Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Rethinking Apologetics As An Entry Strategy For Missions In Europe, Katelyn Brown

Honors Theses

“Does apologetics play a role in modern-day missions at all?” When discussing this question with current missionaries, the answer became apparent: apologetics can be an effective tool to aid in missions, but it does not prove effective or even beneficial in every cultural context. This realization begs the following question: “In what kind of cultural context can apologetics help rather than hinder missions?” Through my research, I found that the post-modern, secular context of Europe provides a ripe harvest for apologetics in missions. Throughout my paper, I explore a broad biblical framework for apologetics in missions then expound specifically on …

The Trial Of Jesus: A Historical Look At The Jewish And Roman Trial Proceedings, Vivian Pryor

Honors Theses

The death of Jesus Christ is an event that sets Christianity apart from other religions. A blameless savior, believed to come and conquer all evil on earth, was killed before the eyes of his followers. At the seeming end of the story of Jesus’s life, there was unimaginable confusion. Though the Scripture foretold the fate of Jesus, many followers of Christ felt as if their Savior had been defeated. For Christians, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the source of salvation. The death of an innocent man paid for the sins of those truly guilty. For self-proclaiming 2.38 billion people …

Under The Sun: Songs From Ecclesiastes, Emma Kay Smith

Honors Theses

Historically, artists in all spaces have gleaned inspiration from the text of the Bible in order to communicate meaningful stories. The book of Ecclesiastes is particularly rich in its images and themes, and it warrants profound creative contemplation. This project documents the process of crafting 1960s-style folk songs based on this often confounding and ever-beautiful text. This process included close, meditative listening to the works of great songwriters from the 1960s folk era such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen and culminated in the live recording of four folk songs, compiled in the demo-EP Under the Sun: Songs from Ecclesiastes. …

Paul And Seneca On The Immanence Of God: Stoicism And Christianity Compared, Mason Campbell

Scholars Day Conference

This Thesis is a comparative study of the apostle Paul and the Stoic philosopher Seneca on the immanence of God. The study compares Paul and Seneca’s views on the divine, the self, and the immanence of the divine. The study compares epistle 41 of Seneca’s letters to Lucilius and Romans 8:9-11.

An Investigation Into The New Testament Understanding Of Israel, Ashton Hurst

Scholars Day Conference

This is an exegetical investigation into the New Testament understanding of the true, spiritual Israel.

Keeping The Heart: Contemporizing The Parables Of Jesus, Hannah Tullos

Honors Theses

One of the main teaching techniques of Jesus was his usage of stories, also known as parables. Although the power of his words never fades, the impact of the details of his stories inevitably gets lost when the stories are read in a different cultural context. This thesis provides a method that brings Jesus’s parables into a modern context. In being able to completely transform parables into a modern context, the message of the parables can reach wider audiences on a more personal level. The goal is to revive the heart of storytelling within the parables of Jesus and communicate …

How Properly Contextualized Christianity Could Benefit Japan, Benjamin Highsmith

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to ask the question “how could Christianity, if properly contextualized, benefit Japan?” It does so through the use of academic sources, interviews, and personal observations. Topics covered include Japanese culture, its perception of Christianity, and the lifestyles of Japanese Christians. This thesis uses cultural concepts to explain how Christianity and Japanese culture might find themselves at odds, but also explains how Christianity could work in unison with Japanese culture in order to benefit Japanese society as a whole, defending its argument using Biblical concepts intertwined with Japanese values.

An Investigation Into The New Testament Understanding Of "Israel", Ashton Hurst

Honors Theses

God chose his people in the Old Testament (OT) beginning with a man named Abraham. In Genesis chapter 12, God makes a promise to Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 1 From Abraham, Israel developed into a great nation that followed God intently sometimes but ultimately found themselves in a never-ending circle of betraying, …

An Investigation Of Junia As A Prominent Christian Woman According To Romans 16, Lacey Pettigrew

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the role of Junia as mentioned in Romans 16:7, in both a historical and exegetical sense.

The Scribe, The Prophet, And The Monk: Three Archetypes For Pursuing God Through The Word Of God, Lucas Mccann

Scholars Day Conference

The Word of God is essential to the growth of every believer. How one receives the Word of God can look differently for different individuals. Some read it through the written word. Some hear it through the spoken word. Others see the word in the lives of Jesus's followers. But all of these different mediums for encountering the Word of God have equal weight.

An Investigation Of Prominent Christian Women In The Early Church, Lacey Pettigrew

Scholars Day Conference

This thesis only begins the exploration of women in the New Testament by investigating Junia’s role and importance to the Christian faith and church.This thesis seeks to understand exegetical, and briefly, historical, matters regarding Junia. Exegetically through examining the context and interpretation of Junia’s mention in Romans 16:7.Historically through evaluating the understanding of Junia throughout the translation process from the New Testament church to present.

