Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Book Review: Who Broke My Church? 7 Proven Strategies For Renewal And Revival By Kent R. Hunter, David Thiessen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Future Growth Of Global Christianity And Yoido Full Gospel Church: Its Potential Role In The New Context, Wonsuk Ma

Great Commission Research Journal

Christians have long recognized the amazing growth of Yoido Full Gospel Church. It has been a pioneer in the Church Growth Movement and has set an example in its dependence on prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit. The church faces challenges/opportunities in the future as it relates to the church growth in the Global South, the changing culture in South Korea, and the Pentecostal/charismatic movements around the world.

The Global Missionary: The Emerging Roles Of North American Missionaries In The Twenty-First Century, Blayne C. Waltrip

Great Commission Research Journal

This article explores the emerging roles of the North American missionary in light of the changing face of global missions. Missionary sending has become a phenomenon of reciprocity. Because the Global South has become a missionary sending force, missionaries are going from everywhere to everywhere. This shift has created a need for North American missionaries to reevaluate their roles in missions. They are increasingly becoming “Global Missionaries” that serve in more than one context. The author defines and describes a Global Missionary, evaluates the factors for the shift, and advocates a greater global partnership to fulfill the Great Commission.

Do Larger Churches Tolerate Pastoral Narcissism More Than Smaller Churches?, David R. Dunaetz, Hannah L. Jung, Stephen L. Lambert

Great Commission Research Journal

Pastoral narcissism in churches is a problem, from both a theological and practical perspective. In this study, we explore the question of whether church size is related to tolerance for narcissism. In the popular press, pastors of megachurches are often portrayed as narcissistic. The Dominance Complementarity Model of narcissistic leaders (Grijalva & Harms, 2004) predicts that churches which have less dominant followers, as may be the case in larger churches, would be more tolerant of narcissistic pastors than smaller churches. Yet larger churches also have the resources to hire the most qualified staff, which would presumably exclude candidates high in …

A Case Study Of Growth And Decline: The Churches Of Christ, 2006-2016, Stanley E. Granberg

Great Commission Research Journal

The group known as the Churches of Christ is one of America’s largest religious bodies with over 1.5 million adherents and congregations in all fifty states. Like many U.S. Christian bodies, the Churches of Christ have entered a time of decline. This article is a case study of the Churches of Christ and describes the group’s growth and decline, with a specific focus on the years 2006 to 2016. The movement’s current state of health is assessed, and the impact of new church planting as the engine for movement growth is described. The article ends by addressing three hard challenges …

The Life Of Donald Mcgavran: Turning To North America, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

The event that put Church Growth on the worldwide map was the Lausanne Congress on Evangelism held on July 14-28, 1974. Then, as the Church Growth Movement took hold around the world, the focus of some faculty at Fuller’s School of World Mission gradually turned toward North America. This article describes the actions and processes that propelled the movement into world prominence.

Architectural Evangelism: Examination Of Place Constructs Held By Churched And Unchurched Individuals, Matthew Niermann

Great Commission Research Journal

In recent decades, the exterior design of Protestant churches has undergone radical reformulation under the influence of the church growth architectural design theory known as architectural evangelism. Presupposing that churched and unchurched individuals hold differing place constructs, architectural evangelism seeks to attract unchurched individuals to the church by changing the exterior design from church typologies to secular typologies. In doing so, as the theory proposes, when an unchurched individual is exposed to a typology they are more familiar with, a different place construct formulation occurs—a place construct rooted in conceptions of comfort and the perception of community-based activities. Noting the …

Book Review: Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches By Mark Clifton, Chris Messerer

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Turn-Around Churches: How To Overcome Barriers To Growth And Bring New Life To An Established Church By George Barna, Harvey Mitchell Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Divine Comedy At Corinth: Paul, Menander And The Rhetoric Of Resurrection, Michael B. Cover

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

This article asks how the New Comedy of Menander might have influenced Paul's theological rhetoric in 1 Cor 5–15. An intertextual reading of Paul's letter against the backdrop of Menander's Samia reveals a number of shared topics, ethical concerns and dramatic characteristics. Paul's citation of Menander's Thais in 1 Cor 15.33 is part of this larger strategy to frame the struggles in Corinth within the ambit of Greek household ‘situation comedy’. Like Menander, Paul hybridises tragic and comic motifs throughout his epistle, inflecting the comedy of the Christ narrative with tragic examples of human misapprehension in this plea for ecclesial …

To Dust You Shall Return: A Theological Argument For The Human Compost Movement, Sydney N. Ederer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research paper analyzes Catholic, Daoist, and Jewish beliefs on death, the body, the soul, afterlife, and after death rituals in order to build a connection between these beliefs and human composting practices. It uses these three religious traditions to find support for and recognize potential opposition against the human compost movement. These conclusions are in turn used to make a claim for human composting. Thorough research and a careful analysis of religious beliefs and traditions surrounding death and the body provides theological support for human composting as a recommended method for body disposal after death. Therefore, this research is …

