History of Christianity Commons^™

Bridging The Latino--Anglo Gap: A Transition Towards A Cross-Cultural Church At First Baptist Church, Robbins, North Carolina, Ernesto Robledo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In its 2,000 years of existence, the church has remained mostly segregated in regards to the inclusion of other cultures within one setting. Christians from various traditions have spent centuries trying to be more like Jesus as they worshiped in many different settings. Even though the church has been active for so long, the reality is that she has been predominantly white. Through an intentional pastoral project, twenty-four individuals participated in a four-week bilingual Bible study and a community-wide missionary event. These purposeful interactions proved that the church can change her traditional ministry pattern by engaging members of the Latino …

What Kind Of Confession Is The Augsburg Confession?: "I Shall Speak Of Your Decrees Before Kings, And Shall Not Be Put To Shame" (Psalm 119:46), Steven D. Paulson

Faculty Publications

What is the genre of the Augsburg Confession? Knowing this identifies the meaning and use of the document historically and presently. The confession is apocalyptic, despite the disparaging place this genre has held in recent theology. The case comes especially from Martin Luther’s own correspondence of the time and his later recollection of the events given in his 1542 Genesis lectures. In the Genesis lectures Luther connected Augsburg to the conflict Rebecca had come to in the case of primogeniture and Jacob. The first table of the commandments came into strange conflict with the second: the law of authority conflicting …

Christian, Providential, And Ecclesiastical: Graphing Christian Perspectives On History, Paul Otto

Faculty Publications - Department of History and Politics

No abstract provided.

“Go Sell Your Oil And Pay Your Debt!” Economic Life In Ancient Israel, Roger S. Nam

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Ancient Israel did not know the economic concepts of banks, insurance, tuition, profit and retirement. Other economic terms such as taxes, labor, debt and even prices were all fundamentally different in meaning. When interpreting biblical texts, we must carefully consider the different settings of modern capitalism and ancient Israel’s economy.

The Sweet And Gentle Struggle: Francis De Sales On The Necessity Of Spiritual Friendship (2014 Ebook Version), Terence A. Mcgoldrick

Theology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Revelation 13 And The Imperial Cult, Chang In Sohn

Beets Paper Contest

No abstract provided.

"The Loved One Does Not Yet Know All She Shall Become": Mysticism As Eschatology In Medieval Writers., John C. Medendorp

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

New developments in the study of Western Christian mysticism demand that the mystics be interpreted theologically if we are to accept the mystics on their own terms and take them seriously. This study argues that the medieval mystics in Europe up to the 13th century understand their work to be eschatological in nature, interpreting the mystical experience of union with the Divine as an inbreaking or foretaste of the eschaton. Reading Hadewijch of Antwerp, a 13th century Dutch mystic, together with contributions from Augustine of Hippo, Bernard of Clarivaux, and Hildegard of Bingen, this study attempts to demonstrate that the …

On A Knife's Edge: Imagination And Ἐπίνοια In The Eunomian Controversy, Tim Anderson

Biblical & Theological Studies Student Works

According to Paul Avis, the imagination has gone through the ringer in both modernity and post modernity. Modernity “assumes a dichotomy between rational discourse, on the one hand, and imagistic thinking, on the other. It privileges logos over against eidos. The former is hailed as the vehicle of knowledge, mastery and progress; the latter dismissed as the source of ignorance, superstition and illusion.”1 Post modernity, on the other hand, has attacked narrative and “An attack on narrative is an attack on metaphor, symbol and myth…Post modernity is clearly as inhospitable to a realist (reality-referring, truth-bearing) concept of imaginative truth as …

The Church And Its Economic Involvement In Colonial Latin America, Michael A. Jensen

Student Research

Because of the Church's prominence in colonial Latin American society, understanding the role of the Church in the economy of the times does not simply give insight into Church policies; it provides clarity, depth, and color to our understanding of the culture, society, and economy of the time. This paper begins by examining the part the Church as an institution played in the economy of colonial Latin America, and what effect that involvement had. Then, the discussion delves into a deeper assessment of what colonial Americans expected of the Church, what the Church expected of the people, and what happened …

The Father Of Black Adventism: Charles M. Kinny, Trevor O'Reggio

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

[Book Review Of] Freikirchen Und Juden Im „Dritten Reich“: Instrumentalisierte Heilsgeschichte, Antisemitische Vorurteile Und Verdrängte Schuld, Edited By Daniel Heinz, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