The Scribe, The Prophet, And The Monk: Three Archetypes For Pursuing God Through The Word Of God, Lucas Mccann

Honors Theses

Throughout the history of the world, there have been many individuals who have difficulty reading scripture. This may be because of a lack of access to the written word, a lack of ability to read the written word in one's language, or even just a predisposition against reading the written word. Thus, this paper explores how, though reading the word is vitally important, there are other ways one can pursue God, particularly through hearing and seeing the word.

Why "Monotheistic" May Not Be The Best Description Of The Old Testament, Jacob L. Thomas

Honors Theses

Monotheism has been commonly claimed as the form of worldview the Old Testament authors held originally. Due to evidence present in several key passages, this is brought into question and can be disputed. A more full description of the original worldview must be pursued to understand the context of the Old Testament.

The Artistic Mother Tongue, Hannah Perkins

Honors Theses

Art is the mother tongue of culture. William Cameron Townsend, pioneer missionary and founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, said “The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue.” But the mother tongue of any people of any culture is more than just the spoken and written word. It is found in every artistic and visual expression of that people. How is the Bible, the everlasting truth of God, to be expressed through artistic expression in the ‘mother tongue’ of a people?

Often, Christianity is painted as the Westerner’s religion. Christianity is very ingrained into specifically America’s cultural identity. In …

"But The Spirit Himself Intercedes": An Exegetical On Romans 8:26-27, Carmen Alide Scott

Honors Theses

In two short verses, Paul communicates the deep dependency a believer must have on the Holy Spirit to be sustained through this age, specifically on the topic of prayer. The aim of this thesis is to give a fuller approach to the interpretation of Romans 8:26-27. Many sources have contributed to the interpretation of this passage and the purpose of this thesis is to bring together many of those contributions to shed light on the meaning of Paul’s words and produce an insightful and cohesive reading of the passage. The thesis will explore an array of material, including an analysis …

Sexual Ethics From A Biblical Perspective, Braylon Pilant

Honors Theses

This honors thesis paper is over the ethics of sexual conduct from a Biblical perspective. This paper aims to be theological, as it will examine God’s view, creation, and design of sex; anthropological, as it will view the human role in sexual conduct and ethics from a Biblical perspective; and Christological, as it will examine how Christ redeems the breaching of said ethics. With this goal in mind, the research for this paper will be twofold.

First, there will be an examination of sexual ethics through a Biblical, and particularly Old Testament, lens. This will be done through a reading …

Spiders In A Window: How Dangerous Stories Lead To Dangerous Women, Mattie Mae Motl

Scholars Day Conference

Christian women have been marginalized, suppressed, and forgotten by Christian men for centuries. In many cases, these actions are polite when compared to the horrors which self-proclaimed Christ-followers have afflicted on women. Countless sexual abuse cases have been discovered within the walls of the Southern Baptist Church, and the headlines have not stopped printing. Articles from major news outlets such as the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News have revealed that Southern Baptist pastors, youth leaders, and deacons have assaulted hundreds of women over the past twenty years—and those numbers only include the women who are confident enough to bring …

Spiders In A Window: How Dangerous Stories Lead To Dangerous Women, Mattie Mae Motl

Honors Theses

Christian women have been marginalized, suppressed, and forgotten by Christian men for centuries. In many cases, these actions are polite when compared to the horrors which self-proclaimed Christ-followers have afflicted on women. Countless sexual abuse cases have been discovered within the walls of the Southern Baptist Church, and the headlines have not stopped printing. Articles from major news outlets such as the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News have revealed that Southern Baptist pastors, youth leaders, and deacons have assaulted hundreds of women over the past twenty years—and those numbers only include the women who are confident enough to bring …

The Sermon On The Mount: A Call To Obedience, Rylee Roberts

Honors Theses

I recently went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay of the Hawaiian Island, Oahu. Coral reefs and big, brightly-colored fish fill the Bay. Without goggles, I could only float on top, unaware of the depth and beauty below. When I put them on, however, I could observe the life and beauty of the ecosystem for myself. I could dive under the surface and explore what I had not known was there. I could find firm places to plant my feet when I needed to stand. I have found studying Scripture to be a similar experience. Learning more about historical and particularly cultural …

Does God Change His Mind? An Old Testament View, Colton Sims

Honors Theses

God is changeless. That is perhaps the simplest way to define the doctrine of Divine Immutability. Such a definition is non-controversial in the Evangelical world. For the most part, such a definition is non-controversial in Christendom as a whole and has been readily affirmed by Christians for two thousand years.

