Biblical Studies Commons^™

Partners In Pilgrimage: Transforming The Journey Of Adolescence By Guiding Teenagers Toward Faithful Lives, Redefining Success, And Cultivating Connection To God, Abigail R. Weaver

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Adolescence is a formative period in which young people seek meaning, identity, and belonging while navigating a complex array of cultural, social, and developmental pressures. In suburban American contexts, these pressures are intensified by competitive academic environments, demanding extracurricular commitments, and pervasive societal expectations that equate worth with achievement. Drawing from my experience as a youth minister in suburban United Methodist churches, this dissertation examines how such forces shape the spiritual and personal development of 15- to 18-year-olds and explores the Church’s role in guiding adolescents through this landscape with wisdom and care.

Grounded in the Christian tradition and informed …

Evidence Of A Late Byzantine Period Earthquake And A Monastic Stable At ‘Avedat (Oboda) (With A Contribution By Yael Gorin-Rosen) (Pp. 153–197), Tali Erickson-Gini

'Atiqot

Three excavation areas were opened in ‘Avedat National Park, revealing important evidence regarding the effects of earthquakes on the Byzantine-period occupation at the site. In Area B, near the South Church, rooms were added on the exterior of an earlier building in the early fifth century CE, next to a heavy revetment wall. The exterior of a wall covered with red-painted (dipiniti) Christian motifs was uncovered in front of a cave, pointing to its use as a stable by a monastic community. It seems that this wall underwent structural damage, probably due to the early fifth-century CE earthquake. The site …

The Coins From The Monastery At Har Ḥoma (Pp. 297–300), Gabriela Bijovsky

'Atiqot

Eleven coins were discovered in the excavation of the monastery at Har Ḥoma, including a small hoard of three Byzantine gold solidi that was found hidden in the entrance of one of the monastery rooms. This hoard is of great value and would have equaled two months of food supply for all the monks who lived in the coenobium. The reasons for its concealment remain unknown; however, it may be linked to events related to the Persian invasion of 614 CE.

Mosaic Floors, Liturgical Vessels And Furniture, Andarchitectural Sculpture From The Byzantine Monasteryin Naḥal Qidron, Jerusalem (Pp. 83–100), Lihi Habas

'Atiqot

Salvage excavations in Naḥal Qidron, southof Jerusalem, revealed a monastery adornedwith mosaic floors. A composition of geometricinterlaces populated with animals decorated thefloor of the church hall, while geometric andvegetal carpets decorated the vestibule.Stylistic and technical analyses of the mosaicsindicatea datein the mid-sixth century CE.Liturgical furniture madeof imported marble, alongside local stoneimitations, as well as architectural sculpture,were also found at the site. Fragments of two liturgical vessels, a marblepanel, a fragment of a leg of an altar table and a limestonebracket were found.

Decorated Entablature And Liturgical Elements From Moshav Ha-Bonim (Pp. 101–106), Peter Gendelman

'Atiqot

Several fragments of decorated entablature and liturgical elements were uncovered within the ecclesiastical complex at Moshav Ha-Bonim. Most of the fragments were discarded into a cistern near the southern aisle of the church. Several limestone cornice fragments were found, as well as a marble spiral-fluted column, a limestone pinecone-shaped finial, a limestone chancel screen, a marble rectangular offering altar and a marble sigma table top. These were all probably originally part of the furnishings of the nearby church.

An Overview Of The Agricultural Landscape Of The ‘Zippor Compound’ In Modi‘In (Hebrew, Pp. 61–63; English Summary, P. 125), Mordechai Haiman

'Atiqot

Trial mapping was conducted at Ḥorbat Tittora with the aim of providing a spatial view of the dozens of agricultural installations excavated, and to examine them as part of a nearby settlement. The area yielded a dense cluster of farming terraces, water cisterns, building remains, a scattering of building stones and rock-hewn agricultural installations that become sparser as the distance increased from Ḥorbat Tittora.

