Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Ghanian Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches In Fighting Sexual Violence Against Women, Christian Tsekpoe

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

No abstract provided.

The Intersection Of Mental Health And Demonic Activity, Robert A. Willis

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

No abstract provided.

Five Years Of Salubritas: Looking Back With Gratitude And Forward With Expectation, Haley R. French

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

No abstract provided.

Full Issue Salubritas 5 (2026), Editors Salubritas

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

No abstract provided.

Her Body Broken: Wrestling And Reconciling With Judges 19 Through A Feminist Lens, Elisabeth Edmonds

Honors Projects

Nestled within the story of Israel in the Christian Old Testament, lies the events of Judges 19 - one of the most violent, disturbing, and traumatic stories of the Christian sacred text. Employing a feminist lens, this paper engages with Judges 19 in three sections by 1) discussing the events of Judges 19, 2) overviewing general Christian responses to the text historically, and 3) featuring specific ideological responses to Judges 19 (feminist theology, intertextual and structural biblical responses, and reconciliation studies). By highlighting a wide array of responses and ideological readings of Judges 19, this paper defends a holistic approach …

A Curriculum To Empower And Equip Women For Leadership In The Monash City Church Of Christ In Melbourne, Australia, Devni Yasindra Attygalle

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses women in Christian leadership in the Monash City Church of Christ Melbourne, Australia. The problem identified within this ministry context was a lack of appropriate theological teaching around women in leadership, especially in the areas of preaching, teaching, and leading, which has led to misconceptions and prejudices in the minds of church members, negatively impacting the congregation’s mission. The purpose of the project was to develop a curriculum specific to MCCOC that provides a theological foundation for advocating for future senior leadership roles for women. The curriculum provides biblical teaching on women in leadership that will equip …

Seeing And Doing: Disciple-Making And Moral Formation In The Gospel Of John, Stephen Yeagley

Journal of Adventist Youth and Young Adult Ministries

God’s revelation in Jesus Christ both discloses and obligates, presenting an alternate view of reality to be seen and an ethical command to be done. The Gospel of John weaves the motifs of “seeing” and “doing” into a single disciple-making process. It aims to transform a person’s identity, worldview, and understanding of God before inviting ethical emulation. This sequence evokes a moral response, calling disciples to do “just as” Jesus and His Father have done, particularly in love, unity, mission, and otherworldliness. Moral empowerment occurs relationally through a third motif: “dwelling.” Using the metaphors of home, family, and friendship, John …

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Gethsemane: Christian Art And Tradition In The Passion Of Albus Dumbledore, John Anthony Dunne

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This essay contends that Professor Dumbledore drinking a potion from a goblet administered by Harry Potter in the cave from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince evokes Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane from the Gospels and his request that "the cup" be removed from him. Even though the Gospels portray Jesus all alone, and Dumbledore has Harry with him, I argue that Harry Potter evokes the expanded Lukan account of Gethsemane, which contains a textually uncertain passage about an angel ministering to him (Luke 22.43–44). I argue further that this Lukan text informs Harry Potter specifically as mediated through visual representations …

Overcoming Apathy And Complacency Through Discipleship Micro-Groups At Spencer Church Of Christ, Jerrard A. Davis

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Missional Shepherds: Exploring Development Opportunities For Shepherd Teams In Alaskan Churches Of Christ, Jeff Smith

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

A Kingdom-Centric Spiritual Formation Model: Developing Churchwide Strategies For Forming People Into Christlikeness, Justin Adams

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This dissertation explores how churches can better form people by examining the central research question: “What strategies can churches use to develop a Kingdom-centric spiritual formation model that prioritizes shaping individuals into Christlikeness as the church’s primary vision and mission?” Drawing on Paul’s desire to see Christ formed in the Galatian church (Gal 4:19), as well as exploring Jesus’s mandate in Matt 28:19 in connection with Acts 2:42-46, these texts show the connection between the spiritual formation of early believers and the Church. The researcher employed a quantitative methodology at The Worship Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Research revealed significant perceptions …

(Nuevo) Eb-Nuestra Identidad (Latinoamericana), Marcos Kempff

Estudios Bíblicos

EB-Nuestra identidad (Latinoamericana)

A Ministry Manual For Supporting Pastoral Transitions: Addressing The Emotional And Spiritual Needs Of Clergy And Their Families, John Tucker

Dissertations

Pastoral transitions represent spiritually significant yet often under-supported moments in the life of clergy, congregations, and ministry networks. While leadership change is frequently framed in theological language emphasizing divine calling and institutional continuity, insufficient attention is given to the emotional, relational, and familial dimensions of these transitions. This Doctor of Ministry project examines the spiritual and emotional impact of pastoral transitions within African American church contexts, with particular attention to clergy wellbeing and systems of care.

