Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Can A Christian College Student Please God? Spiritual Growth And Its Relationship To Small Group Involvement, Accountability And Academic Progress, Ralph W. Jernigan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In order to please God, a Christian college student should be committed to spiritual growth, accountability, as well as doing one's best academically. This project will examine the association between these three areas. Academic success will be measured among College Learning Strategies students using their pre-class and post-class grade point averages. A pre- and post-class survey will be administered to students in order to measure spiritual growth. Spiritual growth will be compared to a student's involvement in some type of accountability. The finding of a correlation between spiritual growth and accountability and/or spiritual growth and academic achievement would lead to …

An Examination Of The Doctrine Of Death And The Afterlife From A Biblical And Historical Theology Perspective Compared To The Level Of Sophistication Among The Laity, Wayne Allen Patton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Several key aspects of eschatology and their treatment appear to be under-explored in contemporary preaching. Within the context of individual eschatology, notions of death, the intermediate state, and the eternal state vary widely. A clearer understanding of these facets of the faith are necessary to fully understand the full measure of the work of Christ, the hope Christians have in Him, and the ability to convey these essentials to the lost. In this project, the writer will seek to discover and examine the key aspects of this doctrine and measure the level of sophistication among a sample of the laity. …

An Examination Of Differences In Leadership Description, Emotional Intelligence, A Self-Reported Satisfaction Profile, And Vocational Status In A Mixed Sample Of Doctor Of Ministry Students, Dwight Cecil Rice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined differences in ministerial students’ leadership description, emotional intelligence, self-reported levels of satisfaction, and whether or not a participant experienced a forced resignation or termination (i.e., vocational status). Using a cross-sectional, non-experimental design, 110 Doctor of Ministry students at an evangelical seminary in the southeastern United States responded to the survey. Statistically, data was analyzed using ANCOVAs, Bonferroni corrections, and t-tests. Due to the sample’s small N=110, most comparative analyses showed no significant differences among groups. As a result, the present findings do not allow for definitive conclusions or inferences regarding differences in participants’ leadership description, emotional intelligence, …

The Challenges Of Missionary Training In The 21st Century: A Manual For Training Of Missionaries, Kola Aiyedogbon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project is a case study of the Redeemed Christian Church of God that has more than 600 parishes in the United States and mission work in over 130 countries of the world. The study will involve the local mission Board members; trainers in the mission school, missionaries on the mission field in more than 400 parishes, and a sample of two mission churches. It will explore the global reverse mission enterprise and the gap in the training of missionaries from Africa in reaching the nationals of the mission field. This project will be action based and inter-disciplinary. It …

The Unspoken Truth: A Practical Guide For Pastors, Helping Abusers Break The Cycle Of Sexual Abuse, Teresa Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For years, men, women and children have suffered silently as a result of sexual abuse. The abuser suffers and the cycle continues. Destroying the silence of sexual abuse is the beginning of breaking the cycle. Research has shown that the abuse goes far beyond the actual act and causes physical, emotional, and psychological damage. This project will investigate and encourage open discussion, address the abuse, and give valuable insight to the causes and consequences of sexual abuse. This project will offer prescriptive and preventative measures to all parties involved, in an effort to heal and stop sexual abuse. Through research …

Evidence For The Historical Jesus: Is The Jesus Of History The Christ Of Faith?, Gary R. Habermas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The subject of the Historical Jesus is perhaps the most popular religious topic in settings such as university and seminary classrooms, written volumes, and doctoral dissertations. Unlike many of these more formal situations, the question-and-answer format utilized throughout this text allows plenty of space to develop additional angles. Hence, the backtracking, necessary repetition, as well as viewing the subject matter from a variety of perspectives allow the conversation to deepen significantly before moving ahead. In the process, it is our hope that new ideas will be expressed and developed. The overall purpose is to provide a historical context for the …

A Mainer From Rockland: Adelbert Ames In The Civil War, Michael Jack Megelsh

Masters Theses

Adelbert Ames, a Civil War general before he was thirty years old, exemplified the characteristics and embodied the elements of the essential solider. He, and other mid-level commanders like him, provided pivotal and instrumental leadership that helped the Union win the war. In short, Ames was one of the most talented and highly regarded young officers in the Union Army, and boasts perhaps the finest record of any "boy general" who fought for the North during the American Civil War. Ames was not just an average soldier or a mere participant in a large volunteer army. He was not a …

