Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Ingram And Witts' "The Real Heaven: What The Bible Actually Says" (Book Review), Carl Olson

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

The End Signs! Are We Getting The Message?, Terry L. Rankin

Doctor of Ministry

The problem addressed in this dissertation has three dimensions: imminent global catastrophe, the elitist tyranny responsible for it, and Christian detachment from both.

The purpose of this dissertation is not to solve the problem in any of those three dimensions. The aim is threefold—to deconstructively demonstrate the reality of the problem; to expose its historical roots in philosophy, science, and theology; and to offer a case-study example of how it the problem may be clearly viewed and understood for the purposes of 21st century Christian life. The case study is not simple or easy, but neither is the problem it …

Yidbrik: Historical, Practical, Relational, And Theological Concepts And Challenges In Jewish-Christian Relations, Jonathan Esterman

Doctor of Ministry

Historically and culturally, there is a deep divide of misunderstanding and feeling of mistrust between the Jewish people1 and the religious organization of Christianity and its adherents. This rift is directly responsible for a significant portion of the past two thousand years of Jewish suffering and Christian misunderstanding as well as the current divide between the two faith traditions.2 Contemporary efforts to missionize Jewish individuals as part of the Great Commission has only further hindered relationships deeper than a superficial secular connection. In the early life of Christianity, however, there were more similarities than differences to the point where one …

Review Of The Cambridge Companion To Quakerism, Ed. By Stephen Angell And Pink Dandelion (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018), Julie Peyton

Quaker Religious Thought

This is a fine book, and while it should be of interest to anyone with an interest in world religions, I particularly recommend it to those of you who identify as Quaker, no matter what branch (or twig) of the Quaker family tree you occupy. The book is well-written (for the most part, but more on that in a minute), and is nicely divided into manageable chunks, and filled with variety – history, literature, social justice, women’s issues, cultural diversity, conflicts, stories of faithful people, and more. I emphasize another aspect of that variety: this book has two editors and …

The Relationship Between Self-Compassion, Religion, Gender, And Objectified Body Consciousness In Christian Nazarene Women, Arielle R. A. Marston

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Body shame and objectification of the female body are well known contributing factors in physical and mental health issues including high stress, eating disorder symptomatology, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Religion plays a role in body shame and female objectification through both scripture and theological writings although this relationship remains inconclusive. Self-Compassion has been found to be a mitigating factor with regard to body shame in college and caregiver contexts. The Church of the Nazarene promotes itself as supporting female leadership and roles within the church. Since religion and gender roles seem to play a role in body shame and …

Frontmatter (Volume 39, Issue 2), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought No.132, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Friends And Global Feminist Theology: Jennifer M. Buck Offers A Vision For Reframing Evangelicalism - And Quakerism - For The Twenty-First Century, Cherice Bock

Quaker Religious Thought

In Reframing the House: Constructive Feminist Global Ecclesiology for the Western Evangelical Church, Jennifer M. Buck places Friends theology in conversation with twentieth century theologians, Karl Barth and John Howard Yoder, and encourages twenty-first century evangelicals to learn from feminists in the two-thirds world. She offers Friends theology from Christ-centered traditions as a bridge between mid-century evangelicalism and current global feminism. For Quaker readers, her book shows a path toward creative and Spirit-filled engagement with majority world Friends.

A Review Of Jennifer Buck's Reframing The House: Constructive Feminist Global Ecclesiology For The Western Evangelical Church (Pickwick Publications), Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Quaker Religious Thought

I want to thank the Quaker Theological Discussion Group and especially Carole Spencer for putting this session together and for inviting me to be part of this book review of Jennifer Buck’s book Reframing the House. Though I am not a Quaker, I do teach at a Quaker institution, Earlham School of Religion, so it is an honor to be part of this session and to review this fine book.

Reframing the House is an interesting read on the global church and ecumenical theology which is a pertinent topic of our time. Our world is getting smaller and smaller and …

Author's Response To Cherice Bock's And Grace Ji-Sun Kim's Reviews Of Reframing The House, Jennifer Buck

Quaker Religious Thought

Thank you for these robust and thoughtful reviews. I am grateful to both Cherice Bock and Grace Ji-Sun Kim for being here and giving time and care towards my work.

