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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 40
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Salvation Testimony Of African-American Converts In The Protestant Faith: A Phenomenological Study, Tenielle Jones Cook
The Salvation Testimony Of African-American Converts In The Protestant Faith: A Phenomenological Study, Tenielle Jones Cook
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Humanity's frailty and mortal existence create the space for a spiritual conversion experience that resolves matters of life and death. However, spirituality is an abstract concept with an ambiguous definition, and activities surrounding the application of its concepts are interpreted differently from one religious group or community to the next. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the salvation testimony of African-American males and females in the Protestant faith. A semi-structured interview and Conversation analysis are used for data collection and analysis to identify emerging themes for the descriptive essence of the salvation testimony. At this stage in …
The Need For A Spiritual Reboot In The Youth Of Great Commission Church, Jean Max B St Louis
The Need For A Spiritual Reboot In The Youth Of Great Commission Church, Jean Max B St Louis
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The decline of the youth attendance is evident in many Protestant churches. This research paper examined forty-three young believers from three Haitian Baptist churches, respectively, located in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. These data results help develop a suitable spiritual program that includes the six key influencing factors for spiritual growth: discipleship, mentoring, parental influence, church attendance, personal devotion, and ministerial involvement. This spiritual program was tested on a small group of young people from Great Commission Church in Queens. This research uses a mixed-method methodology, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data. The …
A Correlational Study: Second-Chair Leaders' Level 5 Leadership Score And Church Growth Among Southern Baptist Megachurches, Martin Benjamin Lovvorn
A Correlational Study: Second-Chair Leaders' Level 5 Leadership Score And Church Growth Among Southern Baptist Megachurches, Martin Benjamin Lovvorn
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
As the church strives to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and navigate tumultuous times to fulfill its Great Commission, church leaders must strive to understand the type of leadership required to best accomplish their kingdom work. In researching the type of pastoral leadership that will most effectively build the church of Jesus Christ and advance his kingdom, much work has been dedicated to examining the leadership styles and influence of senior or lead pastors. However, few studies have explored the influence of second-chair pastoral leaders (SCPLs). This study is the first to quantitatively examine whether SCPLs who demonstrate the personal humility …
Wounding Words: A Phenomenological Study Of How Individuals Experience Receiving Spiritual Bypass, Peridot Reed-Gilbert
Wounding Words: A Phenomenological Study Of How Individuals Experience Receiving Spiritual Bypass, Peridot Reed-Gilbert
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Currently spiritual bypass refers to a person's attempt to evade or sidestep significant events in his or her life by focusing solely on the spiritual dimension “bypassing” important psychological tasks necessary for healing (Cashwell & Young, 2004; Clarke et al., 2013). Several studies have been conducted proving that spiritual bypass is a phenomenon that individuals implement on themselves. However, the purpose of this study was to address the gap in the existing research literature by examining the lived experiences of those who have experienced receiving spiritual bypass from another person. Through semi-structured interviews, fourteen participants who self-identified as having experienced …
Engaging The Church Body Of First Baptist Church Of Baldwyn Through A Ministry Placement Process, Jonathan Haley Uhrig
Engaging The Church Body Of First Baptist Church Of Baldwyn Through A Ministry Placement Process, Jonathan Haley Uhrig
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Churches often struggle with finding enough volunteers to staff their ministries fully. The church staff and a small percentage of its membership usually does most of the ministry. Instead of pleading for more volunteers and putting pressure on those already serving to add additional ministries, churches can equip their current membership to serve in the church as they are gifted. When someone comes to Christ, God gives them at least one spiritual gift. Believers also have ministry passions and talents that can be leveraged for building and growing the church. Churches can help their members discover their spiritual gifts and …
