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Holistic Mission God’S Plan For God’S People, Brian Woolnough, Wonsuk Ma

Edinburgh Centenary Series

This volume on holistic mission addresses this challenge in a dynamic and multi-faceted way through a variety of voices from different contexts. Many should find the collection of materials it contains useful, stimulating and rewarding. Above all, as I commend it to you, may it stir greater response and engagement in the spread of the gospel of the kingdom of God throughout the world.

How A Hearer Listens To A Sermon: Setting The Presuppositions Of The "Second Text", Jeffery D. Nehrt

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of the project was to answer the question: Can preachers influence how a hearer listens to a sermon? To answer that question, 70 pastors of the Southern Illinois District, Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod were asked if they every used a pre-sermon Bible study to help the hearer listen to the sermon. A seven week pre-sermon Bible study was developed and taught based on four filters of hearing. Those filters were Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and community. A post sermon survey was given and separated into two categories, those who attended the pre-sermon Bible study and those who did …

Fishing For Men While Fishing With Men- Relationships Built Through Recreational Experiences As A Tool For Effective Evangelism In Contemporary American Culture, Jonathan Rockey

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Rockey, Jonathan R. "Fishing for Men while Fishing with Men: Relationships Built through Recreational Experiences as a Tool for Effective Evangelism in Contemporary American Culture." D.Min Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, 2008.316 pp. with Appendices.

The stated goal of this project is "to evaluate a program for the equipping of volunteers for sharing the good news of God's love in Jesus in a recreational setting, and to evaluate the results of that equipping in the lives of these participants by looking at their willingness to witness and the effects they describe that arose from the experience and the process …

Theme And Structure In Isaiah 28-33 A Unified And Coherent Reading Centered On Chapter 30, G. Vincent Medina

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Medina, G. Vincent “Theme and Structure in Isaiah 28–33: A Unified and Coherent Reading Centered on Ch. 30.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2009. 260 pp.

This dissertation represents an attempt to demonstrate that Isaiah 28–33 is a compositional unity with structural and thematic coherence. Beginning with the widely recognized structuring function of the six hôy-oracles found in this section of Isaiah (Isa 28:1; 29:1; 29:15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1), the dissertation seeks to discover a deeper and more comprehensive structuring principle. It argues that Isaiah 30 is the center of Isaiah 28–33, and that 30:15–18 is the central passage. This thesis …

Luther's Two Kinds Of Righteousness And His Wartbug Postil, Makito Masaki

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This study discusses how Luther exhorted people to live the Christian life. Luther understood the Christian life as a life of the saved sinner in himself and in his community. He understood that Christians live lives defined by two kinds of righteousness; that is, righteousness that God bestows, and righteousness that they produce. This study will be carried out by reviewing this basic understanding of what the Christian life is, and by examining Luther's preaching material, specifically a set of sermonic writings called The Wartburg Postil. The thesis of this survey is that in The Wartburg Postil, Luther used the …

Beyond Appearance: Irony And The Death Of Jesus In The Matthean Passion Narrative (26:1-27:66), Inhee Cho

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Cho, InHee, "Beyond Appearance: Irony and the Death of Jesus in the Matthean Passion Narrative (26:1-27:66)." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2008. [294] pp.

If the Gospel of Matthew consists of a story about Jesus' life and ministry, the Matthean Passion Narrative (MPN) is not only the literary climax but also the goal of the entire narrative (26:1-27:66). Jesus has come to save his people from their sin and to give his life as a ransom for many (1 :21; 20:28). He will accomplish this divinely-willed salvation through the innocent blood of the covenant (26:28; 27:4, 6, 19, 24).This central theme …

Theology Of The Church As Ministry To Blind People, David Andrus

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Throughout history, people who are blind have been viewed by those in the sighted culture as limited and broken. This is true both in the church and in society in general. Our ecclesiology, however, should encourage, promote, or utilize blind people and their gifts to serve in the body of Christ. The church can, and should, accept, uplift, and utilize people who are blind and visually impaired as full members with a healthy and whole identity in Christ. To this end, our ecclesiology must not prohibit the ordination of a man who is blind solely on the basis of blindness …

