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Sacred Geography And The Restoration Of Divine Presence: The Garden Of Eden, Egypt, The Wilderness, And The Promised Land In The Theology Of The Torah, Gary Ryan Perry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the Torah presents redemption through a progressive spatial framework in which sacred geography reveals the restoration of God’s dwelling among His people. The narrative movement from the Garden of Eden to Egypt, the Wilderness, and finally the Promised Land forms a theological arc that structures the Torah’s presentation of covenant, priesthood, and divine presence. The Garden of Eden establishes humanity’s original royal priestly vocation within sacred space. Egypt functions as an anti-garden, where abundance and provision exist apart from a covenant relationship with God. The Wilderness represents a redemptive restart, in which Israel is formed through …

E-Training: A Model To Reach Next Generations - A Training Program, Alice L. Jeter-Mays

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The aim of this dissertation-in-praxis was to assist ONE Church, Atl: (OCA) in creating a strategy (program) which would focus on church growth, spiritual growth, community involvement and reaching lost generations. The program developed drew upon the Authentic Leadership Theory (George, 2003), which speaks on the authenticity of the leader showing genuine love, empathy and concern for followers. The Transformational Leadership Theory was included, which motivates the leader to engage the followers positively (Burns, 1978). The program also addressed the servant leader as introduced by Greenleaf (1977), emphasizing putting others ahead of themselves and always looking to the welfare of …

Ongoing Exile In 1 Peter, William J. Bynum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In his first epistle, Peter employs the biblical theme of ongoing exile as a controlling metaphor to depict his readers’ circumstances. By doing so, he situates those readers as participants in the overarching biblical storyline of God’s restoring through Jesus Christ what man has lost through sin. The shape of that grand narrative is anticipated in what has called “the Deuteronomic scheme of sin–exile–restoration.” Using the idea of an ongoing exile followed by restoration, the writer of 1 Peter accomplishes two vitally important objectives. First, he shows his mostly Gentile readers’ experiences to be participation in exile like that of …

Reimagining Apologetics: Imagination As A Theological And Formative Framework For Christian Witness, Cynthia June Bracy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that imagination is a theological and epistemological necessity for contemporary Christian apologetics. Traditional apologetic methods, shaped largely by Enlightenment rationalism, have emphasized logical argumentation and evidential demonstration. While these approaches remain valuable, they often fail to address the imaginative and affective dimensions through which many people in postmodern cultural contexts encounter questions of meaning, identity, and belief. In response, this study proposes an integrative apologetic framework that recovers imagination as a central dimension of Christian witness. Drawing upon interdisciplinary research in theology, philosophy, literary studies, and cultural analysis, the dissertation develops a model in which imagination, grounded …

A Father To The Fatherless: A Trauma-Informed Care Ministry For Fatherless Fathers, Delmus L. Gillis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN action research project proposed that the Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) did not develop ministries that specifically addressed the persistent unbiblical endemic of fatherlessness within its congregation. The initial tragedy of fatherlessness can be transformed into the beautiful design of godly families when proper attention is given to the root cause of damaged relationships and effective means of correcting abnormalities are properly instituted in the church. Therefore, the researcher created the Trauma-Informed Care Ministry for Fatherless Fathers to guide fathers who experienced fatherlessness into a biblical model of fatherhood. When the church remains silent on important matters of faith, …

The Genuine Nature Of Worship In The Scriptures: Bowing Before God As An Act Of Submission, Michael Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The various translations of the Scriptures use the word worship over 250 times in both the Old and New Testaments. Unfortunately, many Christians and even scholars do not understand the meaning of worship and the purpose for doing it. It is pivotal, however, for Christians to understand the meaning and purpose for worship when directed toward God so they may live in obedience to him. The thesis of this dissertation will be that although Christians presume that worship means to praise God, the Scriptures teach that worship means to bow before God as an act of submission as he establishes …

