Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Spiritual Warfare: A Strategic Guide, Lance T. Beauchamp

Faculty Publications and Presentations

¹⁰ Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tacticsof the Devil. ¹² For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens (Eph 6:10–12).[1]

This is a passage most of us are familiar with and perhaps we have heard a message or two on the armor of God from the following verses in Ephesians 6 but do we …

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 67, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Fluid Pastoral: African American Spiritual Waterways In The Urban Landscapes Of Harlem Renaissance Poetry, Maren E. Loveland

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

In 1921 Langston Hughes penned, “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” in his poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (Hughes 1254). Weaving the profound pain of the African American experience with the symbolism of the primordial river, Hughes recognized the inherent power of water as a means of spiritual communication and religious significance. Departing from the traditional interpretation of the American pastoral as typified by white poets such as Robert Frost and Walt Whitman, the African American poets emerging from the Harlem Renaissance established a more nuanced pastoral landscape embedded within urban cultures, utilizing water in particular as …

Influences Of Tenure Among Church Of God Of Prophecy Pastors, Florida District, Romeika Ferguson-Adderley

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The factors that influence pastoral tenure are varied and complex, especially as men and women serve congregations with growing diversities and needs. However, in the past 30 years, the research on pastoral tenure typically examined congregations that were Protestant in organizational belief and structure. Little research on pastoral tenure among Pentecostal churches could be found in the current body of literature. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to investigate the factors that influence pastoral tenure within three regional/subcultural areas of the state of Florida for the Pentecostal denomination of the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP). All lead …

Paradise Lost And The Puritan Movement, Peyton Murphy

History of Christianity II: TH 314

No abstract provided.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon On Depression, Mitchel Pierce

History of Christianity II: TH 314

No abstract provided.

The Life And Thought Of John Milton, Peyton Murphy

History of Christianity II: TH 314

No abstract provided.

Martin Luther King Jr. And The Power Of His Ambitious And Influential Speeches, Scott Bumpus

History of Christianity II: TH 314

No abstract provided.

Protestants And The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: In Search Of Inclusive Solutions, Mykhailo Cherenkov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Post-Soviet Protestants, having gotten used to living in coexistence with an atheistic society over the course of 70 years, have discovered something new in the years since Ukraine gained independence—Orthodox tradition. It did not happen at once, but the first attempts have been made at reclassifying the relationship between Protestants and Orthodox as other, not foreign. However, the Orthodox other is not the only other. In dialogue with the official Orthodox Church, it is easy to lose sight of the diversity within Orthodoxy (Orthodox churches are “other” to each other), and also the coexistence in the same cultural arena of …

Serbian Orthodoxy Between Two Worlds, Marko P. Djurić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Orthodoxy has, by the Providence of God, been placed between Western Christianity, and Sunni Islam. Church nationalism (phyletism) has always been present in political and linguistic nationalism in the former Yugoslavia. The relationship between Serbian Orthodoxy, with Islam and Western Christianity is not satisfactory. In order to become satisfactory, it would be important for the Orthodox Church to create a new theology which would, primarily, be a theological (Orthodox) response to the signs of the times. However, this has not become the reality as of yet.

Interdisciplinary Team-Based Pastoral Care Model For Estonian Healthcare Institutions: The Professionals' Insight And The Model Adjustments, Liidia Meel

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The current article addresses the application potential of an interdisciplinary team- based pastoral care model in Estonian healthcare institutions. To support the inclusion of pastoral care in Estonian healthcare institutions, the initial model of interdisciplinary team-based pastoral care was created as a theoretical construction. The current article deals with the model applicability and aims to adjust the model to be adaptable to different healthcare institutions in Estonia. To inform the model adjustments, a qualitative research was conducted in three Estonian hospitals that have included pastoral care provision in different organizational forms. The expert sample consists of pastoral caregivers of these …

Book Review: God, Hierarchy, And Power: Orthodox Theologies Of Authority From Byzantium., James R. Payton

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Ashley M. Purpura, God, Hierarchy, and Power: Orthodox Theologies of Authority from Byzantium. New York: Fordham University Press, 2018. 226 pages. $65.00 (hardcover). ISBN: 978-0-8232-7837-4.

