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Correlations Between Old Aramaic Inscriptions And The Aramaic Section Of Daniel, Zdravko Stefanovic

Dissertations

Problem. In scholarly debates on the origin of DA, the corpus of OA texts has not received full attention. Thus, there is a lack of comparative studies between DA and OA. This type of study serves a twofold purpose: It contributes to providing an answer to the questions of origin of DA, and it provides fresh insights into both OA and DA.

Method. This study of OA texts has been organized into seven sections which pertain to the literary and linguistic character of every one of the inscriptions: Description, Nature, Structure, Vocabulary, Orthography and Phonology, Morphology, and Syntax. The discussion …

The Empirical Development Of A Curriculum To Train Sda Professional Youth Leaders, Steve Case

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to meet the need for SDA youth ministry training by empirically developing a curriculum to train church youth leaders.

Method. The instructional product development of Baker and Schutz (1971) was utilized for this research. After the need for the product was established, instructional specifications were established by means of behavioral objectives. Criteria for these objectives were rooted in current youth ministry literature. Strategies to promote affect were included.

The curriculum was prepared in the form of a weekend seminar. Mastery was set at 80% of the participants scoring at least 80% on each …

James White And The Development Of Seventh-Day Adventist Organization, 1844-1881, Andrew Gordon Mustard

Dissertations

The Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged from the Millerite movement of the 1840s. After the Disappointment of 1844 the unique features of Sabbatarian Adventism emerged--in particular, the seventh-day Sabbath and the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary--and were consolidated among scattered groups of believers by the end of1848.

This study describes the development of Seventh-day Adventist organization between 1844 and 1881, examines its theological and biblical foundations, and evaluates the influence of James White, the leading figure in promoting church order.

Chapter I presents the aims and purposes of the work, the methodology followed, the sources considered, and a biographical …

The Vision Of Daniel 8 : Interpretations From 1700 To 1900, Samuel Núñez

Dissertations

This study attempts to trace the history of the interpretation of the vision of Dan 8, particularly its five animal symbols, the temporal phrase of the 2300 "evening-mornings," and three cultic expressions, from about 1700 to 1900. The main objective is to discover different interpretations, the exegetical and/or historical arguments that were offered, and the approaches that were used.

In the period 1700 to 1800, interpreters of the preterist and historicist schools were more involved in the interpretation of Dan 8 than any other school of interpretation. It was in this century that the traditional historicist view of the little …

Applying Marketing Concepts To Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary Education, David Stephen Penner

Dissertations

Problem

Seventh-day Adventist academies face financial problems due to declining enrollments and inadequate funding. Higher education has looked to marketing as a possible means of reversing these trends. While much has been written about marketing in higher education, little has been written concerning the marketing of secondary education.

Method

In order to accomplish the purpose of this study, it was necessary to review the current ideas on marketing higher education and examine those ideas that might apply to secondary education. An outline for marketing SDA secondary education was then developed. In order to validate the outline, a panel of judges, …

A Sequential Study Of Revelation 1-14 Emphasizing The Judgment Motif : With Implications For Seventh-Day Adventist Apocalyptic Pedagogy, Richard Fredericks

Dissertations

Problem and purpose. Though Seventh-day Adventist theology is apocalyptically oriented, recent denominational studies indicate a lack of personal hope or assurance with respect to an imminent eschaton and the simultaneous revelation of divine judgment. Because existing studies focus specifically on judgment inRevelation to help Adventist teachers, this dissertation first offers a contextual study of judgment emphasizingits Christological/soteriological dimensions.

A second concern is with historicism as an exclusive interpretive model for apocalyptic. Though offering a sense of denominational uniqueness and mission, historicism leaves major portions of the Apocalypse with little relevance for and limited application to current issues confronting contemporary Adventists. …

Issues In Biblical Inspiration: Sanday And Warfield, Peter M. Van Bemmelen

Dissertations

This study attempts to clarify the issues involved informulating a doctrine of Biblical inspiration. It does so through a careful analysis and comparative evaluation of two contrasting concepts or models of inspiration. William Sanday and Benjamin Warfield were selected as prominent representatives of a liberal and a conservative approach to the problem.

A brief introductory chapter, delineating the aims, method and limitations of the study, is followed by a survey of the history of the doctrine of Biblical inspiration from the sixteenth century onwards. This survey focuses chiefly on the English-speaking world and especially the Anglican and Presbyterian traditions to …

Comparison Of International And American Doctoral Graduates' Expectations, Satisfaction, And Appropriateness Of Their Programs In Education At Andrews University, Libin Kutup Rampasan

Dissertations

Problem

The proportion of international students in the doctoral programs, School of Education at Andrews University, raises concerns over (a) the ability of the programs to meet the varied expectations and needs of the international and American students and (b) the relevance of the students' academic preparations to their careers. Possible differences between the international and American doctoral graduates' appraisals of their programs were investigated.

