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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 314
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter
Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter
Senior Honors Theses
Subthreshold negative emotions have superseded conscious reason as the initial and strongest motivators of political behavior. Political neuroscience uses the concepts of negativity bias and terror management theory to explore why fear-driven rhetoric plays such an outsized role in determining human political actions. These mechanisms of human anthropology are explored by competing explanations from biblical and evolutionary scholars who attempt to understand their contribution to human vulnerabilities to fear. When these mechanisms are observed in fear-driven political rhetoric, three common characteristics emerge: exaggerated threat, tribal combat, and religious apocalypse, which provide a new framework for explaining how modern populist leaders …
Reinventing Holistic Healthcare: Pastoral Perspectives Of Biblical Insights For The American Healthcare System, Leanne Michelle Bergey
Reinventing Holistic Healthcare: Pastoral Perspectives Of Biblical Insights For The American Healthcare System, Leanne Michelle Bergey
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this case study was to examine pastoral perspectives of Biblical healthcare. These perspectives are essential to consider due to the long history of the connection between spirituality and healthcare and the church’s successful intervention worldwide for increasing healthcare outcomes. Since the church has been successful worldwide at creating faith-based organizations that meet community needs, it is vital that research focus on how churches might continue this success within the United States. This study used semi-structured interviews to examine the research questions of 1) What is the Biblical responsibility of healthcare? 2) How does culture influence the role …
A Phenomenological Study Of The Perception Of Racial Unity In Evangelical Churches In Chicago, Amber L. Harvey
A Phenomenological Study Of The Perception Of Racial Unity In Evangelical Churches In Chicago, Amber L. Harvey
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
“Racism in the United States is part of a much older and global phenomenon” that has effects that are seen “today in hearts, minds, and institutions” (Lovelace, 2021, p. 67). Regarding the African American population, housing discrimination continues to be an obstacle to families (Burke et al., 2018), racist systems have led to collateral damage in the health of adults (Bleich et al., 2019), and African American men constitute approximately 25% of police shooting victims (Schwartz, 2020). This study seeks to examine if racism has infiltrated into the local church. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore …
A Phenomenological Study Of Female Master Of Divinity Graduates' Experiences And Role Incongruity At Texas Baptist Seminaries, Michele Lee Taylor
A Phenomenological Study Of Female Master Of Divinity Graduates' Experiences And Role Incongruity At Texas Baptist Seminaries, Michele Lee Taylor
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Women pursue Christian education, obeying God’s call to prepare for ministry leadership. This qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological research study aimed to examine the perspectives of women graduates from Master of Divinity (MDiv) programs at Baptist Seminaries in Texas and to discover if their treatment could be linked to traditionally held beliefs about gender. The lived experiences of the study participants were defined as their first-hand accounts and perceptions of interactions with their male classmates and professors. The theory that guided this study was the Role-Congruity Theory, defined by Eagly and Diekman (2005) as aligning a group’s characteristics with their typical social …
Early Forgiveness Intervention In Substance Abuse Recovery, Susan Janos
Early Forgiveness Intervention In Substance Abuse Recovery, Susan Janos
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Recent statistics have shown significant increases in substance abuse in the United Sates indicated by rising overdose deaths and hospital stays nationwide. This study was conducted to determine if early forgiveness intervention by chaplains and clergy affects the decisions of individuals struggling with substance abuse in considering forgiveness as a pathway to recovery. Based on the success of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step recovery program and recent studies, this research addressed forgiveness as a pathway to recovery for those struggling with substance abuse. Forgiveness was considered in one or more of five areas: forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, forgiveness from …
Ministry After A Leadership Failure: Principles For Transitional Worship Leader, Eric R. Medford
Ministry After A Leadership Failure: Principles For Transitional Worship Leader, Eric R. Medford
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Despite much information and attention given to senior leadership transitions after a moral failure in leadership, there is little information regarding supporting pastoral staff moral failures and how to lead a ministry department to a place of healing and restoration. This thesis examined the distinct challenges of transitional leaders assuming the role of guiding a worship ministry department through a previous leader's moral failure. This study analyzes commonalities and themes to demonstrate the unique challenges the worship ministry faces apart from the church. Literature and research on leadership transitions due to moral failures tend to focus on senior pastoral leadership. …
Family Discipleship: Forming A Biblical Worldview For Godly Decisions, Eric Spencer Mccrickard
Family Discipleship: Forming A Biblical Worldview For Godly Decisions, Eric Spencer Mccrickard
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This action research project focuses on equipping parents to disciple their children in home-based worship, Bible study, and developing a biblical worldview. The problem at The Mission Church is poor decision-making from teens in the student group. The students make decisions from a malformed biblical worldview, resulting in decisions contrary to God’s Word. Further analysis of this problem revealed the need for home-based discipleship. Contemporary literature demonstrates the need for family ministry, specifically family-based discipleship. Thus, this research is critical to developing parents to teach their families God’s precepts (Deut 6:7-9). This thesis intervention seeks to instruct the parents about …
Autism And The Body Of Christ: Understanding, Accommodating, And Accepting Autistic Believers In The Church, Kaitlyn Cook
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 …
Mentorship For African American Female Officers Of Faith In The United States Air Force, Tanquer L. Dyer
Mentorship For African American Female Officers Of Faith In The United States Air Force, Tanquer L. Dyer
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Mentorship has emerged as a critical component for the cultivation and development of leaders. Mentoring is beneficial for the mentee and mentor both personally and professionally. The United States Air Force (USAF) encourages formal and informal mentoring for their leaders through initiatives and regulations. Other branches emphasize leadership development; whereas, the USAF emphasizes career development. While African American female officers of faith continue to hold leadership positions, it is unclear whether mentorship serves as a factor of success. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experience of African American female officers in the USAF …
Church And Community: Bridging The Gap To Create A Culture Of Acceptance And Inclusiveness, Matthew L. Brown
Church And Community: Bridging The Gap To Create A Culture Of Acceptance And Inclusiveness, Matthew L. Brown
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This DMIN project helped St. Paul High Street Baptist Church develop a community engagement team that helped them reestablish its long-lasting relationship with the community surrounding the church. Certain issues within and outside of the church were discussed that had led to a lack of community engagement within recent years. A community engagement team was put together to help bridge the gap between the church and its surrounding community. To help with this, several community engagement team events were held, and surveys were given to both church and community members. Through the successful completion of this project, St. Paul High …
A Phenomenological Study Of Church Polity And Its Impact On Pastoral Leadership And Congregational Health, Travis L. Biller
A Phenomenological Study Of Church Polity And Its Impact On Pastoral Leadership And Congregational Health, Travis L. Biller
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
It is reported that deacon-led churches produce conflict and high pastoral turnover (Harbuck, 2018; Payne, 1996). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how a church governance structure impacts a pastor’s ability to lead, the health of the church, and pastoral retention. The experiences of pastors from deacon-led churches were evaluated for clusters of meaning and compared with the experiences of pastors who serve under an elder-led model of leadership. Nine interviews were conducted—five pastors from deacon-led churches and four from elder-led churches. This study approached the phenomenological design from an interpretive, or hermeneutical approach to understand the …
Biblical Leadership Development: Essential Components In Servant Leadership, André T. Moore Sr.