This book is a reworking of the author’s 2014 doctoral dissertation on the history of Christianity at Fordham University. It deals with intriguing questions about hierarchy as a theological ideal in Orthodoxy and the ways that ideal was understood and interpreted by leading figures during the Byzantine era, as they dealt with problems and failures in the way hierarchy actually functioned. The author draws attention to problems she perceives in the way hierarchy has been …

The Parable As Mirror: An Examination Of The Use Of Parables In The Works Of Kierkegaard, Russell Hamer

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation focuses on an exploration of the use of parables in the works of Soren Kierkegaard. While some work has been done on Kierkegaard’s poetic style, very little attention has been paid to his metaphors, despite their prevalent use in his works. Much of the scholarship instead treats his parables as mere examples of philosophical concepts. In this work, I argue that Kierkegaard’s parables function primarily to cause the reader to see him or herself truly. The parables work like mirrors, reflecting our true selves back onto ourself. In this way, the parables prompt Kierkegaard’s readers to overcome the …

Reconciling Universal Salvation And Freedom Of Choice In Origen Of Alexandria, Lee W. Sytsma

Dissertations (1934 -)

Origen has traditionally been famous for his universalism, but many scholars now express doubt that Origen believed in a universal and permanent apocatastasis. This is because many scholars are convinced that Origen’s teaching on moral autonomy (or freedom of choice) is logically incompatible with the notion that God foreordains every soul’s future destiny. Those few scholars who do argue that Origen believed in both moral autonomy and universal salvation either do not know how to reconcile these two views in Origen’s theology, or their proposed “solutions” are not convincing. In this dissertation I make two preliminary arguments which allow the …

A Message From Antioch And Moravia To The West, Barry Hudspeth

Masters Theses

This qualitative thesis study, “A Message From Antioch and Moravia to the West,” explores the North American Church’s role in the global missions arena and seeks to develop a streamlined strategy for engaging in cross-cultural evangelism in the twenty-first century. A qualitative case study of the first-century Christian church and Moravian church of the eighteenth century provides data on actions conducted to spread Christianity from a central geographical location outward to the known world in their respective eras of Christian history. These two case study analyses looked at how the Gospel was spread during each point in history followed by …

Reframing Identity In The Age Of Authenticity, Daphne Edmonston

Masters Theses

Many in American culture have either actively or passively adopted the idea that authenticity is one of the highest virtues, if not the highest. The cultural ideal of authenticity states that personal identity and meaning are found within oneself. Being true to ‘the real you’ is the path to meaning, pleasure, and flourishing. This way of framing personal identity proves to be insecure, unstable, and leads to a lack of flourishing. In contrast, a Christian view of authenticity provides stability and security and leads to the possibility of flourishing in this life as well as for eternity. There is a …

Developing A Discipleship-Training Model For Equipping The Laity With Both Emotional And Spiritual Maturity In Korean Churches, Jongsik Hwang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are a lot of discipleship training programs in South Korea, but there is no discipleship-training program that focuses on both emotional maturity and spiritual maturity at the same time for mature believers. By focusing so much on spiritual maturity, churches have neglected the parts of emotional maturity since the churches were planted in South Korea. Emotionally unhealthy believers cause conflicts in church and struggle with serious individual troubles. Therefore, Korean churches should have a discipleship program which focuses on the emotional aspects as Jesus came to the earth as a perfect human and an incontestable God. The purpose of …

A Recent Attempt To Disprove The Resurrection Of Jesus And Supernatural Beliefs, Gary R. Habermas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Miracle Myth by the University of Wisconsin philosopher Larry Shapiro addresses Jesus’ resurrection and supernatural beliefs in the context of the miracles question. This Review Article outlines briefly Shapiro’s argument, including some critical responses.

The Mountain Stands: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Zulu Christians' Approaches To Spiritual Health, Makayla Lagerman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Spiritual health is a vital component of individual wellness that can be described in many ways; most commonly, it is thought of as the connectivity of the inner spirit to others, the world, transcendental beings, and more. From personal experience, I know that the state of my spiritual wellbeing can greatly impact my physical and mental health. For this reason, actively considered how to think about spiritual health for one of the first times in my life.

This project sought to explore Zulu Christians’ approaches to spiritual health in concurrence with my own. This was done by interviewing one Swazi …

A Phenomenological Study: The Quest For God In An Epoch Of Distraction, Todd Marcy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Distraction happens to everyone at some point in time. Diverted attention while driving can have serious consequences, and being sidetracked while talking on the cellphone can cause one to forget where the car keys were laid down at home. Distraction at church during a worship service can affect one’s relationship with God and others. Personal motivations, pre-existing conditions, and duration of time contribute to how a person will interact with a disturbance of attention; likewise, factors of biology, technology, values, and mores can influence the power of partial attention. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the lived …

Connecting The Church Beyond Prison Ministry: Transitioning The Discipled Prisoner Into A Discipleship Community, Joyce Weathers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The prison population in the United States surpasses all other countries on a per capita basis. The number of released inmates, who return to prison (recidivism) is staggering. In-prison Christian discipleship programs have successfully transitioned parolees into the free world, but little research has been done to confirm a standard practice for the transition process. Theories abound from clergy and laity alike; yet apathy and fear remain persistent deterrents. The church is confronted with a biblical mandate to assist the incarcerated (Matt. 25:36) and to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). By addressing the current concerns of church and prison ministry leaders, …