This study employed a mixed-methods research design integrating quantitative survey data with qualitative semi-structured interviews. Survey instruments were distributed to pastors affiliated with The …

Hunters Of Men: A Tribal Reading Of The Missiological Motif In Luke 5:1-11, Themshang Horam

The Asbury Journal

This article presents an intercultural and contextual reading of Luke 5:1–11 from the perspective of the Naga tribes of Northeast India, proposing a reinterpretation of the traditional “fishers of men” motif as “hunters of men.” Grounded in the author’s cultural context—where, owing to the absence of large water bodies, fishing serves as a secondary means of subsistence while hunting remains central to social and spiritual life— this study contends that biblical metaphors risk losing their theological depth and communicative efficacy when removed from the ecological and cultural frameworks of the receiving community. Through exegetical analysis and intercultural hermeneutics, the paper …

A Tribal Hermeneutical Reading Of The Creation Narrative In Genesis 1:26-28, Enolyne Lyngdoh

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

A Brief History Of Women At Asbury Theological Seminary, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Understanding the past roles of women within the 100-year lifespan of Asbury Theological Seminary is an important exercise in institutional history. Educational institutions frequently experience turnover in students, faculty, and administration at high rates. Institutional memory frequently is held by a few older members of the faculty and staff and more importantly by the archives of the institution. Institutional memory provides the foundation for changing policy decisions, understanding the institutional mission, and following how previous administrations dealt with a constantly changing cultural and social context. In the case of Asbury Theological Seminary, this paper explores an institution rooted in the …

Announcing The Vennard College Collection, Robert Danielson Ph.D.

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Symphony Of Justice: An Intertextual Study Of Social Justice Material Between The Torah And The Psalms, Daniel Gordan

Dissertations

Do passages dealing with social justice in the Torah and the Psalms together comprise an intentionally composed grand symphony, or do they merely form an ad hoc patchwork quilt in which their echoes of similarity are mere coincidences?1 Literary interactions between the Torah and the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible have been a focus of biblical scholarship, but the intertextual connections between the legal corpus of the Torah and poetry in Psalms have not received sufficient attention. Scholars have noticed some thematic similarities, but there are no systematic studies that analyze these interactions to determine whether they involve reuse and, …

Cultivating An Evangelistic Culture At Mountain Chapel Methodist Church Through Preaching, Nicholas Channing Hughes

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an intentional sermon series, Everyday Evangelism, in cultivating an evangelistic culture at Mountain Chapel Methodist Church, a Global Methodist congregation. The study used a program evaluation model and addressed the question, How does preaching cultivate an evangelistic culture in the local church, along with questions concerning growth in prayerfulness for the lost, gospel conversations, acts of compassion, invitations to Christian community, follow-up with seekers, and whether leaders exhibited greater change than the congregation as a whole. The project employed a pre- and post-series survey design using two participant groups, …

Full Issue

Studia Antiqua

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Studia Antiqua

No abstract provided.

An Unfolding Vision Of Transformation: A Comparison Of The S/Spirit Motif In Romans 8 And Jubilees 1:19-26, Lemuel J. Godinez

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This study compares the role of the s/Spirit motif in Paul’s writing and that of a Second Temple Jewish theologian’s. The books of Romans and Jubilees, respectively, appear to develop their language of renewal within a developing trajectory motifs in the Hebrew Scriptures, including “heart circumcision,” “new covenant,” and “the s/Spirit.” One would be hard-pressed to prove intertextuality between Romans and Jubilees (which this study does not claim). Yet, the renewal description in Romans 8 is evocatively similar to Jubilees 1:19–26. Paul may therefore have developed his portrayal and narration of the Spirit in the vein of Second Temple thought. …

El Corazón Al Descubierto: Reflexiones Sobre Levítico 18.22, Renato Lings

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

The article explores the hermeneutical paradoxes of the book of Leviticus through the personal experience of Rabbi Steven Greenberg, whose encounter with Leviticus 18.22 transformed his relationship with the Torah and his own identity. Through rigorous textual analysis, the article questions traditional cis-heterosexist interpretations and examines the semantic complexity of the expression mishkebey ishshah [a wife’s bed]. The study shows how Leviticus—far from being a monolithic code—contains internal tensions, profound ethical elements, and a surprising openness toward neighbors and immigrants, inviting a critical and liberating reading.