From Divine Absence To Eternal Presence: Reframing The Jeremianic Temple-City Abandonment Motif From Its Ancient Near Eastern Roots To Its Fulfillment In Christ As The Ultimate Yahwistic Temple, Patrick Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation offers a canonical-theological and comparative study of temple destruction, divine absence, and the logic of return by tracing a five-stage “temple-city abandonment” motif across two corpora: the Sumerian City Laments (and related balag̃ material) and the biblical canon. The Sumerian laments depict the catastrophic loss of temple and city within a deterministic world where divine decisions often appear opaque, emotionally volatile, and only tenuously repairable through ritual lament and reconstruction. By contrast, the biblical narrative interprets the same crisis within a covenantal grammar: Jerusalem’s fall is grounded in articulated covenant breach, responsibility is named and confessed through prophetic …

Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Developing A Diverse Educational Curriculum For Truthwins.Com Supporting Its Global Prospective On Individual’S Spiritual Formation, Gaelyn Whitley Keith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This portfolio presents the development of a diverse educational curriculum for Truthwins.com designed to support its global mission of fostering individual spiritual formation across cultural, social, and theological boundaries. The project integrates biblical principles, intercultural competency, and contemporary educational practices to cultivate rounded spiritual growth among learners worldwide. Drawing on theological reflection, qualitative research, and practical ministry applications, the study outlines a framework that embraces inclusivity, promotes critical engagement with spiritual formation, and equips participants to embody authentic discipleship in diverse contexts. The resulting curriculum aims to inspire transformative learning experiences that unify spiritual development with Truthwins.com’s commitment to truth, …

Paul’S Use Of Μυστηριον In His Epistles To New Testament Churches, Daniel G. Hutchins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The world in which the apostle Paul ministered was not one where the religious landscape was blank and there was no competition for worldviews. Indeed, the cultural forces of Judaism, Hellenism, and Roman imperialism produced an environment where numerous religious belief systems were present including Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism, Greco–Roman mystery religions, and imperial worship. Paul found himself preaching a message that had to stand on its own merits in an environment that had been religiously conditioned for centuries. Typical of their parent culture, competing religious systems of Paul’s day took different views of Christianity. For Judaism, Christianity represented a …

Sacred Space, Divine Presence, And Covenant: A Theological Trajectory From Eden To The Indwelling Spirit Across The Pentateuch And The Book Of Joshua, William C. Merry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation thesis is that sacred space, divine presence, and covenant are a theological triad that gives form to the canonical progression from Eden through the Pentateuch into Joshua and finds its eschatological orientation in the indwelling Spirit. The project as a whole, and its treatment of Genesis–Deuteronomy and Joshua in particular, maintains that the presence of God is never conceived independently of a covenantal relationship and is thereby always concretized, i.e., spatialized in and through the site or locale of the sacred space: Eden, the tabernacle, the land, and the sanctuary at Shiloh. Each of these stages in the …

The Integration Of Multicultural Music And Defining Successful Integration Of Multicultural Music In Three Predominantly White Churches In Baltimore, Maryland: A Case Study, Homeretta Ayala

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is important to acknowledge the words in Scripture honoring people of all ethnic groups as cities and therefore churches become more diverse. Baltimore, Maryland is a diverse city, with numerous ethnic communities including those of Italian, Greek, African American, African, Hispanic, and Jewish descent; many churches, however, remain predominantly White. Music is an essential element in worship, and some churches are limited to the ethnic hymns of their congregational hymnals, thus ignoring the wide body of multicultural music that is available. There are numerous challenges when integrating multicultural music, especially if the congregation is not ethnically diverse. At first …

Leading In The Unexpected: Adaptive Leadership And Time Management, A Phenomenological Study Of The Small Church Pastor, Simorrah J. Majors

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the most challenging obstacles small church pastors face today may be managing their time. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of the use of time management within the scope of church leadership and administration, as perceived through the lens of pastors ages 35 to 80 who are either the senior or sole pastor or elder at small trinitarian Protestant churches in the United States Northeast Region. Time management is generally defined as organizing and planning how to divide time between different activities and functions. The theory guiding this study is Ronald Heifetz's (2009) Adaptive Leadership theory …

