History of Christianity Commons^™

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

Dissertations

Problem. A clear understanding of the nature of church unity and the role of authority in the maintenance of unity is imperative for the church in the face of its increasing growth and diversity. While a considerable volume of literature addresses the topic of unity of the church, little attention has been paid to the historical dimensions of the differing viewpoints on church authority, which present contemporary obstacles to Christian unity.

Purpose. In an attempt to address this void, this dissertation examines the views of Alexander Campbell and Ellen White with regard to the nature of church unity and how …

Peter Abelard’S Theology Of Atonement: A Multifaceted Approach And Reevaluation, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

As a person trained primarily in philosophy, Peter Abelard employed an intense questioning mentality in fleshing out his theological ideas.  His extreme debating style of totally deconstructing theological positions and then afterward including some of those same aspects into his own views made it easy for his religio-political enemies to take apparently heterodox statements and declare these as representative of Abelard’s entire atonement theology.  However, many of his theological beliefs are supported in the New Testament and were already held by the church fathers.  He frequently affirmed Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice as the ransom to redeem man.  He rejected various contemporary …

[Book Review Of] American Protestant Theology: A Historical Sketch, By Luigi Giussani, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

Many scholars in the field of American religious and theological history may never have heard the name of Luigi Giussani (1922-2005) because he spent most of his life in his home country Italy, his proficiency in English was limited to reading literacy, and the majority of his writings were not concerned with American religious history anyway. Giussani was a Catholic priest, theologian, high school teacher, professor, and founder of the international movement Comunione e Liberazione. He was closely acquainted with Pope John Paul II and the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. His influence on Italian and European religious life and culture …

Leo The Great On The Supremacy Of The Bishop Of Rome, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

Pope Leo the Great built his rationale for the supreme authority of the bishop of Rome on an existing tradition, yet with his additions he developed a theoretical rationale for later papal claims to absolute and supreme power in the ecclesiastical and secular realms. Previous bishops and church leaders had laid increasing stress on the unique role of the Apostle Peter as the founder of the Roman churches and episcopacy, the significance of the Roman bishop as Peter’s successor, and the apostolic significance of the city and episcopacy of Rome. Yet Leo’s rationale for the absolute control and power of …

Waldensian And Catholic Theologies Of History In The Xii-Xiv Centuries: Part Ii, Gonzalo L. Pita

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

John Huss, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how the reformation began by John Huss anticipated and inspired the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

The Word, The Spirit Of Prophecy, And Mutual Love: Lessons From The 'Daily' Controversy For Conflict Resolution, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Love Your Enemy? Reflections At The Centenary Of World War I, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ecclesiastical Deadlock: James White Solves A Problem That Had No Answer, George R. Knight

Faculty Publications

Church organization was one of the hardest fought battles in Adventism’s early decades. Extending nearly 20 years, the struggle not only eventuated in aspects of church order not suggested in Scripture but provided a key hermeneutical principle for deciding other topics not made explicit in the Bible. In the process, James White, and many others, experienced a hermeneutical metamorphosis, a necessary transformation that allowed Seventh-day Adventism to develop into a worldwide force.

Review Of Baptismal Imagery In Early Christianity: Ritual, Visual, And Theological Dimensions, Robin M. Jensen, Denis Fortin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Father Of Black Adventism: Charles M. Kinny, Trevor O'Reggio

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

[Book Review Of] Freikirchen Und Juden Im „Dritten Reich“: Instrumentalisierte Heilsgeschichte, Antisemitische Vorurteile Und Verdrängte Schuld, Edited By Daniel Heinz, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Father Of Black Adventism, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

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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Waldensian And Catholic Theologies Of History In The Xii-Xiv Centuries: Part I, Gonzalo L. Pita

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Headship, Gender, And Ordination In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, P. Gerard Damsteegt

Faculty Publications

The study will focus on the teachings of Ellen White on the role of the Bible in this controversy and the principles for interpreting the Bible to find a solution to the current situation. The paper will also look at her understanding of equality and submission in God’s universal kingdom, and the function of headship in Jesus’ model of leadership and its relation to gender in regard to the qualifications for the biblical office of overseer in the church and their implications in regard to ordination. All of these aspects form an integral part of 16 Ellen White’s theology of …

