Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Purpose Of Hell: Control Of Communities Through Apocalyptic Literature., Madison S Fogle

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Literature depicting Hell in late antique Christianity reveals more than the theological concern for one’s eternal soul, revealing the underlying values and morals of the growing society. Borrowing from Roman, Greek, and Jewish culture, Christians were seeking to set themselves apart while also grappling with their past around them. Through visions of Hell, apocalyptic literature in late antique Christian society exhibits the control exercised over parishioners, specifically control over their bodies and their wealth. The moral laws from Greek, Roman, and Jewish influences is evident through early Christian literature, which dictate the ways in which people are regulated by Christianity …

Generational Differences In Assemblies Of God Ministers Regarding Assemblies Of God Doctrinal Beliefs, Darin S. Poe

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Ministers with a strong belief in the Assemblies of God’s Statement of Fundamental Truths and doctrine are essential to the future success and proliferation of the Assemblies of God mission and churches. This study aimed to assess and compare ministers’ denominational and doctrinal beliefs in the AGUSA by generational groups. The researcher examined the history and current literature concerning generational differences, varied religious beliefs and practices among the generations, the early history of Pentecostalism and the Assemblies of God in America, and specific characteristics of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. The aim was to provide insights …

Exegetical Analysis Paper: An Examination Of 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, Keegan Matheson

Biblical Studies Student Projects

The paper is an exegetical analysis on 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. It offers several interpretative options of the phrase "discerning the body" which is found in verse 29 (ESV). The goal of this paper is to examine the different interpretative options of the phrase and decide which interpretation makes the most sense within the context of Pauline theology.

Monster Theory And The Book Of Enoch: Angels And Giants As Chaos And Identity, Jordan C. Cerone

Student Publications

The Book of Enoch is a non-canonical text that is often referenced in later Judeo-Christian apocalyptic texts and mythology. Enoch scholarship is limited to the past two centuries due to its status as a “lost” work; research has only recently begun. Most prior scholars focused their research on examining the text through the lens of form and historical criticism. They sought to define the genre, to contextualize the book, to determine its authorship, and simply to translate the text from various languages. Though research focused on the Watchers as literary devices in the historical narrative, this study proposes using monster …

Forming Saints In A Digital Context, Mark R. Teasdale

Great Commission Research Journal

Biblical and scholarly sources agree on the importance of forming Christians to seek after holy living to make them more effective evangelists, such that the ministries of evangelism and spiritual formation are intertwined. They also agree that one of the primary roles of the church is to provide for this formation. However, the practices for doing this have been complicated by the heavy move toward digital ministry because of COVID-19. Congregations can continue this formational work even in highly digital contexts by helping Christians tell their story through lifelogging, providing rituals and disciplines to sanctify time and physical spaces, and …

Gerontic Evangelism, Yakubu Jakada

Great Commission Research Journal

Gerontic Evangelism focuses on sharing the gospel with senior adults. Many evangelism ministries are focusing on children, youth, women, and other adult members of society, but few focus on the elderly. Senior adults in most cases are not seen as a peculiar group that needs to be strategically reached with the gospel. Their importance in society and their growing population worldwide should attract the attention of evangelists and missionaries to target them as a special group for gospel witness. This paper argues that winning the senior adults to Christ is a necessity and may open doors for the evangelization and …

Book Review: Advanced Missiology: How To Study Missions In Credible And Useful Ways By Kenneth R. Nehrbass, Keith R. Sellers

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Defending Shame: Its Formative Power In Paul’S Letters By Te-Li Lau, Yi-Sang Patrick Chan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

About The Great Commission Research Network Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Women's Holistic Transformation And Self-Help Groups, Desta Demessie Madie

Doctor of Ministry

Women in Adama City are enslaved to generational poverty due to a lack of alternative income generating means and unproductive expenditures related to spiritual practices in hopes of attaining supernatural power. A Self-Help Group is a development intervention approach that is aimed at empowering women. This research critically examines the role of SHGs in promoting holistic transformation of women in three areas: women’s economic empowerment, and socio-political empowerment, and women’s spiritual transformation with reference to the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Development Program. The SHG approach will be reviewed within a framework based on the concept of Christian holistic transformation. The …

Applying Paul’S Areopagus Model To Generation Z, Tanita Maddox

Great Commission Research Journal

The members of Generation Z are today’s adolescents and young professionals, bringing with them their own culture. This culture requires other generations to use a cross-cultural approach to evangelism, as modeled by Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). Paul observed the Athenian culture, built rapport, used common language with his audience, found common ground as a cultural doorway for his message, and redefined the audience’s understanding of the relationship between God and humans. The same steps can be applied to gospel proclamation to Generation Z for effective and relevant evangelism.

