Christian Denominations and Sects Commons^™

Worldviews: Concepts Or Narratives? An Integrative Definition To Assess Their Controlling Effect In The Biblical And Atheistic Evolutionary Models, Flavio Prestes Iii

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

What are worldviews? What are their characteristics? How do they work? This article offers tentative responses to these questions through the integration of concepts and narratives. Using the biblical and the atheistic evolutionary narratives as case studies, it also seeks to show how worldviews have a significant, though not absolute, controlling effect on one’s perception of reality.

"Let Us Make אדם": An Edenic Model Of Personal Ontology, Marla A. Samaan Nedelcu

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

The Nature Of David’S Kingship At Hebron: An Exegetical And Theological Study Of 2 Samuel 2:1–5:5, Christian Vogel

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Schenk, Christine, Csj. Crispina And Her Sisters: Women And Authority In Early Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017. Xx + 459 Pp. Softcover. Usd 29.00., Carina O. Prestes

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Age

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

One way to define a disciple is “a follower of someone’s words.” In a pluralistic age, there are many words beckoning would-be disciples to particular ways of life, all promising some kind of wellness. These word-ways are ingredients of worldviews, a program or map for orienting oneself in the world. Worldviews answer core questions about human existence, often in the form of a story. This essay argues that contemporary pluralism is the result of abandoning the Bible as our control story, a loss that is as much a failure of what Charles Taylor calls the social imaginary. If this diagnosis …

Sanctuary/Temple In Genesis 1–3: A Reevaluation Of The Biblical Evidence, Jahisber Peñuela-Pineda

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

The Theological Significance Of The Relations Of Freedom And Time In The Sciences And Humanities: An Evaluation Of The Contributions Of David Bohm And Pauli Pylkkö, Michael F. Younker

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Dissertation Abstract

Doubt, Faith & Certainty [Review] / Thiselton, Anthony C., Rebecca Murdock

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Book Review

A Survey Of The Pneumatology Of Ellet Joseph Waggoner In His Published Books And Pamphlets From 1883 – 1916, Ingram R. London

Papers

The ministry of Ellet J. Waggoner and Alonzo T. Jones made an indelible mark on the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its theology through their proclamation of what has been coined “The 1888 Message.” In consequence, Waggoner has been studied extensively in Adventist academia as well as by laypersons. However, much of this study has focused on biographical data, interpersonal conflict between Waggoner and Ellen White, and most of all, Waggoner’s soteriology and Christology.

Despite the intense interest in Waggoner, no study to date has been published with a systematic explanation of Waggoner’s pneumatology. The purpose of this study was to …

Wood, Todd Charles, And Darrel R. Falk, The Fool And The Heretic: How Two Scientists Moved Beyond Labels To A Christian Dialog About Creation And Evolution. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019. 201 Pp. Softcover. Usd 16.99., Gary W. Burdick

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

B-2 Same-Sex Marriage And The Apocalyptic Consciousness Of Seventh-Day Adventism, David Hamstra

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

Arguments made for and against affirming same-sex marriage in Seventh-day Adventism rely on typical moral background presuppositions about immanent and transcendent goods identified by Charles Taylor in his philosophical genealogy of A Secular Age. Arguments made only in terms of marriage’s immanent goods have the potential to diminish the plausibility of a uniquely Adventist way of imagining the transcendent: apocalyptic consciousness focused on the immanent/imminent restoration of Eden by Jesus Christ following the second coming. Comparing marriage to the this-worldly and next-worldly benefits of divergent Adventist Sabbath-keeping practices foregrounds the availability of immanentized moral presuppositions to make sense of …

Protest And Progress: Black Seventh-Day Adventist Leadership And The Push For Parity [Book Review] / Calvin Rock, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

Rock has carefully crafted and persuasively argued a historically well-documented and powerful account of the struggles of African-Americans to achieve some level of equality and justice within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Because of the paucity of this information within the larger Adventist historiography, his book is a much-needed work that fills a vacuum. It should be read by all Adventist leaders concerned about justice and equality within the organization.