New Perspectives On The Northampton Communion Controversy Iii: Count Vavasor's Tirade And The Second Council, 1751, Douglas L. Winiarski

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Jonathan Edwards’ fateful decision to repudiate the church admission practices of his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, provoked a bitter dispute with his parishioners that led to his dismissal in 1750. Scholars have long debated the meaning of this crucial turning point in Edwards’ pastoral career. For early biographers, the Northampton communion controversy served as an index of eighteenth-century religious decline. More recent studies situate Edwards’ dismissal within a series of local quarrels over his salary, the “Bad Book” affair, conflicts with the Williams family, and the paternity case of Elisha Hawley. This essay is the first a series that reexamines the …

New Perspectives On The Northampton Communion Controversy Ii: Relations, Professions, And Experiences, 1748-1760, Douglas L. Winiarski

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

The second installment of a five-part series presenting documents relating to the “Qualifications Controversy” that led to Edwards’ dismissal at Northampton, this article presents a series of “relations,” or lay spiritual autobiographies presented for church membership. These relations come from other Massachusetts churches, many of whose pastors were aligned with Edwards, and yet reveal some significant differences from the form and content that Edwards came to advocate for such relations.

Messianic Jewish Liturgical Practices, Elizabeth Ames

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis explores the current liturgical practices of mainstream Messianic Judaism in the United States using literary and ethnographic research. It examines the historical, biblical, and theological basis for the worship practices used. The origins of their worship practices are evaluated to ascertain whether they reflect charismatic Christian, Jewish denominational or biblical practice. A combination of literary research and qualitative research are used to define the movement; give a brief but comprehensive history of it; and, finally, explain and examine its worship practices. Leaders of the Messianic movement were interviewed for the qualitative research. The findings revealed that a distinction …

Selected Bibliography: Bonaventure And Thomas Aquinas On The Blessed Virgin Mary (1995-2013), Richard E. Lenar, Jason Paul Bourgeois

Marian Library Faculty Publications

A bibliography.

Cyprian The Apologist, Philip Palmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Cyprian has not generally been viewed as an apologist of the Patristic era. This study examines whether Cyprian should be considered an apologist under a four-part definition of the term, which coheres with the New Testament uses of apologia and apologeomai and finds expression in the work of the recognized second-century apologists Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Mathetes, Minucius Felix, and Tertullian. It is argued that Cyprian engaged in an extensive program of apologetics characterized by these same four elements.

Know Yourself And You Will Be Known: The Gospel Of Thomas And Middle Platonism, Seth A. Clark

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus and is primarily composed of rhetorical statements that were used to preserve the teachings of itinerant Greek philosophers. These collections were used to persuade individuals to join the philosophical schools represented, much like the early followers of the Jesus movement would use his teachings to convince others to join them as well. However, the theological background for the text is still debated because it contains esoteric and enigmatic references not fully understood by most scholars. This work argues that the theological and philosophical background for the Gospel …

The Father Of Black Adventism, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Nature Of Pilgrimage: Similarities And Differences Between El Camino De Santiago De Compostela And El Santuario De Chimayo, Miguel Ortega

Honors Projects

This project looks at two holy sites in the Christian world and their respective pilgrimages: El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain and El Santuario de Chiamyó in New Mexico, USA. The project first discusses the general background of pilgrimage, specifically in the Christian tradition, laying some theological and historical foundations. It then looks at the history of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela up through the modern day, tracing the importance of the pilgrimage and the associated saint, Santiago Mayor (The Apostle James the Greater). The project then continues to El Santuario de Chimayó and discusses its …

The Soul Of Korean Christianity: How The Shamans, Buddha, And Confucius Paved The Way For Jesus In The Land Of The Morning Calm, Colin Lewis

Honors Projects

Whether one is speaking of its progressive elements or its charismatic characteristics, Korean Christianity exhibits a vibrancy that stands out among the religious traditions of modern East Asia. Its evangelistic zeal and enormous growth have led to its being a locus point of Christian faith for those in non-Western contexts. In light of its vibrancy and prominence, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the church in Korea is proof that Christianity may thrive outside of the West.

At the same time, the reasons for Christianity’s success on the Korean peninsula are more difficult to pin down. Why …