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Program: 2020 Featured Lecture, "Humans Biological Creatures... In The Image Of God, Lee B. Katz

Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Program

Program for the Sixteenth Annual Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. Lee B. Katz, Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University, Vice Provost from 2011 to 2023, and the current Dean of Seaver College.

Preaching The Law With The Gospel, Jonathan Saur

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Preaching tools like the Revised Common Lectionary infrequently draw preachers to the legal texts of the Pentateuch, even though the New Testament, and especially the four Gospels, are heavily influenced by the legal texts of the Pentateuch. Congregations are at a disadvantage in understanding the New Testament message when one of the primary sources that shaped the New Testament is ignored. This study addresses this problem by utilizing relevant scholarship focused on New Testament interpretation of the legal texts to develop suggestions for preaching these texts. The four gospels are surveyed to glean insights into how they interpret the legal …

There Is A Word: Using A Queer Hermeneutic Toward Liberative And Prophetic Biblical Preaching, Dewayne L. Davis

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Preaching to, for, and about LGBTQ people is too often characterized by ambivalence, homophobia, and microaggressions couched as speaking truth in love. And yet, the biblical text includes themes, images, and stories with liberating and prophetic messages for LGBTQ people that include and affirm them within the body of Christ. This thesis argues that preachers can proclaim a liberating, prophetic word for the LGBTQ people within their congregations by using a queer hermeneutic, the intentional and conscious interpretation of the biblical text using the experience, information, and knowledge about LGBTQ people as the lens through which to bridge the world …

Invisible Poverty: Awareness, Attitudes, And Action, Joseph W. Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

In small-town rural America, we do not tend to see poverty. Poverty is relatively invisible, especially among our youth and children. Invisible Poverty explores the issues, challenges, stereotypes, and causes of small-town rural poverty while presenting possible solutions. Drawing from Alvin Luedke, Craig Van Gelder, Alan Roxburgh, Patrick Keifert, Cynthia Duncan, and Shannon Jung, Invisible Poverty presents a missional theology of accompaniment seeking justice and avoiding shame. In an effort to understand the complexity of rural poverty, Invisible Poverty asks; How might Action Research interventions affect awareness, attitudes, and actions of the congregation concerning the issues of poverty?

Proclaiming Jubilee: Preaching That Sets Women Free, Jennifer Michelle Benson Moran

Doctor of Ministry Theses

In Luke 4, Jesus outlines his mission: to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and free the oppressed. Yet the marginalization and oppression of women have been structurally normalized throughout history, both in secular society as well as Christian culture. Through historical, cultural, biblical, exegetical, hermeneutical, and homiletical analysis, this study posits that a jubilee homiletic is a crucial part of embodying liberation from textual interpretations that have prioritized those who are privileged, so that women may reclaim scripture as a source of freedom.

The Synoptic Problem (Introduction And Chapter One Of A Beginner's Guide To New Testament Studies: Understanding Key Debates), Nijay K. Gupta

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Excerpt: "When I first entered theological education as a seminary student, I found myself completely lost in the world of biblical scholarship. Not only were there so many technical terms I couldn’t define and histories of interpretation with which I was not acquainted, but it seemed like there were two, or three, or ten views on various debated issues, and I had trouble keeping them straight. Oh, how I wished I had a map that could help me find my way through the maze of scholarship, or a guide to clue me into this view and that view!"

Nurturing Emotional Intelligence To Encourage An Increase In Compassion Among The Members Of Ecclesia Baptist In Asheville, North Carolina, Aileen Mitchell Lawrimore

Doctor of Ministry Projects

God’s infinite chesed for humanity, embodied in Jesus, calls Christians to claim their inherent brokenness and their infinite beauty and to offer the same grace to others. This chesed, experienced as compassion, enables Christians to extend compassion to themselves and others. To encourage this behavior among members of Ecclesia Baptist, this project paired psychology with theology and biblical study to nurture emotional intelligence (EQ). Participants attended five two-hour sessions and spent time on reflection and practice outside of meetings. Results indicated that increased EQ boosts confidence in compassionate behavior and increases intentions to continue practices formed from the study.

