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Righteousness And Salvation, Tibebu Senbetu

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Some of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus (EECMY) members’ understanding of righteousness and salvation fits into neither Pauline nor Jacobite teaching.1 This short paper examines whether Christians in Ethiopia today correctly understand the whole account of Scripture about righteousness and salvation. It also analyzes what the Scriptures and the Lutheran teachings say on the subject. Knowingly or unknowingly, the full biblical message on soteriology has been neglected by some Christians, which has resulted in a confused understanding of righteousness and salvation. Finally, this paper attempts to bridge the gap between the …

Grapho 2018, Jordan Voges

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The complete Grapho for 2018.

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 …

Expository Preaching At The Dawn Of The Reformation: An Evaluation Of Martin Luther As Preacher In Light Of Modern Expository Theory, Randall Rozelle

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This thesis examines Martin Luther as an expository preacher. Contemporary authors such as Ewald Plass, Peter Brooks, Fred Meuser, Sydney Greidanus, James MacKinnon, John MacArthur, and Hughes Oliphant Old describe Luther as an expository preacher, yet none of them clarifies how or in what way they reach that conclusion. To that end, chapter 1 introduces Luther as a preacher and the need for this study.

Chapter 2 defines modern expository theory and presents a four-fold method for creating faithful, expository sermons.

Chapter 3 tracks Luther’s change in hermeneutic from a medieval, allegorical approach to a Christ-centered, historical-grammatical method. Luther’s postils …

Spiritual Leadership Training Model: Using Learning Communities To Disciple Leaders In A Congregational Setting, Kent Pierce

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Pierce, Kent D. “Spiritual Leadership Training Model: Using Learning Communities To Disciple Leaders In A Congregational Setting.” D.Min. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 209 pp.

Over the past few decades a significant shift has taken place in the cultural landscape of the United States and, as a result, in how congregations live out Christ’s mission in their unique local context. This project seeks to address the need for spiritual leadership among the laity of the Church. Specifically, the purpose of the project was to develop a model of spiritual leadership formation that will foster a discipling culture within Campus …

A Congregational & Legal Study In The Practice Of Hospitality At Faith Community Center, Lacey, Washington, Matthew Henry

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Henry, Matthew R. “A Congregational and Legal Study in the Practice of Faith Community Center.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 171 pages.

Churches that practice hospitality by operating community centers must remain faithful in their confession and abide by anti-discrimination laws. This project provides the necessary theological and legal guidance for community center ministry in morally diverse settings. Surveys conducted before and after a congregational presentation at Faith Lutheran Church, Lacey, WA, reveal opinions of both limits and freedoms as to what activities and groups may be permitted or disallowed. As an expression of love for …

Story-Lines Of Scripture And Footsteps In The Sea, Mark Seifrid

Other Faculty Scholarship

The aim of furthering Christian living in mission and community is entirely valid, provided it does not take upon itself ultimate goals. Nor is there is any question that the Scriptures tell us of God’s purpose for the world, its beginning and its end: God created the world out of his own goodness; God yet rules the world despite humanity’s fall into sin; God will bring the world to its consummation through a final judgment; God has acted decisively for our salvation in Jesus Christ, in whom all things shall be consummated.

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Fall 2015, Jeffrey Kloha

Concordia Seminary Magazine

God's Word is living and active.

Pietism On The American Landscape, Martin Conkling

Concordia Journal

Pietism on the American Landscape from its beginnings to present.

Christian Counseling The Past Generation And The State Of The Field, Richard Marrs

Concordia Journal

Gary Moon, vice president of Richmont Graduate University, says that Christian counseling, pastoral counseling, biblical counseling, and spiritual direction are all “sibling soul care disciplines.”

Proper 20 • Ezekiel 34:11–16; 20–24 • November 23, 2014, Timothy Dost

Concordia Journal

God Protects and Heals His Flock When faced with the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel describes the judgment on those shepherds responsible and the reasons for the fall.

Proper 28 • Zephaniah 1:7–16 • November 16, 2014, Andrew Bartelt

Concordia Journal

In sum, this is the basic biblical narrative in a nutshell, with the new creation brought about in the presence of King Yahweh incarnate in Jesus, who establishes the new Zion wherever he is present, no longer in the “land” of Judah.

