Digital Commons Network^™

Questioning God?, John C. Peckham

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spirit-Empowered Discipleship In Acts, Yan Chai

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipleship study had unavoidably been focused on the Gospels, and rightfully so. Whereas missions and church planting tended to occupy centre stage in the study of the book of Acts, and discipleship was often overshadowed. Nevertheless, Spirit-empowered discipleship, undoubtedly, had played a crucial role in the explosive growth of the early church. The purpose of this project is to utilize the four “E” principles of discipleship implicit in Acts: empowerment, exhortation, encouragement and exaltation to galvanize growth in Faith Hope Love Chinese church. It shall investigate the discipleship pattern that existed, apply the underlying principles given, and subsequently, analyze the …

Personal Happiness, Self-Fulfillment, And Homosexuality In The Church, David K. Penno

Faculty Publications

With the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States and other countries, the Adventist Church must face the issue of how to relate to gay individuals. We need to examine our arguments when addressing how, or even if, gay persons who are in a sexual relationship with a same-sex partner fit into the life of the church.

The Importance Of Preaching For The Transformation Of Christians In Korea, Ho Jung Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Korean Christians have had a problem with the transformation of their values and life-styles following their conversion. This thesis project will attempt to prove that one of the most important factors in the transformation of new believers, is biblical preaching. It will further attempt to show that much of the preaching in Korea is non-Christocentric, and this is especially ineffective in transformation. To produce transformation in new believers, churches need Christocentric preaching. This thesis project will explore Christocentric preaching’s historical background, principles, and importance. This project will also present the advantage, need, and importance of doctrinal expository preaching, especially in …

The Patristic Pre-History Of Devotion To The Immaculate Heart Of Mary, James K. Hanna

Marian Studies

Devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart emerged in the Middle Ages and flourished after the apparitions at Lourdes, Rue du Bac, and Fatima. But its roots run deep in tradition and are evident in the writings of the Fathers and the texts of the ancient liturgies. This paper begins by discussing early-Christian exegesis of Luke 2:35 and other key biblical texts. It proceeds to examine the various ways in which the Fathers spoke of Mary’s heart, and considers these in light of recent research on the earliest devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It concludes by evaluating Immaculate Heart devotion according to …

To Know Salvation: Marian Consecration As Antidote To New Gnosticisms, Maura Hearden Fehlner

Marian Studies

In this essay, the author initiates a discussion about key ways in which the theology behind and practice of Marian consecration as developed by St. Louis de Montfort both refutes the errors of and fulfills the longing indicated by the emergence of strong gnostic currents in contemporary thought. To accommodate the parameters of this project, discussion is limited to three categories of “new Gnosticisms”—political, New Age, and technological—and key theological concepts.

Sabbath Intentions, Teresa Terhaar

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"I found myself continually challenged and increasingly convicted that I needed to change my personal Sabbath practices."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­understanding Sabbath rest from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/sabbath-intentions/

In The News: May 5, 2016, Michael Duricy

Marian Library Blog Archive

Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also see International Marian Research Institute news and updates.

Grief In Community: The Establishment Of Bereavement Ministry Teams From The Congregation At Sandy Run Baptist Church In Mooresboro, North Carolina, Andrew S. Rawls

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Church is to be the expression of hope through the various contours of the human story. Too often congregations have difficulty expressing this hope during the time of death and extending that hope to ministry with the bereaved. In this project I studied the increase in self-efficacy in bereavement ministry with the congregation of Sandy Run Baptist Church in Mooresboro, North Carolina. The research focuses on the teaching of a curriculum that explores the biblical, theological, and clinical aspects of grief. The results of my research show this was an effective means of increasing self-efficacy.

Biblical Principles Of Small Group Ministry, Shawn Barr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Small group ministry models abound today, and so do the materials that provide the methodology for these models. However, there seems to be a dearth of resources that connect the methods with a theological foundation. This project will demonstrate the need for examining small groups from a theological aspect, and then examine the principles of biblical community as found in Scripture. These principles will then be measured through surveys of at least fifty participants in small group settings from several churches, including the churches where the author was the small group pastor for the last seven years and where he …

Fundamental Image Theory: An Integrated Model Of Trauma, Cassandra K. Sieg

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Historically, trauma theory and intervention has focused on “actual or threatened death or serious injury” (DSM-IV; APA, 1994). More recently, the field has broadened its consideration to a range of trauma and stressor related disorders, including perpetration induced traumautic stress (PITS; MacNair, 2015). Violence perpetration has negative implications on a personal, interpersonal, and group level, but a review of the literature reveals a significant gap in our understanding of perpetration-induced traumatic stress, including 2 fundamental questions: how does perpetrating violence cause trauma, and how can we treat this trauma? None of the existing psychological models adequately answer the first question, …

A Machiavellian Christian: Analyzing The Political Theology Of 'The Prince', John G. Addison

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper attempts to reconsider the role that Christian religion played in the political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli, focusing specifically on The Prince. Despite regnant popular and scholastic opinion, this paper posits that Machiavelli's ideological foundation falls squarely into the theological and moral traditions and scripture of Christianity, and is thus an inseparable element of the political theory of Machiavelli. Further, this work seeks to illustrate the presence of orthodox political and religious beliefs contained within The Prince and throughout the Machiavellian corpus, focusing on the socio-political milieu of Renaissance Florence and the broader traditions of humanist thought. In …

Clergy Cultural Competency : Multicultural Competency As A Prerequisite For Ministry In Hawaii, Debra K. Murray

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.