Thai Contextualized Art, Gregory P. Whitsett, Amy Whitsett

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"In the 1980s, a set of four murals depicting four specific and unique Adventist teachings and beliefs was commissioned by Pastor Clifton Maberly who was serving as a missionary in Thailand. His goal was to have these events depicted in a medium familiar to local Thai buddhists so they could wrestle with the new concepts without being distracted by Western art styles. His hope was that if Jesus, Satan and the angels could be depicted using characters similar to those already familiar to the Thai, the viewer would be better able to focus on and understand the truth portrayed in …

Critical Contextualization: A Case Study Of Lobi Funeral Rites In Burkina Faso, Boubakar Sanou

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"It is very difficult to be relevant in our Christian witness if we do not know and address the issues with which the people we are trying to reach are wrestling. For the gospel to meaningfully engage recipients with the purpose of transforming their worldviews, Christian witnesses must always encode the biblical message in such a way that its content remains faithful to biblical principles but also makes sense to its receptors in terms of its relevance. Such new experiences often challenge them in their social location. The rationale for this is that because the gospel is always received from …

Can I Get An “Amen”? Affirming The Contemporary Ghanaian Usage Of Amen, Agana-Nsiire Agana

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Altogether then, the claim that amen as used in the instances we have discussed is inappropriate is found to lack firm biblical or etymological foundation. Neither does the suggestion that if it is a vestige of African worship culture then that provides a reasonable ground for thus condemning it. While it is recognized that amen is often babbled from mental laxity, it is suggested that the problem lies not in amen, as a word, but in the person, as a worshipper. Amen is a rich word, capable of communicating a spectrum of positive human intellectual and emotional responses to worship; …

Steps To Christ Revisited, Denis Fortin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bulugo Vine Story: Redemptive Analogy Case Study, John Holbrook

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Shaw indicates that rather than contextualizing the missionary’s perception of Christianity to make it understandable within the local people’s culture, the missionary should facilitate the people themselves discovering God from within their own cultural context ... In my own mission experience, I have found this approach to be valid and preferable, once there are local believers, and as God begins to develop leaders from among them. At times, cultural dynamics or God’s preparation of an unreached people group allow them to discover God without a great deal of intervention on the missionary’s part. However, in the beginning stages, it is …

Sinolization Of Christianity: Increasing Gospel Relevance Or Distorting The Gospel Message?, L. Asher

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"This study aims to address the concept of the Sinolization of Christianity in light of cultural studies, biblical principles, and the Great Controversy perspective. It will then set forth some ideas on how it could affect the communication of the gospel in the Chinese context. It will attempt to see if Sinolization makes the gospel more relevant or further distorts the Christian message through the lens of the Chinese culture. The answers to these questions should help Chinese Christians, and especially Adventists, better understand their mission in China."

The Reality And The Apparent: Worldviews And Missiological Strategies, Cristian Dumitrescu, Hatsarmaveth Venkaya

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Worldview is an abstract concept used for identifying a set of assumptions people use to organize their view of reality. Conceptualizing worldview is a challenging task. Nobody has seen a worldview, but everybody has one. A worldview informs a person’s interpretation of reality, their cosmology, and determines their actions and reactions. Charles Kraft (1988) considers worldview as the “center control box” of a person’s life and communal culture. Most assumptions reflect one’s unverified beliefs and answers to fundamental questions, such as who they are and who others are, how people should relate to each other, what causes things to happen, …

Reaching Thai Buddhists And Those With A Background In Thai Buddhist Beliefs, Warren A. Shipton, Jared Wright, Tonya Wright, Nilubon Srisai

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"One of the greatest challenges for those working across cultures is to understand the unique features of the host culture and the dominant religious beliefs and practices found in the society represented. If this is to be done acceptably, the written and spoken language must be mastered and personal friendships formed with community members. Much damage has been done by Western missionaries arriving with preconceived ideas on evangelism taken from their home country and with an attitude of being holders of superior knowledge in many areas of thought beyond that held by the host culture. Catholic missionary activity has been …

Hmong Statement Of Belief: A Case Study, Jon L. Dybdahl

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"This case study exploring the Hmong statement of belief is more than just a story. Embedded and implied in it are certain key missiological principles which should be considered any time a particular belief statement is framed. Specifically, it assumes that the gospel must be presented in ways that are culturally relevant. Responsible communicators must adapt their message so that it can communicate the gospel to their intended audience with clarity and power. A missionary must prayerfully consider both how the truths of Scripture can be best articulated in a new cultural context, as well as just what truths ought …

