Religion Commons^™

Book Review: Beyond Toleration: The Religious Origins Of American Pluralism By Chris Beneke, Laverne Smith

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Has The Church Replaced Israel: A Theological Evaluation (Michael J. Vlach), Jeffrey L. Cockrell

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

Colossians 4:11 And The Ethnic Identity Of Luke, R. Wayne Stacy

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

First-Century Biblical Canonization, James B. Joseph

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

The Uneasy Pulpit: Carl Henry, The Authority Of The Bible And Expositional Preaching, Kevin King

Eruditio Ardescens

No abstract provided.

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, …

The Relationship Between The Christian Music Industry And Church Worship Music, Julianne E. Ashbaugh

Senior Honors Theses

Music has been used for millennia to worship God. Today the words worship and music are almost interchangeable in American Evangelical churches. Christian music has become a growing genre with its own radio stations, billboard charts and awards, and recording artists who exclusively sing Christian songs. Church music has also changed drastically in the past century. The musical portion of a church service used to consist of hymns led by a choir and music director who is accompanied by a piano or organ. Now many churches have a worship leader who plans and leads the musical portion of the church …

Shepherding The Flock: C.A.R.E. - A Model For Pastoral Ministry, Ronald Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A seminary graduate is often well equipped in a variety of areas including preaching, languages, church growth, and the like. One area that graduates often feel ill equipped is the practical area of pastoral care; however, every minister, whether in a church of ten or ten thousand, must have a way to effectively deal with this part of their ministry. From a review of the literature and a survey of pastors, this project will confirm the current need for further training in the area of pastoral care. In addition, this project will offer a plan to meet those needs within …

A Four-Fold Strategy For Training Parents To Teach Spiritual Formation At Home, James Otis Ledbetter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to aid church leaders toward understanding the dynamics of family ministry: what it is and what it is not. Having written five books for Focus on the Family and David C. Cook addressing the role of the church and family, this author has successfully transitioned his church from the traditional family ministry (families in the support role of the church) to placing the church in the support role of the family: strengthening God's family by strengthening theirs. Based on surveys, evaluations of each individual family's health, historical and cultural documents, resources, and actual case …

“Leonard Swidler’S Influence On The Work Of An American Evangelical And On Romanian Academia.”, Michael Jones

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Resurrection Of Jesus: A Clinical Review Of Psychiatric Hypotheses For The Biblical Story Of Easter, Joseph Bergeron, Gary R. Habermas

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

Jesus’ resurrection to bodily life after death by crucifixion is foundational to orthodox Christianity. The disciples had encounters with Jesus after his crucifixion which caused them to believe he had been bodily resurrected to life again. Psychiatric hypotheses have been proposed as naturalistic explanations for his disciples’ beliefs, which include hallucinations, conversion disorder, and bereavement experiences. Since they propose hallucinatory symptoms that suggest the presence of underlying medical pathology, clinical appraisal of these hypotheses for the disciples’ encounters with the resurrected Jesus is warranted. Psychiatric hypotheses for the disciples’ belief in Jesus’ resurrection are found to be inconsistent with current …

Why William Rowe’S Argument From Natural Evil Fails, Douglas Taylor

Other Graduate Scholarship

Atheists in the vein of William Rowe have put forth arguments suggesting that the presence of evil counts against the existence of God. In particular, Rowe has advanced two lines of reasoning for his position, one being taken from an actual historical case of moral evil, and one case being a hypothetical natural evil. This paper seeks to interact with the proffered fictitious case whereby Rowe contends that even nature argues against the existence of God. If it is possible to demonstrate that Rowe’s argumentation fails, namely that if a greater good can be identified in relation to his submitted …

From Patristics To Postmodernity: Does A Message Still Exist?, Douglas Taylor

Other Graduate Scholarship

Dr. David Wheeler once advised that while not all are called to be an evangelist, all Christians are called to be evangelical. Although some may counter that postmodernity is waning, the question remains how one might be evangelical in a postmodern world. The concept that no metanarrative exists has been one of the pillars of postmodernity, and as such challenges the premise that Scripture contains an overarching story encompassing all of mankind. If Dr. Wheeler was correct, and all are called to be evangelical, then the question that would seem to require answering is how one might begin to address …

