Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Role Of Compassion In Medical Ethics And Its Reintegration In Modern Practice, Hannah E. Borchers

Senior Honors Theses

Compassion has been an integral part of medical ethics since its origins, but as medicine progressed, compassion slowly disappeared from practice. The development of any industry results from many complex factors, but the decline of compassion in medicine can be largely attributed to the evolution of technology and role of medical ethics committees. Change is not always negative, but in this case, medicine neglected one of its foundational principles. This is seen by analyzing the history and progression of medical ethics and its four pillars. Plato and Aristotle defined justice in Greek philosophy, Hippocrates used the concept of non-maleficence in …

Homebound: Sts-M1301 A Study On Television Writing In The Science Fiction Genre, Matthew Crouch

Senior Honors Theses

This project is a scene-by-scene outline of an original television pilot script in the science fiction genre. The outline is based on research conducted in both the television and science fiction fields, providing the project with a firm foundation in television screenwriting structure as well as insights into the characteristics of the science fiction genre. Additional research was carried out on the topic of developing realistic, engaging characters for the screen. This project serves to broaden the writer’s portfolio upon graduation while giving him a chance to study the world of television, which contains numerous differences from the field of …

Reexamining Amos’ Use Of Rhetorical Questions In Hebrew Prophetic Rhetoric, Matthew Bovard

Masters Theses

The book of Amos contains a message of repentance and judgment to eighth-century Israel. However, the book also portrays the Hebrew prophet persuading his audience of their condemnation before a God whom they do not fully understand. The prophet employs rhetorical questions to help assert his argument. Modern scholarship, however, does not address the function(s) of rhetorical questions from a purely Hebrew context, but evaluates them from an approach heavily influenced by Classical rhetoric. This error results in an incomplete view of Amos’ rhetoric and message that removes the rhetorical questions from the context of the Hebrew prophet. Thus, a …

Enchantment: A Teleology, Nathanael S. Toth

Senior Honors Theses

Despite the highly developed nature of his fictional world, Middle-earth, Tolkien never formally laid out a tabulated magic system for his fantasy creation. Nevertheless, unlike many stories by others in the fantasy genre, the magic he does include is far from just a shallow, world-building mechanism. Instead, it encapsulates the core theme of his fiction and the purposes which Ilúvatar (the God of Middle-earth) has given to the story’s many characters.

This paper will examine the nature and function of this magic from many angles: the identification of good magic with art and evil magic with domination; the delineation between …

Block Adoption: Evaluating The Impacts Of Neighborhood Care On Church Attendance At House Of Joy, Victor King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

When a church plateaus, it is a major indication that the church is no longer adding new members. This is a dangerous stage for any church to be. If nothing is done to turn the situation around, the church will likely head down toward decline and death. This Thesis project addresses the problem of stagnation in church attendance. The Thesis project examines how block adoption can be used as an evangelism strategy to reach the people who live in the same community where a local church is located. The thesis project shows how block adoption can be planned and implemented. …

A Strategy For A Successful Church Plant In An Un-Churched, Yet Spiritual Culture, Ernest Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Planting a church is difficult, especially when the church is planted in a post-Christian culture. Denver, Colorado is this type of culture and has commonly been called “A Church Planter’s Graveyard” by various church planters, church planting network leaders and senior pastors in Denver. According to the North American Mission Board and other reports, Denver is 88-95% un-churched. This writer moved to Denver in the summer of 2013 to plant a church. The goal is to create a different strategy to reach a community of people who are not Christ-followers. This strategy will research former and current Denver church planters. …

Declining Inner-City Church Membership: Creating Spiritually Healthy Inner-City Churches Through Acts 2:42-47, Arthur L. Foster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Churches Are Declining in the Inner-City Multi-ethnic, inner-city churches are declining in membership. This premise is validated through surveys of inner-city church leaders and rigorous academic reviews from books, theses, dissertations, and peer-reviewed journal articles that discuss typical church problems in multi-ethnic, inner-city churches. Corroborated by applied research (qualitative and quantitative surveys), and academic research, this thesis project proposes a biblical solution to the problem of declining membership in the form of a step-by-step practical church model based on Acts 2:42.