Method

This ex-post facto study obtained data from two sources: All's records and the graduates' responses to survey questionnaires sent to 143 of the 151 doctoral graduates with known addresses. A 72.7% return rate was …

A Study Of The Attitudes Of The Adventist Church Members In Taiwan Toward The Support Of Seventh-Day Adventist Christian Education, Paul Fu-Sheng Cho

Dissertations

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist denomination has developed a school system to serve theindividual needs of its members and general needs of the church. From 1972 to 1986, the educational work of the Adventist church in Taiwan has declined steadily. This study was to investigate the attitudes of church members toward the support of Adventist education on relation to demographic and personal variables.

Method. The Adventist Christian Education Attitude Scale measured (1) demographic characteristics; (2) 59 attitude statements, arranged in five scales, identified by factor analysis; and (3) the 13 reasons why church members did not attend or send their youth …

The Relationship Between The Leader Behaviors Of Pastors And Church Growth In The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Clinton Anthony Valley

Dissertations

The objective of the study was to determine whether pastors of high growth churches in the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were more effective leaders than those pastors who served in low growth churches. The answer to this query was recognized as having implications for the pre-service and in-service training of pastors and in the periodic evaluation of their performance. The Lake Union Conference is an administrative body that oversees the work of the Church in five local conference units, namely, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Region, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

In the literature on effective leadership, there is consistent support for …

Edward Alexander Sutherland And The Seventh-Day Adventist Educational Reform: The Denominational Years, Warren Sidney Ashworth

Dissertations

Problem. Edward Alexander Sutherland, 1865-1955, was one of the most notable and successful educational reformers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He served the church for sixty years, fifty-three of them as president of four Adventist colleges. This study has been delimited to his years of denominational employment, 1890 through 1904, but does not include his forty-one years as president of Madison College--a self-suporting Adventist institution that received no direct financial assistance from the denomination.

Method. This study, investigating Sutherland's life from the perspective of his work as an educational reformer, employed the historical method of research. Major sources included extensive …

Selected Variables Related To Alienation From Religion Among Church-Related High School Students, Carl Robert Laurent

Dissertations

Problem. One of the most important concerns of parents and church leaders is alienation from religion among church-related adolescents. This research was conducted to discover relationships that might exist between alienation from religion and other selected variables.

Method. Three hundred and ninety students were selected by a stratified random method from among all students attending three church-related youth conferences. Each teenager was asked to respond to an inventory which consisted of 162 statements divided into eighteen attitude scales. One scale measured alienation from religion, while the other seventeen measured the independent variables. The major statistical method used in analyzing the …

The Concept Of Vengeance In The Book Of Revelation In Its Old Testament And Near Eastern Context, Joel Nobel Musvosvi

Dissertations

This study attempts to resolve the theological and ethical problems raised by the call for and rejoicing at vengeance as they appear in Rev 6:9-11 and Rev 19:2, respectively. Central to the study is the question of whether vengeance in Revelation expresses a vindictive human attitude or a divine attribute of justice.

In Chapter 1 a review of pertinent literature reveals the lack of agreement among scholars on the interpretation of vengeance in Revelation. Chapter 2 examines the concept of vengeance as it occurs in several Ancient Near Eastern vassal treaties, the Old Testament, and Pseudepigrapha. This examination reveals that …

A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Adolescent Religiosity And Adolescent Perception Of Parental Behavior In Antigua And Barbuda, Eustace Sheppard

Dissertations

Purpose. This study investigated the relationship between adolescent religiosity and (a) adolescents' perception of paternal supporting, controlling, demanding, and punishing behavior; (b) adolescents' perception of maternal supporting, controlling, demanding, and punishing behavior; (c) the ten dimensions of adolescents' religiosity and three predictor variables of age, sex, and religious affiliation.

Methodology. The population investigated comprised adolescents between the ages of fourteen and seventeen years old, in forms three and four, attending fifteen secondary schools in Antigua and Barbuda. A sample of 400 was chosen by purposive sampling from eleven of the fifteen secondary schools; of the 400 chosen 314 were included …

A Correlational Study Of Jungian Psychological Types And Nineteen Spiritual Gifts, Chek Yat Phoon

Dissertations

Problem

No known study had examined the correlation between the Jungian psychological types and spiritual gifts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the Jungian psychological types and a selection of 19 spiritual gifts of the New Testament.

