Practical Theology Commons^™

God And Satan: A Look At Martin Luther’S Titles For Satan And What They Reveal About The Relationship Between God And Satan, Alexandria M. Shick

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Shick, Alexandria M. “God and Satan: A Look at Martin Luther’s Titles for Satan and What They Reveal About the Relationship Between God and Satan.” M.A. Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2022 87 pp.

The relationship between God and Satan is complex and intertwined. There is a tendency in Christianity to overemphasize Satan’s power and his place in the realm of evil and in so doing neglect and disregard what it means for God to be truly omnipotent. Luther understood Satan as being under God’s will, only having the ability to act where, when and how God allowed or permitted. The complex …

God’S Plan For Life: Training Drill Sergeants To Better Serve Their Neighbor By Developing Moral Character Utilizing The “Transformational Moral Leadership” Model, Matthew Christensen

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Instances of moral failure within the U.S. Army raises the question of whether an individual’s character may be developed and improved by utilizing a moral decision-making process. If so, is it possible to measure this improvement? From a Lutheran perspective, is it possible to improve moral character without appealing to the boundaries provided by God’s Word and a Christian community influencing the spiritual dimensions of one’s life.

This project set out to build upon an eighteen-hour Transformational Moral Leadership training model being utilized to strengthen the moral character of drill sergeants at Fort Benning, Georgia. The project allowed me as …

Straining Forward To What Lies Ahead: Models Of Patristic Contemplation, Joshua Vanderhyde

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Vanderhyde, Joshua S. “Straining Forward to What Lies Ahead: Models of Patristic Contemplation.” Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2022. 111 pp.

As secularization sharpens the contrast between Christian belief and western culture, many Christians are looking for ways to take a more active and intentional approach to the struggle to be conformed to Christ. The Church Fathers offer a unified theory of Christian spirituality, grounded and structured by the concept of contemplation—a theory of perception widely held in the ancient world and integral to diverse systems of thought, including Neoplatonism. In this thesis, the concept of contemplation is elucidated as a theory …

The Personalization Of American Christianity: Subjective Assurance And The Puritan Conversion Narrative, Curran Bishop

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The North American Puritans introduced a concept that has shaped American theology: a test of subjective assurance as a predicate to communing church membership. While previous Reformed communities had tested would-be communicants in their knowledge of church teaching and their adherence to that teaching in their lives. The New England colonists added a relation of the individual’s experiential conversion. This was intended to protect the purity of the church while also ministering to the individual by encouraging them in their faith by their inclusion in church membership. The results of the test led immediately to declining numbers of adults becoming …

Theology Of The Laity: The Lutheran Way, Brian M. Mosemann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The distinction between the laity and clergy has been a contributing cause of disunity within the church because the clergy and laity are often pitted against one another with one or the other being elevated to the detriment of the other. This problem has plagued the church from the middle ages until the present day. Since the definition of the term “laity” is vacuous, the laity are generally defined relative to the clergy, specifically in reference to their authority and duties. This results in a negative definition when the laity are defined as the opposite of the clergy. The laity …

Identity Formation And Powerful Narrative: What The Church Can Learn From Disney, Janie Fisher

Master of Art Theology Thesis

This thesis explores a phenomenon I first observed while working for The Walt Disney Company in Florida. Many people seem to be dedicated to Disney in a distinctly religious way, giving the company their time, money, abilities, and heart. Disney is one of the most successful organizations in America, and they have mastered the art of storytelling in their films and theme parks. These stories can be used for identity formation, as they teach people who they are, what the world is like, and how they ought to live. Disney uses religious means to help their fans feel as if …

Cuaresma-Viernes Santo-Siete Palabras-Liturgia, Ricardo Schlak

Liturgias

Cuaresma-Viernes Santo-Siete palabras-liturgia

Concordia Seminary Magazine Spring 2022, Vicki Biggs

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Made through Him

Reading The Signs Of The Time: Three Voices In The Confessional Lutheran Church As They Relate To Segregation, Racism, And Apartheid In South Africa From 1900–1978, Christoph Dietrich Weber

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Weber, Christoph, Reading the signs of the time: “Three voices in the confessional Lutheran Church to segregation, racism, and apartheid in South Africa from 1900–1978.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2022. 425 pp.

