Practical Theology Commons^™

Christ And Culture Valued: Test Cases On Fairness, John Carson Iii

Senior Honors Theses

This research engages H. Richard Niebuhr’s work, Christ and Culture. Niebuhr’s book is a seminal work on the historical trends of Christian cultural engagement. This research applies several tests to the paradigm demonstrated in Niebuhr’s work. These tests demonstrate that Christ and Culture presents a paradigm that lacks fairness and does not adequately meet the goals of an explanatory paradigm. Niebuhr’s paradigm has shaped the discussion of Christian cultural engagement for over fifty years, and this research was done to demonstrate the need for new conversation-shaping paradigms in the field of Christian cultural engagement.

Creating A Christ-Centered Climate For Educational Excellence: Philosophical, Instructional, Relational, Assessment And Counseling Dimensions, Elvin Gabriel, Carole Woolford-Hunt, Esther M. Hooley

Faculty Publications

Interest is peaking among educators in North America, and around the world, on issues relating to school climate. A primary reason for this strong interest is research confirmation that school climate may have a positive or negative effect on educational processes. A Christ-Centered school climate provides the best opportunities for stakeholders to work collaboratively to achieve four primary educational outcomes. These are: (1) creating and sustaining bias free learning environments where relationships are nurtured by love, respect, tolerance, and kindness; (2) establishing faith-based instructional and service learning programs which cater to the needs of students; and (3) utilizing quality assessment …

A Non-Voluntarist Theory: An Alternative Evangelical Apologetic For Dealing With The Euthyphro Dilemma, Evan Posey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation presents an alternative response to the Euthyphro dilemma that will be referred to as the Non-Voluntarist Theory. It offers a critical evaluation of contemporary evangelical divine command theories to demonstrate the inherent ambiguity as they relate to Divine Command Theory, and their lack of apologetic force for answering the Euthyphro dilemma. To accomplish this task, it is important to understand how the Euthyphro Dilemma relates to theology and apologetics in general, and the contemporary attempts to ground objective moral values and duties in particular. The topic relates to theology, since one’s response to the Euthyphro Dilemma can implicitly …

Equipping A Local Congregation For Saturation Evangelism At The Emmaus Missionary Baptist Church, Willie David Mcclung Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the research project was to determine if a local church has failed to equip the congregation with the tools needed to share their faith, and saturate the local community with the Gospel message; and if so, to provide immediate training and test the results for its effectiveness at the Emmaus Missionary Baptist Church, Owings Mills, Maryland. Participants heard four consecutively evangelistic sermons, which were preached during the 10:45 a.m. worship service. In addition, after each sermon the participants attended a workshop that covered: (1) The biblical mandate, biblical definition, and meaning of evangelism; (2) The biblical method …

A Catholic Life Skills Program: The Adoration Module Of The Adoration, Community, Theology, And Service - Life Long Learning (Acts-L3) "Journeyman", Francis Brian Cassidy

Pastoral Institute

The location for my Pastoral Project will be the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) John B. Connally Unit, located two miles south of the town of Kenedy on Hwy 181 in Karnes County, Texas. The Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service Life Long Learning (ACTS-L3) - Journeyman program will provide a learning experience for those participants seeking a faith-based approach to personal development. The beliefs of the Catholic Church and lay faithful will be the basis for learning objectives. The planned curriculum intends to increase awareness of the vocation of lay people in all temporal affairs to our incarcerated communities. …

The Study On The Problems Of The Current Korean Churches, Hai Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christianity in South Korean experienced unusually rapid growth for almost 100 years: The revival of church members, the growth of prayer, worship, and evangelism. However, current Korean churches face many problems that have stopped the growth, and actually put the Korean church in a decline. The problems, but are not limited to, are unethical aspects of pastor; including tax problem, huge church constructions, and loving materials. Korean churches should know why these kinds of problems occur and what the solutions are. There are many studies regarding the development of Korean churches but there are few studies examining the problems of …

Advent 1 One Year Series 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Advent 1 Series A 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Foreword: Faith And The Arts, Olena Darewych, Debbie Lou Ludolph

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Interfaith-Cross-Cultural Improvisation: Music And Meaning Across Boundaries Of Faith And Culture, Gerard J. Yun

Consensus

This article explores the social value and meaning of interfaith-cross-cultural improvisation (musical improvisation between people from differing cultural and faith traditions) and its unique quality of engaging widely different cultural and faith-based groups. It draws concepts from evolutionary biology, ethnomusicology, religious experience, the emerging field of community music, and the insight of first-hand participants. Interfaith-cross-cultural improvisation can be seen as a form of “deep play” with the ability to signal and evoke empathy across participants who identify with divergent beliefs, cultures, and practices. The article attempts to illuminate the process of interfaith-cross-cultural improvisation as a meaningful undertaking of interfaith and …

Singing The Story Of Advent And Christmas: How Congregational Song Makes Diverse Theologies Incarnate, Hilary Seraph Donaldson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Engaging The Senses To Occasion Thin Space And Transformation, Kimberlynn Mcnabb

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Share With Me Who You Are…, Anne Anderson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Visual Arts In The Worshiping Church, Greg Sennema

Consensus

Title: Visual arts in the worshiping church Author: Lisa Deboer Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016 ISBN: 9780802869517

Propers 29 (Last Sunday Of The Church Year) Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

The Triune God As A Driving Force Behind A Healthy Growing Church, Petr A. Činčala

Faculty Publications

This study explores the recent missiological and ecclesiological discussion as it relates to the wellbeing of the Church; this is considered in light of an analysis of Trinitarian text in Matthew 28:19 and major themes of 1 John.

