Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Families And God-Human Interactions In Genesis, Josias A. Flores

Honors Theses

This study carefully analyzes the themes found in various interactions between God and humans in the book of Genesis, viewing them through the lens of family. The majority of the texts that record direct verbal communication between God and humans reveal that God initiates such encounters in order to develop and define healthy families. Themes found in the God-human interactions parallel previous conclusions in family studies research regarding family rituals. Motivated by insights from the behavioral sciences, this work contributes to the scholarly discussion surrounding families from a theological perspective and also provides practical implications for modern-day families.

You Tell The Tale: Interactive Retellings Of The Myth Of Orpheus, Christopher Mclean-Wheeler

Honors Theses

The thesis retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in an interactive narrative style. The interactive medium encourages readers to take an active role in storytelling by deciding what the protagonist does at key moments in the plot; each decision branches out into alternate story paths, allowing the adaptation to draw from multiple versions of the myth, particularly Ovid's The Metamormopheses and Virgil's The Georgics. The content chosen for inspiration is based on how it can offer new interpretations of and insight into this retelling of the familiar story.

Hispanic Hallyu: Comparing Boys Over Flowers Directed By Jeon Ki-Sang With Latino Telenovelas, Austin S. Huh

Honors Theses

The term hallyu, meaning Korean wave, was originally coined in the 1990s to describe the proliferation of South Korean popular culture throughout the world. This project focuses specifically on Hispanic populations within North and South America where--despite lack of geographical or cultural proximity to South Korea--Korean movies, dramas, and music have obtained widespread popularity. With respect to K-dramas, this project juxtaposes thematic elements between the K-drama Boys over Flowers directed by Jeon Ki-Sang and Latino telenovelas to determine if K-drama popularity can be ascribed to similarities in motifs between K-dramas and telenovelas.

Look At That Little Macho: Surveillance And Hegemonic Masculinity In Junot DíAz's The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Ludanne Francis

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

Intensity Structure: An Exegetical Approach To Pharaoh's Heart Hardening, Anthony Joel Rodriguez

Master's Theses

Problem

How can the LORD ascribe sin to humans if He Himself hardens their hearts in order to resist His will? This investigation was directed to find a tentative answer to the paradoxical story of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Various approaches to this phenomenon of hardening were explored. Among these views the most common are: (1) the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, (2) Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and (3) the LORD and Pharaoh played a part in the process of the hardening. None of these approaches were found to be fully satisfactory, and no scholarly consensus has emerged in …

Sin And Its Place In The Experience Of Suffering: Presenting The Basis For A Sound Theodicy, Roman Wiens

Master's Theses

Topic

One of the most significant issues in theism is the obvious existence of evil and suffering. Thus many philosophers (especially Atheists) propose this fact alone negates the existence of an all-loving, omnipotent, and caring God. This attacks both the integrity of God and the coherence of the scriptural accounts. In response, theologians around the world proposed theodicies to show that the existence of a God, as portrayed in the Bible, is coherent with suffering in this world.

Purpose

The different approaches to this problem are categorized in four categories, outlined, and evaluated in one chapter about the most noteworthy …

Nature Of The Covenant With Noah In Genesis 6:18, Ronald Rojas

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Dawn Of The Battle Of The Sexes – Genesis 3:16, Leanne M. Sigvartsen And Jan A. Sigvartsen

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Issue Of Divorce And Remarriage In 1 Corinthians 7:15 In The Light Of The Dominical Logion Of 7:10, David Sciarabba

Papers

No abstract provided.

Judgment For The Saints: The Justice Of God In Psalms 3–14, Jerome Skinner

Papers

No abstract provided.

Israelite Ritual Law Concerning The Menstruant In Context: Embodiment And Meaning In Ancient Mesopotamia And Ancient Israel, Laura Morrow

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Biblical Law Of Niddah And Its Muslim Parallels, Jan A. Sigvartsen

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Rationale Behind The Homicide Law In Numbers 35:30–34, Slaviša Janković

Papers

No abstract provided.

