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To The Glory Of God Evaluating Origen’S Exposition Of The Scripture In His Leviticus Homilies, Andrew Johnson

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Johnson, Andrew M. “To the Glory of God: Evaluating Origen’s Exposition of the Scripture in His Leviticus Homilies”. Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2022. 237 pp.

Origen has been called “Adamantine,” an impossibly hard metal. Many have found his work to be strong and powerful and equal in its density. Origen’s preaching is almost impenetrable to the Evangelical preacher. This dissertation seeks to offer an entry for modern evangelical preachers to engage with the historic practice of figural exposition in Origen’s Leviticus homilies. The dissertation investigates the interpretative, homiletical and rhetorical histories which intersect in Origen’s homilies. It unpacks Origen’s use …

Humor In Preaching: Its Effects And Guidelines For Its Beneficial Use, Antonin Troup

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This project examined the effects that humor in sermons has on hearers, particularly how humor affects their understanding and retention of Biblical truths. After exploring humor's effects on listeners and which types of humor are more beneficial in the task of preaching through theoretical research, the data was investigated through the use of questionnaires, personal interviews with church members, and a focus group. After analyzing the participants' responses, the researcher developed a list of guidelines for the beneficial use of humor in his preaching. These guidelines offer suggestions that other preachers may find helpful in using humor in their sermons.

Contemporary Preaching To A Non-Contemporary Society: Nineteenth-Century Reformed Theology Comes To Non-Nineteenth-Century Brazil, Jorge Luiz Patrocinio

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Patrocinio, Jorge Luiz. “Contemporary Preaching to a Non-Contemporary Society: Nineteenth-Century Reformed Theology Comes to Non-Nineteenth-Century Brazil.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2009. 241 pp.

When Presbyterian missionaries came from America to nineteenth-century Brazil, they encountered a society strongly marked by a Roman Catholicism that was both tugged in several directions and also marked by a spirit more attuned to the later Middle Ages. In planting and then cultivating the Presbyterian Church, first the missionaries and then indigenous Brazilian pastors responded by spreading a message strongly rooted in Reformation theology, approaching their task almost as if the Reformation were unfolding again in …

The Effectiveness Of Illustrations In Preaching: Understanding And Retaining Biblical Truths, Ronald Rall

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This project explored how illustrations function in sermons to facilitate the understanding and retention of Biblical truths. Personal interviews with members of the congregation and focus groups that evaluated sermons provided feedback and insights related to the effectiveness of illustrations in preaching. The researcher compiled responses from the interviews and the focus groups to draw some conclusions about how illustrations function most effectively in aiding comprehension and facilitating an effective hearing of the message. On the basis of this study the researcher offers recommendations that preachers may find helpful in using illustrations in their preaching.

The Heart Of Lutheran Pentecost Preaching: A Comparison Of Luther, Walther, And Spener, John Lukomski

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This thesis was prompted by the desire to aid Lutheran Pentecost preaching. It was hoped to do that both in a positive way, determining what are the good things to be said in a Lutheran Pentecost sermon, and in a negative way, determining what are the errors to be avoided.

The Preaching Of Clovis G Chappell- A Study Of The Published Sermons In Light Of The Proper Distinction Between Law And Gospel As Articulated By C. F. W. Walther, William Carpenter

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Walther persistently asserted that the understanding and proper distinction between Law and Gospel is vital to correct or orthodox preaching even to the point of holding this understanding up as the "supreme art among Christians." If a person is to be a serious practitioner of the Word of God, he must aspire to this skill or ability.

The value of this study then is twofold: our hypothesis was that C. F. W. Walther's classic work could be distilled into a pithy corpus and from this digest a set of criteria could be drawn from which objective judgments could be made …

Two Early Church Homilies Compared, Russell Sommerfeld

Master of Divinity Thesis

Thus, it becomes the purpose of this paper to examine the two earliest extant homilies of the Early Church in order to glean from them an import of assistance in doing the homiletical task today. The two early sermons to be examined, compared and used as homiletical tools are the, so-called, second Epistle of Clement and Passion Homily of Melito . Bishop of Sardis.

