Digital Commons Network^™

Jesus-Centered Preaching: A Christocentric Approach Based On The Hermeneutical Implications Of The Gospels As Βίοι., Mark Palmer

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover the implied hermeneutic of the Gospels as βίοι and to propose a congruent homiletic. The study addressed the following research questions: What is the genre of the Gospels and the resulting hermeneutic? Does current Christ-centered preaching account for his hermeneutic? Does Christological research account for intrinsic characteristics? What is the intrinsic Christology of Mark’s Gospel? What homiletical process is needed to align with the genre-based hermeneutic of the Gospels? The methodology of this study followed a four-step process: Genre research confirming the Gospels as βίοι, Christological research including the development of an …

A Ministry Manual For Supporting Pastoral Transitions: Addressing The Emotional And Spiritual Needs Of Clergy And Their Families, John Tucker

Dissertations

Pastoral transitions represent spiritually significant yet often under-supported moments in the life of clergy, congregations, and ministry networks. While leadership change is frequently framed in theological language emphasizing divine calling and institutional continuity, insufficient attention is given to the emotional, relational, and familial dimensions of these transitions. This Doctor of Ministry project examines the spiritual and emotional impact of pastoral transitions within African American church contexts, with particular attention to clergy wellbeing and systems of care.

This study employed a mixed-methods research design integrating quantitative survey data with qualitative semi-structured interviews. Survey instruments were distributed to pastors affiliated with The …

The Symphony Of Justice: An Intertextual Study Of Social Justice Material Between The Torah And The Psalms, Daniel Gordan

Dissertations

Do passages dealing with social justice in the Torah and the Psalms together comprise an intentionally composed grand symphony, or do they merely form an ad hoc patchwork quilt in which their echoes of similarity are mere coincidences?1 Literary interactions between the Torah and the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible have been a focus of biblical scholarship, but the intertextual connections between the legal corpus of the Torah and poetry in Psalms have not received sufficient attention. Scholars have noticed some thematic similarities, but there are no systematic studies that analyze these interactions to determine whether they involve reuse and, …

Validation Of The Touch/Bonding Sense Of The Five Senses Model Of Intimacy As A Spiritually Based Whole-Person Lifestyle Approach To Intimacy In Dating And Marital Relationships, Karen J. Holland

Dissertations

Problem

Intimacy is in crisis and is being culturally defined and redefined through a number of influencing factors. These include the ongoing development of individualist and narcissistic relationships; the fragmentation of human wholeness; the influence of social media and an increasingly entertainment focused society; the permeation of technology influencing personal choice and lifestyle, including the use of generative AI; and the diminishing influence of Judeo-Christian principles and values as key drivers in the development of life-long marriage relationships. This study seeks to address the need for establishing a foundation for relational intimacy based on the biblical relationship demonstrated by God’s …

Cultivating An Evangelistic Culture At Mountain Chapel Methodist Church Through Preaching, Nicholas Channing Hughes

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an intentional sermon series, Everyday Evangelism, in cultivating an evangelistic culture at Mountain Chapel Methodist Church, a Global Methodist congregation. The study used a program evaluation model and addressed the question, How does preaching cultivate an evangelistic culture in the local church, along with questions concerning growth in prayerfulness for the lost, gospel conversations, acts of compassion, invitations to Christian community, follow-up with seekers, and whether leaders exhibited greater change than the congregation as a whole. The project employed a pre- and post-series survey design using two participant groups, …

The Beloved Disciple In Performance, Eric Christian Zito

Dissertations

This project aims to reconsider the Fourth Gospel’s Beloved Disciple from the standpoint of biblical performance criticism, an approach that takes seriously the likelihood that most first-century audiences would have encountered the Fourth Gospel by means of performance rather than private reading. The dissertation considers: 1) what difference the medium makes in a first-century reception of John’s Gospel, and 2) how early audiences would have been shaped by the discipleship model portrayed by the unnamed Beloved Disciple in a performance setting. Against the current of mainstream scholarship, I argue that the Beloved Disciple is a developing character who epitomizes Johannine …

