Practical Theology Commons^™

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.

Religious Vocations, Frank M. Lowe Jr.

Books

No abstract provided.

The Case For Prioritism: Part 1, Christopher R. Little

Great Commission Research Journal

The global evangelical missions movement has embraced holism or integral mission as a framework for engaging the nations. Many astute observers maintain that this development indicates that present-day evangelicals are following in the footsteps of ecumenicals and repeating the mistakes of the past. The matter of the relationship between proclamation and social action in the mission of the church must therefore be revisited for the sake of the world. The first installment of this article seeks to highlight why the debate is still necessary, clarify the fundamental differences between prioritism and holism, recount the road to evangelical holism, and address …

The Big News On Small Churches: Re-Evaluating The Contribution Of Small Churches To The Fulfillment Of The Great Commission ., Ian Hussey

Great Commission Research Journal

Although many small churches are declining, research presented in this article suggests that on almost every measure of vitality or effectiveness (including newcomers), smaller churches are doing as well, if not better, than larger churches. Of particular note is that people in smaller congregations tend to find it easier to make friends in the congregation and are more likely to seek to make new arrivals welcome. Indeed, small churches may have a number of strategic advantages that are discussed and identified as ways smaller churches can make a significant contribution to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Book Review: Can These Bones Live? A Practical Guide To Church Revitalization By Bill Henard, Nicholas Clark

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Twentieth Century Holiness Sermons, Twelve Active Ministers

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

New Clothes For The Old Man, C. F. Wimberly

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Heart-Cry Of Jesus, Byron J. Rees

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Loyalty To God : An Earnest Word With Those Who Are Sincerely Seeking To Be Right With God And Man, William Telfer

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Connecting With Your Spouse: Learning From A Woman, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Practical Guide For Creating A Group Environment To Reach A Postmodern World, Anthony Michael Randall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are disturbing statistics about the number of young people who are leaving the church after they graduate high school and are no longer bound by obligation to the family to attend worship services. If the church does not begin to change its methodology, it will not be able to succeed in reaching this generation. This project seeks to help local churches create an environment in their groups that is comfortable and engaging to the postmodern generation. Churches must create a group environment that not only fosters true Biblical community but also engages our congregations in fulfilling the mission of …

La Filosofía Protestante Fundacional De Estados Unidos, Nicholas P. Miller, Maria Victoria Feito-Torrez

Faculty Publications

Traditional understandings of the genesis of the separation of church and state rest on assumptions about “Enlightenment" and the republican ethos o f citizenship. The author does not seek to dislodge that interpretation but to augment and enrich it by recovering its cultural and discursive religious contexts, specifically the discourse of Protestant dissent.He argues that commitments by certain dissenting Protestants to the right of private judgment in matters of biblical interpretation, an outgrowth of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, helped promote religious disestablishment in the early modern West.

Imagery, Prayer, And Mind Wandering: Kataphatic Prayer, Martha M. O. Duah

Honors Theses

Mind wandering—reduced attention to external events—during prayer could pose a problem for Christians. However, different types of prayer make different cognitive demands. Kataphatic prayer, a common type of evangelical Christian prayer, makes use of mental imagery in hopes of experiencing God in a richer sense. Because both mind wandering and kataphatic prayer require imagery, tying up imagery resources in kataphatic prayer should block mind wandering thereby improving focus. Participants in this study prayed as they normally do, viewed a visual task, or engaged in kataphatic prayer while self-monitoring for mind wandering.

Keeping Sabbath During The Week, Michael E. Cafferky

Faculty Works

Would Sabbath-keeping be less meaningful if, on the other six days, our work disrupted human well-being or otherwise failed to honor the Sabbath Giver? This article is an abridged version of the longer peer-reviewed article "Sabbath: The Theological Roots of Sustainable Development" published in the Journal of Biblical Integration in Business available at http://cbfa-jbib.org/index.php/jbib/article/view/108/108 .

Berrien Springs Group Collects Backpacks For Students, Jane Thayer

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Churches Of Christ, Spiritual Formation, And The Liturgical Christian Calendar, Wes Horn

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

For many Christian traditions, participation in the liturgical year does not seem remarkable; in fact, it is second nature being the form, or liturgy, through which congregational members grew up practicing their faith. However, for those Christian traditions, like the Churches of Christ, who have avoided the liturgical year, the inclusion of liturgical practices is a substantial deviation in worship theology, practice, and comfort.

This article recounts one congregation’s journey through the liturgical calendar as a test case for a Doctor of Ministry project. The thesis questioned whether the introduction of the liturgical Christian calendar into the worship life of …

Psychological Well-Being Of Roman Catholic And Episcopal Clergy Applicants, Shannon Nicole Thomas, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The current study investigated the psychological functioning of over 200 applicants to the priesthood or diaconate in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches, as revealed by the subjects’ scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition (MMPI-2). Results revealed an overall trend of psychological health in the sample population, evidenced by few systematic elevations in indices of psychopathology. Within the Catholic sample, deacons demonstrated lower MMPI-2 scores on several measures, perhaps suggesting slightly better psychological well-being than their priest counterparts.