Covenant Relationships And The Editing Of The Hebrew Psalter : An Investigation Of The Relationship Between The Davidic Covenant And The Abrahamic And Mosaic Convenants As Reflected In The Editing Of The Psalter, Adam Daniel Hensley

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Hensley, Adam, D. "Covenant Relationships and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter: An Investigation of the Relationship between the Davidic Covenant and the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants as Reflected in the Editing of the Psalter." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2015. 386 pp.

This dissertation examines the relationship between the Davidic covenant and Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants as it is reflected in the editorial shape and shaping of the Masoretic Psalter. It hypothesizes that editors understood these covenants as a theological unity, whose common fulfillment centers on the anticipated royal successor of David. The promises and obligations of the covenants would …

“No One Has Ever Seen God” (John 1:18): Not Seeing Yet Believing In The Gospel Of John, Kevin Armbrust

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Armbrust, Kevin L. “ ‘No One Has Ever Seen God’ (John 1:18): Not Seeing Yet Believing in the Gospel of John.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 242 pp.

Only a few New Testament texts explicitly state that Jesus is θεός (“God”). John explicitly indicates that Jesus is God not once or twice, but three times. These three statements appear at the beginning of the Gospel’s prologue (1:1), at the end of the prologue (1:18), and just before the Gospel’s conclusion (20:28; cf. 20:30–31). John’s strategically placed statements thus form an end-to-end double inclusio. References to Jesus as God over against …

Christian Hope Among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories As Narrative Theodices, Michael Zeigler

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Zeigler, Michael. W. “Christian Hope among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories as Narrative Theodicies.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 270 pp.

This dissertation answers the following: How is Christian hope distinct from others? The answer given is that Christian hope is distinct from its rivals because it expects the God of Jesus to bring the world to conform to the word of the promise he made to Abraham. This answer arises from an approach to Christian eschatology that differs from what has become typical. Current studies in eschatology focus on an internal use attributes, that is, a use fitted for derivation and …

"It Was He Who Gave Some To Be": Toward An Understanding Of The Role Of The Female Prophet In The Lutheran Church, Ann Murphy

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Murphy, Ann I. "'It Was He Who Gave Some To Be': Toward an Understanding of the Role of the Female Prophet in the Lutheran Church." STM thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2014,131 pp.

This thesis addresses some of the ambiguities and inadequacies in Lutheran theological reflection regarding the prophetic office and attempts to integrate theological constructions pertaining to revelatory spiritual gifts, inspiration, the Ministry, and women's roles in the church so that they more consistently inform one another.

Global Diasporas And Mission, Chandler Im, Amos Yong

Edinburgh Centenary Series

In this volume, we endeavor to view the world through the lens of the global diasporas and their missiological implications in the twenty-first century. Combining both the numbers of their countries of birth and their current places of residence, this work’s 21 contributors represent 13 nations and four continents – Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Mission At And From The Margins Patterns, Protagonists And Perspectives, Peniel Rajkumar, Joseph Prabhakar Dayam, I. P. Asheervadham

Edinburgh Centenary Series

It is our hope that these chapters, though fragmentary in nature, will provide glimpses of how the ‘margins’ can both inform and re-form missiological thought as we build further upon what has happened since Edinburgh 1910. These fragments are offered with the hope that they will not only feed and nourish but also provoke hunger for working towards God’s kingdom of justice and righteousness.

Luther On Idolatry: A Lutheran Response To Contemporary False Belief, Michael Lockwood

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Lockwood, Michael A. "Luther on Idolatry: A Lutheran Response to Contemporary False Belief." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2013. 303 pp.

The first step in solving any problem is to understand the problem. As Christians we know that Christ is the solution to the human plight. Yet what exactly is this plight? And why do so many people feel no need for the solution he provides? Luther's answer is that people feel no need for the true God until they are disenchanted with the false gods they have put in his place, which they think can provide all they need.

In …

Bible In Mission, Pauline Hoggarth, Fergus Macdonald, Bill Mitchell, Knud Jorgensen

Edinburgh Centenary Series

While the essays in this volume contribute individually to collective reflection on the Bible in mission, the larger significance of the book is greater than the sum of its parts. First it must be noted that the volume is part of the larger 2010 process, a collection of essays that grew from a “transversal” theme identified for the centennial of the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh. As such, it joins a rich collection of contemporary missiological reflection generated by the series of 2010 meetings.