Building A Vibrant, Healthy, Growing Church, Petr A. Činčala

Faculty Publications

Research has shown healthy and vital churches are doing better than plateauing dysfunctional churches. Empirical research has also demonstrated churches can turn around. This paper also provided a list of currently used/developed tools that can help churches to grow healthier. The tools were described and evaluated for practical application.

Neo-Subordinationism: The Alien Argumentation In The Gender Debate, Matthew L. Tinkham Jr.

Faculty Publications

Over the last forty years, the debate over gender roles in the home, church, and society has unprecedentedly escalated among Evangelical Christians—including Seventh-day Adventists—due to the introduction of an alien argumentation that grounds the permanent functional subordination of women to men ontologically in the being of God. This argument, which I have termed “neo-subordinationism,” states that women are ontologically equal but functionally subordinate to men because of a prescriptive hierarchical order that exists in the immanent Trinity and is recognizable through the economic Trinity. In this Trinitarian hierarchy the Son and the Holy Spirit are said to be ontologically equal …

Propers 28 (Pentecost 26) Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Johnnathan Ward, Johnnathan Robert Ward

Fall 2016

A few days ago I spent some time with an individual who recently returned to Andrews University after many years. I was moved and encouraged by the stories he told me. I want to share some of what I heard with all of you.

A 22-year old Air Force medic, he walked down the hall of the hospital in San Antonio. Coming the other way he met a tall, young chaplain—a priest.

“I don’t know that I want to be a Christian anymore,” the 22-year-old told the chaplain; he just wasn’t sure any longer that God was real.

The young …

Propers 27 (Pentecost 25) Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Faith In A World Of Unfaith: How To Share Christ With Unbelievers., Kleber D. Goncalves

Faculty Publications

"Atheism comes out of a belief system that involves a decision. Christians have to make a similar kind of choice: to live by faith. To some extent, atheism requires “faith” that God does not exist. But how can we share our belief in the living God with nonbelievers in order to crack open a door instead of building a taller wall? How can we Seventh-day Adventists have a normal conversation about Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century without accidentally (or unconsciously) sounding aggressive, narrow-minded, or intolerant?"

Festival Of All Saints Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Recurring Characters As Benefits In Applying God’S Word, Daniel Hahn

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hahn Jr., Daniel A., Recurring Characters as Benefits in Applying God’s Word. D.Min. MAP., Concordia Seminary, 2016. 166pp.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of recurring characters in sermon stories as tools for connecting hearers to Biblical concepts. The report tells the story of a six-week series of sermons which were developed for St. John’s Lutheran Church in Millvale, Pennsylvania. The project aimed to determine if the two contemporary characters, created for this series, would become increasingly beneficial over time as hearers became more familiar with them. The report explains the rationale behind the project and …

Advancing The Cause Of The Gospel Pastoral Blogging By Luther’S Heirs, Robert Stroud

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Stroud, Robert C. “Advancing the Cause of the Gospel: Pastoral Blogging by Luther’s Heirs.” D.Min. diss., Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, [2016]. [353] pp.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether provision of a digital Handbook for Pastoral Blogging would be of value to pastors who had never before blogged. A draft Handbook was provided to thirteen LCMS clergy from across the United States who were serving in parish ministries. They proceeded to begin blogs and maintain them over a period of three months.

Data was collected from the participants at three points. The first was an online survey prior …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 51 No 2 - November 2016), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: The Usefulness of Divine Majesty According to Calvin on Genesis by Rebekah Earnshaw - 181 / Sola Scriptura: An Inadequate Slogan for the Authority of Scripture by Henk van den Belt - 204 / Nuptial Reading: Hippolytus, Origen, and Ambrose on the Bridal Couple of the Song of Songs by Hans Boersma - 227 / Just What Do You Mean—Kingdom of God? Lessons from a Century (and More) of Christian Social Thought by John Bolt - 259 / Bound to the Altar: The Isaac of Genesis 22:1–19 by Arie C. Leder - 283 / Calvin Bibliography 2016 - …

The Impact Of Traumatic Life Events: Reactions And Resilience – Part Ii, Harvey J. Burnett Jr

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Propers 26 (Pentecost 24) Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Festival Of The Reformation Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Francis Of Rome & Francis Of Assisi: A New Spring In The Church, Ronald R. O'Dwyer S.J.

Journal of Catholic Education

Book review of Francis of Rome & Francis of Assisi: A New Spring in the Church (2014), by Leonardo Boff.