Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Vision, Repetition And Redemption: Envisioning Universal Salvation In A Group Of Six Carolingian Ivory Book Covers, Valerie Thai

Theses and Dissertations

Six Carolingian ivory plaques share almost identical imagery. This thesis focuses on the figures of Synagoga and the rising dead repeated in the compositions. As the ivories are Gospel covers used in Mass, this study demonstrates how these motifs appeal to the congregation, conveying the Christian tenet of universal salvation.

Not My Church: Confessional Living In An All-Consuming World, Cody Macmillan

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

What I hope to offer in the following pages is a vision for the Church that is not our own in a world that is increasingly foreign to us. In a discussion of the Scriptures and the Sacraments, I would like to present three ways in which this Church is distinctly alien in nature. She presents alien standards, alien sentiment, and alien strength to which we are called to subscribe, submit, and surrender. In presenting the alien nature of this church, I offer points of contrast and comparison with the culture to which we are tempted to succumb. These comparisons …

A Plain Account Of Christian Purity: Berlin Walls, Dean G. Blevins, Marie Gregg

The Asbury Journal

While theological definitions of holiness incorporate purity terminology among several metaphors, the challenges resident in using this language may well impede opportunities of engaging difference and reconciliation. Wesleyans need a “Plain Account” of Christian purity to guide both ecclesial discussions that stress not only strengths, but also limits, in purity thinking. Using an example involving the Church of the Nazarene and Pentecostalism, the writing reveals how purity thinking risks creating “Berlin walls” when engaging differences. The analysis argues that a moral fear of degradation, rather than an acknowledgment of difference, often pushes purity thinkers to oppose certain issues.

Program Covers For Church Meeting Feature Book Of Mormon Research

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

FARMS has helped to prepare program covers, suitable for sacrament meetings, baptisms, and other Church meetings, that feature information about the Book of Mormon on the back page. The idea for the covers came from Earl Carlsen of Spokane, and his encouragement and generous contributions have made the project possible.

John The Baptist And The Keys Of Baptism, John A. Tvedtnes

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Latter-day Saint concept of priesthood keys is not well documented in the Bible. A single passage has Jesus Christ promising to give Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19), while the book of Revelation indicates that Christ held "the keys of hell and of death" and "the key of David" (Revelation 1:18; 3:7; see Isaiah 22:22). There is no mention of keys in connection with John the Baptist.

John The Baptist And The Key Of Baptism, John A. Tvedtnes

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Latter-day Saint concept of priesthood keys is not well documented in the Bible. A single passage has Jesus Christ promising to give Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19), while the book of Revelation indicates that Christ held “the keys of hell and of death” and “the key of David” (Revelation 1:18; 3:7; see Isaiah 22:22). There is no mention of keys in connection with John the Baptist.

Commissioned: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Evangelism Beliefs, Practices, And Results, Shane Redding

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although Jesus clearly commanded His Church to spread His gospel to the world and make disciples of all nations, the modern American Church has struggled to evangelize effectively, resulting in declining church attendance. While many churches claim to value evangelism, the results indicate a need for churches to reevaluate their current evangelism approaches. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine if a relationship exists between the levels of importance that churches place on evangelism, the churches’ tangible evangelism practices, and their new believer baptisms. The target population for the study was lead pastors from non-denomination, baptistic, evangelistic, Christian …

Living Water: A Hermeneutical And Exegetical Approach, John Panicker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout Scripture, God refers to people, objects, words, and other things of the universe to help man understand him. In the New Testament, Christ used parables, metaphors, and signs to reveal himself and his salvation plan. The crown jewel among these symbols is the living water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit who is the ultimate source of salvation. God did not impose death on man, but man chose death over life by disobeying God’s command not to eat from the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” He decided to accept Satan’s seduction and counsel and willfully transgressed against his …

Baptism Paganized And Demonized, W. B. Godbey

William B. Godbey

Christ was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3: 8.) The work of the devil is not only sin but all the effects of sin, i. e., sickness and all the combinations of the enemy to bring hell on earth. When Jesus was preaching to the woman at Jacob's well, she responded to Him: "We know that Messiah who will restore all things." Jesus responds: "I who speak to the am He," thus acquiescing in the great open mankind, i. e., the final restitution of all things. Peter in his afternoon sermon at Pentecost said …

A Biblical Theology Of Water, Eric Robert Waller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Numerous “water related terms” are utilized in Genesis 1-2 such as, “the deep, “the waters,” “water,” “sea,” seas,” “stream,” “river,” “flow,” “flows,” and “rain.” Arguably similar, Revelation 21-22 uses the terms “water of life,” “river of the water of life,” “thirsty,” “spring, ” and “lake.” That the traditional Protestant canon is bookended with such similar terminology appears to create an inclusio that demands further inquiry within the canon to seek supplemental, complementary, and even potentially contrasting and conflicting evidence supporting a biblical theology of water. While commentary on every canonical water related text or term would be a daunting task …