Foundations For Mission, Emma Wild-Wood, Peniel Rajkumar

Edinburgh Centenary Series

Three broad foundations for a theology of mission are identified and explored in this volume. Mission begins with the nature of the loving, triune God, the intentions and actions of God are revealed to humanity by the Holy Spirit, through the vehicles of God’s word, the Bible, our experience and theology.

Honorable Shame: The Rhetorical Use Of Didactic Shame Discourse In Ezekiel 36:16-32, Ronald Mudge

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Mudge, Ronald R. "Honorable Shame: The Rhetorical Use of Didactic Shame Discourse in Ezekiel 36:16-36" Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2012.328 pp.

After promising Israel such wonderful gifts as a new heart and a return to the land, Ezek36:16-32 ends with a command for Israel to be ashamed. Biblical scholars have offered a number of different explanations for this unusual order without consensus.

A methodology that employs sociological interpretation and rhetorical analysis covers new ground and resolves the crux of Ezek 36:16-32. A basic word study demonstrates that primary shame lexemes in Ezekiel refer to low status as judged by an …

The Hour Has Come-A Narrative-Critical Analysis Of The Use Of Ω̋Ρα In The Gospel Of John, Dennis Matyas

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

After summarizing eschatology in the Gospel of John, this STM thesis examines the use of, ω̋ρα in Greco-Roman Greek sources, extra-biblical Jewish sources, the LXX, and the New Testament. After this examination, the thesis argues that each and every use of ω̋ρα in the Gospel of John either refers directly to the hour of Jesus' suffering and death or bears a special relationship to it.

Engaging Ecclesia: A Model For Training And Leading Circuits To Engage In Mission As Ecclesia, Jeffrey Shearier

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Shearier, Jeffrey E. “Engaging Ecclesia: A Model for Training Circuits to Engage in Mission as Ecclesia.” DMIN MAP., Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, 2012, 110 pp.

This Major Applied Project sought to measure if attitudes and understandings about what the church (ecclesia) is theologically and to apply that definition to the ecclesiology of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The author recounts his personal quest to match ecclesiology with the mission of the church. He also tells the story of recent attempts to encourage church planting in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at large and specifically within the Rocky Mountain District (a part of the …

Life-Widening Mission Global Perspectives From The Anglican Communion, Cathy Ross

Edinburgh Centenary Series

A vision for holistic mission emerges clearly from each of the contributions. Shalom as a vision for wholeness of life emerges in different ways in each contribution.

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Spring/Summer 2011, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

International influence

John Wesley‟S Liturgical Revision: A Pattern For Reshaping Worship For Post-Christian America, Lawrence A. Lacher

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Lacher, Lawrence A. “John Wesley‟s Liturgical Revision: A Pattern for Reshaping Worship for Post-Christian America.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2011. 316 pp.

This project seeks to find a solution to the current malformation of Christian Worship in the American church through re-examining John Wesley‟s Sunday Service for Methodists in North America (1784) in order to extract the underlying pattern. That pattern is then proposed as a paradigm that allows for the contextualization of worship while retaining its historic shape, function and purpose.

John Wesley‟s liturgical advices are examined for several reasons. Since the writer is interested in helping those who …

The Church Going Glocal Mission And Globalisation, Tormod Engelsviken, Erling Lundeby, Dagfinn Solheim

Edinburgh Centenary Series

This phenomenon, which, as this book will show, is not unique for our time, is nevertheless more widespread, more pervasive and more rapidly changing the world in which we live than ever before.

Beyond Justice: Death And The Retribution Principle In The Book Of Job, Varunaj Churnai

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Churnai, Varunaj., “Beyond Justice: Death and the Retribution Principle in the Book of Job.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2010. 232 pp.

In recent decades, scholars have tended to interpret what Job says about death either as part of the broader reading of the Old Testament about death, or by imposing ancient Near Eastern mythological concepts upon the text of Job, read apart from the Old Testament’s wisdom tradition. This dissertation attempts to redress the latter trend of interpretation by articulating that what Job says about death is related to Job’s struggle to understand his relationship to God in relation to …

Mission Continues Global Impulses For The 21st Century, Claudia WäHrisch-Oblau, Fidon Mwombeki

Edinburgh Centenary Series

The collection of papers in this book has been taken from the papers delivered at the Wuppertal consultation. In some cases, short responses by one or two of the consultation participants were added to highlight the discussions that followed.