Religion Commons^™

How Paul And The Jerusalem Council Might Speak To Division In The Twenty-First Century Church, Mary Birmingham

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

This paper sets forth the first-century Jerusalem Council as a model of hope to address the divisive issues facing the American Catholic Church today.

Sex In The City Of God, Diana Macalintal

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

The Church does not canonize saints; it canonizes causes, lifestyles, and attitudes. This is increasingly evident in the causes for lay people, especially married couples. Although it has made recent strides toward a more balanced theology of sexuality, the Catholic Church will not be comfortable canonizing happily married, sexually active couples until Mary is valued as a disciple and not exclusively as a virgin. Through an examination and evaluation of the explicit and implicit theology of sexuality as found in Scripture, Church teaching, and the canonization process, this paper will propose a new theology of sexuality based on a re-visioning …

Get Up : The Art Of Elevation (Audio), Randy Jessen

ATS Chapel Services

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Seventh-Day Adventist Health Core Convictions : Alignment With Current Healthcare Practice, Randall L. Haffner

Dissertations

Purpose. The prevailing literature suggests that organizations can sustain their vitality and longevity by preserving their core ideology. The purpose of this study is to define and articulate the core convictions of Seventh-day Adventist healthcare and then investigate how the leaders' and employees' cognitive understandings, behaviors, and affective attachments align at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida.

Method. This two-phased sequential exploratory study utilizes qualitative research to define the core convictions of Seventh-day Adventist healthcare through historical literature review, analysis of official Church publications, four commissioned scholarly papers, and one-on-one interviews with seasoned healthcare administrators. These findings are then used to …

Moral Implications Of Darwinian Evolution For Human Reference Based In Christian Ethics: A Critical Analysis And Response To The "Moral Individualism" Of James Rachels, Stephen Bauer

Dissertations

The topic. This dissertation explores and analyzes James Rachels's efforts to prove that Darwin's theory of evolution has catastrophic implications for traditional Christian ethics.

The purpose. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore and evaluate the question of whether or not protology affects ethics. In particular, I propose to distill the implications of evolutionary views of origins for ethics, mainly in reference to the issue of human preference over nature in ethics. I propose to disclose Rachels's understanding of the implications of evolution on human preference (greater protections for human beings over non-humans) in ethics (such as biblical-Christian ethics), …

Religion, Politics And Human Rights: Understanding The Role Of Christianity In The Promotion Of Human Rights, Barbara Ann Rieffer

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Global Face of Public Faith by David Hollenbach. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003. 259pp.

and

For All Peoples and All Nations by John Nurser. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2005. 209pp.

Crafting Community (Chapter Eight Of The Contented Soul: The Art Of Savoring Life), Lisa Graham Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

Excerpt: "Norm Ewert and Sharon Coolidge live simply in an affluent suburb. They are Wheaton College professors committed to caring for the poor around the world. Before she and Norm married, Sharon had purchased a small home a couple blocks from campus. After they married, they expanded and remodeled the 1850s home, using recycled materials (leaded windows from a school, French doors from a church, a carved staircase salvaged from a house fire) and adding a reservoir to capture and reuse rainwater, a solarium with well-placed windows for passive heat, and thick walls for insulation. As Mennonites they live simply …

When People Take Charge: A Case Study In Holistic Ministry, Rudi Maier

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Serving With Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions With Cultural Intelligence / David A. Livermore [Book Review], Wagner Kuhn

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

God Is Love - Trinitarian Love!, Woodrow W. Whidden Ii

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Let The Servant Church Arise: Waters For The Thirsty, Supper For The Hungry, Rhoda Schuler

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

The title of this address provides some clues about the perspective I bring to the question of the church's mission in the world Use of the term "servant church"-borrowed directly from the hymn ''The Church of Christ in Every Age"1-reveals my bias for language of servanthood to describe that mission. Such language has governed my own identity as a deaconess for nearly three decades. Aidan Kavanaugh argues that the ascetic, who is dedicated to ''the art of maintaining a life of 'right worship,'" serves as the exemplar for the baptized, pointing them toward the Christian's ultimate end: that is, …

