Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Impact Of The Application Of Disability Ministry And Discipleship Within The Southern Baptist Churches Of Virginia, Minsoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study examined how individuals with disabilities serving as church leaders and congregants experienced belonging within Southern Baptist churches in Virginia. The researcher framed the study using Baumeister and Leary’s (2017; 1995) need to belong theory, which posits that human beings possess an innate drive to form and maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships. The researcher examined how belonging was expressed through physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions within congregations engaged in disability ministry and contributing to fulfillment of the Great Commission. The researcher employed purposive sampling to recruit 11 participants from Southern Baptist congregations in Virginia who self-identified as individuals …

Church Disaffiliation's Impact On Black Christian Millennials' Faith Development, Kevin M. Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher explored the faith, ways of living, and ideologies of Black Christian millennials that unite them with others and with God, leading to what James Fowler called the “ultimate environment” (Attfield, 1994). The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design to examine whether the faith development path of Black Christian millennials had been impacted by church disaffiliation. From their perspective, identifying factors that fuel their beliefs, religious expressions, and views on their religious identity (Thomas, 2017). Faith, in its simplest form, is defined not by creeds or their institutional practices, Fowler acknowledges. However, its foundational truth lies in the …

Leading Like Christ: A Phenomenological Study Of The Biblical Shepherd Motif In Christian Parachurch Executive Leadership, Alex Sefton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Christian nonprofit parachurch organization executive leaders in southeastern Indiana (i.e., Decatur County and its adjacent counties). For the purpose of this study, executive leaders was defined as those who hold a top-level leadership position at an organization, and Christian nonprofit parachurch organization was defined as an organization designated under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) that advances biblical principles and social welfare. Shepherd-like leadership was generally defined as a leadership style that demonstrates relational care, personal guidance, and protection of well-being, as seen in Psalm …

Dementia Caregiver Support: Offering Spiritual And Emotional Guidance To Loved Ones Filling The Gap, William Reid Bishop

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Tremont Church of God is that members offering caregiver support to their loved ones with dementia are unaware of the coping skills needed for support. The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to provide an 8-week training program to teach caregivers techniques for managing their emotional and spiritual needs. The sample population for this project is church members over the age of 18 who are actively caregiving for a spouse or close relative with dementia. The sample size is between 10 and 15 participants. The training is located at Tremont COG. The training is in …

Developing A Digital Platform For The Christian Leadership School At True Vine Baptist Church, Tonia Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Dissertation-in-Praxis (DiP) project examined the development and implementation of the True Vine Christian Leadership School (TVCLS) at True Vine Baptist Church. Rapid congregational growth revealed a need to connect members to sustained discipleship beyond worship attendance. In response, TVCLS was developed as a digital ministry solution to bridge the gap between initial engagement and long-term spiritual development while advancing the Great Commission. The purpose of the project was to provide biblical and theological instruction, promote outreach and fellowship, and cultivate a congregation with a deeper connection to Christ. The program utilized the Christian education framework established by the Sunday …

A Phenomenological Study On Pastoral Leadership In Post-Covid In-Person Worship Attendance Growth Within Southern Baptist Congregational Polity, David Christian Justice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research is to examine and reveal the perceived experiences of pastoral leadership in post-COVID in-person worship attendance growth among North Carolina Southern Baptist Churches (NCSBCs) operating within the framework of congregational polity. The theory guiding this study is that pastoral leadership is vital for post-COVID in-person worship growth in Southern Baptist Churches (Bryan, 2024; Hudson, 2018). Hudson’s (2018) competency model for church revitalization identifies pastoral leadership as “one of the most consistent predictors of a church’s ability to grow after a period of plateau or decline” (p. 3). The unique leadership structure of Southern …

Second Maccabees As A Thematic Bridge To Early Christian Thought, Elizabeth D. Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research on Second Maccabees has increased over the past century, especially since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Much of this scholarship has been confined to discussion of historical, literary, or thematic topics within the confines of the work or in relation to the Old Testament. Little scholarship, comparably, exists regarding the themes of Second Maccabees in relationship to early Christian beliefs expressed in the New Testament.