Prayer’S Effect On Love And Respect In Christian Married Couples, Gabrielle Knorr Keenum
Prayer’S Effect On Love And Respect In Christian Married Couples, Gabrielle Knorr Keenum
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study explored the relationship of Christian religious couples between marital prayer, either with spouse or for spouse, and the Biblical directive found in the New Testament that husbands and wives should both love and respect their spouse. Previous research is explored which finds multiple benefits religiosity and prayer have upon a couple’s relationship. The benefits of religiosity include couples view marriage as sacred and God as their moral authority which produces higher marital satisfaction and marital commitment. Benefits of relational prayer include increased trust, increased marital satisfaction, increased forgiveness, higher ability to resolve marital conflict, lower marital infidelity, higher …
A Model For Biblical Worldview Development In Non-Denominational Christian Young Adults: A Dissertation-In-Praxis, Calvin Perry
A Model For Biblical Worldview Development In Non-Denominational Christian Young Adults: A Dissertation-In-Praxis, Calvin Perry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The ideas of worldview and worldview development have not been around long but have been a matter of interest and understanding in the non-denominational area of Christianity, along with the field of scholarly research. Organizational theories play a major role in the development of all individuals. The purpose of this dissertation-in-praxis study was to test and apply a theoretical model for biblical worldview development among non-denominational Christians, ages 24-29. A qualitative method was employed using an applied research design following a deductive research approach. A worldview model was created to help understand the worldview perspective of participants. In qualitative research, …
Boundless Community: A Virtual Platform Designed For Collaborative Development Of Emotional Well-Being, Sai On Ng
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This research aims to apply the US Army concept of spiritual readiness to help Christians manage emotional stress in a civilian context through an online community. This project invites disconnected Christians to join an online community where they can address negative emotions by developing self-awareness of their maladaptive thinking and embody the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. This approach assists individuals in building emotional resilience, a concept emphasized in the military. This project addresses five negative emotions (anger, shame, sadness, fear, and loneliness) by replacing them with positive emotions taught in the Bible. The project consists of eight …
Exploring The Biblical And Theological Foundations Of Security Decisions By Church Leaders, John M. Tuohy
Exploring The Biblical And Theological Foundations Of Security Decisions By Church Leaders, John M. Tuohy
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This qualitative phenomenological multi-case study explored the practical, ethical, theological, and biblical foundations of decisions regarding an active security strategy at church gatherings by a cross-section of mainline and nondenominational churches. For the purposes of this study, an active security strategy was defined as a formal plan for site security based on the use of security personnel. This definition included any combination of volunteer personnel, contracted private security personnel, or sworn police officers acting in an official or off-duty capacity while providing security for the gathered congregation. The theory of shepherd leadership, as defined by Laniak (2006), and which related …
Taking Dominion To End Dominion: The Mennonite Influence On The End Of Russian Serfdom, H. Michael Shultz Jr.
Taking Dominion To End Dominion: The Mennonite Influence On The End Of Russian Serfdom, H. Michael Shultz Jr.
Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History
Serfdom in Russia was abolished in 1861, only 76 years after the first Mennonites were invited into Russia by Catherine II. By examining the lifestyle of the Mennonites who settled in the agriculturally productive “New Russia” (modern-day Ukraine), as well as the impact that the Mennonites had on the Imperial family, peasantry, and government, it is evident that the Mennonites played a recognizable role in bringing about the abolition of serfdom across the empire.