Mass And Mission: Enacting God's Mission In The Christian Assembly Today, Thomas H. Schattauer

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

I doubt that I need to underscore the ferment surrounding the matters that are the theme of this year's Institute: worship and mission. The practice of worship in our congregations has become fragmented by multiple and competing proposals for what should happen when we gather. As a teacher of worship, the questions and discussions I encounter day by day reveal a general distrust of conventional liturgical practice and a genuine hunger for something-anything-that will engage and enliven people at worship in our time and place. There is no simple and direct approach to matters of worship-this is what we …

Spirituality And Therapeutic Counseling, Deborah Kelly

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Exploring The Possibilities Of Using Lisanga Small Groups In Disciple-Making Among The Avalogoli People Of Kenya, Nebert A. Mtange

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Possibilities Of Using Lisanga Small Groups In Disciple-Making Among The Avalogoli People Of Kenya, Nebert A. Mtange

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Building A Leadership Team Of Laypersons Upon The Rockwood United Methodist Charge's Embracing And Fulfilling Of Its Charge-Wide Vision Statement, Randall W. Bain

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From Caudillo To Collaborative Leader : A Culturally Influenced Derailment In Emergent Leadership In An Ecuadorian Denomination, Randall S. Coleman

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Towards A Theology Of Land For The New Guinea Islands, William Kenny Longgar

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

2006 - 88th Annual Lectureship, "Messages From The Gospel Of John", Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

No abstract provided.

2006 - 89th Annual Lectureship, "Messages From The Gospel Of John 9-21", Abilene Christian University, Abilene Christian University

Lectureship and Summit Programs

This is the brochure for the 2006 89thh Annual Bible Lectureship held at Abilene Christian University.

Rights Of Culture, Rights Of Conscience, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this contribution I take up a particularly troubling issue in the theory of human rights. It is the issue of intervention to defend or uphold — or re-assert and re-establish — human rights. The issue is a troubling one because intervention in the affairs of others is always something we should be wary of, not least because history is full of unhappy episodes of intervention, from the Spanish in the Americas to the Chinese in Tibet. Indeed, so difficult and complex are the issues raised that one might be tempted in a discussion of human rights simply to separate …

A Biblically Based Strategy For Disciple-Making In The Seventh-Day Adventist Churches Of Malawi, Wenson Lyson Masoka

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The current rapid growth of the church in Malawi lacks an on-going strategy to foster the membership increase and its spirituality. The failure to systematically train the laity as disciple makers has resulted in their under utilization. By default, the church has become clergy-dependent and the majority of the members warm the pews as mere spectators. Meanwhile, their conversions seem to be equated with disciple-making. There is need for a paradigm shift which will produce active lay persons who can adequately rise to the challenge of the Gospel Commission, making disciples of all nations. Although this research has a …

A Strategy To Reach Animistic People In Madagascar, Jacques Ratsimbason

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The majority of the Malagasy people who live in Madagascar are unreached with the gospel message. A preliminary investigation of current literature indicated that 50 percent of the Malagasy are followers of traditional religions. This present study was to develop a strategy to reach the animistic people with the gospel message.

Method

This study presents Malagasy people, their social characteristics, population, worldviews, and lifestyles. A study;and evaluation of Malagasy beliefs and practices were developed using Hiebert's model of critical contextualization.

Results

The study reveals that the Seventh-day Adventist Church must update its evangelistic methods to reach animistic people and …

A Strategy For Strengthening Romanian Seventh-Day Adventist Families Dealing With Couple Separation Due To Economic Reasons, Mihail Baciu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Financial challenges in Romania have prompted many Seventh-day Adventist people to leave their spouses and country to seek employment abroad. The impact of this phenomenon upon families has been significant. This situation occurred primarily between 1991 and 2000. Before 1990, generally speaking, the number of Seventh-day Adventist family separations or divorces was very low (around 30-40 families) in Romania. After 1991, this number increased dramatically to estimated 10-12,000 families. Temporary separation of spouses for economic reasons does not necessarily lead to a divorce. However, due to the complex implications of temporary separation on families, children and faith communities, this …

From Mother To Sister: The Development In The Understanding Of Mission In The Life And Writings Of St Thérèse Of Lisieux And Its Contemporary Relevance, Michelle Jones

Theses

This dissertation analyses the development in the understanding of mission in the life and writings of St Thérèse of Lisieux and considers its contemporary significance. The thesis is that Thérèse progressed from a ‘mother missiology’ to a ‘sister missiology.’ This missiological evolution is intrinsically united to Thérèse’s transcendence of the faith-categories of her era.