Trusting Jesus To The End: How A Christocentric, Inductive, And Canonical Hermeneutic Best Answers Rapture Debates And Reaffirms Perseverance, James G. Davidian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation compares the four premillennial end-time theories (i.e., the pretribulation, midtribulation, prewrath, and posttribulation views) to answer whether the Bible literally/explicitly describes two future descents of Christ, multiple future resurrections of saints, a pre-wrath timing, a reascent back to heaven, two last trumpets, two peoples of God, and two standards of protection (as proposed by rapture views) or whether the Scriptures describe only a single future coming of Christ for all saints “after the tribulation” (as held by the posttribulation view). By trusting what Jesus taught and relying on what is explicitly written and repeated in the Bible as …

Espoused Eschatology, An Extension Of Inaugurated Eschatology, Steven Earnest Splechter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Jewish weddings are as important to Jewish culture today as they were in the time of Christ. There is a process to the event that begins with a betrothal period, followed by a wedding procession and a lavish feast. In ancient Judah, the groom brought his bride to a place he prepared for her at his father's house. The Gospel of John reveals a distinct methodical interaction with the cultural and institutional norms of Judaism, as is argued to reveal the motif of a divine betrothal process. While the Synoptics have been argued to be more concerned about historical matters, …

Jesus’S View On Church Unity And Leadership: A Comparative Study Of His Views Against The Old Testament And Pauline Models In Addressing Leadership-Driven Divisions Within The Togolese Assemblies Of God Church, Sidibé-Néwendé Kamassé

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This paper will analyze the lack of alignment between Jesus's view of kingdom-centered unity and the pattern of leadership, and how these differences have affected the rule of the church according to biblical history. The paper further examines the problem of divisions driven by leadership in the modern churches, especially those in the Togolese Assemblies of God Church (TAGC). The thesis argues that Jesus's unique teachings on the Kingdom of God can be viewed as both the key organizational principle defining ecclesial leadership and unity and the final leadership paradigm that wrestles with the Old Testament and Pauline models of …

Evaluating The Central Themes Of The Pentateuch In Apocalypse In Light Of The Pentateuch Author’S Compositional Strategy, Donald Registe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation presents a theological interpretation of the thematic analogies between the Pentateuch and the book of Revelation, arguing that the central themes of the Pentateuch reach their consummation in John’s Apocalypse. Previous scholarship has not systematically traced these themes within Revelation, nor placed them in their broader canonical context. This study addresses that gap by demonstrating how the eschatological structures of the Pentateuch find their climax in Revelation. The research employs a methodology grounded in primary biblical texts, supported by critical engagement with Old and New Testament scholarship, accepting conclusions only when warranted by evidence. The first three chapters …

The Influence Of A Worship And Arts Camp Experience As A Student On Future Worship Leadership: A Case Study, Rhea Marshall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The world began with God’s act of creation, and He made humans in His image, giving them the innate ability to create. The Bible shows many examples of this creativity in people’s lives. Worship arts allow believers to reflect God’s image through artistic expression. The apostle Paul encourages the church to dedicate their bodies as living sacrifices as an act of worship. Worship arts enable individuals to offer their creativity to God through their bodies. Significant progress has been made in how the church develops worship arts ministries. The primary focus has been on how participation influences adult church members. …

“Forward Into Light”: The Shaping Of The Suffrage Ideology Of Alice Paul And The Practical Theological Application Of The Quaker Spices In The American Women’S Suffrage Movement, Alice L. Alvarado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote after decades of dedication and agitation by women in their monumental fight to win the franchise. Alice Paul, a second-generation suffragist, dedicated her life to the cause and became the new face of the suffrage movement in Progressive America. A birthright Hicksite Quaker, Alice Paul’s ancestry can be traced back to the Quakers of England, and her extended family connected with early practitioners such as George Fox, along with a blood relation to William Penn. Paul’s Quaker ancestry, Quaker upbringing, Quaker guarded education, and …

