Digital Commons Network^™

From Infancy To Maturity : Effective Discipleship Practices Of Nazarene Churches, Anthony M. Sparrow

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Christward Movement Among Urban Dwellers In North India : A Study On Delhi, Jaison George P. V.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Revive Us Again : Intergenerational Ministry As A Strategy For The Revitalization Of Bongshin Church In Seoul, Korea, Jung Jun Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Overflow In Young Christian Leaders : Factors Leadng To Emptiness Or Fullness, Carey D. Akin

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Connecting The Dots : Role Of Storytelling In Character Development And Leadership Practice Of One Rock Mentors, Associates And Mentees, Joanna E. Williamson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From The Father’S Heart To Our Hands: Christian Responsibility In The U.S. Foster System, Amelia Tam

Selected Honors Theses

Nearly half a million children are currently served by the child welfare system in the United States. This overwhelming strain on state departments and non-profit placement agencies is compounded by the fact that there are not enough available homes. There appears to be a shortage of capable and resilient foster and adoptive parents. Thousands of children who are ready to be adopted do not have anyone to take them in, and thousands more float in the system until new families agree to foster. This seeming shortage of homes is absurd considering the wealth of compassion and capability within the American …

Missional Virtues In Leadership : Assessing The Role Of Character Strengths Of Christian Social Entrepreneurs In Creating Missional Organizations, William Eric Manuel

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Empty-Handed Church : Discerning Consumerism's Impact On Today's Christian, Raymond J. Rooney Jr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Not Saul's Armor : Introversion And Effective Pastoral Leadership, David E. York

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Iron Sharpens Iron : How Experiential Work Groups Promote Transformational Discipleship Among Men, Eric A. Flood

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interim Ministry : An Intentional Support For Managing Pastoral Transitions Among English-Speaking Congregations In The Central District Council Of The Assemblies Of God Of Malaysia, Chee Keong Cheong

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From Shame To Shalom : Postures & Practices That Help Heal Men's Hearts, Amos B.L. Ang

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Understanding African American Preaching: The Style, Culture, And Rationale For The Worship Experience And The Value For Education, Harry Zimmerman Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching is an oratorical method for sharing the biblical text, which God uses to affect the lives of people for His glory. In the context of the African-American culture, preaching highlights differences between the rationales of the practical approaches of African-American and other styles of preaching. This project will examine fundamentals of African-American preaching as well as its dynamics while focusing on African-American traditions in a critical and creative manner. It will provide insights for training associate ministers at Faith United Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The research utilizes a single method research approach, utilizing surveys of pastors and …

Planting, Transitioning, And Growing Multiethnic Churches, Gloria Young-Eun Kim Fowler

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

How Jesus Became God: One Scholar’S View, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. James McGrath's brief analysis of early Christology. Originally presented as a seminar paper at the University of Michigan, March 19, 2015.

Theologizing Place In Displacement : Reconciling, Remaking And Reimagining Place In The Republic Of Georgia, Curtis Elliott

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Indigenization Of Christian Worship In Urban Liberia : A Key To Christian Discipleship In The United Methodist Church Of Liberia, Isaac Chukpue-Padmore

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Reputation Of The Apostle Paul: Was He A Misogynist?, Melinda Nelson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The Apostle Paul is a fundamental figure in the history, traditions, and beliefs of Christianity, yet his thoughts are sometimes viewed as controversial. Through his letters, Christians for centuries have learned about early Christianity and have been guided by Paul’s writings into following the ways of Jesus as he is interpreted by Paul. However, Paul did not begin as a crusader for Christ; initially Paul was extremely opposed to this reform of Judaism and made his stance known through aligning himself with the Jewish Pharisees during the persecutions of Christians during the early years of Christianity. While Paul’s letters and …

A Call To Love: Campus Climate Concerning Individuals With Same-Sex Attraction, Kristan M. (Legg) Whelan

Selected Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact of campus climate concerning students with same-sex attraction at Southeastern University. The current study surveyed Southeastern undergraduate and graduate students in regards to the perceived attitudes on campus toward students with same-sex attraction (SSA). The major concern was to identify the majority attitude of administrators, faculty, staff, and students pertaining to the treatment of this sexual minority on campus by these particular groups and in major areas of the campus, such as the classroom, athletics, and chapel. This study also allotted the latter half of the survey to an anonymous questionnaire for students who identify …

