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Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Implementing And Equipping A Fivefold Ministry With Theological Education To Defend And Uphold Biblical Doctrines In The Church, Kara Yvette Harris
Implementing And Equipping A Fivefold Ministry With Theological Education To Defend And Uphold Biblical Doctrines In The Church, Kara Yvette Harris
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
God instructed believers to put forth their best work to rightly handle His Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). Unfortunately, God’s truth is under attack and has been polluted with false teaching and incorrect understanding of Scripture. It is incumbent on the local church to combat this problem of incorrect biblical teaching head-on. Therefore, this action research project aims to demonstrate that through proper theological training in the church, this problem will be remedied. This action research assumes that arming the local church with theological training will strengthen its core. To this aim, this research project included teaching five theological …
Theological Education And Spiritual Formation In The Lives Of Engaged, Emerging Adults, Markus David Colbert
Theological Education And Spiritual Formation In The Lives Of Engaged, Emerging Adults, Markus David Colbert
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis seeks to answer the following question: What is an effective discipleship method for emerging adults who are already engaged in IChurch? The method chosen was multi-layered and utilized corporate discipleship which involved a classroom setting geared toward theological and doctrinal education based on Bloom-Anderson’s taxonomy of educational objectives, communal discipleship which was concerned with small group activities and peer-to-peer accountability, and personal discipleship geared toward individual spiritual formation given an edited list of Whitney’s personal spiritual disciplines. Participants were asked to take an introductory Theological examination which plotted them from analyze level to the create level of Bloom’s …
Identification And Treatment Of Kierkegaardian Despair: An Informal Indirect Apologetic Strategy, Licio Soares
Identification And Treatment Of Kierkegaardian Despair: An Informal Indirect Apologetic Strategy, Licio Soares
Masters Theses
The central question this paper aimed at addressing was: How to present the gospel to people that are resistant to its presentation? The Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard suggested that the best strategy in this scenario was indirect communication. In Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous writings many theological themes were indirectly presented as philosophical ones. The following Kierkegaardian themes were selected and arranged into a two-phase apologetic strategy that can be used in informal conversational settings: Anxiety, Despair, The Crowd, Single Individual, Revelation, and Faith. Indirect communication takes place in the first phase which is comprised of the first four themes. The …
Apologetics And Disability: Reframing Our Response To The Question Of Suffering, Rochelle Scheurermann
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.
Choosing Evidence Over Theory: How The Evidence For The Resurrection Undermines A Priori Arguments Against Miracles, Benjamin D. Graber
Choosing Evidence Over Theory: How The Evidence For The Resurrection Undermines A Priori Arguments Against Miracles, Benjamin D. Graber
Masters Theses
For centuries, the prevailing arguments against miracles have been based on David Hume and others’ a priori arguments. These theoretical arguments continue to be debated as they are not especially persuasive to those who are ideologically opposed. Because these arguments are theoretical in nature, they exclude the possibility of miraculous events. As such, there are two ways of arguing against a priori arguments. First, one can argue from an opposing theoretical viewpoint and debate the logic within the arguments. Second, one can argue for the probability of one miraculous event. If one event can be proven likely to have occurred, …
Supernatural Evil As Evidence For The Existence Of God, Shane Stone Geisler
Supernatural Evil As Evidence For The Existence Of God, Shane Stone Geisler
Masters Theses
This study challenges widely held beliefs about the supernatural realm. Those who believe the supernatural realm exists tend to accept there is a personable higher power at work in our world. The naturalistic worldview denies the existence of anything or anyone beyond our physical universe. This paper will first inform the reader of a history of beliefs in the supernatural. Next, an innovative approach will be taken to provide evidence for the supernatural world. Finally, the evidence will be examined to determine its reliability and identify common themes found throughout the research. The information provided is not intended to be …
Apologetic Properties Of Archaeology, Scott Christopher Reynolds
Apologetic Properties Of Archaeology, Scott Christopher Reynolds
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Scholars are divided over the idea of archaeology providing more information than anthropomorphic data about people groups. In the Levant, biblical archaeology used the Bible to connect artifacts with biblical accounts; however, scholars began to believe that interpretation was being forced to fit the biblical accounts. Apologists began to embrace more technical results and archaeology and different schools of apologetics began to see a place for archaeology in the study of apologetics. The most accepting form of apologetics is the Cumulative Case Apologetic, as it blends into its apologetic argument anything needed to further the argument. However, the ability of …
Do Mass-Produced Apologetics Help Spiritual Conversations? Testing Mama Bear Apologetics With Millennial Mothers, Joshua S. Johnson
Do Mass-Produced Apologetics Help Spiritual Conversations? Testing Mama Bear Apologetics With Millennial Mothers, Joshua S. Johnson
ATS Dissertations
No abstract provided.
