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An Examination Of The Global Refugee Crisis - How Have We Hurt? How Can We Help? - With Special Emphasis On Enhancing Resilience In The Somali Population Resettled In Columbus, Ohio, Jean Ollis

Doctor of Ministry

More than 45,000 Somali refugees have been resettled in Columbus, Ohio— second in density only to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. There is limited research on factors influencing resiliency among this population. This study utilized qualitative research methodology, including stakeholder interviews, stakeholder focus group, and literature review to understand the global, national, and local policies, resources, and cultural attitudes and biases that contribute to Somalian refugees’ struggle with resettlement in Columbus, Ohio.

The Declaration of Human Rights as the foundation of The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is explored as well as a timeline of how immigration and refugee policies have …

Acedia In The Local Church: Cultivating The Virtue Of Charity As A Remedy For The Vice Of Acedia, Jason Sedore

Doctor of Ministry

The vice of acedia is one of the greatest challenges the church is currently facing. Acedia lies at the root of indifference, apathy, idleness, and a lack of engagement in the life of a community of faith. Paradoxically, acedia also manifests as dutiful, distracted service that seeks to maintain status quo or personal preferences. Adding to the complexity further, acedia will also produce an overwhelming desire to leave one’s faith community for any other place that promises to meet one’s needs or provide a more hospitable environment for one’s growth.

The first step that must be undertaken against this forgotten …

Embodying God's Full Welcome: A Theology And Praxis Of Hospitality Toward Families Affected By Autism, Manuel Magana-Garcia

Doctor of Ministry

Autism is the fastest growing cognitive disorder in the world, yet many of the families affected do not feel supported or welcomed by their faith communities. A congregation that cultivates a robust theology and praxis of hospitality—one that invites people to consider God’s full welcome, and their place as guests in his kingdom—will provide a path of formation that results in a supportive, safe, and collaborative space that includes families affected by autism.

This dissertation will address the ministry opportunity by first articulating a clear understanding of the existing need. A biblical background of God’s hospitable nature will provide a …

Scriptural Contextualization: Understanding Chinese Philosophical Narratives, Gregory Appleby

Doctor of Ministry

Whether one is overseas or within their own home culture, when working cross-culturally scriptural contextualization is necessary to reduce confusion. When developing Chinese leaders, differing world views have caused conflict and confusion especially concerning an understanding of Scripture and the person of Christ. Westerners teaching, working, and living in a Chinese context participate in either widening or narrowing the philosophical gap between the East and the West concerning their understanding of Scripture. My hope is that Western leaders will see the value in alternative interpretations and understanding of the Scripture based on Chinese foundational narratives. Misunderstandings of cultural differences have …

Thriving Holistically As A Woman Married To A Minister: A Spiritual Formation Model To Support Women In The United States In The Role Of Pastor's Wife, Elisa Renae Ashley

Doctor of Ministry

While women married to ministers are blessed by God in many ways through their role as pastor’s wife, the role also presents many particular stressors. These stressors impact the systems of self, family, and church. A majority of clergy wives struggle to some degree with interpersonal loneliness, with finding confidants, and creating spiritual community wherein they can be authentically vulnerable. These struggles negatively impact the spiritual, physical, and psycho-emotional health of the women in this role. In order for them to deepen their spirituality and thrive holistically as they navigate the challenges of this role, a tailored spiritual formation model …

Demographic Changes And Faithful Response: Helping Presbyterian Churches Flourish Into The Future, David G. Watermulder

Doctor of Ministry

The problem that this dissertation seeks to address is that in an increasingly diverse society, Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) churches do not reflect the true racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the changing context in which they are located. This paper explores how PCUSA churches in American suburban areas can better understand themselves in order to be equipped to engage with an increasingly multicultural and globalized environment. The future health and witness of PCUSA churches will be enhanced and deepened through actively learning about cultural differences and preparing members and leaders to do ministry faithfully into the years ahead.

