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20 Questions & Question Helps, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Training Selected Churches In The Iowa-Missouri Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists To Minister To Cohabiting Couples, Jared S. Miller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The number of cohabiting couples has dramatically risen over the last several decades. Even a significant amount of Seventh-day Adventist Church members, both young and old, have chosen to live together apart from a committed marriage. Living together without the covenant of marriage comes with many risks and many negative effects on both adults and children. With the prevalence of cohabitation increasing, the church is faced with a new ministry challenge and opportunity. Churches need to be educated about the biblical theology of sexual intimacy and the dangers and damage that come with cohabitation. Furthermore, churches need biblical strategies …

Improving The Lifestyle Of Andrews Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church Members, Myung Do Park

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Andrews Korean Seventh-day Adventist church in Berrien Springs, Michigan has holistic lifestyle problems that are on the rise. Church members are experiencing health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and insomnia. In observing dietary patterns, it was noticed that some of our members do not bother to ascertain the content of the food being eaten. Other members have express the desire to learn about a healthy lifestyle. Purposeful attention to this need of the church is necessary. As a church community comprised of mostly pastors, university students and their families it is time to advocate …

Men Of Valor: A Study Of Following Christ's Example Of Discipleship With Five Key Men In The Local Church, Bradley D. Cassell Jr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church is a diverse congregation with over 40 countries represented in its membership of nearly 600. There had been a steady increase of attendance and membership through transfers and conversion for several years. One of the biggest challenges that we faced at Tampa First was the discipleship of men. I have perceived in my 23 years of ministry that when the father is growing spiritually, the family unit had a greater tendency to grow with him, and the children were much more likely to stay connected to God and the church. It was imperative …

A Strategy For Discipleship Of New Members At The Mount Of Olives Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Michael G. Coleman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There was no discipleship strategy for new members at the Mount of Olives Seventh-day Adventist Church. Although the majority of new converts remained with the congregation, the church lacked a clear plan for nurturing the spiritual growth and leadership development of its new members.

Method

A strategy was developed in harmony with the practices and principles of biblical discipleship found in the New Testament and described in academic literature. It entailed the development of new members, particularly, and the entire congregation in general, by addressing the following four areas: spiritual nurturing, evangelism, leadership development, and stewardship/financial management. The strategy …

A Strategy To Increase Cross-Cultural Preaching Ministry Among Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Southern Alabama, Dejuan Knight

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Southern Alabama's Seventh-day Adventist churches are mostly segregated across ethnic lines. Furthermore, most of the church pastors are of the same ethnic group as their members. One of the main reasons for the continued fears among laity, pastors, and conference administrators towards pastoral leadership from other cultures stems from the widespread idea that cross-cultural pastors cannot present their sermons in the cultural preaching style and with the content desired by the congregation.

Method

A project was designed and instituted in Dothan, AL between the two Seventh-day Adventist churches in the city. The Dothan First Seventh-day Adventist Church is a …

A Two-Year Grief Support Program For Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Harold Thomas Iii

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church members experienced grief due to over 20 deaths of loved ones from 2012-2014. During that time, the church provided an annual 12-week GriefShare program during the first quarter and an annual one-day Surviving the Holidays program during the last quarter. While participants appreciated the programs, some, including those who provided grief support, expressed concern that there was too little follow-up after the GriefShare and Surviving the Holidays programs. Pastoral observation suggested that the church needed an expanded bereavement support structure over a longer period of time.

Methodology

A two-year plan was developed to …

An Approach To Discipleship To Create A Culture Of Evangelism In The Adventist Churches In St. Lucia, Caius Alfred

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In spite of an annual growth in membership, a significant number of Seventh-day Adventists in La Bayee and Vieux Fort are not engaged in personal evangelism. Although the members reported that they have a good relationship with Christ, one does not see the evidence of spiritual transformation that is expected of the believers (National Church Development, 2009). Neither is there the type of penetration of the Gospel in the work place, neighborhood, among friends and associate as it should be. Several attempts were made to address the problem but to no avail. The current state of things in the …

18, Martyrdom Of St. John The Evangelist, David Powers

Kerver Book of Hours: 2018 Senior Capstone

Stories like St. John’s trial in boiling oil, pictured in Kerver's 1507 Book of Hours, were used by the Church to demonstrate the power of faith against threats of pain and death.This essay examines the symbolism in the image of St. John's martyrdom and discusses how narratives of self-sacrifice worked to inspire the spread of Christianity.

