Digital Commons Network^™

The Body And The Sacred In Contemporary Italian Women Writers, Laura R Feola

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My dissertation explores the presence of what has been called the “persistence of the sacred” in modern and contemporary Western culture. More specifically, I focus on the intertwining dimensions of the human body and the experience of the sacred in selected works by Dacia Maraini, Elena Ferrante, Cristina Campo, and Alda Merini. Despite their different voices, and the “secular” or “religious” labels with which each of these Italian authors could be defined or confined, I identify and analyze patterns, similarities, and differences in the interwoven realities of the body and the sacred present in their works.[1]

[1] See Snyder, …

Where Time And Eternity Intersect: The Integration Of The Liturgical Calendar Into The Worship Practices Of The Evangelical Church, Leah Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The liturgical calendar is a historic practice of the Christian church which provides a structure for worship based on the life and teachings of Jesus. This project will examine the historical developments of the use of the liturgical calendar and the value of introducing it to the evangelical church setting. The project will be a case study of several evangelical churches in the Southern Maryland area through analysis of a one year sample of song canon. The song canons will be analyzed for balance in offices of Christ, story focus, and Trinitarian language.

How Does Worship Shape Us?, Karen A. De Mol

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Worship, in the Reformed understanding, is a dialogue between God and his people, a dialogue in which God speaks, and we respond."

Posting about the role of worship in Christian life formation from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/how-does-worship-shape-us/

The Transformational Power Of Forgiveness Within The Church, Mary Mckenzie

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to explore and describe the concepts and effects of forgiveness within the church. It shows that the roots of violence, suffering, and pain are in the unhealed wounds of the past. It examines biblical, theological, and psychological materials on forgiveness, unforgiveness, and health benefits. Learning about forgiveness and how to use the skills can conceivably enhance mental and physical health through an optimistic and hopeful outlook on life. It highlights the differences of the definition and understanding of forgiveness and forgiveness from an intercultural perspective. Results from participants’ from five ethnic groups (African, African American, Asian, Caribbean, …

Exodus [Review] / Alexander, T. Desmond., Kolia Afamasaga

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

The Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7–8): The Status Of Its Textual History And Theological Usage In English, Greek, And Latin, Rodrigo Barbosa Galiza, John W. Reeve

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This article presents a status quaestionis on the origin, transmission,and theological use of the Johannine comma, a section of 1 John 5:7–8,especially within English scholarly literature. Used as a Trinitarian proof text in the Middle Ages and late-Reformation England, this variant in 1 John 5 has been relegated to a mere side note in recent biblical scholarship. This article also contrasts the arguments of theologians from the time of Erasmus and the King James Bible with modern biblical scholarship. Though it is clear in English discussions that the comma is not in the early Greek manuscripts, the origin of this …

Iterations Of One: The Shema As Polemic Trope In The Synoptic Gospels And Qur'an, Roberta Sabbath

English Faculty Research

A panel of scholars ostensibly addressed “Shema in the Synoptic Gospels” at the 2017 Boston meeting of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew. “Ostensibly” because while all the essays acknowledge the significance of the keystone of both Jewish theology and liturgy for the authors of the New Testament, every essay focused on something larger than the narrow announced topic. Each, following the lead of Dr. Roberta Sabbath of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, who describes the polemical nature of the Shema, notes how the statement of God's unity (whether or not followed by the Love and Tzitzit …

Mission Research

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Banner - V. 153, No. 7 - (July/August 2018), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

No abstract provided.

Holistic Discipleship : Impact On Spiritual And Emotional Health, Lynette Shakunthala Sathiasingam

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theology & Religious Studies, Saint Mary's College Of California

Undergraduate Academic Catalog

No abstract provided.

