Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Reconstructing Justice In The Land : How Urban Evangelical Congregations In Cotonou And Porto-Novo Can Respond To The Escalating Phenomenon Of Antisocial Behaviors, Mathieu Segbegnon Gnonhossou

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Leadership Communication : How Leader-Communicators Shape A Missional Culture, Willis Randy

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transformation Into Mission : A Case Study Of Forest Park United Methodist Church, Derek Edward Russell

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gypsy Pentecostals: The Growth Of The Pentecostal Movement Among The Roma In Bulgaria And Its Revitalization Of Their Communities, Miroslav Atanasov Atanasov

ATS Dissertations

Gypsy Pentecostals is a ground-breaking study of the Pentecostal movement among the most marginalized ethnic group in Bulgaria - the Roma, more widely known as 'Gypsies.' This phenomenal movement started about fifty years ago, but it has seen its greatest growth in the recent years of the Post-Communist period. It has transformed the Roma communities in positive and constructive ways and advanced their integration into society. The dissertation is a thorough analysis of the movement and the first scholarly text on it written from the perspective of a Pentecostal missiologist.

The text reviews Roma history, which is a fascinating story …

The Diffusion Of Black Gospel Music In Postmodern Denmark: With Implications For Evangelization, Meaning Construction, And Christian Identity, Mark W. Lewis

ATS Dissertations

In recent decades the phenomenon of Black gospel music has diffused throughout much of Western Europe and beyond. Each year new gospel choirs are formed, attracting people of many religious and non-religious backgrounds, who in turn are impacted affectively and spiritually by the music through participation in rehearsal and performance settings. This is also the case in Denmark - a country reputed for being spiritually reserved and where church attendance is among the lowest in the Western world. Since around 1990, the proliferation of gospel choirs and music events, such as gospel festivals, gospel workshops, and gospel worship services has …

Revitalization 15:1, Center For The Study Of World Christian Revitalization Movements

Revitalization

No abstract provided.

The "Way Of Salvation" And The Methodist Ethos Beyond John Wesley: A Study In Formal Consensus And Popular Reception, Ted A. Campbell

The Asbury Journal

It has been well documented that the "way of salvation" was central to John Wesley's thought. But how did Methodists in the nineteenth century express a theology and spirituality of the way of salvation? This article examines formal doctrinal materials from Methodist churches (including catechisms, doctrinal statements, and hymnals) and the testimonies of Methodist men and women to discern how teachings about the way of salvation were transmitted after the time of John and Charles Wesley. Based on these doctrinal works and personal testimonies, the article shows a consistent pattern in Methodist teaching and experience involving a) conviction of sin, …

No Higher Calling: Personal Reflections On The Task Of Teaching, David R. Bauer

The Asbury Journal

This essay draws upon twenty-five years of teaching and a strong belief in the inevitable and desirable overlap between pastoral and professorial roles to present four personal convictions about the character of teaching. First, passion for teaching must be great enough to overcome the toil. Second, effective teaching focuses upon the learner and causes not blind acceptance but critical thought. Third, effective teaching engenders a commitment to search for the truth while dispelling indoctrination and dogmatism. Finally, teaching is an event where content acquisition sits within a broader experiential matrix.

Remembering Bill Sullivan, Gary L. Mcintosh

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

One of the founding members of the American Society for Church, Bill M. Sullivan, passed away on June 23, 2007. Bill’s passion for church planting and evangelism made him a beloved leader in the Church Growth Movement.

A Glimpse Into The Missional House Churches Of America, J. D. Payne

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

Discussions of house churches in western contexts have been increasing over the last decade. Though one can speculate as to the reason for the interest and growth in this particular expression of the Body of Christ, few have attempted to study the present realities. For some time I heard of these simple expressions of the Church in countries throughout the world, but wondered if there were such churches in the United States that were evangelistic and involved in church planting. I wanted to know if there were more to house churches than the stereotypical small group of disgruntled believers huddling …

Revitalization 15:2, Center For The Study Of World Christian Revitalization Movements

Revitalization

No abstract provided.

A Chinese Christian Learns From Confucius, Kiem Koik Kwa

The Asbury Journal

This essay readily admits the deep influence the author's Chinese culture of learning and studying has had on her life and her professional approach to teaching. She believes all teachers, formal and informal, can draw important lessons from the four main principles of Confucius' pedagogy: apperception, activity, individualization and motivation. The author draws parallels between Confucius and Jesus' use of the four principles and uses anecdotes from her own learning and teaching to further illustrate the principles.

Reflective Teaching In The Context Of Community, Ruth Anne Reese

The Asbury Journal

This essay delves into the feelings of fear and self-doubt that a rookie teacher experienced her first semester as an adjunct professor and how, through reacting and reflection, she was able to regain her confidence and approach the profession with renewed confidence and joy. Drawing wisdom and gleaning practical tools from Brookfield's Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher and Parker's The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, the author learned the value of deliberate conversations with colleagues and was reminded that she and her students are joint-learners.