From Devout Follower Of Muhammad To Committed Disciple Of Jesus: Principles And Methods Of Transition Phase Discipleship Among Adventist Believers From A Muslim Background In Ethiopia, Temesgen Bulti Besha

Dissertations

Islam is the second most dominant religion in Ethiopia commanding about 34 percent of the over one hundred ten million population of the country. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has not been successful, until recently, to effectively reach this large and growing Muslim population. In the last decade and half, hundreds of Ethiopian Muslims are coming to faith in Christ through the ministry of the Church. However, church members, leaders, and disciplers lack adequate understanding of the transition phase discipleship during which the new believers from Muslim background (BMBs) go through considerable challenges such as persecution, lack of social and economic …

Perceived Social Support And Religious Attitudes As Correlates Of Spiritual Well-Being Among Senior Undergraduate Students At Northeast Brazil Adventist University, Hebert Davi Liessi

Dissertations

Problem

Even though the study of spirituality has been a recurrent theme in academia, in Brazil there has been little emphasis on the analysis of spiritual well-being in the context of university students. Few studies have examined the correlation of spiritual well-being with perceived social support or religious attitudes among university students, and most of these have been in the fields of health care or health recovery. Some research has indicated that religious attitudes may be partially disconnected from improvements in the level of spirituality. -- This study aimed to verify whether this disconnection is real or relevant, and assumed …

The Concept Of Israel In The Old Testament And Its Divine Purpose: An Exegetical And Theological Analysis, Gregory Arutyunyan

Dissertations

The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.

The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob …

Jesus, The Temple, And Early Christian Memory, Scott K. Brevard

Dissertations

Jewish identity during the Second Temple period (515 BCE – 70 CE) was complex, multifaceted, and variable, but many studies of this period treat Jewish attitudes toward one key feature, the Jerusalem temple, as simple and uniform. I aim to complicate this notion by examining early Christian traditions of Jesus’s relationship with the temple. Early Christian memory constructed, transformed, and transmitted traditions about the past into their present contexts. Examining early Christian memory, as represented by canonical and non-canonical gospel traditions in the first three centuries CE, allows scholars to ask how certain figures, institutions, or beliefs were remembered and …

Shepherds Leading The Flocks: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Church Leaders Managing Church Membership During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rbetrice Phillips

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe experiences of church leaders adapting the Scarneo (2019) intrapersonal and interpersonal socioecological influences while managing membership during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Methodology: This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach with a socioecological justification with open-ended interview questions investigating the lived experiences of the participants. This study aimed to gather data from sample size 10 church leaders in Los Angeles County, California plus a snowball sampling of referred church leaders who managed during COVID-19. In this study, the collection of narratives through semi-structured interviews provided the data which was analyzed …

Pauline Echoes In The Preaching And Activism Of Francis James Grimké (1850–1937): Confronting Ethnic Prejudice Through An Evangelical Emancipatory Homiletic (Eeh), Eric J. Freeman

Dissertations

Pauline Echoes in the Preaching and Activism of Francis James Grimké (1850–1937): Confronting Ethnic Prejudice through an Evangelical Emancipatory Homiletic examines how Grimké’s sermons and public discourse, rooted in the proclaimed and embodied gospel of Jesus Christ and resonant with the Apostle Paul’s hermeneutic and pastoral heart, addressed social injustices—particularly ethnic prejudice—through a distinct, socially conscious homiletic. This research defines Grimké’s unique homiletic as an Evangelical Emancipatory Homiletic (EEH), a term coined here to convey the gospel-embodied, contextually aware nature of his ministry. Framed within the practical theology of homiletics, this study illustrates how Grimké’s EEH incorporated textual and thematic …

Exploring The Leadership Competence Strategies And Assessment Procedures In Southern Baptist Churches In A Small County In The Southeastern United States: A Qualitative Research Case Study, Coleman F. Smoak Jr.

