Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Evaluating “Grit” (Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied) Groups At The Highland Church Of Christ: An Intergenerational Enhancement Of Small Group Community Life, Beth Ann Fisher

Doctor of Ministry Theses

ABSTRACT This project, Evaluating “GRIT” (Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied) at the Highland Church of Christ: An Intergenerational Enhancement of Small Group Community Life is a response to the request for intergenerational partnership in worship, fellowship, and ministry by the university students at Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. The church’s robust small group life was a logical place to create a vehicle in which intergenerational partners could ride for a determined period in pursuit of their common goals of furthering Highland’s mission and vision. The “Genuine Relationships, Intergenerationally Tied” or GRIT groups were formed by combining existing small groups …

Ephesians 2:11-22, Unity In Christ: A Biblical Theological Analysis, Kaeley Sells

Biblical Studies Student Projects

Often, in large group settings there can be a tendency to stick to one’s own in-group. This tendency then leads to the diminishing and exclusion of those outside of that particular group. In the early church, this was the story of the Gentile believers who, despite receiving the same life through the sacrifice of Christ were subject to discrimination, cultivating an inferiority complex in many of the early believers. Paul attempts to critique this trend by highlighting not only the grace extended to all but the intentional life, death, and resurrection of Christ that enables all believers to be citizens …

Breaking Depression’S Silence Within The Church Through Friendships, Robert D. Mcbain

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article explores the silent nature of depression in the local church and suggests that developing Jesus-style friendships can break the silence. It adapts the author’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) research project, which explored the silent nature of depression in the local church and Christianity’s interpretive healing qualities. This article argues that the church has a rich history of helping sufferers interpret their experiences of depression, but changing worldviews, the growth of the modern medical model, and the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals monopolized health and shoved the church to the periphery of the conversation. Silence became the church’s typical response, which …

Are You A Pillar Or A Caterpillar?, Harold Willmington

Dr. Willmington's Personal Observations of the Bible

No abstract provided.

Being Biblical In A Pluralistic Age

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

One way to define a disciple is “a follower of someone’s words.” In a pluralistic age, there are many words beckoning would-be disciples to particular ways of life, all promising some kind of wellness. These word-ways are ingredients of worldviews, a program or map for orienting oneself in the world. Worldviews answer core questions about human existence, often in the form of a story. This essay argues that contemporary pluralism is the result of abandoning the Bible as our control story, a loss that is as much a failure of what Charles Taylor calls the social imaginary. If this diagnosis …

Don't Argue On Sunday!, Harold Willmington

Dr. Willmington's Personal Observations of the Bible

No abstract provided.

George Allen Turner, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

The Ecclesiological Implications Of The Priesthood Of All Believers, Alan Parker

Faculty Works

The Protestant Reformation encouraged the "priesthood of all believers" but how does that concept impact the local church in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination? The lack of a clear ecclesiology has hampered the growth and effectiveness of Adventism. Both Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 2:9 provide a theological hermeneutic for how to reframe our ecclesiology in a way consistent with the Protestant principle of every believer serving as a priest. Priests are teachers, holy representatives, and mediators. The practical implications of these three aspects are examined. Luther's struggle with papal power structures are examined in the light of his radical understanding …

The Jewish Nature Of The First Century Church, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

“When men realized that the teaching of God was no heritage that one accepts passively but rather a heritage that has to be won, they began to see this relationship to the Bible as a religious obligation. It became a supreme commandment to “study”, to explore the Scriptures. To explore means to consider the Bible as a challenge rather than a gift…..The duty to “explore” requires further rethinking: each end becomes a new beginning and each solution a new problem…Once Today’s Church is fully aware of the vast importance of learning, it too will realize that it cannot afford to …

The Nominations And Personnel Committee As A Tool For Laity Activation Within United Methodist Congregations Of The Alabama-West Florida Conference, Charles Ray Smith

Charles Kay Smith

No abstract provided.

