Digital Commons Network^™

The Argument Of Hebrews, Austen Haney

The Kabod

This is a commentary on the book of Hebrews

Why Do They Stay? A Phenomenological Study On The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Who Persist In Urban K-12 Christian Education, Marie Teodori

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers who persist in urban K-12 Christian education at five Association of Christian Schools International schools located in the United States. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of teachers who persist in urban K-12 Christian education? Sub-questions explored the source of motivation, role of intrinsic goals, and contextual/environmental supports for teachers who persist in this setting. Methodology utilized a transcendental phenomenological design, purposeful participant sampling, data collection primarily through in-depth interviews and focus groups, and data analysis using Moustakas’ (1994) recommended procedures. …

Discipleship: Encouraging Haitian Churches In The United States To Fulfill The Great Commission Mandate, Lony Antoine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project makes a comparative analysis between the way discipleship was performed by the first century Christians with the way it is accomplished by the Haitian-American churches today. Extant studies in this field demonstrate that there is a lack of participation in missionary work and discipleship among Haitian-American Christians. They are failing to fulfill the command of Jesus Christ in Matthews to “Go and make disciples” (28:19-20). This project surveyed Christians in twenty-five Haitian American churches in order to evaluate their understanding of the Great Commission. The author also consulted religious and historical documents with the goal of conducting …

A Case Study Examining Growth In Understanding Biblical Anointing At Faith Baptist Church, Steven Headrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Why do some Christians expect and experience the power of God (biblical anointing) in their daily living and other Christians rarely do? This project contends that a lack of understanding the principles of biblical anointing is a fundamental cause of this difference. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of biblical anointing by the Christians attending Faith Baptist Church. Biblical principles related to understanding, living and maintaining the anointed life will be presented. This project will measure the increase in understanding biblical anointing from the responses given to pre-study and post-study surveys. The teaching will be in …

Temporal Deixis In Matthew 13: Using Porter’S Temporal Thesis To Better Understand Kingdom Parables., Lucas M. Backman

2014-2016 Graduate

No abstract provided.

Concepts Of Sin In The Book Of Jubilees Reflected In Paul, Lucas M. Backman

2014-2016 Graduate

No abstract provided.

Weathering The End Times, Donald W. Holdridge Sr.

Eruditio Ardescens

“Weathering the End Times” first addresses some of the major arguments for and against man-caused Climate Change, and then portrays where the various elements of Christendom fall within this debate. It goes on to examine the prophetic Scriptures that relate to the environments of the Tribulation, Millennial Kingdom and Eternal State, concluding that God-caused Climate Change is what believers truly need to focus on.

Salvation And Faithfulness As They Apply To Eternal Security, Michael Frye

The Kabod

All who believe in Christ can have peace and security that their salvation is not temporary but eternal.

Divine Foreknowledge And The Problem Of Evil: Four Views, Nathan S. Justice

The Kabod

This paper examines the issues of divine foreknowledge and the Problem of Evil from the standpoint of four different theological systems: Open Theism, Arminianism, Molinism, and Calvinism. The author summarizes each view’s understanding of divine foreknowledge and then explains how this understanding applies to the view’s refutation of the Problem of Evil.

An Inquiry In The Early Creed Of Romans 1:3-4: Does The Word Ὁριζω Support An Adoptionistic Christianity?, Nicholas Dodson, Brian Scalise

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

Agnostic Historical Jesus Scholars Decimate The Mythical Jesus Popularists: A Review Essay On Jesus: Evidence And Argument Or Mythicist Myths?, Gary Habermas, Benjamin C. Shaw

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Understanding African American Preaching: The Style, Culture, And Rationale For The Worship Experience And The Value For Education, Harry Zimmerman Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching is an oratorical method for sharing the biblical text, which God uses to affect the lives of people for His glory. In the context of the African-American culture, preaching highlights differences between the rationales of the practical approaches of African-American and other styles of preaching. This project will examine fundamentals of African-American preaching as well as its dynamics while focusing on African-American traditions in a critical and creative manner. It will provide insights for training associate ministers at Faith United Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The research utilizes a single method research approach, utilizing surveys of pastors and …

An Incongruent Amalgamation: John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism On Naturalism, Jeffrey M. Robinson

Liberty Theological Review

John Stuart Mill's utilitarian principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, often surfaces in cultural debates in the contemporary West over the extent and foundations of moral duties. Given the drift from its historical Judeo-Christian moorings, naturalism now provides much of the epistemic grounding in Western culture in relation to moral duties. The amalgamation of Mill’s utilitarianism and naturalism has resulted in a cultural and epistemic disconnect. Naturalism is hard-pressed to provide consistent epistemic support for Mill’s utilitarian principle. This essay provides a number of suggestions as to why Mill’s utilitarianism may be inconsistent on naturalism.

