Christianity Commons^™

Book Review: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping The Face Of The Church By J.D. Payne, Scott Zeller

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

About The Great Commission Research Network, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Technology And Wonder In Thirteenth-Century Iberia And Beyond, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

As the desire for affective experiences of the sacred increased in communities across Europe in the late Middle Ages, the Christian faithful crafted lifelike, mechanized figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints for use in religious festivals. Although each devotional culture evidences unique body/object relationships and meanings, in general animated ritual objects encouraged lay participation in the celebration of saints and the Passion by engaging the senses, and, consequently, an emotional sense of God. In this essay I investigate the ritual alliances between moveable, prop-like saints and their Iberian devotees, in particular the performative meanings that arose from encounters …

A Training Program For The Mentoring Ministry At Spencer Baptist Church In Spindale, North Carolina, Bruce Ray Caldwell

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A training program was developed to equip adult volunteers to be mentor/encouragers to adolescents. Believing Christian adults have a responsibility to nurture and encourage the church's children and youth, adult volunteers were led through training to enable them to give this support. Surveys and questionnaires measured the effectiveness of the weekly training sessions. Following the training, the mentor/encourager program was initiated.

Learning Together: Integrating Worship, Education, And Personal Devotion At Oakhurst Baptist Church Of Asheboro, North Carolina, Hunter Duncan

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The hypothesis of this project is that an integrated worship experience that engages church members with one biblical concept each week through various interactions will strengthen the community of faith. The ministry experiment sought to accomplish this goal by integrating weekly worship, Sunday School, daily devotions, and an internet-based discussion forum. Data was collected from project participants before the project began, weekly to measure the ongoing impact, and again at the project's conclusion. The results of the project revealed that integrating worship elements does improve engagement with the community of faith and the overall satisfaction with the weekly worship experience.

Discovery And Integration: A Framework Of Spiritual Formation For The Leadership Team Of Via Faith Community, Winston-Salem, Nc, Linda Marie Jones

Doctor of Ministry Projects

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinth, 3:17-18, NLT )

The process of spiritual formation can be seen throughout all of scripture; men and women, growing in faith, learning to truly love God, themselves and God's people. There is something so special to be on this journey of faith …

Empowering Clinical Staff To Provide Spiritual Care For Patients With Life Limiting Illness And Their Family Members Under Hospice Cleveland County Care, Terry Pinkney Floyd

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Staff members at Hospice Cleveland County struggle to provide quality spiritual care to dying patients or their family members because the staff members are not trained chaplains. Staff members tend to fall back on "pat" answers that can sometimes cause the patient or family members to have even more unresolved spiritual issues.

This project sought to determine whether or not hospice staff could become more empowered to give quality spiritual care by being introduced to the basics of pastoral care to the dying and their families. Information was shared by way of presentations; practical experience was gained by role-playing and …

Incorporating Giving As An Integral Part Of Worship At Blessed Harvest Institute Of Charlotte, North Carolina, Brian Gerard Fite

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Giving is one of the most effective forms of worship we have available to us, but it has become the most exploitive and misunderstood element of the worship service. The methods and language used to frame giving within worship have led to exploitation resulting in unwillingness to wholeheartedly participate in giving as an element of worship. The literature addressing giving and the biblical interpretations are lacking in accurately speaking to the issues that arise in applying Old and New Testament scripture to address giving as an element of worship. There are a growing number of articles attempting to address the …

Mobilizing Cedar Spring Baptist Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina, For Creation Care Through Project "C.A.R.E." (Christians Assuming Responsibilty For The Earth), Malcolm Todd Lowe

Doctor of Ministry Projects

For many Baptist churches, the theology and practice of environmental stewardship has historically been viewed as irrelevant to the Great Commission. However, as environmental degradation increasingly affects the lives of people and the earth's ecosystems, it is imperative that Christians understand the connection between the care of the environment and God's redemptive work for humanity. Through a designed project called C.A.R.E. (Christians Assuming Responsibility for the Earth) which involved the congregation and a Bible study group from Cedar Spring Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, this project proves that theological education can positively influence attitudes towards environmental stewardship.