Section …

Revisiting The Riddle In Samaria : A Social-Scientific Investigation Of Spirit Reception In Luke-Acts In Historical Perspective, Thomas Lyons

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Symposium 2020 Presenter List, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

Brief bios of presenters at the 2020 Calvin Symposium on Worship

2020 Ncod Pastoral Week Program

National Catholic Office for the Deaf (NCOD) Conferences

Documents from the 2020 NCOD Pastoral Week held in Kansas City, KS in 2020

• Conference program

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Investigating The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ-A New Transdisciplinary Approach, Andrew Loke

Ebooks

This book offers a new contribution by addressing issues using a transdisciplinary approach, that is, one which integrates different disciplines—in this case, historical-critical studies of the Bible, psychology, comparative religion, analytic philosophy, and theology—to create a new methodology that moves beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a problem. Utilizing an original analytical framework, I shall demonstrate that a logically exhaustive list of categories of hypotheses in relation to the claims of Jesus’ post-mortem appearances and the outcome of Jesus’ body can be formulated—indeed, this would be the first monograph on Jesus’ resurrection to demonstrate a comprehensive coverage of all the categories …

Murmuring Met With Mercy And Grace: An Examination Of The Pre-Sinai Wilderness Wanderings Traditions, Anna Rask

Master of Theology Theses

While various OT and NT authors may employ the wilderness wanderings traditions for their own purposes, the traditions themselves generally present the Israelites in a negative light. This negative presentation is primarily due to the murmuring motif. This essay revealed the stereotyped verbs and collocations of the motif in addition to the variety of forms the murmurings can take, a prominent form being an accusatory question. When the stereotyped verbs and collocations do not occur, it is the presence of an accusatory question with stereotypical content and language regarding the Israelites’ life in Egypt and their exodus that signals the …

Missional Discipleship Within The Lutheran Church Of Christ In Nigeria, Innocent Webinumen Anthony

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis considers how the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria might function as a missional church enabling discipleship in Nigeria.

The Reflective Preacher: Effective Habits For Homiletical Self-Assessment, Brenda Froberg Legred

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Biblical preaching is the key to church growth and health. Research shows that people are choosing not to worship because of mediocre messages from the pulpit. Yet, people are hungry for what God has to say about their life and context. The pastor-preacher must take the preaching task very seriously, devoting time and energy to the endeavor and seeking to continually improve their craft. The problem is that most pastors do not develop effective habits for homiletical self-assessment. This researcher will offer strategies and tools for faithful preaching and ideas for becoming a more reflective preacher. There are acquired skills …

Cultivating The Practice Of Neighborliness: A Missional Practice Of Living In A Perichoretic Relationship With Neighbors, Abenda F. Tamba

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This Participatory Action Research study, utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, investigates the hostile relationship between the church and its Liberian context. The research design created a spirit of collaboration between the PAR team, local church, and the neighbors, and assisted us to outline interventions which positively affected the relationship between the church and her neighbors. The results indicate that to deal with this adaptive challenge and enhance interpersonal relationship with neighbors, the church had to provide adaptive leadership, break boundaries, participate in incarnational ministries, and cultivate several missional practices to affect neighborliness and bring about a cultural change.

Missional Leadership In Times Of Congregational Transition, Tormod O. Svensson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Congregational transitions are points of change, providing opportunities to introduce a missional understanding and direction of ministry. Missional leadership in times of congregational transition includes case studies of three ELCA congregations in transition, led by pastors who have a missional understanding of leadership, processed through the lenses of transformational pastoral leadership, congregational transitions, what it might mean to be sent by God, the Holy Spirit leading and empowering, missional ecclesiology, and congregational spiritual practices. It draws on resources by Allen Roxburgh, Patrick Keifert, Dwight Zscheile, Craig Van Gelder, Lee Bolman, Terrence Deal, Peter Northouse, William and Susan Bridges, and others.

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 Social Role Of Worship: A Reading Of Micah 6:1-8, Khin Win Kyi

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis provides exegesis of Micah 6:1-8 with particular focus on the relationship between worship and social ethics, as well as a consideration of the implications of this passage for the Chin Christian community.