The Sacrificial Grammar Of Forgiveness: A Monochromatic Theology Of Restoration In Matthew 18:21–35, Elizabeth Ann Reed

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores forgiveness as divine restoration. I argue that biblical forgiveness is more than emotional release or social reconciliation. Forgiveness, grounded in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and fulfilled in the teachings and person of Jesus Christ, emerges as a theological act. In this way, it restores broken relationships between God and humanity. It also restores relationships among individuals. Through interdisciplinary analysis, the study integrates theological, psychological, and historical perspectives to redefine forgiveness as a covenantal and transformative practice. The research begins with what I call the Genesis Offering. This term describes God’s sacrificial act in Genesis …

Designing A Grief Intervention To Address The Religious Problem Of Evil, Charles Lee Burris Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christian fellowships should have grief ministries. The problem is the Greater Morning Star Baptist Church lacks a clear and practical intervention to support adult congregants coping with grief. The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to equip adult congregants of the Greater Morning Star Baptist Church through a biblically designed grief curriculum that provided training and encouragement to improve quality of life. This DMIN action research project applied qualitative and quantitative methods that included a pre-grief curriculum interview, a pre-grief curriculum survey, a post-grief curriculum focus group, and test assessments (pre-grief curriculum, mid-grief curriculum, and post-grief curriculum) for …

A Collaborative Leadership Development Model For Classical Christian School Consortiums, Lisa Diane Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over 55% of young adults in the United States have experienced some form of leadership development; however, their leadership skills are not being used within the church. Nearly 60% of those who regularly attended church during their youth are distancing themselves from it (Barna, 2023). Nonetheless, the same report suggested a link between youth who were well-integrated into a youth ministry and those who stayed active in the church. This Praxis program partnered with Redeemer Classical Academy to implement a Christ-centered leadership development initiative for its high school students. The argument supporting the Praxis program indicates that grounding students' leadership …

The Unashamed Plan: Expository Methods For Reconciling Unchurched Young Adults At The Friendship Baptist Church Of West End, James Daniel Spencer Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Young adults are absent from the pews of churches within the urban African American community. Churches within the community face dissolution because a generation no longer seeks to solve its problems by connecting with the household of faith due to shame-based alienation. There is a need to reconcile young adults into the citadel of invincible grace, God’s church, to fulfill the Great Commission and ensure a generation is not lost. Therefore, this action research project teaches church members through expository preaching and teaching The Unashamed Plan to educate them to reach youth for Christ. The Unashamed Plan is a theological …

Determining The Efficacy Of A Digital Small-Group Formatted Spiritual Care Program In Increasing Ministry Volunteer Resiliency And Retention At Groundwire, Andrew J. Ondo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project examined the efficacy of biblically informed, trauma-aware, peer-to-peer spiritual care systems within the solely digital ministry context of Groundwire. The study addressed the growing need for effective pastoral care in digitally mediated environments, where formation and fragmentation occur simultaneously and traditional leadership structures are often absent. The purpose was to design, implement, and evaluate a protocol that could cultivate the core concepts of resilience, intentionality, and wisdom among participants, reinforcing both practical resilience and retention. An action-oriented, primarily qualitative methodology was utilized. The final sample population consisted of eleven Groundwire participants engaged in peer-to-peer care on Discord, with …

Worship Harmony: Addressing Fragmented Practices Through Sacramental, Evangelical, And Charismatic Engagement At Beach Church, James Brockway

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry thesis project addresses worship fragmentation at Beach Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where sacramental, evangelical, and charismatic elements have historically functioned independently, leading to theological imbalance and diminished congregational unity. The purpose of the project was to develop and implement a framework for unified worship that reflects the Trinitarian nature of God by integrating Word, Sacrament, and Spirit in a cohesive, theologically grounded, and experientially rich liturgy. The study employed an action research methodology involving surveys, interviews, focus groups, and worship observations to assess congregational perceptions before and after the intervention. The resulting framework demonstrated measurable …