Method

This study employed two instruments to measure the psychological types and 19 spiritual gifts: The Myers-Briggs type Indicator and The Spiritual Gifts Inventory. The data which were computed and analyzed to test 38 null hypotheses were provided by a total of 430 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, and church members …

The Concept Of Contextualization And Its Implications For The Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Education In India, Melchizedek M. Ponniah

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist chruch in India operates in a rapidly changing pluralistic context and a predominantly Hindu culture. Response to the emerging opportunities and demands suggest the reconstruction of theological education in more contextual terms. It is imperative that the institutions and practice of ministry be shaped and evaluated in terms of the manifold functions to be performed in the varegated and highly differentiated cultures within which the Adventist church functions.

Method

This study utilized the historical and descriptive methods. Literature was reviewed to gather concepts related to the concept of contextualization and contextualization of theological education.

Conclusions

1. …

The Concept Of The Poor In The Context Of The Ecclesiology Of Liberation Theology, Amin Americo Rodor

Dissertations

This investigation deals with the concept of the poor in the thought of Latin American Liberation theology, particularly as articulated in the context of the movement's ecclesiology.

Chapter I traces the historical and theological context for the emergence of liberation theology. The focus is placed first on the ecclesiological models through which the Roman Catholic Church expressed its life and mission in Latin America and how it affected the Church's social relations in the area. The impact of the ecclesiological shift of Vatican Council II, in combination with the historical situation of Latin America in the late '60s, is seen …

Impeccability In 1 John: An Evaluation, Leon Eloy Wade

Dissertations

The First Epistle of John confronts us with a dilemma which, since its inception, has challenged many students of the Bible. On the other hand, the Christian must not deny his sinfulness -- for which, however, there is a ready solution in the expiation wrought by Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the one who abides in God and is born of him does not sin and, indeed, cannot sin.

Many solutions, discussed and evaluated in chapter 1 have been attempted to harmonize this apparent contradiction. Though some are more satisfying than others, a common weakness exhibited among them all …

The Jephthah Traditions : A Rhetorical And Literary Study In The Deuteronomistic History, Dale Sumner Dewitt

Dissertations

The literature on Judges reveals a growing body of insights into its structure and arrangement, and the social dynamics and theology of the eras of its events and (later) composition. At the same time, there is continual search for greater understanding of these features of the book. Rhetorical criticism furnishes a promising approach to discovering the structure of the Jephthah stories, when used with genre-identification aspects of form criticism. The five Jephthah narratives are a loosely integrated, but symmetrically arranged sequence. The first and fifth narratives are rhetorically designed to pair with each other; the second and fourth are similarly …

Slow To Understand: The Disciples In Synoptic Perspective, Bertram L. Melbourne

Dissertations

The problem of the portrayal of the disciples of Jesus has been the focus of much scholarly investigation. Discussion has been pursued primarily from the Marcan perspective, in keeping with its assumed priority. Consequently, Mark is seen as creating the disciples' incomprehension to serve his theological intent. The correctness of this notion is questioned in this study which seeks to determine whether incomprehension was an authentic experience of Jesus' original disciples, and whether slowness of understanding was to be expected in teaching and learning contexts.

Recent scholarship on the disciples is surveyed to identify the main issues, approaches, trends, and …

A Review Of Educational Balance And Its Relationship To The Daily Schedule In Eighteen Seventh-Day Adventist Residence Academies In The United States, Eugene W. Rau

Dissertations

Problem. Within the time constraints of the 24-hour day and the sevenday week, and under the pressure of the increased number of units to be earned before graduation from Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) residence academies, it was doubtful that students were experiencing educational balance. The number of and time for activities in which a student could be engaged, plus the content and emphasis on daily functions, were studied and reported under five areas of educational balance: academic achievement, vocational and professional interests, social growth, physical activities, and religious experience.

Method. Representing grades ten, eleven, and twelve in 18 out of 36 …

Premarital Preparation Within The Home, School, And Church As Perceived By Adolescents In The Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Ernest James Stevens

Dissertations

Problem. In today's society increasing stress and problems face the traditional Judeo-Christian marriage and family. Adolescents are being confronted with these problems as a result of the continuing rate of divorce and internal stress within family relations. The Seventh-day Adventist church has historically emphasized the importance of marriage and the family. However, as the Christian marriage and family face changes in today's society, there is a need for greater awareness of the factors which influence the premarital preparation of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to research adolescents' perceptions of their premarital preparation. The primary hypothesis of this …

Concurrent Validity Of The Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory For Seventh-Day Adventist Seminarians And Ministers, M. Lloyd Erickson

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to detemine if the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) is a valid instrument for measuring the vocational interests of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) seminarians and ministers and to discover if denominational differences exist on the SCII. Another purpose of the study was to determine if preferred type of ministry is related to vocational interests.