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 …

Ecumenism: Catholicism And The Elca: The Possibility Of Ecumenism Between The Catholic Church And The Evangelical Lutheran Church Of America, Trevor De Rosch

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Despite the common knowledge of differences between the various Christian denominations of the world, many people are unaware of how these differences have impacted the ecumenical talks to unite, or at least improve communications between, different Christian denominations. These issues came to light in a personal way when my father, a Catholic, began studying to become a deacon while my mother remains an Evangelical Lutheran. An analysis of the denominations, including their teachings, leaders, and congregations, shows an easily recognizable similarity, but also a stark contrast in many teachings, including those related to the Eucharist, as well as leadership duties …

John Wesley‟S Liturgical Revision: A Pattern For Reshaping Worship For Post-Christian America, Lawrence A. Lacher

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Lacher, Lawrence A. “John Wesley‟s Liturgical Revision: A Pattern for Reshaping Worship for Post-Christian America.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2011. 316 pp.

This project seeks to find a solution to the current malformation of Christian Worship in the American church through re-examining John Wesley‟s Sunday Service for Methodists in North America (1784) in order to extract the underlying pattern. That pattern is then proposed as a paradigm that allows for the contextualization of worship while retaining its historic shape, function and purpose.

John Wesley‟s liturgical advices are examined for several reasons. Since the writer is interested in helping those who …

Is Modern Legal Liberalism Still Compatible With Free Exercise Of Religion?, Donald R. Mcconnell

Campbell Law Review

Classic liberal legal thought has clearly been shaped by the influence of Christianity. But in recent years, the movement, like ancient Gnosticism, has some Christian elements, but has become a decidedly anti-Christian force in the courts. This comparison tracks well with the analysis of other parallel modern intellectual movements by the political scientist Eric Voegelin. It is also supported by current events such as the recent Federal District Court opinion by Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in Perry v. Schwartzenegger. Liberalism has transformed from an attempt at neutrality, to an established religion that not only promotes its own perverse version of …

The Journey To Jesus: John 4:19-26, Andrew Hagen

Global Tides

John 4:19-26 is a part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. This portion of the conversation includes Jesus’ first revelation of himself as the Messiah and the only way to the Father in what Eric John Wyckoff calls an “astonishing self-revelation unparalleled in its explicitness.” Jesus’ later claims develop these ideas further (John 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5) but this scene serves to not only reveal Jesus as the Messiah-Christ but also to demonstrate how Jesus transcends all the expectations which are associated with the title.

Philosophical Precursors To The Radical Enlightenment: Vignettes On The Struggle Between Philosophy And Theology From The Greeks To Leibniz With Special Emphasis On Spinoza, Anthony John Desantis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation lays out some of the chief philosophical precursors to Jonathan Israel's Radical Enlightenment. It investigates the principal question of Will Durant's The Age of Voltaire: "How did it come about that a major part of the educated classes in Europe and America has lost faith in the theology that for fifteen centuries gave supernatural sanctions and supports to the precarious and uncongenial moral code upon which Western civilization has been based?" The aim of this project is both broad and specific: the first is to provide a general history of the philosophical precursors to the Radical Enlightenment up …

"The Harmony Way:" Integrating Indigenous Values Within Native North American Theology And Mission, Randy Woodley

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Given that Western models of mission have failed among Native Americans and that colonial practices have devastated native communities, this research sought a better way of pursuing Christian mission among Native Americans by asking two questions: (1) Do Native Americans have a generally shared set of values that could guide the construction of new models for mission in North American Native communities, and, if so, to what degree are these values shared among Native American communities? and, (2). What resources (particularly values) are available within the Native American communities themselves for developing appropriate models of mission and could such resources …

The Wesleyan Doctrine Of Christian Assurance And Psychological Type, Greg Burgner

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Harmony Way: Integrating Indigenous Values Within Native North American Theology And Mission, Randy Stephen Woodley

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.