Digital Commons Network^™

'I Didn't Know What Sex Was': Effects Of Christian Youth Group Involvement On Women's Sexuality In Adulthood, Aubrey K. Rhoadarmer

Honors Projects

This article analyzes the ways Christian youth group involvement in high school affects women’s perspectives and opinions on sex later in their lives. Through the intertwining of 12 stories, this research sheds light on how both implicit and explicit social and religious messages can shape women’s opinions of their sexuality. Themes include harms caused by purity pledges, unfair expectations placed on women during their “first time,” the pressure women feel to become wives and mothers, the importance of openness around discussing sexuality — particularly by parents — and how multiple communities influence women’s sexual development.

Pioneer Women Administrators In The Interamerican Division Of The Adventist Church (1906–1940), Daniel Alberto Mora

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This article focuses on previously unpublished data concerning pioneer women who helped establish and govern different levels of the Adventist Church between 1906 and 1940 in what is now the Inter-American Division. The article begins with information obtained from different yearbooks, and then traces the identity and work of pioneer Adventist women in documents such as General Conference minutes, newspapers, civil registries, and through information provided by their descendants. It also highlights the contributions of these women as the first local missionaries and founders of the Sabbath School (1880s) and Young People’s Missionary Volunteer (YPMV) (1900s) departments. It also highlights …

Developing Practices Within The Lord’S Supper That Develop Central Identity At Queen City Church Of Christ, Ryan Russell

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project was designed to meet a need at the Queen City Church of Christ (QCC) for developing intentional practices around the Lord’s Supper for forming a central identity in a diverse community. The scope of this project focuses on the project group’s ability to develop practices based on the theology of the Lord’s Supper, biblical teaching, engaging in practices of spiritual formation as a group, and their observations of Lord’s Supper practices in other Christian traditions. Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth provides the textual context for the discussion of the role the Lord’s Supper plays within …

Creating An Action Plan To Increase Diversity And Inclusion At Northwest Church Of Christ, Kenton Reeves Brown

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project was designed to meet a need at the Northwest Church of Christ in Oklahoma City to help the church transition from a church that values diversity to one that realizes its vision of being diverse and inclusive. The scope of this project was to create an action plan to increase diversity and inclusion to present to the church leaders for their consideration. The theological foundation for the project comes from Paul’s convictions, expressed in Gal 1–2, that any who are in Christ should not be excluded or treated as a lower-class member of the community based on their …

Developing Ethical Training Curriculum For University Short-Term Missions, Elizabeth P. Sutphin

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

This thesis addresses common problems associated with short-term mission (STM) trips and the gaps in existing training materials for these trips. The research throughout this project is designed to inspire community-specific training materials for college students participating in domestic STM trips through their universities. The final chapter of this thesis includes the framework for a sample curriculum to promote sustainable STM work — providing cross-cultural communication techniques and relationship-building tools to avoid harming the communities students seek to serve.

Loving The Unloveable: A Biblical Approach For The Local Church To Homosexuality In A Morally Declining Society, Robert Jonathan Archer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis will strive to prove that local churches worldwide have been highly ineffective at providing true recovery for parishioners that struggle with homosexuality often ostracizing them as a diseased product rather than a creation of the Father. The goal is to help the church discover, assess, and address the sin, healing, and recovery for homosexuals in their ministry in a healthy biblical manner that promotes freedom in Christ and true recovery. This will allow the local church to partake in the healing process of broken parishioners promoting evangelism and discipleship that will in turn extend into the communities of …

In Memoriam : Vinson Synan: Model Of Spirit-Led Leadership, Sally Jo Shelton

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

H. Vinson Synan (December 1, 1934—March 15, 2020) was a key successor to David du Plessis, known as Mr. Pentecost, to Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders. Like du Plessis, Synan was a classical Pentecostal who dedicated much of his life to promoting the move of the Holy Spirit beyond the confines of his own classical Pentecostal denomination, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. His call to this work came in 1972 at an annual Catholic Charismatic Conference held at Notre Dame University when seeing some 8,000participants singing in the Spirit, he came to the conviction that Catholics had indeed received the …

Full Issue - Spiritus 5, Vol 2 (2020), Spiritus Journal

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This special journal issue devoted to Spirit-empowered leadership.

John Thompson, guest editor.