The Black Church And The Current Generation: A Program To Address The Decline Of African-American Church Attendance In Johnston County Of North Carolina, Robert Allen O'Neal Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study concentrates on issues dealing with the decline of attendance in African American churches. Although long-standing statistics since the Civil Rights Era have always shown the African American Church keeping higher audience percentage than European American churches, the tide has changed, and now African American churches are uncharacteristically declining at a faster rate than usual. Unchurched young adults, particularly African American males, are disproportionately missing in the African American church. The fundamental purpose of this study is to focus specifically on evangelical denomination African American churches in Johnston County, North Carolina by employing quantitative and qualitative research. The survey …

Cultural Kingdom Architects: Defining Success In Building God’S Kingdom, Philip Roy Bassham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Identifying success or failure in “Building God’s Kingdom” can be challenging, considering the various circumstances and contexts in which one may find himself. The American Church is somewhat divided on what success looks like in this pursuit, and therefore people in ministry can feel discouraged or unaffirmed when their measure of success does not hold up to others’ views of perceived ministry success. The purpose of this project is to shed light on the various measures of success in building God’s Kingdom and enable church leaders to feel justified and affirmed in their approach. The research for this project will …

Worship Ministry Leadership: Principles For Age-Related Transition And Succession, John Rollin Mohler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The tenure of a long-serving worship pastor is affected by many variables, but few are as impactful, challenging, yet unexamined, as the pastor’s age. In this historical research study, the researcher assesses the best strategies of professional development necessary for aging worship pastors as they transition for lasting relevance and honorable succession. This study focused on the necessities of cultural engagement and people development as a means to maintain, among other things, platform credibility and leadership reproduction. Historic rationale and precedent was established through the examination of principles of age-related recalibration, transition, and succession from the researcher’s own experience, as …

A Multiple Case Study On Fifth-Grade Teachers' Perceptions Of Scripted Reading Programs' Impact On Reading Comprehension, Antonio Tyrone Hairston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine fifth-grade Read 180 teachers’ perceptions of a commercial scripted reading program and how their perceptions might influence implementation at eight elementary schools in only one school district in Virginia. The theoretical framework of this study was adapted from Lave’s (1991) situated learning theory grounded in constructivism. According to Lave, situated learning should occur in an environment where the instructor provides a learning situation that embodies problem-centered activities that support knowledge. The study assessed how perceptions of a commercial scripted reading program impacts student comprehension for fifth-grade Read 180 elementary teachers …

Common Areas To Integrate Young People Into Active Church Ministry Roles, David M. Gantt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

All throughout Scripture one can see God calling and using young people to carry out important parts of His narrative. Research has shown that seventy percent of young people drop out of church following high school graduation. One of the reasons this group is leaving is due to a lack of opportunities within ministries in the context of the local church for young people to serve. Through the investigation of applied research and surveys completed by pastors, youth pastors and other church pastoral staff of one hundred forty-seven different churches, the author will identify ministry practices that churches today are …

Implementation Of A Basic Exegetical And Hermeneutical Class For Students: To Interpret God’S Word Exegetically And Apply God’S Word Hermeneutically, Casey Whiteis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A course to use in student ministries that addresses the capabilities of students in being able to interpret and apply the Bible for themselves. The rationale for choosing this topic is that students are aging out of the student ministry without a basic understanding of how to read, interpret, and apply God’s Word for themselves. All too often, while attending the student ministry, students understand topics that relate to what they are experiencing in high school; however, are they receiving the tools required to continue applying God’s Word to their lives? Tools are provided to students that will guide them …

Developing A Strategy To Vitalize Volunteering For Successful Community Service In Korean Churches: Focusing On The Korean Baptist Church Of Blacksburg, Daijoong Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Volunteering is a practical method of community service which is an essential ministry of the church’s mission as the salt and light of the world. In order for a church to fulfill its mission of community service, the volunteer work of church members should be activated. However, many church members are still not participating in community service, and some volunteers have difficulty in continuing their volunteer work due to the lack of volunteer management for volunteering properly. The purpose of this study is to develop a viable volunteer management process to vitalize volunteering for community service of a church properly …

Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Worship In The Community Group Ministry Of Grace Bible Church, Jeremy G. Sauskojus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many local church fellowships have embraced small groups (life groups, community groups) as a means of connecting people with one another from within the larger church body. These small groups are a means of building community. Furthermore, many churches testify to the importance of pursuing worship as much more than music in the corporate worship gathering that takes place once a week. However, very little has been done to connect these two components together in the small group ministry environment. As will be presented, people have written concerning each one of these important elements of church body life. Yet, connecting …

