Christianity Commons^™

Message, Mode And Milieu: Recalling An Ancient Approach To Christian Discipleship Sufficient For The Western-Consumerist Context Of The American College Student, William John Westfall

Doctor of Ministry

American university students today are steeped in the ideals and practices of Western-consumerism. Rather than leading lives of self-sacrifice, as Jesus modeled, these emerging adults, even those who claim to be "Christians," typically reflect the self-centered ideals of the consumerist culture around them. There are at least two reasons for this reality. First, Western-consumerism tenets are diametrically opposed to Christian values. Students are pulled along by powerful cultural forces, which serve to shape both belief and behavior. Second, the Western social construct is becoming less conducive to a life lived in close community. As a result, this emerging generation is …

Living Rhythms: Movements Toward Health And Holiness, Jill K. Sidler Fleagle

Doctor of Ministry

Human beings can honestly profess to believe what they do not believe. (Dallas Willard) Christians seek relational health apart from spiritual health and vice versa. The problem is one of belief that it is possible to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord while in broken or unhealthy other primary relationships. Jesus addressed the problem of compartmentalized thinking when one of the Pharisees asked him to identify the most important commandment (singular) in the Law. Jesus' answer inextricably linked loving God with loving others in his response of not one but two commandments: You shall love the LORD your God …

Jesus And His Jewish World: A Resource That Brings First-Century Biblical Context Into The Twenty-First-Century World Through Technology, Paul D. Conway

Doctor of Ministry

THE PROBLEM The twenty-first century Assemblies of God Christian and communicator are separated by thousands of years and miles from Christ's first-century context. Few tools provide a three dimensional resource that converge the literature, land and language to construct a bridge that empowers learners to cross that distance independently. Many resources available are scholarly, scattered or static. Those privileged to visit the Holy Land leave enthusiastic but fail to export large portions of the educational experience. This often results in the traveler sharing their images and impressions for several weeks until all that remains are emotional memoirs and a dim …

The Role Of Spiritual Formation And Ministry Governance In Developing Mission-Oriented Governing Boards, Allen Schoonover

Doctor of Ministry

Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have struggled over the last generation to reach out effectively to new members. This struggle is the byproduct of a changing ministry context leaders are trying to address. By the 1980s, those elements that had fueled the growth of the Lutheran Church the United States throughout the previous century had largely faded. An awareness of these changes and the corresponding decline in membership and contributions has prompted leaders to examine how to reach out more effectively to those outside traditional ethnic and cultural Lutheran enclaves. In order to improve their congregation’s effectiveness, …

The Hope Of An Open Hand: Civility As An Invitation To Incarnational Ministry, Kevin Dwight Glenn

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Shift: Expanding Preaching For A Social Media World, Bryce Ashlin-Mayo

Doctor of Ministry

Many have argued that the introduction of information technology and the subsequent birth of social media alter the way we communicate and relate socially. This phenomenon has comprehensively changed the methods and means of communication, the social structures and the social norms in which we operate. As Walter Ong exposes, we have moved into a Secondary Orality age transforming the way we communicate and relate socially.1 This change has created what Marshall McLuhan termed: "An Age of Anxiety," where people are using old tools in new environments.2 This reality has entered into the field of homiletics, resulting in previously dominant …

R3al Hope: Living With The End In Mind, Richard J. Callahan

Doctor of Ministry

Jesus offers Abundant Life yet so many Christians settle for less. Why? There are myriad theories as to what constitutes Abundant Life (AL). As the evidence of history and Scripture are integrated, AL is consistently experienced in three realities: relationship, responsibility and restoration (RE3). Relationship + Responsibility + Restoration = Abundant Life or R3AL. R3AL Life existed in Creation, was made accessible to Fallen Eikons1 through Jesus and will be central to New Creation. While many Christians are aware of why they were created and the transformational power of Jesus, R3AL life eludes them. They have a flawed eschatology that …

The Orthodox Church In The Ottoman Empire And Its Perspectives For Theological Dialogue, Svetoslav Ribolov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Ways Of Measuring The Influence Of Religious Mass Media In The Ukraine, Maksym Balaklytskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Merdjanova's "Rediscovering The Umma: Muslims In The Balkans Between Nationalism And Transnationalism" - Book Review, Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Serving God Globally: Finding Your Place In International Development (Book Review), Nathanael D. Peach

Faculty Publications - College of Business

No abstract provided.

