Digital Commons Network^™

A Lifestyle Who Is Christ: An Integrative Model Of Spiritual Formation, Katherine L. Pang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The field of spiritual formation is replete with models, ways, and processes, including many that propose the integration of psychology and Christianity and have further examined the psychology of Paul. Yet, none emphasize the impact of neuroscience, our brain function, neurochemistry, and neurobiology integrated with the tools and techniques of psychological science facilitated by the Holy Spirit and scripture-based truths derived primarily from Pauline theology in the Christ-follower for growth in spiritual maturity. A model formulated from Pauline theology, psychology, and neuroscience, as such, is novel within the field of spiritual formation. Therefore, the claim stems from the need for …

Becoming A Disciple-Making Disciple Through A Written Guided Plan In A Handbook, Benjamin T. Morrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis addresses the lack of disciple-making at Richland Heights Baptist Church by implementing a disciple-making plan through a handbook. Churches needing revitalization often lack a disciple-making plan. Historically, Richland Heights had not implemented any New Testament training to develop disciple-makers. The project utilized triangulated methods consisting of a survey, questionnaire, interview, and observations. The observations took place during the implementation of opportunities before and after the sessions in the handbook. These incorporated the researcher's knowledge of the responses in the survey and questionnaire. By having a plan to make disciples with tools, training, and opportunities to implement the lessons …

Redeeming Pastoral Evaluation: A Comprehensive Approach To Annual Pastoral Evaluation In A Congregation-Led Church, Drake Andrew Caudill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Surrendering to the biblical mandate and God's call to pastoral ministry produces profound joy. However, pastoral burnout intensifies, and pastors leave the ministry at a staggering rate. Adding to the pressure of pastoral ministry, many churches implement an annual pastoral performance review policy. Imitating secular employment performance reviews, many churches base successful pastoral ministry on numerical metrics, performance goals, and preaching effectiveness. The researcher evaluated various pastoral evaluation forms across different denominations. Additionally, the researcher investigated the biblical theology of pastoral leadership. The action research project aimed to design a comprehensive, intentional, and biblical pastoral evaluation strategy for a congregation-led …

Millennials In The Marketplace: Transitioning From Marketplace Discipleship To Relational Discipleship At New Life Community, Marcus D. Steele

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project seeks to resolve the problem of marketplace discipleship superseding relational discipleship among the millennials connected to New Life Community, a house church ministry in Hilliard, Ohio. For ministry gatherings at New Life Community, such as worship services, there was a noticeable decline in overall participation from the largest demographic of the ministry, the millennial generation. However, when there were ministry gatherings specific to marketplace initiatives that focused on career and entrepreneurship, most, if not all, of the millennials participated. This selective participation by millennials resulted from ministry gatherings that were too infrequent and needed more opportunities …

The House That Love Builds: An Allegorical Interpretation Of The Song Of Songs, Tricia Lee Kline

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over the last two hundred years, natural interpretations of the Song of Songs have become predominant among scholars. Shying away from the earlier, sometimes fanciful, allegorical interpretations of ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters, these modern-day scholars have argued that the plain sense of the text is of an ideal marriage relationship between a man and woman, and that the Song of Songs is simply a picture of the beauty of love and sex. This dissertation challenges this more modern view and argues again for an allegorical interpretation in which the man represents God and the woman represents His faithful covenant …

Pastor's Cultural Intelligence And Personal Character Influence Within Youth Ministries, Linwood J. Sealey Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Within this study, the logic was to understand the natural development of cultural Christlike character traits among youth pastors who serve in the 6th-12th grade youth ministry loneliness environment. The sample population comprised between 22 church pastors within the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The sample included participants with different experience levels in pastoral and bi-vocational pastoral ministries. The guiding rationale was that the pastor's cultural Christlike character should be a positive factor in their ministry in the loneliness environment of the youth they serve. The sample covered the geographical settings within rural, suburban, and city environments. A purposive …

