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Is It A Requisite For A ‘Believer’ To Be Part Of The Formal/Institutional Church?, Dillon Cook

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

For the purposes of this paper, I attempt to wrestle with the question of whether or not it is a requisite for a “believer” (which turns out to be a loaded and ambiguous term) to be a part of a formal/institutional Christian Church. This is a difficult task to accomplish, and this, I admit. There is no way to answer this, truly with certainty. But Metaphysics are rarely grounded in “certainty.” This is true for many Christian Theological tasks as well. Nevertheless, this argument will be attempted by working with and off of the Black liberation theologian and philosopher, James …

Where Does The Church Stand In Today’S Mental Health Landscape?, Noah T. Mursu

Honors Capstone Projects

Religious involvement in care for those living with mental illness has been going on for centuries, and perspectives on it have changed throughout the years. This literature review evaluates the place of religious groups, mainly Christian churches, in today's mental health situation by considering past and present involvement. It incorporates sources regarding different eras of mental hospital reform, modern perspectives of mental health clinicians and clergy, and the current gaps in mental health support among a variety of groups, including veterans, African Americans, and people in developing countries. This review then considers potential future involvement, especially considering how these gaps …

Seat At The Table: An Inclusive Ministry To Families And Individuals With Disabilities At Plainfield Christian Church, Lindy Ruth Rader

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Churches are called to be a place of welcoming and belonging, but it is common for individuals and families with disabilities to not feel like they have a place in the Church. Seat At The Table is a ministry designed to address this problem and help families feel integrated into the local church. This ministry is a part of Plainfield Christian Church, located in Plainfield, Indiana. Seat At The Table desires to create a space for individuals and families to encounter Jesus and to form a deep and lasting relationship with Him. Along with this, they want participants in the …

Equipping And Mobilizing Parents And Guardians Of Middle Schoolers To Disciple Their Children Through The Ministry Of Parents Of Middle Schoolers (Poms), Mary Kate Hipp

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Parents within the church are facing a pandemic of feelings of inadequacy in terms of discipling their teens. Modern culture has largely shifted responsibilities away from parents and onto professionals at church, for developing the spiritual dimension of their adolescent. Yet, the familial influence of an adolescent supersedes the influence of any youth worker. Youth workers should neither be the foundation of an adolescent’s spirituality nor the cosmetic finishing. In a Christian home, parents and guardians have the high privilege to influence and lead the spiritual formation of their children. The church was granted the high privilege and honor to …

Fullness Of Christ Ministries: Spiritual Formation Of Emerging Adults At Woodmen Valley Chapel Through Mentoring, Joseph Geijer

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Most churches today do not address the needs of emerging adults in any way outside of occasional social gatherings. This has led to a mass exodus of emerging adults from the Church and presents a need for intentional spiritual formation, mentors, and programming for this demographic. This paper outlines a philosophy and strategy for the spiritual formation of emerging adults in the local church through mentoring.

Lgbtqia+ People And Religious Trauma, Cira Abiseid

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex, and asexual people (LGBTQIA+) experience religious trauma caused by the harmful messaging often aimed at sexual and gender minorities. Identity dissonance can be created when LGBTQIA+ people find their religious and sexual or gender minority identities at odds with each other. A review of existing literature revealed themes of identity erasure, internalized homophobia, and resilience, but there was limited research involving this population. This qualitative study centers the voices of those who have experienced religious trauma based on their identities and works to understand their healing journeys. Fifteen LGBTQIA+ individuals participated …

TíNh ThốNg NhấT Trong Sự Đa DạNg: Hanoi International Fellowship Ethnography, Ariel Marie Bloomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hanoi International Fellowship (HIF) is a multinational, multiethnic International Church (IC) in Hanoi, Vietnam. This thesis investigates how HIF constitutes unity among such lived diversity in its congregation. Chapter one reviews existing literature and provides the methodology of the study. Chapter two investigates where unity and diversity are present in HIF, focusing specifically on its mission and values, ministries, and leadership. Chapter three provides a theological basis for unity in diversity. Chapter four presents the research findings from this study. Lastly, Chapter five expresses the study’s limitations, summarizes the findings, offers suggestions to HIF and other Christian communities, recommends future …

Exploring Best Practices Of Charitable Organizations : A Case Study Of Social Ministry For Widows And Orphans Of Some Selected Non-Profit Organizations In Kaduna, Nigeria, Mary Dizerkiya Bakut

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Association Of Religiosity, Purity Culture, And Religious Trauma With Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety, Kaelyn R. Griffin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While no consistent definition yet exists for religious trauma, religious abuse is typically defined as a misuse of authority by a spiritual leader to coerce, control, or exploit those under their leadership, which may in turn lead to the experience of religious trauma. Numerous studies suggest that experiencing abuse within a religious environment is a both global phenomenon and common experience. The impact of religious abuse has recently gained greater media attention, specifically related to the social and psychological impact of leaving high-cost religious groups (i.e., those with rigid rules or groups from which departure leads to isolation and rejection …

Review Of The Devil: A Very Short Introduction, Cory Grewell

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of Darren Oldridge, The Devil: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2012). 114 pages. $11.95. ISBN: 9780199580996.