Interpretations Of The Metaphor “Spiritual House” In 1 Peter 2:4-10 And Their Implications For The Indwelling Of Divine Presence, Cory Wetterlin

Papers

No abstract provided.

Religious Syncretism In Transjordan During The Iron Age As Seen In Tall Jalul And Khirbet Atarutz, Abelardo Santini Rivas

Papers

No abstract provided.

Sacred Times: The Book Of Jubilees At Qumran, J. Amanda Mcguire-Moushon

Papers

No abstract provided.

An Ecclesiological Understanding Of The Remnant: The Concept Of Visible/Invisible Church And The Remnant, Adriani Milli Rodrigues

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Inanna, Michael Orellana

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Law And Grace In The Hermeneutics Of New Covenant Theology, Carlos J. Cruz Pacheco

Master's Theses

Problem

This thesis evaluates the offer by New Covenant Theology of an interpretation of salvation history that stands in criticism of interpretations offered by Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. Does New Covenant Theology demonstrate a distinctive view of the law-grace relationship that brings new perspectives on important theological and hermeneutical issues such as the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, and the Sabbath. Are New Covenant theologians correct in their claim that their system presents the best interpretation of salvation history, and of the law-grace relationship?

Purpose

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate New Covenant Theology’s hermeneutics by …

Koinonia: Experiences Of Cultural Diversity In The Andrews University Theological Seminary, Joshua N. Brantley

Master's Theses

The Andrews University Theological Seminary has a long standing history of attracting students from around the world seeking to acquire a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.). However, it is unclear how students of various backgrounds experience the seminary’s diversity. This study conducted an online survey with M.Div. students to examine the seminary’s performance according to the respondents as a whole and based on different ethnicities. The first hypothesis was that students of various ethnicities experienced the incorporation of diversity into the curriculum differently. The second hypothesis was that seminary events did not reflect the diversity of the student body and were …

A Marriage Preparation Program In The South Central Ghana Conference Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Francis Tuffour

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Similar to many other places in the world, the divorce rate in Ghana is on the rise. Certain media reports in Ghana have attributed the spate of marriage breakdown to a lack of marriage preparation. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Central Ghana Conference is confronted by a plethora of marital problems. Many couples schedule their wedding dates and then simply inform their pastors, whereas others adopt the traditional or customary marriage without telling the church. The short notice couples give to pastors and the church makes it difficult for adequate marriage preparation to take place. No official …

A Process For Implementing Devotional Patterns For Members Of The San Diego Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Limuel M. Liwanag

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A church with declining membership for over 20 years and almost devoid of additional new member through baptism is a pastoral concern. Such is the situation with San Diego Central Seventh-day Adventist church. This scenario appears contrary to the biblical formula for individual as well as congregational health that Jesus emphatically stated in John 15. Connectedness to Jesus, the Vine, naturally results in fruitfulness. When a person does not bear fruit, it may indicate a lack of or no connection to the Vine at all. Connection to Jesus is nurtured and sustained by a devotional pattern. A process that …

Technology Training For Administrators And Pastors In The Greater New York Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Rohann D. Wellington

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Greater New York Conference (GNYC) is located in what is considered the media capital of the world. Media and technology have changed our lives in meaningful ways, both globally and locally. The church in its local context, in this technological age, is struggling to adapt technology in meaningful and effective ways to impact discipleship and evangelism practices. I observed that the administrators and most of the pastors in the GNYC do not understand how to adapt today’s media technology effectively, and therefore, lack a vision regarding how this tool can be effectively adapted for ministry delivery.

