Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons^™

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 …

Insider Movements Among Muslims: Reflections On Their History, Identity, And Theology, Richard Doss

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The enormity of the task still facing Christian missions is almost incomprehensible. Nearly 4.1 billion people are still in need of the gospel (Johnstone 2014:65). In some ways, the task of reaching the unreached is most difficult among Muslims. With nearly 1.3 billion adherents, Islam represents a significant challenge to the spread of the gospel. Or does it? Given the complex nature of the relationship between Christianity and Islam, could it be that the inability of Christian missionaries to shed the social, cultural, and political trappings of the West and Christendom have limited the effectiveness of the gospel? Might the …

Who Gave You Authority To Baptize?, Milton Adams

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"This paper will explore the age-old, yet still relevant question, “And who gave you authority to baptize?”(Mark 11:27-33; John 1:25). First, biblical authority will be examined regarding who is allowed to baptize. Second, the writings of Ellen G. White, as they relate to biblical authority for baptizing, will be considered. Third, a counter-argument will be discussed. And finally, two baptismal tracks within the current conventional Adventist church system will be compared. This paper will conclude with a missional way forward that is faithful to Scripture, sustainable, scalable, and missionally effective in light of current cultural trends."

Innovative Evangelism, Part 1: A New Paradigm, S. Joseph Kidder, Kristy L. Hodson

Faculty Publications

"It is challenging for a church, using the traditional evangelism model, to preach the gospel to a postmodern audience. Scripture speaks of the tribe of Issachar as having leaders who “understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take” (1 Chron. 12:32, NLT). We must adapt to the times and use all available means of witnessing. By incorporating multiple evangelistic strategies year-round, traditional as well as innovative, our churches would have a greater opportunity to help people experience the gospel.

"Knowing that we need new ideas and coming up with those new …

Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies To Help Young People Discover And Love Your Church, David Chimwaro

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"the authors of Fuller youth institute have made a valuable contribution to the ongoing quest for church growth by providing not only a theoretical model for relational church growth that can “Energize [the] entire church congregation,” but also a description of a practical application of the concept. the model has been explored in the context of “six core commitments,” or strategies, “of churches that are growing young.” the profiled churches are thriving because they are attracting and engaging young people ages 15 to 29, who are growing spiritually and emotionally, which gives credence to this concept (pp. 19, 20, 23). …

Cultural Integration And The Gospel In Vietnamese Mission Theology: A Paradigm Shift, K. S. Nguyen

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"This study argues that it is necessary to present the Christian faith in such a way that it allows the Vietnamese to follow Christ and yet remain within their Vietnamese culture. To do so, the study resonates theologically with what has already been done, and offers some relevant contributions to the Vietnamese contextualization efforts by proposing a paradigm shift in the development of a Vietnamese mission theology which requires it to be both evangelical and Vietnamese."

Miracles And Natural Law: Are They Compatible?, Glauber S. Araujo

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"We have tried here to bring together the contribution of many who saw the incoherence in Hume’s violation theory and have proposed a different view of the universe, where the natural and the supernatural cooperate with each other, maintaining the possibility of miracles. By avoiding Hume’s proposition, they were able to present a worldview of a universe open to divine action, turning the belief in miracles into a reasonable option. Miracles, although naturally impossible, do not need to be understood as opposing natural laws, but can be interpreted as events in nature produced by a supernatural cause, having a spiritual …

Martin Luther And Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (“Outside Of The Church There Is No Salvation”): Did Luther Really Abandon Cyprian?, Darius Jankiewicz

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"... careful study of the Luther’s writings reveals that, while he repudiated many Catholic ways of understanding and conducting church, and while he attempted to harmonize ecclesiastical structures and sacramental theology with the foundational principles of Protestantism, he was essentially unable to break away from medieval modes of thinking. Notwithstanding his rejection of the Catholic emphasis on the visible church, he struggled to free himself from reliance on institutional structures for salvation. Ultimately, Luther affirmed the necessity of the visible church for salvation. In His wisdom, Luther believed, God had decreed the church to be the means of grace, without …

The Effect Of Mentoring On Interns In A Cross-Cultural Setting To Produce Incrteased Missional Engagement, Timothy G. Meier

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"the purpose of writing The Effect of Mentoring on Interns in a Cross- Cultural Setting to Produce Increased Missional Engagement is to examine the relationship between mentoring and mission. this is accomplished through interviewing interns who have served with c&Ma/Envision in a cross-cultural setting for a minimum of two months. for a minimum of 45 minutes, 17 interns were interviewed, and the results show a strong correlation between high mentoring and high missional engagement."

