Digital Commons Network^™

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 4, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

Controversial issues have the potential of splitting the church. To avoid this danger, church leaders need to exercise much care and, at the same time, show firmness when dealing with these issues.

Christ's Response To The Last, The Least, The Lost, The Left Out - Is The Church Living Up To Christ's Standard?, Jerry Staples

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a plethora of statistics concerning how many un-churched people there are in the United States and the socioeconomic ladder does not discriminate who fits this lost category. Yet, the concern of this project deals with the gang member, drug dealer, drug users, pimps and prostitutes. The intent is to take outreach to the street through cook outs, Holy block parties, street revivals and the like. The rationale of this project is to show how one can reach, teach and keep this group of people, the potential dangers, and positive consequences associated with it. The potential value of this …

A Plan For Developing An Effective Community Outreach Strategy For Churches In The Northeast, Roscoe Lilly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Community outreach is an essential part of a church's mission to be "salt and light" to those around them. Community outreach creates the crucial platform for a church's evangelistic efforts. While many churches want to reach out to their community, few have a clear understanding of how or where to begin. The purpose of this project is to help churches in the Northeast better understand how to increase their community's receptivity to the gospel through a strategic community outreach plan. The project will use NorthStar Church as a case study. It is the aim of this project to demonstrate how …

Genesis 12-50 And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Bob Stallman

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Genesis 12-50 and Work
2. Abraham (Genesis 12:1-25:11)
   • Abraham’s faithfulness contrasted with the faithlessness of Babel (Genesis 12:1-3)
   • The Pastoral Lifestyle of Abraham and his Family (Genesis 12:4-7)
   • Abraham’s journey begins with disaster in Egypt (Genesis 12:8-13:2)
   • Abraham and Lot parted (Genesis 13:3-18)
   • Abraham and Sarah’s hospitality (Genesis 18:1-15)
   • Abraham’s dispute with Abimelech (Genesis 20:1-16; 21:22-34)
   • A burial plot for Sarah (Genesis 23:1-20)
3. Isaac (Genesis 21:1-35:29)
4. Jacob (Genesis 25:19-49:33)
   • Jacob's unethical procurement of Esau’s birthright and blessing (Genesis 25:19-34; 26:34–28:9)
   • Jacob Gains His Fortune (Genesis 30-31)
   • Jacob’s transformation and reconciliation with Esau (Genesis 32–33)
5. Joseph (Genesis 37:2-50:26)
   • Joseph rejected …

Book Review: The Explicit Gospel By Matt Chandler, Jeremy Mcgarity

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Churching Of America 1776–2005: Winners And Losers In Our Religious Economy By Roger Finke And Rodney Stark, Charles Salmon

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Genesis 1-11 And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Andrew Schmutzer, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Genesis 1-11
2. God Creates the World (Genesis 1:1-2:3)
   • God works to create the world (Genesis 1:1-25)
     • God brings the material world into being (Genesis 1:1-2)
     • God’s creation takes work (Genesis 1:3-25; 2:7)
     • Creation is of God, but is not identical with God (Genesis 1:11)
     • God sees that his work is good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
   • God works relationally (Genesis 1:26a)
   • God limits his work (Genesis 2:1-3)
3. God Creates and Equips People to Work (Genesis 1:26-2:25)
   • People are created in God's image (Genesis 1:26, 27; 5:1)
   • Dominion (Genesis 1:26; 2:5)
   • Relationships (Genesis 1:27; 2:18, 21-25) …

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 3, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

The 1888 Minneapolis Bible conference exemplifies using wrong attitudes to deal with doctrinal controversy. In contrast to the 1888 debacle, the 1848 and the 1855 conferences exemplify right approaches toward dealing with controversial issues in the church. These illustrate the principle that the key toward dealing with controversial subjects in the church is a personal relationship with God.

Leviticus And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Bob Stallman

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction— does Leviticus have anything to tell us about our work?
2. The Foundational Concept of Holiness in Leviticus
3. Israel’s Sacrificial System (Leviticus 1–10)
   • The Dwelling of God in the Community (Leviticus 1-10)
   • The Whole People of God at Work (Leviticus 1-10)
   • The Workplace Significance of the Guilt Offering (Leviticus 6:1-7)
4. The Unclean and the Clean (Leviticus 11–16)
   • The Permissibility of Eating Particular Animals (Leviticus 11)
   • Dealing with Skin Diseases and Mold Infections (Leviticus 13–14)
5. Holiness (Leviticus 17–27)
   • Gleaning (Leviticus 19:9–10)
   • Behaving honestly (Leviticus 19:11–12)
   • Treating workers fairly (Leviticus 19:13)
   • Rights of People with Disabilities (Leviticus 19:14)
   • Doing Justice (Leviticus 19:15–16) …