Woolman And Apocalypse: A Review Of John Woolman And The Government Of Christ, Stephen W. Angell

Quaker Religious Thought

We are in the midst of a renaissance of Woolman scholarship, and now comes this wonderful book by Jon R. Kershner, devoted to examining Woolman’s “comprehensive theological vision for colonial American society,” performing a deep dive into the framework of “Woolman’s alternative vision for the British Atlantic world.” Kershner’s work builds upon and augments a host of other fresh theological work that will provide a solid foundation for the next generation of scholars. Full disclosure: I blurbed the book, and was a reviewer for the press.

Not Your Grandmother's Apocalypse: The De-Liberalization Of John Woolman, Michael Birkel

Quaker Religious Thought

It is, first of all, a pleasure to engage the work of Jon Kershner, who has rapidly established himself as an important scholar. In this same year that saw the appearance of his book on John Woolman, Jon Kershner also published “To Renew the Covenant”: Religious Themes in Eighteenth-Century Quaker Abolitionism (Brill, 2018) and coauthored the volume Quaker Studies: An Overview, The Current State of the Field (Brill, 2018). As we speak, a book that he has edited, Quakers and Mysticism: Comparative and Syncretic Approaches to Spirituality (Palgrave, 2019), is on its way to the press. Additionally, Jon Kershner has …

An Apocalypse By Any Other Name: John Woolman In Apocalyptic Context, A Response To Angell And Birkel, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

I want to start by thanking Carole Spencer and Christy Randazzo for organizing this session and for including my book in this discussion. And I want to thank Steve Angell and Michael Birkel for their care, humor, and insight, and the great questions they raise and comments they make. It is a humbling thing to have my work reviewed by two preeminent scholars of Quakerism, who are also mentors and friends.

Review Of New Critical Studies On Early Quaker Women, 1650-1800, Edited By Michele Lise Tarter And Catie Gill (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), Jay Miller

Quaker Religious Thought

Scholarly interest in early Quaker women is not particularly recent, but the research gathered in the edited volume New Critical Studies on Early Quaker Women, 1650-1800 shows that this area of inquiry remains vital and continues to be reassessed. While the editors gesture to Mabel Richmond Brailsford’s Quaker Women, 1650-1690 (1915) as a “pioneering work” (1), the scholarship on early Quaker women began in earnest during the 1990s as a part of the broader growth in the field of women’s studies—although this was preceded by the books of Margaret Hope Bacon, especially Mothers of Feminism (1986). Studies such as Phyllis …

Review Of Gary Nash's Warner Mifflin: Unflinching Quaker Abolitionist (Philadelphia University Of Pennsylvania Press, 2017), Mike Heller

Quaker Religious Thought

Gary Nash’s biography of Warner Mifflin is an important contribution to Quaker history. It’s exceptionally well written and researched. Mifflin is largely a forgotten figure who needs to be recognized along with John Woolman and Anthony Benezet. Mifflin was possibly the most important American antislavery activist of the late-eighteenth century.

Contributors -- Quaker Religious Thought No. 132

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Moral Teachings In The Holy Books, The Bible And The Quran, About The Relationship Of The Human To Nature: A Macedonian Research Project, Ruzhica Cacanoska, Pande Lazarevski Phd, Margarita Matlievska Phd, Hanif Dauti, Vesna Zabijakin Chatleska, Phd, Gjoko Gjorgjevski Phd, Duca Zvrleska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The subject matter of this manuscript is the separation and actualization of the thematic areas of the holy books, the Bible and the Quran, in which the human-nature relationship is elaborated, indicated or specified. The emphasis is on the moral teachings contained in the holy books, the Bible and the Quran, which, refer to the human–nature relationship and their influence on the development of ecological awareness in that context, are supported by or grounded in the holy books. The empirical research point to the conclusion is that religion is an important source or basis of morality, and it determines the …

Optimism For Church Growth: Encouraging Lessons From Christian Revivalists For Generations Primed To Flourish, Michael L. Wilson

Doctor of Ministry

Negativity is contributing to the numerical decline of the Christian church in America. Dogmatism, judgmentalism, hypocrisy, and pessimism have added to the image problem that repels pre-Christians. The common self-critiquing statement of many Christians, that Christianity has become known more for what it is against than what it is for, identifies part of the error that has led to the image problem that burdens the Christian church, but it stops short of diagnosing the full spectrum of the limiting effects of negativity.

