Practical Theology Commons^™

Erotic Devotional Poetry: Resisting Neoplatonism In Protestant Christianity, Sarah M. Pruis

Honors Projects

A genre best known for its appearance in Eastern religions, erotic devotional poetry uses sensual imagery to access an experience of the divine. Historically, many Christian traditions, excluding the mystical ones, have pushed back against such literature, seeing it as an impure model that degrades divinity by association with the physical, especially in the specific physical ritual of sex. This stance is a hallmark of Protestant Christianity. The idea of a dichotomy and hierarchy between soul and body, though, comes not from theology but from the introduction theologians made between Western philosophy, particularly Platonic Dualism, and Christianity, which was then …

Pub Trivia, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

No abstract provided.

What Are You Reading To Increase Your Ya Literacy?, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

No abstract provided.

Learning To Listen, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

No abstract provided.

Program Evaluation Plan For The Bridge Care Center: A Plan For Measuring Effectiveness, Efficiency, And Theological Foundations, Janai Wallace

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

In this project, a program evaluation plan for The Bridge Care Center—a drop-in center for those experiencing homelessness or housing instability located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle is presented. The program evaluation includes the program theory (based on social psychology and theological theory), a logic model, specific evaluation measures, a data analysis technique, evaluation of threats to validity, as well as an implementation plan.

Christian Discipleship Through Racial Justice And Reconciliation: A Lenten Reading Of The Hate U Give, Abigail Sham

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

Christians are a people immersed in story—the story of God as it is revealed in Scripture and the story of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that continues to redeem our personal and systemic stories. As our world is diseased with the story of white supremacy, this project seeks to locate Christian vocation in the performative art of storytelling that actively seeks to dismantle the violent narrative of racial difference through the practice of reading Scripture with a liberating hermeneutic. This curriculum (a Lenten devotional) allows participants to sit with two haunting stories over the course of the Lenten season—the story …

What The Church Young Adult Innovation "Labs" Are Up To, Pivot Nw Research

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No abstract provided.

17-18 Research Results, Pivot Nw Research

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No abstract provided.

There Are Young Adults At Your Church - Now What?, Pivot Nw Research

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No abstract provided.

What Does It Mean To Be A Christian Woman? Sustaining And Empowering The Female Christian Faith In Light Of Sexism In Christian Communities, Erin Pauline Rooney

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

What helps young Christian women sustain their faith in the face of sexism within Christian communities? Are there practices or traditions that leaders of these Christian communities need to consider to better support young Christian women? Do young Christian women find value in studying theology, history, and hermeneutics from female perspectives, and if so, why? These are the guiding questions this project seeks to answer. This project involves a qualitative research study with a group of students within a “Women in Christianity” course at Seattle Pacific University. Participants were interviewed twice during the course and also forwarded their written reflections …

The Power Of Story: Toward Dismantling Racism, May Tag Yang

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

The traditional narrative of America is one that upholds Whiteness and reinforces a society built on a system of advantages based on race. The particular blueprint for narration of self and experience that I posit in this project stands in opposition that dominant narrative as I advocate instead for the flourishing of people of color through narration of self. I propose a call to people of color that we counteract and dismantle our racist system by telling our stories. In this project, I explore four theologians from the perspective of storytelling and memory: Father Robert Schreiter, Stephen Crites, Miroslav Volf …

Struck Down And Not Destroyed: A New Way To Carry Trauma, Rebecca L. Weygandt

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

There seems to be an assumption in many Christian communities that suggest people should avoid the experience of pain and suffering. This is often communicated by encouraging those who grapple with difficult realities to have a positive perspective or attitude. As a future leader in the Church, I am concerned about the negative impact of this message on the emotional and spiritual health of people. I am specifically concerned about those who engage in the arduous work of reconciliation and peacemaking and how they can survive the inevitable pain and difficulty of this work over an extended period of time, …

The Black Reconciliation: Finding Restoration Through Healing Circles In A Racialized World, Geneva Ree Taylor

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

This thesis will examine the ways in which African American communities can engage in a healing process that will produce personal, relational, communal, societal and global restoration. This project will specifically identify and examine the trauma and brokenness that African Americans experience in a racialized society. To accomplish this, a theological foundation will be established that will help to develop strategies, tools, and skills that can support the process of healing and restoration. In addition, this thesis will explain how current models of reconciliation are not adequate to address the deeply rooted complexities that people of color face in America. …

Belong, Become, Believe: A New Model For Children's Ministry Building Toward A Holistic Vision Of Discipleship And Diversity In Multi-Ethnic Children's Ministry, Katey Hage

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

As the Church in the United States grapples with challenging issues of race and racism that permeate our world, children’s ministry is also impacted by these very same issues and lived experiences for a diverse community of people. This thesis seeks to help the church acknowledge that all children have particular racial and cultural identity that is formed within family and social system contexts; and it seeks to affirm the belief that children are God’s good creation and made in the image of God. With these truths in place, connections can be drawn between a child’s cultural and racial identity …

Where Have All The Young Adults Gone?, Pivot Nw Research

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No abstract provided.

