Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Christianity Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 342

Full-Text Articles in Christianity

Autism And The Body Of Christ: Understanding, Accommodating, And Accepting Autistic Believers In The Church, Kaitlyn Cook Apr 2024

Autism And The Body Of Christ: Understanding, Accommodating, And Accepting Autistic Believers In The Church, Kaitlyn Cook

Senior Honors Theses

Autism is a neurotype that causes a different set of strengths and weaknesses and thus should be embraced and accommodated within the church. Not only are autistic believers able to grasp Christian concepts, but they also have different perspectives and skills that can be instrumental in building up the church. Promoting a correct view of autism and accommodating neurodiversity within the church will allow autistic believers to follow God’s command to be part of a body and build up the church. The church can employ several strategies to create an accessible environment for believers on the spectrum, including creating sensory-safe …


The Scatological Scriptures: A Biblical Theology Of Dung, Zachary C. Hill Apr 2024

The Scatological Scriptures: A Biblical Theology Of Dung, Zachary C. Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Scriptures contain a theology of dung. When the semantic and conceptual cognates that pertain to dung are synthesized, the result is a scriptural scatology whereby dung is presented as a symbol for sin. To clarify, the biblical exhibition of dung presents excrement as a central symbol employed by Scripture to concretize the abstract nature of sin. When each semantic and conceptual cognate that pertains to dung is examined, in nearly every instance where dung is mentioned, sin is in close proximity. The recognition of the dung–sin symbol enlightens particular aspects related to the nature of sin, which mirrors the …


A Phenomenological Study In Attitudes And Belief About The Northern California Homeless Population, Ethel Diane Mckay Dec 2023

A Phenomenological Study In Attitudes And Belief About The Northern California Homeless Population, Ethel Diane Mckay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Homelessness is a problem in the United States. By observing and collecting data regarding the views of multiple stakeholders, this researcher offers a study regarding attitudes and opinions about homelessness in two rural, northern California cities (Barmann, 2018, para. 2). By using a phenomenological approach for gathering and analyzing data, the researcher offers the essence of experiences of those who are helping the homeless population. By interviewing local government officials, pastors, and homeless advocates, where they are, in their offices, churches, or at local coffee shops, this researcher went to where the phenomenon occurs. The purpose of this phenomenological study …


Experiential Truth In Contemporary Worship Environments: The Role Of Late Twentieth And Early Twenty-First Century Worship Music In The Spiritual Formation Of Millennials, Clifford Ernest Lambert Ii Apr 2023

Experiential Truth In Contemporary Worship Environments: The Role Of Late Twentieth And Early Twenty-First Century Worship Music In The Spiritual Formation Of Millennials, Clifford Ernest Lambert Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over the past forty years, the American Church has gone to great lengths to make corporate worship culturally attractive for the purpose of evangelizing the Millennial population. Their main emphasis in accomplishing this has been to shift their approach to culturally relevant modes of presentation.  The main components of this shift have included the style, presentation aesthetic, and lyrical content of corporate worship music.  However, immediately following these methodological shifts has been a disillusionment with the flaws of attractional ministry, leading many to a biblically compromised faith and the espousal of progressive theologies.  A distrust of authority paired with postmodern …


The Consistency Of The Kingdom Of God Through Israel's Unconditional Covenants, Myungwoo Kim Dec 2022

The Consistency Of The Kingdom Of God Through Israel's Unconditional Covenants, Myungwoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Bible consistently presents one common theme: the kingdom of God. Biblical theology focuses on God’s faithfulness, wisdom, and purpose in the process of redemption. The Old Testament expresses the firm belief that God will surely fulfill His covenants and reign forever. The Old Testament prophets believed that the Messiah would come for judgment and salvation. They consistently prophesied the birth and reign of the Messiah, which connects the Old and New Testaments. There is a continuity between the Old and New Testaments. The promises made to Israel in the Old Testament will be fulfilled for Israel, not the church. …


A Reconciliation Of Pauline Complementarian Theology And Egalitarian Narratives In The New Testament, Paul Andrew Morss Nov 2022

A Reconciliation Of Pauline Complementarian Theology And Egalitarian Narratives In The New Testament, Paul Andrew Morss

Masters Theses

The debate about women having authority over men or serving in leadership roles within the church is a controversial topic that has existed for some time. There are different interpretations of the complementarian and egalitarian debate surrounding specific areas in scripture. The Bible is a source of wisdom and truth that is used to direct the lives of Christians and the church. However, both sides point to the same text as the justification for their beliefs. The complementarian and egalitarian debate is far-reaching, but I plan to look at one subject within the larger debate. The scope of my thesis …


Theological Education And Spiritual Formation In The Lives Of Engaged, Emerging Adults, Markus David Colbert Oct 2022

