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Human Freedom And The Invisible Church From The Viewpoint Of Bavinck's Pneumatology, Dong-Yaul Tae

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Although Reformed pneumatology is generally recognized by scholars of Calvin and Reformed confessions to be relatively well developed compared to the various pneumatologies of the Western theological tradition, it faces two important challenges. First, Reformed pneumatology is directly linked to the critique that Reformed soteriology’s accentuation of predestination and effectual grace leads to inevitable fatalism that ignores human freedom. This is because the ministry of the Holy Spirit is crucial in the Reformed understanding of the order of salvation beginning with regeneration and ending with glorification. Second, because the ministry of the Holy Spirit is a key to understanding Reformed …

Narratives Church: A Missional Church Planting Path For Cultivating A Unified Theological Vision, Mark Miller

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project focused on the development of a unified theological vision for the missional movement with specific attention given to the United States. The researcher conducted a thorough investigation of Scripture and current biblical material in order to discern the barriers existing within the missional movement. The researcher looked at key areas that shape the missional church planting movement: leadership development, theological interpretation of the early church, church planting methods and practice, ecclesiology, and the application and interpretation of Ephesians 4:11. Four church planting organizations participated: North American Mission Board (NAMB), Acts 29 Network, Association of Related Churches (ARC), …

Epistemological Foundation For Contemporary Theology Of Mission: Trajectories From A Conversation Between J. Andrew Kirk And John Hick, Sochanngam Shirik

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Theme Of Mission In Matthew’S Gospel From The Perspective Of The Great Commission, David R. Bauer

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Records Of The Christian Holiness Association Arc1987-007 - Finding Aid, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Towards A Biblical Spirituality: Dwelling With God Through The Exodus Sanctuary-Covenant Structure, Silvia Canale Bacchiocchi

Master's Theses

Problem

Biblical spirituality was challenged from the very start of the Christian church by competing spiritual ideologies of philosophical origins. Because the interpretation of spirituality has focused on exegetical and doctrinal approaches (micro and mesohermeneutical levels), the grounding biblical macro-hermeneutical level of its basic presuppositions has been ignored. Yet this is the level that gives ultimate meaning to the meso and micro levels. This oversight constitutes a giant roadblock to understanding and experiencing true biblical spirituality, the consequences of which are devastating both for the individual believer (Matt 7:23), as well as for the mission, unity, and growth of the …

An Ancient Hope: Matthew’S Use Of Isaiah To Explicate Christianity’S Mission To The Nations, Jerry Breen

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Blessed Is The Kingdom: The Divine Liturgy As Missional Act, Kristina Whiteman

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Leadership And Followership, Boubakar Sanou

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Constructing A Theology Of Relational Life Through The Themes Of Creation, Incarnation, And Re-Creation As An Alternative To Current Categories Of Religions, Andrew Tompkins

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that current categories of religions are overly reliant on Western Enlightenment-based presuppositions and academic thinking that creates barriers in understanding God’s desire for all people to have abundant life. Many theologians and missiologists utilize these inherited categories without first subjecting them to the biblical canon. As a result, the theological and missiological discourse on religions is often grounded in extra-biblical presuppositions rooted primarily in an overly high view of human reason that do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. These presuppositions do not accurately portray a biblical approach to relational life. I, therefore, compared …

Missional Apologetics: An Examination Of Essential Elements In The Apologetic Approaches Of Early Christian Era Apologists In Light Of The Mission Of Christ To A Pluralistic World, George B. Bannister Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The cultural ethos known as postmodernism has impacted the epistemological and functional structures of contemporary society in dramatic ways. Changes in the attitudes, standards, and belief systems from which people operate in their day-to-day lives have seen radical alterations in the last fifty years. The impact of the postmodern milieu has been evident in various ways in local church ministry, as well as the extension of local church ministry on the mission field.As a result of the waning effectiveness of traditional evangelism methods and indications that there is a relationship between that waning efficacy and the postmodern milieu, scholars have …

Being Missional, Becoming Missional : A Biblical-Theological Study Of The Missional Conversion Of The Church, Banseok Cho

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Do Larger Churches Tolerate Pastoral Narcissism More Than Smaller Churches?, David R. Dunaetz, Hannah L. Jung, Stephen L. Lambert

