Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Faith And New Life In Christ: The Problem Of Circumcision In Galatians 5:2-6, Keldie S. Paroschi

Master's Theses

Problem

Paul explicitly addresses the issue of circumcision for the first time in the epistle of Galatians in chapter 5:2–6. The precise meaning of circumcision, however, both historically and exegetically, has been much debated in Pauline scholarship.

Method

This thesis will first provide an overview of how circumcision has been interpreted in the context of different approaches to Pauline theology. Then, the historical background of the significance of circumcision around the first century AD will be analyzed, both in the Jewish and the Greco-Roman context. Finally, an exegetical study of Galatians 5:2–6 will focus on how Paul addresses the topic …

Youth Sabbath School Challenges In The North American Division, Armando Miranda Jr., Tracy Wood

180 Symposium Publications

No abstract provided.

Will You Listen? The Lived Experiences Of Youth And Young Adults Engagements In Sabbath School, Jharony Fernandez-Gibbs, Deslynne Roberts

180 Symposium Publications

No abstract provided.

Public Campus Students: Sabbath School For The 70%, Scott R. Ward

180 Symposium Publications

No abstract provided.

Sabbath School: Rediscovering The "Life Blood" Of The Church, Timothy Simon

180 Symposium Publications

No abstract provided.

Arthur W. Spalding: Leadership During Cultural Upheaval, Allan W. Freed

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

'Leadership always occurs in the context of cultural mindsets and expectations. this article describes the work of arthur W. Spalding, who was the first family-life educator in the adventist church. Spalding was born into an era described as a “watershed” in domesticity. With the opening of the american frontier in the mid-1800s came the shift from family to individualism. Urbanization, industrialization, expanded travel, and communications eroded the social and material conditions that supported the traditional patriarchal family system. the american experience glamorized consumption, gratification, and pleasure. the fad was to reject traditional authority, particularly that of the clergy and the …

Servants And Friends: A Biblical Theology Of Leadership, Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"In this groundbreaking volume published by andrews University Press, some 20 scholars examine the sacred text of the Old and New testaments, as well as a selection of six biblical leadership narratives, to lay the foundation for a biblical theology of leadership. Each of the first three sections is composed of six chapters, providing an array of fascinating studies of leadership in the Bible. the fourth section attempts to integrate the multiple facets of leadership insight unearthed throughout the various contributions into what the editor, Skip Bell, claims to be “the most complete biblical theology of leadership available.”

Ethnic Identity And Adult Attachment As Correlates Of Relationship Satisfaction Among White, Black, And Interracial Couples, Donalea Mcintyre

Dissertations

Problem

Relationship satisfaction is a broad construct that has been extensively researched. However, there are gaps in the literature pertaining to relationship satisfaction in minority and interracial couples. This present study examines the extent of the relationship between ethnic identity and adult attachment to relationship satisfaction in White, Black, and Interracial couples.

Method

Participants completed surveys that measure a) ethnic identity, b) adult attachment, and c) relationship satisfaction. Several statistical analysis methods were used to answer two research questions. These methods included descriptive statistics, one-way MANOVA, and Path Analysis. Six hundred and seven adults in the United States general population …

Religiosity And Ethnic Identity As Predictors Of Identity Orientation Among African American And Caucasian American Women, Helen N. Rolle

Dissertations

Problem

Research on the role of religion and ethnicity in the identity orientation of women has been largely neglected in psychology for many years. While previous identity studies have attempted to examine a range of variables as it relates to the general population, how women specifically experience identity based on their gender has not been included, resulting in gaps in the research literature. The present study is intended to add to the literature by focusing on the contributing factors of religiosity and ethnic identity to identity orientation and compare how they vary among African American and Caucasian American women.

Method …

Editorial, Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Immigrants and refugees are in the news almost every day with people lining up on both sides of the issue with ideas on how to deal with them. More important than one’s feelings though are the biblical principles that should guide every Christian in deciding how to relate and treat the strangers coming to our countries."

Toward An Adventist Theology Of Refugees, Nicholas Miller, Janna Quetz

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The Bible encourages God’s people to help immigrants, and does not leave it up to just the state, but says the people of God should personally help them. Whatever path is taken in the future it is important to keep in mind that Christ calls us brothers, and we too should call the sojourner within our gates brother. Immigration policy is complex, and there may be no clear guidance from God’s Word on parts of it. But whatever policies are arrived at, the Christian has a role to advocate for the creation and implementation of a humane and moral policy …

Effective And Ineffective Pastors: A Study In Contrasts, H. Peter Swanson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Men Of Valor: A Study Of Following Christ's Example Of Discipleship With Five Key Men In The Local Church, Bradley D. Cassell Jr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church is a diverse congregation with over 40 countries represented in its membership of nearly 600. There had been a steady increase of attendance and membership through transfers and conversion for several years. One of the biggest challenges that we faced at Tampa First was the discipleship of men. I have perceived in my 23 years of ministry that when the father is growing spiritually, the family unit had a greater tendency to grow with him, and the children were much more likely to stay connected to God and the church. It was imperative …

A Two-Year Grief Support Program For Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Harold Thomas Iii

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Atlanta Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church members experienced grief due to over 20 deaths of loved ones from 2012-2014. During that time, the church provided an annual 12-week GriefShare program during the first quarter and an annual one-day Surviving the Holidays program during the last quarter. While participants appreciated the programs, some, including those who provided grief support, expressed concern that there was too little follow-up after the GriefShare and Surviving the Holidays programs. Pastoral observation suggested that the church needed an expanded bereavement support structure over a longer period of time.