Evangelistic Preaching In The Missouri Synod, Donald Ehlers

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

I decided, therefore, to look further into this matter of evangelistic preaching. What is evangelistic preaching? After arriving at my own definition of evangelistic preaching, I want to determine if evangelistic preaching, so defined, has Biblical precedent. I also want to determine how my definition squares with Lutheran theology on conversion. Based on my definition, I want to develop criteria for evaluating Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod preaching as to its evangelistic nature. Using these criteria, I propose to study sermons written and preached by Missouri Synod pastors.

A Comparison Measurement Of Law And Gospel In Selected Sermons Of Saint Augustine, Bernard Of Clairvaux, Jonathan Edwards, Phillips Brooks, And Walter A. Maier, David Gunderlach

Master of Divinity Thesis

Our study has borne out the fact that Law and Gospel are indeed inherent in Scripture and not just a product of the Reformation, in that we have seen them both actively at work in the sermons we have studied. To a man, all five of our preachers, over a time span of some sixteen hundred years, have preached both Law and Gospel in their sermons.

Justification In Luther's Preaching On Luke 18:9-14, Lowell C. Green

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author develops the thesis that Martin Luther rested his pastoral preaching on doctrinal preaching. In a careful examination of texts of Luther, he demonstrates this and raises the question concerning the continuing importance of doctrinal preaching.

The Plight Of Man: A Study In Contemporary Preaching, Lary Misner

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This study comprises an examination of sermonic material for clues to the plight of man. Initially the research involves an assessment of the signs of man's plight and places these signs into significant categories of man's existence. After locating and classifying the plight of man, the analysis shifts to the meaning of the plight of man in all of the plight's dimensions. After summarizing various aspects of man's plight and its meaning, the analysis moves to detect the implications of plight and meaning for man and for the preaching task. Finally, several areas for further study are suggested on the …

A Study Of Applications Used In The Sermons Of The Concordia Pulpit Of The Years 1955-1964, Erwin Kolb

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The reason for the interest in undertaking a study in homiletics has two sources, which are, however, intimately related. The first source of interest grows out of a concern for the church and the second out of practical work as a pastor in that church. The first grows out of charges that the church is irrelevant, that its message and program are suited only to the stained glass shelter of its buildings, and the second from a desire to preach and teach a Gospel message which is relevant, timely, and effective. A further explanation of these two sources of interest, …

The Pastor And Books, Carl A. Eberhard

Concordia Theological Monthly

It was Dr. Herbert H. Farmer of Cambridge, England, lecturing at the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville some years ago, who told of a minister coming into his study one day and seeing a set of Goethe's works. He tapped them on the back and asked: "Any sermons in Goth?"

Walther In The Pulpit, F. R. Webber

Concordia Theological Monthly

A clergyman's working library is a good measure of the man. In the first four volumes of Lehre und Wehre may be found a series of 22 articles, some of them lengthy, in which Walther discuss the books that he considers essential. He does not say so directly, yet it is implied that these are the books that Walther found most useful in his own sermon preparation. It is a significant fact that his long list of books (most of them in the Latin language), does not contain a single book of sermons other than Luther's Kirchen- und Haus-Postille.

Kings And Priests, Richard R. Caemmerer

Concordia Theological Monthly

This review will spend little time on the excitement that greeted the first two volumes of the new translation. The reader will be impressed with the clean job of editing by Jaroslav Pelikan and the remarkably high and uniform excellence of the translations by six contributors. The introduction adequately notes the settings of the seven psalm expositions and correlates the locations in the Weimar and St. Louis editions of Luther's works. Footnotes - occasional but not too many - explain renderings of German idioms, suggest sources of Luther's quotations or indicate parallels, many of them in the two preceding volumes …

