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Isaiah’S Promise Of The Restoration Of Zion And Its Canonical Development, Gary E. Yates

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

For nearly three millennia, Isaiah’s prophecies of a peaceful kingdom centered in Zion have captured the human imagination and expressed the longings of the human heart. 1 These prophecies have also had a major influence in shaping the Christian vision of the kingdom reign of Jesus as Messiah and Lord.2 The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the transformation of Zion from a canonical perspective. This study will set forth the meaning of Isaiah’s Zion prophecies in their historical context with sensitivity to the conventions of prophetic language and will then explore how …

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.

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 …

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.

How A Hearer Listens To A Sermon: Setting The Presuppositions Of The "Second Text", Jeffery D. Nehrt

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of the project was to answer the question: Can preachers influence how a hearer listens to a sermon? To answer that question, 70 pastors of the Southern Illinois District, Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod were asked if they every used a pre-sermon Bible study to help the hearer listen to the sermon. A seven week pre-sermon Bible study was developed and taught based on four filters of hearing. Those filters were Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and community. A post sermon survey was given and separated into two categories, those who attended the pre-sermon Bible study and those who did …

Fishing For Men While Fishing With Men- Relationships Built Through Recreational Experiences As A Tool For Effective Evangelism In Contemporary American Culture, Jonathan Rockey

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Rockey, Jonathan R. "Fishing for Men while Fishing with Men: Relationships Built through Recreational Experiences as a Tool for Effective Evangelism in Contemporary American Culture." D.Min Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, 2008.316 pp. with Appendices.

The stated goal of this project is "to evaluate a program for the equipping of volunteers for sharing the good news of God's love in Jesus in a recreational setting, and to evaluate the results of that equipping in the lives of these participants by looking at their willingness to witness and the effects they describe that arose from the experience and the process …

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.

Sacred Improv : Narrative Preaching That Offers Entrance Into The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Daniel Wayne Meek

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theme And Structure In Isaiah 28-33 A Unified And Coherent Reading Centered On Chapter 30, G. Vincent Medina

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Medina, G. Vincent “Theme and Structure in Isaiah 28–33: A Unified and Coherent Reading Centered on Ch. 30.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2009. 260 pp.

This dissertation represents an attempt to demonstrate that Isaiah 28–33 is a compositional unity with structural and thematic coherence. Beginning with the widely recognized structuring function of the six hôy-oracles found in this section of Isaiah (Isa 28:1; 29:1; 29:15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1), the dissertation seeks to discover a deeper and more comprehensive structuring principle. It argues that Isaiah 30 is the center of Isaiah 28–33, and that 30:15–18 is the central passage. This thesis …

Equipping Parents To Be Spiritual Leaders In The Home, Douglas J. Schoelles

ATS Dissertations

The goal of this project was to effect a positive cognitive, affective, and behavioral response in parents from two Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations to lead their households in spiritual disciplines. The project consisted of four consecutive Sundays of preaching on faith forming in the home coupled with encouragement of the practice of a specific faith habit. These sermons were preached in tandem with four teaching sessions that reiterated the role of parents as spiritual leaders and concentrated on training families to engage in four faith habits in the home. Teaching tools were distributed to facilitate implantation of faith …

A Study Of Pastoral Burnout Among Korean-American Pastors, Young Sun Jin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a resource of prevention and overcoming from pastoral burnout to Korean-American pastors. This project is born out of the author's five year journey in ministry as a senior pastor of Korean-American church. This study is performed from literature research, survey observation, and personal experience. Especially, the case study was based on research targeting the pastors who belong to the Capital Presbytery of KAPC, and conducted through analysis of the statistical data obtained from a questionnaire survey. In that view, this dissertation presents the definition, various factors and symptoms of burnout among the …

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 …

Open And Relational Theology An Evangelical In Dialogue With A Latter-Day Saint, Samuel M. Brown

BYU Studies

Clark H. Pinnock and David L. Paulsen dialogue about open theism and Latter-day Saint theology, examining the convergences and divergences between the two traditions. Open and Relational Theology: A Latter-day Saint in Dialogue with an Evangelical explores beliefs on divine embodiment, spiritual warfare, deification, omniscience and omnipotence of God, divine feminine, theodicy, creation, and pragmatic applications of religion.

An Effective Strategy For Church Revitalization Through A Case Study Of Hosanna Church, Hyung Woo Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to suggest an effective strategy of church revitalization through a case study of Hosanna Church. The case study will focus on the strategic process for church revitalization at Hosanna Church. This model of ministry extracted the principles, critical components, and elements that have been primary for the revitalization. Ten principles of church revitalization were discovered in the literature and diagnose the reality of the Hosanna Church, confirming the application of these principles. The principles were found to be transferable and applicable to various setting.