Method. The SCII and questionnaire were administered to randomly selected SDA seminarians and ministers. The data-producing sample consisted of 75 seminarians and 189 ministers. Statistical analyses included Hotelling's T test, t-tests, univariate and multivariate analyses of variance, and discriminant analysis.

Findings. …

The Heavenly Court Scene Of Revelation 4-5, R. Dean Davis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to interpret the heavenly court scene of Rev 4-5 through a thematic analysis of the passage. Little detailed study has been done to demonstrate the significance of the passage in its totality or its significance for the early chapters of Revelation. Scholars have noted parallels between Revelation and the Old Testament, but only recently have they begun to recognize the major impact of the Old Testament concept of covenant on Revelation. The research approach for this study is thematic m nature, with exegesis as a necessary tool. Chapter 1 establishes Rev 4-5 as a …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Church Sponsored K-12 Education And Church Membership In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Warren Earl Minder

Dissertations

Church growth continues to be a concern for religious sects. Writers on church growth hold that all the various ministries of the church must assist the church in accomplishing church growth.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not persons who had been students in the Adventist school system had greater probability of joining the church and staying in the church than those who did not attend an Adventist school but were from homes where at least one parent was a Seventh-day Adventist.

There were two dependent variables in the study: initial baptism to join the church …

Desecration And Defilement In The Old Testament, Nilton Dutra Amorim

Dissertations

Problem. The Hebrew roots hll and tm' have been translated interchangeably by desecration or defilement. Since the root hll is used in opposition to the root qds, while tm' stands in opposition to thr, it remained to be investigated whether their equation is justified because they appear in parallel or whether they should be visualized as belonging to two different realms and having different meanings.

Method. My approach was basically a synchronical word study. All the appearances of the roots hll and tm' in the OT were analyzed. The roots hnp and g'l as well as some secondary roots related …

Faith And Works In Ellen G. White's Doctrine Of The Last Judgment, Jairyong Lee

Dissertations

This research studies the relationship between faith and works as the grounds of the last judgment in the thought of Ellen G. White.

Chapter I forms the introduction to this research.

Chapter II sketches the historical and theological milieu of the Adventist movement in nineteenth-century North America as the background for the formation of Ellen White's concept of the last judgment. As one of the ardent followers of William Miller, Ellen White had been influenced considerably by Millerite leaders in the formation of her eschatological foundation. Many of her own positions related to the judgment scene, such as the Day …

Study Of The Attitudes Concerning Church Standards Expressed By Seventh-Day Adventists In Relation To Selected Personality Traits, Hampton Eugene Walker

Dissertations

Problem. This study attempted to explore whether or not traits of personality accounted for differences among Seventh-day Adventists, predicting attitudinal tendencies of either strict or lenient adherence toward traditional church standards.

Methodology. This study utilized the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Form C for measuring personality variables, and a Likert-type scale which was developed to measure attitudes of adherence to six Adventist church standards within a sample of 447 Seventh-day Adventists. The relationship between the sixteen personality variables and each of the six attitudinal variables toward selected church standards (i.e., diet, dress, entertainment, Sabbath keeping, sexual activities, and divorce and remarriage) …

The Son Of The Morning And The Guardian Cherub In The Context Of The Controversy Between Good And Evil, Jose M. Bertoluci

Dissertations

Problem. Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 have been used, since the times of the Church Fathers, to explain the origin of sin in the universe, and interpreted as depicting the fall of Satan from heaven. However, through the years--especially from the end of the nineteenth century and on--theologians have affirmed that those passages report historical events, making use of mythological material in their narratives; and therefore have not to do with the origin of sin or Satan. It is the aim of this dissertation to verify these claims.

Method and Results. Chapter 1 reviews the interpretations of the passages from …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Evangelical Seminaries In Canada Based On And Comparing The Views Of Their Presidents And Deans And Of The Canadian Leaders Of Evangelical Denominations, Edward Lawrence Oke

Dissertations

Problem

Evangelical seminaries in Canada enroll more students than those of mainline denominations, yet they lack recognition and acceptance. This problem may be due to insufficient information, inaccurate understanding of evangelicals, or the fact that most of them were founded since 1970. No study has attempted to describe them or to analyse their distinctives and growth.

Method

One of the most recent studies of Canadian seminaries was by Robert T. Handy who compared Canadian and American members of ATS and reported his findings in the Spring 1982 issue of Theological Education which also included responses from five Canadian educators. The …