Unfortunately, Immutability is not that simple. The three-word definition of "God is changeless" does not address an important and highly controversial issue. What does it mean for God to be changeless? Even among evangelicals, there is significant debate over what it means for God to be changeless. One of the …

A Study Of The Hebrew Infinitive Absolute And Its Translation In The Lxx Of The Pentateuch, Taylor Bascue

Honors Theses

Translation and textual criticism are two closely related fields. When translating from the original language of the Biblical text there are places variant readings occur between manuscripts. In these places the textual variant may have an impact on how those passages are translated. The translator must interact with these textual variants in order to make a decision as to which reading seems original. One area in which these two fields overlap is in the study of the Septuagint (LXX). This ancient translation is useful for textual criticism in that it provides a text that pre-dates some of the earliest manuscripts …

Applying Nehemiah's Leadership Characteristics In The Business World Today, Amanda Abbud

Honors Theses

As a Business major interested in Biblical studies, I studied leadership skills found in the biblical book of Nehemiah. My research involved identifying key leadership characteristics from Nehemiah's life, then comparing and contrasting these characteristics with books such as Hand Me Another Brick by Charles R. Swindoll and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell. Also, I gathered information from New American Commentaries Ezra Nehemiah and Esther by Leslie Allen, and Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther by Mervin Breneman.

Exploring Paul As The Anti-Jonah In Acts, Collin Battaglia

Honors Theses

Biblical authors often employ literary techniques to communicate their messages with enhanced force. They were not, for example, interested in theology or historiography alone, but also in aesthetics. In other words, their focus was not directed solely on simply presenting information, but also on how the material was presented literarily. Authors would utilize many techniques in their writing such as repetition, chiasms, and typology to connect stories, to emphasize themes, and to flesh out nuanced truths. This paper will argue that Luke, in the Book of Acts, implements the aesthetic technique of allusion and typology to enrich his narrative. More …

Finding Christ In Cinema: Examining Secular Film Theologically, Evan Wheatley

Honors Theses

For me as a teenager, secular films were merely a form of entertainment. A trip to the movies meant the chance to escape to a “galaxy far, far away,” to stand alongside Harry Potter in his latest confrontation with Lord Voldemort. I did not realize at the time the parallels between the Force in Star Wars, and the Christian God, or how Harry and Voldemort’s cinematic struggle can be seen as an allegory for the fight between good and evil.

At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, I was introduced to how God can use secular film to challenge our …

The Exoneration Of Job: A Discussion Of The Joban And Yahwistic Speeches, Robert Edwin "Mack" Mcgehee Iii

Honors Theses

This study aims to determine whether Job, staunchly established as innocent in the prosaic introduction of the book, maintains his blamelessness throughout the lengthy poetic corpus. The speeches of the dominant characters, Job and Yahweh, will be examined in order to determine whether Job is in the end exonerated by Yahweh's poetic words despite the harsh statements made in the man's own speeches.

Ouachita's Pruet School Professors Publish Biblical Resources, Sarah Davis, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Faculty members of Ouachita Baptist University’s Pruet School of Christian Studies have had several books published in 2016. The professors with published books are Dr. J. Scott Duvall, Dr. Danny Hays and Dr. C. Marvin Pate.

Advent 2016: Isaiah 3: 8-15, "They Display Their Sins", S. Ray Granade

Creative Works

Isaiah’s promise of judgment sounds perfect even at first reading. We nod our heads when we read that things will go badly for the wicked, who will get what they deserve. Child or adult, perhaps our most favorite human statement is “That’s not fair!” We assume the role of judge and jury, look at people and events in our world, and make our determinations. But the phrase as stated is incomplete. What we really mean is “Things aren’t going my way and I want them to and they should and it’s not fair when they don’t!” Our standard for judgment …

The Blessings Of Being God's People: Election In The Book Of Isaiah, Adam Jones

Honors Theses

Over the years, the doctrine of election, or God choosing a people, has been a highly debated topic. Two thousand years of church history can attest to that, and even today churches split over disagreements about the topic. To begin to gain a clearer understanding of this doctrine, one must set aside common presuppositions, expectations, and even the understanding in church history. Often, election is seen as a New Testament doctrine. However, it is important to remember that the Old Testament forms the background for the New Testament and is often quoted in New Testament passages. Isaiah is heavily relied …

Why Should We Care About Allegories And Such?, Joseph R. Dodson

Books and Monographs

In Acts 8:26-39 we read the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who longed for someone to come and assist him in understanding the ancient writings of Scripture. The Holy Spirit sent him the apostle Philip whose explanation led to the eunuch’s conversion to Christianity. In June of 2013 eight scholars convened at Tyndale House, Cambridge, England, to devote a week to the discussion of how to interpret the Bible. Our vision in the book before us is to come alongside and join in the reading and interpretation of Scripture, so that we can all gain a better knowledge of its …

The Good News Of Jesus Typology In The Gospels And Acts, Joseph R. Dodson

Books and Monographs

In Acts 8:26-39 we read the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who longed for someone to come and assist him in understanding the ancient writings of Scripture. The Holy Spirit sent him the apostle Philip whose explanation led to the eunuch’s conversion to Christianity. In June of 2013 eight scholars convened at Tyndale House, Cambridge, England, to devote a week to the discussion of how to interpret the Bible. Our vision in the book before us is to come alongside and join in the reading and interpretation of Scripture, so that we can all gain a better knowledge of its …