Theological Education And Spiritual Formation In The Lives Of Engaged, Emerging Adults, Markus David Colbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis seeks to answer the following question: What is an effective discipleship method for emerging adults who are already engaged in IChurch? The method chosen was multi-layered and utilized corporate discipleship which involved a classroom setting geared toward theological and doctrinal education based on Bloom-Anderson’s taxonomy of educational objectives, communal discipleship which was concerned with small group activities and peer-to-peer accountability, and personal discipleship geared toward individual spiritual formation given an edited list of Whitney’s personal spiritual disciplines. Participants were asked to take an introductory Theological examination which plotted them from analyze level to the create level of Bloom’s …


Whence Faith? The Nexus Of Passional Reason, Christian Personalism, And Abduction In Apologetics, Thomas Jefferson Gentry Ii May 2022

Whence Faith? The Nexus Of Passional Reason, Christian Personalism, And Abduction In Apologetics, Thomas Jefferson Gentry Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Motivated by a desire to understand better and articulate matters touching on how beliefs are formed, this research considers the possibility of a religious epistemological nexus, a connection between the rational and affective capacities possessed by persons, human dignity and self-determination, and the method of argumentation used by apologists. The thesis defended is that through the means of the concomitance of the human intellect, emotions, and will (passional reason), the whole person is engaged in the process of passional reason whereby one can perceive, assess, and decide to believe in matters of religious faith (Thomistic doxastic voluntarism). Further, at the …


Jesus’S Subversive Reading Of The Isaian Jubilee: Luke 4:16–30 In Theological-Historiographical Perspective, Jeff Scott Kennedy Apr 2022

Jesus’S Subversive Reading Of The Isaian Jubilee: Luke 4:16–30 In Theological-Historiographical Perspective, Jeff Scott Kennedy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A growing number of scholars have proposed that Luke, or his sources, fabricated the story of Jesus reading a text in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:14–30) in order to appeal to the literate sensibilities of Luke’s Greek audience. The thesis of this dissertation is that Luke’s portrayal of Jesus as a capable public reader and expositor of the Scripture is historically credible and Christologically significant. Rather than implying that Jesus was a scribal-literate reader, Luke’s synagogue narrative signals that Jesus was a capable and a welcomed lay-reader of the Prophets, and a capable yet unwelcomed expositor who appeared to have …


Racial Reconciliation: A Theological Approach To Building Relationships, Calvin Glass Sep 2021

Racial Reconciliation: A Theological Approach To Building Relationships, Calvin Glass

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racism within the Christian community in America has resulted in social unrest and has plagued the Christian church in a way that mandates urgent solutions to this untamed malady. This research focus is centered on learning a practicable methodology based on biblical principles that address racial reconciliation (building God-approved relationships) that will combat racial disunity among Christians. The study method used BBR (Building Better Relationships) consisted of interviewing and teaching a focus group representing a Black pastor and five church participants on racial relations issues within the church context. From the recommendations of the senior pastor, a focus group from …


Purging The New Age: A Theological Analysis Of The Use Of New Age Practices By The Church, Christopher Michael Berg Mar 2021

Purging The New Age: A Theological Analysis Of The Use Of New Age Practices By The Church, Christopher Michael Berg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation sets out to demonstrate that Yoga and the Enneagram are not compatible with orthodox Christianity. Additionally, this dissertation will show that all possible attempts at Christianizing these practices ultimately fail due to incompatible underlying philosophies and theologies. In order to accomplish this task, assessment criteria will be developed through a comparison of a subset of evangelical Christian theological topics with their New Age counterparts. These criteria will be used to assess the level of syncretization in each practice as presented by the most popular and prolific Christian practitioners. After assessment, a recommendation will be given concerning each practice’s …


Morality And The Personhood Of God: A Moral Argument For The Existence Of A Personal God, Stephen Scott Jordan Mar 2021

Morality And The Personhood Of God: A Moral Argument For The Existence Of A Personal God, Stephen Scott Jordan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The concept that God is personal is an important part of religious belief. If God were not personal, it would be odd to think of him as moral or loving; it would also seem counterintuitive to speak of him as One with whom humans can have a personal relationship, One who can be trusted, cares for the people he created, listens to their prayers, acts on their behalf, has their best interests at heart, and so on. In short, to talk of such matters in a sensible manner and to experience them in everyday life seemingly requires that God is …


Preparing The Next Generation For A Pluralistic World: The Need To Teach Systematic Theology To Christian Youth, Terrance Jermayne O'Neil Mar 2021

Preparing The Next Generation For A Pluralistic World: The Need To Teach Systematic Theology To Christian Youth, Terrance Jermayne O'Neil