Ruth And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Daniel I. Block

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to the Book of Ruth
2. Tragedy strikes the family of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:1-22)
3. God’s blessing is the source of human productivity (Ruth 2:1-4)
4. God bestows his blessing of productivity through human labor (Ruth 2:5-7)
5. Receiving God’s blessing of productivity means respecting co-workers (Ruth 2:8-16)
6. God calls people to provide opportunities for the poor to work productively (Ruth 2:17-23)
   • God’s law calls people of means to provide economic opportunities for the poor (Ruth 2:17-23)
   • God leads individuals to provide economic opportunities for the poor and vulnerable (Ruth 2:17-23)
7. God’s blessing is redoubled when people work according to his …

Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ: Implementing An Effective Discipleship Strategy For Churches In America, Victor Ogundiran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Various research findings on spiritual formation in the America church reveal that the current state of making disciples of Jesus Christ who are observing all that Jesus has commanded is woefully grim. This author believes what we have in place for making disciples is inadequate, unimplemented, or both. The purpose of this thesis project is to explain the current state of spiritual formation in the American Church and the reasons why it falls short of God's desire and design. This effort will include and incorporate research from at least 20 churches to see what discipleship systems they are using, if …

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: April 2013, Michael W. Goheen, Calvin P. Van Reken, Kevin Adams, Carl J. Bosma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Engaging the Church
Articles
3 - The Church: Who and Whose Are We? by Michael W. Goheen
5 - Why Join a Church? by Calvin P. Van Reken
7 - What Attracts People to the Church? (and what puts them off) by Kevin Adams
9 - Church Engagement A Roundtable Discussion
11 - Vision for the Seminary’s Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal (IGCPR) by Carl J. Bosma

Departments
14 - Distinguished Alumni
15 - New Staf

Elder Selection: Engaging The Monterey Church Of Christ In A Collaborative Elder Selection Process, Benjamin D. Pickett

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the outcomes of a project intended to foster greater collaboration at the Monterey Church of Christ in its selection of elders. The intervention involved the engagement of the Monterey Church in a process that involved multiple steps. These steps involved engagement with teachers in the context of a teacher training seminar, with Bible classes in a series of Bible lessons, and with elders, elder nominees, and their spouses in order to discern the perceived degree to which Monterey members participate in the elder selection process. The Bible lessons presented an alternative model for theological …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 48 No 1 - April 2013), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: The Imitation of Christ as Illumination for the Two Kingdoms Debate by John Bolt - 6 / "Abraham had two sons": Augustine and the Allegory of Sarah and Hagar (Galatians 4:21–31) by Wendy Elgersma Helleman - 35 / Jonah 1:9—An Example of Elenctic Testimony by Carl J. Bosma - 65 / Missionary Ecclesiology in an Age of Individualization by Stefan Paas - 91 / From a Neo-Calvinistic to an Ecumenical Theology of Religions: The Development of the Theologia Religionum of Johannes Verkuyl by Rudolph Edward Stiemer - 107 / Pierre Viret on War and Peace by Robert D. …

Phoebe: Was She An Early Church Leader?, Darius Jankiewicz

Faculty Publications

The role of Phoebe in early Christianity has been hotly debated throughout the centuries, ranging from views suggesting that her ministry was nothing more than that of a helper (or patron) of the apostolic task, to those ascribing to her a significant ministerial role. As we shall see, this debate often influenced the biblical translations of the Greek words used by Paul to describe the ministry of this remarkable woman. In this article, I will focus on three aspects of Phoebe’s ministry that flow from the text of Romans 16:1, 2: her ministry as a diakonos; her role …

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 2, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

Acts 15 reveals that the church, inits assembly of representative members, may indeed speak with binding authority upon the whole church, as that authority is based upon the Written Word. This chapter also provides a paradigm for dealing with doctrinal controversy, a paradigm that the Seventh-day Adventist Church may well follow when facing controversial issues.

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 1, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

This series of articles suggests some ground rules for dealing with a potentially divisive theological issue. We begin by looking at the history of doctrinal controversy, both at the beginning of the Christian church and the inception of the Adventist movement, and by learning from the first Christian disciples and from our Adventist pioneers.

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Winter 2013, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

The challenge of student debt

Dystopia And Individualism, Jacob Scott Anderson

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

La Sagesse Et L’Adversite – Wisdom And Adversity, Yann Opsitch

Language and Literature

What can we learn from the biblical text concerning the relationship between wisdom and adversity? How can we apply this to our lives in the 21^st century?

How do the life and teachings of Jesus connect with the biblical concept of wisdom? How does the story of Jesus help us reconstruct our broken lives and identities? Where is the wisdom in biblical hope?