Islamic Shari'a Law, History And Modernity: Some Reflections, Suleiman A. Mourad

Religion: Faculty Publications

In the last two centuries, Muslim modernists have introduced major legal reforms that led to the restriction of the range and scope of Islamic Shari’a Law and the overhaul of legal thought and practice in the Muslim World. Nevertheless, every time a new legal reform is proposed, it is met with outcries from Islamists who label it un-Islamic and blasphemy against God. This paper examines some major premodern scholars of Islamic jurisprudence whose thought and practice about Shari’a Law featured tremendous flexibility in the way they understood their role as legislators and accepted a diversity of rules. The paper shows …

Week 7: Racial Justice, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Hannah Whitall Smith : The Feminist Connections Of A Holiness Icon, Robert Alden Danielson

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Speaking Life To A Church In The Process Of Healing And Growth, Emeka Buffong

Master's Theses

Problem

Over the past several years, there has been a marked decline in almost every area of the Niles Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church life. Members have reported feeling overwhelmed with discouragement, and overall commitment has dwindled significantly. This poor morale is reflected by the low numbers at prayer meetings, Sabbath services and other church functions. Furthermore, there is difficulty in filling church offices and even when individuals volunteer to serve in specific offices they often later resign or lose their motivation to serve. Church members often appear to look for excuses to leave. There is a deep sense of discontentment. …

Preparing For Retirement: An Intervention With The Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Brazil, Paulo Gonçalves Coelho

Master's Theses

Problem

The future of retirement is an issue that has attracted the attention of governments and private entities worldwide. The period for retirement requires preparation during active professional life so that the resources or assets accrued and added to the Instituto Naacional do Seguro Social and Instituto Adventista de Jubilação e Assistência can be sufficient to meet the costs of living in the period of retirement.

The objective of this work is to awaken the interest in this issue, bring enlightenment and information for those who wish to prepare for retirement and encourage choice a balanced financial position or strengthen …

Promoting Hope, Healing, And Wellness: Catholic Interventions In Behavioral Health Care, Thomas G. Plante, Gerdenio Manuel S.J.

Psychology

In this chapter, we will outline, highlight, and review some of the Catholic traditions and pastoral tools that can be integrated into any professional clinical practice in behavioral health care. We will focus our attention on six tools in particular that are particularly popular and unique within the Catholic faith tradition. We will also offer brief case illustrations to provide examples of how these Catholic tools can be effectively integrated into professional clinical practice.

Is The Old Testament Dying? An Academic Discussion, David B. Schreiner, Kimberly Bracken Long, Murray Vasser, Clinton J. Moyer, Brent A. Strawn, Brad Haggard

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological, Arts-Based Study Of Art Therapists’ Self-Reflective Practice, Laurie Ponsford-Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This phenomenological, arts-based study examined the experiences of 15 art therapists using five-minute, full-bodied self-portraiture with 55 minutes of self-reflective journaling once a week for four weeks at the end of each work week. The therapists determined the location for this practice. Subsequently, the four artworks, as a serial, were explored with each participant in a one-hour telephone or Skype interview to understand their lived experience through art, and its signs, and symbols. This process enabled the therapists to act as witness to their respective self/selves, deepening their insights and connections about self. The transcribed audio-taped interviews were manually coded …

Filling The Gaps In Civil Society The Role Of The Catholic Church In Latin American Democratization, John Thiede, Matthew Carnes

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, we seek to draw lessons about the roles that religious institutions can play in promoting democracy in deeply divided societies by examining the experience of the Catholic Church in Latin America. We focus on the cases of Chile and El Salvador, two countries where the Catholic Church played a decisive role in advancing democracy after autocratic military rule. These two cases illustrate where theology and action productively promoted social change in highly conflictual societies. We note challenges to democracy in the region, but also new opportunities in the era of the first Latin American pope, Francis.

Book Review: Teaching Interreligious Encounters, Stephanie Corigliano

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Book review of Teaching Interreligious Encounters. Edited by Marc A. Pugliese and Alexander Y. Hwang. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, 368 pages.