This body of research seeks to address this gap by tracing the evolution of major themes from Second Maccabees through the first century CE and examining the presence of those themes within …

A Phenomenological Study Of Cultural Tightness Impacting Lived Experiences Of Female Leaders In United Methodist Churches, Genevieve M. Hamer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Gender equality captures the news highlights. Women push to assume roles similar in pay, power, and significance in all types of organizations as their male peers. It is hard to ignore this when it comes to the matter of biblical calling and the roles of women in church leadership. Researchers have devoted hours to the topic of calling. This study examined calling as it relates to the biblical call towards a vocation. While there are different theological positions regarding the roles of women in the church, scholars agree there is such a thing as a biblical calling. Even in egalitarian …

To Be Holy: How Expository Preaching On Holiness Impacts The Understanding Of John Wesley’S View Of The Gospel At Hopewell Methodist Church, Robert Moseley Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem identified in this thesis is that the adult members of Hopewell Methodist Church do not possess a Wesleyan view of the gospel and its goal. The action research project employs expository preaching to convey doctrinal truths discovered in Scripture. The project involved preaching an eight-week series of expository sermons on selected Scripture passages, covering foundational doctrines of the faith and explaining the gospel. The purpose of the sermon series was to introduce the congregation to John Wesley’s doctrine of holiness and to instate a Wesleyan view of the gospel. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to join a weekly …

Sacred Silence: The Unspoken Realities Of Satisfaction In Marital Intimacy Among Black Christian Women, Shonda Reneé Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual intimacy is a vital component of marital satisfaction, yet many married Black Christian women, taught to abstain from sex until marriage, enter matrimony without adequate marital guidance. This qualitative phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of married Black Christian women, ages 30–60, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage but received little to no instruction on sexual intimacy after marriage. The central research question is: How do married Black Christian women, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage, describe their experiences with marital intimacy? Framed by feminist theory, attachment theory, and intersectionality, the study examines …

Hearing The Mystery: Musical Diversity And The Search For Beauty, John Macinnis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"By shifting from primary reflection to secondary reflection in our thinking, from problem to mystery, we ensure that our aesthetic lives remain as expansive and vibrant as the diversity of creation."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­music appreciation from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Hearing the Mystery

Piranesi And Neptune: How Susanna Clarke’S Spellbinding Story Orbits Planet Narnia, Jennifer Agee

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This essay is a critical consideration and celebration of the novel Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. The book makes clear references to the Chronicles of Narnia; these connections have been noted and explored elsewhere. But what hasn’t been noticed is Piranesi’s connection to Dr. Michael Ward’s critical theory as described in Planet Narnia (2008). Ward claims that the Narnia books are secretly organized around a medieval planetary scheme that incorporates the atmosphere, imagery, and influence of the “visible planets,” which C.S. Lewis believed were spiritual symbols of permanent value. This essay briefly explains Dr. Ward’s theory and argues that Susanna Clarke …

From Maldon To Mordor: Hobbits And The Lord-Retainer Relationship In The Lord Of The Rings, Samuel A. Masters

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Content warning: this paper discusses suicide and suicidal thoughts.

Tolkien’s interest in Old Germanic heroism had a profound impact upon the hobbits of The Lord of the Rings, and the Christianised form of heroism that they represent. In his essays, ‘Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1936) and ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son’ (1953), Tolkien praises the loving, paternalistic relationship between a lord and his retainers in Old English poetry; this aspect of medieval heroism is retained in Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin However, Tolkien also highlights several shortcomings of the Old Germanic ‘Northern Courage’. In …

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Gethsemane: Christian Art And Tradition In The Passion Of Albus Dumbledore, John Anthony Dunne

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This essay contends that Professor Dumbledore drinking a potion from a goblet administered by Harry Potter in the cave from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince evokes Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane from the Gospels and his request that "the cup" be removed from him. Even though the Gospels portray Jesus all alone, and Dumbledore has Harry with him, I argue that Harry Potter evokes the expanded Lukan account of Gethsemane, which contains a textually uncertain passage about an angel ministering to him (Luke 22.43–44). I argue further that this Lukan text informs Harry Potter specifically as mediated through visual representations …

The Beauty Of Diversity: A Fuller Vision For The Reformed Tradition, Kyle J. Dieleman

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"A diversity of Christian traditions within the unity of the Christian faith, including within the Reformed tradition itself, can open us up to the depths of the Christian faith and lead us to love more deeply God and one another."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­respecting other theological practices and traditions from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

The Beauty of Diversity

A Study Of Zomi Pentecostalism In Its Social, Cultural, And Political Context: A Pentecostal Quest For The Lost Paradise, Thang San Mung

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

This dissertation examines the paradisal quest of the Zomi people, an ethnic Christian minority in Myanmar, through the lens of Pentecostal spirituality. Historically, the Zomi have experienced political displacement, loss of their ancestral homeland (Zogam), and ongoing marginalization. While existing scholarship has primarily interpreted Zomi struggles in terms of ethnic identity, nationalism, and socio-political resistance, this study offers a theological reorientation by interpreting Zomi paradisal longing through the Spirit-Restored Paradise framework, a Pentecostal theological model developed here. Employing a qualitative ethnographic methodology grounded in contextual theology, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with twenty-four Zomi Pentecostal participants from Myanmar and …

Is Diversity Good?, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Even where we get it wrong, God shapes Creation so that the riotous diversity of our world, whether in complimentary or contrasting tones, cannot fail to highlight His glory."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­using discernment in promoting diversity from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Is Diversity Good?