The Controverted Little Book Of Revelation 10 And The Shape Of Apocalyptic Mission, George R. Knight

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"If the contents of the little book of Revelation 10 are controverted, someone forgot to tell the founders of Seventh-day Adventism. William Miller, for example, in 1841 interpreted the little book that would be sweet in the mouth as being opened in 1798 as evidenced by the increased study of Daniel’s prophecies stimulated by events related to the French Revolution and the taking of the Pope captive by General Berthier. And Ellen White couldn’t have been more certain. “The book that was sealed,” she wrote in 1896, “was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of …

Window Shopping And Turf Control, W. Milton Adams

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"In the past there has been much appropriate emphasis on the laity’s posture of respect toward church leadership. But what matters now is an equal and proactive posture of respect toward the laity. As new methods and new plans spring forth from the laity, cooperation and mutual respect must also spring forth. The result will look and function like a peer relationship. In today’s developing culture, the onus will lie on church leadership to rid themselves pf any turf control and instead develop skills of cheering, funding, and quickly embracing God-honoring lay ministries. So, a call to smooth the way, …

Uncovering The Protological Hermeneutics Of George Mccready Price And Benjamin Warfield, Sergio L. Silva

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this dissertation addresses is the protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over whether biblical protology should be interpreted literally or symbolically in response to the evolutionary theory.

Method

To identify, compare, and contrast the protological hermeneutics of George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield, this dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary methodology that seeks to integrate historical theology, systematic theology, and exegetical-biblical theology.

Conclusions

The protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over the interpretation of biblical protology was caused by how they applied their views on epistemology. On the hermeneutical level (where …

Disabling The Body Of Christ: Toward A Holistic Ecclesiology Of Embodiment, Nancy Jill Hale

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of Dissertation

A brief history of ecclesiology is followed by an assessment of the embodied ecclesiology of selected theologians. The relationship among embodiment, liturgy, and christian formation is probed. Finally, principles are proposed that answer the question, “What would it mean for the church to be a disabled body?” The intention of these principles is to help churches disable those beliefs and practices that keep them from being the message of the kingdom of God and from embodying the new social reality of the gospel that challenges the values of other social bodies in the world.

A Theological Heritage For New Evangelicalism And Its Social Justice Focus, Kenley Hall

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Based on a review of relevant literature, this article will look at this emerging submovement within evangelicalism that researchers are referring to as “New Evangelicals” and its expanding social consciousness. Then the article will address an issue I believe is of critical importance: a likely theological and historical heritage for New Evangelicalism that can serve as a theological resource and even connection between them and the larger evangelical narrative.

The Distinctive Characteristics Of Religious Leadership: A Case Study Of The International Church Of The Foursquare Gospel In The United States, Stephen Bialowas

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of the Thesis available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

The study concluded that religious leadership as practiced in the Foursquare Church is best described by a combination of the five contemporary theories and Weber’s theory.

Shared Leadership: Best Practice In A Ministry Context, Shaldana Juanette Johns

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of the Dissertation

This qualitative, multiple case study examined the best practice of shared leadership in a ministry context ... The top three highest occurrences of established best practices in a ministry context were spiritual giftedness, relational support, and biblical shared leadership. Unique best practices were discovered and isolated as well.