Letter From The Editor

Liberty Theological Review

Letter From the Editor

The Celtic Way: Order, Creativity, And The Holy Spirit In The Celtic Monastic Movement, Fiona Leitch

Senior Honors Theses

The Celtic monastic movement lasted hundreds of years and is responsible for much of the spread of Christianity to the West. Much of the movement’s success can be attributed to the Celtic Christians’ understanding of the importance of the role of creative culture and order as well as an openness and responsiveness to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is these three things working in tandem that influenced the success of the Celtic monastic movement. Although the movement ended a thousand years ago, it can offer guidance and wisdom for carrying out ministry today. A case study of Cuirim …

Surviving The Other War: Group Intervention For Military Sexual Trauma In The Local Church, Ed Ellis Barker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is, together with the current military suicide epidemic, arguably the greatest danger to soldiers serving at home or abroad, and sadly the former is a contributing factor for the latter. MST involves the sexual assault or sexual harassment of an individual by one or several fellow service members. An important avenue of assistance is through the local church; however, "the quality of mental health providers does not include a sufficient number of faith-based counselors (especially Christian) to serve the predominantly Christian demographic in the U.S. Armed Forces." To assist in this, a psycho-educational support group has …

A Biblical Guide To Maximizing Great Commission Emphasis By Transforming Your Church Government, Marcus W. Bridges

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

After learning 3500-4000 churches close their doors each year, Ed Stetzer believes, "the church will not change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change." This project will compare Congregation-led churches to Elder or Board-led churches to explore the need for changing the practical operation of the church in attempts to fulfill the Great Commission. The thoughts presented will provide a guide for church leaders, pastors, and church planters to adopt the style of governing policies that best results in for Jesus Christ. There will be fifty pastors polled from Congregation and Elder-led churches …

Overcoming Church Euthanasia: A Plan To Revitalize Dead And Dying Churches In The Southern Baptist Convention, Wayne E. Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis will examine the problem of dead and dying churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. Membership in more than seventy-percent of churches in North America has plateaued or is declining according to the North American Mission Board. Rather than just starting new churches, this thesis will present an option to revitalize dead and dying churches in order to reverse this trend. The aim of this thesis is to promote the historical Southern Baptists plan which will help Southern Baptists regain historical parameters and goals when revitalizing dead or dying churches. The thesis will cite existing quantitative and qualitative data, …

The Pastor Search Process: A Proposed Manual For The Objective Investigation And Evaluation Of A Church By The Pastoral Candidate, John David Lones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is commonly acknowledged by both clergy and laity that a problem exists in the Southern Baptist Convention concerning both the length of pastoral tenure and the number of forced terminations of ministerial staff. Solutions have been proposed but little measurable change has been forthcoming. Much has been written about conflict resolution, communication between staff and lay leadership and realistic expectations. However well-intended these efforts may be, the statistics seem to indicate little or nothing has changed. This project intends to evaluate the pastor-search process from the perspective of the pastoral candidate. Churches make efforts to evaluate and investigate candidates …

Living For Eternity: A Predictive Analysis Of Manifestations Of Biblical Worldview Of University Freshmen, Sharon Edge Wilkie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study includes a predictive analysis of factors contributing to worldview and acts of volition, a correlative analysis of a biblical worldview, a non-biblical worldview, and acts of volition, and a comparative analysis of the influence of gender on worldview. The research design used a non-randomized, convenience sample and a Likert-type scale, which included original questions. The instrument measured three components of worldview: biblical, non-biblical, and acts of volition. Analysis of the data included multiple linear regression, bivariate correlation (Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient) and a univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). Participants were freshmen attending a liberal arts Christian university. …

Exploring Successful Women's Ministry Employment: A Comparative Case Study Of Two Churches In Virginia, Melissa Small

