Other Religion Commons^™

Five Challenges To Disciple Making And Strategies To Address Them, Leonard Baldwin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In today’s society, the church has missed an opportunity to make a definite impact on the lives of the congregations. Disciple making has all but disappeared from the life of the church. This has left the church with a lot of members but very few disciples. The purpose of this project is to develop five strategies to help pastors and lay leaders address the discipleship challenges in the church. The five areas that will be addressed are theology, tradition, training, time, and transparency. Each challenge will be addressed individually and a strategy developed for that challenge. This project will provide …

A Call To Excellence: Leadership Training And Mentoring Manual For Women In Ministry In The Twenty-First Century, Verna Mazak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The growth of women in leadership within the local church is at an all-time high. These women face tremendous obstacles as they seek to lead the twenty-first century church. This thesis investigates the role of African American women in the Black Baptist church to identify skills necessary for successful leadership within the denomination. Going beyond analysis and exploration, it answers the question of how to develop a training and mentorship program specifically designed to prepare African-American women for excellence in leadership. A survey of fifty church staff and members of various Black Baptist churches was conducted to determine the perspective …

Maimonides’ Yahweh: How His Via Negativa God Influenced Rabbinic Judaism And Its Subsequent Misunderstanding Of Incarnational Christian Theology, Amy Downey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The life of Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) remains a mystery to many within evangelical Christianity while he is lauded as a “Second Moses” within Modern Judaism. In many ways, Maimonides is deserving of the title as his understanding of the nature of God being that of via Negativa created a rationale for rejecting the Messiahship claims of Jesus in Rabbinic Judaism. However, and one of the purposes of this dissertation, is to illustrate that Maimonides in his desire to create an anti-Christian apologetic regarding the Incarnation fashioned a Judaism that does not reflect the truths of the Tanakh (Old Testament) …

The Relationship Between Parental Attachment, Religious Coping, And Self-Esteem In Korean-American Adolescents, Paul Roh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between insecure parental attachment, religious coping, and self-esteem with Korean-American adolescents, investigating the mediation effect of self-esteem on the relationship between insecure attachment and negative religious coping. Two hundred sixty-one Korean-American adolescents aged 12 to 18 from Korean immigrant churches in seven states completed the survey questionnaire to assess their attachment relationship with their mother and father, religious coping strategies, and self-esteem. Correlation analysis revealed significant correlations among the variables, and multiple regression analyses were used to detect the unique variance of father attachment in negative religious coping and the mediation effect of self-esteem on …

Child Prostitution: Inadequate Response By The Church, Gabrielle Alexis

Masters Theses

Child sex trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained eighteen years of age. Based on that definition, there is an alarming number of children that are being sexually enslaved. This paper specifically focuses on child sex trafficking or child prostitution. It presents a detailed analysis of the extent of child prostitution worldwide, discusses the long-term effects of child prostitution, analyzes the adequacy of the Church’s …

Spirit-Empowered Discipleship In Acts, Yan Chai

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipleship study had unavoidably been focused on the Gospels, and rightfully so. Whereas missions and church planting tended to occupy centre stage in the study of the book of Acts, and discipleship was often overshadowed. Nevertheless, Spirit-empowered discipleship, undoubtedly, had played a crucial role in the explosive growth of the early church. The purpose of this project is to utilize the four “E” principles of discipleship implicit in Acts: empowerment, exhortation, encouragement and exaltation to galvanize growth in Faith Hope Love Chinese church. It shall investigate the discipleship pattern that existed, apply the underlying principles given, and subsequently, analyze the …

A Balancing Act: Reading 'Amoris Laetitia', Peter Steinfels, Paige E. Hochschild, William L. Portier, Sandra A. Yocum, Dennis O'Brien

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Five religious scholars provide commentary on Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), Pope Francis's 2016 apostolic exhortation on love in the family.

