Digital Commons Network^™

Joseph Smith And The Past, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

My thoughts on Joseph Smith’s interest in past worlds cluster into three sections. The first deals with the challenge of evaluating and assessing Joseph Smith’s recoveries of texts or views from past worlds or civilizations. The second develops a list of ways in which the past functioned in Joseph Smith’s process of continuing revelation. The third focuses on the dynamic link between the past and the present in Joseph Smith’s concept of priesthood authority and its restoration.

Functional Diversity, Eric M. Brown

Doctor of Ministry

The question at the heari of this dissertation is, "can it be different?" The "it" is the way church is organized, worship happens, and the very flavor of the church in the United Methodist Church in Oregon and Idaho. Today, church is generally organized following the traditional Anglo experience. The hymns, food, and organizational patterns generally follow the patterns of the white, English-speaking majority in the churches. A different formula would be one that is more multicultural and multiethnic. In this dissertation, the different way of organizing and thinking of church is called functional diversity.

Functional diversity is explored through …

Testing Stark's Thesis: Is Mormonism The First New World Religion Since Islam?, Gerald R. Mcdermott

BYU Studies

I n 1984, Rodney Stark startled the academic world with a claim that has kept sociologists and religion-watchers scratching their heads ever since. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons,” he predicted, “will soon achieve a worldwide following comparable to that of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and the other dominant world faiths.”¹ Stark claimed that Mormonism has grown faster than any other new religion in American history. Between 1840 and 1980, it had averaged a growth rate of 44 percent per decade; in the four decades 1940 through 1980, growth zoomed to an astonishing 53 percent. If …

Rethinking The Role Of Religion In Changing Public Spheres: Some Comparative Perspectives, Rosalind I.J. Hackett

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Religious Schools: For Spirit, (F)Or Nation, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this paper I draw attention to the study of 'unofficially sacred' sites in geographies of religion, which provide significant insights into the construction of religious identity and community, and the intersections of sacred and secular. I show that such sites deserve as much attention as places of worship (the more conventional focus in the geographical study of religion) in our understanding of the place of religion in contemporary urban society. In particular, using the case of Islamic religious schools in Singapore, I examine how Muslim identities and community are negotiated within multicultural and multireligious contexts, and particularly within one …

Revelation And The Left Behind Novels, Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

The Left Behind novels appeal because they affirm God's control of history in the face of violence and moral decay. Our challenge is to be more biblical than Left Behind, not less biblical to hear Revelation's call to persevere in the face of evil and to trust in the final victory of God and the Lamb.

Genesis 1:1-2:3 And Enuma Elish: Ideological Warfare Between Judah And Babylon, Rebecca L. Kirk

Doctor of Ministry

This thesis discusses two ancient cosmologies: Genesis 1: 1-2:3 and Enuma Elish. It details the culture in which each was written by discovering the possible time periods from which each cosmology came. This thesis also seeks to understand why each narrative was written and what the author was propagating to its respective audience. Finally, the present thesis contrasts similarities and differences between the two cosmologies and explains motivations for the similarities and. differences. Both cosmologies were conceived of and written down to encourage its respective audience to believe in the religions patron deity. This thesis maintains that the author of …

Jennie Lebl, Chronicler Of The Holocaust In The Balkans - Review Article, Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

A Spiritual Disciplines-Based Discipleship Curriculum For The Local Church, Steven Hugh Mathews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The practice of the spiritual disciplines in local Baptist churches is in decline, and there does not exist a curriculum designed to implement the disciplines into the public teaching ministry of the local church. The purpose of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate such a curriculum, with respect to participants' understanding of, motivation to practice, and perceived effectiveness in, ten key spiritual disciplines. The curriculum is evaluated by a diagnostic tool based on Bloom's Taxonomy, and is intended to measure increases in knowledge, motivation, and effectiveness.

Hugh Nibley's Articles Of Faith, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

So, Hugh Nibley has two lawyers speaking at his funeral. Good thing he appreciated irony! I have laughed and wept as I have written this final examination.

As Filhas De Oyá: Warriors In The Eye Of The Storm, Sheela Bringi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study follows the trail of Oyá, a black feminine Orixá, or goddess, within the Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition of Candomblé, through her elemental forces as the winds, storms, tornadoes, the river Niger, and buffalo. I unearth the influence of Oyá on the lives of three black female followers as she is manifested in the world as a black woman, a mother, a warrior and a lover.

I interviewed three black followers of Oyá and found that she is primarily a motherly force which provides protection, guidance and security for her followers. As a warrior, her energy inspires perseverance, determination, and …

Trends In The Portrayal Of The Puritans Found In American History Textbooks From The 1870s Through The 1990s As Influenced By Secular Educational Philosophy, James A. Wicks

Faculty Dissertations

There has been a movement to exclude a Biblical worldview from high school American history textbooks exchanging it for a secular worldview through the use of historical revisionism. Available literature failed to adequately address the impact of revisionism within the pages of American history textbooks specifically concerning the portrayal of the American Puritans. Therefore, an analysis of American history textbooks beginning in the 1870s through the 1990s was necessary to demonstrate the existence of historical revisionism regarding the treatment of the American Puritans and whether a trend existed to revise their place in American history textbooks over the past two …

Toward Better Hearing Of The Word In The Sermon, Darrell Zimmerman

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this project was to equip some members of the congregation to be discerning receivers of the sermon by improving their active and intentional listening capabilities. The methodology of the project included the development and teaching of a course of instruction on the theology and practice of preaching, a period of participant implementation, and interviews of participants in the study toward an evaluation of the project. Participant response showed a greater or lesser benefit depending on willingness and ability to apply the learnings. Recommendations for enhanced future effectiveness of the course are included.