These are some of the questions raised by this book written in French and addressing specifically a French audience.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: January 2013, Stan Mast, John W. Cooper, John Bolt, Lyle D. Bierma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Engaging the Forms of Unity
Articles
3 - Preaching Sound Doctrine in a Time of Itching Ears by Stan Mast
5 - The Pros and Cons of Confessions by John W. Cooper
7 - The Belgic Confession (1561)—Testimony of an Oppressed Church by John Bolt
9 - Engaging the Heidelberg Catechism by Lyle Bierma
11 - The Canons of Dort by Richard Muller
13 - The Confessions in the Church

Departments
14 - Mentored Ministries by Al Gelder
14 - New Staf

Sanctuary: Cosmos, Covenant, And Creation, Elias Brasil De Souza

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Justification In The Gospels, Clinton Wahlen

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Ar Trebui Femeile Să Fie Hirotonite Ca Pastori? Considerații Asupra Vechiului Testament - Partea A I, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

In the modern discussion over whether women should be ordained as pastors, the foundational passage for both those who affirm and those who oppose women’s ordination is Gen 1–3. Those who affirm women’s ordination find in the Genesis creation accounts a statement of full equality without hierarchy of man and woman, set forth as the divinely ordained creation order. They see the rest of Scripture calling us back toward that creation ideal, and allowing for women to fill any position of authority to which God calls and gifts them. Those who oppose the ordination of women also go to Gen …

Rethinking Discipleship In The Area Of High School Ministry: Key Strategies For Transforming Urban Youth, Michael Rackley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to a Barna Research Group study titled "Third Millennium Teens" 60% of young people will leave the church permanently or for an extended period. Decreasing the number of urban youth ages 14-18 from defecting from the church and to increase retention of church dropouts using Twenty-First Century transformational strategies is the goal of this project. Having served as a youth pastor the writer will analyze key strategies that will benefit high school ministry by raising the bar on expectations and by building future leaders in the church.

This project will include an anonymous survey of 125 participants aged 18-24 …

Eight Key Principles To Transform Church Culture To Retain Ministry Leaders, Trent Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today's culture, there is an ever-growing population of unchurched and dechurched within our local communities, not to mention dysfunctional leaders within the Church. This project attempts to create a healthy quality of life for ministry leaders that transcends into relevant evangelism and empowering discipleship. Based on scripture, segments of church history leadership styles, surveys of current ministry leaders, various books/articles, and personal perspectives this paper will delineate lessons to be learned and principles that are effective in the remodeling process. The principles within this project will show how church culture can transition from an antiquated paradigm of ministry to …

Exodus And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Bob Stallman

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Exodus
2. Israel in Egypt (Exodus 1:1–13:16)
   • The Harshness of the Israelites’ Slave Labor in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-14)
   • The Work of Midwifery and Mothering (Exodus 1:15-2:10)
   • God’s Call to Moses (Exodus 2:11-3:22)
   • God’s Work of Redemption for Israel (Exodus 5:1-6:28)
   • Moses and Aaron Announce God’s Judgment to Pharaoh (Exodus 7:1-12:51)
3. Israel at the Red Sea and on the Way to Sinai (Exodus 13:17-18:27)
   • The Work of Justice Among the People of Israel (Exodus 18:1-27)
4. Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-40:38)
   • The Meaning of Law in Exodus (Exodus 19:1-24:18)
   • The Role of the Law for Christians (Exodus 20:1-24:18)
   • Instructions about …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 47 No 2 - November 2012), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: All Is Well by Stanley D. Walters - 192 / A Good Sermon Is Hard to Find by Stanley Mast - 215 / Preaching the Creeds and Confessions of the Church: The Case for Theological Literacy by Wilbert M. Van Dyk - 224 / Applying Gracefully by Scott E. Hoezee - 237 / Balancing the Spiritual Diet: Suggestions for Preaching from the Book of Hebrews by Thomas J. Niehof - 248 / Applying Daniel's Messages to the Church Today by Sidney Greidanus - 257 / Scripture and Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary by Arie C. Leder, Katrina M. …

Truth & Deception Overview, Theology Of Work Project, Scott Rae

Theology of Work Project

1. Truthtelling in the Bible
   • Truthtelling is the Norm in the Bible
   • Exceptions to Truthtelling in the Bible
2. Why Truthtelling is Important
   • Authentic Communication Requires Truthtelling
   • Trust and Cooperation Require Truthtelling
   • Human Dignity Requires Truthtelling
3. Truthtelling in the Workplace
   • Financial Statements Must Tell the Truth
   • There May be Exceptions to Truthtelling in the Workplace
     • Puffery/exaggeration
     • White lies
     • Bluffing
   • When Someone Has No Right to the Truth
     • Deception to obtain information you have a right to know
     • Information you have no right to know
     • Social implications of protecting information others have no right to know
4. Conclusions About Truth & Deception
5. Key Biblical …

Dwelling In The Word: Affirming Its Promise, Dwight J. Zscheile

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.