Adolescent Spiritual Formation: Practical Theology As A Filter For Youth Ministry, Jeremy Smith

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

There seems to be a disconnect between the practice and scholars of youth ministry. Historically, the practice of youth ministry has been overly concerned with method, creating multiple approaches, each with its own inherent shortcomings. Responding to this overemphasis on method, scholars of youth ministry have argued for a more theological framework, assuming that the problem lies within a lack of theological education among youth ministry practitioners. In 2001 youth ministry scholarship made a case to place the field of youth ministry under the discipline of practical theology in hopes of grounding the practice of youth ministry in theology. Over …

A Church Planting Church In South Korea: A Case Study On Missional Outreach, Deokjong Bang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Gallup Korea, in 2015, reported that 30% of people under 30 years old had stopped attending churches in South Korea during last ten years. The primary reasons that young people leave a church is secularization of growth-oriented churches represented by huge buildings, power-oriented pastors and lack of morality of Christians. Therefore, a new church model that will engage young people is required for Korean Christianity. The missional church movement can be an alternative model for churches in South Korea. That is because the movement pursues a small church, a non-power-oriented pastor, and real life as a disciple of Jesus. Based …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 51 No 2 - November 2016), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: The Usefulness of Divine Majesty According to Calvin on Genesis by Rebekah Earnshaw - 181 / Sola Scriptura: An Inadequate Slogan for the Authority of Scripture by Henk van den Belt - 204 / Nuptial Reading: Hippolytus, Origen, and Ambrose on the Bridal Couple of the Song of Songs by Hans Boersma - 227 / Just What Do You Mean—Kingdom of God? Lessons from a Century (and More) of Christian Social Thought by John Bolt - 259 / Bound to the Altar: The Isaac of Genesis 22:1–19 by Arie C. Leder - 283 / Calvin Bibliography 2016 - …

Establishing The M7 Dream Builder Pastoral Care Ministry: A Christ-Centered Spiritual Oasis For Women-By-Women With Dreams Deferred, Sylvia Medley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the long standing problems of Christ-Centered pastoral care in the local church is the need for a practical innovative pastoral care ministry for women whose dreams have been deferred that not only provides healing, hope, and encouragement, but also incorporates the discipling culture of the Great Commission. Based on Matthew 28:19-20, Proverbs 13:12, and supported by surveys, development of an M7 network will culminate in an annual women’s conference. The establishment of the women’s center will consist of a three-part program utilizing a methodology of pastoral care developed specifically for women-by-women. It will include: 1) radical Christ-Centered programs …

Facilitating A Change Of Mind About Father God Through Mentoring Of The Fatherless, Stephen Madosky

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The consensus of published research has proven beyond question that fatherlessness is a crisis in America. Textbooks and autobiographies have covered and reported the statistical effects of fatherlessness; nonetheless, there is far less literature dealing with the solution of fatherlessness and even less literature from Church scholars on how the Church may participate in its correction. This thesis presents an understanding of fatherlessness and proposes a resolution to act on behalf of fatherless children. The resolution will be comprised in preparing Church leaders to equip Church laity to understand and to minister to the fatherless in their affliction effectively.

Six Principles To Consider When Working With Roman Catholic Clients, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Although the majority of Americans consider themselves to be Christian and affiliated with various Protestant denominations, a quarter of the American population identify themselves as Roman Catholics who are the largest single religious denomination in the country. Yet, surprisingly, fairly little research has been published in the professional psychology literature about working with this very large and diverse group. Psychologists have an ethical responsibility to be aware of and respectful to diversity including diversity based on religious background, affiliation, and perspectives. The purpose of this brief reflection is to offer 6 important principles to keep in mind for professional psychologists …

Four Lessons Learned From Treatingcatholic Priest Sex Offenders, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Perhaps there is no one in our society more despised and vilified than sex offenders, especially those who sexually violate young children. And during the past decade perhaps no particular subgroup of sex offender has been more despised than those who are Roman Catholic priests. We need to be attentive to the state-of-the-art facts, best practices, and create policies and procedures to keep those who might harm children away from children. To do otherwise is foolish and harmful. Yet strong opinions, advocacy, and hysteria sometimes gets more attention than actual evidence-based quality research and practice which is not ultimately in …

Cultivating The Practice Of Missional Hospitality For Small Groups At West Houston Church Of Christ, Kevin Stewart

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project in which I led a team to develop a plan to cultivate the practice of missional hospitality for small groups at West Houston Church of Christ. I used missional theology as a framework to give shape to the practice of hospitality. The project team met for nine weeks in the fall of 2014. The team practiced lectio divina focused on Luke 10, participated in theological reflection on missional hospitality, and fulfilled assignments to practice missional hospitality. These activities helped form the group spiritually and informed the development of a …