Segundo Congreso Internacional De Iconografía Precolombina, 2023. Actas, Victòria Solanilla Demestre

Zea E-Books Collection

El objetivo de este II Congreso fue, como en el anterior, abrir un espacio de reflexión propositiva y multidisciplinaria para que, a partir de análisis de objetos plásticos u otras manifestaciones concretas, así como de documentos escritos, se pudiera replantear la importancia de la imagen y de la interpretación iconográfica como fuente de conocimiento de las culturas precolombinas. Es el momento de seguir aceptando nuevos enfoques pluridisciplinares o si se quiere más “humanísticos” que nos den una visión lo más completa posible, a través de la iconografía, del pasado precolombino tan rico en imágenes y símbolos.

Contribuciones de Luz Adriana …

Beings-In-Becoming: A Formative Critique Of Schellenberg's Problem Of Divine Hiddenness, Isaiah Parker

Masters Theses

This thesis aims to show that Schellenberg's problem of divine hiddenness fails as an argument for atheism because his assumptions about, and understanding of, what constitutes belief does not account for the nuanced and complex understanding of belief formation presented in contemporary psychology and recently developed dynamic liminal-belief frameworks. This paper argues that Schellenberg has been immodest in his robust claims regarding the existence of a cognitive state of nonresistant unbelief. In other words, he has misdiagnosed the human condition of doubt by unnecessarily holding to a narrow definition of belief. The complexity of belief formation necessitates a holistic credence …

A Decade Of Earth-Centered Scholarship And Activism, Elizabeth Allison

CIIS Faculty Publications

Origin stories reveal the myriad causes that converge to birth a new initiative. On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, this essay looks back to document the context and intellectual lineage out of which the Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion graduate program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) emerged in 2013, and suggests some possibilities for the future of transdisciplinary education and the fields of religion and ecology (e.g. Tucker and Grim 2001), religion and nature (e.g. B. Taylor 2010), and spiritual ecology (e.g. Sponsel 2012) more broadly.

Identity Congruence Among Christian Coaches: A Grounded Theory Approach, Sean M. Strehlow

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Despite the tight coupling between Christianity and American sport, empirical research has found a level of tension between the Christian identity and the moral culture of athletic competition (Bennet et al., 2005; Nite et al., 2013; Stevenson, 1991). Existing research has focused on the identity of the Christian athlete; however, there is scant empirical work on coaches who also claim a Christian faith and identity. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to better understand identity congruence as a process through which Christian coaches make sense of, and find coherence among, their Christian and professional identities. Qualitative data from …

Q & A: Pastor, Professor, Scholar, And Leader: An Interview, Linda Gray

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

In a Q&A format, pastor, professor, scholar, and leader Eric Newberg talks about his forthcoming book, Paradigms of Global Spirit-Empowered Leaders. It is organized in four parts: (1) defining characteristics of Spirit-empowered leadership, (2) notable Spirit-empowered leaders, (3) global paradigms or models, and (4) benchmarks for leadership development. Spirit-empowered leadership is a type of leadership distinguished by a primary focus on the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. While leadership is a spiritual gift, it also requires practical skills that must be developed. Spirit-empowered leadership can be categorized five paradigms of charismatic leadership (apostle, prophet, healing evangelist, “pastorpreneur,” and teacher/scholar). …

Supporting Student Success In The Classroom: Creating A Socio-Emotional Healthy Environment For University Students, Amonda Matthewman-Isgrigg

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

Through the use of Astin’s IEO Model, Socio-Emotional Intelligence (SEI), and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this paper acknowledges college and university students’ academic and emotional needs and seeks to address the needs of current and future university students to have a supportive classroom environment as they earn their degrees. As the primary focus is on students, the well-being and training of instructors need to be addressed as well because they are the front line of the student support system. By analyzing the pre-existing inputs of the students, being the emotional and mental well-being of the student identified through Maslow’s Hierarchy …

Editorial: Worship Leadership In Action, Hayoung Lim

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

No abstract provided.

Full Text

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

No abstract provided.