In vision-casting, tone matters, and it’s difficult to trust a sinking ship. Reversing the judgmental and pessimistic tone …

Retaining Second Career Pastors In Recognized Ministry, David L. Carringer

Doctor of Ministry

All Christians are called into ministry through their commitment to Christ and baptism. Some are called into church- or denominationally-recognized pastoral ministry. A traditional way for those called into pastoral ministry would be to follow an educational path of higher education and, upon completion of their studies, entrance into pastoral ministry. There also exists a less traditional path that includes careers and occupations not recognized as church or denominational pastoral ministry. Those who follow this less traditional path will be referred to as a ‘second-career pastor’.

During the transition from a non-ministry career into church- or denominationally-recognized pastoral ministry, many …

Women In Church Leadership: Raising The Awareness Of Women's Contributions To The Kingdom Of God In The Christian Reformed Church, Mary Walker

Doctor of Ministry

The official position of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) is that all congregations in the CRCNA may allow women to serve in the offices of minister, elder, deacon, or commissioned pastor. The problem is that 70 percent of the congregations remain convicted complementarians and do not call women into office. The debate over the biblical, historical, theological, philosophical, and ethical arguments for allowing women into leadership positions has so far failed to convince those 70 percent who are opposed to the idea.

In the Reformed tradition, the Word is principally taught with expository preaching. Doctrine is paramount. …

The Identification Of And Solution To Commonly Held Evangelical Beliefs And Perspectives That Create Barriers To Spiritual Formation, Ken Van Vliet

Doctor of Ministry

Transformation into the image of Jesus is central to Christianity. However, many who claim Christ and are active in their local churches fall short of reflecting his character. This dissertation suggests that a contributing factor for such disparity lies in the reality that many Evangelicals embrace certain beliefs that create barriers to spiritual formation. It then identifies and examines three of the most prominent beliefs, all stemming from a truncated gospel. The first is a belief in an angry God. The second, a fixation on entrance into heaven as the goal of Christianity. The third is a distorted perspective of …

Children's Faith Formation As Mutually Transforming Opportunity: Leading Systemic Change, Robin Michelle Turner

Doctor of Ministry

Training congregational leaders in the theological foundations and practical resources of children’s spiritual formation helps them lead congregations to value and nurture the entire communities’ spiritual formation.

An exploration of the role and nature of children from both biblical and theological perspectives reveals they are welcomed and valued members of the faith community and the Kingdom of God. Attempts to welcome and value children in faith communities have focused on their acquisition of religious knowledge rather than their holistic formation. Learning to value their presence, worship, and holistic formation in community requires a shift in vision and methodology.

Children’s sense …

Embracing The Experience Of Glossolalia (“Speaking In Tongues”) As A Principal Discipline Of Christian Spiritual Formation, Patricia A. Ruse

Doctor of Ministry

This thesis offers a critical analysis and a comparative study of how glossolalia (tongues-speech) fits alongside traditionally recognized spiritual formation disciplines such as worship and prayer. This dissertation explores how glossolalia as a spiritual discipline develops and promotes a deepened awareness of God’s presence within the believer. Glossolalia has, sadly, rarely been understood as a spiritual discipline in contemporary spiritual practice. Due to an array of factors, Christians often outright reject the practice of glossolalia as a discipline of spiritual formation, thus missing its many benefits (e.g., spiritual growth, empowerment, relationship, and intimacy with God).