Improving Diversity And Inclusion Increasing Multiethnic Presence Within Religious Organizations, Marquita Nicole Davie
Improving Diversity And Inclusion Increasing Multiethnic Presence Within Religious Organizations, Marquita Nicole Davie
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The program is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within a religious organization by increasing the participation of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds. The validity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s statement regarding the most segregated time in Christian America being Sunday mornings will be evaluated through observation, exploration, and scholarly articles. The Fort Leonard Wood Protestant Women of the Chapel will serve as a framework for program design and implementation. The program serves to boost the presence of multiethnic members and leaders by 10% and 5%, respectively. This program will adhere to a logic model that will include five …
Centrality Of Religiosity As A Predictor Of Motivational Needs For The Gen Z Cohort, Ryan A. Willcockson
Centrality Of Religiosity As A Predictor Of Motivational Needs For The Gen Z Cohort, Ryan A. Willcockson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Past research has focused exhaustively on the motivational needs of older generational cohorts, while Gen Z receives minimal attention. Simultaneously, no research exists examining Gen Z’s centrality of religiosity or how their religiousness might affect motivational needs. This focus by research is crucial because the global number of Gen Z individuals now eclipses the current population of Baby Boomers and Gen X (Ajzen, 2020). This gap in motivational and religious centrality research is arguably due to many studies downplaying Gen Z’s motivational needs with claims that their motivations, centrality of religiosity, and behavioral choices are like that of Gen X …
The Impact Of Preaching The Image Of God As Disability-Inclusive, Laurie E. Thompson
The Impact Of Preaching The Image Of God As Disability-Inclusive, Laurie E. Thompson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
According to Howard (2010), the North American Mission Board (NAMB) considers the disabled community in America to be unreached by the church. Hardwick (2021) also writes, “The disability community is the most unique community, the largest minority group in the world” (p. 12). This quantitative descriptive research study explored the frequency of preaching the biblical principle imago Dei, found in Genesis 1:27, in a way that includes the disabled, and how this preaching may impact disability-inclusivity in the church. The Word of God states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them” …
Paul And Economics: A Theology Of The Gospel And Economics, Brent Allen Myers
Paul And Economics: A Theology Of The Gospel And Economics, Brent Allen Myers
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
An often overlooked biblical theology that the Apostle Paul addresses is economics. Economics impacts every area of an individual's life and even more so in the ancient world. Paul's chief concern is with the gospel of Jesus and one of the chief components of a believer's new life in Christ is how they handle their own economic situation. This work seeks to analyze the writings of Paul and explore his comments on the economic realities of individuals based on God's authority.
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lack Of Baptist Church Participation In Seminole County, Florida, Ismael Melendez
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lack Of Baptist Church Participation In Seminole County, Florida, Ismael Melendez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This phenomenological study explores the reasons for a lack of participation in in-person Baptist churches and the rise of participation in online Baptist churches in Seminole County, Florida. The theory guiding this study was Martin Heidegger’s hermeneutical framework which focuses on the commonality of experiences. Heidegger believed that to arrive at the essence of a phenomenon a researcher must go through the revisionary process of what Heidegger termed the Hermeneutic Circle. The principal research question in this study explored existing relationship(s) between in-person and online Baptist church leaders and how such relationship(s) contributed to a lack of church participation. The …
Being Present Without Being Present: An Internet-Based Approach To Providing Pastoral Counseling To An Always Online Generation, Stephen Lyon Woolverton
Being Present Without Being Present: An Internet-Based Approach To Providing Pastoral Counseling To An Always Online Generation, Stephen Lyon Woolverton
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The increasing reliance that Millennials and Gen-Z Christians have on the internet for almost every question that comes up in their lives should be viewed by pastoral counselors as a cultural context that need to be understood as part of the counseling process and not an obstacle to the counseling process. The emergence of the internet, and the part that it has played in the culture of American Christians who have grown up with constant access to this avenue of communication, has only recently begun to be seen and utilized by pastoral counselors. This research uses the perspective of a …
The Impact Of The Fall On Behavior, Intellect, And Emotion, Robert Monte Nelson
The Impact Of The Fall On Behavior, Intellect, And Emotion, Robert Monte Nelson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this research is to explore theological doctrines surrounding the Fall and to examine the impact of the Fall on human behavior, intellect, and emotion. This research maintains that the Fall of Adam led to the corruption of the volition, intellect, and emotions of Adam and Eve, who were created in the image of a perfect and holy God, without sin, and argues that humanity’s fallen condition impacts human emotions; however, they are distinct from divine emotions and are not an aspect of the imago Dei. Therefore, this dissertation will explore the meaning of the imago Dei, the …