My Son, Listen To The Instruction Of Your Father : An Analysis Of How The Father’S Rhetoric In Proverbs 1-7 Continues And Climaxes In Proverbs 8-9, Samuel Hsiao-Yung Liu

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Liu, Hsiao-Yung (Samuel) "My Son, Listen to the Instruction of Your Father: An Analysis of How the Father Rhetoric in Proverbs 1-7 Continues and Climaxes in Proverbs 8-9." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2007. 200 pp.

This dissertation proposes the thesis that the father's rhetoric in Prov 1-7 continues and climaxes in Prov 8-9, thus supporting the unity of Prov 1-9. Although diverse voices and genres make the reading of Prov 1-9 difficult, there still exists the unifying perspective of the implied speaker in the text, which is the father's rhetoric,

Therefore, assuming that one single author or editor completed the …

Sleep As Metaphor In Paul- Dying And Living In The Promise Of The Parousia, Nadine Grayl

Master of Art Theology Thesis

This project began with a curiosity for "life after death" matters when I was in confirmation class at a small South Jersey Lutheran church. My mother wanted to know if believers would be with Jesus as soon as they died, so I asked the pastor this and more. It was not until almost ten years later when I attended the 1999 Theological Symposium at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, as an undergraduate deaconess student from Concordia University, River Forest, IL, that I learned what really happens to believers when they die-and even if they don't. I am ever grateful …

Development Of A Servant Leadership Training Process For Elected Board Chairpersons, Larry Tieman

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This project is an exercise in training board chairpersons to become servant leaders who will bring people and programs together for the completion of identified tasks within the life of the congregation. The project will seek to: 1) clarify the roles of eight chairpersons; 2) form the chairpersons into servant leaders; and 3) mentor each chairperson through the counsel and guidance of others.

As a result of the project the percentage of active members has increased by 58% and the average member gives 33% more time in service to the church.

Lutheran Day School Operation: Financial Stewardship Implications, Thomas Radtke

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

In addressing this problem as it faces Trinity Lutheran Church, the writer will survey other schools and determine the method that each congregation uses to fund the operation of its day school. My premise from the outset is that some of these day schools use the traditional means of funding through congregational offerings while others use member tuition as a major factor in the funding of their day schools. The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate the methods used and make application to Trinity for the best method of funding their day school operation.

History Of Research On The Book Of Micah Chapters 4-5, Jun Kim

Master of Art Theology Thesis

The primary approach of this study is to examine the history of the applicable research and to analyze the various methods (approaches). We have divided selected scholars into two categories (diachronic and synchronic) according to their methods. As we examine each method, this thesis will investigate the authors' treatment of the Hebrew text. Rigorous comparison is difficult, because scholars read some verses as a group, usually following the biblical order of the text, but they do not all group texts in the same way.

As previously stated, synchronic approaches are relatively new; therefore, in this category, fewer scholars will be …

Preparing Christian High School Students For Secular College Experience, Joseph Stanley

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6 NIV). These words may have occupied the thoughts of Dr. Martin Luther when he wrote, "If all manner of problems are to be dealt with successfully, then the young people who are to live and govern on this earth after us must be trained and guided accordingly." This paper addresses the training and guidance of youth in the church with a view to properly preparing them for the college experience at state or private universities where the academic …

The Mentor Method Of Evangelism: A Study In The Use Of Interrogatives, Luther Biggs

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

There is a need to increase the effectiveness of the training process currently used to introduce members of Messiah Lutheran Church to the practice of what I call "the mentorship method" of evangelism. This project represents an effort to assess how graduates from a fifteen-week training course in mentorship-evangelism are able to perform a technique that is central to this method. Specifically, the technique under assessment is that of interrogative bridge-building in which evangelism practitioners are trained to use a series of questions to build a cognitive bridge between the evangelized spiritual questions and specific scriptural resources.