The Gēr In Deuteronomy: Expanding Ancient Near Eastern Precedent For The Protection Of Vulnerable Classes, Josh Dunahoo

Seminary Masters Theses

The gēr in the Hebrew Bible is a legal classification representing persons who reside outside their ancestral lands with people outside of their kin. The status of the gēr is not static in the Bible. Rather, historical and textual evidence in the respective law codes informs the socioeconomic and religious standing of the gēr in Israelite society. In Deuteronomic tradition, the gēr is among the most vulnerable groups in Israel and is therefore appended to the ancient Near Eastern widow-orphan dyad in Deuteronomy. The first section of the present thesis traces the law codes and wisdom literature of ancient Near …

Conceptualizing Therapy As A Spiritual Discipline, Kristen M. White

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Psychological literature is in the beginning stages of reflecting the Church’s shift toward spiritual formation, incorporating theory and research regarding how spiritual disciplines might be relevant to the practice of therapy. This work may be expanded by viewing therapy itself as a spiritual discipline, particularly for the client. This article makes this connection by clearly defining spiritual disciplines and highlighting how therapy is or can be made congruent with them. It further discusses how therapy may be a very useful spiritual discipline within the Church today. Lastly, this article discusses the implications for viewing therapy as a spiritual discipline for …

Video Church: The Effects Of The Video Church Model On Christian Hospitality, Assad Mohammed Saif

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hospitality is fundamental to human spiritual growth. Jesus knew this. Therefore, Jesus spent much time seeking to encounter people in the spaces they naturally congregated in. God sent Jesus to come from heaven to earth to show people the incarnate God and his desire to welcome them into his family. More specifically, God sent Jesus to a specific culture in the world where he believed the message of God’s love could be viewed through the lens of hospitality. By using a grounded theory approach, the researcher set out to discover the methods by which hospitality is impacted within the video …

Determining Textual Similarity: Ga 2936 As A Test Case For The Teststellen Method, Jonathan A. Campbell

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

An important task in the field of textual criticism is the determination of which manuscripts are more closely related to one another.1 This, in turn, allows the text critic to come to a better understanding of the history of the text. The Teststellen method is one of the most influential methods currently being used to determine similarity with the Byzantine text type. This method, as practiced by the Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, is examined with regard to its use in the Editio Critica Maior (ECM).2 The brevity of the method is appealing, as it does not require the full collation …

Nebuchadnezzar’S Dream: The Crusades, Apocalyptic Prophecy, And The End Of History [Review] / Rubenstein, Jay., André Reis

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Jesus And The Forces Of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal Of Ritual Impurity Within First-Century Judaism [Review] / Thiessen, Matthew., Roy E. Gane

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Excavating A Monumental Stepped Stone Structure At Khirbat Ataruz: The 2016-17 Season Of Fieldwork In Field G, Chang-Ho Ji, Aaron Schade

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This paper presents the results of the 2016–2017 excavations of Field G at Khirbat Ataruz, an area corresponding to the southeast slope of the site that includes a large-scale stepped stone structure. According to our preliminary assessment, the remains would have been stairs ascending the eastern side of the site, which provided an access system to the Iron IIA temple on the acropolis. At the top of the steps, we have what may at some point have been a plaza paved with flat paving stones, possibly contemporaneous with the temple on the acropolis. Field G also includes Moabite architectural remains …

A Guide To Early Jewish Texts And Traditions In Christian Transmission [Review] / Kulik, Alexander, Ed., Rodrigo Galiza

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

The Function Of Military Language In The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Narrative (Mark 6:30–44): A Narrative-Cognitive Study, Oleg Kostuyk

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Megachurches And Social Engagement: Public Theology In Practice [Review] / Cartledge, Mark J., Sarah L. B. Dunlop, Heather Buckingham, And Sophie Bremner., Gerson Santos

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

The Oxford Handbook Of Ecclesiology [Review] / Avis, Paul, Ed., Denis Fortin

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

Questioning The Mentality Behind Mark’S Gospel, Macy Mcdonald

Merge

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: January 2020, Julius T. Medenblik, Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Jeffery A. D. Weima, Shannon Jammal-Hollemans

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Main Features
3 - Hurting Churches & Hurting Pastors by Jul Medenblik
4 - Grief & Doubt in the Christian Life
8 - Christian Triumphalism by Gibson Danjuma
12 - Dementia & Wilderness by Mary L. Vanden Berg