A Late Byzantine Industrial Quarter And Early Islamic-Period Finds At Ḥorbat Be’Er Shema‘ (Pp. 209–248), Tali Erickson-Gini, Benjamin J. Dolinka, Larissa Shilov

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

New Archaeological Finds From Kursi-Gergesa (With A Contribution By Gabriela Bijovsky) (Pp. 175–197), Vassilios Tzaferis

'Atiqot

Two areas were opened (Areas C, D), exposing a stepped tunnel, a bathhouse and a cemetery. The stepped tunnel, which was unearthed in the 1970–1971 season of excavations, was found to end in a narrow leveled space, above which was a vaulted entrance leading to a spacious underground room. A compact Roman–Byzantine bathhouse was exposed, comprising five distinct units: a water-supply unit, a heating installation (praefurnium), heated-water pools, a hot room (caldarium) and a cool room (frigidarium). It is evident that the bathhouse was connected to the hostel building excavated in 1970–1971. The pottery from the bathhouse was similar to …

A Bread Stamp From Ḥorbat Ma‘On (Pp. 31–36), Leah Di Segni

'Atiqot

A pottery bread stamp was discovered in Stratum IV at Ḥorbat Ma‘on, dated to the end of the Byzantine period. The bread stamp has a disk-shaped base and a round knob handle. The handle top is decorated with a cross and the base of the stamp bears a Greek inscription that reads: “Blessing of (Saint?) Stephen”. The inscription indicates that the stamp was used for preparing buns that were handed out at a church as a memento of a visit to that church. It is proposed that the excavated complex at Ḥorbat Ma‘on included a church of St. Stephen and …

Marble Items From The Late Byzantine Buildings Along The Eastern Fringes Of Tel Shiqmona (Hebrew, Pp. 135–142; English Summary, P. 96*), Ira Barash

'Atiqot

Marble items found in the excavation at Tel Shiqmona include fragments of chancel screens, one of them decorated with the head of an animal—a ram or sheep; Corinthian capitals, characteristic of the fifth–sixth centuries CE; a column; carved items; and pavers and wall liners. Most of the marble items were found in a building that was probably a church, located in Area D/E.

The Mosaic From The Building (Church?) On The Eastern Fringes Of Tel Shiqmona (Hebrew, Pp. 143–145; English Summary, P. 97*), Ira Barash

'Atiqot

The mosaic was discovered in a building identified as a church, which was uncovered in Area D/E at Tel Shiqmona. The tesserae, of limestone, occur in shades of white, black, turquoise, red and yellow. The pattern of the central carpet is one of intertwined circles that form a motif of adjacent Maltese crosses. Based on the ceramic finds that were recovered from the bedding and the fill below it, the mosaic should be dated to the beginning of the seventh century CE.

A Training Model For Strategic Planning In Large Evangelical Churches, Ginger Ann Beady

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This dissertation explores strategic planning for churches in the post-Christendom era, where the cultural influence of Christianity has significantly diminished. The study aims to create a resource to help church leaders develop and implement strategic plans focused on long-term church health and sustainability. The first objective is to define what strategic planning entails and emphasize its necessity for fulfilling God's mission. Drawing on the Old Testament case study of Nehemiah and a New Testament survey, the research emphasizes the importance of effective planning within a biblical context. The second focus of this research question is to identify what to plan …

Evaluating “Grit” (Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied) Groups At The Highland Church Of Christ: An Intergenerational Enhancement Of Small Group Community Life, Beth Ann Fisher

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This project, Evaluating “GRIT” (Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied) at the Highland Church of Christ: An Intergenerational Enhancement of Small Group Community Life is a response to the request for intergenerational partnership in worship, fellowship, and ministry by the university students at Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. The church’s robust small group life was a logical place to create a vehicle in which intergenerational partners could ride for a determined period in pursuit of their common goals of furthering Highland’s mission and vision. The “Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied” or GRIT groups were formed by combining existing small groups …

Exploring How Pentecostals Preach About Depression, Robert D. Mcbain

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

A qualitative analysis was completed on twelve sermons into how Pentecostal preachers talk about depression from the pulpit using the Assemblies of God (AG) as a purposive sample. Findings illustrate that preachers talked about faulty thinking as the source of depression and interpreted depression as a transformative journey occurring within the context of a God encounter where the believer fixed their faulty thinking. While the way the preachers interpreted depression is not without critique, the article suggests that preaching about depression as a journey of encounter may help listeners frame their depression experiences within a narrative framework that helps them …

Ephesians 2:11-22, Unity In Christ: A Biblical Theological Analysis, Kaeley Sells