Three questions to be considered …

Millennial World-Changers: Engaging This Cause-Driven Generation, Katheryn Anne Saunders

Doctor of Ministry

As the youngest members of the millennial generation emerge into adulthood, nonprofit organizations have an increased awareness that a generational, philanthropic culture gap exists. Due to a number of factors, including the growth of technology and a significant decrease in consistent charitable giving over the last thirty years, nonprofit organizations are realizing that they need to develop more effective strategies for attracting millennial donors and supporting them in translating their values of fairness, authenticity, and social justice, into active and sustained giving. This dissertation reviews the common behavioral attributes and attitudes of members of the millennial generation, current effective and …

A Story, Metaphor, And A Matrix For The Truly Rural Church That Grows Christ Followers In An Uncertain Future, Lon Hider

Doctor of Ministry

The Church is always one generation away from extinction. There are larger trends that jeopardize the future of rural churches in my area. Evidence suggests there will not be enough Millennials to keep these rural churches viable. The rural churches built themselves on the “world-as-it-used-to-be.” But this world is fading with younger generations. Current approaches are unlikely to keep the ship afloat.

The “world-as-it-used-to-be” distorted the biblical narrative culminating in Christ. This story does not have weight with younger generations. If followers of Jesus in a rural context can embrace the correct biblical narrative, they can grow in their humanity …

Reframing The Gospel For Millennials: A Study In Shame, Identity, And Belonging, Douglas Heck

Doctor of Ministry

Chapter 1 introduces the problematic issue around communication between the three major divergent worldviews, known as: 1) innocence/guilt, 2) honor/shame, and 3) power/fear. Chapter 2 is focused on the biblical roots describing the three negative emotions of guilt, shame, and fear. These problematic emotions birthed three worldviews, which are identified as three culture-types. Comparing the differences in these three culture-types helps to explain the millennials’ mindset shift. They are moving away from their original guilt/innocence mindset toward a shame/honor mindset. This shift has resulted in a communication gap that causes them to abandon their childhood churches.

People acquire their primary …

A Journey Through The Traditional And Biblical Church Leadership Practices: With Special Consideration To Administering The Church Ordinances, Lynda Wright Gittens

Doctor of Ministry

Leadership in some denominations is traditionally structured as in the corporate world. For example, the senior pastor position is synonymous to Chief Executor Officer, and the deacons comprise the Board of Directors. Church and corporate organizations both have bylaws and policies identifying their beliefs and guidelines. In building a leadership team, the corporate and church officers normally follow an interview process of candidates.

This dissertation discusses developing a leadership team that aligns with Jesus’ leadership style. A bird’s eye view of the American Baptist Churches USA churches, located in Houston Texas, traditional practices and the apostle’s traditional practices selecting leadership …

Using Comedy To Build Community In Local Churches: How Laughing Together Can Bring People Together, Jason T. Deuman

Doctor of Ministry

Comedy is present in some form in every culture. Understanding humor theories and the effects of comedy on individuals and groups can help local churches foster community in their congregation as well as build bridges for non-congregants to join the community. Developing healthy community through comedy is one of the ways that church leaders can counter the isolation and disconnection occurring in American culture. This project examines humor in the Bible in order to help pastors teach on the value of humor. Church leaders have embraced and rejected humor throughout history. Understanding the various ways comedy has been used in …

Social Media Polarization And The Ministry Of Reconciliation, Douglas Bursch

Doctor of Ministry

Online communication is becoming increasingly divisive. This dissertation argues that the best way for individuals to decrease social media polarization is for people to engage in the ministry of reconciliation in their social media interactions. Section One describes how social media polarizes because the medium promotes networked individualism, exaggerates dehumanizing “discarnate” communication and numbs humanity’s ability to form meaningful relationships. The left-brain focused argumentation, writing-centered communication and depersonalized nature of online interactions increase a lack of empathy in social media users and add to the polarizing chaos evident in many social media conflicts. Section Two examines how individuals have unsuccessfully …

Local Church Revitalization Through Christological Discipleship, Philip Rolsing

Doctor of Ministry

Evangelical churches, in stagnation or decline, can find greater effectiveness by theologically reframing their goals and processes of formation to a Christological discipleship method based on union with Christ. Recent attempts, by Evangelical churches, to spiritually mature its members are proving to be ineffective. Data indicates Evangelical churches desire to disciple their members, however; current approaches initiate congregants into the programs of the church rather than the body of Christ.

The results indicate a growing number of people love the Lord and dislike the church. Studies affirm this to be true and identify growth in America’s religious landscape with those …