Ministry In Secular Employment (Mse) In The Church Of England, 1960- 2000, Thomas Christopher Keighley

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of Dissertation

Analysis identified that the experimental start to the initiative had not been embedded into the structure and strategy of the church, while being well embedded into the culture and structures of the worlds in which the Ministers in Secular Employment lived and worked. The church adopted a homeostatic approach to this development characterized by dioceses and their bishops acting independently. MSE had not been explored for its potential in the field of mission or cultural integration of church and society. The church continues to understand its mission and purpose in terms of stipendiary parish …

Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches From New Believers. By J. D. Payne, Anderline Brady

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

APOSTOLIC CHURCH PLANTING: BIRTHING NEW CHURCHES FROM NEW BELIEVERS. By J. D. Payne. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press (2015). Softcover, 126 pages.

The heart of Apostolic Church Planting is understanding and establishing how church planters define the local and universal church. In the words of the author, “ecclesiology is supremely important. It shapes everything” (p. 21). Over his years of training church planters, Dr. J. D. Payne encountered questions that were not addressed in his previous work Discovering Church Planting. Thus Apostolic Church Planting, in Payne’s words, “is my attempt to respond to some of those questions and …

Using Social Media For Evangelism, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Unity Of The Church And Church Authority: A Comparative Study Of The Views And Practice Of Alexander Campbell And Ellen G. White, Wendy A. Jackson

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Adventist Theological-Missiology: Contextualization In Mission And Ministry, Wagner Kuhn

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"...the purpose of theology and mission is to demonstrate in word and deed, in theory and in practice, the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14). It is to aim at the cross of Calvary, declaring and presenting with power and effectiveness the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn.1:29). Paul demonstrates this theology and this mission by getting as close as possible to people in order to save them for Christ. He says: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). This is the …

Factors And Qualities Of Lay Leadership Influencing Church Growth : A Multiple Case Study

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Extant literature regarding church growth mentions lay leaders as important partners in the operation and administration of a church. While discussions of their participation acknowledge their importance, no studies on church growth focused on the way they specifically influence growth. this qualitative multiple case study took a holistic approach by examining three churches within the Wesleyan churches in the American Midwest."

Christ, The Son Of The Living God: The Theme Of The Chiastic Structure Of The Gospel Of Matthew, S. Joseph Kidder

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

"Not A Hand Bound; Not A Voice Hushed": Ordination And Foundational Adventist Understandings Of Women In Ministry, Ginger Hanks Harwood, Beverly Beem

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

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The Spirit Of The Lord And Obedience To God's Law : An Exegetical, Intertextual, And Theological Study Of Ezekiel 36:27, James Waita Mutua

Dissertations

Problem

In Ezek 36:27, God foretells that he will put his Spirit within his people and he will “do” so that Israel will obey his laws. Ezekiel 36:27 indicates a close relationship between the Spirit of God and Israel in observing the statutes and judgments of God in the Babylonian exile among the nations and after the exile. In this text, every major phrase and clause has varied interpretations or calls for further investigation. Not only do scholars have different interpretations of the verse, but also the English Bible versions vary in their translations. This leads to the following questions: …

Judgment Motifs In The Messages To The Seven Churches, Kim Papaioannou, Edward Moyo

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

The Sin Against The Holy Spirit In The Writings Of G. C. Berkouwer And E. G. White: A Comparative Study And Ethical Implications, Michael Davey Pearson

Dissertations

While compatibilists claim that divine sovereignty either elects individuals to salvation or inevitably consigns them to damnation without the involvement of human response, non-compatibilism claims that divine love requires both human choice along with a behavioral response. This dissertation examines these respective dilemmas in the context of the sin against the Holy Spirit with the purpose of ascertaining how these views impact the sovereignty and character of God and the resulting ethical implications. Compatibilism is examined through the writings and theology of G. C. Berkouwer, while non-compatibilism is appraised through the writings and thought of Ellen G. White.

This dissertation …

Theology In Parish Life, Skip Bell

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Sola Scriptura Principle In The Current Debate, Aleksandar S. Santrac

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Thrones In The Book Of Revelation Part 3: Thrones Of God's Allies, Laszlo Gallusz

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.