Biblical Studies Student Projects

Often, in large group settings there can be a tendency to stick to one’s own in-group. This tendency then leads to the diminishing and exclusion of those outside of that particular group. In the early church, this was the story of the Gentile believers who, despite receiving the same life through the sacrifice of Christ were subject to discrimination, cultivating an inferiority complex in many of the early believers. Paul attempts to critique this trend by highlighting not only the grace extended to all but the intentional life, death, and resurrection of Christ that enables all believers to be citizens …

Review Of Know. Be. Live., Cory T. Branham

Liberty Theological Review

Born between 1995 – 2012, America’s young and emerging adults are known as “Generation Z.” As with nearly everything they are involved in, a shorter version of that label is available as simply Gen Z, or Gen Z’ers. Generally speaking, Gen Z’ers were raised by Millennials but have had life and social interactions going as far back as the Baby Boomer Generation (those born near the end of World War II and into the mid-sixties). In “Know. Be. Live.,” the combination of what has been handed down to them by previous generations, and the current state of cultural, …

"Together On God’S Mission" [Review] / Hildreth, D. Scott., Michelet William

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review

"The Struggle To Stay: Why Single Evangelical Women Areleaving The Church" [Review] / Gaddini, Katie., Heidi Olson Campbell

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review

Report From The Encounter Of The Strategic Alliance Of Latin American Seminaries (Salas) Conference- August 20-22, 2024, Medellín, Colombia, Luis Eduardo Ramírez, The Committee For The Drafting Of Memories

The Asbury Journal

Convened by the One Mission Society (OMS) and Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS), with the collaboration of the Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia (FUSBC), representatives of the seminaries founded by OMS in Latin America gathered in the city of Medellín, Colombia on August 20-22, 2024. Representatives included: FUSBC, Instituto y Seminario Bíblico de Londrina (ISBL), Seminario Bíblico de Cuenca (SEMBEC), Seminario Bíblico de México (SEMBIMEX), Seminario para el Reino de Dios (SEMIRED), Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela (SEMWESVEN), and Seminario Teológico El Camino (SETEC)1, along with other sister ministries (SEMISUD, EMM, AIEMCR, SMJW, Impacto Latinoamericano, and IML). All of these organizations …

Strength In The Midst Of Loneliness: An Ecuadorian Christian Woman’S Experience Of Widowhood, Elis Damarys Carrión Flores, Christian Bermeo Valencia

The Asbury Journal

In Ecuador, most cases of widowhood correspond to women, many of these believers. Although I cannot prove that this is certain in all cases, my experience has shown me that many widows feel alone and unprotected at some point in their life. This article reflects on the biblical affirmation that God is close to the afflicted and the weary to strengthen them (Ps. 34:18; 73:26), and focuses on the feeling of loneliness that accompanies widowhood, doing this in light of the Word of God and my own personal experience. The essay has four parts. In the first two, we contextualize …

The Voice Of One Crying In The Wilderness, Megan Kenyon

MFA in Visual Art

I am a Midwestern, Christian, and feminist artist. I make work about the beautiful, broken, and absurd ways in which American evangelical culture influences lives, especially women’s lives. I’m dragging everything into the light by deconstructing and critiquing the world in which I live, move, and have my being. I do this by harnessing prophetic imagination and incarnational space to shine a light on how patriarchy infects evangelical Christian theology and practice. Using prophetic imagination through photographic self-portraiture and text (my own and found texts using the Bible), I seek to make plain the effects of white, Christian patriarchy on …

Worshipers At War: The Church’S Call To Praise On The Frontlines, Keely Cox

Senior Honors Theses

As spiritual warfare wages on and battles are constantly fought, the worship leader must understand the power of worship the Church wields in the love and strength of the Lord. In order for the role of the worship leader to be fully recognized and understood as a significant part of the body of Christ, its unique history must also be examined. It can be seen in the appointment of the Levites to the ministry of the Israelite tabernacle and their leadership on the battlefield. It can be found in first-century Christian leaders who persisted to praise the one true God …

The Bible For All: Biblical Interpretation As A Grassroots Movement, Hannah L. Hopkinson