The Preaching Ministry, P. Raniero Cantalamessa

The Asbury Journal

Raniero Cantalamessa is a Franciscan Capuchin Catholic Priest. Born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, 22 July 1934, ordained priest in 1958. Divinity Doctor and Doctor in classical literature. Former Ordinary Professor of History of Ancient Christianity and Director of the Department of religious sciences at the Catholic University of Milan. Member of the International Theological Commission. In 1979 he resigned his teaching position to become a full time preacher of the Gospel. In 1980 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II Preacher to the Papal Household in which capacity he still serves, preaching a weekly sermon in Advent and Lent …

John Wesley In Conversation With The Emerging Church, Patrick S. Franklin

The Asbury Journal

As the Emerging Church is one of the most significant developments in current popular Western ecclesiology, it is important that it be engaged theologically. As part of this engagement, this paper brings the Emerging Church into a constructive dialogue with John Wesley, a theologian who shared similar passions and faced comparable challenges. It maintains that Wesley would applaud the spirit and creativity of the Emerging Church, especially its mission to reach contemporary seekers and its desire to recapture an ancient-future faith. However, he would also challenge some potentially harmful tendencies and exhort the Emerging Church toward maturity in these areas. …

Unintended Outcomes, Curious Inventions & Misshapen Creatures: Juxtapositions Of Religious Belief And Faith-Formed Practice & The Renewed Case For The Educational Mission Of The Church, Mark A. Lamport

The Asbury Journal

Christianity is fundamentally a peculiar way of life. Christian initiation is the process a person goes through within a Christian community of being formed and transformed into a new being, modeled after the likeness of Christ. Yet, two facts need faced. First, after almost two thousand years after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the vast majority of the world's population has not accepted the Gospel. Second, after almost two thousand years of performing baptisms in the church, the lives of the baptized are not significantly different than the lives of the non-baptized. Fact two explains fact one, but …

Spreading Scriptural Holiness: Theology And Practices Of Early Methodism For The Contemporary Church, Laceye Warner

The Asbury Journal

The early Methodist movement-above all else-was evangelistic. However, the contemporary language of mission and evangelism with which we are familiar was not in use during the 18th century. In the "Large" Minutes, John Wesley summarized his understanding of Methodism's purpose: "What may we reasonably believe to be God's design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists? A. To reform the nation and, in particular, the Church; to spread scriptural holiness over the land." The early Methodist movement offers resources to local congregations among Protestant denominations in the contemporary North American context preoccupied with a shallow connotation of evangelism as merely …

Teaching As Hospitality, Ellen L. Marmon

The Asbury Journal

Looking at teaching as a form of hospitality (Nouwen, 1975), this essay explores the roles of teacher/host and student/guest. Drawing upon scripture, Wesleyan theology, insights from educational psychology, and personal experience, this article traces my journey from violent toward redemptive teaching. Balancing support and challenge in the classroom, a good host believes that her guests contribute to the learning process. She also desires the guests to see beyond their own experiences and assumptions to something deeper, developing perspectives more and more reflective of the Kingdom of God.

The Wesleyan Impulse In Teaching, Don Thorsen

The Asbury Journal

This professor's pedagogy and theology has long been informed by Wesley, and his essay investigates several themes in Wesley's writings and ministry, including the Wesleyan quadrilateral, experimental religion, catholic spirit, and social holiness. Prom the perspective of teaching theology, the Wesleyan quadrilateral is very useful because it acknowledges the complexity with which Christians formulate their beliefs, values, and practices. Wesley advocated experimentation with regard to how he developed his Christian beliefs, values, and practices leading this professor to use experimental methods in his pedagogy. The catholic spirit prompts him to present theology in a way that includes the breath of …

A Guide To Scholarly Advancement For Graduate And Postgraduate Students, Fredrick J. Long, Mathew P. O'Reilly

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review, J. Ellsworth Kalas

The Asbury Journal

Yahweh's Other Shoe

Kilian McDonnell

Collegemlle, MN: St. John's University Press

2006, 128pp., paper, $14.95

Reviewed by J. Ellsworth Kalas

Understanding Church Size Based On Empirical Data, Bill M. Sullivan

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

One of the most remarkable graphs I have ever seen was developed by ANSR’s own Rich Houseal. While he was serving as president of ASARB he was able to acquire, from five other denominational statisticians, the church attendance data for their respective churches. Attendance data has only been collected in recent years and has not been readily available. Of course, actual report data is more desirable than survey data. It may not be 100% accurate but it is generally consistent and reliable. Most denominations have standard reporting procedures which over time have produced an acceptable level of reliability.