Cultural Based Discipling According To The Strategies Of Jesus, Jonathan Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many newly planted and existing churches in America have difficulty developing a discipleship culture. They focus on weekly worship gatherings and Bible Study classes. Gathering for worship and Bible Study is needed and right, but when this is the only activity, discipleship and a holistic healthy church culture is not occurring. Unfortunately, many churches engage in a consumer-driven culture with people unwilling to be in a sacrificial discipleship process for the Gospel’s sake. Jesus had four primary strategies for developing disciples. They are the gathered strategy, the small group strategy, the mentoring strategy and the sending strategy. Each is part …

Footnotes: Is The Old Testament Dying?, Bob Turner

Footnotes: Curated Resources for Ministers

No abstract provided.

The Purpose Of Business: The Viewpoint Of Imitatio Dei (Imitating God), Michael E. Cafferky, D.B.A.

The Journal of Biblical Foundations of Faith and Learning

The thesis of this paper can be summarized with the following propositional statements: A) The image of God established at Creation has been marred; B) God’s plan of redemption includes the restoration of His image;

C) the restoration process involves imitating the character of God; D) the character of God is expressed conceptually in the Ten Commandments, visibly in the life and work of Jesus Christ, and through the “grand themes” of the Bible; E) business is a setting where God restores His image and where the grand themes can be expressed; F) the grand themes are the fundamental principles …

Theology And Poetry: Literary Aesthetics In The Writing Of Ann Voskamp, Erin Peters

Masters Theses

Because of her work as an author, speaker, blogger, and Compassion International advocate, Christianity Today cited Ann Voskamp as one of the 50 most influential women in shaping the North American evangelical church. Through her poetic, spiritual memoirs, Voskamp has challenged and inspired Christian women in their walk with God while simultaneously raising an important question for Christian literature: What roles does the poetic imagination play in communicating theology? To be sure however, Voskamp’s unique blend of poetic lyricism and personally applied theology has incited significant criticism regarding her loosely constructed language and narrative interpretation of Scripture. This thesis evaluates …

The Ideologies And Outcomes Of The French And American Revolutions, Donald D. Palmer

Masters Theses

One effective way to compare the fruits of biblical Christianity with modernism is to contrast the ideologies and outcomes of the American and French Revolutions. Pre-revolutionary America was rich with biblical influence. Adherents of both Protestantism and Deism sought a “Christian society,” and while revolutionaries drew from both biblical Reformation and secular Enlightenment thought, much of the latter was biblical thought in secular form. Ministers employed the Bible extensively to support the Revolution. This relative theological consensus encouraged religious practice and a political system that accommodated dispute. Human rights were secure thanks to man’s subordinate position under God. Even after …

Hagar As Israel: A Prismatic Reading Of Hagar And Ishmael, Wesley D. Walker

Masters Theses

The Hagar and Ishmael story (Gen 16, 21) is one of Genesis’ most undervalued stories. Historically, Jewish and Christian interpreters have approached the text with a bias against Hagar in favor of Sarah. This approach hampers the ability of interpreters to see how the author(s) of Genesis may be utilizing the narrative in a pro-Hagar way. This thesis rehabilitates Hagar and Ishmael’s image by engaging in a charitable and canonical hermeneutic which seeks to see the story in light of a network of inner-biblical allusions. There are three important literary connections which are necessary to understand Hagar and Ishmael include …

Contextualizing Worship And Music In A Multicultural Church: A Case Study At Christ Fellowship Miami, Kimberly A. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christ Fellowship Church is a Southern Baptist, multicultural, multigenerational, and multilingual church with eight local campuses, which hosts worshipers from seventy-six nations every weekend in Miami-Dade County. While the worshiping body of Christ Fellowship Miami is extremely diverse, the music and worship genres and styles are predominantly homogeneous. This case study serves the worship ministry at Christ Fellowship Miami as they seek to engage in more culturally conscious methods of worship and music by exploring the diverse cultures, languages, and music styles represented in the congregation. It discusses the planning, development, and execution of a global worship experience at the …

A Strategy To Build A Healthy Church Through Dynamic Cell Ministries: The Case Of Global Mission Church In Korea, Kyung Sik Shin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research covers a strategy to build a dynamic cell church. The purpose of the cell church is not simply for church growth, but to restore the essence and function of a biblical community. This study will examine a biblical community as well as cell churches in theory. The study will focus its research on adult cell groups of Global Mission Church, one of the representative Korean cell churches, which served Korean churches and others in the world through cell conferences for its first 10 years since it began operation in a cell church system, from 2004 to 2014.