The Image Of God And Human Identity: An Explanation Informed By The Two Kinds Of Righteousness, Lucas Woodford

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

For centuries discussion and debate over the image of God has engaged theologians of every tradition. What is the image of God? Of what does it consist? How does Scripture speak of this image? Does it relate to all human beings? Establishing answers and definitions to such questions is a difficult yet vitally important task. Significant to these discussions are the implications that such definitions will have upon the understanding of human identity and human existence.

Treatments on the image of God have a variety of definitions and interpretations depending on the individual theologian and their theological tradition. There are …

Submit To Whom? An Exegetical Study Of Romans 13:1-7, Bradley Smith

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This thesis will address the question of referent, specifically, who or what is the referent ̍εξονσια and its parallels in Romans 13:1-7. This is a unique endeavor in recent scholarship on Rom. 13:1-7. For, although much has been written on Rom. 13:1-7, recent scholarship has been concerned with the pragmatic nature of the text. The nature and meaning of submission, the orders of creation in light of the holocaust, and concerns of unjust states are some of the issues driving the research into Rom. 13 in recent years

A Theology Of Ministerial Practice, Paul Kelm

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Competing agendas and changing culture create a need for churches to consciously determine why they will do what they do the way they do.

This project develops four doctrinal bases for a theology of ministerial practice. It summarizes literature on philosophy of ministry. Research in five Lutheran churches identifies gaps in the way people view ministry. Chapter four provides a comprehensive rationale and definition for a theology of ministerial practice.

One church's experience demonstrates the value of thinking through and developing "guiding principles" that apply a church's theology to its culture in shaping ministerial practice.

An Exegetical Study Of 1 Corinthians 15:42-49 Theological And Historical Contexts, Jennifer Leese

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

An Exegetical Study of 1 Corinthians 1542-49 Theological and Historical Contexts

Justified By Faith And Judged By Works: A Biblical Paradox And Its Significance, Mark Seifrid

Other Faculty Scholarship

Within the space of two short chapters in Romans, Paul declares, “It is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, rather those who do the Law shall be justified” (Rom 2:13); and, “According to our evaluation, a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law” (Rom 3:28).

Principles, Practices, And Problems-The Pastoral Theology Of St. John Chrysostom, Jack Ferguson

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The importance of this limited outline of the life of St. John Chrysostom is that it highlights the pastoral periods of his work within the context of the two metropolitan communities which he served. It also locates within these periods several of his major works which yield, upon examination, a wealth of material as well as many points of comparison concerning the rudiments of his pastoral theology.

God's Power For The Believer, Andre Snavely

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

So the questions that will be examined in this paper include the following. Does God manifest His power in any way other than salvation, either through miracles to bring people to salvation or to bless those who are already saved? What is the purpose of God showing His power? What is the connection between God's power and faith and between His power and His righteousness? And finally, how does a biblical theology of God's power give an answer to those who demythologize His power into a social program? These and other questions are very much on the minds of Christians …

"The People Of God" In The Old Testament: The View Of Eichrodt And Gutierrez As Evaluated By Confessional Lutheran Hermeneutics, Acir Raymann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This dissertation is about the concept of People of God in the Old Testament in late Academic Theology and in Liberation Theology as evaluated by Lutheran Hermeneutics.

"An Evaluation Of Praise Music As A Genre For Incorporation Into Lutheran Worship", Randy Schultz

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Luther was truly a great liturgist. Along with his reform of the Mass, which included his Formula Missae and his Deutsche Messe, he also produced two baptismal rites, an Order of Marriage, an Order for Confession, a German and Latin Litany, and an Ordination Rite. He also contributed commentary on worship in general, wrote several hymns, and produced music. For the purpose of this project we will focus primarily on his reform of the Mass and his selection of hymns.