Observing Cairene Narratives And Subjectivities Towards Covid-19: Reflections On The First Year Of The Pandemic, Sarra Moneir

Future Journal of Social Science

Theoretical and methodological toolkits already existing in the field of political science and social science in the grand sense have been challenged by the tremendous impacts of waves and movements of social change since 2010 in the Arab Region. While political and social scientists were, and still remain, engaged in unravelling questions of how to apprehend the forms of social movements (re-)born, not just in the Arab world but also through the Occupy movements in the US and Europe, they soon had to redirect their focus on issues of migration and refugees, only to find themselves once again confronted with …

Textual Triads: The Identification And Justification Of An Apocalyptic Literary Form, Jeffrey R. Dickson

Liberty Theological Review

This study seeks to elucidate just one of the many literary/structural devices found in John’s Apocalypse—textual triads (groupings of three words or ideas that are either repeated or parallel to each other). In so doing, this paper will argue that not only do textual triads exist in Revelation, but they are present in various forms throughout this last canonical work and can be categorized/justified via grammatical/literary markers that help readers identify them within the text of Scripture. All this will prove that, among many other literary devices, the apostle utilizes this unique threefold repetition in pervasive ways to describe, reveal, …

Unveiling Messiah In Obadiah: Kingdom, Apocalypse, Eschatology, Abel Arias

Liberty Theological Review

This study analyzes a messianic approach of interpretation in Obadiah, the shortest book of the Old Testament. Understanding such a hermeneutic could prove useful for understanding messianic concepts throughout the canon. While Obadiah offers hope for God's remnant, the book also presents significant interpretive challenges. Despite these difficulties, key themes emerge, including the importance of God's faithful ones, the animosity between Israel and Edom, and the promise of ultimate divine judgment. Building on the established link between Obadiah and other Bible texts, this paper presents a book introduction, arguments and rationale for the messianic interpretation, and a brief application of …

Timothy Keller: Champion For The City: Keller's Philosophy Of Urban Contextualization, Michael W. Cunningham

Liberty Theological Review

Timothy Keller's 2023 passing serves as an occasion to consider his ministry legacy. His magnum opus, Center Church, encapsulated his philosophy of contextualization. This philosophy was rooted in a robust theology that informed and balanced missions, evangelism, and church planting. Keller's passion for city missions defied current ministry trends that favored suburbia and avoided urban contexts. His ministry conviction overcame cultural opposition and ministry bias and grew a thriving ministry in an unlikely ministry setting. Keller’s ministry captured the imagination of rising generations of pastors, missionaries, and ministry practitioners and provided the needed theological framework and training for successful …

A Chronologically Oriented Reassessment Of The Apocalypse Interludes: The Great Multitude Pretribulational Rapture, Daniel Moore

Liberty Theological Review

An emphasis on the literal hermeneutic and a belief in the distinctiveness of Israel have allowed dispensationalists to distill the complex sequence of fantastical events in John’s Apocalypse into a comfortable flow chart of rapture, tribulation, return, millennium, and beyond. And yet, perhaps the divine plan is not this simple. For, hidden within the popular flow chart are exegetical decisions which appear to set aside the standard dispensational hermeneutic in order to impose a particular means of integrating the rapture and Daniel’s 70^th week into the chronology of Revelation. Indeed, as I will illustrate, there are several instances in …

Communal Lament In Jeremiah, Phoebe C. Chetsas

Theology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

A Quantitative Study Of The Influence Of Emotional Intelligence On The Ministerial Effectiveness Of Executive Pastors As Scored By Their Lead Pastors., Thomas P. Frisinger

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Over the past two decades, churches have expanded their pastoral staff to include executive pastors (XP) to support lead pastors (LP) by mitigating stress and enhancing effectiveness (Krenz-Muller, 2022; Tidwell, 2020) in finances, facilities, and governmental entities, and staff oversight and development. This study involved an examination of the relationship between the emotional intelligence (EI) levels of XPs, using the TEIQue-SF (Cooper & Petrides, 2010), and their perceived ministerial effectiveness (ME) as assessed by LPs on the Ministerial Effectiveness Survey (MES; Dobrotka & Frisinger, 2024). The aim of the study was to identify any significant correlation between XPs and ministerial …