Gill's "The Political Origins Of Religious Liberty" - Book Review, Mark Hall

Faculty Publications - Department of History and Politics

No abstract provided.

Memorials 2009, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Human Emotion In Christian Discipleship, Alex Bryan

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation asks and attempts to answer the following question: What role does human emotion play in the problem of contemporary Christian discipleship and how might emotion play a provisional and productive role in its success ? The argument of this project, in response to the above question, is that recognition and recreation of human emotions is essential in corifronting the challenges of contemporary Christian discipleship. Just as the rational (left brain) component of human beings is complicit both in the spiritual pathology and redemptive potential of mankind, so to is the emotive (right brain) mind a responsible party in …

It Takes A Missional Order To Raise A Leader: "Order-Ing" Leadership Communities For Life Transformation And Missional Impact, Daniel L. Steigerwald

Doctor of Ministry

The times in which we live in the West grow more complex from year to year. This presents a problem, as church and para-church leaders find themselves increasingly less prepared to meet the demands of "missional leadership," that is, leadership that exemplifies and passes on the passion, practices and perspectives conducive to fostering growth in God and fruitful missionary engagement with his world.

In chapter one I identify this problem both from the vantage point of my own leadership journey and also from that of Christian leaders in general. I then propose my thesis: Amid the complexities, distractions and pressures …

Reading The Bible After Darwin, Mark A. Throntveit, Alan G. Padgett

Faculty Publications

The historical and scientific accuracy of the biblical witness has become increasingly difficult to maintain in light of the Darwinian revolution. A positive result has been a return to a proper theological reading of Scripture, not as our primary source of technical information but of insight into God’s means of dealing with us and God’s creation.

Ministerial Training For Seminarians At Northeast Brazil College, Emílio Abdala

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Paul And Evangelism: A Missiological Challenge From New Testament Specialists, Kent Yinger

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

The necessity and relative importance ofevangelism have been topics of serious missiological debate since the early twentieth century. This is particularly the case with the evangelicals, who are often characterized by passionate commitment to personal evangelism "to the ends of the earth." However, recent work on mission and evangelism in Paul's letters has raised disturbing questions in regard to this missiological conviction. Congregational and individual passion for evangelism do not appear to be "Pauline." This article introduces readers of Missiology to this vigorous and growing missiological debate among New Testament scholars, and examines possible responses by mission practitioners.

Creation In The Prophetic Literature Of The Old Testament: An Intertextual Approach, Martin G. Klingbeil

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

The Duties And Responsibilities Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Theologian, Larry L. Lichtenwalter

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Creation In The Prophetic Literature Of The Old Testament: An Intertextual Approach, Martin G. Klingbeil

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

God Speaks In The Heart Language, Gideon Petersen

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

What The Korean Presbyterian Church Can Learn From Contemporary Debates About Infant Communion Among Reformed Christians In North America., Hwa Rang Moon

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

Can children participate in the Lord’s Supper? This practice was prohibited at the fourth Lateran Council; however, at the end of the 20th century, among Reformed churches in North America and some Europe Churches, debated the validity of infant communion or children’s communion. Is, then, infant communion or children’s communion biblical? What was the practice of the early New Testament church? Can infants or children have faith and enough cognitive ability to discern the body of Christ? Many biblical scholars, systematic theologians, church historians and local church pastors participate in this debate. Both the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church …

Bible Theory Or Biblical Living: What Are Christian Schools Providing For Families With Children With Special Needs?, A.Y. "Fred" Ramirez Ph.D.

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Private Christian elementary and secondary schools, along with Bible training and Bible exercises, have been a part of the United States and international community since the 1800s. This article examines these questions: (1) What Biblically-based principles are in evidence in Christian schools’ treatment of children with special needs; and (2) how do Christian schools work with the parents of these children. Results from the Christian schools that participated in this study indicate although that they were attending to their children with special needs, these schools may actually be missing many more students who are in need of services.

Ordination Training For Bi-Vocational Clergy In The United Cornerstone Churches International, Inc. Of Thomasville, North Carolina, George Bernard Jackson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In many rural communities there exists a stereotype about clergy education perpetuated since slavery. This project offered bi-vocational clergy opportunities to be equipped, empowered and certified for servant leadership. Data captured from 2006 through 2008 was taken from the 25 ordinands. Questions that guided this study were grouped into two sets: examination by quantitative measurements through the passing of a catechism; and by qualitative measurements from personal and telephone interviews. The results of the research revealed a discrepancy in the ordination process where prerequisites and retention studies must play a greater role for future ordinands.