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Articles 361 - 390 of 1996

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An Effective Strategy Of Family Ministry In Korean Church To Build A Biblical Family, Ikjae Jin Dec 2020

An Effective Strategy Of Family Ministry In Korean Church To Build A Biblical Family, Ikjae Jin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to assist churches in building a biblical family and developing an effective strategy for family ministry programs. Additionally, it will address the problems and difficulties of Korean families. The study will be based on Korean churches in South Korea. A study of what churches are doing to assist these families will be conducted. This project will suggest how to build a biblical family in Korean churches. This research will survey at least 50 Korean pastors living in Korea and will conduct research on existing family ministry programs in Korean churches based on biblical and …


The Integration Of Spiritual Formation Through Distance Education For Christian Higher Education Students, Derwin Earl Lewis Dec 2020

The Integration Of Spiritual Formation Through Distance Education For Christian Higher Education Students, Derwin Earl Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many factors contribute to the recent increase of digital education in higher learning institutions, including the expanded use of mobile devices, social media, and other online populations. CNBC reports that over two billion users ascribe to Facebook monthly (Balakrishnan, 2017). Over four hundred million Instagram users and over three hundred million active Twitter accounts are being used daily (Clement, 2019). Celebrating technology’s imprint on society presents another opportunity for social sciences to applaud human achievement at the risk of discounting God’s sovereignty. The digital era has created an opportunity for Christian education to expand its reachability through churches and Bible-based …


Freemasonry And Evangelical Christianity: Are They Compatible?, John Carl Mozingo Nov 2020

Freemasonry And Evangelical Christianity: Are They Compatible?, John Carl Mozingo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since 1717 there has been a formalized organization known as the Freemasons. Currently, there are over six-million members worldwide, with over 18% of those members residing in the United States. The Freemasons have been controversial since their inception due to their secret nature. There are claims that the organization is anti-Christian as well as claims that support its compatibility with the church, indicating that there are Freemasons on the rolls of our Evangelical Churches. Therefore, using observation and participant research as well as secondary data analysis and archival study, this paper will seek to determine if Freemasonry is compatible with …


Surviving A Divorce With An Intact Faith: A Strategy For Ministering To Those Experiencing Divorce In The Church, Brandon Paul Wells Nov 2020

Surviving A Divorce With An Intact Faith: A Strategy For Ministering To Those Experiencing Divorce In The Church, Brandon Paul Wells

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Effectively ministering to divorcees is a unique aspect of church leadership. The majority of church leaders have never experienced divorce, so the unique problems that divorce presents are not familiar to them. The purpose of this D. Min Thesis Project is to investigate those problems and develop strategies that will allow church leaders to minister to divorcees effectively. This will be accomplished using questionnaires and interviews where difficult questions are asked to divorcees, and honest answers are revealed. Church leaders will also be interviewed about their positions on divorce and their responses compared to those given by divorcees in order …


Archaeology And Biblical Inspiration, Garry Leo Hill Nov 2020

Archaeology And Biblical Inspiration, Garry Leo Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project topic is on Inspiration and Bible Archaeology. The project's main reason is a perceived lack of confidence in the Bible’s stories being real. The project addresses this worldview, which causes this belief to influence our church members. The study includes an explanation of the post-modern world view concerning the certainty of historical events. A Biblical viewpoint is addressed, and the relationship with this to Bible inspiration is explored. A survey is given to individual members of the congregation, which gives questions concerning these issues. Two interventions are then presented, one in which the debates concerning the United …


Beautiful Feet: Infusing Liturgical Dance And Discipleship, Ariesha Wilbert Murray Oct 2020

Beautiful Feet: Infusing Liturgical Dance And Discipleship, Ariesha Wilbert Murray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Liturgical dance, when combined with other biblical elements in addition to worship, can revolutionize the life of a disciple. This mixed-method study explores the infusion of liturgical dance and discipleship as another method that can be used to help disciples better understand the scriptures used in the pastor’s message on fulfilling the Great Commission. While discipleship was previously the church’s primary focus, it has slowly fallen to the wayside, whereas disciples are not being made or taught how to make disciples of all nations. This research uses a focus group with the members of a local ministry to demonstrate whether …


