Christian Denominations and Sects Commons^™

Preaching John 8:31-36: Reforming Contexts Then And Now, Karoline M. Lewis

Faculty Publications

The Gospel reading for Reformation Sunday is always John 8:31–36, yet preaching on this passage tends to overlook the critical contexts in which this pericope is located. Preaching John 8:31–36 on Reformation now will demand a careful analysis of the role of the passage in the Fourth Gospel, both as a means by which to respect its literary integrity as well as invitation to how it might shape a new hermeneutic for a new day.

Seventh-Day Adventists And ‘Race’ Relations In The U.S.: The Case Of Black-White Structural Segregation, Cleran Hollancid

Dissertations

A worldwide Christian denomination of some eighteen million in global membership, and with a presence in over 200 countries and territories (i.e., in just about every country on the globe), the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church is one with a distinctive arrangement in the U.S., insofar as it concerns its racial segregation practice. The SDA Church professes and preaches unity in the pulpit, as in all members being equal and one in the faith, yet the actual practice says otherwise. Such is the case since it is officially segregated along black-white lines.

The segregation arrangement, essentially a black-white schism, falls …

Adventist Women Clergy: Their Call And Experiences: Part 2, Leslie Bumgardner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

This article describes “what happened” to the female pastors whose ministry experiences were reported in the previous JACL issue. Today, only one remains in pastoral ministry. Others are experiencing their “call” in new situations or are retired. They describe challenges related to gender as well as supports. Ordination did not dominate the interviews although the women were clearly disappointed by the vote against ordination of women in pastoral ministry at the General Conference session of the Seventh-day Adventist church in July 2015.

Presidential Views Of Leadership In Seventhday Adventist Higher Education, Christopher C. Combie

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Ph.D. dissertation, University of South Florida, 2014.

Full Text of Dissertation

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of presidential leadership in Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) higher education in North America. The perceptions included the identification of leadership competencies and leadership styles that promote the mission of the

SDA church in higher education. The study also identified the personal and professional experiences of SDA college and university presidents that contributed to their successful accession to the presidency. The presidents came from the 12 non-medical SDA colleges and universities in the continental United States and Canada. The three themes that emerged …

The Pastor As Leader: Assessment, Change, And Growth In Pastoral Leadership Style And Ability, David C. Crawford

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

D.Min. dissertation, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2014.

Full Text of the Dissertation

This study explored the leadership perceptions of a sampling of Nazarene pastors who were predominantly newer in ministry in terms of years of service in the Southwest Ohio District. This qualitative analysis sought to measure their self-reported leadership style and self-described leadership ability both prior to and following a leadership seminar devoted to the development of pastoral leaders.

Bsent From The Body, Present With The Lord: A Traditional Evangelical Critique Of Traditional Roman Catholic And Non-Traditional Evangelical Teachings Regarding Purgatory, Thomas Gentry

Masters Theses

Traditional Roman Catholic theology and certain non-traditional expressions of evangelical theology teach that Christians who die without realizing perfect holiness will enter into a postmortem state called purgatory for the purpose of preparing them to behold the beatific vision of God in heaven. The purpose of this work is to refute these teachings by proving that they are unbiblical. The procedure for doing is to first summarize the traditional Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory; second, present interpretations of select biblical and apocryphal texts related to purgatory from the pro-purgatory perspective, followed by a traditional evangelical response; third, present a four-fold …

Kierkegaard In Light Of The East: A Critical Comparison Of The Philosophy Of Søren Kierkegaard With Orthodox Christian Philosophy And Thought, Agust Magnusson

Dissertations (1934 -)

This project presents a comparative philosophical approach to understanding key elements in the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard by juxtaposing his works with the philosophy and theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church.. The primary aim of the project is to look at three key areas of Kierkegaard’s philosophy that have been either underrepresented or misunderstood in the literature. These three areas are: Kierkegaard’s views on sin and salvation, Kierkegaard’s epistemology, and Kierkegaard’s philosophy of personhood. The dissertation ends with an epilogue that briefly explores a further area where this comparative approach might provide fruitful results, namely Kierkegaard’s views on collective worship. …

Breaking Free From Cults: A Guide For Pastors To Lead Individuals To A New Christian Identity, Brandon Waters

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The spiritual scars inflicted on individuals who severed relationships with religious cults or legalistic institutions are widespread. This research will show former cultist experienced spiritual, mental and physical abuse in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). Through a survey of 150 former members of the WCG and thirty evangelical local pastors, this research will validate the need for support for those individuals seeking personal recovery and the formation of a new spiritual identity. This thesis project produced a manual to assist pastors in understanding the needs of former cultists, specifically in assisting them in developing a new spiritual identity.