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the strategies of Southern Baptist churches which contribute to the competence of their lay leadership. It examines the procedures for evaluating lay leaders’ knowledge of church doctrine and goals, as well as their motivation for pursuit of successful ministry. The research assessed Southern Baptist churches in a small county in the Southeastern United States through a qualitative case study with the primary research instrument being one-on-one, semi-structured interviews of church staff. The researcher sought an understanding of these churches’ practices to ensure that lay leaders are equipped for their ministry positions with regard to their leadership approaches, …

Σπλαγχνιζομαι And The Characterization Of The Markan Jesus, Jonathan W. Bryant

Dissertations

Amid scholarly studies both of the miracle stories of the Markan Jesus and of the characterization of the Markan Jesus, little attention has been given to the role of Jesus’s emotions as portrayed in those accounts—though references to Jesus’ emotions appear quite frequently in the Gospel of Mark. This dissertation seeks to fill this lacuna through a detailed analysis of the portrayal of Jesus’s compassion (σπλαγχνίζομαι) in the Markan miracle stories. I first examine the accounts of other miracle workers from ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish literature to discover how emotions feature in the depictions of miracle workers likely known in …

"To This You Were Called": Discipleship, Suffering, And Social Identity In First Peter, Shane Patrick Gormley

Dissertations

At the center of First Peter’s rhetoric stands an exhortation to “follow” in Christ’s footsteps (2:21). Several scholars have suggested (sometimes off-handedly or in a singular footnote) that this specific exhortation utilizes the technical language of “discipleship,” but only to support a particular piece of the letter’s paraenesis (2:18–25). I contend that such a suggestion, while a helpful place to start, does not go far enough. With this study, I propose that we may read First Peter comprehensively as a summons to discipleship in accord with ancient understandings of education, exemplified in the multifaceted system of Hellenistic paideia. I argue …

The Body Of Christ And The Law: A Comparative Study Of Romans 7:4 And Galatians 2:19, Dominic Bornand

Dissertations

In Romans and Galatians, Paul refers to a spiritual death to sin (Rom 6:2) and to the law (Rom 7:4; Gal 2:19). As the means of the believer's death to the law, Paul mentions the "body of Christ" in Rom 7:4 and the "law" in Gal 2:19. These verses seem to suggest some sort of relationship between the body of Christ and the law, as well as between the law and sin. The purpose of this study is to determine the type of relationship between the body of Christ and the law, as well as between law and sin. The …

Childhood Trauma And The Faith Maturity Of Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors And Seminarians, Pete A. Palmer

Dissertations

Problem

Unfortunately, Childhood Trauma is a fact of life. For instance, children lose parents/guardians through death or divorce. Children grow up in impoverished situations. Children have parents who suffer from mental illness and/or commit suicide. In addition, more unfortunately, some children are mistreated, neglected, and/or abused. The long-lasting impact of Childhood Trauma includes increased morbidity and mortality, and decreased opportunities for prosperity. This research sought to establish a statistical relationship between Childhood Trauma and Faith Maturity. Childhood Trauma has been demonstrated to affect attachment processes in children and, since religion is an attachment process and God is an attachment figure, …

Understanding Secularized People Of Metro Manila: A Case Study Approach For A Contextualized Urban Ministry Strategy, Ermela T. Dizon

Dissertations

Problem

Secularization shapes people's thinking, feeling, and behaving in the cities. Yearly, there is a rise in the number of de-religionized or secularized people in cities of the world who engage in pursuits of materialism and show declining interest in religion. Sociologists and missiologists postulate about the spectrum of secularity and the variety of secularism in different context. Since Metro Manila is one of the world's top highly urbanized and densely populated cities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church encounters challenges in reaching its secularized people. It is a new turf for the church. Pastors trained for rural settings may not understand …

Toward A Biblical And Missiological Framework For Transformational Advocacy In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Michelet William

Dissertations

Problem

Adventists have been inconsistent in dealing with inequality and injustice in society, swaying between silence, accommodation, positional statements, and direct advocacy approaches. Although advocacy has become more prominent among Adventist thinkers since the end of the twentieth century, there is a lack of empirical data which answer questions related to contemporary Adventists' beliefs and practices in relation to advocacy in the context of mission. Concomitantly, there does not yet exist a documented or articulated Adventist missiological perspective on advocacy.

