Christianity Commons^™

Vision With A Passion, Sung Soo Kim

Pro Rege

This paper was presented by Dr. Sung Soo Kim at the Spring Convocation of Dordt College, January 17, 2008.

Dordt Convocation Address: Spring 2007, Duane Litfin

Pro Rege

This address was presented by Dr. Duane Litfin at the 2007 Spring Convocation of Dordt College.

Interest Groups And Morality In The Public Square, Jack Van Der Slik

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

One Mathematician's Journey Through Mathematics And The Faith Equation: One Mathematician's Journey In Christianity (Book Reviews), Calvin Jongsma

Pro Rege

Reviewed Titles: Bittinger, Marvin. One Mathematician’s Journey through Mathematics. Addison-Wesley, 2004. ix + 212 pages. ISBN: 0321241509. Bittinger, Marvin. The Faith Equation: One Mathematician’s Journey in Christianity. Literary Architects, 2007. xxv + 290 pages. ISBN: 1933669071.

The article incorrectly cites "One Man's Journey through Mathematics" as "One Mathematician's Journey through Mathematics."

Marx And The Bible: José Miranda’S Critique Of The Philosophy Of Oppression, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

This paper critically examines the liberation theology of José Porfirio Miranda, as expressed in his Marx and the Bible (1971), with a focus on the central idea (and subtitle) of this work: the “Critique of the Philosophy of Oppression.” Miranda’s critique is examined via certain key tropes such as “power,” “justice,” and “freedom,” both in the context of late twentieth-century Latin American society, and in the state of the “post-Christian” and “post-Marxist” world more generally, vis-à-vis contemporary liberal justice theory. Close examination of the potentialities, paradoxes and subtle evasions in Miranda’s critique leads not to the conclusion that Miranda does …

Postmodern Trinitarian Philosophy: A Multiperspectival Approach, John Barry King Jr

Doctor of Ministry

To fulfill its missional imperative, the 21st Century, Western Church must engage a postmodem culture. To facilitate such engagement the following manuscript will relate Trinitarian theology to postmodem philosophy by using a Trinitarian grammar known as multiperspectivalism. In particular, multiperspectivalism will be used to integrate Trinitarian theology with the three loci of postmodem philosophy: non-foundational epistemology, socially constructive linguistics, and holistic relational ontology. As these various loci imply, postmodemism is characterized by a movement toward relationality in epistemology, linguistics, and ontology. It is precisely this emphasis on relationality that produces the resonance between postmodem philosophy and Trinitarian theology.

After outlining …

Russian Children At Risk, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam Archpriest Vitaly Borovoy (1916-2008), Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Worldview: The Missing Dimension Of Evangelism In Post-Communist Society, Sergei Golovin

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

For a while Christians considered the Soviet Union to be a great potential mission field; nevertheless when the door for missions opened wide, it happened unexpectedly. Despite thousands of missionaries and millions of dollars invested immediately in spreading the gospel in the post-communist world, after a short-term tide, church growth declined back to pre-perestroika level. The research made during that period demonstrated that the so-called awakening had nothing to do with the biblical concept of repentance (i.e. a radical change of a person’s worldview). An explanatory model of the worldview transformation dynamics in post-communist society is developed as an attempt …

The Utilization Of Faith Development Theory And Faith Styles Perspective To Shape A Christian Education Program, Cathy Robbs Turner

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of the faith development of members of the congregation of Oak View Methodist Church. The research evaluated the relationship between a person’s faith level and his/her participation in Christian education. Contributing to the body of faith development research, this research served as an extension of Fowler’s (1981) Faith Development Theory (FDT), as well as the Faith Styles Model (Streib, 2001; 2005), which is an advancement of FDT. In this mixed-method study the researcher also investigated whether there is a significant relationship between the Faith Development Interview (FDI), a qualitative measure of …

Baptist Union Council Meets In Moscow, William Yoder

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Bremer's "Kreuz Und Kreml: Kleine Geschichte Der Orthodoxen Kirche In Russland" - Book Review, William R. Russell

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Faith In The Workplace, C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at the Samaritan Interfaith Focus on Faith Breakfast (Cress Creek Country Club - Naperville, IL), Pollard addresses the question of faith in the workplace. In particular, he posits that servant leadership is the primary means by which one actualizes religious faith in everyday life.

"Shepherd My Sheep": Preaching For The Sake Of Greater Works Than These, Karoline M. Lewis

Faculty Publications

The conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15–19 highlights Peter’s work as an apostle but also reveals our own call to care for the sheep—as Jesus says, to “do the works that I do.” The text offers an opportunity to preach about Christian vocation and daily life.