Following The Good Shepherd Retreat For Children And Parents Preparing To Receive The Sacraments Of Reconciliation And Eucharist, Olivia Rico

Pastoral Institute

I will develop and implement two retreats for the First Communion children and parents that attend Christ the King Cathedral Parish and School in Lubbock; TX. These retreats will serve as teaching tools to help participants develop a more in depth theological understanding of the Church's teaching on the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Furthermore, the retreats will include prayer experiences that will demonstrate to all participants the need to pray always both within and outside the Christian community. Finally, the parents will receive tools that will assist them in preparing their children for their First Reconciliation and First …

The Production Of Sticky Notes And Bible Quotes: Godly Answers For Sticky Situations A Children’S Musical As Directed By Julie Brinkman, Julie Elizabeth Brinkman

Honors College

This thesis reflects upon a director’s experience while directing her first production: Sticky Notes and Bible Quotes: Godly Answers for Sticky Situations by Dennis and Nan Allen. This children’s musical was produced in cooperation with Wylie United Methodist Church of Abilene, TX. Over forty children, with the help of ten adult volunteers, shared the importance of memorizing scripture and looking to God’s Word in times of trouble through song, skits, and the recitation of scripture. While reflecting upon the production process after each rehearsal, the director makes connections between her experiences as director, the content of her music education undergraduate …

Public Ethics As A Canadiana “Theologica Publica”, David G. A. Pfrimmer

Consensus

This paper explores how a paradigm of the “public commons” can describe the relationship and contribution of various ‘public’ actors. The paper will explore how we might think differently about ‘public(s)’ and why “public ethics” could serve as a distinctively Canadian ‘public theology’ of ‘belonging.’ Paper presented as “Capital Theology: Religion and Politics in the 21st Century” at the Canadian Theological Society. Ottawa, June 2015.

Religious Perspectives Being Marginalized In Canada, John Milloy

Consensus

This article was a lecture delivered at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Waterloo, Ontario Canada, April 8, 2015 at a reception welcoming John Milloy as Co-Director of the Centre for Public Ethics and Assistant Professor of Public Ethics at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary as well as the inaugural Practitioner in Residence in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Living In To Its Name And Living Up To Its Legacy: The Public Practical Theology Of Kairos, Jennifer Henry

Consensus

KAIROS Canada looks hopefully towards the emerging challenges of continuing public practical theology in a pluralistic, post-apology time and place.

Meeting On The Bridge: Is It Possible For Secular Feminism And Public Theology To Work Together?, Helen Ramirez

Consensus

In this paper, the argument is that secular feminism and public theology accomplish little in separation to one another. If both are working toward a more just horizon, their inability to work together simply confirms that their methodologies are flawed even while contending they practice justice while separate from one another. In this paper I contend that the force of violence that is spread by fundamentalist religious groups has been exacerbated by the community division between the secular and the religious sphere of human life. Secular social movements like feminism and Christian public theology have failed to fill this gap …

Global Citizenship: The Role Of Faith Communities In The Public Space, Martin Junge

Consensus

Article given as a public lecture at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada 11 June 2015.

Borderless Boundaries – As Means Of Death And Life: Wilderness Portraits In Patristic And Rabbinic Literature, Daniel Maoz

Consensus

This study examines the role played by environmental representation of an apparent borderless boundary, the desert, as presented in Scripture – the Hebrew Bible / First Testament. It considers lessons derived from “desert-thought” testified within Rabbinic and Patristic literature. In Scripture, the desert played a prominent role in both Exodus and Akedah, two narratives central to Jewish thought and Christian theology. Beyond this, desert fathers such as Antony of Egypt expressed profound spirituality through this desolate land (Chrysostom; Athanasius, Vita). The Rabbis repeatedly embellished, for virtue’s sake, lessons gained from this same bleak landscape (Midrash Bemidbar Rabbah). An early version …

Public Theology In The Face Of Pain And Suffering: A Proletarian Perspective, Florence Juma

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Book Of Mormon Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Book of Mormon projects, with an historical overview of Mesoamerica and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 2000 BC to 600 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Old Testament Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Old Testament Bible projects, with an historical overview of Mesopotamia and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 4000 BC to 0 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

The Old Man, Beverly Carradine

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Treatment Of Rape In Theology, Sr. Pauline Logue

The ITB Journal

When I first began to research the treatment of rape in theology some five years ago I was frequently asked what rape had to do with theology. That is not a question I hear today. Largely due to scandals in both church and state a theological response has been demanded to the serious question of sexual abuse. That response is underway. This article presents a brief summary of central theological issues that arise from an analysis of the experience of rape victims.1 It presents an overview of the treatment of rape in traditional and mainstream theology and finally it examines …