Hearing On The Trajectory Of Democracy - Why Hungary Matters, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

A Partnership With A Difference: The Baptists Of Serbia And Russia Are Developing A Partnership, William Yoder

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Testimony Concerning The Conditionof Religious Freedom In Hungary, Submitted To The U.S. Commission On Security And Cooperation In Europe (The Helsinki Commission), H. David Baer

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

God And The Gaps, Ross W. Mccullough

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Excerpt: "Most often the story is told like this: There is some feature of the world that science is at a loss to explain. Christians rush to claim that this feature can only be explained by God. Science later produces probable non-theistic hypotheses, and the Christians must beat a hasty retreat. In the early nineteenth century, the feature was the complexity of life, the scientific explanation Darwinian evolution."

Vocation As Parish: The Missional Possibilities Of Inhabiting Your Workplace, Anderson Campbell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

No abstract provided.

Describing A Pentecostal Spirituality And Eploring These Expressions Within A Spiritual Formation Model, Jeremy Daniel Sims

Doctor of Ministry

Richard Foster states, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”1 But how do we understand what it means to be a “deep person?” We need a description of what a deep relationship looks like and a model of the spiritual growth process that makes that possible. A spiritual formation model is a tool designed to identify the organic process of growth for the believer in Christ and describe how that believer might tunnel into the depths of maturity by partnering with the Holy Spirit. As a Pentecostal, …

The Darkling Lights Of Lucifer: Annihilation, Tradition, And Hell, Ross W. Mccullough

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Gregory of Nyssa is famous for defending both the doctrine of epektasis, the continual ascent of the blessed toward God, and, in places, the doctrine of apokatastasis, the eventual restoration to God of all creation, including the Devil. This is a curious conjunction, for while Gregory connects them more than adventitiously, the tradition of the Eastern Church has largely received the former and rejected the latter.1 The point of this essay is to follow that intuition, not to say inspiration, of the tradition: briefly to challenge Gregory's conjunction and to develop from that challenge and with certain currents in philosophy …

Ordinary Community: Missional Communities As A Helpful Ecclesial Response To The Problem Of Postmodernism And Consumerism For The American Evangelical Church, Christopher W. Marshall

Doctor of Ministry

There is a storm approaching the shores of the American evangelical church that is two-fold. First, there is a macro shift in cultural worldview from modernity, which was embedded in the tenets of the Enlightenment project to a new era called postmodernity. Postmodernity is characterized as a harsh reaction against the utopian ideals of the modern world. What is the appropriate ecclesial response of the American evangelical church to the postmodern world? Secondly, the dominant cultural challenge to Christianity in America is the organizing of life around the attachments of a consumer lifestyle. Consumerism dominates American life however it is …

Exposing The Roots Of Low Self-Efficacy For Math: A Multi-Case Study Of Students In An Urban Middle School, Joshua Emmett, Daniel Hall, Corey Mckenna

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This multi-case study of historically low-performing 7th grade students in a math class at an urban middle school employed a theoretical framework based upon Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory to discover the causes of low self-efficacy for math. The study utilized a cross-case analysis of four students who demonstrated varying degrees of self-efficacy. To serve students similarly situated, Christian teachers need to know what these students are experiencing and an understanding of the causes of low self-efficacy can inform their professional practice. Christian teacher educators can also benefit from understanding the context into which teachers of such students will serve so …

Servant Leadership: Making A Difference In University Tesl Programs, Sarah Tahtinen-Pacheco

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Teaching English as a Second Language is a broad field with programs designed to teach students from all languages and cultures around the world. Currently, the field is facing an urgent need for qualified teachers and leaders due to increasingly high numbers of immigrants and refugees. To meet this challenge, universities must have a plan for adequately preparing teachers to work with the growing population of non-native English learners.