Stations Of The Cross: An Imitative Devotional Exercise Conducted At Lamb Of God Lutheran Church Spartanburg, South Carolina, John Rickert

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The general goal of this project was to strengthen the spiritual life of the members of Lamb of God Lutheran Church, Spartanburg, SC. It was held that introducing a form of the Stations of the Cross at Lamb of God could help towards this goal. The congregation responded to both a pre-project survey and a post-project survey. Three couples were also interviewed before and after the project. The results indicate that the Stations of the Cross can indeed be valuable in strengthening the spiritual life of believers who use them.

Anguish And Joy In God’S Service, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2013: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

The Messiah And His People, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2013: Isa 11:1-10; Ps 72; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

The Awesome Responsibility Of Leadership (Chicago), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this address at the University of Chicago's Booth Graduate School of Business, Pollard reflects on the need for servant leadership among corporate managers. Such leadership, he contends, will be rooted in faith and oriented to the holistic development of those the organization employs.

Art And Symbolism: The Technique Of Applying Hidden Meaning And Communicating Specific Ideas Through Art, Andrea C. Macbean

Senior Honors Theses

Symbolism is an artistic style frequently used in the arts. Through the course of art history, it was its own artistic movement as well. The incorporation of specific symbols, shapes, colors, or identifiable images communicates to the viewer an intended message or statement. Frequently, symbolism appears to be hidden or initially unperceived by the intended audience. In some works, symbolism is so abstract that it needs explanation or clarification to be understood completely by the viewer. This thesis will analyze a few techniques of symbolism that can be incorporated in a work of art to communicate truth, entice thought, point …

Discipleship As A Catalyst For Personal Transformation In The Christian Faith, Vanessa Marie Seifert

Theses & Dissertations

Some Christian churches approach the majority of their faith expression with a 'go to the community' dynamic, while other churches focus primarily on attracting the community to 'come to them.' The problem is that there is a growing population of religiously unaffiliated people in the United States for whom traditional forms of faith expression are not meaningful. A new way of thinking about communal faith expression is needed if the church seeks to reach people who are spiritually curious but not interested in the attractional church model. The journey towards organizational change, even for churches, often begins with a commitment …

Foundation For Peace, Lawrence Frizzell

Department of Religion Publications

Cycle A liturgical readings for the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2013: Is 2:1-5; Ps 122; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44. This article was previously published in The Catholic Advocate.

Review Of Revelation, A. Boyd Luter

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

No abstract provided.

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 60, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Here Come The Nones! Pluralism And Evangelization After Denominationalism And Americanism, William L. Portier

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This essay begins with a four-part overview of American Catholic history focused on the building and dissolution of an immigrant Catholic subculture. The final period, “Catholics and the Dynamics of Pluralism (1968-present)” leads naturally into a discussion of the demography of Catholics in the United States. Particular attention is given to the trend to disaffiliation among millennials and how best to interpret it. Pastoral and theological reflections on the demography of disaffiliation emphasize the need for the church in the United States to take on an evangelical form more suited to a pluralism that is post-denominational and post-Americanist, and how …

Service V. Presence: Implementation Of The Ministry Of Service In The Military Chaplaincy - A Receptivity And Feasibility Study, Mark Tinsley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In Spring 2012, a new ministerial paradigm for the military chaplaincy was proposed in a thesis entitled “The Ministry of Service: A Critical Practico-Theological Examination of the Ministry of Presence and its Reformulation for Military Chaplains.” Known as the “ministry of service,” this new paradigm was heralded as a potential replacement for the current presence-ministry model that has guided military chaplains for decades. The purpose of the current research project is to determine the receptivity of this proposed paradigmatic shift among Army service members, analyze strengths and weaknesses of implementing a new ministry model, and verify if procedures and administrative …