Great Commission Research Journal

Pastoral narcissism in churches is a problem, from both a theological and practical perspective. In this study, we explore the question of whether church size is related to tolerance for narcissism. In the popular press, pastors of megachurches are often portrayed as narcissistic. The Dominance Complementarity Model of narcissistic leaders (Grijalva & Harms, 2004) predicts that churches which have less dominant followers, as may be the case in larger churches, would be more tolerant of narcissistic pastors than smaller churches. Yet larger churches also have the resources to hire the most qualified staff, which would presumably exclude candidates high in …

A Comparative Analysis Of Pauline Missiology, Assemblies Of God Missiology, And Conclusions For Today, Colbry H. Martin

Selected Honors Theses

The following work researches the Missiology of the Apostle Paul, displayed in his mission’s practices in the book of Acts. This work also researches the mission practices of the Assemblies of God in order to discover their unique missiology. The key principles from these two parties are then compared in order to discover the similarities and differences. Since the argument is made that the recordings in the book of Acts of the working of the Apostle Paul are inspired by the Holy Spirit, the similarities between Paul’s practices and Assemblies of God practices are seen as strengths which need to …

Jesus As Mwalimu: Christology And The Gospel Of Matthew, Alan Howell, Robert Andrew Montgomery

Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Missio Dei Determines Missiones Ecclesia : A Study On The Missional Theology And Practice Among Ipc Churches In Kottayam, Kerala, India, Thomas Thoppil Varghese

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Living The American Dream: Faith Formation And The Missio Dei Dilemma Among Seventh Day Adventist African American Immigrant Families, Enock Ariga Marindi

Master of Theology Theses

Faith formation of children in a post-Christian America and balancing chasing American dream and obeying the Missio Dei poses insurmountable challenges to African immigrant families. This study analyzes works of scholars Karen-Marie Yust, Marva J. Dawn and Marjorie J. Thompson on faith formation and the family, and Andrew Kirk, Athyal and Nyce, Christopher J. Wright regarding Missio Dei. Bible texts on mission and faith formation are discussed. Through an exploratory study of focus group discussions and observation and document analysis, this study argues that the family, church and community need to unite and work together as interrelated systems to advance …

Postwar Churches Of Christ Mission Work: The Philippines As A Case Study, Brady Kal Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There was a large increase in the number of Churches of Christ missionaries and missionary efforts following World War II (WWII). There were also significant changes and developments in American religious culture following WWII—Churches of Christ were not exempt from these changes. This study examines the question of how postwar developments in American religion influenced missionary efforts of American Churches of Christ by looking at examples of American missionaries in the Philippines.

The study relies heavily on primary sources, including letters and news reports from archival collections, Churches of Christ periodicals, and email correspondence with people familiar with the main …

Towards A New, Praxis-Oriented Missiology: Rediscovering Paulo Freire's Concept Of Conscientização And Enhancing Christian Mission As Prophetic Dialogue, Rosalia Meza Moreno

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

The new and different frontiers and factors discussed in missiology are reshaping the meaning of mission. Christian mission today is searching for new directions to approach the postmodern, postcolonial, and ecumenical paradigms. I would like to argue that mission is not just a transmission of knowledge that keeps an established structure and culture alive (often justified and glorified by a specific ecclesiological model). Rather, mission aims at the process of embodying the content and praxis of the gospel. Mission can be understood as an invitation to initiate a transformative process of faith, which leads to personal and social transformation.

This …

Alive Inside Out : Challenges And Patterns Of Spiritual Formation Of Christian Professionals In A Creative Access Context, Matthew Gh Koh

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

God’S Beautiful Mission: Missional Church And Leadership In The Light Of Theological Aesthetics, M. Scott Boren

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project seeks to ascertain how pastoral leaders who have been trained in missional theology have led in a way that has been influenced by theological aesthetics. The view of missional leadership here is built upon a re-imagination of missio Dei and missional church that is informed by theological aesthetics. This theology of beauty is based upon the work of Gregory A. Boyd, Jonathan Edwards, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This proposal seeks to advance the views of the missional church rooted in the work of Lesslie Newbigin and advanced by Craig Van Gelder, Alan Roxburgh, and Pat …