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following qualitative case study explored the phenomenon of successful implementation of a fulltime women's ministry staff position in Southern Baptist churches to provide foundational research for a best practices guide for successful implementation of women's ministers in churches. For the research, successful implementation of women's ministry staff was generally defined as fulltime staff position devoted specifically to women's ministry in a church. The use of interviews and focus groups provided information from the church leaders and women who were directly involved in the phenomenon. The setting took place in two Southern Baptist churches, located in the state of Virginia, …

Inner-City Evangelism: A Model For Reaching Gangs For Christ, Eric Ladell Boone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis will focus on the crimes and violence that have corrupted and invaded the world, in a life-threatening, devastating, and unprecedented way. Criminal gangs have made their presence in communities all around the world, which has resulted in mental corruption and spiritual and physical destruction. Regardless of how gang members are looked upon and viewed by society due to their daily ungodly activities, the author will address the importance of the church becoming dedicated to reach gangs with the gospel, which holds the power to transform the life of whoever hears it regardless of their past or present. The …

Defeating Naturalism: Defending And Reformulating Plantinga's Eaan, Tyler D. Mcnabb

Liberty Theological Review

Abstract: During the past two decades, Alvin Plantinga has formulated an argument against naturalism that focuses on naturalism’s acceptance of contemporary evolutionary theory. Plantinga argues that given naturalism and evolution, our cognitive faculties have been developed to produce beliefs that meet the Darwinian requirement of survival and reproduction. Plantinga argues that accepting this will lead a naturalist to have a defeater for all of their beliefs, including their belief in naturalism. In this paper, I survey and respond to two types of objections that have been given as a response to Plantinga’s argument. The first objection that I interact with …

Book Reviews

Liberty Theological Review

Review by Timothy N. Mitchell of Inside Roman Libraries: Book Collections and Their Management in Antiquity. By George W. Houston. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2014, 327 pp., $59.95.

Review by Timothy N. Mitchell of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts: Reconsidering the Bauer Thesis. Edited by Paul A. Hartog. Eugene: Pickwick, 2015, 276 pp., $25.60.

Review by Nicholas Dodson of Oral Tradition and the New Testament: A Guide for the Perplexed. Rafael Rodriguez. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015, 184 pp., $27.95.

Jesus And Tiberius: An Examination Of Source Reliability, Timothy B. Chrisman

Liberty Theological Review

Since the introduction to the critical method of studying the Old and New Testament in the nineteenth century, doubt has been thrown on the historical reliability of the biblical narrative accounts, especially the four Gospels. Yet, far less scrutiny and denigration have been applied to historical sources written during the time of the Roman Empire. A comparison, then, is proposed. It would be beneficial to compare the sources that detailed the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the four sources which chronicled the life of Tiberius, emperor of the Roman Empire during …

Redeeming Rhetoric: Augustine's Use Of Rhetoric In His Preaching Ministry, John A. Sypert

Liberty Theological Review

The art and practice of rhetoric occupied a fundamental place in the ancient Roman world. It is thus not surprising that Augustine (354-430 AD) was deeply committed to the art of speaking well. He spent his youth mastering the theory of rhetoric, putting into practice what he had learned during a preaching career of almost forty years. This essay examines elements of rhetoric in Augustine’s preaching, arguing that he purposely appropriated common rhetorical elements in his preaching for the purpose of making Scripture both plain and compelling to his audience. Augustine’s training in rhetoric is summarized, followed by an overview …

Malibu Jackson 3: Boldest Move Yet - A Study Of Screenwriting, Parody, And Mullet-Clad Action Heroes, Caleb D. Nelson

Senior Honors Theses

This project is a parody short film script, targeting blockbuster action films of the 1980s. It is written in accordance with the traditional three-act structure of screenplays, which plays an important role in the writing arena of the film industry. It is a comedy, the theory of which is discussed in this paper, and more specifically parody. Like most short films and their scripts, it does not seek to be profitable, but rather serves the purpose of demonstrating skill and achievement on behalf of the screenwriter and filmmaker. This paper also includes a brief synopsis of the project.