Las Posadas-Manual-English, Krysia Heimer, Marcos Kempff

Liturgias

Las Posadas-manual

The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age, Yvette, Ying Wai Lau

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Because of the unprecedented and unexpected force of the pandemic since 2020, most churches around the world have experienced some online worship during the lockdown of their cities or the mandated closure of the church buildings. For many people, online worship seems to be an equivalent, if not better, alternative for gathering together—a physical co-presence in worship—even after the pandemic has ended. As necessary and vital as online worship experiences have been for Christians during the pandemic, the witness of the church from Pentecost throughout Christian history indicates that gathered worship in physical spaces is irreplaceable for faith formation and …

2023-2024 Annual Report: Leading By Example, Muslim Student Life At Syracuse University

Muslim Student Life

This annual report concisely overviews the Muslim Chaplaincy's initiatives and programs during the 2023/2024 academic year. It displays only some of the programs and accomplishments of the Muslim community at Syracuse University and beyond.

Sabbath As A Healing Place: Alleviating Anxiety, Worry, And Depression In Gen. Z, Christopher Stephen

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

"Sabbath as a Healing Place: Alleviating Anxiety, Worry, and Depression in Generation Z" delves into the restorative capacity of Sabbath observance as a mechanism to reduce anxiety, worry, and depression, within Generation Z. Generation Z's unique socio-cultural landscape is characterized by pervasive digital interconnectedness and significant exposure to multiple global crises. Within this context, observance of the Sabbath provides an opportunity to experience a physical and psychological respite. The research aims to explore the potential of Sabbath observance as a mechanism for alleviating anxiety, worry, and depression among individuals in Generation Z. Nine participants within the Generation Z demographic underwent …

Of Light And Shadows: Buddhism, Cinema, And The Question Of Diffused Religion In Modern China, Teng-Kuan Ng

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

While the scholarship on premodern Chinese Buddhism has explored the tradition’s rich diffusion throughout various realms of sociocultural life, the study of modern Chinese Buddhism leans heavily towards its monastic, institutional, and overtly “religious” forms. This split mirrors the logic of modern secularization, whereby religion should be rationally differentiated from the broader social fabric, institutionalized, and delimited within its own discrete functional sphere. This article rethinks the putative rupture between Chinese Buddhism’s past and present incarnations. Through the prism of cinema, a technology that arrived on Chinese shores at the same moment as the Western concept of religion, I illuminate …

Do We Know What The "Russian World" Is? Some Remarks On A Disputed Term, Thomas Bremer

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This draft law has many aspects. It proposes different ways of banning a religious organization which is either “affiliated” with a religious community in Russia, or which meets other conditions. Some of its phrasing and formulations have been criticized for being so unclear that applying their criteria would be tricky. Among them is the “Russian World ideology.“ In the latest draft of the law, a religious community can be banned if it is used for the “promotion of the propaganda of the ideology of ‘Russian World’.” Given that there has been a debate on the “Russian World” idea in the …

Anātman & Lack: Between Nāgārjuna And Lacan, Carter Morris

The Confluence

The notion of the Self lies at the heart of subjectivity. This paper aims to analyze and compare two intellectual traditions that have their own subversive philosophies of the Self and subjectivity—these two traditions being Mādhyamaka Buddhism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. Beginning with primers on both Nāgārjuna’s philosophy and Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory, this paper will discuss the comparative psychologies and philosophies of subjectivity presented by the ideas of non-Self and Lack, respectively. Also briefly compared are the implied metaphysics of both Śūnyatā and Lacanian Lack. An examination of these comparisons’ weaknesses follows along with some closing remarks.

Prairie Play, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Studying Abroad In Three Weeks Or Less, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.