians, from general observation of their activities, conversations, and attitudes displayed on any given Friday night and/or Saturday (i.e., Sabbath), it would be easy to conclude that many neither enter nor exit their collegiate experience with a holistic understanding or experience of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping.

Methodology

1. As part of the research for this project I used a pre- and post-test methodology to determine the cognitive, behavioral and affective realms of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping among students enrolled in RP131: Spiritual Formation for Ministry. The intervention was the aforementioned …

A Discipling Strategy For Multi-Church Districts In Zambia, Vanny Munambeza Munyumbwe

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Despite the exponential numerical growth of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Zambia, there are noticeable evidences that many in the church still struggle to maintain consistency in their faith commitments. This means that the church’s great emphasis on evangelistic efforts that lead people to accept Christ must be balanced with a matching emphasis on helping them to walk with him in daily life. Yet the Zambia Union Conference lacks a sufficient and contextualized discipling strategy for both new and longtime members. The purpose of this project is to address this need by developing a biblical and tri-focal discipling strategy …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Intervention Strategy In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Evans Nwachukwu Nwaomah

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Increasingly Seventh-day Adventist church families in the Port Harcourt area of Rivers Conference are experiencing domestic violence. During ministerial meetings, pastors express their growing frustrations and concerns about family quarrels which sometime result into physical attacks and such attacks then escalate beyond common understanding.

Method. This exploratory study utilized a survey questionnaire administered to 377 participants, ages 18 years and above, attending Seventh-day Adventist churches in PortHarcourt, Nigeria. The instrument for this research was adapted from the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979) and the National Violence Against Women Survey (NAVAW) (Tjaden & Thonnes, 2000). The CTS is a 39-item …

A Christian Servant Leadership Model And Training For The Adventist Church In France, Olivier Rigaud

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. French history (the French Revolution) has shaped a country considered as one of the most secular in the world. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in France is profoundly affected and challenged by this environment. With 11,617 members among over 65 million French in 2010, the penetration ratio is very low (0.0185%) and a deep malaise is felt in the French churches. Reports indicate a lack of consecration, internal conflicts, discouragement of isolated churches, a lack of vision, and spirituality in decline. Today, the Adventist Church is unknown, despite its efforts in communication and visibility. Many change efforts have also been …

Protology And Eschatology In The Writings Of John C. Polkinghorne: A Study Of Contrastive Roles Of Scripture, H. Nicholas De Lima

Master's Theses

Problem The focus of this thesis is to address the problem of the contrastive roles of Scripture in protology and eschatology in the writings of John C. Polkinghorne. On the one hand, Polkinghorne rejects a univocal understanding of Gen 1-2, by invoking symbolic/analogical language for Gen 1-2, so that he can accept scientific protology. On the other hand, Polkinghorne introduces an apparent, relative univocity of biblical language in order to obtain his eschatology, contrary to the claims of pure scientific eschatology. This seems to suggest a dimension of internal methodological and theological incoherence in his system. Methodology This thesis provides …

Key Factors Of Faith Development : The Relationship Between Family And Church Factors And Faith Development Of Adolescents And Young Adults In German-Speaking Europe, Alexander C. Schulze

Dissertations

Problem. The church is losing its children. Research revealed that more than two thirds of the next generation leave their congregations during their teens and early 20s. Without these adolescents and young adults the church has no viable future. While the youth are able to make their way without church, the church will definitely not make its way without the youth. The problem addressed in this study is the continuing challenge for church leaders, educators, and administrators to provide the best possible conditions for spiritual and organizational growth in order to retain the next generation.

Method. Observation and anecdotal evidence …

The Meaning And Function Of System In Theology, Timothy Watson

Dissertations

Topic. Due to the nature of the discipline, the importance of our understanding of the meaning of the term "system" in systematic theology cannot be gainsaid. Unfortunately, however, there seems to be little discussion or critique to how this term is being used and its meaning is often taken for granted, even though it seems to mean different things to different authors.