Prayerlessness: Using Expository Sermons To Change The Way Believer's Pray, Joshua Kenton Smith Oct 2020

Prayerlessness: Using Expository Sermons To Change The Way Believer's Pray, Joshua Kenton Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In America, the church is operating with less supernatural power than it once did or currently does in other parts of the world, especially as it relates to those like East Barbourville Baptist Church who belong to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). For example, the Annual Church Profile data of the SBC for the 2018 year reveals that its overall membership has reached a thirty-year low. Likewise, the data reveals a decline in baptisms for the tenth year in a row. Yet, the church has access to more ministry tools and better training than any previous generation, so what is …


Information To Transformation: The Implementation And Effects Of Sermon-Aligned Daily Bible Study On Spiritual Growth, Stephen J. Kimpel Oct 2020

Information To Transformation: The Implementation And Effects Of Sermon-Aligned Daily Bible Study On Spiritual Growth, Stephen J. Kimpel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

What would occur if the biblical text that was preached in a weekend sermon was not relegated to a singular communication of information? What would change if the life of the sermon was extended through the practice of daily, scriptural study? What growth could we expect from an individual who is involved in daily Scripture that is not only integrated in the community of faith, but also aligned with the weekend sermon? It is precisely from questions such as these, that this thesis was formed. The purpose of this project was to study the implementation and effects of Sermon-Aligned Daily …


The Utilization Of The Internet In The Advancement Of Discipleship In The Traditional Black Church, Marshall Williams Oct 2020

The Utilization Of The Internet In The Advancement Of Discipleship In The Traditional Black Church, Marshall Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipleship and technology are interrelated. Discipleship is the process of maturing in Christ through our actions, life, and words, as well as how we present ourselves to the world. This must become integral to the vitality and mission of the traditional Black Church. Technology is a resource that can assist the traditional Black Church to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. This thesis premise is supported by applied research (survey findings from pastoral leaders within the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia), academic research (scholarly material from experts in the fields of theology, sociology, statistics, and church growth), and …


Experiencing God: Engaging Elementary-Aged Children In Corporate Worship, Laura Rushing Hancock Sep 2020

Experiencing God: Engaging Elementary-Aged Children In Corporate Worship, Laura Rushing Hancock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The engagement of children in meaningful worship has been neglected, despite the investment of modern churches in essential safety protocols and digital media in children’s ministry. The twenty-first-century consumerist mindset is driving worship design, essentially undermining the worship leader’s role as the shepherd of a child-centered and Christ-focused approach. Many churches are neglecting the biblical instruction to cast vision and express value for children’s corporate worship. A sense of awe and wonder is notably absent in many corporate services designed for children. Drawing upon biblical principles, educational theory, and corporate worship practices throughout history, this qualitative historical study seeks to …


The New Left In American Evangelicalism, Jonathan E. Harris Aug 2020

The New Left In American Evangelicalism, Jonathan E. Harris

Masters Theses

In the late 1960s and early 1970s a new kind of evangelical emerged as a result of interaction with New Left ideas. The evangelical left gained strength until the mid 1970s, only to reemerge in the 2010s.


Capitalism And Biblical Ethics, Sarah D. Stewart Jul 2020

Capitalism And Biblical Ethics, Sarah D. Stewart

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

There has been a growing trend in some expressions of Christianity to view Capitalism as fundamentally incompatible with the Christian faith. This article looked to a variety of sources to argue that Christianity and Capitalism are not fundamentally incompatible. Rather, Capitalism developed alongside developments in Christian theology during the Middle Ages. This traditional form of Capitalism is defined and argued for in this article. The article attempts to demonstrate that the elements that allow Capitalism to thrive are compatible with Christian ethics. The case is made by first examining the historical development of Capitalism and its relationship to Christianity. From …


God Sees And God Rescues: The Motif Of Affliction In Genesis, Emily Christine Page Jul 2020

God Sees And God Rescues: The Motif Of Affliction In Genesis, Emily Christine Page