Creation To Covenant: The Chronicler's Use Of Genesis Narratives In Shaping Israel's Post-Exilic Identity, Dalton J. Harmon

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the Chronicler’s (the unknown author to whom biblical scholars have attributed the composition of: the Book of Chronicles, the Book of Ezra, and the Book of Nehemiah to) use of Genesis narratives—namely the Covenant of Works—in the formation of the social, political, and religious identity of post-exilic Israel. By using a covenant-theological and intertextual approach with special attention to the Septuagint, this study demonstrates that the Chronicler does not merely retell Israel’s history but deliberately reinterprets it according to theology established in creation. The analysis begins with Genesis 1–3, where Adam’s federal headship and the blessing–curse logic …

Biblical Theology - Lamentations 3:19-26, Kaitlin Burden

Biblical Studies Student Projects

This paper focuses on Lamentations 3:19-26. This paper makes connections to larger Biblical Theology themes found in Scripture, including, divine discipline, waiting and hoping, and a connection to Jesus. Many believers experience a tension between the promises of the God and the reality of their suffering. From Lamentations 3:19-26, believers learn that suffering is meant to be expressed as a prayer of lament. In doing so, believers learn to trust in God’s promises before suffering passes.

Stewardship, Generosity, And Percentage Giving Changing Attitudes On Financial Generosity Through Bible Study Concerning The Tithe For The New Testament Christians Of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church In Kingman, Az, Timothy A. Barkett

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The Church today finds itself navigating a landscape shaped by economic uncertainty, generational shifts, and a growing sense of spiritual indifference. Within this context, generosity continues to serve as a profound expression of both faith and mission. The research presented in this project affirms that when generosity is taught with a spirit of grace, rooted in Scripture, and exemplified by leadership, it has the power to bring renewal—not only to individual believers but also to entire communities. In an era characterized by financial anxiety and spiritual consumerism, the biblical and theological foundations of stewardship and generosity provide both a necessary …

Biblical Church Governance: Returning To Plural-Elder Congregationalism From Policy-Based Governance Models, Jacob R. Ray

Liberty Theological Review

This paper critiques the growing adoption of policy-based governance models in local church contexts and argues for a return to plural-elder congregationalism as the most biblically faithful and historically rooted model of church government. While policy-based governance, derived from John Carver’s framework for nonprofit leadership, offers administrative strengths such as consistency, accountability, and efficiency, its application within the church often results in the diminishment of biblically mandated roles—particularly the deacon—and fosters a corporate rather than ecclesial culture. The author contends that such models misunderstand and misapply the New Testament offices of elder and deacon, violating the biblical pattern of shared …

The Marriage Metaphor Of Jesus And The Samaritan Woman: A New Interpretative Reading Of John 4:1-45, Bao B. Vang

Liberty Theological Review

This paper explores the marriage metaphor in John 4:1–45, arguing that Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman is a symbolic representation of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Through an exegetical analysis of the text, the study examines key elements such as the double entendre of the well motif, living water, and the concept of worship. The results of this study reveal the depth of John's narrative strategy in intentionally presenting Jesus as the Messianic Bridegroom, illustrated through his explicit use of Old Testament marriage motifs. The study concludes that the episode of Jesus and the Samaritan woman functions …

The Tabernacle Hermeneutic: Mosaic Permission From Ex 25:40 To Behold Christ, Christopher G. Miller

Liberty Theological Review

Ex 25:40 is a hermeneutic used by Moses which gives the reader permission to behold Christ and “heavenly things” (τῶν ἐπουρανίων) in the tabernacle instructions (Ex 25-40). This Mosaic hermeneutic is highlighted by the author of Hebrews (Heb 8:5). The overwhelming textual and thematic connections between the tabernacle instructions and the creation account (Gen 1-3) demonstrates that this tabernacle hermeneutic (Ex 25:40) may be useful in other contexts in the Pentateuch. This tabernacle hermeneutic should be used on passages that share words, plot, and ceremonial practices with the tabernacle instructions. The use of “horn” (qeren) is analyzed in each major …

Deuteronomy And Ane Worldview Apologetics In A Postmodern Context, Eric Mcconnell

Liberty Theological Review

Postmodern Christianity seeks to divorce the miraculous and divine elements from Scripture and shape biblical morality in a way that relates to postmodern culture. Responding to Postmodern Christianity’s errors requires a consistent literal hermeneutic in one’s exegesis and a sound biblical framework in one’s apologetic method. The message of Deuteronomy presents a possible paradigm for this task, as its contents present a culturally-relevant polemic against false maxims and errant religion that God’s people faced within their own milieu. Moses’ polemic in Deuteronomy 4 presents a paradigm that would be employed by the prophets to counter the faulty syncretistic worldview that …