Developing Healthy Leaders For Multiplication At The Bridge Church, Joshua D. Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem addressed in this DMIN action research project is the lack of a clearly defined biblical framework for the ongoing leadership development at TBC in Venice, Florida, amid rapid growth and increasing attendance. This gap has hindered the equipping of leaders to disciple and lead others and fulfill the Great Commission through church multiplication. The purpose of this project was to design and implement a biblically grounded leadership pathway, including The Bridge Institute (TBI), to equip current and future servant leaders for maturity, relational authenticity, and missional impact. The goals included developing improved assimilation, increasing volunteer engagement, and creating …

The Servant’S Ear: Study Of The Servant In Whom Yhwh Is Well Pleased: An Expositional Connection Of Exodus 21:5-6 And Deuteronomy 15:16-17 To The Servants Of Revelation, Warren Eugene Hoskins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation undertakes an extensive investigation into the theological, historical, and literary development of the biblical servant motif. This study examines the evolution of the concept of servitude, beginning with its origins in Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) laws and culture.

It is anchored in the tradition of ear-piercing for the willing servant, as outlined in Exodus 21:5-6 and Deuteronomy 15:16-17. This research unpacks how ideas about servitude changed in the Old Testament law and how this relates to the end times and the early church, as described in Revelation. This study also compares Old Testament servant laws with those of …

In His Own Words? An Argument For Jesus As The Origin Of The Antithesis Formula In Matthew 5:21–48, Michael W. Herbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the origin and authenticity of the antithesis formula, “You have heard that it was said…[OT reference]…but I say to you…,” which appears only in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 5:21–48). This uniqueness of the antithesis formula contributes to it being one of the most intriguing yet contentious New Testament phrases. As such, there is no scholarly consensus regarding the origin of the antithesis formula. The relevant English language literature presents theories concerning the origin of the antithesis formula that generally conform to form-critical, source-critical, and redaction-critical approaches. However, this literature lacks an extended argument for this formula …

The Holy Spirit Fulfills The Great Commission By Affecting The Soul – The Conscience, Intellect, And Affections – Of Believers Through The Agency Of Discipleship, Farrah K. Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Statement of Problem

A knowledge and awareness of the Holy Spirit tends to be the missing from the church today, although his power, presence, and role is not only needed, but is necessary to fulfill the last commandment given by Christ. Though silent, he and his work are – and should be – evident among, to, and through believers, both corporately and individually.

Research Question

What do the Great Commission passages in the Gospels and the book of Acts reveal about the mission of the Holy Spirit for the church today?

Thesis Statement

This dissertation argues that, according to the …

The Call For Wailing Women In Jeremiah 9:17: Biblical Theology Of Mourning Within The Context Of Repentance, Nwabuogo N. B. Okafo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Hebrew Bible features numerous accounts of mourning that reveal it as a significant aspect of the ancient Near Eastern burial customs. Biblical mourning involves an established process of grieving the loss of a dead person by his or her family and community (Deut 34:8; 2 Sam 1:11–12). The Bible also mentions other forms of mourning besides grieving the loss of the dead. Penitential mourning is the expression of sorrow resulting from awareness of personal or corporate sin (Joel 2:12–14; Ezra 10:6). Penitential mourning could be personal or corporate (2 Sam 12:13, 16; Ezra 9:3–4). Corporate mourning involving donning of …

Atonement As The Path To Holiness: The Suffering Servant Of The Fourth Servant Song As The Missing Sacrifice Of Isaiah 6, William Anthony Whitfield

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study argues that the Suffering Servant of the Fourth Servant Song (SS4, Isaiah 52:13-53:12) is the missing sacrifice of Isaiah 6. This conclusion is supported by the multitude of intertextual links between these two hallmark texts of Isaiah, including language of exaltation, messianic imagery, and, most notably to the current study, atonement imagery, specifically as it relates to being an avenue to holiness. This study addresses the necessity for a sacrifice in Isaiah 6, although no sacrifice is explicitly mentioned. Atonement is the central theme of SS4, where the Suffering Servant is depicted as being given as a guilt …