According to August Vilmar, reading the signs of the times was an essential task of all pastors and theologians. It was a part of their prophetic task to interpret the world and its context with the word of God and to proclaim the voice of the church in law and gospel. The three theologians analyzed in this dissertation: Karl Meister, Hermann Sasse, and Friederich W. Hopf respected Vilmar …

Ministrando Familia Hispana-Latina, Marcos Kempff

Matrimonio y familia

Ministrando familia hispana-latina

Crisis 7-El Lamento, Eric Hermann

Crisis y luto

Crisis 7-El lamento

A Bible Study Series: The Family-Centered, Church-Supported Paradigm Shift For Raising Children In The Faith At Salem Lutheran Church, Michael J. Nielsen

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Nielsen, Michael J. “A Bible Study Series: The Family-Centered, Church-Supported Paradigm Shift for Raising Children in The Faith at Salem Lutheran Church.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2021. 160 pp.

In many Christian churches there is the question: “How do we keep our children after confirmation?” The answer is a simple one: Parents. This MAP examines the relationship of the family and the church when it comes to raising children in the faith. Biblically parents are called to be the primary faith formers in the lives of their children. A multi-part Bible study was created to teach …

Gospel Impact And Stewardship Tool (Gist): Visual Mapping To Discover Gospel Imperatives For Strategic Ministry Decisions, Martin Edward Lee

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Lee, Martin Edward “Gospel Impact and Stewardship Tool: Visual Mapping to Discover Gospel Imperatives for Strategic Ministry Decisions.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2021. 260 pp.

This research project and the resulting Gospel Impact and Stewardship Tool (“GIST”) addresses congregational stewardship deficits from a systems perspective, with a shared-stewardship imperative for all leaders and members of a congregation, instead of focusing stewardship on the individual. The GIST Ministry Map provides a visual picture of how individual ministries are interconnected. This project illustrates how a learning environment, and the GIST visual ministry mapping process, help improve strategic decision-making …

Equipping Lay Elders With The Spiritual Care Skills Of Active Listening, Sharing Scripture, Offering Prayer, And Providing Follow Up At St. Paul Lutheran Church In Wood River, Il, David Martin Arthur Schultz

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Schultz, David, MA. “Equipping lay elders with the spiritual care skills of active listening, sharing scripture, offering prayer, and providing follow up at St. Paul Lutheran Church Wood River, IL.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2022. 122 pp.

Spiritual care is vitally important for all people. Unfortunately, too often those who are commissioned to provide spiritual care lack the necessary skills to help others. This MAP explores how a lay elder seminar might equip the lay elders of a congregation with the spiritual care skills of active listening, sharing scripture, offering prayer, and providing follow up. This …

The Contemporary Situation Of Elderly People In Ethiopia And The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Tsigewengel B. Uddo

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Uddo Tsigewengel B. “The Contemporary Situation of Elderly People in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.” MA Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2022. 100pp.

The Church is God’s agent to serve God’s people in the church and society at large. The scope of the Church’s ministry comprises all ages: young, adult, and elderly. Culturally, in Ethiopia, children and close family members are responsible for caring for the elderly, therefore, the church has not given satisfactory attention to holistic elderly care. Moreover, current societal change and globalization have negatively affected the indigenous family-support system for the elderly. As a result, many …

Adult Catechesis: Cognition And Application For The Christian Life, Jason D. Gudim

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Gudim, Jason D. “Adult Catechesis as Formation and Habitus for the Christian Life.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2021. 127 pp.

The Small and Large Catechisms are a central part of confessional Lutheran theology. Catechism instruction is built into the practice of confirmation. But for many Lutherans, catechesis stops at confirmation, with some never opening their catechisms again. Built into the Great Commission as a disciple-making process are both baptizing and teaching. Catechesis fits the model in that the people of God are guarding the truth of Scripture that has been handed down to them generation by …

6d Características Lider, Marcos Kempff

Liderazgo

Características lider

Concordia Seminary Magazine Summer 2021, Vicki Biggs

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Made Ready

7 Enseñanzas Luteranas, Marcos Kempff

Liderazgo

Enseñanzas Luteranas

Las Posadas-Liturgia Bilingüe 1, Ceh

Liturgias

Las Posadas-liturgia bilingüe 1

Concordia Seminary Magazine Fall/Winter 2021, Vicki Biggs

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Your Word is a lamp to my feet

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: Exploring The Effectiveness Of A Person-Centered Disability Awareness Seminar In A Congregational Setting, Joshua H. Jones

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

People with disabilities and their families frequently experience barriers toward inclusion and belonging in multiple spheres of life. These barriers are also present in Christian congregations. However, many congregations express a godly desire to love people with disabilities and their families without these obstacles.

