Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Christian Identity Meets Identity Politics: A Lutheran Approach To Political Engagement, Michael Hanson

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Identity politics has become a frequently referenced and much maligned term used to describe a trend in political engagement in the early 21^st century. Identity politics is employed across the political spectrum and has critics on both the left and right in the United States. Christian Identity Meets Identity Politics examines the contours of identity politics to understand and consider the concerns which lead neighbors to engage in identity politics, accounts for the needs of those neighbors who are denied God’s gift of justice through the state, considers criticisms leveled against identity politics within the greater view of Western …

Tithing: A Biblical Principle For The Sustenance Of Pastor Of The Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Liberia, Simon Dapaye

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Tithing: A Biblical Principle for the Sustenance of Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia Dapaye, Simon Tenyen, “Tithing: A Biblical Principle for the Sustenance of Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia.” Master of Arts Thesis. Concordia Seminary, 2016. 115pp.

This thesis discusses the implication of Numbers 18:22–32 and Malachi 3:6–12 regarding the sustenance of the priesthood and its bearing on New Testament stewardship and giving with an emphasis on a pastor's sustenance. These Old Testament texts set the basis for the Levite tithe, instituted for the sustenance of the priests and Levites, whose function was to …

Promissio Spei God's Eschatological Action In The Church, Richard Aaron Davenport

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Davenport, Richard A. "Promissio Spei: God's Eschatological Action in the Church. “Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2012. 213 pp.

This dissertation, a work in systematic theology, examines the nature of Christian hope in the context of current scholarship in systematic theology. Its goal is to assess the way in which Christian hope is rooted in God's word of promise and the extent to which that promise affects Christian life. The eschatological outlook presented in Scripture shows that God's promises, and the hope that they offer, are presented to all of creation. This dissertation investigates the process by which the communication of …

Women's Ordination- A Litmus Test For Antinomianism, Joseph Omolo

Master of Art Theology Thesis

When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to which I belong, established a deaconess college at the beginning of this century to train young women for parish work, it was not clear which kind of education they were going to be offered. Many observers, both from within and without, saw this as a signal that the church was moving towards the ordination of women. When the first crop of deaconesses graduated and were deployed into the parishes, a great confusion reigned among the members, both clergy and ordinary Christians, regarding the role of these new workers. To compound the …

The Confessional Liturgical Revival Of Theodor Kliefoth And The Works Of Liturgical Revision Of The Preface In Nineteenth-Century Sweden: The Vitality Of The Lord's Supper As Confessed In "He Alone Is Worthy!", Naomichi Masaki

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Masaki, Naomichi. "The Confessional Liturgical Revival of Theodor Kliefoth and the Works of Liturgical Revision of the Preface in Nineteenth-Century Sweden: The Vitality of the Lord’s Supper as Confessed in "He Alone Is Worthy!" Ph.D. diss., St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Seminary, 2005. 379 pp.

The vitality of the Divine Service of the Church of Sweden was enlivened during the second half of the nineteenth century. In this dissertation, the acclamation in the Preface of the Lord’s Supper, "He alone is worthy of thanks and praise!" which emerged through the works of the liturgical revision during that time, is taken as …

The Christological And Ecclesial Pacifism Of Stanley Hauerwas-A Lutheran Analysis And Appraisal, Joel Lehenbauer

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The first purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore and examine the nature and content of Hauerwas's pacifist convictions and claims as a way of understanding more deeply and clearly his contribution to contemporary theology and ethics. There are, as we will see, many different varieties of pacifism. What are the essential characteristics of Hauerwas's pacifism, and what distinguishes it from these other varieties? Where do his pacifist convictions fit into his program for reforming Christian ethics? How do they inform and impact his theology as a whole?

A second purpose will be to examine Hauerwas's pacifism in the …

Bishop Bo Harald Giertz-Pietism And The Ordo Salutis-The Office Of The Holy Ministry, The Word, And Soul Care, Eric Andrae

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Though acknowledged as one of the most influential European churchman of the past century, and widely lauded in American Lutheran circles as the author of the acclaimed The Hammer of God, much remains to be learned in the U.S. of Bishop Emeritus Dr. Bo Harald Giertz (Gothenburg [Goteborg] diocese, Church of Sweden, served 1949-1970) and of his theology, especially concerning the specific doctrine which served as the foundation of the novel, the Order of Grace. Furthermore, interest in Giertz in America is increasing rapidly: several translation projects are underway, a film based on the first chapter of The Hammer of …

Virtue Ethics And The Place Of Character Formation Within Lutheran Theology, Joel Biermann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This study strives to provide a way for all parish pastors to reconsider the task of providing ethical training in a parish setting. The intent of this investigation is to encourage a shift in perception that will allow training in ethics to be evaluated and eventually adopted as both practically positive and theologically valid. Failing that ambitious goal, the study can at least prompt further discussion of the appropriate place of training in ethics, that is, teaching the practical matters of living the Christian life. Understood scripturally, the goal is quite simply to provide a way for congregations faithfully to …

Avery Dulles's Advocacy Of Reformulation Of Dogma And Doctrinal Development, Richard Warneck

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The first chapter of this study examines the setting for Father Dulles's energetic work in the years immediately following Vatican Council II. With respect to the Church’s dogmatic formulations, it was apparent to Father Dulles that the Council tacitly proclaimed the end of irreformability. The Church's doctrinal statements must undergo reformulation in order to express adequately and communicate incisively the Christian faith to the world of the late twentieth century. Furthermore, his own epistemology, methodology, and theology did, in effect, shape his outlook regarding reformulation. These subjects are treated at length in chapter two, complemented by close attention to his …

A Study In The Theology Of Carl Fr Wisloff With Particular Focus On Faith And The Means Of Grace In The Bestowal Of Salvation, Eugene Boe

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The general topic for this work is the relation of faith and the means of grace in the bestowal of salvation. The Lutheran Church from her beginning has believed, confessed and taught that we are saved by grace through faith alone. This is stated briefly in the Augsburg Confession, Article IV.