Q&A: The Hurting Church
16 - Are Christians Allowed to Grieve the Death of a Loved One? by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
18 - Where Does Pastoral Care End? by Shannon Jammal - Hollemans
20 - What to Do When Church Leadership Feels Lonely? by Cecil Van Niejenhuis

Calvin Seminary News
22 - Calvin Seminary Names New Canadian Church Relations Liaison: Shawn …

Editorial

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Editorial

The Arduous Path Of Post-Soviet Theological Education, Mark R. Elliott

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

The Digo Mission Of The Anglican Church Of Kenya : Essays In Commemoration Of 114 Years Of Mission Work In East Africa (1904-2018), Julius Mutugi Gathogo

Academic Books

-- Culture, identity and power in the Digo mission / Ferdinand Manjewa M'bwangi
-- First European missionaries in Digo land / Bryson K. Samboja
-- Pioneer Digo-Duruma Christian converts / Japheth Muthoka
-- Christianity in Viongwani / Robert Maneno
-- Entry of the first missionaries in Digo land / Peter Mwangi
-- Christian-Muslim relations in Digo land / Evans Mwangi
-- Unsung heroes and heroines in the Digo mission / Julius Mutugi Gathogo
-- Women's participation in the Digo mission / Lawrence Tsawe-Munga Chidongo
-- Protestants and Pentecostal churches / Joshua Itumo Kiilu
-- Challenges and prospects in the Digo …

Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds Through The Practice Of Learning And Mission At First Baptist Church Valdese, Nc, Joshua Lail

Doctor of Ministry Projects

An education program was designed to encourage intergenerational unity among a mixed group of youth and adults at First Baptist Church in Valdese, NC. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program on the intergenerational experimental group. There was movement toward intergenerational unity from the pre-test to post-test in the experimental group. Insights were learned from the data, particularly that there were different rates of growth between the youth and adults, and the observation that participants may have liked the idea of working together more than actually working together. The younger participants …

“Arise ‘N’ Shine, Daughter Zion Of The Messiah Jesus!” A Sermon At Asbury Theological Seminary, Aug 19, 2020, Fredrick J. Long

The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies

No abstract provided.

The Resurrection Of Jesus And Christian Faith: Five Conferences For The Monks Of New Camaldoli, Big Sur [Lecture Notes], Scott Gambrill Sinclair

The Scott Sinclair Lecture Notes Collection

Lecture notes on a series of talks by Scott G. Sinclair's on his version of the Historical Jesus.

Jesus The Servant King: A Lecture Series On My Version Of The Historical Jesus [Lecture Notes], Scott Gambrill Sinclair

The Scott Sinclair Lecture Notes Collection

Lecture notes on a series of talks by Scott G. Sinclair's on his version of the Historical Jesus.

Discerning Best Practices For Multiethnic Church Of Christ Mergers, Jordan T. Tatum

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project was aimed at discovering best practices for multiethnic Church of Christ mergers. Three churches were discovered that had formed by the merger of a White Church of Christ with a Black Church of Christ. A study of the multiethnic dynamics of the early church provided the biblical and theological foundation for this project. Special attention was given to Galatians, Romans, and Ephesians, as well as the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. The researcher discovered that the Church was multiethnic from its inception. The researcher then researched the literature concerning multiethnic churches in America, Churches of Christ, and church …

Unless The Lord Build The House, Alicia L. Maimone

Honors Theses and Capstones

"Unless the Lord Builds the House" is a work of creative nonfiction about two years of my life as my chronic Lyme disease altered how I had to live and how I thought about my life . There are three major threads that I explore.

The first theme is about losing my old self. There was an old Alicia and a new Alicia, and I explore my frustration at losing the old Alicia. I explore this by talking about building. I see myself as a house under renovation, and I write about my struggle to let go of my past …

Liturgical Drama In The Church: An Application Of Daily Scriptural Living, Alma Lee Langley-Ward

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this research was to study the validity of using liturgical drama as a vital tool of expression in helping to make Scripture come alive for the application and transformation of lives, first of those of the researcher’s local congregation and eventually of other churches. The researcher wrote and directed a play using members of the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as actors and crew. The entire church was a participant of this research as the play was done during a Sunday morning worship service as part of the liturgy. The mixed-method approach presented the most viable …