Remixing The Post-Civil Rights Era: Responding To Daniels' A Convergent Model Of Renewal, Daniel White Hodge

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Exploring Intercessory Prayer As It Relates To Spiritual Warfare Preaching At Mount Zion Christian Church, Vernon Langley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The focus of this thesis is exploring the influence of intercessory prayer; from the standpoint of spiritual warfare preaching. Present day homiletics concentrates on the method of sermons by applying information within the message to a great story and powerful scriptural passages which is imperative to make the sermon thought provoking and applicable to contemporary congregations. However, there is another element to preaching the gospel, which has gotten considerably less attention in modern day study. How the evaluations of Divine powers of intercessory prayer operate behind the discourse, and spiritual powers of darkness that endeavor to obstruct the reception of …

Developing A Model For Church-Based Disaster Relief, Brady Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide a manual for the local church to implement in preparation for and during times of disaster. The author will specifically focus on the region of Amherst County, Virginia for this project. The author will approach this project by first defining what a disaster is and the role the church should play during times of great need. Attention will be given specifically to how the church should respond during times of disaster in foreign nations, in the United States, in nearby counties, and in the community of the church’s backyard. This project will …

College-Bound Students: A Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity/Spirituality, And Achievement, William Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The achievement gap between private and public school college-bound students has continued to widen each year since 1972. The researcher studied the relationship of Christian school college-bound students’ religiosity/spirituality using a validated survey instrument and their achievement as measured on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The literature implies a relationship, but there is a gap in studying homogeneous religious groups. Therefore, the researcher selected a homogeneous grouping, Texas Christian high school college-bound seniors, as the sample for this study. The researcher obtained permission to use the Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth (RASSY) survey instrument and included demographic and score data …

Five Principles To Empower The Worship Leader, Stacey Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of the worship leader exists in most churches. These leaders serve in roles from volunteer choir directors to the directors of large worship staffs. They are the standard-bearers of worship for their teams and their congregations. To successfully serve, they must possess knowledge of worship practices and leadership skills. While students of worship may have a firm foundation of biblical, historical, and philosophical principles, many current leaders do not have strong leadership backgrounds and, therefore, lack basic foundational skills for leadership. Through a study of current literature and a survey of leaders of worship in churches of various …

The Ecological Crisis: Questioning Christianity’S Contribution, Jessica Bolak

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"Introduction

Distinguished academic, Lynn White, claims that the Judeo-Christian religions are to blame for the ecological crisis and uses interpretations from the Bible to support his argument. He believes these religions have a harmful impact on the relationship between humans and nature. In this paper I will examine White’s claims specifically against Christianity, and refute them by providing multiple perspectives from varying scholars to substantiate my argument."

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

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploration Into Small, Rural, Declining, Near End Of Life-Cycle Church Turnaround In The Wesleyan And United Methodist Church, Marcel Allen Lamb

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.

2016 Otterbein University Academic Honors Convocation Program, Otterbein University

Honors Convocation

No abstract provided.

Hope College Abstracts: 15th Annual Celebration Of Undergraduate Research And Creative Performance, Hope College

15th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance (2016)

The 15th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance was held on April 15, 2016 in the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College and featured student-faculty collaborative research projects. This program is a record reflective of those projects between the 2015-2016 academic year.

Reconciliation As Holistic Redemptive Transformation, Mike Langford

Winifred E. Weter Lectures

"Reconciliation" is a word often used in Christian circles, but almost as often, it is not defined. Sometimes it is used to indicate intimacy with God, sometimes it means merely being nice to other people, and sometimes it refers to an ambiguous concept of justice. To avoid this conceptual reductionism, we can look to the work of 20th-century theologian Karl Barth, who wrote exhaustively on the concept of reconciliation as an ecology of multi-dimensional salvation -- personal, communal, and societal. For Barth, reconciliation means restored relationship in a theological and holistic sense, such that all reality is redemptively transformed by …

The Role Of Composition And Orchestration In The Contemporary Church: A Practical Model Of God-Honoring Creativity In Modern Worship, Lauren Bentley

Senior Honors Theses

The role of composition and orchestration in the contemporary church is sometimes overlooked because of the simplicity of today’s worship songs. There is an obvious tension between excellence and authenticity when approaching modern worship. Through following examples of church arrangers as well as secular composers, the writer has composed and orchestrated an original piece for use in a contemporary worship context.

A philosophy and methodology for creating this composition are both outlined, with three components addressed in each: increasing the musical complexity, ensuring theologically correct lyrics, and purifying the intention of the heart in order to glorify God through the …

Hospitality Ethos With Justice And Dignity: Catholic, Vincentian, And Jesuit Perspectives On Global Migration, Marco Tavanti Ph.D.

Vincentian Studies

Marco Tavanti examines the causes, consequences, and problems of global migration, and particularly forced migration, as human rights issues. We owe caritas, “human-divine love,” to migrants and must therefore treat them with a hospitality founded on justice and dignity. In the Abrahamic religions, hospitality is “generosity and graciousness” extended to friends and potentially dangerous strangers alike as a “service to God and humanity.” Such hospitality is “based on the needs of the guest, not the benefit of the host.” Hospitality was central to early Christianity and remains an imperative for today’s Church. Social justice’s role in hospitality is explored, …