Our churches also teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works but are freely justified for Christ's sake through faith 2 when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by …

The Missiological Significance Of The Doctrine Of Justification In The Lutheran Confessions, Klaus Schulz

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Generally the Lutheran Confessions are understood in the traditional sense as the normative sources for Lutheran doctrine; in addition, they are also documents which offer valuable missiological insights. To support the latter observation the following study attempts to read the Lutheran Confessions with a heightened missiological perspective. Such a reading takes up the interests and concerns frequently raised by Lutheran theologians who in light of the increasing changes in mission see the theological integrity of Lutheran mission endangered. Consequently, they plea for a return to the Book of Concord from which guiding principles for Lutheran mission m Confessions, though, should …

Κοινo͂Nia: The Biblical Proclamation Of Κοινo͂Nia And Its Relationship To The Proclamation And Celebration Of The Lord's Supper, Gregory Seltz

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

"Fellowship." What does it mean? How is one to “achieve" it? Or, does one achieve it at all? What are the modern views concerning koin ͂οnia and do they parallel Paul’s use of the term in his writings? Where is the koin ͂οnia hall in the church? Pastors, theologians and lay people alike are challenged to answer these questions, either overtly or subtly, for true faith looks to root itself on solid, common, KOINON, ground. The task of this study is to pursue clarity regarding koin ͂οnia which may help in recognizing when it is spoken of in lesser, other, …

The Arminian Libertarian Doctrines Of Freedom And Responsibility Evaluated According To Biblical-Reformed Doctrine Of Sin, Carlos Heber De Campos

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Now the question to be asked is this: How can the human will decide to perform acts spiritually good, or have the ability of contrary choice, if it is determined by the condition of man's nature? Has man the moral ability to perform contrary to his own nature? Those who try to study man's moral ability without seriously knowing man’s total depravity, make a serious mistake.

The Nature And Function Of The Lutheran Confessions In Twentieth Century American Lutheranism, Charles Arand

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

By concentrating on what theologians and church leaders have written on the sub­ject of the confessional principle and confessional subscription, this study has dealt with those who had or have an interest in the subject. It may or may not be representative of the way in which the church at large regards and deals with the church's symbols. Attempting to address such a concern, this study has referred to official synodical resolutions and dec­larations as illustrative that the confessional attitude of the theologians was also representa­tive of their church's position. At the same time, however, it may be pointed out …

Current Models In Roman, Lutheran, And Reformed Prolegomena: Exposition, Analysis, And Programmatic Assessment, David Lumpp

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The marketplace is currently experiencing no shortage of systematic theologies. At both the popular and academic levels, volumes are published at a rate exceeding the ability of any one scholar to digest or evaluate. The methodological pluralism alluded to above is now a cacophony. Yesterday’s mentors are challenged by process theology, theologies of hope, and seemingly infinite manifestations of liberation theology--to name only several of the most obvious.

With this history and the above cautions in mind, this essay will explore the definition, guiding motif, and methodology of three major contemporary theologians: Bernard Lonergan, Helmut Thielicke, and Edward Farley, representing …

A Theological Assessment Of Minjung Theology, Systematically And Biblically, Yong Wha Na

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

It is imperative for the church of Christ Jesus to teach and preach all the contents of the gospel systematically and biblically (Matt. 28:20). Therefore, if the churches emptied of the material contents of the gospel, it cannot stand at all.

This thesis attempts to show how seriously minjung theology deviates from the true teachings of the Scriptures. And, at the same time, this thesis contrasts the teachings of minjung theology with the Scriptural meanings of the gospel, with the goal that we should be sure of the fact that the kingdom of God can be planted only by the …

The Apostolic Tradition- A Study Of The Texts And Origins, And Its Eucharistic Teachings With A Special Exploration Of The Ethiopic Version, Eshetu Abate

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

This study will engage only one piece of the great body of material that is ours by way of the Ethiopic tradition. What we know of the inter-testamental period and of early Christianity would be poorer without what comes to us through the Ethiopic tradition, both where it overlaps with other traditions, and where it is unique. Among its unique witnesses of the inter-testamental period are Jubliees, 1 Book of Enoch and the Ascension of Isaiah. Of these the complete text is provided only by their Ethiopic versions. The traditions of the Early Church preserved in the Ethiopic tradition are …

The Kingly Office Of Christ In The Old Testament, Clarence Peters

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

In the words of Luther's Small Catechism “the kingly office of Christ consists in this, that he mightily rules over all creatures, and especially governs and protects His Church, and finally leads it to glory.