Methodology

A two-year plan was developed to …

A Strategy To Increase Cross-Cultural Preaching Ministry Among Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In Southern Alabama, Dejuan Knight

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Southern Alabama's Seventh-day Adventist churches are mostly segregated across ethnic lines. Furthermore, most of the church pastors are of the same ethnic group as their members. One of the main reasons for the continued fears among laity, pastors, and conference administrators towards pastoral leadership from other cultures stems from the widespread idea that cross-cultural pastors cannot present their sermons in the cultural preaching style and with the content desired by the congregation.

Method

A project was designed and instituted in Dothan, AL between the two Seventh-day Adventist churches in the city. The Dothan First Seventh-day Adventist Church is a …

A Strategy For Launching A Missional Ministry In The All Nations Seventh-Day Adventist Church Of Saint Petersburg, Florida, John Mills

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Based upon my pastoral observation, there was a lack of understanding among a majority of the board members of the All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church regarding what it meant to be a missional team in service for Jesus Christ. As leaders of departments in particular, and the church, in general, the board members were more driven by the notion of putting on a quality program, than by the idea of a missional focus for all activities. Their influence made the work of ministry less effective than it could have been and more burdensome for their fellow leaders and members …

Strategies For Retention Of New Members In The Ebenezer And Gethsemane Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, Keith Woodard

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Ebenezer Seventh-day Adventist Church of Greenville, North Carolina, was organized 33 years ago and is located on the periphery of Pitt County. In the past five years, the church has baptized 27 people; however, 15 of them are currently missing. As a result, growth has been inconsistent and members have become concerned about the growth of God’s kingdom. A possible factor in this situation is the lack of a structure to retain members after baptism. The Gethsemane Seventh-day Adventist church in 2013 held an evangelistic meeting in which 15 people were baptized. Only one person from the 15 …

An Approach To Discipleship To Create A Culture Of Evangelism In The Adventist Churches In St. Lucia, Caius Alfred

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In spite of an annual growth in membership, a significant number of Seventh-day Adventists in La Bayee and Vieux Fort are not engaged in personal evangelism. Although the members reported that they have a good relationship with Christ, one does not see the evidence of spiritual transformation that is expected of the believers (National Church Development, 2009). Neither is there the type of penetration of the Gospel in the work place, neighborhood, among friends and associate as it should be. Several attempts were made to address the problem but to no avail. The current state of things in the …

Providing A Premarital Education Seminar For The Single Young Adults Of Abuakwa Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Ghana, Daniel Opoku-Adjei

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In my years of service as a gospel minister, I noticed that a sizeable number of church members are censured or disfellowshipped on marriage or family issues, including divorce, adultery or fornication. The reasons for these unfortunate situations in our changing society could be linked to misunderstanding about marriage and the needed preparations. The major root cause of these problems on the part of both the young adults and the older people is inadequate premarital education. This results in wrong selection of life partners, short circuiting the courtship process and misunderstanding of what constitute marital satisfaction and marital stability. …

Family, Social Class, And Evangelism: Developing A Strategic Evangelistic Plan To Engage The Middle And Upper-Class Families In The Dennery Community Of Saint Lucia, Dolston L. Morian

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In the St. Lucia Mission of Seventh-day Adventist traditional evangelistic tent meetings have resulted in a steady growth in church membership. However, the majority of converts added to the church has consistently come from the lower-class individuals of the society. Not surprising therefore, there has been a small increase in new members from the middle and upper-class communities. Arguably, the traditional approach to evangelism conducted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Lucia is not as effective in reaching the middle and upper-class subgroups as it is with members of the lower social class groups. The need to pay …

Oregon Conference Pathfinders' Teen Leadership Development Program As A Model For The North American Division, Tracy Leon Wood

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Pathfinder Teen Leadership Training (TLT) program was introduced in 1994 in the North American Division. Although the TLT Manual had gone through three revisions, there had never been any staff training or conference-level leader training resources developed. Because the TLT program was an NAD Pathfinder curriculum, it was imperative that the components of the Conference-level Leadership Skills Development Program be consistent throughout the division. The problem was that there were no developed processes or guidelines that conferences could follow to develop their TLT conference-sponsored program from the TLT Manual. The Oregon Conference had developed a TLT academic credit …

Improving The Lifestyle Of Andrews Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church Members, Myung Do Park