A Case Study In Developing An Apologetic Discipleship Model Among Second Generation Haitians In Florida, Mesack Dieudonne
A Case Study In Developing An Apologetic Discipleship Model Among Second Generation Haitians In Florida, Mesack Dieudonne
Masters Theses
This thesis seeks to demonstrate that equipping second-generation Haitian believers in Florida requires a contextually-appropriate, apologetics discipleship model. This project starts with an examination of the weakness or absence of the use of current apologetics discipleship among second-generation Haitians, which gives birth to unequipped second-generation Haitians ravaged by worldview conflict and who leave the church in record numbers. Building upon this foundation, this work sheds light on a cultural shift among second-generation Haitians. The objective is to isolate some key discipleship factors among second-generation Haitians in Florida by examining the fear of some Haitian pastors to address voodoo and its …
Understanding Paul’S Approach To Slavery In Ephesians 6:5 – 9, William D. Smith
Understanding Paul’S Approach To Slavery In Ephesians 6:5 – 9, William D. Smith
Masters Theses
Slavery passages in the New Testament continue to raise questions for some modern readers. This thesis presents an alternative approach to assist Christians in explaining and defending Paul’s command to slaves and masters in Ephesians 6:5-9. It demonstrates how radical Paul’s command was to his first-century audience and their culture and how his command, when faithfully practiced, would have positively affected the perception of slavery and moved toward its abolition. Paul’s command to the first-century household leader is compared with corporate American CEOs and how the CEO’s leadership style affects their organization. This thesis demonstrates that a leadership style change …
C. I. Scofield's Teachings Regarding The Conversion And Restoration Of The Jewish Nation In Fulfillment Of Old And New Testament Prophecies And Their Potential Apologetic Value, Timothy M. Skinner
C. I. Scofield's Teachings Regarding The Conversion And Restoration Of The Jewish Nation In Fulfillment Of Old And New Testament Prophecies And Their Potential Apologetic Value, Timothy M. Skinner
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The confirmation of C. I. Scofield's beliefs and teachings regarding a literal and national restoration of the Jewish people in fulfillment of Old and New Testament prophecies can be argued through the writings of Reformed theologians and those hostile to dispensationalism by utilizing a comparative biblical/theological approach on a key eschatological passage, Romans 11:26 and the statement, “All Israel shall be saved.” Non-dispensationalists acknowledge or are in agreement with many of the teachings of Scofield but reject his conclusions regarding the restoration of a literal Jewish nation as being proof of the proper interpretation of the biblical text, even though …
A Two-Part Rebuttal Of Probability-Based Arguments Against Christian Theism, David Keith Wilson
A Two-Part Rebuttal Of Probability-Based Arguments Against Christian Theism, David Keith Wilson
Masters Theses
This thesis addresses probability-based arguments (PA) from atheism against theism. This popular form of atheistic argument, rather than arguing that there is no such being as God, instead argues that God’s existence is very improbable. This would imply that the theist is unjustified in their belief, and therefore epistemically obligated to forsake their belief. By pairing a cumulative warrant with Alvin Plantinga’s inside straight argument, it is shown that the theist is under no such obligation. As there are many things that are unlikely as well as true, it can be that theism is both unlikely and true. Therefore, the …
Whence Faith? The Nexus Of Passional Reason, Christian Personalism, And Abduction In Apologetics, Thomas Jefferson Gentry Ii
Whence Faith? The Nexus Of Passional Reason, Christian Personalism, And Abduction In Apologetics, Thomas Jefferson Gentry Ii
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Motivated by a desire to understand better and articulate matters touching on how beliefs are formed, this research considers the possibility of a religious epistemological nexus, a connection between the rational and affective capacities possessed by persons, human dignity and self-determination, and the method of argumentation used by apologists. The thesis defended is that through the means of the concomitance of the human intellect, emotions, and will (passional reason), the whole person is engaged in the process of passional reason whereby one can perceive, assess, and decide to believe in matters of religious faith (Thomistic doxastic voluntarism). Further, at the …