Purpose. To address this ambiguity, this study takes a close look at the etymological development of this word in its various linguistic forms as it has been used in theology through history. Then, based on this etymological analysis, …

"Clothes Make The (One Like A Son Of) Man": Dress Imagery In Revelation 1 As An Indicator Of High Priestly Status, Ross E. Winkle

Dissertations

Problem . The Epistle to the Hebrews is the only document in the New Testament that explicitly describes Jesus as a high priest. The purpose of this dissertation is to ascertain whether or not the book of Revelation, in particular, in John's description of the "one like a son of man" in his inaugural vision (1:12-16), implicitly presents Jesus as having a high priestly status.

Method . This study focuses on Revelation since it is the work closest to Hebrews in terms of its rich cultic imagery, and it analyzes Revelation's first chapter since that is the part of Revelation …

A Multiple-Case Study Describing Collaborative Relations Between Adventist Pastors And Teachers In The Eastern United States, Pamela Consuegra

Dissertations

Introduction. Adventist schools and churches are embedded within a system that provides them with rich opportunities to achieve their missional goals. However, this is possible only through collaboration and the use of available social networks. The purpose of this study was to identify situations where the church and school work together collaboratively and then to describe the collaborative practices between those selected Adventist pastors and teachers. In the context of Adventist elementary schools, the school principal also fulfills a teaching role. Therefore, inthis study, the term "teacher" also refers to the principal. The broad research question was, How do Adventist …

The Perceptions Of General Education Teachers About The Over-Representation Of Black Students In Special Education, David Roland Grice

Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: There is an over-representation of Black students in special education. Black students are typically referred for special education consideration by the end of the fourth grade. One effort to reduce the large number of referrals in Connecticut was Courageous Conversations About Race. Courageous Conversations About Race is designed to address what educators, families, and other community groups can do to improve teaching and learning across racial lines. It served as a strategy for educators to confront and deinstitutionalize racism. Courageous Conversations About Race is an effective means to address the issues of race in schools/districts where …

Professional Development, Teacher Learning, And National Standards : A Mixed-Method Multiple-Case Study Of The Professional Learning Experiences Of Evangelical Christian School Teachers, Vincent Montoro

Dissertations

Problem. Today’s educational environment requires teachers who understand teaching and learning, have strong content knowledge, and can make connections between life experiences and the curriculum. Teachers are expected to be continually learning to improve their practice. Professional learning is essential in this process. Research on professional development practices in various school contexts shows how teachers can improve and develop better instructional practices through a variety of learning experiences. Sadly, very little research exists on professional development practices of private Christian school teachers. This study explored professional development practices of Christian school teachers in nine evangelical Christian schools in the …

Environmental Literacy Of Seventh-Day Adventist Teachers In The Parochial Schools Of The Florida Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Michael Murdoch

Dissertations

Problem. In the United States, there is an environmental literacy problem. Americans possess limited knowledge about the environment and environmental issues, and they display limited positive action regarding the environment in which they live. Moreover, there is a debate whether a Christian’s interpretation of Gen 1:28 leads either to a lower or to a higher environmental literacy. Does the Seventh-day Adventist teaching community reflect these problems? These are the problems which this dissertation seeks to help solve.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to attempt to assess the environmental literacy of a group of teachers in Seventh-day …

A Delphi Study Of The Biblical/Doctrinal Knowledge That Ministers Of Christian Churches/Churches Of Christ Consider Essential For Spiritual Development, Jeffrey D. Derico

Dissertations

Purpose and rationale of the study . The primary role of the minister is to spiritually lead others and facilitate their spiritual growth. Traditionally, biblical and doctrinal teachings have played an essential role in this process. Sadly, two recent trends have worked against this pastoral role. First, research indicates that Americans and many Christians are less and less biblically literate. Second, spiritual growth scholars have observed that church leaders seem less and less prepared to convey biblical knowledge that can systematically and effectively guide others in their spiritual growth.

Christian spiritual growth literature establishes a functional and necessary connection between …

The Markan "Divorce" Pericope: An Exegesis, Carlos C. Camarena

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is an attempt to make a contextual assessment of Jesus' teaching on "divorce" according to Mark in order to define its basic thrust within a Gentile community (in relation to Matthew's Jewish community) and to ellucidate a clearer picture of what the NT Jesus may have taught on the subject.