Contextualization Of An Indian Christian Marriage: A Case Study, Chanchal Gayen

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"In this case study the Pheras ceremony was reinterpreted, but many of the cultural elements were retained. Biblical meanings were substituted for the cultural meanings that went against the teachings of Scripture. When doing this type of contextualization it is important to constantly pour Christian meanings into the cultural practice. Good biblical teaching is the antidote to syncretism, a danger that is always present while doing contextualization. The local people appreciated the fact that the wedding ceremony incorporated local cultural elements that were important to them. This approach also communicated the idea that Christianity is not a Western religion, but …

Critical Contextualization: Case Studies From Cambodia, Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Those of us involved in world mission must be at the forefront to encourage local people to develop local expressions of their faith. When I hear people rejoice about the fact that regardless of where they travel in the world the Sabbath school and church service order of worship, the songs sung, and the way of doing church is the same, I do not rejoice, I groan. For that means that the foreign visitor is comfortable, but how about the local people? Are they comfortable with the often foreignness of Adventist worship? We can and must do better to allow …

Japanese Baptismal Vows, Bruce L. Bauer

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Initiation ceremonies are important in most cultures; however, they need to be carried out in culturally sensitive ways. The changes suggested above did not change in any way the purpose or content of the baptismal day. The only thing that was changed was a strong emphasis on groupness. The missiological implication from this case study is that one size does not fit all situations. There is more than one way to do most church ceremonies, so church leaders need to be encouraged to rethink what they do and do everything in culturally sensitive ways."

“Just About Right”: Contrasting Views Of Local Church Efforts In South Korea, China, And The Ukraine, Petr Cincala, Rene Drumm

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This presentation highlights data from the 2017 Church Member Survey in South Korea, China, and Ukraine. The analysis of over 3,300 members reveals statistically significant differences in the levels of satisfaction concerning the local church’s efforts in evangelism, community involvement, and nurturing its members. In addition, differences surfaced regarding policy-setting on the local level.

“Adventist Millennials: Measuring Emerging Adults Connection To Church”, Douglas Jacobs, Chelsy Tyler

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

How do graduates of Adventist universities connect with or disconnect from the church in the context of identity, community, orthodoxy, and orthopraxy? Findings include the influence personal religiosity has on acceptance of Adventist teachings and faith practice, and the negative impact media usage and transitory lifestyles have on connection to local churches.

P-11 Social Support And Fundamentalism As Predictors Of Religious Internalization, David S. Sherman, Carolyn B. Goyne, Yasmine Siagian, Marialexxa Holman, Karl G. D. Bailey

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

What variables are the strongest predictors of religious identification? Religious internalization can be broken down into identification, the full adoption of religious values, and introjection, a partial internalization of values. Fundamentalism is one variable thought to predict these motivational types. We defined fundamentalism as the degree to which someone holds their sacred texts as true. Additionally, social support relates to religious internalization. To measure these variables, two separate scales were used for each: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale for social support, Intratextual Fundamentalism Scale and Revised Religious Fundamentalism scale for fundamentalism, and The …

A Significant Shift In The Use Of Resources Around The Years 1960 And 1980 In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Australia And The United States, Robert K. Mciver

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

Between 1900 and 1960 the number of ordained ministers in Australia and the US followed a natural growth curve. Between 1960-1970 and following 1980 the number of ordained pastors remained relatively constant, despite growth in tithe receipts and membership. This paper explores possible reasons for this pattern.

Ellen White And Subordination Within The Trinity, Nathaniel Robert Gibbs

Seminary Scholarship Symposium

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been engaged in a debate about the role of women in ministry, especially as it concerns ordination. While engaging in this debate, some have used the doctrine of Trinity to support their understanding of the different roles in gender. Specifically, the subordination of Jesus to the Father as evidence of a correlation with the subordination of women to men. In order to find support for the way some believe ministry should be practiced, they have turned to the writings of Ellen White. They have attempted to support a subordinationism within the Trinity with her writings. …

1 Timothy 3: Who Can Be An Officer? An Exegetical And Historical Study, Jose N. Briones

Seminary Scholarship Symposium

Who is able to hold the offices of the church, deacons and elders, within the Seventh-day Adventist Church? The question of gender roles and the church’s understanding of who is sanctioned by the Scriptures to aspire to that office is a revolving matter today. The topic has been around in discussion for about 40 years now without a final answer within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to focus on the consistency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with its own statements and policies, and the text of 1 Timothy 3. Moreover, it will propose …