Digital Commons Network^™

Achieving Vibrant A Cappella Worship: A Descriptive Study Of Key Takeaways Of Worship Leaders Graduating From The Worship Leader Institute, Christopher Armstead

Theses and Dissertations

Worship Leader Institute (WLI) is a week-long intensive training program for a cappella worship leaders in Churches of Christ, emphasizing holistic worship leading and planning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the concepts, practices, and relationships WLI graduates found most valuable and effective for enhancing vitality of a cappella worship at their churches. Theoretical frameworks were experiential learning theory and communities of practice. The four primary research questions were (a) What concepts learned during WLI did recent graduates describe as most valuable and why? (b) Which practices from the WLI have been implemented by recent graduates, …

Organization Change Processes In U.S. Protestant Churches: A Comparative Case Study Analysis, Leslie Mulder

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores organization change processes in three U.S. Protestant churches through a comparative case study analysis, emphasizing the role of Religious Institutional Entrepreneurs (RIEs). The research identifies key factors and conditions contributing to change, focusing on how shifts in collective narratives, generative metaphors, and strategic conversations are associated with transformation. External shocks, strategic partnerships, and adaptive leadership emerged as crucial elements in fostering change. Challenges such as emotional impacts of conflict, structural alignment and urgency-based decisions were also noted. The study highlights the balance between innovation and tradition, the importance of inclusive and reflective community engagement, and the optimization …

"Christian Traditions, Culture, And Law": An Update And A Few Reflections, Robert F. Cochran Jr.

Pepperdine Law Review

Using Richard Niebuhr’s description of Christian approaches to culture, this Article examines the way Christians approach law, focusing on developments over the last 20 years. During that time, synthesists have continued to develop natural law, seeking an understanding of law based on shared human goods and reason, an approach that can generate a common approach among people of all faiths and no faith. Conversionists, including those on both the political left and right, argue for changes in law that will reflect Christian understandings of the good. Separatists (including many former conversionists) argue that American culture and law have become so …

Jesus Is My Guru: Why And How Christians Should Practice Yoga For Spiritual Formation, Cecily Breeding

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that yoga is a suitable practice to meet the goals of Christian spiritual formation. Yoga is a popular fitness phenomenon, practiced by 16 million Americans every year. As a holistic exercise that combines the elements of posture, breath, and mindfulness, yoga offers significant psychophysiological benefits. This has led to the implementation of yoga as a therapeutic intervention for individuals suffering from a variety of conditions, including depression and chronic pain. The broad appeal and consistent effectiveness of yoga have made it a common practice in the contemporary West. Despite its benefits, many Christians object to Christians practicing …

A Good Leader Is Hard To Find, Rodney Ashlock

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Singers Of Hope: Ministry To Exiles, Bruce C. Birch

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Considering The Spirit Afresh In The Gospel Of Luke, Stuart L. Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

An Open Appeal To My Complementarian Brothers And Sisters, Jeff Miller

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Bringing Order To 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Philip J. Abbott

Theses and Dissertations

Contrary to the arguments of many, when read in context, 1 Cor 14:34-35 is not a command for church-wide female silence. The passage is actually an appeal for the Corinthians to maintain an ordered worship, and fits within Paul’s overall section (ch. 11-14) regarding orderliness in the ekklesia. By contrast, however, the displacement of the passage in some manuscripts brings the passage out of context and makes it seem to be a direct command to church-wide feminine silence. The Apostolic Fathers and early Greek Church Fathers did not understand the passage to mean universal female silence in the church. It …

A Different Way To Pray, Joseph Horton

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The God Who Makes Himeslf Known (Blackburn), Morgan Philpott

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Unfolding Mystery Of The Divine Name (Knowles), David A. Skelton

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Resources For The Study Of Exodus, Mark W. Hamilton

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The Tabernacle: A Lesson In The Particularity Of The Purposes Of God, Luke Talon

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Editors' Notes, D'Esta Love, Stuart L. Love, Daniel A. Rodriguez

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The Book And Beyond, January 2013, Pepperdine University Libraries

The Book and Beyond and Faculty Newsletter

News, events, and initiatives from Pepperdine University Libraries from January 2013.

The Awakening Of Knowledge In The Heart Of Egypt: An Exegesis Of Exodus 7:1-5, Andrew Krawtz

Global Tides

Exodus 7:1-5 is the fourth reiteration of God’s commands to Moses regarding Pharaoh and the Israelites, with the others being in Exod 3, 4:21-23, and 6:1-13. With these passages and the resulting plagues, readers have raised questions regarding God’s powerfulness and good nature. For example, if God is all-powerful and good, why does he not just liberate the Israelites immediately, instead of dragging it out through ten plagues while manipulating Pharaoh, seemingly exacerbating the general suffering of people and land? My proposed answer to these concerns lies in the focus of this passage, which is God’s relationship with the Egyptians. …

The Missional Approach Of The Acts 29 Church Planting Movement, Marylyn Sohlberg

Global Tides

Missional churches, those that bring Jesus outside the walls of the church and into the unknown, unreached, and uncomfortable areas in the United States and the world, seem to have taken center stage in the realm of popular Christian discussion over the past few decades. However, roughly thirty percent of the globe remains untargeted by “missional churches.” In his book “Planting Missional Churches,” Ed Stetzer highlights the need for missional churches in the U.S. in particular, citing a Gallup poll that observed eighty percent of American churches in decline. In 2011, Gallup also estimated an average of forty-five percent of …

What Might God Do Next? Homiletical Trajectories For A Dangerous Future, Ken Durham

Leaven

No abstract provided.

News From The Crest (October 2012), Crest Associates

News from the Crest

Heidi Bernard, Director

Joanne Blacklidge, Editor

The Church Today: A Call For Wisdom In An Uncertain Future, Michael Weed

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Beyond Exclusivism: A Vital Plea, Lynn Mitchell

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Teaching Authority In The Church, Lynn Mitchell

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Editor's Notes, Mark Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Worship And Evangelism, Terry Cartwright

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Nahum-Malachi: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary For Teaching And Preaching, Elizabeth Achtemeier, Mark Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

A Home For The Homeless: A Sociological Exegesis Of 1 Peter Its Situation And Strategy, John H. Elliott, Mark Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Caring And Commitment: Learning To Live The Love We Promise, Lewis Smedes, Mark Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Decision Making In The Church: A Biblical Model, Luke T. Johnson, Mark Love

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Resident Aliens: Life In The Christian Colony, Stanley Hauerwas, William H. Willimon, Wendell Willis

Leaven

No abstract provided.