C. S. Lewis And The Care Of Souls, Lyle W. Dorsett

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Lewis acknowledged he lacked professional credentials to write popular theology. But he also argued that until the theologians and clergy wrote books laymen could understand on such topics as spiritual warfare and the problems of evil and pain, he must stand in the gap. It is the thesis of this essay that, in the final analysis, Lewis’ legacy as a physician of the soul will rival his importance as an apologist and author of the Narnian Chronicles.

C. S. Lewis: Christian Educator For A Post-Christian Era, Mark A. Pike

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

According to Spears and Loomis, “Education is no longer understood in terms of training that enables us to pursue a true conception of reality. Formerly, education was conceived as a tool by which we came to properly understand our humanity, ourselves and our right role within society,” but this is often no longer the case. This essay will explore the implications of this important change for schooling, leadership, teaching, and learning. in the twenty-first century. In the post-Christian phase of our culture it has been asserted – plausibly – that education has in general ceased to have the aim of …

The Spectrum Of Human Nature From Anthroposophy To Radical Difference From God In Owen Barfield, C. S. Lewis, And Karl Barth, Stephen Thorson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Among many achievements, Barth redefined the problem of objectivity in theology as well as proposed a theological anthropology of continuing influence. The question of objectivity also exercised the minds of C. S. Lewis and his close friend, Owen Barfield, during that same decade, leading to their own versions of idealist anthropology. Although Lewis claimed that the resulting epistolary controversy between them was a “major turning point” in his life,6 scholars of Lewis’s life and works, including biographers, have largely ignored this hint, and skipped this part of his intellectual conversion.7 Their debate began over objectivity in human knowledge, especially in …

The Psychology Of Hell: Privation, Exclusion, And Banishment As Symbols Of Hell In The Life Of C.S. Lewis, Reggie Weems

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

These few examples demonstrate that Lewis’s fundamental view of Hell was primarily influenced by Christ but also shaped by Christian history and literature. This does not mean that his choice of the particular words "privation, exclusion and banishment" is solely dependent on biblical, historical, or literary influences. It may very well be that Lewis employed these particular expressions because they represented certain traumatic Hell-on-earth experiences endured in his formative years—events that personalized the doctrine and added significant, practical weight to his academic, theological, philosophical, and literary understanding of its horrifying reality.

"The Packed Reality Of Heaven": C.S. Lewis's Imaginative Re-Education Of The Modern Pilgrim, Monika B. Hilder

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

How to think of Heaven then, which Lewis says “is, by definition, outside our experience,” when the fact is that “all intelligible descriptions must be of things within our experience” is a question that Lewis took seriously, especially since the scriptural imagery “[a]t first sight . . . chill[ed], rather than awake[ned], [his] desire.” He asked how a “typical modern” like himself might interpret the heavenly concept of glory. The first idea of fame suggested to him hellish competition; the second idea of brightness suggested the “ridiculous” image of becoming “a kind of living electric light bulb.” Indeed, he contends …

Dr. Melanie Wynja, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Lifespan Development, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Review Of Reasoning Beyond Reason: Imagination As A Theological Source In The Work Of C. S. Lewis, Nikolay Epplée

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Review of: J. T. Sellars, Reasoning Beyond Reason: Imagination as a Theological Source in the Work of C. S. Lewis (Eugene, 2011). 256 pages. $29.00. ISBN: 9781608995035.

"A Dreadful Thing": C.S. Lewis And The Experinces Of War, Timothy J. Demy

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

From a Christian perspective, war entails the death and killing of people who are all created in the image of God and therefore have inherent dignity and incalculable worth. And yet, even after experiencing war at firsthand, C. S. Lewis believed that war is sometimes justifiable and necessary.

Like others of his generation, Lewis was deeply affected by the experience of war. He lived through the First and Second World Wars, serving as an officer on the Western Front between November 1917 and April 1918. His brother Warren (“Warnie”) was a career officer serving in the British army in both …

A Return To The Roots: Mysticism And Psychodrama For Traumatized Populations: A Literature Review, Hyde Nichols

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper is a literature review on the spiritual roots of psychodrama and how this can be utilized for traumatized populations. To support this hypothesis, I reviewed research done on post- traumatic stress disorder, spirituality and mysticism, as well as how psychodrama has been utilized for traumatized populations. J.L. Moreno’s original writings on psychodrama and its components and philosophy are utilized to situate mysticism and spirituality within the psychodramatic paradigm. All terms listed above are defined using research done within the United States, although Moreno began his career in Austria. To end the paper I discussed the importance of staying …

A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …

Deploying Secular Historian's Rules As An Apologetic Method To Persuade Secular Naturalists/Humanists That Demons Exist, Mark P. Ragsdale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Secular Humanists/Naturalists presuppose a priori that the existence and activity of non-material, incorporeal, spirit beings are not possible. Like a First Order Skeptic argues that one cannot be sure of anything beyond perception, the Secularist accepts existence of all that is material while rejecting any spiritual realm. The dissertation qualitatively ties together themes arguing that the same standards secularists apply to vetting any commonly accepted historical event whatever also inductively supports the existence and activity of demons.

