Andrews University
George Fox University
Liberty University
Chapman University
The Development Of The Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study,
2023
University of San Diego
The Development Of The Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study, Timothy Captain
Dissertations
Some pastors are clearly in crisis. Research has indicated that clergy struggle to cope with the stressors of their profession. While pastoral work is overtly spiritual in nature, day-to-day tasks include interactions with God, themselves, congregants, and the world at large. Without multi-dimensional tools to consider their wellbeing, specifically assessments that reflect their worldview and role, pastors may remain unaware of dangerously low levels of wellbeing until they reach a place of crisis. Therefore, in this mixed methods study, the Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment (HPWA) was developed and tested to offer a validated, useful tool for pastors and those who …
Behind The Numbers: A Traditional Church Faces A New America,
2023
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Behind The Numbers: A Traditional Church Faces A New America, Larry Vogel
Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation
The dissertation examines membership data for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) from the mid-1970s to the present. It considers the analysis of LCMS decline by two scholars, George Hawley and Ryan MacPherson, who independently proposed that LCMS membership decline was internal in causation due to diminished birthrates and fewer young families. While acknowledging the reality of such internal decline, this dissertation argues that the lack of external growth is a greater cause for LCMS decline. Its lack of external growth is due primarily to the racial and ethnic homogeneity of the LCMS and its failure effectively to evangelize the increasingly …
Beyond Deep Gladness: Coming To Terms With Vocations We Don’T Choose,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Beyond Deep Gladness: Coming To Terms With Vocations We Don’T Choose, Deanna A. Thompson
Consensus
No abstract provided.
The Body Of Christ Has Always Been A Virtual Body,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Body Of Christ Has Always Been A Virtual Body, Deanna A. Thompson
Consensus
No abstract provided.
The Virtual Body Of Christ In And Beyond Pandemic,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Virtual Body Of Christ In And Beyond Pandemic, Deanna A. Thompson
Consensus
No abstract provided.
Christian Life In Media Culture,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Identity And Community In Digital Culture,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Identity And Community In Digital Culture, Jeffrey H. Mahan
Consensus
No abstract provided.
Leadership And Authority In Digital Culture,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Leadership And Authority In Digital Culture, Jeffrey H. Mahan
Consensus
No abstract provided.
The Devotional Frame: A Film Theological And Cultural Critical Reflection On The Experience Of Online Worship,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Devotional Frame: A Film Theological And Cultural Critical Reflection On The Experience Of Online Worship, Sherry Coman
Consensus
No abstract provided.
The Eucharist Online: Learning From Communications Theory,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Eucharist Online: Learning From Communications Theory, David Harrison
Consensus
No abstract provided.
Turning The World Upside Down,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Turning The World Upside Down, Kayko Driedger Hesslein
Consensus
No abstract provided.
Called To Dream,
2023
Wilfrid Laurier University
Using Pascal's Wager As A Model For Introducing God To Unbelievers In An Increasingly Fast-Paced, Secular World,
2023
Liberty University
Using Pascal's Wager As A Model For Introducing God To Unbelievers In An Increasingly Fast-Paced, Secular World, Laurie Sharma
Masters Theses
Statistics say that each year, 4.5 billion people, or nearly 60% of the world’s population, will gamble at least once. Every time someone gambles in a casino, the statistical probability—that is, 'the odds'—favor the house. With odds stacked against the individual gambler, it appears irrational to gamble in casinos and one must wonder why anyone would take such risks. Conversely, gambling would appear rational if the odds were not stacked against the gambler. What if the odds were significantly higher; 50/50 to be exact? If this were the case, more people would be spending more time and money at casinos …
Airplane Hangars And Triple Hills: Renovation, Demolition, And The Architectural Politics Of Local Belonging At The Our Lady Of Csíksomlyó Hungarian National Shrine,
2023
College of the Holy Cross
Airplane Hangars And Triple Hills: Renovation, Demolition, And The Architectural Politics Of Local Belonging At The Our Lady Of Csíksomlyó Hungarian National Shrine, Marc Roscoe Loustau
Journal of Global Catholicism
In 2019, Pope Francis, leader of the global Catholic Church, celebrated an outdoor Mass at the Our Lady of Csíksomlyó Hungarian national shrine in Romania. When the Franciscan Order that runs the shrine published renovation plans for the altar where the pope would appear, the Facebook post received over 800 outraged comments, including one man who asked, “How can such a beautiful Hungarian symbol, so perfectly integrated into the landscape, be humiliated like this?” By situating these expressions of outrage in the history of Eastern European material politics, I argue that the aesthetic value the commentators were defending – a …
Girls’ Education And Child Marriage In Central Africa | Insights From Qualitative Fieldwork Part Ii: The Republic Of Congo,
2023
College of the Holy Cross
Girls’ Education And Child Marriage In Central Africa | Insights From Qualitative Fieldwork Part Ii: The Republic Of Congo, Jean-Christophe Boungou Bazika, Wolf Ulrich Mféré Akiana, Quentin Wodon
Journal of Global Catholicism
Child marriage is defined as a formal or informal union before the age of 18. As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of child marriage remains high in the Republic of Congo (RoC), in part because educational attainment for girls is low. Based on qualitative fieldwork, this article looks at communities’ perceptions of child marriage and girls’ education and their suggestions for programs and policies that could improve outcomes for girls. The article also discusses potential implications for Catholic and other faith-based schools, as well as faith leaders.