Attractional To Missional: A Strategic Transition Plan For Anastasia Baptist Church, Samuel F. Thigpen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Anastasia Baptist Church (ABC) has existed for fifty years and has grown into a church of roughly sixteen-hundred regular worshipers. Over the last five years, ABC has plateaued in growth due to its focus on maintaining an attractional church structure. For ABC to grow and be healthy again, it must shift from an attractional model of discipleship to a hybrid one that utilizes both attractional and missional models of discipleship. This thesis seeks to investigate how ABC can strategically shift from an attractional to a hybrid model of discipleship. Research for this project will examine a biblical model for discipleship, …

The Utilization Of Music To Teach Phonics In Kindergarten: A Multiple Case Study, Cherie D. Hocanson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the utilization of music to teach phonics in kindergarten at four elementary schools in northwest Ohio. The theory guiding this study was the schema theory as it explains how individuals are able to recognize patterns previously learned, organize those patterns, and then use those patterns to perceive new information (Green, 2010). This research sought to answer the central research question, “How do kindergarten teachers utilize music to teach phonics within the classroom?” The study included 10 cases within four different school districts. The participants were kindergarten teachers in Northwest …

Discipling Children And Youth: Helping The Church Enable Parents To Lead, Angela Hazel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental apathy in the discipleship of children has become a worrisome issue in the Protestant churches of the United States. Where once the home was the foundation of Bible learning and character building, now parents have placed the responsibility of spiritual formation of children squarely on the shoulders of the church. The church, however, is ill-equipped to fully disciple a child or youth during this transformational time in their lives. This study sought to examine the issues that lead to parental withdrawal from discipleship training of their offspring and develop a method for the church to equip and enable parents …

Carl F. H. Henry's Presuppositional Theology And Its Implications Within Educational Settings, Adam L. Lickey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the mid-twentieth century Carl F. H. Henry was committed to articulating a cohesive theological understanding from an evangelical perspective. The primary feature of Henry’s theology was the ultimate authority of God’s Word. This presupposition impacted every area of his thinking and manifest itself in the practical outworking of theology. This dissertation argues that Carl Henry’s theistic presuppositions provide a workable framework for the practice of education. This thesis will be developed in three ways: establishing the consistency of revelational theism, demonstrating the irrationality of naturalism, and analyzing Carl Henry’s published perspective toward the American educational system. This study will …

How Participation In The Arts Impacts Learning Comprehension For High School Students During Stem Coursework At Two High Schools In Southwest Florida: A Case Study, Tiffany Lynn Jennings

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand how participation in the arts impacts Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) coursework for students at two Southwest Florida High Schools. Within the context of the study, the term “arts’ was used to collectively refer to all visual and performing arts courses, including painting, drawing, graphic arts, two-dimensional and three-dimensional, music, and theatre. Studies show that in order to be innovative, students need to have the experiences that the arts can foster in the right side of the brain, the side associated with creativity (Eisner, 2002). I chose a case study …

An Alcohol Questionnaire And Referral Tool For Baptist Churches, Rita D. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Alcohol addiction is a pervasive ill within our society with detrimental bio-psycho-social outcomes. Unfortunately, the Baptist churches or more specifically those churches who are members of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGVA) are not immune to seeing the devastation of this disease, including the spiritual impact. Pastors may find themselves in the role of “first responder” unprepared to fully address this issue. This study explored, through a web-based questionnaire, how those churches associated with the BGVA are currently addressing alcoholism and if pastors would find a referral tool helpful to connect members with professional therapists. It is widely accepted …

An Examination Of Preaching And Church Leadership Within Royal Baptist Church, Jeffie L. Powell Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout this qualitative investigation, the researcher will examine prevalent preaching and leadership styles to promote congregational growth and development. Additionally, a proposed organized dossier for Royal Baptist Church will be implemented, delineating a biblical, practical, compelling leadership style. To explore for analysis, the researcher will assess their contemporary church leadership style juxtaposing favored leadership styles found in the literature. After creating a baseline, the researcher will interview seven ministers via face–to–face, telephone, video messaging, and email, assessing their church preferred leadership style, comparing their preferred preaching and leadership style against techniques found in the literature. Lastly, the researcher will provide …

An Exploration Of Musical Influences Throughout Worship: Enhancing Worship Experiences Via Hymns Encompassing Spiritual Gifts, Nina Marie Tedeschi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the most important aspects of the role of worship leader, is that of choosing relevant worship materials. The use of hymns has enhanced worship for ages. The trends of the current age have precipitated a concern and need for conscientious selection of music, along with appropriate application of the singing of hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs. A major consideration in worship planning is to utilize music which reaches all generations. The impetus of this study is primarily based upon biblical, historical, theological, philosophical, methodological, and observational practice of worship. The research focuses upon the importance of planning and …