Tarian Perdamaian: Enacting Alternative Hindu/Christian Identity Discourses Through "Secular" Balinese Performing Arts, Dustin D. Wiebe

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This article examines the nature of interreligious relations between Protestants of the Bali Church and Hindus as enacted through dramatic forms of Balinese music and dance. Particular attention is paid to the influence of mass tourism as a contributing factor in this process. Since the early twentieth century these arts have formed a central component of a pan-Balinese identity discourse known as" kebalian." The first Balinese converted to Christianity during the 1930s and were subsequently excommunicated from their ancestral villages for refusing to participate in local customary practices (including the ritualistic use of gamelan music). For this reason, Balinese …

Whitefield's Music: Moorfields Tabernacle, The Divine Musical Miscellany (1754), And The Fashioning Of Early Evangelical Sacred Song, Stephen A. Marini

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Evangelical hymnody was the most significant form of popular sacred song in eighteenth-century Anglo-America. John and Charles Wesley built their Methodist movement on it, but little is known about the music of their great collaborator and eventual rival, George Whitefield (1714-1770). The essential sources of Whitefield's music are the development of ritual song at his Moorfields Tabernacle in London, his Collection of Hymns for Social Worship (1753) prepared for that congregation, and a little-known tunebook called The Divine Musical Miscellany (1754) that contains the first and definitive repertory of music known to be sung at Moorfields. This essay recovers Whitefield's …

Missão Adventista: Do Despertamento Ao Engajamento–As Tendências Missionárias Da Igreja Para Os Próximos Anos : Parte 2, Wagner Kuhn, Marcelo Eduardo Da Costa Dias

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reframing The Imperative Of The Great Commission In The Haitian Context: Discipleship Strategies To Impact Haiti For Christ, Dieufort Dieujuste

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Haitians generally identify themselves as Christians. According to World Factbook, Haiti is 80% Catholic and 16% Protestant; however, nearly all the population practices or believes in Voodoo, which is now a national religion. Idolatry permeates every segment of life while the Haitian Protestant Church remains powerless and disengaged. The purpose of this thesis project is to develop key strategies of discipleship for Haiti in view of Matthew 28:18-20. The author proposes to survey 300 Haitian pastors, seminarians, and lay leaders in order to gauge the status of discipleship and to identify hindrances to the gospel in Haiti. The survey will …

Convergent Friends: The Emergence Of Postmodern Quakerism, C. Wess Daniels

Quaker Studies

Postmodernism is ushering in radical change for the Church. Some theologians argue that this change, especially given the discontinuities between modernism and postmodernism, affords new opportunities. Because of these changes there is a decline in many Christian traditions in the West, but there is also a renaissance of ' emerging churches'. The same can be said for Quakers who are experiencing a renaissance of their own. 'Convergent Friends' are a decentralized, international, body of Quakers seeking to renew their tradition through a growing awareness of the need to interact with culture missionally. Their origins and interactions are unique to Convergence …

Wesleyan Missions: Their Progress Stated And Their Claims Enforced, Robert Alder

Books

No abstract provided.

Review Of Johannes Bugenhagen. Selected Writings, Introduced And Translated By Kurt K. Hendel, Amy Nelson Burnett

Department of History: Faculty Publications

Johannes Bugenhagen is the third man of the Wittenberg Reformation, far less familiar to most people than Martin Luther or Philipp Melanchthon. Yet Bugenhagen was an influential reformer in his own right, influencing the shape of Lutheranism not only through his theological and pastoral works but also through his church ordinances, which institutionalized the Lutheran Reformation throughout northern Germany. As pastor of Wittenberg’s parish church, he was Luther’s spiritual advisor, while as a member of the theology faculty he helped train a generation of Lutheran pastors. Kurt Hendel, the Bernard, Fisher, Westburg Distinguished Professor of Reformation History at the Lutheran …

Faith And Practice: A Book Of Christian Discipline 2016, George Fox University Archives

Faith and Practice

Faith and Practice: A Book of Christian Discipline, Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church 2016. Publication of the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends.