Preaching The Law And Persuasion, Paul Boecler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The second chapter of this thesis describes in full the problem which has stimulated this investigation. Stated briefly here, it involves man's natural rejection and refusal of the .fact to confront and confess his guilt. Man most generally defends himself from the truth of God's Law in order to protect his own ego. This, of course, makes it difficult, for- the Gospel to have its .full effect and application. This problem also emphasizes the importance of this study in that it tries to discover techniques whereby the Law may be preached so that it is not defended against by the …

A Comparison Of The Frequency And Effectiveness Of Contemporary Preaching In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod And Protestantism On Selected Social Issues As Represented In The Concordia Pulpit And The Pulpit Digest, Paul Philip Krueger

Bachelor of Divinity

It is not the purpose of this paper to establish the ideal frequency for directly dealing with social issues from the pulpit. The purpose is rather to compare objectively the instances of preaching on social themes found in the Concordia Pulpit and the Pulpit Digest and to allow the reader to determine the ideal frequency for himself. It may be helpful, nevertheless, to present another's opinion on the matter. One man may say it is never necessary to preach on social themes because, if the Gospel is preached, the Kingdom of God is established and the problems of society are …

Luther Expounds The Gospels, Lewis W. Spitz

Concordia Theological Monthly

Both the state of Luther scholarship and the condition of the church have changed radically since the middle of that century of light, when J. G. Hamann lamented: "What a shame for our times that the spirit of this man who founded our church lies thus under the ashes. What a power of eloquence, what a spirit for interpretation, what a prophet! How good the old wine will taste to you!" Though Theodosius Harnack a hundred years later hailed the renewed study of Luther's theology as one of the most joyous developments in theological scholarship, his own work remained the …

An Investigation Of The Factors Of Persuasion In The Sermons Of Dr Walter A Maier, Lester Zeitler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The scope of this investigation, however, is confined only to the preaching on the program; more exactly, the preaching of Dr. Walter A. Maier. The specific purpose is to search out those factors of persuasion in the radio sermons of Dr. Maier which may so largely help to account for his success in preaching the Gospel. The object is to figure out the secret of his effectiveness as Andrew Blackwood suggests: "Study the methods of the radio preacher whom your thoughtful laymen enjoy, and figure out the secrets of his effectiveness. You will find that he depends mainly on being …

Preaching On The Holy Spirit: A Study Of Luther's Sermons On The Evangelical Pericopcs, Martin E. Marty

Concordia Theological Monthly

"In our day the Holy Spirit suffers great ignominy," sighed Luther, in reference to current doctrinal misunderstanding. "In our day the Holy Spirit suffers great ignominy," might be a contemporary comment on neglect of the worship of, and witness to, the Holy Spirit. It has become almost a rubric to bemoan this neglect on Whitsunday, the third great feast of the church year, but this complaint is often followed by a tendency to contribute to the neglect and the ignominy through silence from the pulpit, as far as a living concern for the work of the Holy Spirit is concerned, …

Techniques In Modern Preaching (Toward Communicating The Gospel), Vernon Boriack

Concordia Theological Monthly

All of us have been preaching the crucial doctrines of sin and grace Sunday after Sunday, year after year, but have we really been "communicating" these cardinal doctrines which are the Christian faith? "To communicate" means "to impart, convey, share, make it so that we hold in oneness" truths with others. Have we been achieving this end? Or while our preaching has been strictly orthodox in content, have we perhaps been employing words and phrases and thought forms which ricochet off the minds of our people like petty rifle bullets off a Patton rank? Have the minds of our people …

Luther’S Preaching Of Good Works, Robert Heckmann

Bachelor of Divinity

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Luther's preaching of good works and evaluate his work somewhat on the basis of the standard layed down in the next section. It will include a short study of his preaching style and habits in general, an examination of his definition of good works and his description and use of the power of the Gospel to enable the people to live the life in Christ.

