Christianity Commons^™

Eradicating Recidivism: Evangelism For African American Men Impacted By Mass Incarceration, Anthony Mark Berry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Prison Industrial Complex impacts 2.3 million people, affects the poor, and the nation's minority family's ability to retain a sense of unity. These data impact community health with the absence of the father figures, lack of power to gain viable income, and in some cases, the right to vote. The issue decimates African American young men. This topic is needed because the research suggests a cyclic nature of excavation of human capital by incarceration and is depleting communities of capital by jailing wage earners from the Black community. Voting capital is dwindling in some states where felony crimes remove …

The American Unreformation: The Undoing Of American Evangelical Prominence And The Rise Of The Religiously Unaffiliated Nones, H G. Walker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With over sixty percent of Protestant churches in America experiencing either plateaued or declining numbers, the ineffectiveness or outright inattention to evangelistic efforts is magnified by the aggressive growth of the Nones population; therefore, this dissertation project seeks to answer one central question related to the current increase in the number of Americans identifying as religiously unaffiliated: Are there identifiable religious resurgence mechanisms in American religious history that address the current rise of the Nones and if initiated would facilitate future religious resurgence? Lower levels of religious affiliation reveal a weakening of the heart of the Evangelical position on evangelization …

A Biblical Model To Encourage Associate Ministers To Serve Effectively With Enjoyment, Marcus L. Ellison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Associate Ministers play a vital role in the growth and development of healthy churches. Yet, too often, they grow impatient with their role and frustrated with their current assignment. This frustration often leads to dysfunction and a lack of spiritual development that ultimately hinders the growth of the church. So, what are the challenges that associate ministers face in serving in subordinate roles of leadership? As an Associate Minister for seven years, this researcher experienced this frustration while serving and waiting on God to open the next door of opportunity. The purpose of this project is to provide a biblical …

Would An Omnibenevolent God Allow Some To Be Lost Who Would Have Been Saved In Different Circumstances? A New Molinist Theodicy Against The Problem Of The Contingently Lost, Zachary Paul Breitenbach

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation addresses a particular issue within the soteriological problem of evil: Would an omnibenevolent God allow anyone to be lost who would have freely chosen to be saved in other circumstances? It critiques various Molinist theodicies that respond to this issue, especially the prominent theodicy of William Lane Craig. Ultimately a new Molinist theodicy is proposed. An argument is also given for how this soteriological theodicy can help to reduce concerns in the broader problem of evil relating to the amount of evil observed in this life and the apparent gratuitousness of some evil.

Mitigating Decline Of Church Growth Resulting From Misunderstanding Of Selected Messianic Passages In Psalms And Isaiah, Hiwatha Bell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Paul admonishes the leaders in Ephesus to guard the flock whom God gave them oversight, to develop their spiritual insight by advancing their Scriptural aptitude so they would be able to withstand opposing forces outside the church as well as threats that would emerge from inside the church (Acts 20:28-30). Christ often engaged religious leaders in Judaism, accusing them of evangelizing to others (Matt. 23:15) and misleading those whom they had evangelized and proselytized (Matt. 15:1-13). The Bible is replete with Scriptures that require the shepherd to protect the sheep from wolves, thus the impetus for this report. This report …

Enchantment: A Teleology, Nathanael S. Toth

Senior Honors Theses

Despite the highly developed nature of his fictional world, Middle-earth, Tolkien never formally laid out a tabulated magic system for his fantasy creation. Nevertheless, unlike many stories by others in the fantasy genre, the magic he does include is far from just a shallow, world-building mechanism. Instead, it encapsulates the core theme of his fiction and the purposes which Ilúvatar (the God of Middle-earth) has given to the story’s many characters.

This paper will examine the nature and function of this magic from many angles: the identification of good magic with art and evil magic with domination; the delineation between …

An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted …

TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A theological doctrine of eternal life raises certain qualitative and existential questions. Considering the unfathomable duration, one may rightly ask, what will that experience be like and will it meet the experiential needs of human beings so that there are no intimations of boredom. Eternity, then, creates a potential existential problem for humanity. The problem is potential because eternity creates a certain need, a need which can concisely be stated in this way: quality must overcome quantity. Both Christianity and Islam teach human beings are intended to live forever so both religions must overcome this problem if eternal life within …

The Matthew 16:13-18:20 Chiasm As The Fountainhead Of Matthean Proto-Ecclesiology, Nicholas A. Dodson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The only two instances of the Greek term ἐκκλησία (usually translated “church”) found in the Gospels are in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. These two passages have been examined, debated, and interpreted in a number of ways by various scholars. The present dissertation presents considerable exegetical evidence that these two uses of ἐκκλησία are actually part of a larger literary structure called a chiasmus, which connects the passages in which Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 are found. Because these are highly significant ecclesiological passages, this study further develops the connection of the chiastic structure to other foundational ecclesiological passages, namely the Matthean …

Question 14 - What Are The Positions Of Neo-Evangelicalism, Mysticism, And Neo-Orthodoxy In Regards To The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 9 - Who Are The 100 Most Important Or Well-Known Individuals In The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 11 - What Are The Positions Of Liberalism And Agnosticism In Regards To The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 1 - What Are Perhaps The Three Most Graphic And Glorious Descriptions Of The Bible Ever Penned?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 10 - What Are The Positions Of The Roman Catholic Church And The Cults In Regard To The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 18 - What Is Meant By The Authority Of The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 25 - What Objects Or Materials Was The Bible Written Upon?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

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Question 24 - What Language Was The Bible Written In?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 27 - Where Were The Old And New Testament Canonical Books Kept?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 17 - What Are Some Symbols For The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 21 - What Is Meant By The Sufficiency Of The Bible?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

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Question 29 - What Biblical Books Were At First Temporarily Disputed And Why?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 33 - Is The 66-Book Biblical Canon Completed And Closed?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 34 - What Are The Responsibilities God Has Assigned To Himself Regarding The Impartation Of The Scriptures?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 36 - What Is The Difference Between General And Special Revelation?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 38 - Can General Revelation In And By Itself Bring Someone To A Saving Knowledge Of Jesus Christ?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 41 - What Is The Difference Between Inspiration And Inerrancy?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

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Question 45 - What Are Some Key Verses On Inspiration And Inerrancy?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

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Question 49 - What Is Illumination And How Does It Differ From Revelation And Inspiration?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 50 - Why The Need For Illumination?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.

Question 51 - What Are The Results And Implications Of Illumination?, Harold Willmington

101 Most Asked Questions

No abstract provided.