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Andrews Korean Seventh-day Adventist church in Berrien Springs, Michigan has holistic lifestyle problems that are on the rise. Church members are experiencing health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and insomnia. In observing dietary patterns, it was noticed that some of our members do not bother to ascertain the content of the food being eaten. Other members have express the desire to learn about a healthy lifestyle. Purposeful attention to this need of the church is necessary. As a church community comprised of mostly pastors, university students and their families it is time to advocate …

Training Selected Churches In The Iowa-Missouri Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists To Minister To Cohabiting Couples, Jared S. Miller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The number of cohabiting couples has dramatically risen over the last several decades. Even a significant amount of Seventh-day Adventist Church members, both young and old, have chosen to live together apart from a committed marriage. Living together without the covenant of marriage comes with many risks and many negative effects on both adults and children. With the prevalence of cohabitation increasing, the church is faced with a new ministry challenge and opportunity. Churches need to be educated about the biblical theology of sexual intimacy and the dangers and damage that come with cohabitation. Furthermore, churches need biblical strategies …

The Children Of The East, Richard M. Davidson

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The tradition is widespread in the Arab world which associates Ishmael and his descendants with Arabs in general and Muslim Arabs in particular. The esteemed Arab genealogist Ibn al-Kalbi (A.D. 737-818?) made popular the supposed genealogical link between Muhammad and Ishmael, largely through oral tradition. Whether this link is valid or not, clear and even older written records link the ancient nomadic tribes of northern Arabia with Ishmael, as we have noted above (Diorodus of Sicily, the book of Jubilees, Josephus, et al.). Arab genealogists generally trace the Arabians to two main ethnic stocks, the original Arabian Arabs from south …

Re-Entry Challenges: Comparison And Contrasts Between Korean And American Mks, Ok Kyung Ha

Master's Theses

Problem

Missionary Kids (MKs) have a different experience in the mission fields in terms of culture, language, and social adjustment when compared with their parents. They also face another challenge when they return to their parents’ home country, for they feel out of place and often do not think of their parents’ country as home. The purpose of this Masters thesis is to investigate the experience of MKs in the mission field, during re-entry, and to research the common elements or differences between Korean MKs and American MKs in their re-entry process.

Method

The research method used in this Masters …

A Comparative Study Of Hermeneutical Approaches To The Seven Seals, Harold Novac

Master's Theses

Problem

From the beginnings God had a purpose with His prophetical messages to the world and we can see in the Bible clearly, that God always presented His prophetical messages in a certain order. A chronological method was favored by God. That is why from the beginnings, as Seventh-Day Adventists we believed that the best way to interpret the secrets of Revelation is through the historicist approach. Unfortunately this view is fading among scholars, even among SDA researchers.

Purpose

We are going to investigate why this is happening and we will show that historicism has a lot to say, even …

Speaking Life To A Church In The Process Of Healing And Growth, Emeka Buffong

Master's Theses

Problem

Over the past several years, there has been a marked decline in almost every area of the Niles Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church life. Members have reported feeling overwhelmed with discouragement, and overall commitment has dwindled significantly. This poor morale is reflected by the low numbers at prayer meetings, Sabbath services and other church functions. Furthermore, there is difficulty in filling church offices and even when individuals volunteer to serve in specific offices they often later resign or lose their motivation to serve. Church members often appear to look for excuses to leave. There is a deep sense of discontentment. …

A Systems Theory Analysis Of The Goshen Seventh-Day Adventist Church's System Of Communication, Clavour R. Tucker

Master's Theses

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is a complex and multilayered nonprofit organization (NPO), with carefully outlined policies and guidelines for almost every aspect of the organization. However, the philosophical or structural framework that guides communication within the organization is not clear. It is my hypothesis, having been a member and employee of the organization for almost 30 years, that not having such a structure has led to the creation of a fragmented culture of communication, which is observable in local congregations. This research assesses this phenomenon at the Goshen SDA Church, in Chicago, IL, and seeks to answer the …

The Time Of The Second Coming And The Members Of The Sanhedrin, Alina Roxana Lupu

Master's Theses

Problems

The aspects related to the time of the Second Coming of Jesus were a constant concern of the believers and Bible’s scholars. There are many challenging verses in the Scripture that are talking about the Parousia in temporal terms. This present study was to determine to what extend Jesus’ answer before the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:64) was related to the time of the Parousia and with that generation of his accusers.

Method

An historical perspective over the process of date setting for the Parousia and over the eschatological theology create the framework for understanding the problem of Parousia’s time. The …

A Methodological And Theological Evaluation Of Jon L. Dybdahl's Theology Of Spirituality, Elvis-Silviu Dumitru

Master's Theses

Problem

The concept of spirituality has become popular in recent years among both Christians and non-Christians. The meaning of this term has evolved from biblical times to the present, and today we can come across many types of spirituality. Even in the Adventist Church this concept is understood differently. Ellen White emphasizes that we can correctly represent the character of Christ only by being spiritual, and unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are not spiritual. One of the most influential Adventist theologians concerned with this subject is Jon L. Dybdahl, which highlights the benefits of all types of …