“If I Pray Not Amiss”, David L. Clark

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

In 2nd Nephi, it is suggested that the Lord answers prayers but that requests made in prayer should not violate some kind of standard that would make them “amiss.” This undefined standard most likely excludes many prayers requesting immunity from those conditions of mortality which all mortals accepted and embraced with great enthusiasm in the great Council in Heaven. However, except for limited latter-day explanations of that great conference, our eager acceptance of all details of the conditions of mortality did not carry over into mortal memory. Consequently, when we request exemption from those conditions joyfully endorsed in premortal time, …

The Work Of Their Hands, Taylor Cozzens

BYU Studies

When I turned eighteen, I took a job as a laborer for a construction company that was building dormitories on a university campus in High Point, North Carolina. It was a new world for me, one of mud, concrete, and rebar. The Lulls, excavators, and flatbeds crawled around the job site, engines roaring, back-up beepers blaring. Meanwhile, the chop saws competed with the quickie saws to see which could scream the loudest as they sliced through wood, metal, and concrete. I soon came to know the tingling in the fingers after using a Sawzall and the smell of hot metal …

Handcart Trekking: From Commemorative Reenactment To Modern Phenomenon, Melvin L. Bashore

BYU Studies

From an early date, Mormons have remembered and celebrated their history with jubilees, commemorative celebrations, pageants, markers, and reenactments. Only two years after the first Mormons arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, several thousand Church members celebrated the event with the first Mormon Pioneer Day on July 24, 1849. There was a procession, speeches, songs, prayers, and a bounteous feast reminiscent of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the Pioneer Day celebration had been firmly established throughout the Mormon corridor.

Reclaiming Reality: Doctoring And Discipleship In A Hyperconnected Age, Tyler Johnson

BYU Studies

Have we counted the cost?

Responding To Small Island Nations Imperiled By Human-Forced Climate Change: An Ethical Imperative For Christians, Jame Schaefer

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Small island nations are increasingly imperiled by larger nations that are emitting most of the greenhouse gases, forcing changes in the global climate, and causing catastrophic ecological and social problems. Among the most adversely affected people are islanders who are suffering immense health, economic, and cultural injustices that should be addressed at all levels of governance. Leaders of Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic denominations have been responding meaningfully to the plight of the small island nations by drawing motivation from their theological traditions for mitigating the problems and calling all Christians to act individually, collectively within their parishes, and …

Converting To And Nurturing Ecological Consciousness--Individually, Collectively, Actively, Jame Schaefer

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Converting To And Nourishing Ecological Consciousness-Individually And Collectively, Jame Schaefer

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Lessons From Medellín For Just Health Care: Catholic Ministry, Incarnation, And Participation, Alexandre A. Martins

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Latina/O Conversion And Miracle-Seeking At A Buddhist Temple, Stephen M. Cherry, Kemal Budak, Aida I. Ramos

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

The growing diversification of the US Latino religious’ experiences calls for scholarly attention beyond Protestant or Catholic categories. This study begins to answer this call. Using interview data with 26 Latinos collected over 2 years of observation at the True Lama Meditation Center (TLMC) in Houston, Texas, we describe how Latinos who convert to Buddhism or actively attend the temple while also continuing to attend Christian services (both Catholic and Protestant) see themselves and understand their religious identities and practices. We then explore the reasons for their conversion or changes in religious identities and practices through various theoretical lens. Although …

Medically Modified Eyes: A Baptismal Cataract Surgery In Clement Of Alexandria, Emily R. Cain

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In Paedagogus 1.6.28, Clement describes baptism through the metaphor of a cataract surgery that enables the percipient to see God. In antiquity, cataract surgery was neither a common nor a safe procedure, which raises the question: why does Clement use such an unlikely metaphor for baptism? In this article, I demonstrate that this medical metaphor of cataract surgery enabled Clement to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual. The visual component of the metaphor allowed Clement to draw from Epicurean sensory perception and epistemology, which understood objects to emit tiny films that entered the eye of the body …

Art As A Mindfulness Practice, Amaris Espinosa

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The use of mindfulness-based interventions in health, education, and psychology have dramatically increased in the last two decades. Art, as a reflection of the internal and external processes, is one of the key features of humanity. However, art as a mindfulness-based intervention remains underrepresented and under-researched in the mindfulness literature. This is surprising given the role of art across culture, religion, and philosophy. Art is used to explore concepts of self and self-refection, as well as to train attention and awareness. Art is also used to explore relationships and engage in meaning-making. There is little evidence of why art was …