An Examination Of Children’S Ministry Volunteer Development From Pastors And Laity In The Local Church, Kenneth Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing children’s ministry volunteers in the local church is crucial to the sustenance of the body of Christ. Children’s ministry volunteers should be viewed as capable partners with both parents and church leaders in fulfilling the Great Commission. All volunteer ministries of the church matter, but those serving in children’s ministry have the unique opportunity to shape the lives of individuals who could serve the kingdom for a lifetime. Children’s ministry volunteer development is valuable because kingdom advancement hinges on lay ministry development as described in Ephesians 4:11–16. For this project, the researcher surveyed children’s ministry volunteers and pastors in …

Emotional Re-Engagement After Deployments: Using Attachment Principles With Relationship Resources For Post-Deployment Relational Enhancement, Rob Fasnacht

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The understanding of attachment theory helps one to overcome personal and relational problems that are exacerbated by past traumas. This thesis project focused on how long durations of separations, especially in a military setting, may trigger symptoms from past traumas, which may impede relational secure attachments to friends and family. A survey was crafted and answered by over 100 adults, including military members, military dependents, and non-military civilians. The results were analyzed to discover how often people were separated from loved ones, the length that perhaps caused problems, and the feelings that developed. A literary review of books and scholastic …

7 Essential Keys To Success: Developing The Spiritual Discipline In The Leader, Bernard Winchester

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To deny that some leaders have problems, and others do not, is to deny Scripture, history, and experience. All leaders may not have as many problems as some, but all leaders do have problems. These problems are not always produced by the grass-roots membership. Leaders are often the cause of the very problems they see and deplore in the church. It is apparent that this is true when a leader has dishonored the moral standards or departed from sound doctrine. It is more often true when the leader has been indolent, failed to plan his work or work the plan, …

An Investigation Of Assessment, Equal Opportunity, And Educational Equity In Conservative Evangelical Schools, Joseph Scifo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose for this ex post facto, causal comparative study was to use a three-tiered investigation; each tier was related to the investigation of equity and student achievement. Based on the literature, there is little to no research about the relationship between equity in conservative Evangelical Christian schools and student achievement. The data used in this study was drawn from conservative Evangelical schools. The research focus was on schools which are members of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) in the Mid-America/Ohio River Valley Region. The participant schools were divided into different tiers and categories, in accordance with the …

Moving From Performance To Missional Worship: Five Biblical Principles And Practices To Infuse Discipleship Into Worship, Ossie Xzabia Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In striving for authentic worship, many worship leaders focus on the sound of the choir and the individual’s relationship with God without considering discipleship. God’s first directive to humanity in Gen. 1:28 supplied God’s instruction for authentic worship, which emphasized discipleship and not music. Training choir members to worship without including discipleship results in the shaping of performers rather than worshipers. Worship must reflect the Trinity and not the skills and ability of the worshiper. When worshipers show God's love through discipleship, they reveal the Godhead. To shape singers holistically, worship leaders must teach their choir members to disciple. This …

Frontmatter (Volume 38, Issue 2), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Two Types Of Crisis In Central And Eastern Europe, András Máté-Tóth

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In contemporary public discourses, the term “crisis” is often used. Anything and everything might be named or categorized as a crisis. Thus, the term seemingly becomes devalued. I, however, argue that after some differentiation, it is possible to speak about crisis in regards to our societies in Central and Eastern Europe.

In social theory, the term "crisis" is currently used not primarily to describe one particular societal phenomenon, but rather the entire area of today’s society and culture. Crisis, for social theorists, seems to be the fundamental phenomenon which serves as a main theoretical framework to understand the contemporary societal …

Waiting On The White Smoke: The Russian Evangelical Alliance's 15th Annual Convention In Moscow, William Yoder

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Moscow — It took a while for the white smoke to climb up the chimney. That’s the Roman Catholic metaphor the 66-year-old Alexander Fedichkin, the Russian Evangelical Alliance’s president, used to describe the protracted internal negotiations leading up to his appointment for an additional three-year term. Consequently, the REA’s fifteenth annual conference, held on February 22, 2018, in Moscow’s Lutheran Peter-and-Paul-Cathedral, began late.

Fedichkin, a long-time Baptist Union pastor in Moscow, has served as president since 2013. General-Secretary Sergey Vdovin, a pastor within the “Association of Churches of Evangelical Christians” in Moscow, has held this position since 2011. The initial …

Methodism In Macedonia Between The Two World Wars, Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

After World War I ended, the part of Macedonia commonly called Vardar Macedonia was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (subsequently renamed Yugoslavia). It was officially proclaimed to be a part of Serbia as the Serbian government did not recognize a separate Macedonian nationality. Some 10 stations of the American Board, including the Bitola Girls' School, were in this area. The American Board attempted to maintain a semblance of unity in the Balkan Mission, but Greece, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia were on such unfriendly terms that this was not feasible. For a while the American Board was …