Girls’ Education And Child Marriage In Central Africa | Insights From Qualitative Fieldwork Part I: The Democratic Republic Of Congo,
2023
College of the Holy Cross
Girls’ Education And Child Marriage In Central Africa | Insights From Qualitative Fieldwork Part I: The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Geneviève Bagamboula Mayamona, Jean-Christophe Boungou Bazika, Quentin Wodon
Journal of Global Catholicism
Child marriage is defined as a formal or informal union before the age of 18. As in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of child marriage remains high in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in part because educational attainment for girls is too low. Based on qualitative fieldwork, this article looks at communities’ perceptions of child marriage and girls’ education and their suggestions for programs and policies that could improve outcomes for girls. The article also discusses potential implications for Catholic and other faith-based schools, as well as faith leaders.
The Parish Choir Movement And Generational Festivals In Romania’S Socialist Period: New Community Festivities In Transylvania’S Gheorgheni (Gyergyó) Region,
2023
College of the Holy Cross
The Parish Choir Movement And Generational Festivals In Romania’S Socialist Period: New Community Festivities In Transylvania’S Gheorgheni (Gyergyó) Region, Eszter Kovács
Journal of Global Catholicism
Among the post-1945 East European socialist regimes, Romania and Poland were the only countries where the Catholic Church—despite government interventions, controls, and bans—managed to play a significant social and political role in community life. This case study provides an ethnographic description of the parish choir movement and graduating class reunions, called “generational festivals” in Hungarian, in the Gheorgheni (Hu: Gyergyó) region in the 1970s and 1980s. The gatherings will be analyzed in the context of everyday life, the socialist system’s distinctive shortage economy, and official limits on religious activity that characterized the era. I will first describe the world of …
Discovering The Means To Provide Mentorship For Post-Seminary Pastoral Formation From Apprentice To Craftsman: A Pastoral Journey,
2023
Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis
Discovering The Means To Provide Mentorship For Post-Seminary Pastoral Formation From Apprentice To Craftsman: A Pastoral Journey, Paul Hass
Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project
This project seeks to produce a distinct process for the discerning of who might best serve as mentors to those newly ordained. The process aims to allow for people in ecclesiastical leadership roles to discern which of the numerous available pastoral mentors might best be suited for fostering a long-term mentoring relationship to a newly ordained pastor. This project uses the results of qualitative research, drawn from interviews, to provide a matrix for evaluating potential mentors through the lens of the Adaptive Leadership model. The resulting evaluation process was ‘tested’ in a truncated format through the Office of the President …
The Williams Way: Why Roger Williams’ Philosophy Of Religious Liberty Remains Imperative Today,
2022
Messiah University
The Williams Way: Why Roger Williams’ Philosophy Of Religious Liberty Remains Imperative Today, Michael Zigarelli
Eleutheria
To travel the road of religious freedom, a society requires firm guardrails. To the left of the road looms the cliff of “state suppression of religion.” To the right looms the cliff of “state establishment of religion.” During the life of Roger Williams (1603?-1683), the problem in the American colonies was the latter, the inextricable entanglement of religion and civil authority. Known as “The New England Way” in Williams’ colony of Massachusetts Bay, its main tenet of governance was that social stability required religious uniformity. Williams could not disagree more, embarking on a life’s mission to proclaim that government possesses …
Apologetics At The Cross: A Collaborative Article Review,
2022
Liberty University
Apologetics At The Cross: A Collaborative Article Review, Matthew H. Hamilton
Eleutheria
Apologetics at the Cross is a guidebook designed for contemporary times. It teaches students how to perform apologetics in a respectful manner while orienting them to an others-centered approach developed in cruciform communities. Chatraw and Allen’s central conviction is that “Christian [apologetics] must arise from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Otherwise it could not be Chrsitian [apologetics]” (318). It explores the biblical and historical foundations of apologetics, practical guidance concerning engagement, and various methods/theological structures for apologetics. Ultimately, the authors put forth their very own inside/out approach to apologetics, which seeks to engage unbelievers in their cultural frameworks while drawing …