Faith In Creation: Martin Luther's Sermons On Genesis 1, Mickey L. Mattox

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Apostasy Through Scripture: A Biblical Theological Approach, Marissa Fast

Senior Honors Theses

Apostasy is a subject that has been an intriguing question for many biblical scholars. This thesis examines apostasy from a biblical theological approach, meaning the Bible, and not Systematic Theology, has priority. First, the subject of apostasy within the covenantal context of the Old Testament is examined. Examples are given and discussed while the themes that can be gathered from this discussion are also be touched upon. Then texts addressing this issue within the New Testaments are examined and expanded upon. Finally, a conclusion of what the Bible has to say on the subject of apostasy is made.

Review Of Philo Of Alexandria: An Intellectual Biography By Maren R. Niehoff, Michael B. Cover

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Islam Of Europe: Challenges Of Governance, Erin Baranko

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As practicing Muslims become an increasingly large share of the population in Western European countries, governments encounter the challenge of preserving liberal democratic societies in the face of a force often considered to be in direct opposition to the values of those societies. This paper discusses the challenges of the governance of Islam in Western Europe and evaluates the validity of the perceived threat of Islam to European values. Through analysis of scholarly work and interviews with experts in relevant professional and academic fields, this paper identifies three myths about Islam that contribute to this perceived threat: Islam is anti-democratic, …

2018 Denominational Survey Results, Calvin University

CRCNA Denominational Survey Results

As part of the denominational ministry plan, Our Journey 2020, the CRCNA has contracted with Calvin College’s Social Research Center to administer a denominational survey every year. The results from the 2018 survey have now been compiled.

All CRC-affiliated adults and older youth are welcome to respond to this survey every year as they are led. In order to ensure a healthy number of responses to the survey every year, however, CRC leaders have randomly assigned every CRC church to one of five “cohorts”. Each cohort includes about 20 per cent of all active congregations, and each congregation will …

Snc Day: A September Tradition

St. Norbert Times

• News
  • SNC Day: A September Tradition
  • Economic Study’s Promising Results for Allouez
  • The CVC Goes Green
  • Religion Meets Art: The St. John’s Bible
  • SNC Moves Up in National Ranks
• Opinion
  • The Importance of Arguments
  • What the Future Might Hold
  • Living Simply: A Reflection
  • Just Do It
• Features
  • Ruth’s Marketplace Remodeled
  • SNC Annual Involvement Fair
• Entertainment
  • Student Spotlight
  • Sudoku
  • Trivia
  • Where is Hip-Hop Going?
  • Winners and Loser of Summer 2018
  • Music Opinion
  • Junk Drawer: Reboots We Want to See
• Sports
  • Men’s Soccer Defeats Lakeland, 14-0
  • “QB: 1 Beyond the Lights” Review
  • Diving Into New Tradition
  • Friday Wrap Up: Volleyball, XC

Imagining Enlightenment: Icons And Ideology In Vajrayāna Buddhist Practice, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Iconography has been used to represent the experience of awakening in the Buddhist traditions for millennia. The Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions are especially renowned for their rich pantheons of buddhas and bodhisattvas who illuminate and inspire practitioners. In addition, the Vajrayāna branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism presents a host of meditational deities (yidam) who serve as catalysts of awakening. These awakened beings are regarded as objects of refuge for practitioners, both female and male, who visualize themselves in detail as embodiments of specific enlightened figures, female or male, with all their enlightened qualities. These meditational deities, which are mentally constructed …

Snc Opens Doors To Class Of ’22

St. Norbert Times

• News
  • SNC Opens Doors to Class of ’22
  • Get Involved with Student Orgs
  • The Art of Creation
  • New Freshmen Go Into the Streets
• Opinion
  • Remembering John McCain
  • The Value of Liberal Arts
  • Burnout: A Forgotten Affliction
  • The Morality of Hard Work
• Features
  • Campus Spotlight: What is PAW?
  • Burke: The Singles Life,
• Entertainment
  • Student Spotlight
  • Sudoku
  • Trivia
  • The Big Question: How to Make a Living in Music?
  • Oscars Adds ‘Popular Film’ Category
  • Book Review: Six Moon Summer
  • Junk Drawer: Summer Catch-Up
• Sports
  • SNC Football Preview
  • Cross Country Dominates at Tom Barry
  • New Look Knights Serve for Thirteen Straight
  • Usain Bolt: Trading …

Redefining The Roles Of The Rural Levites In Deuteronomy, James Douglas Wilson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.