Research Questions

(1) What part, if any, has biblically-based social advocacy played in Adventist mission history? and (2) What do …

Exploring Perceptions About American Theological Institutions In Preparing Worship Pastors For Service, Phillip Sandifer

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes the current and historical information available, highlighting the issues and considerations, regarding Worship Pastors in conservative evangelical churches and the preparatory work for service offered by theological educational institutions and that which is expected by their prospective employers. Stakeholders for this research are aspiring Worship Pastors, Churches (their prospective employers), and conservative, evangelical theological educational institutions.

In addition to the literature review, this qualitative phenomenological study involved interviews of 15 church Executive Pastors, 1 Pastor, 2 Worship Pastors, and the Director of a professional organization that consults Executive Pastors nationwide. Also examined were current curriculums of …

Indicators Of Typology In The Narrative Of Elijah: An Investigation Into The Predictive Nature Of Biblical Theology, JôNatas De Mattos Leal

Dissertations

Elijah is among the most popular prophets in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In Judaism, the hope for his return has evolved into a plethora of legends in which he functions as a helper to the righteous in the present and avenger to the wicked in the future eschaton. In Christianity, the expectation involving his return has also a multitemporal dimension, but its fulfilment is typologically oriented. More often, scholars study the fulfilment of the Elijah typology from the NT perspective in a backward movement. This dissertation investigates this typology in a forward movement going from the OT to the NT while …

A Study Of The Language Shifts In The Book Of Daniel : A Comparative Narrative Analysis Of Daniel 1 And 2, 7 And 8, Laura K. Morrow

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this dissertation seeks to address is the use of bilingualism in the book of Daniel. Previously, scholars have utilized diachronic methods to explain the phenomenon of bilingualism in Daniel and have concluded that it is the product of compositional redaction. However, such studies have not produced a consensus in scholarship. In the last 40 years, several studies have emerged that conclude the use of bilingualism in the book of Daniel may best be explained as a rhetorical device. In contrast to the diachronic methodologies of prior studies, these examinations utilized methodologies that addressed rhetorical elements. Chapter One …

"You Must Prophesy Again": The Mission Of God's People In Revelation 10-14, Adenilton Tavares De Aguiar

Dissertations

The primary task of this study was to delineate the theology of mission in the book of Revelation, with a focus on chaps. 10–14 and special attention to the people of God as participants in the mission of God. The historical survey demonstrated that the theology of mission conveyed by the book of Revelation is a topic broadly neglected in recent scholarship and, hence, requires an in-depth treatment. The object of research was addressed from a biblical-theological perspective by means of an exegetical analysis of relevant passages and key terms that were identified on the basis of a semantic field …

An Analysis And Comparison Of The Missional Doctrine Hermeneutics Of Kevin J. Vanhoozer And Veli-Matti KäRkkäInen, With Emphasis On Their Notions Of God, Eschatology, And Mission, Elmer Arrais Guzman

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen’s and Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s theological method, in order to understand its structural elements, and thereby to facilitate comprehension of their missional doctrinal hermeneutics, and the ramifications of those hermeneutics for the construction and development of Christian theology. Missional doctrinal hermeneutical models conceive the missional dimension of doctrine in various ways. Some privilege the maintenance of theological identity cohering with the foundational sources of theological authority. Others privilege theological constructions that assimilate the context and the missional situational framework of understanding. This dissertation strives to examine the diverging missional hermeneutics of Kärkkäinen and Vanhoozer, the foundational …

Contentment In "Songs Of The Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism": A Humanbecoming Hermeneutic Study, Susan Agnes Bonis