Biblical Leadership Development: Essential Components In Servant Leadership, André T. Moore Sr.
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
There was a need for a biblical leadership development program at Anointed To Minister Ministries (ATMM). This researcher assessed the effectiveness of the current leadership and concluded that a biblical leadership development program was paramount to the foundation of the church. Furthermore, Henry and Richard Blackaby, argue in their book Spiritual Leadership “failing to develop leaders in an organization is tantamount to gross failure by the leader, whether by design or by neglect.” The purpose for this DMIN action research project was to develop a strategy and to implement a biblical leadership training program for educating, equipping, and empowering selected …
Emulating Paul’S Ministry Leadership In A Diverse And Changing Cultural Landscape, Mark J. Lee
Emulating Paul’S Ministry Leadership In A Diverse And Changing Cultural Landscape, Mark J. Lee
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry project is to train ministry leaders by studying the cross-cultural leadership characteristics of Apostle Paul. Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church is part of the sad statistic of traditional churches that have been declining for the past thirty years. This will continue unless leaders of the church embrace the diverse culture and nature of the surrounding community. Cross-cultural leadership is needed in this time of multi-cultural communities and there is no one better than Paul to demonstrate this indispensable cross-cultural ministry paradigm. If leaders at Central are trained and motivated to embrace Paul’s cross-cultural …
A Qualitative Descriptive Study: What South Carolina Church Leaders Believe About Congregational Active Shooter Preparation, Charles David Watts Jr.
A Qualitative Descriptive Study: What South Carolina Church Leaders Believe About Congregational Active Shooter Preparation, Charles David Watts Jr.
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to establish a baseline of understanding what experiences South Carolina Southern Baptist church leaders have in active shooter training and what they believe about preparing, training, and equipping congregations for an active shooter incident in their house of worship. This researcher examined how church leaders prepare, train, and equip congregations for security threats like active shooter incidents. This study fills a gap in the existing literature, adding to the research by Auten (2021), Rainer (2017), and the FBI (2016). This researcher examined how churches prepare for security threats like active shooter incidents. …
The Effect Of Music On Spiritual Well Being Among Hospice Patients, Mathai Abraham
The Effect Of Music On Spiritual Well Being Among Hospice Patients, Mathai Abraham
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The life expectancy of a hospice patient is approximately six months or less. Hospice care is not for the cure of the disease. It is the care provided to the patients for the symptom management of the disease. Hospice care, known as end-of-life care, is very important for a comfortable and peaceful passage. Holistic care for the hospice patient is the goal of the hospice care plan. A hospice patient’s spiritual well-being can be maintained by spiritual support through a spiritual presence and spiritual conversation; all hospice care institutions' disciplines can provide adequate spiritual aid through their interaction with patients, …
Influence Of Preaching’S Rhetorical Appeal On Evangelical Listeners’ Motivation, Nicholas Anene Oji
Influence Of Preaching’S Rhetorical Appeal On Evangelical Listeners’ Motivation, Nicholas Anene Oji
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Preaching is a form of rhetorical narratology aimed at persuading its audience via sermons to experience a renewal of the mind and the transformation of their life. While previous research established the fact that listeners comprehend sermons through their rhetorical appeal, it has been unclear how this has motivated evangelical listeners to act. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore how the rhetorical appeal of preaching influences evangelical listeners’ motivation at evangelical churches in Savannah, Georgia. A comprehensive approach to exploring a sermon’s rhetorical appeal was utilized by focusing jointly on individual perception and social context. The …
Galileo And The Church: An Ecological Perspective, Holly J. Lawson
Galileo And The Church: An Ecological Perspective, Holly J. Lawson
Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship
The post-medieval church was surrounded by intense sociocultural factors, including the recent Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Although “the Galileo affair,” as it has been dubbed in the years since, is generally presented as a case example of the conflict between science and faith or religion, it is far more complex than these two issues alone. Galileo’s discoveries supporting the Copernican theory entered a complex interplay of factors, eventually leading to a highly pressurized encounter between Galileo and the Inquisition. Galileo’s indictment is a nuanced, poignant example of the rich cultural and contextual factors that drive clashes of religion …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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” …