Facilitating Holistic Spiritual Formation At The Northside Church Of Christ In Laredo, Texas, Kirk R. Cowell

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a project to facilitate holistic spiritual formation at the Northside Church of Christ in Laredo, Texas. A program consisting of seven weekly sessions of intergenerational religious experiences was enacted at the church in hopes of catalyzing growth in the cognitive, relational, affective, and behavioral domains. These sessions were constructed on a foundation consisting of the experiences of the non-class Churches of Christ—a group of congregations that has historically rejected the Bible class model—and informed by the intergenerational formation literature. Evaluation of this project showed relational and affective growth greater than what the congregation had experienced with the …

Developing An Intentional Mentoring Model For Disciple Formation At The Mayfair Church Of Christ, Jason Bybee

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project to lead a team in the development of an intentional mentoring model for disciple formation at the Mayfair Church of Christ. This intervention involved the team members in a series of sessions during September and October 2013. Project sessions were designed to provide participants an intentional mentoring experience through exposure to four core practices: exploration of the biblical text, appreciative inquiry exercises, communal sharing, and prayer. Sessions were informed by (1) an understanding of discipleship as following behind Jesus and walking alongside our fellow sojourners, (2) the nature of …

Extending Story Listening As A Practice Of Communal Formation At The Lake Orion Church Of Christ, Eric R. Magnusson

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that explores the potential for extending a practice of story listening as a way of forming community across social circles at the Lake Orion Church of Christ in Lake Orion, Michigan. The intervention involved guiding a group of six participant-researchers, each of whom had previous experience in story listening, through six sessions in the fall of 2011. Each phase of the project was informed by a participatory social Trinitarian theology. The first three sessions were designed to empower participant-researcher pairs to facilitate story listening groups of four to five …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 47 No 1 - April 2012), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: Revisiting the Psalm of Jonah by Amanda W. Benckhuysen - 5 / Calvin's Theological Appropriation of His Philosophical Sources: A Note on Natural Law and Institutes 2.2.2 2-23 by Charles D. Raith II - 32 / Vos and Berkhof on Union with Christ and Justification by J. V. Fesko - 50 / Groen van Prinsterer: Godfather of Bavinck and Kuyper by Harry Van Dyke - 72 / It's About Time: Opening Reformational Thought to the Eschaton by Nicholas Ansell - 98 / Reforming Public Theology: Two Kingdoms, or Two Cities? by James K. A. Smith - 122 / …

Mission And Catholic Identity [Booklet], Office Of Mission And Catholic Identity

Mission & Culture Publications

‌The Office of Mission and Catholic Identity at Sacred Heart University has as its primary purpose the articulation, promotion and transmission of the Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Tradition.

2012 - 106th Annual Summit, "Intimacy", Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

No abstract provided.

Review: The Facilitator Era: Beyond Pioneer Church Multiplication, Edward L. Smither

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

No abstract provided.

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

2011 - 105th Annual Summit, "Enough: Isaiah 1:11-17", Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 45 No 1 - April 2010), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Editorial - 7 / Articles: Herman Bavinck, "Foreword" to the First Edition (Volume I) of the Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, translated by John Bolt - 9 / The Bavinck Recipe for Theological Cake by John Bolt - 11 / Herman Bavinck and Geerhardus Vos by George Harinck - 18 / Herman Bavinck and Benjamin B. Warfield on Apologetics and the Autopistia of Scripture by Henk van den Belt - 32 / Bavinck's Philosophy of Revelation by Gordon Graham - 44 / Bavinck's Organic Motif: Questions Seeking Answers by James Eglinton - 51 / Herman Bavinck and Karl Barth on Christian …

Communally Discerning A Covenant Of Hospitality For The Care Of Children At Westview Boys' Home, Ron Bruner

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the lack of a covenant defining the practice of hospitality towards children for team members of Westview Boys’ Home. The purpose of the project was to facilitate the creation of such a covenant. The Westview ministry team already claimed hospitality as a strength; the hope was that reframing the ministry around this strength would improve the quality of care for children and the quality of life for the community. Invited into a communal discernment process (the methodology), the ministry team invested weeks in the examination of biblical texts, theological tradition, personal and communal narratives, cultural trends, psychological …

2010 - 104th Annual Summit, "Aliens & Light: Finding God In The Darkness", Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

No abstract provided.

2009 - 92nd Annual Summit, "On The Mountain With God: Exodus Expedition, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

No abstract provided.

Inter-Generational Youth Ministry And The Solution To Volunteers, Steve R. Vandegriff

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.