Letter From The Editor

Liberty Theological Review

Letter from the Editor

Book Reviews

Liberty Theological Review

Book Reviews

Covenant, Kingship, Grace, Sacrifice, And Prophetism In The Old Testament, Rickie S. Scott

The Kabod

This essay examines the major themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism that reoccur throughout the Old Testament and contribute to a proper understanding of the ancient biblical text. Through covenant, God reveals his divine nature and relates to his people. Through kingship, God reveals his plan for Israel. Through grace, God loves his chosen people and shows them mercy, and through sacrifice, God cleanses and sanctifies the Israelites. Finally, through prophetism, God discloses his divine calling for the Israelites. Each of these themes exposes God’s self-revelation and contributes to an enhanced understanding of the Old Testament.

The Five Main Themes Of The Old Testament, Laura E. Mumme

The Kabod

Definition and history of the Old Testament themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism.

Integrating The Psychological Audit Of Interpersonal Relationships Into Short-Term Pastoral Marital Counseling – Help Or Hindrance?, Floyd Marsh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project was undertaken to determine if integrating the Psychological Audit of Interpersonal Relationships (PAIR) test into a short-term pastoral marital counseling model would help or hinder the busy multi-tasking pastor in economizing his time and improving his effectiveness while counseling couples presenting with mild to moderate dissatisfaction. The PAIR test is a relationship compatibility inventory, used by psychologists, physicians, professional counselors, and licensed clinical social workers, which assesses 20 separate dimensions of interest, personality, behavior, attitudes, and values. The research findings of this study strongly suggest that the PAIR test, when integrated into the counseling plan, will help …

A How-To Guide To Single-Parent Ministry: An Inside Look To The Single Parent World In The Christian Community, John E. Walker Ii

Senior Honors Theses

The status of the family dynamic in the church has changed significantly, but the cultural understanding of ministers regarding the dynamic has changed little to none. As a result, the church’s ministry has become ineffective to the single-parent community because of ignorance. The goal of this thesis is to help educate Christian ministers and lay staff on the single-parent family condition and ministry opportunities to serve this demographic. This proposition includes information gained from interviews of single-parents, and ministers with experience regarding single-parents by someone with a single-parent upbringing. Overall, the single-parents interviewed stated that the Christian church is missing …

A Program For Persistent Integration Of Faith And Learning In A Christian University Online Environment, John Norris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia has expanded since 1971 to become the largest Christian university in the world. Liberty will be used in this paper as a contemporary example of a Christian university that has maintained its Christian commitment. Liberty will be contrasted with numerous Christian colleges and universities that had similar missions but have eventually lost their religious affiliations and their Christian-oriented focus. This paper will explore how and why other universities have drifted from their original religious affiliations and doctrines. The reasons and processes will be examined and used to develop a program for online Christian education that …

Canonical Development And The Early Church Fathers: Establishing The Validity And Elevating The Weight Of Accurate Textual Citations, Chris Davis

Masters Theses

The predominant theory of textual criticism known as “reasoned eclecticism” often engages the NT manuscripts in a manner that is not truly eclectic. Instead, the modus operandi is often to overlook textual witnesses from manuscript families that do not agree with the favored Alexandrian text-type. At the same time, in cases where the early church fathers seem to cite passages from these other known families, their words are often discounted and removed as evidence for a particular reading. This thesis deals predominantly with the second issue, and it addresses a number of foundational issues that lead to such a flawed …

The Desecration And Restoration Of The Temple As An Eschatological Motif In The Tanach, Jewish Apocalytic Literature, And The New Testament, John Randall Price

Faculty Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Should Southern Baptists Baptize Their Children?: A Biblical, Historical, Theological Defense Of The Consistency Of The Baptism Of Young Children With Credobaptistic Practices, Robert Matz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Southern Baptists have expressed increasing degrees of alarm over allegedly rising rates of child baptisms. As a result, an increasing number of Southern Baptists have argued that the baptism of young children is inconsistent with Southern Baptists’ understandings of credobaptism and a regenerate church membership. Against these allegations, this dissertation asserts that children can be converted and when converted they should be baptized. The first chapter of this dissertation argues that water baptism is prescriptively contemporaneous with Spirit baptism. It establishes such based on the relationship between water and Spirit baptism as seen in the seven direct references to Spirit …