A Patristic Christological Defense: Utilizing The Patristic View Of The Incarnation As A Defense Against The Problem Of Suffering, Scott Steven Hyland Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

At issue is the question of whether it is logically consistent to embrace the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent God in the presence of evil and suffering. Many factors prima facie seem to indicate that the existence of such a God in the presence of an abundance of pain, evil, and suffering is logically incoherent. If such a God does exist, why does He allow the evil and suffering that He does? Hume asserts, such a being should be capable of preventing evil and suffering. Van Inwagen argues that the existence of a world that is constantly modified to …

An Apologetic For The Reliability Of Biblical Doctrine From Pornography Addiction And Recovery, Jacob A. Arrieta

Masters Theses

Sexual ethics (in general) and pornography (in particular) are incredibly hot topics in postmodern culture. The biblical sexual ethic, which was once normative across much of the Global West since the rise and spread of Christianity, is now viewed as outdated and oppressive in a postmodern culture that values individual freedoms above all else. No longer are institutions seen as trustworthy bastions of truth to help shape individuals into good people or proper citizens of a nation. Expert opinions are no longer sought out and used to shape and form the individuals’ thoughts on a given topic unless they support …

Did Jesus Survive The Cross?, Christopher Dwayne Banks

Masters Theses

This study explored whether it was possible for Jesus to survive the crucifixion from a medical and historical perspective. The scope of this thesis is based purely on what is evidentially plausible and more likely. Therefore, the data must reflect whether it was possible for Jesus to survive being crucified. Medical examination and ancient Roman sources were utilized to determine the nature and effectiveness of a Roman crucifixion. Furthermore, several theories concerning how one expires by the crucifixion were included to provide a rounded conclusion. Contrasting hypotheses offered greater insight into refining the question for which this thesis was designed. …

The Impact Of Southern Baptist Worship Ministries On Denominational Effectiveness, Laura S. Brod

Masters Theses

Worship ministries maintain prominent roles in Southern Baptist (SB) churches. Despite ample available literature for today’s church educational methods and congregational discipleship, little study has focused on ways SB music ministries can bolster the spiritual health of congregants. SBs currently experience the consequences of recent scandals alongside dwindling attendance numbers. To address this multifaceted, spiritually rooted issue, this historical qualitative study proposes to discover characteristics and methods of music and worship ministries (WM) and leadership qualities that can best promote spiritual growth within SB churches to strengthen the denomination’s health. To undertake this, the study will explore SB history and …

Natural Christology: The Necessity Of Christ By Analysis Of Natural Religion, Jared Anthony Smith

Masters Theses

The hero’s journey [or the monomyth] and the perennial philosophy are two conceptions of human experience that popularize a single old idea: a common human plight recurs across time through humanity’s socio-cultural variety. The monomyth highlights this through narrative modes; the perennial philosophy does this through religious modes. Both distillations have garnered a Christian counterattack, being thought to dangerously depart from the gospel in their essence as they nonetheless borrow its language and timbre. Yet, their incorporation of the gospel ventures beyond appropriation. Supposing these secular notions esteem the recurrent human journey with any alacrity, a careful apologetic discerns and …

Help For The Emotional Religious Doubter: Divine Revelation As An Epistemic Axiom And Its Significance Upon The Implementation Of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Rebt), Ronald Henry Davis Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the concept of religious doubt concerning those who embrace the Christian tradition, i.e., those who embrace the words and works of Christ, specifically the reality of the Resurrection, as true and efficacious for both salvation and spiritual formation. The existential crisis of doubting these truths is a consistent and significant issue addressed in both religious and secular circles driven by the desire to help the individual overcome the emotional distress associated with this phenomenon. This study is designating doubt that creates an existential crisis as emotional religious doubt (ERD), i.e., it is a species/variety of doubt that …

The Relational Fruit Of The Spirit In Youth Ministers: Do Youth Ministers Display Patience, Kindness, And Goodness?, Mary Ann Ridgley-Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Youth ministry is a crucial part of the church that can help teenagers strengthen their godly beliefs and spiritual formation. Youth ministers’ actions, characters, and behavior should reflect the fruit of the Spirit. This qualitative case study explored whether and how youth leaders displayed the fruit of the Spirit at seven Bible-based, baptistic Christian churches in southeast Georgia. Although seven was the goal, only five churches agreed to participate. A Christian church was defined as one with no more than 500 members that accept the Bible as the sole source and authority of genuine Christian faith. The fruit of the …

Culturally Induced Male Dominance: Addressing Breakdown Of Harmony In Asian Indian Christian Marriages, Benjamin Mulaparthi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marriage is an institution designed by God to fulfill the creation mandate and represent Christ and his bride in this world. Marriage is a universal social construct fulfilled in diverse ways across cultures and societies. In Asian Indian culture, marriages are mostly arranged where parents customarily choose a spouse based on the caste/ethnicity, religion, social and economic standing of prospective spouses and their families. Many Christians in India and those of Indian origin living in the United States adopt the cultural norm of arranged marriage. This DMIN action research project will explore the breakdown of harmony in Christian arranged marriages …