Building An Altar Prayer Ministry Team, Bob Moon

ATS Digital Resources

No abstract provided.

Menorah Review (No. 62, Winter/Spring, 2005)

Menorah Review

Tales to Engage -- The Study of The Holocaust And Its Discontents -- Jews Courageous -- Thinking Heart of A Concentration Camp: The Spiritual Journey of A Young Woman in Holland Under Nazi Occupation -- Great Russian-Jewish Historians -- Children's Merits -- Noteworthy Books

The Voice Of Friends Has Many Accents, Kenneth E. Comfort

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

How To Pray When You Don't Know What To Say, Elmer L. Towns

Books

No abstract provided.

Rivers Of Revival Volume 1 And Volume 2 (Chinese), Elmer Towns, Neil T. Anderson

Towns Foreign Language Book Collection

No abstract provided.

The Revelation Of John And The Practice Of Christian Counseling, David A. Desilva

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Proclamation In Cross-Cultural Context: Missiological Implications Of The Book Of Daniel, Sung Ik Kim

Dissertations

This study attempts to explore the biblical foundation ofsalvific mission as revealed in God's purposes for the nations (missio Dei ) in the book of Daniel and to investigate the means that Daniel employed in his ministry as an overt missionary who was sent to witness to God's salvific purpose in the cross-cultural context of heathen kingdoms.

The main objective of this research is to validate the book of Daniel as a missionary document and show that its missiological implications are still relevant to present-day missions. Chapter 2 explores the salvific purpose of missio Dei in the book of …

A Model For Reaching African American Males In Southeast Atlanta With Seventh-Day Adventism, Ralph P. Peay

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Churches in America are on average 60-70 percent female. Attracting and integrating African American males into church life is a grave challenge. This study focuses on African American males in Southeast Atlanta and seeks to design a model for addressing their sociological and spiritual needs in anticipation of their accession into church membership.

Method

The setting for this study is the Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Atlanta. The method employed in this project is an exploratory research approach that is designed to identify the social, economic, and other needs of African American males. In order to ascertain …

Why Religions Facilitate War And How Religions Facilitate Peace, J. William Frost

Library Staff Works

No abstract provided.

The Transition From Church Growth To Church Health, Philip Walker

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

When I have taught Church Growth principles I have found it helpful to look at Acts 2:41-47 and the variety of growth types indicated in these verses. You will find: Growing up in verse 42, individuals growing into a mature relationship with God; Growing together in verse 44, in great generosity and spiritual gifts; Growing out in verse 47a, into the community; Growing more in verse 47b, as the numbers increase. The problem has been that Church Growth thinking has been caricatured as relating only to the last of these, although a careful reading of the Church Growth books shows …

Aims Of Education In The Writings Of Ellen White, Erling Bernhard Snorrason

Dissertations

Problem. Ellen White’s educational philosophy and its application to the aims of education have not been systematically or thoroughly addressed within the parameters and demands of a graduate thesis. The present dissertation explores the aims of education, especially the ultimate aims of education, in the writings of Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and could be of value in assessing the present Seventh-day Adventist educational enterprise.

Method. This dissertation is a description and an analysis of Ellen White’s concept of education as revealed by her understanding of the aims of education. It is a …

A Diabolical Disneyland In Zion: The Mormons And The Mx, Jacob W. Olmstead

Theses and Dissertations

In September 1979 President Jimmy Carter publicly announced his decision to support the deployment of the MX missile and mobile basing scheme in Utah and Nevada. Despite local opposition and the close proximity of the proposed base to its headquarters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) remained silent until 5 May 1981, when the First Presidency issued a statement opposing the MX plans. The purpose of this work is to narrate the history of the development of the Mormon position regarding the deployment of MX missile in the Great Basin and evaluate the response to the statement …

Recent Articles Of Interest

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

A listing of recently published articles of interest to the Society.

A Look At Biblical And Ancient Extra-Biblical Perspectives On Death, Randall W. Younker

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

When God Speaks Cross-Culturally: The Bible As Mission, Paul B. Petersen

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Oded Borowski, Daily Life In Biblical Times, Daniel L. Smith-Christopher

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Catholic Saints: An Exploration And Inspiration In Faith, Therese Drey

Graduate Research Papers

During the researcher's career as a religion teacher and librarian she found very few books for primary age students about the lives of the saints. The purpose of this research project was to write an age-appropriate illustrated biography about the life of St. Therese of Liseuex. The format will include events from the life of Therese Martin from her birth, through her entrance into the Carmelite Convent until her death at twenty-four. This book can serve as a prototype for similar books about other saints for the same audience. The targeted audience for this project is primary students in Catholic …