Flight Lead: The Mission Of A Father And Husband, John Marselus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Similar to fighter pilot flight leads, the Lord created multiple roles and responsibilities for husbands and fathers to lead their families. Millions of dollars are invested into the training and readiness of a fighter pilot to lead a flight into combat. Flight leads must perform multiple missions to ensure the success of friendly armed forces against their enemy. The multiple roles and responsibilities for husbands and fathers are remarkably similar to the functions a flight lead must execute to successfully complete a mission. This study compares the author’s military experience with scholarly research, Scriptural analysis, quantitative survey, and case study …

Developing An Embedded Process Of Spiritual Healing/Growth For South Korean Presbyterian Churches, Sung In Chang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide a biblical discipleship manual that restores believers to an intimate and obedient relationship with God through an embedded process of spiritual healing. Many disciples within South Korean Presbyterian churches are hindered from leading biblical lives of obedience by unresolved pain and scars that stem from their sins and misunderstandings about God. This is a direct result of dysfunctional discipleship processes within churches that do not empower the disciples to fully trust and obey Jesus Christ. The research will be conducted by surveying 100 Korean Presbyterian Church members. This thesis project will attempt …

Revisiting The Afterlife: The Inadequacies Of "Heaven" And "Hell", Christopher P. Davis

Fidei et Veritatis: The Liberty University Journal of Graduate Research

This paper deals with some of the ambiguities that are associated with the intermediate and final states after death. Whereas many in the church have dismissed these concepts as myths of the ancients, this discussion shows how the grounding of such beliefs in the Hebrew mindset was the key to Jesus’ own teachings about the afterlife. The argument begins by developing a biblical anthropology over against the modern naturalistic anthropologies that have largely dominated the philosophical and theological scenes. From here we look at the Old Testament concept of the afterlife, and how the modern view that the Hebrews were …

An Analysis Of Students' Perception Of Biblical Community Within The Environment Of Digital Media: A Mixed Methods Study, Matthew Alan Vander Wiele

Faculty Dissertations

This study is an examination of teen perception regarding their understanding of biblical community within the environment of digital media. The study also examines the principles, essentials, or characteristics of biblical community regardless of environment.

The researcher surveyed a sample of teens that attend classical, open enrollment, and closed enrollment Christian schools of various denominations as well as no denomination. A survey presenting a list of the essential principles of biblical community, regardless of environment, including questions for each objective was sent to the sample. The respondents were asked to participate in a quantitative Lickert-scale survey. An expert panel was …

The In Situ Meaning Of "To Observe All" In Matthew 28:20 (Nasb), David Samuel Gifford

Masters Theses

Christian leaders often bemoan the typical American believer for his lack of commitment to Jesus' commands. Wanting the blessing of God, she looks for it in all the wrong places. The Great Commission, however, commands Church leaders to teach their disciples "to observe all" (terein panta) that Jesus commanded. This thesis has the underlying assumption, therefore, that diminished faithfulness to commandments may stem from exegetical oversight. First, Christians may be overlooking the full meaning and significance of the verb terein. A literature review revealed that the word implies four independent concepts, the primary one being observation; the others are guardianship, …

Spiritual Transformation And Its Implications For Christian Worship, Thomas Wayne Doss

Masters Theses

The life change that Christ Jesus wants to produce in His children is nothing short of miraculous. His offer of salvation immediately transforms the accepting person, bringing him into a divine relationship with the Heavenly Father, but Christ desires to further transform the new believer into a person who more accurately bears the image of God and declares His greatness and glory to all. This is a progressive and life-long process that calls the Christian to a life that includes sacrificial worship, avoidance of worldly living, and renewing the mind with godly pursuits. Because this is the will of God …

The Incompatibility Of Open Theism With The Doctrine Of Inerrancy, Stuart Mark Mattfield

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this thesis is to show that the doctrine of open theism denies the doctrine of inerrancy. Specifically open theism falsely interprets Scriptural references to God's Divine omniscience and sovereignty, and conversely ignores the weighty Scriptural references to those two attributes which attribute perfection and completeness in a manner which open theism explicitly denies. While the doctrine of inerrancy has been hotly debated since the Enlightenment, and mostly so through the modern and postmodern eras, it may be argued that there has been a traditional understanding of the Bible's inerrancy that is drawn from Scripture, and has …