Great Lessons And Grand Blessings, Elmer L. Towns

Books

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Adversity In Christian Living And Proposal For Discipleship Response, Christopher Payne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With numerous ministries teaching a cultural gospel comprised of prosperity and pleasure, people have the impression that a saving faith limits personal hardships. Jesus taught his disciples the truth about hardship and how to struggle well and the Church is called to do likewise. This thesis will present five key biblical truths to equip Christians for growing their faith through personal struggle. Moreover, the project will give leaders a guide for discipling hurting church members. The author will research current and historical discipleship materials and models, examine current teachings on faith and struggle, explore relevant biblical teachings, and survey fifty …

The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership Behavior, Adult Attachment And God Attachment, Deboarah Foulkes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Transformational leaders are charged with the undertaking of not only accomplishing tasks, but also engaging followers in a manner that will achieve these tasks. An interaction with the follower is needed to achieve this, and the quality of that interaction may be impacted by environmental stressors. Past studies suggest that adult attachment orientation will determine the quality of interpersonal interactions. Additionally, past studies also suggest that an attachment to God influences the quality of interpersonal interactions and how one copes with stress. A correspondence model of God attachment posits that a person’s attachment to God will be similar to their …

Evangelism And Social Concern In The Theology Of Carl F. H. Henry, Jerry Ireland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines evangelism and social concern in the theology of Carl F. H. Henry. Henry stands not only as the most important figure in the re-awakening of evangelical social concern, but also a leading thinker among Evangelicals on the theological foundations that should guide this movement in its life and practice. Henry, building on the work of Abraham Kuyper (although with some significant differences), sought to recapture the Reformed emphasis on a worldview approach to the Christian faith. Thus, Henry emerges as a key and oddly understudied figure in the re-awakening of evangelical social action. Yet, his balanced approach …

Perceptions Of Spiritual Formation Among Nontraditional Seminary Students, Jacob Dunlow

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Theological higher education is going through massive changes as a result of the technological changes in education. Many seminaries have gone from a strictly on campus option for students seeking a master's degree, to a variety of options available to students. Given this recent shift, research is needed to study the impact of these nontraditional means of education on the training of future pastors and church leaders.

This research was conducted with the purpose of studying students who choose to attend seminary through a nontraditional means of online, hybrid, and extension centers. Specifically, exploring the relationship between mentoring and the …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Variables That Influence Southern Baptists’ Affirmation Of The Inerrancy Of The Bible, David A. Mcgee

Christian Perspectives in Education

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) had discovered by the late 1970s that belief in the inerrancy of the Bible was not consistently affirmed by their leadership. After a twenty year battle, the SBC attempted to clarify the doctrine of inerrancy through the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. A mixed-method analysis was conducted by surveying 502 Florida Southern Baptist (FSB) church members with a 68-question survey instrument to determine the degree to which they affirmed the doctrine of inerrancy. The study revealed that a large percentage of FSB church members affirmed the doctrine, but the underlining beliefs were not always consistently …

Letter From The Editor

Liberty Theological Review

Letter from the Editor

Codex Sinaiticus As A Window Into Early Christian Worship, Timothy N. Mitchell

Liberty Theological Review

Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest and most complete New Testament in Greek known to exist. Its two colophons at the end of 2 Esdras and Esther indicate a possible connection with Pamphilus’ famous library at Caesarea in Palestine. Origen was head of a school for catechumens during his days in Alexandria in Egypt and later began a similar school in Caesarea. Pamphilus was Origen’s star pupil and later directed his school in Caesarea. These colophons may connect Sinaiticus with an ancient tradition of early Christian worship and instruction of new converts, possibly exhibited in particular scribal features. These scribal features …

The Eternal Progression Argument Against Mormonism, Jonathan R. Pruitt

Liberty Theological Review

This paper argues that Mormon cosmology plus the Mormon view of the origin of human persons results in an undercutting defeater for Mormonism. The approach is modeled after Plantinga’s evolutionary argument against naturalism. The first step is to show that Mormon cosmology is relevantly like naturalism. The second step is to show that the origin of human persons ins relevantly similar to naturalistic evolution so that it faces the same kind of defeaters as the conjunction of naturalism and naturalistic evolution.