Women's Status And Ordination As Elders Or Bishops In The Early Church, Reformation, And Post-Reformation Eras, P. Gerard Damsteegt

Faculty Publications

This paper will investigate the views of the status of women in the church and whether women were ordained as elders, bishops, or priests in certain periods of the history of the Christian Church. The main focus of this paper will be on the Early Church, the Reformation, and Post-Reformation eras. The sources for the early church are limited to the early church fathers, and for the Reformers to their commentaries on the Bible. Martin Luther and John Calvin have been chosen because of their emphasis on the Bible as the rule for doctrine and practice, which was adopted by …

The Ordination Of Women In The American Church, Nicholas Miller

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dealing With Doctrinal Issues In The Church: Part 3, Richard M. Davidson, Paul S. Ratsara

Faculty Publications

The 1888 Minneapolis Bible conference exemplifies using wrong attitudes to deal with doctrinal controversy. In contrast to the 1888 debacle, the 1848 and the 1855 conferences exemplify right approaches toward dealing with controversial issues in the church. These illustrate the principle that the key toward dealing with controversial subjects in the church is a personal relationship with God.

A Short History Of Ordination (Part Ii), Darius Jankiewicz

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

Junia The Apostle, Nancy Vyhmeister

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

A Short History Of Ordination (Part I), Darius Jankiewicz

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

The Problem Of Ordination: Lessons From Early Christian History, Darius Jankiewicz

Faculty Publications

Like most modern Christian denominations, Seventh-­‐day Adventists acknowledge the pastoral call through the rite of ordination. We have also adopted the three-­‐fold structure of ministry in the church— pastor, elder, and deacon—each initiated by a separate rite of laying-­‐on-­‐of-­‐hands and each referred to as ordination. The lack of unambiguous Scriptural data, however, has resulted in a decades-long intradenominational discussion on the meaning of and qualifications for ordination of pastors, elders, and deacons. It is indisputable, and Scripturally warranted, that Christian community needs its authoritative leaders in order to function and propagate its mission in the world, otherwise chaos would reign. …

"He Spake And It Was Done": Luther's Creation Theology In His 1535 Lectures On Genesis 1:1-2:4, Denis Kaiser

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Martin Luther: Marriage And The Family As A Remedy For Sin, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“He Spake And It Was Done”: Luther’S Creation Theology In His 1535 Lectures On Genesis 1:1–2:4, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

[Book Review Of] Adventism And Ellen White: A Phenomenon Of Religious Materialism, By Thomas Mcelwain, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Magisterial Reformers And Ordination, P. Gerard Damsteegt

Faculty Publications

The magisterial reformers made a clear break with the Roman Catholic sacramental view of ordination of the clergy. The descendants of Luther and Calvin closely followed the Reformers’ ordination theologies and practice. In this paper we will discuss Luther and Calvin’s ordination theology and practice in the context of their break with the Roman Catholic Church.

Setting Apart For The Ministry: Theory And Practice In Seventh-Day Adventism (1850-1920), Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

The Seventh-day Adventist practice of ordination was specifically based on NT passages, yet the practice and its implications developed over time and were influenced by external necessities and the growth of the church structure and the mission of the church. While early on they did not want to go beyond the pattern outlined in the NT, they later modified this position and began to allow for adaptation of NT patterns in order to accommodate changing circumstances, insisting merely that all new developments be in harmony with the Bible even if they were not an exact reflection of biblical precedents. New …

[Book Review Of] Reformation Und Konfessionelles Zeitalter (1517-1648), By Martin H. Jung, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

This book on the reformation and the confessional era (1517-1648) is succinct, informative, and very readable. It is a textbook that contains fifteen neatly arranged chapters. The advantage of Jung’s textbook lies in the fact that it is not merely another book about the reformation and post-reformation period for its real strength is found not as much in the presentation of the historical facts and developments per se as in the enclosed pertinent syllabus for university studies and exams on both epochs. Instructors and professors may benefit from Jung’s teaching experience, using the materials and adapting them according to their …