Stewardship Educational Program Based On The Lukan Pericopes (Pentecost Season - Series C), Glen Borhart

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Major Applied Project seeks to enable the members of the congregation to grow in the stewardship of all that the Lord has entrusted to their care. Through regular and ongoing scriptural education the members of the congregation will mature in their faith. As faith grows, Christian stewardship grows. The scope of this Major Applied Project is limited, yet the principles utilized here will serve as a model for any pastor or congregation to better implement a program of year-round stewardship education. By its connection to the weekly Gospel readings, the program addresses the Christian's role as steward in the …

Feminism And The Major Female Characters Of Exodus, Scott Ashmon

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The scope of this thesis is feminist interpretations of the major female characters of Exodus: Shiphrah, Puah, Moses’ mother (Jochebed), Moses’ sister, Pharaoh’s daughter, Miriam, and Zipporah. I will demonstrate that feminists interpret the major female characters of Exodus in three general ways. First, some feminists interpret the major female characters of Exodus in proper contextual, grammatical fashion and end up with a more accurate portrayal of the women. For this thesis, the term “exegetical” will be the shorthand term for this type of interpretation. Second, other feminists interpret the major female characters in exegetical fashion, but then exaggerate the …

Literary Approaches To The Book Of Jonah, Thomas Engler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

"Kein Buch des Alten Testaments, abgesehen von den Psalmen, ist so oft erklart worden wie daskleine Buch Jona."1 It is even common to see disclaimers for one more book being written on Jonah. Hence the disclaimer that this investigation is not on the Book of Jonah per se, but falls into "the almost legendary category of analysis of analyses."2 That is, this investigation will not attempt to make an original literary analysis of the Book of Jonah. It will look at what others have discovered, analyze their purpose and methods, and seek to learn from them the contributions "literary approaches" …

August Vilmar's Theology Of Fact Versus The Theology Of Rhetoric, Martin Conkling

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The work and theology of August Vilmar has largely been neglected in this country even though he was a prominenet theologian who lent substantial weight in a momentous effort to resurrect and restore the Lutheran confessions- to Germany in the first half of the nineteenth century. This translation is an attempt to recognize the vast contributions which Vilmar made to this effort and to identify those writings which would serve the church well today. Vilmar left no school of thought or method behind him as other great figures in the German universities often did. There are many reasons for this …

Orality As The Key To Understanding Apostolic Proclamation In The Epistles, Thomas Winger

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Redaction criticism and its modern successors in the literary field, while they give more credit to the text and the author, have at the same time mired the academy again into a modern mud of sources and manipulation. There is promise in certain new paths—rhetoric, reader-response, speech-act theory, methods which we will note briefly in the first chapter. But finally we must move out of the "academy" and into the church. For the orality of Scripture is not just about its origin but also about its use and purpose. The Scriptures are a liturgical piece. They belong not on the …

The Tearing Of The Temple Veil And The Death Of Jesus In The Gospel Of Luke, Douglas Stowe

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Luke's presentation of the death of Jesus is markedly different from that of Matthew and Mark. Both Matthew and Mark, on the one hand, follow the same narrative sequence. Unnatural darkness covers the land at noontime. At the ninth hour Jesus cries, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" After this the observers around the cross offer him sour wine, and he dies with a great shout. Then, the temple curtain is tom from top to bottom, and a centurion makes a confession (Mt 27:45-54; Mk 15:33-39).1On the other hand, Luke's narrative orders the events this way: first, …

New Pericopal-Based Hymnody For Lutheran Corporate Worship, Wilfred Karsten

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

There are gaps where the corpus of hymnody in Lutheran Worship fails to support the lectionary used by that hymnal. This project produces thirteen new hymn texts which seek to fill part of that gap.

An analysis of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 shows that there may be a variety of congregational song used in the Divine Service, but this song must always be didactic in character. An examination of the hymnody of the Reformation shows that congregational song was meant to serve a liturgical purpose. An appendix compares Lutheran Worship hymn text scriptural allusions with its lectionary.