Preparing Church Counselors For Obsessive Morbid Jealousy, David M. Reinhardt
Preparing Church Counselors For Obsessive Morbid Jealousy, David M. Reinhardt
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This research addressed the problem of the lack of training in pastoral counselors in the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Iquique, Chile, to help wives and their families suffering suspicious jealousy due to childhood traumas. This DMIN action research project trained pastoral counselors to connect childhood trauma to wives suffering suspicious jealousy. There are two stages of this action research; the first is to establish the connection of obsessive morbid jealousy (OMJ) to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The second is to prepare pastors and counselors to recognize the symptoms and causes of obsessive morbid jealousy and to have a clear strategy …
Improving The Biblical And Spiritual Skills And Knowledge Of Christian Mental Health Counselors At Grace House Counseling Center In Fleming Island, Fl, Larry M. Nichols
Improving The Biblical And Spiritual Skills And Knowledge Of Christian Mental Health Counselors At Grace House Counseling Center In Fleming Island, Fl, Larry M. Nichols
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Christian licensed mental health counseling at Grace House Counseling Center is a multi-faceted spiritual undertaking that is largely in the purview of lay persons who often work and minister to Christians and non-Christians who live and work in a pluralistic environment. Grace House’s mental health counselors are formally trained through their master’s degree program to provide mental health care, not spiritual or soul care, to clients. While some Grace House counselors have some spiritual training, either from an undergraduate Bible college or through years of self-study, most do not have formal training that links Scripture and spiritual disciplines to various …
The Word Made Digital: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Increase Bible Engagement, Henry Lee Jackson Iii
The Word Made Digital: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Increase Bible Engagement, Henry Lee Jackson Iii
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this descriptive study was to understand whether a relationship exists between an individual's behavioral intention to use a Bible-based chatbot that leverages AI to create human-like engagement with Scripture and the constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, perceived enjoyment, and perceived risk, controlling for gender, age, and experience among registered users of the Inductive Bible Study App. Data was collected through an online survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), multi-group analysis (MGA), and homogeneity-of-slopes analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). While this quantitative descriptive study validated the correlation between each of the four reflective …
Pastoral Leadership As A Perceived Factor Of Changing Church Membership In South Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Bobby L. Dukes
Pastoral Leadership As A Perceived Factor Of Changing Church Membership In South Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Bobby L. Dukes
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The role of a pastor comprises many duties and responsibilities within the church; some have led to chaos. Clinton et al. (2005), states many churches are mired in a significant leadership crisis (p. 10). Pastors are called to lead people in spiritual growth, with the end goal of parishioners living a mature spiritual life for the sake of Christ, not the contrary. The enormity of pastoral leadership has a lasting effect. Kristin Tabb (2017) claims that relatively minor church hurts leave people with a burned-out feeling during service, while the more serious wounds leave parishioners soul-scarred and physically sick at …
The Biblical Worldview And Libraries, Gregory A. Smith
The Biblical Worldview And Libraries, Gregory A. Smith
Faculty Publications and Presentations
This essay documents the process and outcomes of a structured, group-based effort used to explore the connections between the biblical worldview and librarianship. Participants in the inquiry process included the author (as moderator) and seven of his colleagues. The process entailed examining four “frames” of the biblical narrative (Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation) and eliciting implications for the realm of libraries. The biblical worldview was found to provide remarkably practical theory concerning libraries, accounting for their existence across diverse cultures worldwide; plausibly explaining virtues, flaws, opportunities, and challenges; and prescribing principles through which Christians can advance God’s kingdom through library …
Marital Quality And Marital Satisfaction In Protestant Haitian Americans Vs. Non-Christian Haitian Americans, Frantz Lamour
Marital Quality And Marital Satisfaction In Protestant Haitian Americans Vs. Non-Christian Haitian Americans, Frantz Lamour
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The current study examined perceptions regarding marital satisfaction as described by Protestants Haitians Americans and non-Christian Haitian Americans. Participants were selected from married Christian and non-Christian couples that have been married for over five years within the age range of 25-53. The study used the Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy theory (R-CBT) framework. R-CBT is a well-known theoretical framework that integrates religious interventions in the therapeutic relationship to educate clients about the triangular relationship between thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and cognitive restructuring (de Abreu Costa & Moreira-Almeida, 2022). Religion-Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (R-CBT) incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy methods from the perspective of …