The Oval Office Is Ready For Madame President: Predictors And Support, Brittney E. Souza

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The 2016 United States Presidential Election brings the revolutionary idea of a woman president with the Democratic candidate of Hillary Clinton. The current opposition for a woman president has been generalized gender stereotypes that she will be incompetent, too sensitive, temperamental and fickle with other world leaders. Many studies show that these arguments lack evidence in current female leaders and many commanding women in democracies have proven to be sufficient leaders to their male counterparts. Judeo-Christian traditions have permeated political voting and has acted as an important role in American public opinion on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. These …

How To Impact A Nation: Leadership Lessons Learned From Jerry Falwell And The Moral Majority, George Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project seeks to enhance the leadership development of the next generation by considering the perceived strengths and lessons to be learned from Jerry Falwell and the leadership of the Moral Majority (MM). The commands of Christ call the Christian to engage the culture (Matthew 5:13-16). The trend in church leadership today is too often looking forward without having looked back. Wise church leaders do both and stand on the shoulders of great leaders who have gone before, thus accomplishing “greater things” (John 14:12) for the kingdom of God. Through a survey of current church leaders, and a sampling of …

Exploring Intercessory Prayer As It Relates To Spiritual Warfare Preaching At Mount Zion Christian Church, Vernon Langley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The focus of this thesis is exploring the influence of intercessory prayer; from the standpoint of spiritual warfare preaching. Present day homiletics concentrates on the method of sermons by applying information within the message to a great story and powerful scriptural passages which is imperative to make the sermon thought provoking and applicable to contemporary congregations. However, there is another element to preaching the gospel, which has gotten considerably less attention in modern day study. How the evaluations of Divine powers of intercessory prayer operate behind the discourse, and spiritual powers of darkness that endeavor to obstruct the reception of …

A Causal Comparative Analysis Of Biblical Worldview Among Graduate Students Based On Christian School Attendance, David Baniszewski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the primary objectives of the Christian school (K-12) is the development of a biblical worldview in its students. This study examined the impact that these Christian schools had on their students’ biblical worldview development by administering a biblical worldview assessment to graduate students at a private, Christian university (Liberty University). Christian, graduate students in the School of Education at Liberty completed a demographic survey and a biblical worldview assessment. The survey collected information on age, gender, type of K-12 schools attended, profession to the Christian faith, and denominational background. The results of the survey and assessment were analyzed …

Developing A Curriculum Ministry For Widows In The Local Church, Gail Nanez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

An examination of widows in the local church reveals a growing percentage of widows in many churches today, signifying a significant ministry need for widows in the church. An abundance of widows sitting in churches, are not only suffering the grief, and loneliness from their loss, some have lost their only income and sometimes feel neglected or a burden to others. As a biblical mandate, it is imperative that the church, pastors, and counselors take heed to the biblical command of ministering to the comfortlessness and insecurity many widows are facing. This will entail revitalization of the care of widows, …

Developing A Model For Church-Based Disaster Relief, Brady Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide a manual for the local church to implement in preparation for and during times of disaster. The author will specifically focus on the region of Amherst County, Virginia for this project. The author will approach this project by first defining what a disaster is and the role the church should play during times of great need. Attention will be given specifically to how the church should respond during times of disaster in foreign nations, in the United States, in nearby counties, and in the community of the church’s backyard. This project will …

A Study Of Developing Healthy Disciples In The Korean-American Church, Kyung Seo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Korean-American congregations within the Presbyterian denomination need to implement a Bible-centered discipleship model in order to become a more spiritual and viable Christian church. As the Senior Pastor for the Columbia Korean Presbyterian Church (2009-2014), the author utilized qualitative and quantitative analysis when interviewing church pastors within the Korean-American Presbyterian Churches of America. The surveys identified the need for a practical model of spiritual growth to develop healthy disciples within the Korean-American Church. Based upon the biblical principle of Christian discipleship, the author developed an overall a three-level strategy of making healthy disciples.