Reminiscences Of Early Free Methodism, Rev. Edward Payson Hart, Burton R. Jones

Books

No abstract provided.

Kindling Watch-Fires: Being A Brief Sketch Of The Life Of Rev. Vivian A. Dake, Ida Dake Parsons

Books

No abstract provided.

Lutherans In North America, Mark A. Granquist

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mission Of The Church: Its Misconceptions And My Proposal And Claim, Horacio Castillo

Master of Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Biblical Imagination Through Preaching, Edward N. Kay

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Explores the ways preaching can help increase familiarity and comfort with scripture so people are able to interpret their daily experiences and lifetime milestones with God’s story revealed in the Bible. The importance of narrative is explored, especially in relationship with competing narratives in today’s world. A variety of forms of interactive preaching are explored to evaluate the ability of the sermon to increase biblical imagination: biblical storytelling, people talking to one another, and writing down reflections to act on in the future. Sermons were preached in multiple ELCA congregation in a variety of contexts.

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Field Preaching Evangelism In The United Methodist Church, Paul D. Johnsen

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Explores present-day versions of John Wesley’s field-preaching. Wesley preached in fields, at marketplaces and in a variety of other outdoor settings. Field-preaching requires pastors to take their preaching ministry beyond church buildings. This thesis considers the effectiveness of pastors who preach at restaurants, coffee shops, bars and in rented spaces. It also evaluates the cost of these efforts. It argues that reclaiming this historic Methodist practice helps reach a population and demographic currently not served by most United Methodist congregations.

Mystagogical Preaching In The Episcopal Church: Connecting Sermon And Liturgy, Daniel John Justin

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Seeks to determine the effectiveness of mystagogical preaching for communicating the theology of the Episcopal Church as it is presented in the liturgies of the Book of Common Prayer. Mystagogy is a liturgical theology leading worshipers deeper into the mysteries of the faith as they are experienced in the liturgy. This study uses an action/reflection research method seeking to determine participants understanding of the liturgical rites in question prior to the sermon and if that understanding changes after hearing a mystagogical sermon. Surveys including both quantitative and qualitative questions are used to measure effectiveness of this style of preaching.

Wesleyan Missional Small Groups: Three Crucial Attributes, David Werner

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Mixed methods (simple exploratory and participatory action research) study explored ways congregations can draw upon both the United Methodist heritage and the missional approach to foster spiritual formation using small groups that make sense to the postmodern culture and lead to behavior changes.

Three crucial attributes of vital, faith-forming small groups are: creating authentic community (belonging – engaging one another), engaging the Holy Spirit (believing – engaging God), and helping participants make applications to their daily lives (behaving – engaging real life). Congregations must do the hard work of contextualizing these and hold all three together for small groups to …

Led To Lead: Vocational Discernment And Emerging Pastoral Leadership In The Reformed Church In America, Tanner Smith

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This mixed-methods sequential exploratory research project investigates the leadership development practices of two Christian organizations—a multi-site church and seminary—within the Reformed Church in America. The study identifies the best practices of both organizations for building vocational discernment capacity in emerging leaders, and compares the practices of the organizations in an attempt to foster dialogue that leads to collaboration in leadership development efforts.

Covenanters Reading Scripture Through History, Mark Safstrom

Scandinavian Studies: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

This 12-page pamphlet was commissioned by the Evangelical Covenant Church as supplemental historical material to accompany a denomination-wide biblical literacy initiative called the "Community Bible Experience" in 2016. Four theologians and historians were asked to collaborated in writing; Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom (North Park Theological Seminary), Christopher Gehrz (Bethel University), Hauna Ondrey (North Park Theological Seminary), and Mark Safstrom (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). The purpose was to invite Covenant Church members to engage with the biblical reading practices as demonstrated through vignettes in the history of the Evangelical Covenant Church (1885–present), as well as its roots within the Protestant Reformation and …

Sensitivity, Blessing And Doxology: Archival Practice As Spiritual Discipline, Mcgarvey Ice

Library Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Story Of Fifty Years, Carrie T. Burritt

Books

No abstract provided.

Master Workmen, Richard R. Blews

Books

Biographies of the late bishops of the Free Methodist Church during her first century, 1860-1960

Badges Of The International Christian Endeavor And World Christian Endeavor Conventions, Robert Danielson

Books

No abstract provided.