Spiritual Abuse In Augusta, Georgia: Reconciling The Spiritually Abused To The Local Church, James A. Getts
Spiritual Abuse In Augusta, Georgia: Reconciling The Spiritually Abused To The Local Church, James A. Getts
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this action-based research project was to address the absence of a therapeutic process wherein pastoral counselors at Life Management Group (LMG) can responsibly attempt to reconcile spiritually abused Christians to a local church in Augusta, Georgia. One hundred percent of clients citing spiritual abuse in LMG’s pastoral counseling department were abstaining from any religious activity within a community of faith at the outset of this project. Data was researched at the international, national, state, and local levels. The researcher concluded that published research related to the topic of spiritual abuse is theoretical in nature only and not …
A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Exploring Leadership Efficacy: Understanding The Impact Of Shame In Christian Leaders, Matthew James Williamson
A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Exploring Leadership Efficacy: Understanding The Impact Of Shame In Christian Leaders, Matthew James Williamson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the Christian leader’s experience of shame within organizations and its impact on their leadership efficacy. For this study, shame is defined as a deep sense of internal, negative pressure that typically elicits a subconscious desire to suppress or deflect. Since every organizational leadership role has a degree of accountability, emotional risk is potentially present in all negotiable interactions. This paper investigated the social/cultural encouragement of shame and potential avoidance of shame when emotional risk and failure are perceived. Brené Brown’s (2006) Shame Resilience Theory inspired this study. This theory is aligned with the purpose of …
The Influence Of Religion On Marital Crisis: A Qualitative Study, Kendal Florence Thomas
The Influence Of Religion On Marital Crisis: A Qualitative Study, Kendal Florence Thomas
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this case study was to explore how married Christians couples and pastors perceive the influence of religion, religious over-idealization, and community-centered social processes on couples’ ability to cope with relationship crises within their marriage in New York. The theory guiding this study was the Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura (1977). The Social Learning Theory was fundamental in the discussion of marriage because behaviors can occur in a marriage that one spouse may disagree with, but due to lack of consequences or rewards, the behavior has persisted, leading to conflict within the marriage. The researcher interviewed ten …
A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley
A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The trajectory of the seminary training curriculum has evolved pedagogically at projecting adequate church leadership education and hands-on development. However, empirical research reveals that the seminary struggles with preparing generations of church leaders for modern church responsibilities including executive leadership, tactical performance, administration, and church organizational culture (Crowson, 2021; Costin, 2008). Hicks (2012), as cited by Smith (2017) states, “Recent studies have begun to explore the need for management training for pastors” (p. 2). Graduates as well as current church leaders report feeling ill-equipped for the increasing duties for today’s church culture. This qualitative, phenomenological study evaluated mid-to-senior level Christian …
Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties
Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Although many excellent books, commentaries, and journal articles have been written on worship leadership, no framework for worship leadership has been developed based upon Exodus 15:1-21 or Judges 5. The purpose of previous research has not been to discover principles of leadership, praise, and worship, or composition of music for use in ministry nor to develop a consensus about the roles played by the males and females in these texts. To develop a proposal for filling this lacuna, the present thesis will study Exodus 15:1-21 and (comparatively) Judges 5. This qualitative study will employ the exegetical methods of socio-rhetorical analysis …
A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin
A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …
Mirroring Jesus’S Prayerful Approach To Interactions With Dissatisfied Followers Through The Lens Of The Modern Worship Pastor, Bryant Timothy William West
Mirroring Jesus’S Prayerful Approach To Interactions With Dissatisfied Followers Through The Lens Of The Modern Worship Pastor, Bryant Timothy William West
Masters Theses
This study shows the life and mission of Jesus through His interactions with conflict and will show how worship pastors can apply these lessons to the church. Detailing Jesus's prayer life and His approach to interacting with others, examining the approach worship leaders should have when interacting with similar people. The report will concentrate on three areas of study, including Jesus's prayer life, his ministry, and how the worship pastor can create a church that parallels Christ. Jesus' ministry and discussions with the Pharisees show worship pastors how they should approach church members. This discussion is due to the struggles …