Church Differentiators, Pivot Nw Research

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No abstract provided.

Competition And Work (Overview), Theology Of Work Project, Greg Forster

Theology of Work Project

• Competition Is Essential in Work
  • Competition Gives People the Choice That Empowers Economic Productivity
  • Competition Has a Place in the Bible
• Competition Can Hurt People and Societies
• Competition as Cooperation Is the Solution
  • Competition as Cooperation Serves Customers
  • Competition as Cooperation Serves Society
  • Competition as Cooperation Serves Competitors
  • Competition as Cooperation Sometimes Requires Self-Sacrifice
  • Competition as Cooperation Requires Formation
• Loving Our Neighbors Through Competition as Cooperation

Women Workers In The New Testament, Theology Of Work Project, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

• Women Happily Accept Significant Work (Luke 1)
• Women Make Jesus’ Work Possible (Luke 4:14-19)
• Jesus' Teachings Include Women
• The Businesswoman Lydia (Acts 16)
• The Intellectual Damaris (Acts 17:17)
• The Businesswoman Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2)
• The Tentmaker Priscilla (Acts 18:2)
• The Jewish Palace Insider and Benefactor Junia (Romans 16:7)
• Conclusions About Women Workers in the New Testament

Women Workers In The Old Testament, Theology Of Work Project, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

• God Created Woman as an Ezer Kind of Helper (Genesis 2:18)
• Genesis 3 and the Birth of Sin
• Shiphrah and Puah: Two Ezer Midwives Defy the King (Exodus 1:8-22)
• Rahab: Diverse Situations Require Ezer Work (Joshua 2)
• Deborah: An Ezer Woman Equipped to Lead (Judges 4-5)
• Ruth: The Ezer Daughter-in-Law
• Abigail: An Ezer Ranch Wife Saves Her Household From Disaster (1 Samuel 25)
• Huldah: A Prophet and Teacher (2 Kings 22)
• Esther: A Harem Girl Grows Into a Powerful Queen (Esther 4)
• Lady Wisdom and the "Beginning of Wisdom" (Proverbs 1:20-32; 9:10)
• Lady Wisdom in Street Clothes (Proverbs 31)

Evangelism And The Work Of Discipline In Congolese Perspective: 'Evangelism In Congolese Context', Zalema Kuedituka

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the ways the Congolese people received the Gospel from Protestant missionaries from England. I will also discuss how Congolese Christians nurture the Gospel through their own perspectives via teaching, discipleship, living it, and practicing its principles of power. This evangelism, in the Congolese perspective, goes hand in hand with the interpretation of the “Christus Victor Model” of atonement developed by Aulen. This model stands for a victory over the powers of darkness that detain humankind in bondage to sin, death, and the Devil. Irenaeus has pointed out that the problems of sin, …

Racial-Trauma Informed Ministry: A Process For Dominant Culture Ministries To Effectively Engage With Communities Impacted By Racial Trauma, Teylar Greer

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

Though the dominant culture church in the United States exists within the context of racialized society, often the church has not directly addressed its unjust and traumatic effects. It is the theory of this project that with a more accurate understanding of racialized society, trauma, and coping behaviors, dominant culture ministries will engage more fully in the process of reconciliation. Therefore, this thesis seeks to lay out a theologically anchored process of reconciliation by which dominant culture ministries can be equipped to respond to experiences of racial injustice and trauma in ways that lead to and facilitate healing, justice, and …

Shaped By Calling: Establishing A Healthy Trajectory For Discipleship, Chuck J. Shocki

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

The call of the first disciples reported in Mark 1:17 provides significant commentary on the essential attributes necessary for authentic life changing discipleship. In His words, "Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men" Jesus establishes a paradigm for discipleship that is at once an invitation into a master/student relationship (i.e. "Follow me") that would engage his followers in a transformational process (i.e. "and I will make you become"), that would eventuate in their being shaped for a specific vocation (i.e. "fishers of men"). In this prototypical summons, these elements of following, becoming, and …

Hope In Addiction Recovery: Eschatological Foundations In Celebrate Recovery And The Genesis Process, Judith M. Naegeli

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

This project attempts to understand the theological foundations of two nationally known Christian addiction recovery programs currently operating in Seattle, Washington: Celebrate Recovery and The Genesis Process. Of particular focus is the presence or absence of Christianity’s unique sense of hope for the future, using eschatological themes of hope, resurrection, and shalom. The participant materials of each program were analyzed for their use of these themes, using Richard Osmer's framework of the four tasks of practical theology.