The Baptism Of Little Children In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Matthew P. Roper

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In a letter to his son Moroni, Mormon warns against the practice of baptizing little children. He identifies two false assumptions of his day used to justify infant baptism: little children are born with sin (see Moroni 8:8) and will suffer divine punishment in hell if they die without having been baptized (see Moroni 8:13). While the exact nature of this aberrant practice is unknown, it was apparently common enough among the Nephites of Mormon’s day to warrant swift and unequivocal prophetic censure. Mormon describes the rite as particularly wicked and erroneous in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Farms Review Stresses Biblical Studies, Remembrance, And Church History

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Issue 19/2 of the FARMS Review, which is now available, follows a long tradition of dealing with a wide variety of fascinating topics. Of particular interest in this issue is a series of articles on pre-serving and enlarging the memory of the Saints. As Louis Midgley notes in his introduction to this section, “In the April 2007 General Conference, Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy delivered a powerful sermon entitled ‘Remember and Perish Not,’ in which he urged the Saints to pay close attention to the ways of remembrance in our scriptures” (p. 23). At the next conference, President …

“Symbolism In Scripture” Focus Of Willes Center Conference

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

“Symbolism in Scripture” was the theme of the second biennial Laura F. Willes Center Book of Mormon Conference held recently. The conference included presentations by 13 scholars addressing such topics as “The Symbolic Use of Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon and Other Latter-day Saint Scripture” and “Light: The Master Symbol.”

The Old Testament’S Contribution To The Baptism Of Jesus In The Gospel Of Matthew, Andrew James Herbst

Masters Theses

The Baptism of Jesus is an often overlooked or misunderstood event. There are numerous interpretations of what the Baptism of Jesus reveals, some of which alternate between Christ’s work and ministry as a man or a revelation of His deity. A clearer understanding of the Baptism event may be discovered through examining the Gospel of Matthew and relevant OT texts. Matthew depicts Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, as the Son of David who would fulfill OT prophecies and become the messianic King and Servant of Yahweh. The voice from heaven, the dove, and the anointing of the Spirit may …

Rebaptism In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Jonathan A. Stapley, David W. Grua

BYU Studies Quarterly

The first day of November 1847 brought Patty Sessions a snowstorm that blew her tent down and shredded it. But life in Winter Quarters was never easy, and Sessions maintained her regular schedule despite the disruption. She was a midwife and had a central position among the women of the city. Over the next week alone, she delivered four babies and attended four meetings. She also sewed for hire, and she anointed and blessed in faith. And on Friday the 26th, as she wrote in her diary, “I was baptized.” In this short three-word entry, Sessions documented one of the …

The Pentecostal Baptism : Is It Regeneration? A Reply To The Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, Thomas Payne

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Holy Spirit Filled Preaching Opens The Door For A Miracle, Alvin Alastair Burks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that many preachers should strive to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not being filled with the Holy Spirit hinders the power of God in spiritual manifestation, be it healing, preaching, teaching, etc, in the lives of believers. The purpose is to teach preachers how to be filled with the Holy Spirit in their preaching and education as the adversary desires to tempt the preacher with sin, causing the quenching of the Holy Spirit in the preacher’s life. As the preacher is filled with the Holy Spirit, God's people have a chance to experience the available preaching …

Finding The Child: Exploration Into Pedagogical Foundations In The Roman Catholic Church, Erica L. Saccucci

Dissertations

Children are important members of society. Their membership as participants in humanity has gotten lost at times throughout history. Children have a particular type of dependency in relationships with the adults around them. This means that adults need to understand children in a different light; from the perspective of the child. In Roman Catholic social ethics, children are always understood as under the authority of their parents. Rarely are children understood in a way that gives them dignity in their subjectivity. This work provides a historical review of the theological ethics of child in the Roman Catholic Church from both …

Architectural Features Of Protestant Churches From The 16th To The 21st Centuries In Ukraine, Valentyna Kuryliak, Petro Kotliarov, Mykhailo Fedorenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article discusses the way the creeds of Protestants are reflected in their sacred architecture on Ukrainian lands. It investigates the evolution of the architecture of Protestant churches and religious buildings in Ukraine from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. Three periods in the formation and development of Protestantism in Ukraine are distinguished: the magisterial reformation, the classical currents of Protestantism (Calvinism, Lutheranism), and late Protestant currents (Baptism, Pentecostalism, Adventism). The article establishes that the church architecture of Protestant denominations in each of these periods was influenced by the particular teachings of the Protestants themselves, the dominant political ideology, and …

