Digital Commons Network^™

Restoring Breath: A Culturally Grounded Response To The Leadership Gap In Keaukaha, Jacquelyn T. Gomes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In Hawaiʻi, where economic strain and rising suicide rates continue to impact young adults, the challenges facing emerging leaders extend beyond ministry models to issues of identity, belonging, and survival. This praxis project addressed the leadership gap among young adults (ages 20–40) in the Keaukaha community of Hawaiʻi Island. While Hale Pule Ke Ola Hou demonstrated strong engagement from elders and children, the absence of young adult leaders revealed deeper challenges in generational continuity, cultural connection, and ministry relevance. Grounded in biblical discipleship and Hawaiian cultural values, this project proposed a contextualized, organic model of leadership development integrating relational presence, …

Integration Of Faith And Learning In Online Programs: A Case Study Of Online Curriculum At A Christian University, Van Hnuai Kim

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

Faith-learning integration (FLI), an oft-stated goal of Christian higher education, is neither easy to define nor practice. Existing literature is not clear on how the fusion of faith and learning is taking place in the classroom, either in person or online. This study examines the two online programs of a Christian university in the Midwest of the United States. The purpose of the study is to describe some of the ways FLI is implemented in the two selected online programs, to gain a better understanding of FLI, and to suggest ways to implement FLI throughout the whole program effectively. The …

Ecotheology In Context: A Critical Phenomenological Study Of Graduates Of Environmentally Focused Seminary Programs In The United States Of America, Cherice Bock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In recent decades, the field of ecotheology has emerged in dialogue with the context of the interconnected environmental and climate crises, particularly relating to the critique of Christianity being used to justify human and resource exploitation. A range of disciplines within the religious academy have taken up these intersecting concerns, together termed “ecologically informed theological education.” Graduate institutions training faith leaders and theological educators have created degree programs and certifications, and/or incorporated awareness of ecology, sustainability, and care for creation into their curricula. A research approach for ecotheology is described through the conceptual framework of critical ecotheology, which acknowledges ecotheology …

Charism Formation In Dominican Institutions Of Higher Education, Jennifer E. Schaaf Op

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

Using a qualitative approach, this research project examined the practices of charism formation and mission education at institutions of higher education founded by Dominican Sisters in the US. Broad surveys of those in roles responsible for mission at the institutions were followed by select site visits—conducted in person and virtually—and interviews. Websites and published materials about the institutions, curriculum, visible signs on campus and activities that are integral to the mission were examined as part of this project. As the number of Dominican Sisters available to serve in their founded institutions decreases, this research may provide a path forward in …

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: Exploring The Effectiveness Of A Person-Centered Disability Awareness Seminar In A Congregational Setting, Joshua H. Jones

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

People with disabilities and their families frequently experience barriers toward inclusion and belonging in multiple spheres of life. These barriers are also present in Christian congregations. However, many congregations express a godly desire to love people with disabilities and their families without these obstacles.

The Old and New Testaments provide examples of how God’s people sought to love people with disabilities in their midst creatively and intentionally in response to God’s gracious actions, invitation, and command. Recent research in disability studies routinely highlight the necessity of being attentive to the uniqueness of each person with disabilities and his or her …

Catholics & Cultures As An Act Of Improvisation: A Response, Thomas M. Landy

Journal of Global Catholicism

This essay responds to seven articles published in the same issue of the Journal of Global Catholicism on the use of Catholics & Cultures, a multimedia website, as a pedagogical resource for college classrooms. The site is deliberately presented in a fashion that undermines notions of center and periphery and presents Catholicism from a lay, lived-religion perspective as the multicultural faith that it is, minimizing reference to religious typologies. Particular attention is given to how to navigate tensions around theorizing, categorizing and sorting information for cross-cultural comparison. Given scholars’ current state of knowledge, writing about and teaching about global Catholicism …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 61 Number 2, Spring 2020 [Print Issue V.61:1], Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - THE UPSTART How Michael Mondavi ’66 helped get Napa on the wine map. By Ron Hansen.

18 - OF WOMEN AND MEN Emeritus professors dish on their research into wine and women. By Tracy Seipel.