The …

A Strategy For The Church Growth Through The Development Of Senior-Friendly Pastoral Ministries: The Case Of The Senior Ministry At Shinlim Central Church In Korea, Hoo Sik Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to suggest the necessity of and alternative strategies for senior-friendly pastoral care to achieve sustained church growth amid the growing phenomenon of aging in Korean society. The recent aging of Korean society also has effects on changes in church members. As the ratio of senior members becomes increasingly high, pastoral alternative strategies for coping with it has also been urgently needed. The problem is that although this social phenomenon was already foreseen several years ago, there are insufficient practical strategies for pastoral care to deal with it.

The researcher first conducts biblical, theological, historical, …

Divine Physiology: Deity Revealed Within The Conception Of Jesus Christ, Robbin Nelson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project will develop an educational instrument linking science to faith supporting the deity of Jesus Christ, specifically as it relates to his conception. This information will be used by this author’s church to understand the identity of Jesus. This thesis project will employ analytical, theoretical, and scientific research methods as applies to a study of medical and theological information, as well as interviews with medical professionals, and religious leaders.

Preaching To Shape Christian Witness: He Cannot Be The Messiah, Can He?, Christine M. Bellefeuille

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This action-reflection project explores the effectiveness of preaching in shaping witnesses to tell their own stories of their experiences of God. Uses preaching that models witness, helps the listener identify experiences of God and offers language for disciples to use in their own witness. Also explores the challenges of preaching to a congregation that has experienced uncertain theological grounding and conflict. Other considerations explored are trust, changing calls mid-doctoral program, and project fit.

Seeing Salvation: The Effectiveness Of Preaching On The Sacramental Life In A Salvation Army Context, Steven Mark Cameron

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis begins by acknowledging that The Salvation Army is a non-practicing sacramental church. The Army abandoned the practice of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper officially in 1883 and its focus since then has been on developing holiness through sacramental living. The sacraments have been a topic of theological conversation in Army since the 1883 decision. In recent years, in Canada, this conversation has become increasingly divisive with questions being raised as to the soundness of the Army’s position. To bring opposing positions into a place of dialogue this thesis project engages in a five part biblical …

Falling Far From The Tree? God's Rejection Of Cain Outside The Garden Of Eden (Genesis 4:1-16), Mark Remington Squire

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Squire, Mark R. “Falling Far from the Tree?: God’s Rejection of Cain Outside the Garden of Eden.” S.T.M. Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 105 pp.

This thesis offers a review of the history of interpretation of the account of Gen 4:1–16. Specifically, the focus of this thesis regards the question of why God favored Abel and his sacrifice and not Cain and his sacrifice. The paper provides an original translation of Gen 4:1–16, as well as translation notes. The historical interpretations of the answer to the question of why God favored Abel over Cain are grouped into three broad categories: Cain’s …

And Their Eyes Were Opened: The Call To Paradox, Bruce L. Jacobson

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Establishing Ethical Processes For Church Finances, Carl A. Williamson

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Setonian, May 3, 2018, Seton Hall University

2018

No abstract provided.

From The Editor; Obituary, John Colacino

Verbum

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, No Author

Verbum

No abstract provided.

Storytelling As A Pastoral Care Intervention That Ministers Healing To Adult Parishioners Of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church In Canton, Georgia Who Have Experienced Violence, Lemora Dobbs

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The goal of this project was to test whether storytelling could be used to facilitate healing in adult parishioners who had experienced violence. The project engaged congregants of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Canton, Georgia in a series of five workshops that taught, modeled, and used storytelling as a pastoral care intervention. The personal stories of five research participants were recorded in individual sessions. Common themes within the individual stories shared were identified and discussed with the research group. The group brainstormed ideas about how the church could use storytelling to minister healing to violence victims. The outcome …