Catechesis: Returning To A Deeper Teaching That Produces Transformed Disciples For Christ, Jeremy T. Conn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Thesis Project addresses the lack of commitment found in many new and young believers today by providing a catechesis that engages individuals emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and experientially. After a thorough review of many biblical, historical and contemporary approaches to religious teaching, this study developed an intervention plan that merged five essential elements: (1) A culture that emphasizes the importance of baptism; (2) Adequate time to instill spiritual habits; (3) The utilization of multiple volunteers; (4) The incorporation of experiential learning; and (5) Content that encompasses both theology and discipleship. Qualitative research was conducted through the interviews of fourteen participants …

The Jewish Origins Of The Ordinances Of Christianity: Worship Within Baptism And The Lord's Supper, John Edward Ross

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The modern evangelical denominations have worship services that include many forms of worship and functions to bring the worshiper into communion with the living God as a disciple of Christ. These worship forms include the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Generations of denominational congregants have participated in these ordinances with little knowledge of the origin of these two rites. This qualitative historical study focuses on the roots of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper formed within Christianity during the early church years. Using research from Christian and Messianic Jewish scholars along with Jewish sources, this …

Demonology According To The Universal Church Of The Kingdom Of God Three Important Aspects And A Lutheran Response, George Felten

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Felten, George, C. “Demonology According to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God: Three Important Aspects and a Lutheran Response.” MA Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 145pp.

Demonology should not be the center of a church’s theological center or modus operandi, but it should not be denied or avoided either. While the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), a prominent neo-Pentecostal Brazilian church, makes too much of demonology, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB) seems to make too little of it. Yet this need not be the case. This thesis will analyze three aspects of IURD’s demonology, …

Recovering The Historical Practice Of Delayed Baptism And Pre-Baptismal Instruction For The Purpose Of Restoring The Standard Of A Regenerate Church Membership In Southern Baptist Churches, Alan Clayton Mccullough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The recovery of the historical practice of delayed baptism for the purpose of pre-baptismal instruction will better ensure a regenerate church membership, thereby promoting more faithful church members. This study argues that reform is needed in Baptist churches in the preparation for believer’s baptism. As Baptists are “people of the Book,” it is most appropriate to survey what the Bible teaches about the meaning of baptism. The first chapter addresses the biblical texts commonly agreed upon by Baptists regarding baptism, as well as those most commonly disagreed upon. Attention is given to the texts used by opponents of delayed baptism …

Whither The Body: Using The Church’S Hymnody To Reassert The Hope Of The Bodily Resurrection, Ruth Mcdonnell

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

McDonnell, Ruth E. “Whither the Body: Using the Church’s Hymnody to Reassert the Hope of the Bodily Resurrection.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 216 pp.

Contemporary American cultural narratives of death and life after death are often inconsistent with the biblical doctrine of the resurrection. Indeed, the biblical message can be missed or distorted by these contemporary narratives and the ways metaphor is used to express them. This dissertation asserts that the evocative power of metaphor can be guided by the use of narrative. By applying the biblical narrative, rather than some other narrative, and by connecting the salvation story …

A Strategy To Train Members To Encourage Non-Members To Make Decisions For Baptism And Church Membership At The Middletown Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Joshua William Voigt

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

In every church I have pastored, there have been individuals who attend the church but are not members. Some come to community-focused events the church holds throughout the year, while others come to the weekly worship service. There are also some who come whenever the doors of the church are opened. This group of people includes both Christians from other denominations, as well as non-Christians. The Middletown Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church had an unusually large ratio of non-member to member attendance.

Method

A six-month evangelistic strategy was developed for the Middletown Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church. The strategy began with …

I Still Feel - Kind Of Temporary About Myself, Trevor Freudenberg

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Meet Alexa. Not the ubiquitous digital assistant, but an individual in the process of crafting an identity for herself. Alexa Abraham is a 24-year-old woman living in London who defines herself as an ‘influencer.’ A recent article in 1843 Magazine details how Alexa has created this identity of ‘influencer’ using social media, especially Instagram.

Baptism Into Christ And/Or Into The Church?, Robert K. Mciver

Robert McIver

This article considers and asks the reader to think about who they are when they are in Christ? Part of a community - or an individual believer only? It examines the meaning that was attached to baptism when Christianity first adopted the practice, and then at some key biblical passages which show that in the New Testament baptism is baptism into Christ, it is the doorway into the Christian community, and that the new member receives gifts of the Spirit at baptism which are to be exercised within the community.

Ritual Purity And The Origin Of John's Baptisma Metanoias, Benjamin J. Snyder

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Tarry Ye! : Studies Of Pentecost, Lewis Robeson Akers

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Infant Baptism, William B. Godbey

William B. Godbey

No abstract provided.