Ministry Partners: Ten Key Characteristics Of A Healthy Marriage In Ministry, Arlen Pfenninger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the beginning, God created a partner for man to have as they live their lives together. This partnership was created so they could work together for the kingdom God created. There has been literature written about the unhealthiness of some marriages in ministry because the pastor has neglected his or her family for the cause of Christ. There are others who have advocated a partnership in marriage ministry where the husband and wife work together as a ministry team. This thesis project presents an understanding of the healthy characteristics couples portray as they partner together in the ministry in …

Discipleship: Encouraging Haitian Churches In The United States To Fulfill The Great Commission Mandate, Lony Antoine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project makes a comparative analysis between the way discipleship was performed by the first century Christians with the way it is accomplished by the Haitian-American churches today. Extant studies in this field demonstrate that there is a lack of participation in missionary work and discipleship among Haitian-American Christians. They are failing to fulfill the command of Jesus Christ in Matthews to “Go and make disciples” (28:19-20). This project surveyed Christians in twenty-five Haitian American churches in order to evaluate their understanding of the Great Commission. The author also consulted religious and historical documents with the goal of conducting …

The Image Of Leadership: Man’S View Of God As Reflected In His Leadership Style, Leslie Pope

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project will demonstrate the connection between a pastor’s practical perceived theology of the inner workings of the Trinity and his desired leadership style. Because “God’s people are stamped with the tag of ‘gods’,”1 they will seek to rule in a similar manner. These perceived relationships will drive the pastor toward a desired style of leadership. In turn, examining horizontal styles of leadership will reveal true vertical beliefs. These levels of leadership interaction will be researched through literature and interviews with eight church leaders. As the leader defines the leadership structures and recognizes hidden similarities and disparities between practical …

A Case Study Examining Growth In Understanding Biblical Anointing At Faith Baptist Church, Steven Headrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Why do some Christians expect and experience the power of God (biblical anointing) in their daily living and other Christians rarely do? This project contends that a lack of understanding the principles of biblical anointing is a fundamental cause of this difference. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of biblical anointing by the Christians attending Faith Baptist Church. Biblical principles related to understanding, living and maintaining the anointed life will be presented. This project will measure the increase in understanding biblical anointing from the responses given to pre-study and post-study surveys. The teaching will be in …

The Challenges And Biblical 'Self-Care' Strategies For 'Direct-Care' Staff In Residential Treatment Facilities, Michael Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ministry means more than just pastoral duties within the context of the church. Those in ministry, and particularly those in ‘direct-care’ positions working in residential treatment facilities in childcare face a plethora of issues that can be mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually taxing. This project will provide biblically based engaging, edifying, encouraging, and equipping ministries the necessary skills to enable those who are in ‘Direct-Care’ positions to develop ‘self-care’ practices to address these issues. This thesis will investigate the causes and effects that impact those in ‘direct-care’ ministry to experience disillusionment, discouragement, depression, despair, defeat, and/or departure from ministry. …

Creating The Provençal Village, Michele Devitt

Marian Library Staff Publications

The pictures of the University of Dayton's Marian Library Provençal Village in the recent issue of Creche Herald tell part of the story. However, the best part of the story is unseen; it is about the volunteers who collectively spent hundreds of hours bringing the village to life. Sixteen dedicated volunteers under master engineer Mike Foley created various parts of the scene.

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 …

A Positive Case For The Primacy Of An Evidential Apologetic Method, Doug Taylor

Other Graduate Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Facilitating A Change Of Mind About Father God Through Mentoring Of The Fatherless, Stephen Madosky

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The consensus of published research has proven beyond question that fatherlessness is a crisis in America. Textbooks and autobiographies have covered and reported the statistical effects of fatherlessness; nonetheless, there is far less literature dealing with the solution of fatherlessness and even less literature from Church scholars on how the Church may participate in its correction. This thesis presents an understanding of fatherlessness and proposes a resolution to act on behalf of fatherless children. The resolution will be comprised in preparing Church leaders to equip Church laity to understand and to minister to the fatherless in their affliction effectively.