Dissertations

Contentment is a universally lived experience that is inexplicably intertwined with health and quality of life. The aims of this humanbecoming hermeneutic study were to identify the essence of the experience of contentment, to contribute to knowledge about humanbecoming, and to contribute to the knowledge base of nursing. The source of data collection was the text of Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey through Autism. Through a hermeneutic process of discoursing with penetrating engagement, interpreting with quiescent beholding, and understanding with inspiring envisaging the structure of the lived experience of contentment was illuminated in the text. The finding is …

Function And Nature Of The Heavenly Sanctuary/Temple And Its Earthly Counterparts In The New Testament Gospels, Acts, And The Epistles: A Motif Study Of Major Passages, Leonardo G. Nunes

Dissertations

The present dissertation examines the function and nature of the heavenly sanctuary/temple and its relationship to the earthly counterparts in the major passages of the New Testament (NT) Gospels, Acts, Pauline and General Epistles where the sanctuary/temple motif is found (a total of twenty-two passages). After the introductory chapter, chapters 2, 3, and 4 are devoted to the exegetical analysis of these major passages following canonical order and divisions of the NT. This exegetical analysis has detected the relevance of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif for NT studies, i.e., how its function, nature, and relationship to the earthly counterparts influence the …

A Re-Examination Of Pentateuchal Hamartiology And Atonement As A Hermeneutical Framework For Interpreting The Laying On Of Hands, Slavisa Milodar Jankovic

Dissertations

The ritual gesture of laying on of hands in Scripture has generated significant interest among theologians from rabbinic times until now. Still today, scholars assign various meanings to the ritual. In the second half of the 20th century, the fresh interest that put forward new meanings for this gesture came primarily through the introduction of the new sub-discipline of Ritualistics within Old Testament studies. This relatively new discipline is not founded upon premises found in biblical texts, but rather, upon those found in various secular social, philosophical sciences, and other disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, anthropology, literary criticism, and the …

A Study Of Nones In Brazil And The Usa In Light Of Secularization Theory With Missiological Implications, Jolive R. Chavez

Dissertations

The growth of those who declare themselves to be Nones, or religiously unaffiliated, in Brazil and the USA has been continuously higher than that of the general population. In Brazil, they are the third-largest group in the religious field, behind only Catholics, and Pentecostal evangelicals. In the USA, they are the second largest group, after Protestants as a whole. The Nones, in their diverse groups, are more represented among the youth in both cultures, and reflect the modern and postmodern influences of contemporary secularism, being a product of the process of changing human thought.

This work studies the Nones, in …

Toward A Biblical Theology Of God's Presence In Christian Theology: A Study Of How Difference Interpretations Of The Divine Presence Affect Liturgy, Karl Tsatalbasidis

Dissertations

Problem

In spite of the universal agreement on the importance of the divine presence as the central aspect of liturgy, there are three conflicting ways in which the presence of God relates to liturgy. They broadly correspond to the main liturgical traditions: Sacramental (Roman Catholic), Kerygmatic (Protestant) and Charismatic (Pentecostal and Interdenominational). In our current situation, how does this universal agreement about the presence of God as the central aspect of liturgy relate to the conflicting means by which congregations assess his presence?

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (1) to describe how the three diverging views relate the …

"Let Us Make 'Adam": An Edenic Model Of Personal Ontology, Marla A. Samaan Nedelcu

Dissertations

Personal ontology studies human constitution and human nature, an increasingly debated topic in Christian theology. Historically, the most prominent models of personal ontology in Christian theology have been substance dualist models. More recently, physicalist models have offered prominent alternatives.

This dissertation studies the conflict of interpretations between these two major model groupings. By applying a canonical theology, it then presents an Edenic model of personal ontology that can address the current conflict of interpretations. To achieve this end, the dissertation briefly analyzes substance dualism and physicalism according to the rubrics of constitution and nature, using a model methodology. It then …