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

Formed In And Called From The Womb, Dana M. Pike

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Drawing on his deep knowledge of biblical Hebrew, Dana Pike gives us a close reading of Jeremiah 1:5, the most important Old Testament verse relating to the Latter-day Saint understanding of premortal existence of human spirits and the foreordination of prophets to their appointed callings. He shows that the plain sense of this verse cannot be easily dismissed: first, and consistent with Latter-day Saint understanding, God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived and that afterward, in a second phase that transpired in the womb, he was, “according to the Israelite perspective preserved in the Bible,” appointed to become a prophet.

The Sôd Of Yhwh And The Endowment, William J. Hamblin

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Most scholars agree that sôd, when used in relationship to God, refers to the heavenly council, which humans may sometimes visit to learn divine mysteries or obtain a prophetic message to deliver to humankind. Biblical texts on this subject can be compared to passages in Latter-day Saint scripture (e.g., 1 Nephi 1:8-18; Abraham 3:22-23). In this article, William Hamblin succinctly summarizes this concept and argues that the Latter-day Saint temple endowment serves as a ritual and dramatic participation in the divine council of God, through which God reveals to the covenanter details of the plan of salvation — the hidden …

Books Received

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Questioning The Mentality Behind Mark’S Gospel, Macy Mcdonald

Merge

No abstract provided.

A Wesley Bibliography [Ninth Edition], Kenneth J. Collins

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Leadership Development In Grace Church: Adding Replication Culture Elements To Its Family Culture, Timothy N. Thomassian

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the problem of the lack of a systemic approach to developing potential leaders at Grace Church as it seeks to add replication-culture elements to its existing family culture. The problem was addressed in four steps: (1) exploring biblical leadership development principles using the examples of Moses and Joshua, Jesus and Peter, and Paul’s instruction to the church leaders to “equip the saints for the work of ministry,” (Eph. 4:11-12), (2) reviewing relevant books, articles, and other sources to discover leadership development principles as they relate to replication culture, (3) conducting face-to-face interviews with three leadership development pastors …

Ascending Into The Hill Of The Lord: What The Psalms Can Tell Us About The Rituals Of The First Temple, David J. Larsen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In this article, the author attempts to shed light on practics alluded to in the Psalms that may have formed part of the ritual system and theology of Solomon’s original temple. He describes various aspects of the ritual system of pre-exilic Israel, including pilgrimage, questioning at the gates, epiphany, and royal rites. In the culmination of these rites, the king, who likely led the procession up to the temple, was enthroned on or beside the Lord’s own throne and transformed or “reborn” as a Son of God, appearing before the people in glorious fashion as the representative of Yahweh

From The Editors, David R. Bauer

The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Presence And Touch On Church Growth, William Charles Berg

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the problem of discovering whether, when churches move to be physically present in their communities and engage in appropriate touch through serving, there is a corresponding impact in confession of faith and church growth. To answer this problem, the researcher began with the incarnation and trinity as a model of presence and touch. The researcher reviewed the Gospels to identify Jesus’ use of physical presence and touch in His ministry. The researcher also looked at the impact of presence and touch on the early church in the Book of Acts. He reviewed literature that focused on the …

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 …

Creator God, Humans, And Artificial Intelligence: Framework To Address Theological And Relational Issues, Tinku Thompson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological advancements are happening at an accelerated phase. Five decades ago, no one even owned a personal computer. A decade ago, smartphones did not exist. Today there are 2.71 billion smartphone users in the world, which is more than thirty-five percent of the world’s population. Many developments have happened in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Mixed Reality. AI is the term used to describe a machine’s ability to simulate human intelligence. Characteristics once considered unique to humans like learning, logic, reasoning, perception, and creativity are now being replicated by technology and used in every industry. The problem …

Der Brief An Die Römer [Review] / Wolter, Michael., Dominic Bornand

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review