Masters Theses

The book of Genesis mainly centers on the fulfillment of God’s patriarchal promises. However, the book presents characters who first experience hardship before they receive blessings from God. Many of the hardships are described in Genesis as “afflictions” (√ענה), the same word used to describe Israel’s suffering in Egypt (Exod 3:7). Although the motif of affliction receives attention for its appearance in Exodus, few scholars note the significance of this motif in Genesis. The purpose of this thesis is to trace the motif of affliction in Genesis and to determine the pattern of its appearance. The motif serves the larger …


The Acts Model Designed To Make Disciples, Phillip Harold Stevens Jul 2020

The Acts Model Designed To Make Disciples, Phillip Harold Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Churches are in decline. Every relevant statistic reveals the church has a major problem, and if it is to continue to survive it must make changes. The church is not evangelizing, not making disciples, and not making an impact in our communities. Every year it is estimated that over 4,000 churches close each year. The organism founded by Jesus is being overcome. Winfall Baptist Church, located in Gladys, VA, was arguably a church on the decline. Members of the Winfall community believed the church building would one day end up becoming a hay barn. Based on Scripture, surveys of current …


Pastoral Burnout: Practical And Biblical Insights For Prevention And Rehabilitation Within The International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Jim Tunnell Jul 2020

Pastoral Burnout: Practical And Biblical Insights For Prevention And Rehabilitation Within The International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Jim Tunnell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the excessive demands in pastoral ministry, the spectrum of ministry workload has become a stressful occupational peril that could trigger pastors to give in and ultimately abandon ministry altogether. Before and after secession, clergy, particularly pastors, experience a wide variety of maladies, including but not limited to physical and psychological distress, that may lead to intensive outcomes. As the number of resignations continues to rise, there is an emergent interest among leaders, particularly in the denominational sector, to determine the interposing contributing factors and to develop appropriate resources to be of assistance when pastoral burnout is recognizable. With the …


The Development Of A Comprehensive Biblical Worldview In Undergraduate Students Who Attend A Regionally Accredited Christian University Located In A Church Setting, Nell Ivy Prince Jun 2020

The Development Of A Comprehensive Biblical Worldview In Undergraduate Students Who Attend A Regionally Accredited Christian University Located In A Church Setting, Nell Ivy Prince

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem this study addresses is that Christian undergraduate Generation Z students at Southeastern University’s Bayside Regional Campus (SEUB) do not have a comprehensive biblical worldview. This was confirmed when a worldview test taken by SEUB students at the beginning of this study revealed that zero students part of this study had a biblical theist worldview, and 15 percent had a moderate Christian worldview. This problem is widespread among universities as a 2018 study from Barna revealed that only 4 percent of Gen Z engaged Christians have a biblical worldview. This study proposes that students who attend a regionally-accredited Christian …


Recovering The Historical Practice Of Delayed Baptism And Pre-Baptismal Instruction For The Purpose Of Restoring The Standard Of A Regenerate Church Membership In Southern Baptist Churches, Alan Clayton Mccullough May 2020

Recovering The Historical Practice Of Delayed Baptism And Pre-Baptismal Instruction For The Purpose Of Restoring The Standard Of A Regenerate Church Membership In Southern Baptist Churches, Alan Clayton Mccullough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The recovery of the historical practice of delayed baptism for the purpose of pre-baptismal instruction will better ensure a regenerate church membership, thereby promoting more faithful church members. This study argues that reform is needed in Baptist churches in the preparation for believer’s baptism. As Baptists are “people of the Book,” it is most appropriate to survey what the Bible teaches about the meaning of baptism. The first chapter addresses the biblical texts commonly agreed upon by Baptists regarding baptism, as well as those most commonly disagreed upon. Attention is given to the texts used by opponents of delayed baptism …


Expanding The Reach And Impact Of Hope For All Nations Ministries International In Zimbabwe Through A Women's Mentoring Initiative, Nhira Constance Ngoni May 2020

Expanding The Reach And Impact Of Hope For All Nations Ministries International In Zimbabwe Through A Women's Mentoring Initiative, Nhira Constance Ngoni