22 - A SIGN OF LIGHT A Jesuit priest finds meaning on death row. By George Williams, S.J.

26 - FIRE AND WINE As the climate changes, what’s next for wine remains murky. By Tracy Seipel.

Epistemology, Wisdom, And Social Transformation: Strategies At The Forefront Of The Contemplative Movement In Higher Education, Nicola Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

American society is currently experiencing a surging interest in contemplative practices. The secularization and professionalization of contemplative practices can be seen in the adoption of mindfulness-based approaches in sectors as wide-ranging as technology, nonprofit, and higher education. Amongst all these fields, institutions of higher education play a unique role within the contemplative movement in that the academy lays claim to the powerful social roles of producing and disseminating knowledge and, subsequently, of shaping societal values and behaviors.

In conducting this qualitative study, the researcher analyzed 1) what the academics in the contemplative movement expressed through their speech regarding the activities …

Revisiting The Merits Of A Contested Discipline: Reflections On The Study Of Old Testament Theology, Benjamin J. Lappenga

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

The Pastoral Practice Of Christian Hospitality As Presence In Muslim-Christian Engagement: Contextualizing The Classroom, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

This project involved inviting graduate-level classes to contextualize their study in relationship with a specific Lutheran congregation in an urban and multifaith neighborhood. In doing so, the Christian practice of hospitality—especially understood in terms of presence—was particularly pertinent. Learning took place in context, far more efficiently and effectively, through engagement with rather than teaching about each other. Ultimately the project members experienced learning in the presence of other faiths as deepening one's own faith, while inviting genuine respect for other faiths.

An Evaluation Of Performance As It Relates To The Adventist Community Services Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program In The United States, Sung Kun Kwon

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to understand the effectiveness of the Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program (NLCP) by examining the relationship between an individual’s completion of the program and their individual performance growth in attitude, knowledge, and skills. Since the program represents a major financial investment on the part of the Adventist Community Services (ACS) organization, ACS leaders need to know if the time, resources, and effort that have been poured into this leadership program are actually improving the participants’ performance in skills and knowledge, and if they have effectively contributed to changes in leadership attitude.

Method

This study …

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 …

Re-Envisioning Theological Education And Formation For Mission, In-Context, Using Distance Education, David Wollenburg

Doctor of Ministry

Distance Education Leading To Ordination (DELTO) is a program of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) designed to prepare individuals for pastoral ministry. It is non-residential, and it is contextual, as those in the program are already engaged in ministry.

Three concerns about DELTO are addressed in this work: the first is that it is a "dumbing-down" of pastoral formation; the second is that it is not possible to form a spiritual commWlity of support on-line; and the third is the need for the seminary faculty to have enough information to be able to confidently certify DELTO graduates for ordination.

This …

The Concept Of Contextualization And Its Implications For The Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Education In India, Melchizedek M. Ponniah

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist chruch in India operates in a rapidly changing pluralistic context and a predominantly Hindu culture. Response to the emerging opportunities and demands suggest the reconstruction of theological education in more contextual terms. It is imperative that the institutions and practice of ministry be shaped and evaluated in terms of the manifold functions to be performed in the varegated and highly differentiated cultures within which the Adventist church functions.

Method

This study utilized the historical and descriptive methods. Literature was reviewed to gather concepts related to the concept of contextualization and contextualization of theological education.

Conclusions

1. …

Pacific Review February 1977, Pacific Alumni Association

Pacific Magazine and Pacific Review

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Education In The South Pacific Islands, Alexander Shand Currie

Dissertations

Problem: Theological education is an important concern of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific Islands. Current concerns include ascertaining the best type of theological education for the Adventist Church in this region; determining cultural influence on curriculum; designing a model for the coordination of theological education in Oceania; outlining alternative three-year diploma and four-year bachelor’s-degree curricula; and offering recommendations for the development of Adventist ministerial education in Oceania. The purpose of this study was to present strategies that may assist the Seventh-day Adventist Church to find possible solutions to these concerns.

Method: This study utilizes the historical, descriptive, …