Book Review: A Second Resurrection: Leading Your Congregation To New Life, Randy M. Keeley

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Donald A. Mcgavran’S Church Growth Missiology On The Church Of The Nazarene, Gary L. Mcintosh

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

On February 23, 2004 I interviewed Bill Sullivan by phone regarding the development of the Church Growth Movement in the Church of the Nazarene. The interview was recorded, transcribed, and then sent to Dr. Sullivan for his review. After receiving his edits, I wrote the following history of how Donald A. McGavran’s Church Growth missiology impacted the Church of the Nazarene. As the reader will discover, Bill Sullivan was the primary architect of translating Church Growth theory into action within this denomination.

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

Salient Experiences that Shape My Pedagogy
Frances S. Adeney

No Higher Calling: Personal Reflections on the Task of Teaching
David R Batler

A Chinese Christian Learns from Confucius
Kiem Kwa

Teaching as Hospitality
Ellen L. Marmon

Reflective Teaching in the Context of Community
Ruth Anne Reese

The Wesleyan Impulse in Teaching
Don Thorsen

Pioneer Girls: Mid-Twentieth Century American Evangelicalism's Girl Scouts
Timothy Larsen

Imprecatory Speech-Acts in the Book of Acts
David H. Wenkel

A Guide to Scholarlly Advancement for Graduate and Postgraduate Students
Fredrick J. Long and Matthew P. O'Reilly

Yahweh's Other Shoe by Kilian McDonnell A Book Review
J. …

Book Notes, Kenneth J. Collins

The Asbury Journal

Canonical Theism: A Proposal for Theology and the Church
William Abraham, Jason Vickers, and Natalie Van Kirk, eds.
2008. 352pp., paper, $36.00
Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co.
Reviewed by Kenneth J. Collins

John Wesley's Ecclesiology: A Study in its Sources and Development
Gwang Seok Oh
2008. 324 pp., paper; $50.00
Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press
Reviewed by Kenneth J. Collins

Early Evangelicalism: A Global Intellectual History, 1670-1789
W.R. Ward
2006. 226pp., paper, $88.00
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press
Reviewed by Kenneth J. Collins

Book Notes, Kenneth J. Collins

The Asbury Journal

A Century of Holiness Theology: The Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene 1905 to 2004
Mark R. Quanstrom
2004. 232 pp.,paper, $29.99
Kansas City, Missouri; Beacon Hill Press

John Wesley's Moral Theology: The Quest for God and Goodness
D. Stephen Long
2005. 257 pp., paper, $34.00
Nashville: Abingdon Press

Methodist Theology Today
Clive Marsh, Brian Beck, Angela Shier-Jones, and Helen Wareing, eds.
2004. 256 pp., paper, $21.95
New York London: Continuum

Pioneer Girls: Mid-Twentieth-Century American Evangelicalism's Girl Scouts, Timothy Larsen

The Asbury Journal

Founded in 1939, in the mid-twentieth century, Pioneer Girls was a vital Christian youth movement providing an explicitly evangelical alternative to Girl Scouts. Using David Bebbington's classic four-point definition, this article will explore the evangelical identity of the organization, including its continuities and discontinuities with fundamentalism as part of the new evangelicalism of the post-World War II era. While 1950s America is well known for the ways in which this time and place was oppressive for girls and women, and the evangelical movement in general is often criticized for suppressing girls and women, a study of Pioneer Girls does not …

Shall We Reinvent Our 100 Year Old Denomination? Surveying Organizational Models, Kenneth Crow, Richard Houseal, Stan Ingersol, Dale Jones

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

David Moberg has described the life cycle of religious organizations in The Church as a Social Institution. His model suggests five predictable stages. FIGURE 1 In the beginning of the ascending curve there is a phase of incipient organization characterized by a negative reaction to existing churches, emotional enthusiasm for the new church, and diffused leadership. Second, as the age and effectiveness of the organization increase, there is a phase of formal organization characterized by membership commitments, specification of goals, symbolic separation from the larger society, and a gradual move from charismatic leaders to rational or bureaucratic leaders. Third, as …

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

The "Way of Salvation" and the Methodist Ethos Beyond
Ted A. Campbell

The Preaching Ministry' The Content of Christian Preaching
R. Raniero Cantalamessa

The Sense of Scripture: Re-Examined in Light of Philosophical Hermeneutics and Recent Literay Approaches
Marcel Dumais (Translation by David Bauer)

John Wesley in Conversation wit the Emerging Church
Patrick S. Franklin

Unintended Outcomes, Curious Inventions, and Misshapen Creatures: Juxtapositions of Religious Belief and Faith-Formed Practice and the Renewed Case of the Educational Mission of the Church
Mark A. Lamport

Spreading Scriptural Holiness: Theology and Practices of Early Methodism for the Contemporary Church
Laceye Warner

Features

Book Notes …