The Communication Of Limits: Christ, The Communicatio Idiomatum, And The Identity Of People With Disabilities, Kendrick Barnes

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

Disability scholars often speak to the identity of people with disabilities. The communicatio idiomatum, as understood by the early church fathers, suggests that Christ took on everything that it means to be human. This thesis argues that when Christ took on the limits of humanity, he identified with people with disabilities. This assumption of limits presents a model for the church catholic, specifically, for how the church conceives of and does ministry to and with people with disabilities.

Gleaning As A Transformational Business Model For Solidarity With The Poor And Marginalized, Bruce D. Baker

SPU Works

“Gleaning” refers to the mandate within the Mosaic Law that harvesters should leave behind “gleanings” for the sake of the poor who subsist on the literal and figurative margins of society. Although this biblical mandate is generally neglected and considered irrelevant in modern business practice, it holds powerful lessons to help guide modern businesses into transformational solidarity with the poor and marginalized. This paper interprets the biblical significance of gleaning, to discern how the principles of gleaning, though rooted in ancient agrarian culture, might be applicable to modern business which is generally far removed from agriculture. The exegesis and analysis …

Balancing Rhythms Of Rest And Work (Overview), Theology Of Work Project, David Kim, Leah Archibald

Theology of Work Project

• Created to Rest: Entering Into Joyful Communion With God
• Commanded to Rest: The Impact of the Fall
• Why People Can’t Rest – Human Nature Revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures
• How Rest is Restored – Sabbath & Jesus’ Redemption in the New Testament
  • Is a Weekly Sabbath Observance Expected of Christians?
• How Christians Can Experience Deeper Rest
• Rest and Work: Conclusions

Spiritual Formation Of Young Adults In China: A Case Study Of Protagonists In Boxers And Saints, Xu Bian

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

The thesis examines the spiritual development of young adult protagonists depicted in Boxers and saints by Gene Luen Yang using the framework of six spiritual components and the approach of critical content analysis. It shows that the six elements, journey, transcendence, community, religion, mystery of creation, and transformation, are involved regardless of different religions people are converted to. In addition, religions provide an avenue for spirituality to mature given that spirituality is an intrinsic and universal characteristic of human beings regardless of their religious beliefs or lack of them. Finally, spirituality is not superior to religions because of the two …

Reconciling Hospitality: Building The Skills Of Reconciliation Through The Practice Of Hospitality, Sarah D. Henthorn

Seattle Pacific Seminary Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the question, “Does the faithful embodiment of Christian hospitality that brings those in a social position of power together with the poor, marginalized and oppressed create a reconciled community where all people flourish and are equally valued?” The author explores theological, historic and ethical arguments for the practice of hospitality in order to develop a procedural guide to assist churches in teaching Christian hospitality.

Fifteen pastors were then surveyed to assess the viability of this tool as a means of leading congregations toward the practice of hospitality and the embodiment of reconciled …

A Theological Take On The Miracle Of Ministry In The Spu Student Ministry Coordinator Program, Jake A. Crammer

Honors Projects

The Student Ministry Coordinator program empowers leaders living on campus to serve their floors through discipleship, small groups, hall events, and coordinating on-campus residents with University Ministries. In this project, I attempt to articulate the work of the SMC Program in theological terms, hoping to clarify the mission the SMC Program for SPU’s campus.

Every Good Endeavor Author Katherine Alsdorf On Why Faith@Work Is Important, Katherine Leary Alsdorf

Theology of Work Project

More than ever before, humanity is in a crisis over work. People change jobs and careers 6 times or more in their lives. Robotics will threaten even professional level vocations over the next decade. Darwinian competition trumps teamwork and human dignity. Our work – our commitment to bring God’s truth, love, and human dignity to the work lives of all people – has never been so important! How can we better equip ourselves for our work, for our calling? How do we help others work in a world that is increasingly unaware of and even hostile to the hope of …