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The continuation of Christianity is rooted in the historical practice of the preceding generation theologically educating the next generation. This process has led to the spreading of the gospel throughout the world. However, in recent years, the Christian church has watched an entire generation walk away from the faith. Many youths who affirmed their faith in Christ are abandoning their confessions and practice. The challenges and skepticism of a pluralistic and relativistic culture have questioned historic Christianity. Regretfully, Christian youth are unable to respond theologically and accurately with confidence. The church has failed to prepare them. This study sought to …


Prosperity Gospel In Liberia: A Theological Alternative To The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Jerome A. Newman Nov 2020

Prosperity Gospel In Liberia: A Theological Alternative To The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Jerome A. Newman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many indigenous Liberian pastors are not theologically grounded on a solid biblical foundation. As such, many Liberian Christians lack foundational knowledge of the truths of the Gospel of Christ for salvation. The prosperity gospel or “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia is a significant deviation from the Gospel of Christ that undermines sound hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture. This study examines why a growing number of pastors in Liberia are replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel. An anonymous survey research study of 12 pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, West …


Establishing Christ Community Church As A Sent Community: Initiating Spiritual Conversation With Confidence, Relevance, And Conviction, William Leland Burch Ii Nov 2020

Establishing Christ Community Church As A Sent Community: Initiating Spiritual Conversation With Confidence, Relevance, And Conviction, William Leland Burch Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that Christ Community Church does not see itself as a ‘sent community.’ A ‘sent community’ is one where purpose and forward movement in Kingdom work is embraced. A church must seek to involve itself in the community, delve into the needs, and speak to the emptiness with the Gospel of Jesus. The purpose of this project is to establish Christ Community Church as a ‘sent community’ by offering a sustentative engagement program which will: 1) describe the mission of Jesus; 2) assess the culture in which the church is situated; 3) answer six frequently asked theological questions; …


Combatting Secular Humanism: Creating A Strategy To Teach Theology And Apologetics To High School Students, Chad J. Brown Sep 2020

Combatting Secular Humanism: Creating A Strategy To Teach Theology And Apologetics To High School Students, Chad J. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today’s society, there are more distractions than ever before. Students graduate from high school and often face worldview attacks from their professors. Many times, students do not have a solid enough understanding of a biblical worldview to respond confidently. The postmodern culture has created a gap between student’s emotional need and the intellectual need for a solid biblical foundation. Secular humanism has become a dominating worldview in our culture, and this project will formulate a strategy to teach theology and apologetics to high school students to combat secular humanism. Discipleship is training of a person’s mental, emotional, and spiritual …


Old Testament Election: God’S Exclusive Means Of Bringing About Global Redemption, Parker Williams Apr 2020

Old Testament Election: God’S Exclusive Means Of Bringing About Global Redemption, Parker Williams

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will seek to explore the doctrine of election as it appears in the Old Testament. It will attempt to provide a robust, biblical conception of the doctrine, shedding light on its nature and purpose, viewing the Bible as a singular story of God’s redemptive work. It will consider and assess election as God’s act of divine prerogative—being at times individual but primarily corporate. While inherently partial, effort will be taken to defend the doctrine against common objections this partiality draws. Rather, it will be shown that as the means by which He initiated His gracious plan of salvation, …


TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard Apr 2019

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 …


C.S. Lewis And The True Myth: A Reconciliation Of Theology, Philosophy, And Mythology, Courage Lowrance Sep 2018

C.S. Lewis And The True Myth: A Reconciliation Of Theology, Philosophy, And Mythology, Courage Lowrance

Masters Theses

C.S. Lewis was both a student of pagan philosophy and mythology and a Christian. He never was divided between these two pursuits in his life, though he gave the latter its proper priority. What allowed Lewis to keep this balance was his idea of the gospel as the True Myth, an idea that helped lead to his conversion and remained at the core of his thinking throughout his life. By this idea of True Myth, Lewis was able to not only unite the pagan myths to Christian truth, but also the rest of human thought as well. Thus, in order …


The Doctrine Of Prophecy, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Prophecy, Harold Willmington

The Things to Come File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Man: Introduction, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Man: Introduction, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Sin, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Sin, Harold Willmington

The Forbidden Fruit File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Salvation, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Salvation, Harold Willmington

The Good, Great, and Glorious File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Angels, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Angels, Harold Willmington

The Hosts of Heaven File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of The Church, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of The Church, Harold Willmington

The Body and Bride File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Satan, Harold Willmington May 2018

The Doctrine Of Satan, Harold Willmington

The Lucifer File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (N-S), Harold Willmington Apr 2018

The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (N-S), Harold Willmington

The Third Person File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (A-M), Harold Willmington Apr 2018

The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (A-M), Harold Willmington

The Third Person File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (X), Harold Willmington Apr 2018

The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (X), Harold Willmington

The Third Person File

No abstract provided.


The Doctrine Of Man: What Is The Destiny Of Man Following His Death?, Harold Willmington Apr 2018

The Doctrine Of Man: What Is The Destiny Of Man Following His Death?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.