The Marian Library Newsletter: Issue No. 54, University Of Dayton. Marian Library

Marian Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Planting New Churches In A Postmodern Age, Daryl Thompson

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Vision Casting For Church Multiplication, J. D. Payne

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

“A plan in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.” Proverbs 20:5 (NASB). The writer of the above verse reminds us of the importance of having knowledge in regard to moving one’s plans out of the deep recesses of the heart to the surface to where those plans can be carried out. This proverb has much to say about casting a vision for multiplication. Casting, or drawing out that vision from the heart so that others will take ownership of that vision and work to carry it out, requires a discerning …

Book Review: The Myth Of The 200 Barrier, Phil Stevenson

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Factors Of Survivability Of Church Plants In The Tarrant, Collin, North Texas, And Denton Baptist Associations, Aaron James Meraz Sr.

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

When I planted Bridgeway Baptist Church, McKinney, Texas, in October 2005, my association put me in contact with two recently deceased church plants to get some of their materials to use in our church. I talked with the two pastors and asked them why their churches died, hoping I could avoid their destiny. Though both churches made it past their fourth birthday, the pastors said that they needed more time to give to the church, a team member, and more financial support. I began looking into the survivability of church plants and, thanks to my church planting colloquium, was able …

Book Review: Breakout Churches: Discover How To Make The Leap, Gordon Penfold

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Changing Perspectives On Leadership During Four Decades, Eddie Gibbs

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The significance of leadership for the growth of the church has been a constant focus of attention throughout the history of the Church Growth movement in North America during the past four decades. During that time, different aspects of leadership have been explored in response to the challenges and pressures encountered by leaders. Increasing pressures have resulted in heightened levels of stress.

Book Review: Strategies For Change, Jeff Mansell

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Gary L. Mcintosh

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

For the past fourteen years, it has been my privilege to edit the Journal of the American Society for Church Growth. John Vaughan’s vision of seeing a new journal devoted to Great Commission research became a reality when the first issue was released in 1990. He edited the first four years, and I followed him as editor in 1995. My two major goals were to publish on a regular time schedule, and to move to multiple issues per year. Both of those goals were accomplished in 1997 when we first began publishing three issues per year. Now, after editing thirty-seven …

Book Review: The Living Church – Convictions Of A Lifelong Pastor, Roger Trautmann

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Simple Church: Returning To God’S Process For Making Disciples, Bob Beaver

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

No abstract provided.

Using Markov Chain Simulation To Measure The Eternal Impact Of Personal Evangelism,, Charles H. Reilly

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

All Christians have been commanded by Jesus Christ to share the Gospel message with unbelievers so that they too may be saved. However, few Christians regularly share the Gospel with non-Christians, and there are eternal consequences to this disobedience for everyone. A Markov chain model is proposed for estimating over time the proportions of persons who are saved and receive eternal life in heaven and who are condemned to hell. An evaluation and an analysis of the model are presented. Simulation results for the model indicate that a moderate increase in present personal evangelism efforts will result in only modestly …

The State Of Church Planting In The United States: Research Overview And Qualitative Study Of Primary Church Planting Entities, Edward Stetzer, Warren Bird

Journal of the American Society for Church Growth

The launching of new Protestant churches in the United States, widely known as church planting, plays an increasing role in today's ecclesiastical landscape. This article summarizes salient findings from existing literature (multiple church planting studies, 54 doctoral dissertations, 41 journal articles, and over 100 church planting books and manuals), giving particular attention to a 2007 study by Leadership Network, which itself involved fresh research among more than 200 church-planting churches, over 100 leaders from 40 denominations, 45 church planting networks, 84 organic church leaders, 12 nationally known experts, and 81 colleges and seminaries. The Leadership Network findings review the contributions …

The Meaning Of The Logos In John 1:1-18, Seokil Yoon

Masters Theses

The term λ ό γ ο ς in the New Testament is a very important word in the Bible, because it indicates the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who was predicted in the Old Testament (OT). Nevertheless, many people still do not know the meaning of the term λ ό γ ο ς . One cannot successfully study ancient philosophy or literature without understanding the term λ ό γ ο ς . The term has been used with various meanings by ancient philosophers since 500BC.1 Thus, this study will start with an examination of the meaning the term λ ό γ ο …

What Is Your Business? (Chicago), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

In this speech at the 2008 Chicago Executive Forum Breakfast (Naperville, IL), Pollard posits that Christian businesses (i.e., corporations in which, among other things, managers see themselves as servant leaders) should understand profit as a means for the development of human character.

The Virtue Of Profit (Washington, D.C.), C. William Pollard

C. William Pollard Papers

Speaking at the 2008 PathNorth June Gathering (Washington, D.C.), Pollard contends that profit can be considered virtuous when it allows servant leaders to invest in employees, thereby contributing to the moral and spiritual formation of human beings.