Mission Statements: Evaluating Faith-Based Organization’S Missional Effectiveness In Monrovia, Liberia, Jessica Kryzer

Masters Theses

Mission statements of faith-based organizations in Monrovia, Liberia are essential to carrying out the Two Great Commandments and the Great Commission within the work of the organizations. By presenting and evaluating the presence of the TGC and the GC within the statements it can be determined whether the programs and funding are sufficiently affected by the solidity of the mission statement and core values.

Beyond The Confines Of Tolerance In Rachid Buchareb’S London River: Theological Discussion And Educational Approach To An Open Ended Film, Panayiotis A. Thoma Pth

Journal of Religion & Film

The article discusses Rachid Buchareb's film London River both from a theological and an educational point of view. Therefore I argue that this film may be of great use in the lesson of Religious Education (or other subjects that concern multicultural and inter-religious affairs), for it raises some crucial existential issues, mainly: how do people of different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds truly connect to one another especially in cases in which these exact differences may be the cause of extreme suffering. This is actually the thematic concept of the film. Based on the teachings of the Bible and particularly, …

Mere Christian Theism And The Problem Of Evil: Toward A Trinitarian Perichoretic Theodicy, Ronnie Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is perhaps no problem confronting Christian theism more than that of the problem from evil. Evil in the world is not merely a problem for the Christian worldview, however, but also for various other metaphysical systems. This project takes up a comparative analysis of four major worldviews—naturalism, pantheism, process panentheism, and theism—and argues that of the four, theism provides not only the best explanation for the phenomena of evil in the world but it also gives an overall thicker worldview response to the challenges that evil presents. But theism in-and-of-itself is not enough. A specific form of theism is …

An Organic Model Of Leadership Development For The Rural, Traditional Church, Douglas Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project examines the nature of leadership development relating to an organization known as the local body of Christian believers. This study reveals that the average believer lacks confidence in his or her ability to clearly define what it means to be a Christian, what is required of a believer in the areas of discipleship and leadership, and how to be a disciple maker. Pursuant to completion of this thesis project, the pastor will progressively develop each member of the local body of believers at Woodland Trails Baptist Church into servant leaders who make disciples. The questionnaire results of …

Paralysis And Sexuality In Medical Literature And The 'Acts Of Peter', Meghan Henning

Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on the story of Peter’s daughter that is found in the Berlin Coptic papyrus BG 8502.4 and is associated with the apocryphal Acts of Peter. Research on the story of Peter’s daughter has primarily focused on its interpretation of the theme of chastity, or whether the story was originally included in the Acts of Peter. In the course of these investigations, scholars have taken for granted the curious assumption of the text that paralysis renders Peter’s daughter unfit for marriage, and thus safe from Ptolemy’s unwanted advances.

This paper explores the underlying understandings of paralysis and sexuality …

Six Key Concepts In Training Evangelical Lay Chaplain For Effective Local Hospital Ministry, Lisa Kanne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many professional hospital chaplaincy organizations have ethics statements that specifically prohibit paid chaplains from proselytizing, unless specifically requested by the patient. The intention of the dissertation is to train lay chaplains in what to communicate with the patients, family and friends. Restrictions will be imposed on lay volunteer chaplains by the hospital and the chaplaincy department dealing with proselytizing and other topics concerning religion. The presentation will introduce biblical principles regarding ministering to the sick and dying, providing comfort to those who are hurting, and fostering hope and who are grieving. Between the survey findings and the interview key concepts …

Fatalism, Diabetes Management Outcomes, And The Role Of Religiosity, Vincent Berardi, John Bellettiere, Orit Nativ, Slezak Ladislav, Melbourne Hovell, Orna Baron-Epel

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This study aimed to determine whether fatalistic beliefs were associated with elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and to establish the role of religiosity in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 183 Jewish adults with diabetes visiting a large medical center in northern Israel. Self-administered questionnaires assessed level of religiosity, fatalistic beliefs, diabetes management behaviors, and demographic/personal characteristics; laboratory tests were used to measure HbA1c. Multivariate regression indicated that fatalism was significantly associated with HbA1c (β = 0.51, p = 0.01). The association was no longer statistically significant after including self-reported religiosity in the …