Creating these programs require an understanding of ways to support English learners academically, linguistically, and culturally as they transition into English speaking schools. Based on the need for support, this article …

Doing Impacting Being: A Case Study Of Service Learning As A Method Of Faith And Learning Integration, Calvin G. Roso

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

C. S. Lewis argues that Christians become more like Christ by practicing to be something they are not: “Pretense leads up to the real thing . . . very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already” (Lewis, 1952, p. 160). Likewise, educators indicate that when students practice and apply their learning “true understanding is demonstrated” (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 67). Even Jesus, the Master Teacher, modeled experiential integration in training His disciples (Matthew 10:1-15; Luke 9:1-6; Mark 6:7-13). Doing impacts being—what we do and experience shapes …

Iccte Spotlight: Dr. Scott Headley

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Dr. Scot Headley, Professor of Education at George Fox University and Dean for the School of Education, is the Editor at Large for the ICCTE Journal. Scot assists the Editor by troubleshooting technical and process issues and in consulting on aims and means. Previously, Scot served as the Editor for the Journal and currently serves as the Past President of ICCTE.

The Role Of Christian Faculty In Restoring Accounting Professionalism, Joshua Sauerwein

Faculty Publications - College of Business

In light of decreasing public perception, The Pathways Commission of the American Accounting Association currently drew increased attention to the study of ethics in the accounting curriculum. In spite of decades of implementation and research, accounting education has struggled to define effective objectives and delivery methods of ethics education. Further, there is evidence accounting professors are reticent to teach ethics courses. This paper explores the unique voice of faculty at faith-based institutions in this discussion. Given the unique incentive structures, familiarity with integration, and freedom to be more student-centered, Christian faculty have much to contribute to accounting ethics, research, and …

The Teacher As Servant-Leader, David W. Anderson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Any Christian philosophy of education must begin with acknowledging God to be the Creator of all that is, and as the source of all Truth. All knowledge is derived from, or in some way related to, the Creator God. Three elements that inform our understanding of education are:

• our having been created in the image of God;
• the creation mandate; and
• the principle of stewardship.

The fact that humans are created in the image of God (Ge 1:26-27) sets the stage for our educability. Essential to our understanding of that image are such attributes as language (communication), reasoning, imaginative and …

Preparing For The Crossfire: Equipping Evangelical Leaders For Service In Public Schools, Gary F. Sehorn Dr.

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This article addresses the preparation and support needed by evangelicals who serve as administrators and teacher leaders in public school settings. Educational leadership is lonely, demanding, and draining. This article explores the unique challenges evangelical leaders face because of the ongoing conflict between conservative Christians and public schools. Work-related conflicts that evangelicals experience in the workplace due to faith and the cultural dynamics that fuel this conflict are described. Strategies are proposed for Christian colleges and universities to prepare school leaders for the cultural crossfire.

Book Review, Cathy E. Freytag

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Anderson, D.W. (2012). Toward a theology of special education: Integrating faith and practice. Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press. ISBN: 978-1-4497-7249-9

Those who have read David Anderson’s earlier works will recognize that he has devoted his career to developing what might be referred to as a “theology of disability” or a “hermeneutic of special education” (p. 225). His book, Toward a Theology of Special Education: Integrating Faith and Practice, is a comprehensive treatise on what it means to approach the work of a special educator through an explicitly Christian worldview lens.

Response To Creasey Papers, David L. Johns

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Taking Every Thought Captive: Forty Years Of The Christian Scholar’S Review, Amy Lynn Dee

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Excerpt: "King’s introduction provides the answer to the most compelling and perhaps perplexing question that comes to mind when one picks up a book of articles published from 1970 through 2010. Why? After all, in the day of search engines and electronic data banks, it does not require much of a hunt to unearth older and out-of-print articles. Furthermore, in the academy we often overlook anything with a publication date beyond ten years ago simply because it becomes “historical” and newer scholars have offered alternate perspectives while building upon the contributions of our more distant colleagues, as they should. However, …

Quakers As Radical Christians -- Maurice Creasey's Theological Assessment Of Essential Quakerism, Paul N. Anderson

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.