Lutheran Higher Education In A Secular Age: Religious Identity And Mission At Elca Colleges And Universities, Brian A.F. Beckstrom

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This exploratory mixed methods case study examined the relationship between espoused and perceived religious identity and mission at five colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America through the lenses of secularization theory, missional leadership, ecclesiology, Trinitarian theology, adaptive leadership, and challenges in the higher education market. Results indicated that humanism is the primary means of describing religious identity and mission at ELCA schools and there are widely varying assumptions about what it means to be a college or university of the church. Advocates and skeptics of the institution’s religious identity and mission interpret reality through the lens …

Stimulating Growth In Missional Understanding And Participation, David Benson

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Benson, David M. “Stimulating Growth in Missional Understanding and Participation.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 195 pp.

The purpose of this project was to initially assess the understanding of and attitude toward the mission of the Church among the active membership of Faith Lutheran Church in Springfield, Missouri. Then, through the implementation of a six week, biblically based course of study about the missio Dei and the mission of the Church, a sampling of the membership were given in-depth instruction to increase their missional awareness. This same group was then reassessed to see if there had …

Biblical Perspectives On The Role Of Immigrants In God’S Mission, Charles Van Engen

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"I believe that when we begin to fully understand the Bible’s missiological and instrumental perspectives with regard to the migrant and stranger, we may possibly gain a better grasp of, and live more fully in, the missionary vision expressed in 1 Peter 2. If the church of Jesus Christ truly saw itself as a pilgrim community whose land and nation are not of this earth, then the Christian church would begin to understand that it is itself a community of migrants—ambassadors, yes (2 Cor 5)—but even so, migrants. This perspective is not a purely managerial or activist viewpoint. Rather this …

Insider Movements Among Muslims: Reflections On Their History, Identity, And Theology, Richard Doss

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The enormity of the task still facing Christian missions is almost incomprehensible. Nearly 4.1 billion people are still in need of the gospel (Johnstone 2014:65). In some ways, the task of reaching the unreached is most difficult among Muslims. With nearly 1.3 billion adherents, Islam represents a significant challenge to the spread of the gospel. Or does it? Given the complex nature of the relationship between Christianity and Islam, could it be that the inability of Christian missionaries to shed the social, cultural, and political trappings of the West and Christendom have limited the effectiveness of the gospel? Might the …

Great Members, Great Churches: Adaptive Change And Missional Theology In The Local Church, Christopher Jacobsen

Doctor of Ministry Theses

An Action Research (AR) project focusing on congregational participation in ministries within the church and outside it. Theological lenses of Trinitarian theology, missional theology, and spiritual practices. Theoretical lenses of adaptive change theory, consumerism and social capital, and organizational theories of relationship, four-frame model, and open source model. Identifies adaptive challenges faced by a small Reformed Church in America church in northern New Jersey, with a strong emphasis on the tension between living busy lives and active participation in the ministry of the triune God. Reframes leadership through the lens of writing the church’s story.

Missions In Theological Education: The Present Situation, Walter Cason

Papers

No abstract provided.

From Everywhere To Everywhere, David W. Scott

Papers

This paper explores the uses of the phrase “from everywhere to everywhere” as an unofficial motto by The United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministries. It first surveys the usage of the term in the broader Christian context. It then examines ways in which the motto’s usage at Global Ministries recognizes changes but also remains aspirational in two areas: recruitment and deployment of mission personnel and finances and structures of mission agencies. It also notes that while the phrase is sometimes used in the broader context to refer to the United States as a mission field, this usage is …

A Wesleyan Missiological Perspective On Holiness Across Cultures, Marcus W. Dean

The Asbury Journal

Missiology has focused on various aspects of contextualization and the importance of salvation, but has not dealt extensively with the biblical concept of holiness. From a Wesleyan perspective this paper looks at holiness from the lens of contextualization. A biblical support of contextualization is presented. Then the cultural factors of values—the dynamics of shame, guilt, and fear are explored— and purity are examined as starting points to contextualize the holiness message. While holiness is ultimately about ethical life and relationships, the message must be built upon culturally understandable concepts.

The Theology Of The World Apostolate, Ronan Hoffman

Papers

No abstract provided.