The Old and New Testaments provide examples of how God’s people sought to love people with disabilities in their midst creatively and intentionally in response to God’s gracious actions, invitation, and command. Recent research in disability studies routinely highlight the necessity of being attentive to the uniqueness of each person with disabilities and his or her …

Lent Past And Present, Hermann Lilienthal

Ebooks

The general title of the book, "LENT-PAST AND PRESENT," will indicate its scope. Not only are the primitive origin, the purpose, and the usages of Lent traced, but an attempt has also been made to apply to our times the principles underlying the institution of Lent.

From Vice To Virtue: Contours Of Idolatry And New Obedience, Michael Fieberkorn

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Fieberkorn, Michael T. “From Vice to Virtue: Contours of Idolatry and New Obedience.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2021. 290 pp. What are the specific contours of life lived in accordance with God’s will? That is the primary question this dissertation seeks to answer. Discerning the particular shape of Christian sanctification is difficult. Radical Lutheranism attempts to define sanctification simply as “love,” which lacks the specificity necessary to adjudicate between competing and mutually exclusive claims concerning Christian morality. Theologians attempting to address this insufficiency by incorporating virtue ethics within a Lutheran theological construct must clearly articulate the particularly Christian telos.

Reading …

Jesus In, With, And Under The Spirit: The Spirit's Presence And Activity In Christ In The Sacrament Of The Altar, Brian A. Gauthier

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Contemporary theological scholarship has seen a turn toward pneumatology and the use of a pneumatological lens for exploring and [re]considering Christian doctrines. Spirit Christology has long been considered the first major, successful work in this movement of scholarship which has come to be called Third Article Theology.

This study proposes to consider the Lord’s Supper pneumatologically through use of a Trinitarian Spirit Christology. Three primary aspects of a traditional account of the Lord’s Supper will be the subject of pneumatological reimagining. Spirit Christology will inquire into the Spirit’s presence and activity in the presence and activity of Jesus through his …

And The Government Will Be Upon His Shoulder, Mark Steiner

Other Student Publications

This chancel drama represents meditation on Isaiah 9:6, particularly the phrase: “and the government will be upon his shoulder.” Rome, the most powerful government in the Rome, exercised a monopoly on the use of force through crucifixion. The cross struck terror in the hearts of the people. Our Savior carried a cross and was nailed to it.

Various medical experts have provided graphic accounts of the physiological effects of crucifixion and pain endured by our Savior. It should also be noted that our Savior endured scourging prior to crucifixion. One of the scourging instruments was a whip with leather tails. …

The Role Of The African Church In The 21st Century Global Mission: A Case Study Of The Eecmy Global Mission Venture And Economic Mindset, Wondimu M. Game

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Jesus Christ inaugurated and commissioned his church to be a missionary until the end of the world. Thus, the church is missionary by her very nature. The modern mission paradigm was from the West to the rest. But, in this 21^st century, the mission has shifted from the global North to the global South; this massive shift has anchored the global South as the heartland of Christianity and the force of mission. This mission shift also demands the paradigm shift of both global north and south. Although the African church has played a pivotal role in the church history, …

“I Said, You Are Gods”: Pastoral Motives Manifest In Patristic Citations Of Psalm 82:6, Charles Schulz

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The early church fathers frequently cited Ps. 82:6 (LXX 81:6), “I said, You are gods and all sons of the Most High,” a passage Jesus himself quoted (John 10:34) to defend his own title as the Son of God. Scholars agree that the patristic use of verse underwrote the developing doctrine of deification, which promised that Christians would become “gods” in some sense by bearing God’s image and likeness and participating in Christ and his saving work. In order to deepen and focus our understanding of the significance and role of this passage for patristic theology—and particularly for pastoral practice—this …

6b Entendiendo Ser Lider, David Johnson, Frank Johnson, Marcos Kempff

Liderazgo

Entendiendo ser lider

5a Liderazgo En Misiones, Marcos Kempff

Liderazgo

Liderazgo en misiones