Method

This study is divided into six major chapters and an appendix. Chapter 1 gives a bird's-eye view into some of the modem scholarship regarding the "divorce" sayings in both Gospels. Chapter 2 focuses its attention on the locale of the Gentile audience of …

The Origin Of The Eschatological Feast As A Wedding Banquet In The Synoptic Gospels: An Intertextual Study, Phillip J. Long

Dissertations

The Problem. The problem this dissertation seeks to address is the origins of the wedding banquet imagery in the teaching of Jesus. Frequently, scholars will state that the image of a wedding banquet was a common messianic image in the first century. However, other than Isa 25:6-8, sources for the image of a banquet for the messianic age in the Hebrew Bible are sparse. Yet the image of a banquet clearly appears in the Synoptic Gospels in both the actions of Jesus as well as his teaching. Because the metaphor of a wedding banquet is not found in the literature …

God And Integrity: A Case Study Of Walter C. Kaiser Jr. And Norman L. Geisler, Augustin Tchamba

Dissertations

The God of the Bible is sometimes portrayed as using and condoning deceit to achieve His purpose, especially when human life is at stake. Two evangelical scholars, Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Norman L. Geisler, with a shared theological heritage, differ in their interpretation of Exod 1:15-21 and Josh 2:1-7 that addresses the ethical issue of lying to save life.

This dissertation not only refutes the claim that God uses and condones the use of deceit to achieve His purpose, but also clarifies biblical argument for His integrity. The study provides answers to a number of questions. First, what causes …

Toward A Holistic Interdisciplinary Model Of Human Being: A Hebraic-Christian Perspective Of The Human Observer And Its Beneficial Impact On The Theology-And-Science Dialogue, Society, And The Environment, Karen K. Abrahamson

Dissertations

Problem

A challenge faced by the theology-and-science dialogue is how to effectively communicate across disciplinary lines. The community assumes that there is a methodology or cluster of methodologies that allows for interdisciplinary conversation to take place. However, the community is not in agreement about how this process should occur or the hermeneutical principles that should guide it. Is it possible to surmount the problem of methodological compatibility and to generate mutually beneficial and fruitful dialogue through seeking a point of commonality between all the disciplines of the theology-and-science dialogue?

Purpose

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover a philosophical …

The Persian Period Pottery Of Tall Al-'Umayri, Philip R. Drey

Dissertations

Problem

In Transjordan, archaeological evidence found at well-stratified sites and dating to the Persian period (539-330 BC) has been lacking until the publication series of Tall al- ‘Umayri. This dissertation determines a pottery typology of the Persian period by distinguishing between the Iron II/Persian period and the Persian period of Tall al- ‘Umayri.

Method

The ceramic evidence dating to the Persian period from the site of Tall al-‘Umayri was systematically collected and organized according to the form typology set out in Ancient Pottery of Transjordan. The Persian pottery was then compared to Iron II/Persian pottery in order to discover differences …

A Study Of Warfare Theodicy In The Writings Of Ellen G. White And Gregory A. Boyd, Martha O. Duah

Dissertations

The problem of evil has been an issue for all religions over the centuries. But it is a crucial issue for theism because of its affirmation of the co-existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God and evil. Theologians and philosophical theologians have developed a plethora of materials in response to the problem. However, according to critics, none of the responses in and of themselves adequately deals with theism's problem of suffering and evil. As a result, this study explores the warfare theodicy, a Christian response to the problem of sin, suffering, and evil, which seems to have been neglected …

The Relationship Between Liturgical Practice And Spirituality In The Church Of The Nazarene With Special Reference To John Wesley's Doctrine Of Christian Perfection, Dirk Ray Ellis

Dissertations

The Church of the Nazarene, following the pattern of the American holiness movement that gave it birth, adopted a modified version of Wesley's doctrine of Christian perfection. During the early years of the denomination Christian perfection was promoted feverishly through revivalism and worship structured after the camp meeting model; however, over time the promotion and propagation of holiness began to wane. Currently, the belief in and pursuit of inward holiness among both clergy and laity are rapidly vanishing. For more than a decade scholars and denominational leaders have recognized that this loss of spiritual vitality has placed the Church of …