The Asbury Journal

In Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s proposed emancipatory paradigm, the biblical scholar must both analyze how the Bible is used to subjugate and imagine how those texts could form a more just world. If tenants of this emancipatory paradigm were practiced in the local church, the Bible’s power could nurture a more just society. This paper explores how an emancipatory paradigm could be applied in local churches through analyzing the structure of its grassroots inspiration, Consciousness Raising Groups of the American Women’s Liberation Movement, and also a similar South African method, Contextual Bible Study. In contrast to other models like the pastor …

Engaging And Mobilizing Baby Boomers For Effective Ministry, Paul D. Russell

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

In the 21st-century church in America, can Baby Boomers, who presently range from 57 to 76 years of age, be envisioned and commissioned to make a difference through effective and meaningful ministry? The intent of the research was to discover relevant information and present considerations to help those entering the last third of life make an informed contribution to the church and community. Evidence will be presented to show that Boomers need the church and that the church needs the presence and resourceful productivity of the Boomer cohort. This reality does not circumvent the essential mission of reaching other generations …

A Proposed Curriculum To Improve The Scientific Literacy Of Pastoral Leadership In The Church, Kacey Mewborn

Selected Honors Theses

Scientific illiteracy is a widespread reality in the Christian church today. The observatory and evidentiary nature of science seems to strongly contradict the faith-based belief in religion that often lacks physical evidence. This contradiction has incited many different conflicts between the congregation of the church and proponents of scientific advancement. A potential cause of this division is that the current education provided for church leaders is severely lacking in exposure to scientific topics that would allow these leaders to effectively communicate with their congregation when scientific issues are raised. Therefore, this research proposes a supplementary curriculum in the form of …

Revival Today: America’S History Of Biblical Revival And Its Modern Application, Matthew Musser

Senior Honors Theses

There is a need for revival within the church today. Christian revivals are becoming less and less popular in the current times. Is this due to a subtle shift in America’s culture? Or is this decline of religious revival the result of something deeper? This thesis will seek to discover the biblical foundations of revival in American history. First, it will analyze some of the biblical revivals that took place in the Old Testament, Gospels, and Book of Acts. Then it will transition into how these biblical principles have been the cornerstone for many of the great revivals in American …

Breaking Depression’S Silence Within The Church Through Friendships, Robert D. Mcbain

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article explores the silent nature of depression in the local church and suggests that developing Jesus-style friendships can break the silence. It adapts the author’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) research project, which explored the silent nature of depression in the local church and Christianity’s interpretive healing qualities. This article argues that the church has a rich history of helping sufferers interpret their experiences of depression, but changing worldviews, the growth of the modern medical model, and the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals monopolized health and shoved the church to the periphery of the conversation. Silence became the church’s typical response, which …

Palestinian Evangelical Christian Music In Bethlehem, Israel/Palestine, Abby Smith

Senior Honors Theses

Often the story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is portrayed as Jewish vs. Muslim, Hebrew vs. Arab. There is little room in the international dialogue for minorities such as Arab Christians. Though Palestinians have a rich culture of Arabic musical and poetic heritage, they are unable to produce their own new songs. In this study I interviewed three members of Immanuel Evangelical Church on their experiences and opinions on local Christian worship. The findings show that Palestinian Christians may feel unable to write worship music because of a prevalent feeling of inadequacy and a lack of musical training. I propose several …

Healthy Church Multiplication In Modern Churches, William J. Burns

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 leaves no room for interpretation. The role of the followers of Jesus and of the church is decidedly clear. We are called to make disciples of all nations. An honest assessment of my local ministry context, Access Church, reveals that we, as a church, have fallen short of Jesus’ Great Commission. The intention of this research project is to understand the biblical mandate to make disciples as taught throughout Scripture, study Jesus’ discipleship methods in the book of Matthew, and, ultimately, create a new rubric to help Access Church—and other churches—understand how to measure its …

Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds Through The Practice Of Learning And Mission At First Baptist Church Valdese, Nc, Joshua Lail

Doctor of Ministry Projects

An education program was designed to encourage intergenerational unity among a mixed group of youth and adults at First Baptist Church in Valdese, NC. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program on the intergenerational experimental group. There was movement toward intergenerational unity from the pre-test to post-test in the experimental group. Insights were learned from the data, particularly that there were different rates of growth between the youth and adults, and the observation that participants may have liked the idea of working together more than actually working together. The younger participants …