Digital Commons Network^™

Sustaining Team Leadership In Recovery At Magnolia Baptist Church In Riverside, California, Richard Perez

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Recovering The Real Lost Gospel: Reclaiming The Gospel As Good News, A. Boyd Luter

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

No abstract provided.

The Coming God: Pursuing A Theology Of Hope, Ed Love

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Dissertations And Theses Notices, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Encountering Theology Of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, And Contemporary Issues By Craig Ott And Stephen J. Strauss With Timothy Tennent, R. Bruce Carlton

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Heart Of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles For Developing People To Their Fullest Potential By David A. Stoddard, Jeff Ritchley

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Adventures In Churchland: Discovering The Beautiful Mess Jesus Loves, Dan Kimball

Doctor of Ministry

A growing number of young adults (those in the 18-30-year-old age range) are not
engaging, becoming involved or entering into the church of America. An increasing
number of those who grew up attending church are leaving after their high school years.
I have observed this as a pattern when visiting churches and talking to church
leaders across America. Statistics are showing this as seen in studies such as Dave Kin-
naman’s research and writings from the Barna Research group and Ed Stetzer’s research
from LifeWay Christian Resources. This is a very significant problem because if the
church loses connection with …

The Current Crisis In Protestant Theological Education In The Former Soviet Union, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: October 2010, Mariano Avila, Lyle D. Bierma, John Bolt, John W. Cooper

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Reflections on Belhar Confession
3 - Confession of Belhar
5 - Making Shalom: The Belhar Confession by Mariano Avila
6 - Adopting the Belhar: Confession or Testimony? by Lyle D. Bierma
8 - Necessary Testimony—Flawed Confession? by John Bolt
10 - Context and Confusion: What Does the Belhar Confess? by John Cooper
12 - The Belhar Speaks Today by Ronald J. Feenstra

Departments
14 - Formation for Ministry

Book Review: Evangelism Handbook: Biblical, Spiritual, Intentional, Missional By Alvin Reid, Chuck Lawless

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Banner - V. 145, No. 5 - (May 2010), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

6 - Editorial: Language Matters by Bob De Moor / 7 - Catch Your Breath: Clinging to the Covenant by Bonnie Mulder-Behnia / 8 - IMHO: Settling for Religion? by Trevor Payton / 8 - Letters to the Editor / 10 - News: Board responds to synod's request concerning CRC structure changes / 20 - Wonders from My Vegetable Garden by Ron Klok / 22 - Hope Rising / 26 - Dear Reader: Family Gatherings by Jerry Dykstra / 30 - Just for Kids: The Sheep of God’s Pasture by Sandy Swartzentruber / 32 - Parenting: Teens, Sexting, and the …

"The Harmony Way:" Integrating Indigenous Values Within Native North American Theology And Mission, Randy Woodley

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Given that Western models of mission have failed among Native Americans and that colonial practices have devastated native communities, this research sought a better way of pursuing Christian mission among Native Americans by asking two questions: (1) Do Native Americans have a generally shared set of values that could guide the construction of new models for mission in North American Native communities, and, if so, to what degree are these values shared among Native American communities? and, (2). What resources (particularly values) are available within the Native American communities themselves for developing appropriate models of mission and could such resources …

God And Time: Relative Timelessness Reconsidered, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Complexities Of Pastoral Change And Transition In The Megachurches Of The Baptist General Conference, Evangelical Lutheran Church In America, And Presbyterian Church (Usa), Sheila Strobel Smith

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

The emergence of the megachurch in the United States represents a unique phenomenon which was shaped by a variety of cultural, political, economic, and religious forces. Megachurches have grown exponentially in recent years and now exercise unprecedented influence on the religious landscape in this country. Accompanying this phenomenon is a new and unique group of leaders who have guided these congregations through periods of rapid growth and substantial organizational change.

It is anticipated that many megachurches will encounter significant challenges in the future as the current senior pastors retire. Since existing research on megachurches has focused primarily on the congregations, …

Towards An African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: A Response To The Rise Of Neo-Pentecostalism In Tanzanian Christianity, Faith Lugazia

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

In this dissertation, 1 seek to lay the groundwork for developing an African inculturation of biblical pneumatology relevant to the Tanzanian context. The Neo- Pentecostal phenomenon is a strong reality in Tanzania today. Neo-Pentecostal churches and groups are mushrooming, emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit and drawing on the heritage of African spirituality and worldview. Many mainline Protestants, including Lutherans, participate and worship in these churches and groups, yet they maintain their formal membership in their mother churches. This could be due, in part, to the fact that Lutheran theology and teaching in Tanzania has tended to pay little …

Holistic Discipleship In The Shadow Of The Cross: An Interdisciplinary Investigation Of The Anthropological Foundations Of Western Theology And Praxis, Jeddediah Maclaurin

Seminary Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Missions: A Pathway For Helping The Next Generation To Fulfill Christ's Great Commission, Jon Olson

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Church Growth: A Holiness Perspective, Christopher Mark Baldwin

Great Commission Research Journal

The purpose of this article is to outline the Holiness Perspective on Church Growth. Some may be tempted to think of Church Growth and Holiness as mutually exclusive ideas. This article attempts to bring these concepts together. This is accomplished through biblical, theological, and historical foundations. The biblical foundation is based on the church of Antioch and the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The theological foundation focuses on three aspects: missio Dei, Incarnation, and kingdom of God. The historical foundations outline a number of church planting strategies used throughout the history of the church.