Method

A …

A Leadership Development Project Design For Financial Stability And Missional Momentum At The Houston Northwest Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Richard M. White

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Houston Northwest Seventh-day Adventist church, located in Spring, Texas, has experienced very little membership growth and a decline in attendance and contribution in the ten years from 2003 to 2012. Due to financial challenges during this period, the church did not develop any defined and significant outreach or evangelistic strategies. The need to create financial stability and missional momentum consisting of leadership development is needed. A lack of such intervention the church would continue to remain stagnant in its membership growth with a decline in its contribution and attendance.

Method

This project document explored the Houston Northwest Seventh-day …

Developing A Vision And Strategy For Multicultural Ministry: Woodburn Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Eduard Daniel Ciobanu

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The City of Woodburn, OR is home to a population of 24,223. Over half of the residents are Hispanic, while 1/4 to 1/3 are Russian Orthodox Old Believers. Adding to its diversity, 35.4% of the total population of Woodburn is foreign born. Started as a church plant 30 years ago, the mostly White, non-Hispanic Woodburn Community Seventh-day Adventist Church has traditionally kept a membership of around a 100, with a current membership of 101 and an average attendance of 38 in 2011. Despite an ideal, central location in town, an ability to embrace and support new members and attendees, …

A Strategy For Developing Outreach-Oriented Small Groups For Millenial Students At Georgia-Cumberland Academy Church, Greg Hudson

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Millennial students at Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) are not being inspired and equipped to actively engage in community outreach. GCA is a boarding school with 80% of students having homes in other locations, limiting their opportunity to develop connections with any local community, both at home and at school. The result is that students are graduating without needed skills to spiritually interact with their community and to share their faith in Jesus in meaningful ways. About 60% of Adventist youth are leaving the church, and part of the problem may be their lack of connection to the outreach ministries of …

Training Volunteer And Non-Professional Health Educators In The Context Of The Milwaukee Seventh-Day Adventist Community, Glenn Cassimy

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Sharon SDA Church is a prominent faith based organization (FBO) in the Milwaukee district. Like many other churches in the community, the Sharon SDA Church continually seeks to adopt innovative strategies to assist in improving the health status of their congregants. Although the Sharon SDA Church and various faith-based organizations implement health program initiatives as a part of their mission, at the end of any program effort, there is still the need for ongoing member support to assist congregants in fully achieving the goals they set during their health initiative. This study, therefore, is an attempt to provide …

A Singles' Ministry Project At The Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Riverside, California, Ekele Nwankwo

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The purpose of this study was to discover, develop, evaluate, and implement a supportive singles’ ministry at the Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist church by way of planned activities and educative programs designed to serve the needs of singles in that congregation. The study was designed to determine the impact the singles’ ministry has on the church and how to shape the ministry in the future. Although society has viewed singles in different ways, depending on time and place, in traditional societies, women and men who did not marry were viewed as imperfect and lacking. Singles battle with strong expectations …

A Strategy To Increase Devotional Reading Of Ellen G. White's Books On The Bible Story At The Augusta First Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Bobby J. Boles

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Some members of the Augusta First Seventh-day Adventist Church felt the writings of Ellen G. White were irrelevant and thus had no influence in their spiritual life. The church members had dismissed her writings in their spiritual journeys and instead read the works of more contemporary authors. This group seemed to be apathetic to the matter of Ellen White as a prophet, and some avoided her written work all together. A contributing factor to this indifference might have been a lack of devotional reading of her books on the Bible story. By addressing this lack of devotional reading, I …

Teaching Reflective Scripture Reading In The Context Of Small Groups In The Walla Walla University Church, Emily M. Whitney

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem.

While the Seventh-day Adventist Church has emphasized the importance of God's Word and is effective in teaching people how to search Scripture for doctrinal truth, many disciples are not spending significant time in Scripture or growing in relationship with God. This lack of formational Scripture reading is due to numerous challenges that can discourage people from spending time in God’s Word. A primary challenge is that many people confess that they do not know how to read Scripture for relationship with God; they long to know how to read Scripture to hear from God and relevantly and meaningfully apply …