Fingerpaint: A Drama In Two Acts, Audrey A. Moore

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is a creative original work taking the form on a two-act drama entitled Fingerpaint. It follows the story of a twenty-two year old artist named Sandy and her older brother, John, who want to paint a city mural as a memorial for their uncle. The primary theme revolves around the idea of finding beauty in tension. This theme is developed as Sandy, an idealist, is forced to deal with difficult situations that will ultimately change the way she approaches life and art.

Holy Places, Dark Paths: Till We Have Faces And The Spiritual Conflicts Of C.S. Lewis, Joshua G. Novalis

Senior Honors Theses

Although Till We Have Faces (1956) was written late in C.S. Lewis’s life (1898-1963), during the peak of his literary renown, the novel remains one of Lewis’s least known and least accessible works. Due to its relatively ancient and obscure source material, as well as its tendency towards the esoteric, a healthy interpretation of the novel necessitates a wider look at Lewis’s life-long body of work. By approaching Till We Have Faces through the framework of Lewis and the corpus of his work, the reader can see two principal conflicts that characterize the work as a whole, and, more specifically, …

“Mi Alma Cantará”: Tracing Issues In Music Education Within The Colonial And Contemporary Latin American Church, Kerry Digiacomo

Senior Honors Theses

Music education and institutionalized Christianity have been criticized by historians and ethnomusicologists for their role in the domination and transformation of indigenous Latin American cultures since the late 15th century. However, indigenous peoples, including Amerindians as well as more recent mestizo and Ladino people groups, have also taken an active role in transforming European musics to reflect an emic understanding of their own cultural identity. Music education within the Latin American church has provided an interface for these complex interactions between foreign and native cultural influences. This paper will explore the connections between colonial and contemporary-era music education movements in …

Illness And God's Will, John Sherret

Senior Honors Theses

Originally, God never put sickness on people. After the fall, the early history of man as recorded in the Bible further demonstrates Him refraining to use sickness. However, once the law was instituted God began to use sickness as a punishment. In the Old Testament, sickness was always defined as a curse and never a blessing. It was used by God to curse people for disobeying the law. In the New Testament, God was seen healing the multitudes instead of cursing them. Through the atonement of Jesus, believers have been redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Healing …

The Budding Musician: A Method For Developing Cognitive And Physical Proficiency At The Piano, Lauren M. Hartburg

Senior Honors Theses

A comprehensive piano curriculum involves physical performance development alongside musicianship training. This thesis will discuss the decline in music literacy alongside research supporting the benefits of a creative, holistic, flexible music education program. These items will then be applied to developing an elementary piano curriculum. A four-volume piano method emphasizing theory and musicianship in the context of performance literature is outlined and level one is presented in detail.

The Intersections Of Music, Love, And Worship, Jacob C. Wessel

Senior Honors Theses

When a right understanding of the doctrine of love infiltrates the art of music in the event of corporate worship, an opportunity arises for a unique synergism of knowledge, emotion and relationships. These qualities are paramount in the doctrine of love and practice of corporate worship, and they are especially encouraged by the powers of music. An exploration of these three aspects of love—knowledge, emotion and relationships—is here provided with special attention to the opportunity music and worship provide for intersections between them.

Establishing A Solid Foundation Through An Identity In Christ, Matthew S. Pedersen

Senior Honors Theses

An identity in Christ is the only solid foundation on which adolescents or adults can build their life. Identity is a major building block in a person’s life. Individuals with an unhealthy identity as a result of the culture will need to make many changes to this foundation in order to keep an accurate view of their lives. The definition of identity can show examples of negative consequences of an unhealthy identity. An identity based on the views of culture can show areas of weakness. Examining what the Bible says about man before and after a relationship with Christ will …

Scriptural Roots Grow Strong, Jaymee L. Wagner

The Kabod

This article looks at five areas where Scriptural truth shines through in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

The Economic And Financial Effect Of Single Parent Homes, Douglas Sidey

Senior Honors Theses

A crisis is facing the American population today because of the growing prevalence of single parent homes. This single parenthood produces a cyclical nature in which the families that get started have a hard time removing themselves from the patterns and problems of this cycle. This is due in large part to the financial issues that a family will face due to the divorce from, or loss of, a spouse. These financial issues affect not only the parent that is raising children alone, but it affects the children, the spouse that has left, and the economy at large. This phenomenon, …