Faith At Work: How Churches Can Better Enable Believers To Integrate Their Personal Faith In The Workplace, Stuart D. Dugan

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Building A Community Of Shalom: What The Bible Says About Multicultural Education, Heekap Lee

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Multicultural education is a highly controversial topic in which it has been the center of contentions and conflicts as it has evolved for the last couple of decades. Several concerns and problems existed in the field of multicultural education will be addressed in this article. In addition, a new framework of multicultural education, called the shalom model, which is drawn from the Bible is presented, along with the characteristics of the model. The goal of multicultural education, according to this model, is to build a community of shalom, an image that is clearly described in Isaiah 11:6. In order to …

Special Education And Spiritual Formation, David W. Anderson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Faith-learning integration is a complex and sometimes challenging issue for university faculty, and something which our students have not likely engaged in. Rather than “integration,” emphasis will be on how Christian thought informs educational practice, and contributes to our spiritual formation, igniting flames of faith-learning and helping prepare caring and competent teachers.

Haima In Hebrews, Hermann V. Kuma

Dissertations

Problem. The focus of the dissertation is the significance of the term αἷμα (“blood”) in the Epistle to the Hebrews and how the author of Hebrews uses the term to formulate the argument and message of the Epistle. The dissertation traces the scholarly blood debate involving blood as life or death which began in the last decade of the nineteenth century and eventually fizzled out in the mid-1950s. Recognition of the ambivalence of blood, symbolizing both life and death, is necessary to understand the message of Hebrews.

Method. The dissertation provides a discussion of the concept of blood in the …

Which “Body” Is A Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19)? Paul Beyond The Individual/Communal Divide, Nijay Gupta

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Pauline scholarship has always been interested in the “theology” of the Apostle, and questions of his understanding of God, Christ, salvation, the church, and ethics are as passionately pursued now as in any prior generation. An important methodological point that has been widely accepted among scholars, though, is that such attempts at extracting theological bits from Paul must take sufficient account of the ancient context of his writing and the “contingency” of his literary engagements, that is, “the specificity of the occasion to which it was addressed.” One major manifestation of this concern for understanding Paul in his original setting …

That They May Be One: Spiritual Formation And Its Locus In Community, Phillip G. Carnes

Doctor of Ministry

American Christians, as a whole, lack a spiritual maturity that infuses the whole of their lives with Christlikeness. Additionally, Americans suffer from an epidemic of loneliness. These two problems are related. We will demonstrate that American Christians lack spiritual maturity, in part, because they have privatized their faith and made spiritual formation an individual endeavor. Furthermore, we will show that spiritual formation is best located and grounded within a community context. Humans are social creatures. It is becoming ever more widely recognized that social isolation and loneliness are root causes of much psychosocial dysfunction. Humans do not function well if …

The Need For Teaching The Eschatological Gospel Of Both Comings Of Jesus Christ In The Twenty-First Century, Especially As We See The Day Of His Parousia Approaching, David K. Hebert

College of Theology and Ministry Faculty Research and Scholarship

This thesis is designed to outline the systematic-theological and theological-historical basis for the Eschatological Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach). This cohesively combines Jesus’ First Coming (for redemption, reconciliation and restoration) with His Second Coming (for the Rapture/Resurrection of the Church/Body of Christ and judgment at the Day of the Lord/Yahweh) into the complete salvation of the Church. The historical writings of the Patristic, Ante- and Post-Nicene Fathers are examined to ensure the continuity of this Eschatological Gospel message being communicated through their writings to the Early Church. The remainder of Church …

Christian Faith, Nonviolence, And Ukraine's Orange Revolution: A Case Study Of The Embassy Of God Church, Svetlana Filiatreau

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Bridges Of God: The Mission Legacy Of Donald Anderson Mcgavran, Charles Van Engen

Great Commission Research Journal

This short essay is about Donald McGavran and his ground-breaking book, Bridges of God, that became the cornerstone of Church Growth theory and the foundation of what is now called the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Missiological thinking and missionary practice was transformed by the energy, vitality, insight, and stubborn tenacity of Donald McGavran. Whether they agreed with McGavran or not, after the publication of The Bridges of God, mission professors, mission executives, and mission practitioners could no longer do business as usual, nor their usual business.

An Examination Of The Compatibility Of The Church Growth Movement With A Calvinistic Soteriology, Michael Waldrop

Great Commission Research Journal

The purpose of this article is to establish that the strategic, missiological thinking of the Church Growth Movement is compatible with a Calvinistic soteriology. The method for accomplishing this purpose involves, first, a clarification of terms. Both “Church Growth Movement” and “Calvinism” have been defined in myriad ways, and these are not all equally valid. Thus, specific descriptions are included here. Next is a necessary discussion of the tensions that are perceived to exist between Church Growth and Calvinism. This is followed by a survey of kindred concerns and an exhibition of the common doctrinal ground shown to be held …

Totally Devoted: Developing A Holistic Spiritual Formation Course For Western Christian College, Stanley N. Helton

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports research results from a learning community composed of faculty, support staff, ministry leaders, and students who collaborated in a professor’s development of a new course proposal in Christian spiritual formation at Western Christian College in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The professor used qualitative research methods in the analysis and evaluation of the data produced by the group. The outcome of the project was ethnographic data that informed the creation of the course proposal that included new course application, course syllabus with course schedule, planned activities, bibliography, initial classroom assignments, and initial assessment tools.

Imago Dei As Missio Dei, Fourie Van Den Berg

Doctor of Ministry

Section 1 of this paper describes the Dutch Reformed Church in Namibia's (DRCN) problems, uncertainty, and loss of direction because neglects God's mission. As a rule, the DRCN has lost members and credibility and cares more about itself than the suffering Namibian society. Because and the DCRN lost its connection with the missio Dei, Namibian socio-economical problems increased and created a huge gap between the DRCN and Namibian society. The DCRN has little impact on major sociological issues. The DRCN can address these realities by rediscovering imago Dei theology and the missio Dei. This change will bridge the gap between …