From Patristics To Postmodernity: Does A Message Still Exist?, Douglas Taylor

Other Graduate Scholarship

Dr. David Wheeler once advised that while not all are called to be an evangelist, all Christians are called to be evangelical. Although some may counter that postmodernity is waning, the question remains how one might be evangelical in a postmodern world. The concept that no metanarrative exists has been one of the pillars of postmodernity, and as such challenges the premise that Scripture contains an overarching story encompassing all of mankind. If Dr. Wheeler was correct, and all are called to be evangelical, then the question that would seem to require answering is how one might begin to address …

A Leadership Model For The Korean Immigrant Church, Woongtae Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Developing A Model For Planting Multiethnic Churches In The Diaspora : A Case For Zimbabwean Reverse Missionaries In Britain, Anderson Moyo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ministry With The Poor : The Role Of Social Services In Christian Evangelism, Owen K. Ross

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Finding Home: Envisioning Church Ministry To Left-Behind Families Of Overseas Filipino Workers (Ofws), Andy S. Ponce

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Nurturing Men : Robust Discipleship And Missional Leadership In Canadian Chinese Families And Churches, Kevin Kam Cheong Hon

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Enduring Endeavor : How Francis E. Clark Utilized Written Communication, Global Travel And Organization To Re-Shape The Global Protestant Church's Ministry To Young People Through The Christian Endeavor Society, Brian C. Hull

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gays And God Can Commune Together, Timothy Dustin Pepler

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Missional Leadership Characteristics Through A Small Group Spiritual Formation Program For Pastors, David John Cooke

ATS Dissertations

Pastoral ministry is rife with leadership pressures and challenges. Pastors face what seems to be a monumental leadership challenge of trying to lead struggling congregations that are focused inwardly to become missional in focus. Engaging in spiritual formation practices and small group opportunities can help pastors become spiritually vibrant and effective leaders.

Christians throughout the centuries have met in small groups to build community and strengthen one another as disciples of Jesus Christ. Pastors benefit from meeting in small groups where their love for God can be cultivated and their ability to serve as missional leaders can be developed. In …

Christ And The Clue Of History: Lesslie Newbigin's Christocentric Philosophy Of History As The Central Thread Of His Thought., Kyle Brooks

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

As early as his 1941 Bangalore Lectures, “The Kingdom of God and the Idea of Progress,” Newbigin took a hard look directly at history itself and its various interpreters. In those four lectures at the age of 32, Newbigin laid the foundation for all of his critical theological thinking for the next half century. While Newbigin scholarship is still relatively fresh, it appears that expositors of his work have neglected a, if not the, central motif in his immense corpus: his philosophy of history. I will attempt provide a systematic account of Newbigin’s incredibly consistent thoughts on the topic of …

Jeremiah And Feelings: A Non-Identity Crisis., Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyink

CTS Master of Theology (ThM) Theses

As indicated by Jeremiah’s title, “the weeping prophet,” the book of Jeremiah is full of a wide range of feelings. The agent of these feelings is not only Jeremiah, but also his community (the people of Judah) and the LORD. These feelings expressed in the book can be seen as part of the prophetic message. In fact, Jeremiah’s feelings are not only his own but are also representative of his community and the LORD. This representational nature of Jeremiah’s feelings is hinted at through the ambiguity of the emotional agent, is shown in the paralleled feelings and incitements thereof for …

Harmonizing Individual And Ecclesiastical Expectations With The Institution Of Theological Education, Meeli Tankler

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From The "Church For" To The "Church With" : A Study Of Diaspora Missions In South Korea, Yuno Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Seeking A New Wineskin For New Wine : Inter-Religious Comparative Research Concerning The Issue Of Registration For The Chinese House Church, Paul N. Moon

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Think Ye Of Christ? Whose Son Is He?, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Postmodern Church, Timothy C. Lawless

Senior Honors Theses

Within the past twenty years, the Church (especially in America) has experienced dwindling membership and attendance, along with a host of other problems. Many of these problems are symptomatic of a massive cultural shift toward postmodernism, leading to discontentment with the Church. In attempting to respond to these challenges, the emergent Church has arisen as a major element of American religious culture. Their methodology and doctrine is heavily influenced by postmodernism, which presents a further challenge for Christian leaders and ministers. This paper will survey the challenges facing the Church, will describe the emergent Church’s origin and response to these …

An Elephant In The Household, Susan Higgins

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Church Of The Second Incarnation, Rubel Shelly

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Them That Are Without: A Biblical Theology Of Outsiders And Preaching On Outsiders In Churches Of Christ, Van E. Robarts

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Church And Clergy Revitalization Seen Through The Lens Of Luther's Theology Of The Cross, John David Roth

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.