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Female leaders serving in strategic mentoring roles are critical to the work of equipping women to serve in local churches and para-churches. As demonstrated through scripture in Titus 2:3–5, women in positions of influential leadership have vast opportunities to prepare younger generations of women through strategic mentoring efforts. This study analyzes the significance of the mentoring process utilized by Hope for All Nations Ministries International (HFANMI) to equip women in their efforts to impact the nation of Zimbabwe. The goal for this project was to develop women leaders who were able to walk in freedom, experience God, grow in their …


Multigenerational Worship: Liturgical Dance And Mime Within The African American Baptist Church, Lydia Marie Toliver May 2020

Multigenerational Worship: Liturgical Dance And Mime Within The African American Baptist Church, Lydia Marie Toliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Historically, the African American Church has utilized movement to express personal faith. As attitudes towards movement changed, many churches limited or banned the use of dance in worship. Currently, many African American Baptist Churches have developed liturgical dance teams, providing a ministry for a variety of generations. These lyrical movements are danced to live or recorded music, usually contemporary Gospel music. Popularity of the liturgical dance teams has expanded to include mime, also known as Gospel mime. Many churches that worship in a multigenerational model provide relevant and transformational opportunities for all ages. Incorporating liturgical dance and mime as worship …


Tension Over Terms: Root, Stem, And Affix In Greek And Hebrew, Emily Renie, Parker Williams, Abigail Prejean, Alex Donley Apr 2020

Tension Over Terms: Root, Stem, And Affix In Greek And Hebrew, Emily Renie, Parker Williams, Abigail Prejean, Alex Donley

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate


Inconceivable: An Analysis Of Assisted Reproductive Technology For The Church, Mary Elizabeth Gresham Apr 2020

Inconceivable: An Analysis Of Assisted Reproductive Technology For The Church, Mary Elizabeth Gresham

Senior Honors Theses

Infertility pushes the boundaries of emotional and physical health, which is why many couples inside and outside the church turn to Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) for a solution. Despite what has seemed like silence from the Church, some individuals have braved the biological confusion and ethical dilemmas to evaluate the technology. Three major ethical viewpoints have emerged that each prioritize something over medical technology, namely community, order, or human dignity. This paper serves to educate pastors and church leaders on the ever-changing biology of ART as well as give voice to Christians that have spoken out on this issue. At …


The Implications Of New Historicism For Evangelical Bible Interpretation: An Evaluation, Drake Deornellis Apr 2020

The Implications Of New Historicism For Evangelical Bible Interpretation: An Evaluation, Drake Deornellis

Senior Honors Theses

The twentieth century has seen a rise in recognizing the Bible not only as historical or theological work but also as a piece of literature, and the natural progression of this idea is to apply the same methods used for literary texts to the biblical text. However, many movements in literary studies seem antithetical to evangelical ideas of interpretation, as the goal of evangelical interpretation is always to find God’s intended meaning for the text. This thesis will explore the features of one literary theory, New Historicism, as presented in Practicing New Historicism, and ask if this theory can be …


Old Testament Election: God’S Exclusive Means Of Bringing About Global Redemption, Parker Williams Apr 2020

Old Testament Election: God’S Exclusive Means Of Bringing About Global Redemption, Parker Williams

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will seek to explore the doctrine of election as it appears in the Old Testament. It will attempt to provide a robust, biblical conception of the doctrine, shedding light on its nature and purpose, viewing the Bible as a singular story of God’s redemptive work. It will consider and assess election as God’s act of divine prerogative—being at times individual but primarily corporate. While inherently partial, effort will be taken to defend the doctrine against common objections this partiality draws. Rather, it will be shown that as the means by which He initiated His gracious plan of salvation, …


An Evaluation Of Incomplete Spiritual Formation And Discipleship, David A. Mcgee Apr 2020

An Evaluation Of Incomplete Spiritual Formation And Discipleship, David A. Mcgee

Faculty Publications and Presentations

John Cole writes, “There exists a serious gap in the mind of the many believers between what they know to be the goal of sanctification and growth and where they know they actually are in their lives.”1 Human observation and the biblical text leave the follower of Christ perplexed about the dissonance between the ultimate sanctified life versus the daily reality of personal experience. The various forms of spiritual formation and discipleship do not adequately account for the gap that exists between a method and implementation in the life of a believer.