Join The Band: Benefits Of Engaging Intergenerational Volunteers In The Local Church Worship Ministry, Jamie R. Coates

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the Bible and much of church history, intergenerational ministry was the common practice. However, in recent decades many local evangelical churches have abandoned the practice of intergenerational ministry and have instead embraced age-segregated ministry models. Reflecting this shift, age-segregated worship ministries within the local evangelical church have become the norm. This qualitative study examined biblical examples and teachings regarding worship and ministry and examined worship and ministry practices from throughout church history. Analysis of the research findings addressed the characteristics of an effective intergenerational worship ministry. Although facilitating an intergenerational worship ministry is a complicated endeavor, this study revealed …

TawḥĪDic Allah, The Trinity, And The Eschaton: A Comparative Analysis Of The Qualitative Nature Of The Afterlife In Islam And Christianity, Kevin M. Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A theological doctrine of eternal life raises certain qualitative and existential questions. Considering the unfathomable duration, one may rightly ask, what will that experience be like and will it meet the experiential needs of human beings so that there are no intimations of boredom. Eternity, then, creates a potential existential problem for humanity. The problem is potential because eternity creates a certain need, a need which can concisely be stated in this way: quality must overcome quantity. Both Christianity and Islam teach human beings are intended to live forever so both religions must overcome this problem if eternal life within …

Helpmeet: The African American Pastor's Wife As An Extension Of The Pastor In Pastoral Care And Counseling - A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Ministry Helping Experiences Of Black Pastors' Wives In Predominantly Black Churches, D'Juana Chantel Pittman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The position of pastor’s wife presents itself as a unique role. For the African American Pastor’s wife, this role takes on an even more interesting dynamic, considering the cultural back drop of the population many pastor’s wives serve. A hermeneutic phenomenological research study was conducted to understand the phenomena of helper among African American pastor’s wives who serve alongside their husbands in ministry, particularly in pastoral care and counseling. The study included a total of seven African American Pastors’ wives from the state of Texas. The pastors’ wives participated in structured interviews that were extensive in nature. Answering thirty-six questions …

Moral Incongruence And Perceived Addiction: A Contemporary Dilemma With Pornography Use, David Lewis Shelton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Exposure to pornography has become more widespread due to the Internet, with the age of exposure as early as 13 years of age. With the shift of the moral narrative that pornography use is harmful personally and relationally, many who advocate against pornography use do so primarily on the basis of its maladaptive effects on the user and the user’s relationships. Within the context of the moral disapproval of pornography use, this study assesses the relationship that age, church attendance, and spirituality have with perceived addiction to pornography. This study hypothesized that age, church attendance, and spirituality will have a …

Advancing Film Through Art & Design: A Study Of The Influence That Film And Fine Art Have On The Independent Film Market, Jamall Rashaud Mcmillan

Masters Theses

The Influence of Graphic Design and Fine Art in Film is a exploration into the impact that an investment of the arts has on film and more specifically the independent film market. Most independent filmmakers have to develop their productions with little to no budget. In doing so they must work to create a marketable film to the best of their ability. There in-lies the issue; they are doing it to the best of “their” ability. The issue that is in focus with the notion of ability is that a major component that is left out of the equation to …

Visuals In Music Promotion: Developing An Effective Visual Marketing Campaign Within The Musical Brand Of The Bluegrass Genre, Grant Cochran

Masters Theses

The American genre of bluegrass music is a style of music that is not widely commercial and is not supported by large promotional budgets. This thesis researched historical and current visual designs for the promotion of bluegrass music. A research survey was also conducted to determine what kind of promotional design would most effectively appeal to fans of the genre. The results of that research survey was applied to promotional materials that are to be made available to a newly started bluegrass music festival.

Predators At Large: Dateline Nbc And Reality Tv, Meagan Shelley

The Kabod

In the age of digital media, entertainment is king, regardless of origin. One need not look very far to see the incredible impact digital trends have had on the media industry as a whole. While other television genres are skyrocketing, the realm of reality television outmatches nearly every other competitor. In 2013 alone, over fifty percent of primetime audiences were watching their favorite reality TV show (Webster). According to polls done at the turn of the twenty first century, over sixty-eight percent of the American population between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine would say that they like or love …