Christian Barbie: Exploring Biblical Themes In Greta Gerwig's "Barbie", Julia Howell

Ex Sapientia Loqui

The record-breaking and highly successful hit movie, Barbie, may have more depth than a simple film concerning a plastic doll. After carefully watching and studying, I have reached the firm conclusion that there are clear Biblical allusions throughout the Barbie movie. While one can ascertain these allusions using a Christian lens, it is important to highlight that the director of the film, Greta Gerwig, has confirmed her movie to be Biblically inspired due to her religious background. I believe it is important to seek how Christ is being reflected in film whether His reflection is intended by the creator or …

Centering Christ In Classical Schools, Paul Griffioen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Gospel Education: Jesus as Lord of the Classical Christian School by Nate Walker. BakerBooks, 2026. pp 208. ISBN: 978-1540906007

Resurrection In Gold, Samantha K. Kelley

Undergraduate Theses

The human experience consistently brings about themes of brokenness, oftentimes leading to feelings of loss, confusion, and a desire for repair. Guided by a metaphor found in kintsugi (a Japanese art form), this thesis aims to explore and illustrate both brokenness and repair, through a lens of Christian theology.

The beginning of this project focuses on brokenness, illustrating the brokenness that is found in life by destroying old artworks in various ways. The method of breaking each piece also aimed to connect to a way brokenness is commonly found in life, for example – society tearing us down, artworks being …

Diversity, Complexity, And Beauty, Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"A pile of Lego pieces might be interesting, but it’s nothing compared to what those pieces can become when they’re arranged with intention."

Posting about what makes something beautiful from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Diversity, Complexity, and Beauty

Puddles Of Grace, Bruce Kuiper

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"... dignity, truth, and beauty do not originate from the platform. They originate from the source."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­ordinary yet profound moments in life from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Puddles of Grace

The Intermediate State: Scriptural, Philosophical, And Scientific Evidence For Conscious Existence After Death, Timothy R. Perry

Masters Theses

This thesis examines whether Scripture and supporting evidence affirm that believers enter the immediate presence of Christ in a conscious and possibly embodied state prior to the resurrection. It argues that compelling scriptural, scientific, and philosophical evidence supports the doctrine that believers enter the presence of Christ immediately after death, in a conscious and possibly embodied state until the final resurrection. The study employs a multidisciplinary argument drawing upon biblical exegesis, philosophical reasoning, and relevant scientific insights from the emerging field of near-death experiences. This study uniquely frames the intermediate state as an apologetic issue, offering hope to Christians who …

Brilliant Things: Directing The Heart Toward Hope, Laurel A. Koerner

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Together, we can cultivate an attitude of wonder, of beholding what is there, signaling the More. Renew our vision, Lord."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­noticing the good from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Brilliant Things

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 …

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 …

Establishing The St. Paul Ame Church’S Community Youth Chaplain Ministry To Equip African American Youth To Manage Their Mental, Emotional, And Spiritual Health, Michelle A. Creer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American youth face a myriad of challenges that negatively impact their well-being. As such, this study explores the role of community youth chaplaincy interventions in helping African American youth manage their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. The study focused on training the trainers who will guide and support the young people. The training and self-application/intervention centered on building resilience, identity formation, addressing racial trauma, and nurturing spiritual growth through understanding that God created participants in His image and their identity is in Christ. Nine adult participants who are engaged in churches and activities within the African American community, contributed …

A Phenomenological Research On The Understanding Of Morality At Birth From A Believer's Standpoint, Michelle I. Hubble

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

At birth, is a person born evil, good, or neutral? This phenomenological study aims to explore the perspective of the morality of a child at birth for adult believers in the Missionary Church. At this stage in the research, the perspective of the morality of a child at birth will be generally defined as evil, good, or neutral. The theory guiding this study was research done by Harvard, which concluded that humanity's first instinct is not to act selfishly but to cooperate in their behavior with others (Tucker, 2013). This research proposed that this alternative perspective is invalid when Piaget’s …

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 …

Inmate Reentry: Success Through Faith - A Mixed-Methods Study On Inmate Conversions And Life After Release, Eric S. Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation-in-praxis (DiP) explored the circumstances surrounding the emotional responses and past traumatic experiences that led inmates to commit their lives to Jesus. The DiP also researched the high rate of recidivism amongst released inmates. The researcher partnered with Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry (RTF), as well as local churches, in an effort to create a program that would work with inmates prior to and after release. The qualitative study established a paradigm highlighting the significance of comprehensive leadership training in a time of transition by drawing upon transformational leadership theory, adaptive leadership theory, as well as servant leadership theory. …