Book Review - Introducing Romans, Richard Longenecker, Mark Moore

Liberty Theological Review

Review of Richard Longenecker's Introducing Romans.

Common Sense Theology: An Analysis Of T. L. Carter's Interpretation Of Romans 13:1-7, Joshua Alley

Senior Honors Theses

Common sense theology has been a part of American theology since the time of the Revolution when Evangelicals incorporated ideals from the Scottish didactic Enlightenment into their thought. This paper deals with the work of one particular author, T. L. Carter, and his interpretation and exegetical work on Romans 13:1-7. It deals with the two major presuppositions of his common sense theology, namely that interpretations of any passage of Scripture will adhere to common sense and will result in a value-based ethic. Following this is an analysis of both the strengths and weaknesses of Carter's methodology.

The Pastor's Faithless Child: Strengthening Methods For Hurting Parent-Pastors, Ryan Ayers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parent-pastors face challenges when balancing vocational and familial responsibilities every day, and when faithless adolescent children are part of their family dynamic the hardship is magnified. These pastors often experience debilitating critique from their faith communities and colleagues while carrying the burden of raising a rebellious child. Utilizing a phenomenological study process, one hundred transparent interviews with parent-pastors are used to identify assumptions and realities surrounding the hurting parent-pastor's dilemma. Leading principles that have helped other parent-pastors cope with the overwhelming affects of their child's behavior will be introduced, empowering those who are hurting identify their stress points and overcome …

Review: Filosofie Și Religie: O Abordare Multidisciplinară (Philosophy Of Religion: An Interdisciplinary Approach) (By Sandu Frunza), Michael S. Jones

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Former Mentors' Perceptions Of The Faith-Based Approach To Reducing Recidivism Implemented By The Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach, Inc., James Langteau

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the impact of a faith-based approach to reduce recidivism. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study included the belief system and self-efficacy theories. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 21 former mentors of the Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach. The setting was a Christian non-profit organization serving the Marinette and Menominee County Jails located in rural northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Semistructured interviews, surveys, and a focus group provided data to illuminate common themes. Data analysis included highlighting significant statements from volunteer mentors who engaged offenders to effect …

A Lonely Faith: Lessons In Spiritual Resiliency Learned From The Isolated, Captive, And Rescued, Jeff Schlenz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Americans have always traveled abroad whether as merchants, military service members, missionaries, reporters, or simply, "tourists." Most return safely, but some have been taken captive by foreign governments, terrorists and criminal organizations. Though many have studied their struggles, no wide-scale attempt has been made to understand the role religious faith played in enduring their captivities. If understood, such information could be used in training those who may be exposed to similar circumstances in the future, and may have devotional value for others enduring crises. In this study, one hundred seventy-eight international travelers are surveyed, assessing their expectations of and preparation …

The Lord Is There: Christian Views Of The Temple In The First Century Ad, Jonathan Wells

Masters Theses

During the first century, Yeshua (Jesus) and the original Christians viewed the temple as God's dwelling place on earth. Informed by the Hebrew Bible, which they saw as the Holy Scriptures, they continued to hold the temple in high regard. The writings of the New Testament display the thoughts of the first Christians and the teachings of Yeshua concerning their understanding of the Jerusalem temple. This study explores the views of the temple in the New Testament and other Christian writings from the first century to demonstrate that most Christians and especially the writings of the New Testament continue to …

Southern Black Gospel Music: Qualitative Look At Quartet Sound During The Gospel `Boom' Period Of 1940-1960, Beatrice Pate

Masters Theses

The purpose of this work is to identify features of southern black gospel music, and to highlight what makes the music unique. One goal is to present information about black gospel music and distinguishing the different definitions of gospel through various ages of gospel music. A historical accounting for the gospel music is necessary, to distinguish how the different definitions of gospel are from other forms of gospel music during different ages of gospel. The distinctions are important for understanding gospel music and the `Southern' gospel music distinction. The quartet sound was the most popular form of music during the …