Practical Theology Commons^™

Epiphany 5 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Women Workers In The Old Testament, Theology Of Work Project, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

• God Created Woman as an Ezer Kind of Helper (Genesis 2:18)
• Genesis 3 and the Birth of Sin
• Shiphrah and Puah: Two Ezer Midwives Defy the King (Exodus 1:8-22)
• Rahab: Diverse Situations Require Ezer Work (Joshua 2)
• Deborah: An Ezer Woman Equipped to Lead (Judges 4-5)
• Ruth: The Ezer Daughter-in-Law
• Abigail: An Ezer Ranch Wife Saves Her Household From Disaster (1 Samuel 25)
• Huldah: A Prophet and Teacher (2 Kings 22)
• Esther: A Harem Girl Grows Into a Powerful Queen (Esther 4)
• Lady Wisdom and the "Beginning of Wisdom" (Proverbs 1:20-32; 9:10)
• Lady Wisdom in Street Clothes (Proverbs 31)

A Theological Dialogue With And Evaluation Of Erik H. Erikson’S Theory Of Identity Development In Light Of Pauline Baptismal Theology In Romans And Some Implications For Pastoral Care, Walter Steele

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Steele, Walter R. “A Theological Dialogue with and Evaluation of Erik H. Erikson’s Theory of Identity Development in Light of Pauline Baptismal Theology in Romans and Some Implications for Pastoral Care” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 304pp.

The Issue of identity and identity development, or actualization, is both a psychological and a theological issue. Among psychologists who have been concerned with identity, the name of Erik H. Erikson is at the forefront. His psychosocial theory has been appropriated by several people in the field of pastoral care, yet his theory has not been adequately subjected to a robust and thorough …

Concordia Seminary Winter 2017, Jeffrey Kloha

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Here We Stand

Vocational Apologetics An Argument For Using The Lutheran Understanding Of Vocation As A Form Of Enfleshed Apologetics For The Church To Engage A Cultural Setting Influenced By The Criticism Of The New Atheists, Kirk Clayton

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Clayton, Kirk M. “Vocational Apologetics: An Argument for Using the Lutheran Understanding of Vocation as a Form of Enfleshed Apologetics for the Church to Engage a Cultural Setting Influenced by the Criticisms of the New Atheists.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 252 pp.

This dissertation examines criticisms against Christianity from the New Atheists (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens, and Stenger), considers problems with how the church has formulated its apologetic response, and concludes that Martin Luther’s understanding of vocation applied to the Christian life offers a significant contribution to shaping an apologetic response to the New Atheism.

Apologetics is best understood …

A Survey Of Ethics Training In Undergraduate Psychology Programs At Jesuit Universities, Thomas G. Plante, Selena Pistoresi

Psychology

Training in ethics is fundamental in higher education among both faith-based and secular colleges and universities, regardless of one’s academic major or field of study. Catholic colleges and universities have included moral philosophy, theology, and applied ethics in their undergraduate curricula for generations. The purpose of this investigation was to determine what, if anything, Jesuit college psychology departments are doing to educate psychology majors regarding ethical issues. A survey method was used to assess the psychology departments of all 28 Jesuits colleges and universities in the United States. A total of 21 of the 28 schools responded and completed the …

Epiphany 4 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Epiphany 4 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Epiphany 3 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Epiphany 3 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Epiphany 2 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Epiphany 2 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Baptism Of Our Lord One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Baptism Of Our Lord Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

The Neighbor, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Participatory God For A Participatory Culture: Christian Theological Perspectives On Networks, Dwight J. Zscheile

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Opening To Revelation: Building Discernment Processes From Practices That Best Inform Communal Decision Making, Chris Alexander

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This sequential explanatory mixed methods research project investigates the spiritual discernment processes of a Christian congregation in the United Church of Christ. The study identifies most utilized and most helpful practices of spiritual discernment within the areas of prayer, conversation, community, and media. This research shows how engaging spiritual practices influences participation in decision making by Christian congregations.

Looking Back To Move Forward: Youth Ministry And Its Effect On The Faith And Christian Practices Of Today's Adults, Andrew A. Taylor

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This mixed methods explanatory research project investigated the effectiveness of youth ministry practices in shaping, or failing to shape, adult Christian faith. Fifty-nine former youth group members from three congregations were surveyed, and six were interviewed: two active Christians, two inactive Christians, and two non-Christians. Results revealed the active Christians had experienced a personal sense of God’s presence and witnessed God’s activity in the public sphere. This suggests that youth ministry would do well to utilize practices that encourage adolescents to experience and articulate a sense of God’s presence in both their personal lives and in the world around them.

A Congregation Engaging In Missional Dialogue: Strengthening Discernment Amid Diversity Through Healthy Congregational Dialogue, Jeffrey M. Wilson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This transformative mixed-methods modified Participatory Action Research (PAR) project was used to investigate and affect healthy and faithful discernment and decision-making in a diverse congregation within the reality of being the body of Christ in mission. Data were collected utilizing baseline and end-line surveys, recorded and transcribed meetings and interviews, and memos. The data revealed that people who engaged in the research process grew in their perception of the congregation as being healthy and faithful in discernment and decision-making. This research shows that mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and interdependence between leaders and congregation members helps us focus on God’s mission …

Generous Leaders, Generous Congregations: A Study Of The Relationship Between The Financial Generosity Of Congregational Leaders And The Financial Generosity Of Their Congregations, Ryan D. Brodin

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This sequential explanatory mixed methods comparative case study research project explores personal financial generosity in pastors and Congregational Council members of five suburban mainline congregations to discover what influence their generosity has on the congregations they lead. This research involved a survey of all the leaders, interviews with each pastor, focus groups with Congregational Council members, and financial statistics for each congregation. Although there are many insights in this research project regarding financial generosity in leaders and congregations, the results do not show a direct influence of the personal financial generosity of the leaders on the financial generosity of the …