Church-Based Research: Using Theories, Concepts, And Operationalizations, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Church-based research requires working with abstract concepts ranging from sin to sanctification. Theories, concepts, and operationalizations allow us to work with these abstractions. Theories are sets of statements describing how specific concepts relate to each other. Concepts are broad ideas that exist in our thinking that can be used to describe phenomena, both within and exterior to the church. If we measure the concepts in our theories among multiple people, we can determine to what degree the relationships in our theories are true or discover under what conditions they are true. Sometimes concepts can be measured directly; other times they …

Competing Notions Of Humility: Why Korean Americans Do Not Need To Abandon Confucius To Get To Christ, Eunice Hong, Max Botner

Great Commission Research Journal

Korean Americans often go to church not only for religious reasons, but also for social and cultural reasons. Due to the close tie between the Korean immigrant church and cultural traditions, second-generation Korean Americans often struggle with trying to balance Eastern and Western cultural values. In particular, tensions arise for second-generation Korean Americans between competing notions of humility. Such tensions, however, provide opportunities to reflect on the particular nature of Christian humility. This article presents biblical humility as one that is neither the maintenance of cultural traditions nor the personal growth of individual disciples; rather, Christ-shaped, Spirit-filled humility is the …

Apologetics And Disability: Reframing Our Response To The Question Of Suffering, Rochelle Scheurermann

Great Commission Research Journal

A prominent question that is asked when people consider God is how to account for suffering if God is good and all-powerful. For Christians, answering this question is a major part of apologetic and evangelistic training. But what if the way we have traditionally approached this question is not good news for everyone? This paper examines the suffering question in light of disabilities and suggests a new way to engage in apologetics that is centered in creation (not fall) and celebrates the gifts and opportunities that come through a diversity of ability.

My Journey In Church Growth, Elmer Towns

Great Commission Research Journal

This is a short autobiography focusing on the authors experiences in the Church Growth movement.

Book Review: Development In Mission: A Guide For Transforming Global Poverty And Ourselves By Monty Lynn, Rob Gailey, And Derran Reese, Nathaniel Veltman

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Cultural Intelligence: Living For God In A Diverse, Pluralistic World By Darrell Bock, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Motus Dei: The Movement Of God To Disciple The Nations Edited By Warrick Farah, David H. Campbell

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Turning Points In The Expansion Of Christianity: From Pentecost To The Present By Alice Ott, David Thiessen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Apostolic Imagination: Recovering A Biblical Vision For The Church’S Mission Today By J. D. Payne, H. L. Ward Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Great Commission Research Network 2022 Presidential Address, Jay Moon

Great Commission Research Journal

Presidential message at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Great Commission Research Network held in Orlando, Florida.

Book Review: Pastor Unique: Becoming A Turnaround Leader By Laverne E. Brown, Gordon E. Penfold, And Gary J. Westra, Jim Roden

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Not Just The Sinner’S Prayer: People’S Experiences With “Stranger-Evangelism”, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

While churches and Christian concerts are typical loci for evangelism, some Christians also broach the subject of faith with strangers they encounter at their health club, at the beach, or while visiting door-to-door. This study draws from 34 stories of “stranger-evangelism” offered by 11 ministers and laypeople who participated in semi-structured interviews. The central finding of this study is that stranger-evangelism contains a rich variety of experiences that are typical of any ministry: sometimes planned (by proclaiming, inviting, programming, befriending, and serving), and sometimes spontaneously. Participants described the fruit of their efforts along a continuum from rejection to interest, and …

Great Commission Research Journal Fall 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Wild Hope: Prayers And Poems (Book Review), Rose Postma

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Wild Hope: Prayers and Poems by John Terpstra. Toronto, Ontario: The St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2020. 95 pp. ISBN: 9781928095040.

Engaging And Mobilizing Baby Boomers For Effective Ministry, Paul D. Russell

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

In the 21st-century church in America, can Baby Boomers, who presently range from 57 to 76 years of age, be envisioned and commissioned to make a difference through effective and meaningful ministry? The intent of the research was to discover relevant information and present considerations to help those entering the last third of life make an informed contribution to the church and community. Evidence will be presented to show that Boomers need the church and that the church needs the presence and resourceful productivity of the Boomer cohort. This reality does not circumvent the essential mission of reaching other generations …

Experiences Of Egyptian Youth Participating In Discipleship And Mentoring Groups After Attending An Evangelical Youth Camp In Egypt, Jo E. Hawkins

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Spiritual development plays a vital role in young people’s psychological health and wellness, and spiritual awareness is beneficial in developing morals and coping strategies when dealing with real-life situations (Lee et al., 2020). A lack of scholarly literature addressing the spiritual growth of Egyptian youth involved in evangelical camps and now living for Christ in a predominately Muslim society prompted this study. This qualitative narrative study was based on the theoretical framework of social constructivism pioneered by Vygotsky. The research participants were four Egyptian youth who had attended a Christian camp, made the life-changing decision to follow Christ, and were …

Biblical Boogeymen, Holy Ghosts, And The New Demonology: A Review Of Three Recent Books On Religion And Horror, Brian Collins

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review essay on three books: Brandon R. Grafius, Reading the Bible with Horror (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019); Brandon R. Grafius and John Morehead, eds., Theology and Horror: Explorations of the Dark Religious Imagination (Fortress Academic/Lexington, 2021); and Steve A. Wiggins, Nightmares with the Bible: The Good Book and Cinematic Demons (Fortress Academic/Lexington, 2020).

Life In The Multiverse: Bringing Chaos Out Of Order?, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper was given as the opening keynote address at the International Conference on Religion and Film at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 8, 2022, and is here presented in that form.

My thanks go to those who organized the conference for Vrije Universiteit, notably Professor Johan Roeland and Miranda van Holland.

What I Hope For My Daughter: Eyes To See, Abby De Groot

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"I have continued to witness acts of love and care for Reese in the three and half years following her diagnosis."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­discovering empathy and support at school 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/what-i-hope-for-my-daughter-eyes-to-see/