Enhancing Pastoral Care And Support By Providing Opportunities For Spiritual Growth And Transformation To Crisis And Trauma Sufferers, Angela Roberts Jones Apr 2020

Enhancing Pastoral Care And Support By Providing Opportunities For Spiritual Growth And Transformation To Crisis And Trauma Sufferers, Angela Roberts Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Trauma experiences are becoming more prevalent in today’s society. For example, each day, the media reports the widespread impact of war, gun violence, domestic and international terrorism, violent crimes, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, mass shootings, and natural disasters in the general population. The church has long been considered a place of refuge, hope, and healing for people who suffer from crises and trauma. It is often the first place Christians and the surrounding community turn in times of distress. Because pastors and churches are often the first responders when people experience crises and traumatic events, there …


A Study On The Evangelism Training Program For Church Growth: The Case Of Bethel Bible Baptist Church In Korea, Sung Hee Lee Apr 2020

A Study On The Evangelism Training Program For Church Growth: The Case Of Bethel Bible Baptist Church In Korea, Sung Hee Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to find an evangelism training program for church growth in Korea. The researcher will study the evangelism strategies for church growth and will suggest effective evangelism training program to churches in order to find effective ways for church growth. The reason for selecting the evangelism training program for this study is to use it at Bethel Bible Baptist Church because evangelism is essential ministry for church growth and lots of churches have been experiencing growth by evangelism. The researcher will take advantages and supplement disadvantages from old evangelism programs to suggest new evangelism …


The Effectiveness Of The African American Church Evangelism Outreach Process, Jeffrey Lawrance Dennis Mar 2020

The Effectiveness Of The African American Church Evangelism Outreach Process, Jeffrey Lawrance Dennis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many African American churches are on a continual decline or have become stagnant in membership due to a lack of relational and spiritual community evangelism. The focus of this project reflects that African American churches in North Carolina are not growing because they do not focus on Jesus Christ’s central mandate to his disciples and the church to evangelize the community and the world around it. The researcher performs applied research on African American churches that directly interacted with these communities and investigates positive and negative data by surveying twenty African American churches in Winston Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and …


The Ministry Of Ezra: A Biblical Model Of Intergenerational Worship, Matthew Ryan Nix Mar 2020

The Ministry Of Ezra: A Biblical Model Of Intergenerational Worship, Matthew Ryan Nix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite many studies on intergenerational worship, there is little focus on a specific biblical character with the aim to edify the Church family as a whole in terms of intergenerational worship and how it impacts all generations and family types in the Church today. This study focuses on the ministry of Ezra and how he led others through a time of intergenerational worship and transition. Guided by examples from Ezra’s ministry, along with historical research, this study will seek to discover ways that Ezra taught worship across generational lines, lessons that the 21st-century church can glean from his ministry, and …


Classical Christian Education And Students' Christian Formation, Melody Kay Smith Mar 2020

Classical Christian Education And Students' Christian Formation, Melody Kay Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Training young people to love and serve God is an important responsibility shared by both parents and church leaders. This study explored one approach to that mandate: classical Christian education, a modern revival of a centuries-long tradition. The modern renewal began in the 1980’s after a near century-long hiatus during which time classical methodology was replaced by a progressive, secular approach. Currently, research is still minimal, therefore this study seeks to fill a gap regarding this unique Christian pedagogy. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to determine if any perceived relationships exist between the distinguishing characteristics of …


Mental Health Chaplaincy: A Guide For Geriatric Psychiatric Chaplains, Deena Anne Martinelli Mar 2020

Mental Health Chaplaincy: A Guide For Geriatric Psychiatric Chaplains, Deena Anne Martinelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) evaluated the expanding roles of chaplains in mental health and identified the prevalent need for additional training among chaplains when integrating chaplaincy and mental health services. Literature revealed that chaplains were lacking in the skillsets and pastoral care practices needed to effectively care for elderly patients with mental health disorders. A gap remains in literature regarding the reported level of training and preparedness of chaplains who ministered to geriatric mental health patients within clinical settings, which this project sought to examine. Harter’s competence motivation theory and the Holy Bible served as …