From Mocker To Martyr: The Unlikely Conversion Of James The Brother Of Jesus, Brian Lewis Cunningham
From Mocker To Martyr: The Unlikely Conversion Of James The Brother Of Jesus, Brian Lewis Cunningham
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
For many years, James, the brother of Jesus, was all but neglected when it came to biblical scholarship. Around four decades ago, there was a resurgence of serious inquiry about James. Since that time, a considerable amount of scholarly material has been published about him, including a possible connection between James and a first-century ossuary box that bears his name. But one aspect of James’s life has not enjoyed such widespread discussion, namely, his conversion. The reason his conversion has been ignored is because there is so little prominent information. The only glimpse afforded to us comes from Jesus appearing …
Biblical Contradictions: Embracing The Errors Of Scripture As Our Spiritual Teachers, Henry Craig Hadley
Biblical Contradictions: Embracing The Errors Of Scripture As Our Spiritual Teachers, Henry Craig Hadley
Doctor of Ministry
In 2016, Barna Group reported that “Among practicing Protestants, nine out of 10 in every age group say either that the Bible is the actual word of God (should be taken literally, word for word) or that it’s the inspired word of God without error.” This belief system causes Protestant Christians to ignore, gloss over, and explain away all the contradictions they discover in the Bible, rather than participate with the contradictions wholeheartedly. There is an opportunity to help Protestant Christians take part in more dialogue about contradictions, engage in more study of the Bible because of the contradictions, and …
Connecting Youth To The Gospel: The Role Of Theology And Apologetics, John Wesley Sales Iv
Connecting Youth To The Gospel: The Role Of Theology And Apologetics, John Wesley Sales Iv
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Connecting youth to the Gospel sounds like a basic undertaking. However, evidence shows students know very little about the Gospel. While they grow up in church and attend Sunday school, there is still a lack of desire from students to want to know who God is. There needs to be a path to teaching students the genuine and deep teachings of the Gospel. This topic is important because as students grow older, they may grow apart from what they learned in Sunday school. When they are challenged and distracted by the world, they need a strong anchor to keep them …
Christian Education And The Examination Of Apologetics Curriculum, Sara Elizabeth Boyd
Christian Education And The Examination Of Apologetics Curriculum, Sara Elizabeth Boyd
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this action research project was to evaluate the ability of Christian high school students to explain and defend their faith. The main focus of the project was to compare the current apologetics curriculum used by Cedar Park Christian School to a new curriculum designed for the sake of this study. The new curriculum sought to provide grade-level resources as source material for each student. Additionally, it approached the course with the expectation for students to articulate their learned knowledge conversationally. There were forty-nine total participants, all who were either a junior or senior at the start of …
A Defense Of The Resurrection Miracle And Critique Of The Hallucination Theory, Joshua James Smothers
A Defense Of The Resurrection Miracle And Critique Of The Hallucination Theory, Joshua James Smothers
Masters Theses
Many Christian scholars simply laugh at the notion of the Hallucination theory. However, while it is laughable that the hallucination theory claims the disciples of Jesus all shared a hallucination in which they saw their beloved friend risen from the grave, there is more to the hallucination theory than meets the eye. This thesis defends the resurrection using history while critiquing the hallucination theory. Jesus did rise from the grave in the same physical body that was crucified at Calvary, and the disciple's claims of seeing a risen Jesus are true and can be proven with fact and evidence.