Initially, with her Catholic contemporaries, Thérèse regarded it as her duty to ‘mother’ unbelievers into divine life. This ‘mother missiology’ gradually became ‘sister missiology’ as two movements of grace, namely the emergence of the ‘little way’ and Thérèse’s intensifying union with Jesus, the kenotic Christ, took …

Developing An Interdisciplinary Analysis And Application Of Worldview Concepts For Christian Mission, Paulo Candido De Oliveira

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The Adventist emphasis on cognitive knowledge and behavioral change instead of deep changes of worldview assumptions and allegiance is the main concern of the present work. It is easier to emphasize cognitive beliefs and behavior than to do the difficult task of working to change the underlying worldview premises that drive behavior. The emphases on cognitive beliefs and behavior have frequently generated syncretism, created loyalty based on surface advantage instead of deeper allegiance, and hindered the Seventh-day Adventist Christian message from being adapted to different cultures.

Method. An interdisciplinary library research is conducted to establish the foundational knowledge of …

Ellen White's Counsel To Leaders: Identification And Synthesis Of Principles, Experiential Application, And Comparison With Current Leadership Literature, Cynthia Ann Tutsch

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Ellen G. White’s counsel to leaders on both spiritual and practical themes, as well as her personal application of that counsel, has on-going relevance in the twenty-first century.

The author researched secondary literature, and Ellen G. White’s published and unpublished works. She surveyed current leadership literature to compare and contrast with Ellen G. White’s leadership principles and constructed a theological foundation for Ellen White’s unique leadership world view.

Ellen White’s leadership principles relating to knowing God, authority, visioning, and human relations may still inspire compassionate action and a deepening commitment to Jesus Christ in today’s Christian leader.

La Perfilación Como Método Para Identificar Las Necesidades De Los Inmigrantes, Ruben Ramos Rivera

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Hispanic community is currently the largest minority group in the United States and its annual rate of growth continues to be significant. Hispanic immigrants, in particular, face very unique problems and challenges, Seventh-day Adventist pastors and churches need to develop effective strategies that may help them to fill the needs of this group as well as to obey the divine commission of bringing them to Christ. This dissertation seeks to contribute to the wealth of resources and strategies available to pastors by providing them with a valuable tool that may help them to effectively plan their outreach ministries to …

A Reappraisal Of Wesleyan Methodist Mission In The First Half Of The Nineteenth Century, As Viewed Through The Ministry Of The Rev John Smithies (1802-1872), Richard B. Roy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The dissertation reappraises Wesleyan Methodist (WM) mission in the first half of the nineteenth century on the basis of its mission statement (`to reform the nation, particularly the Church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land' ) and a primary WM characteristic, religious experience. The mission statement shapes the outline for the first main section of the dissertation (3.0) utilising the three divisions of the statement only in reverse order, specifically, (1) the spread of scriptural holiness, (2) reform of the church and (3) reform of the land (nation). The second main section (4.0) examines religious experience in the …

From Here To Eternity A Biblical, Theological, And Analogical Defense Of Divine Eternity In Light Of Recent Challenges Within Analytic Philosophy, Douglas Allan Felch

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Four decades ago, several analytical philosophers began to reconsider the traditional doctrine of divine eternity, which maintains that time is part of the created order, that God is not subject to its limitations, and that the mode of God's existence (following Boethius) is "the complete possession all at once of an unlimited life." Critics objected that this doctrine was biblically underdetermined, that it was more Greek than Christian, and that it was incoherent since an eternal God could not redeem or be actively involved in the temporal world, could only minimally be considered a person, and could not possess knowledge …