Are We Really Preaching The Gospel?, Elmer A. Kettner

Concordia Theological Monthly

With all of our glorying in the Gospel and our striving to retain purity of doctrine, is it possible that there is too little preaching of the Gospel in The Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod? It's not only possible; I fear that it's highly probable. This is not a blanket accusation against every pastor in Synod. One can judge only from the sermons that one hears and reads. Nor is this written to be sensational or critical. In this respect I am perhaps "the chief of sinners"; I have sometimes by-passed the Gospel. The Scriptures remind us to "exhort one another …

The Use Of The Old Testament In The Sermons Of Acts, Robert C. Schultz

Bachelor of Divinity

The Church’s attitude toward Scripture is reflected in its use of Scripture. This thesis is an attempt to discover the principles which controlled the early church’s use of Scripture. The investigation centers on three points: 1) the text of the Old Testament used by the early church; 2) the early church’s purpose in quoting Scripture; 3) generea1 principles of interpretation followed by the early church. The investigation is restricted to the use of the Old Testament in five sermons recorded in the book of Acts. Since the scope of the investigation is limited, only tentative conclusions can be obtained.

Liturgical Developments In Europe, Walter F. Buszin

Concordia Theological Monthly

Despite the many serious impediments imposed by destructive warfare and total defeat, the Germans have published perhaps more liturgical literature during the past few postwar years than the people of any other nation. This is significant already because it indicates clearly that they do not regard liturgics as an area which is rather nonessential in character. The ravages and dispossessions of war and defeat drive man to the stark realities and basic needs of life and existence. In days of scarcity and want, man craves not dessert and luxury; on the contrary, he is then perfectly satisfied and altogether happy …

Quick And Powerful, Martin H. Franzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

The object of preaching and teaching in the Church is, quite simply, to move men. We preach in order that men may be stirred into newness of life; and we teach in order that men may continue, in the Spirit-moved pulsation of repentance and faith, to grow, to increase, to live and move under the continued and inevitable forward tension of the grace of God that dare not be received in vain. This is a commonplace, and there is nothing startling about it; the startling thing is that so many of our sermons (good sermons, carefully constructed sermons, and not …

A Critique Of Contemporary Lutheran Preaching, Erdman W. Frenk

Concordia Theological Monthly

Preaching, i.e., the public proclamation of the Word of God, is the chief function of the Christian ministry. It is duty number one on a pastor's functional docket. It is his first and foremost responsibility. It was this in the early Church. It became this again through the Reformation. It must be this in the Church of our day. At the top of any list cataloguing the duties of a pastor in the order of their importance, preaching must stand first. If there is one field in which the pastor will seek to excel, it is in preaching.

Thomas Guthrie, Apostle To The Slums, F. R. Webber

Concordia Theological Monthly

Everybody is aware that Dr. Thomas Guthrie was one of the most noted pulpit orators of the nineteenth century, but the fact is often overlooked that most of his long life was devoted to congregational work in the worst of Edinburgh's slums. He built a spacious church there and a parochial school; and in that district his well-known sermons were preached. They fill most of the sixteen volumes of his collected works, and very few sermon books have enjoyed so large a circulation.

Discourse Of Luther On The Holy Trinity, W. Arndt

Concordia Theological Monthly

This discourse is taken from a two-volume collection of sermons of Luther which has the title: Predigten D. Martin Luthers auf Grund von Nachschriften Georg Roerers und Anton Lauterbachs, bearbeitet von Geog Buchwald. The volumes appeared in 1925 and 1926, respectively, in the publishing house of C. Bertelsmann, Guetersloh. In the fascinating introduction Dr. Buchwald, an eminent Luther scholar, points out that the sermons of Luther published in the old editions of the Heuspostille are unsatisfactory on account of the editing process to which they were subjected. As is well known, they were not written by Luther; the notes of …

John Chrysostom, The Preacher, John H. Fritz

Concordia Theological Monthly

John Chrysostom - the name Chrysostom, the golden mouth, was given him by the Church because of his oratorical ability. He has been known by that name since the seventh century. He was born of noble parentage at Antioch, Syria, on the river Orontes, in 347 A. D. Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome were outstanding cities in those days. Antioch was one of the most splendid cities in the Roman Empire. It had a population of two hundred thousand. Though half of the inhabitants were nominally Christians, their Christianity varied from severe asceticism to almost pagan laxity.