Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Pedro Aceves Mfa Thesis, Pedro M. Aceves

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

My Work is about looking at Cruising through a queer decolonial lens. Using multiple mediums such as photo, glass, Augmented reality, and film, I explore these queer histories and aesthetics through not just an anthropological approach but also an artistic epistemological approach weaving together narratives of prehispanic and modern queer Latinidad.

A Message To A Wayward King: The Unified Reading Of Proverbs Chapters 30 And 31, Lucinda Shelton Lyons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although Proverbs 30 and 31 often bear the label of being appendices to the book of Proverbs, and at first glance, reveal very distinct genres, this study aims to demonstrate a purposeful editorial coherence uniting the two oracles, conveying a significant message to the king. That united message reveals itself through a personal confession, numerical sayings, intimate advice from a mother to her son, and through an acrostic of the Woman of Valor. The two prophetic messengers, Agur and the Queen Mother, two elite voices within the Jerusalem palace-temple complex, strongly support the king. However, they see him as a …

The Icarian Dilemma: The Battle Of Faith Versus Identity Addressed With Scenic Design, Allistar G. Barrett

Senior Honors Theses

American Christians and the LGBTQ+ community have long been in a cultural war with one another. However, queer Christians – individuals who are both LGBTQ+ and Christian – have rarely found solace in either community, instead being shunned and ostracized for their beliefs and identities. Using the transformative art of theatre to address cultural divides, a theatrical scenic design was developed for Joe Calarco’s Shakespeare’s R & J, a retelling of the traditional Romeo and Juliet script through the lives of four Catholic school girls. This design uses the Greek mythology of Icarus, Catholic culture, the original Romeo and Juliet, …

Book Review: Invisible Jesus: A Book About Leaving The Church And Looking For Christ, Grady King

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ, by Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2024. 224 pages, $16

A Sacramental Model For Digital Ecclesiology: Theological Retrieval For A Mediated Church, Caleb J. Atha

Senior Honors Theses

The widespread proliferation of digital technologies has opened the door to new ecclesiological questions and challenges for the Christian denominations that have integrated these technologies into their community life and liturgical practices. American evangelicalism is proposed to be especially susceptible to the aforementioned challenges due to its ecclesiological emphases and general posture towards digital media. Using Marshall McLuhan’s seminal insights in media theory, this work argues that the role of digital media in the church shows a significant congruence with Christian sacramental theology. The concept of the digital church is analyzed through McLuhan’s tetrad framework and its weaknesses are highlighted. …

Religious Scrupulosity: The Law And The Gospel, Robert J. Chester

Senior Honors Theses

The clear distinction of the law and gospel for the salvation and justification of an individual, highly affects the minds, beliefs, and lives of those who suffer from religious scrupulosity. Religious scrupulosity is known as obsessional fears of thinking or behaving immorally against one’s religious beliefs. Religious scrupulosity affects many in the church, and is a form of obsessive/compulsive thought that can form due to improper emphasis of gospel truth. The way the church preaches and emphasizes certain points of the gospel can change the perception and understanding of many people in the world. The evident distinction between law and …

A Qualitative Study Of Social Constructivism: Why Modern-Day Christians Lack The Fundamental Knowledge Of God, Samuel Singleton Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study is to explore why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of the God they serve. The research uses the term “Christian foundational nescience” to describe why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of the God they serve. The theory guiding this study is grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1965), as it will enable the researcher, through the collection and analysis of data, to discover or construct a theory or theories as to why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of God. Believers should know God created everything; everything made was …

Feasting At The Threshold: Eucharistic Eroticism And Homonationalism In Diane Duane's The Tale Of The Five, Taylor Driggers

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Diane Duane’s ongoing fantasy series The Tale of the Five (1979–present) is set in a world marked by constant bodily transgressions and surprises, where a human and dragon can occupy the same body and become lovers and a one-night stand can bring one face-to-face with God. This essay will argue that Duane’s series articulates eroticism in a manner comparable to Linn Marie Tonstad’s (2016) queer re-visioning of transubstantiation and bodily and spiritual transformation through the Eucharist. Acts of eating and drinking serve to highlight how characters’ pansexual, polyamorous relations with each other and the love of the Goddess spill over …

Inside Out 2, Bertha A. Manninen Ph.D.

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Inside Out 2 (2024), directed by Kelsey Mann.

Conscience On Campus: Kohlberg, The Church, And The Moral Development Of College Students, Madeline Estep

Christian Ministries Student Projects (All)

This paper explores the role of Christian leaders in the moral development of college students using relevant literature and the framework created by psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg. The paper discusses the importance of college years in faith and moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg and a Christian understanding of his work, as well as the implications of these findings for Christian educators and leaders of college student communities.

From Inherited Belief To Owned Faith: Mentoring Emerging Adults Through Fowler’S Faith Stages, Elijah Gutierrez

Christian Ministries Student Projects (All)

This paper explores how James Fowler’s theory of faith development and Richard Dunn’s model of mentoring through pacing can be used together to support the spiritual growth of emerging adults. Focusing on the transition from Stage 3 (Synthetic-Conventional Faith) to Stage 4 (Individuative-Reflective Faith), the paper highlights the challenges young adults face as they move from inherited to owned belief. Practical strategies are offered for ministry leaders and mentors who want to walk with emerging adults through this process of spiritual formation with empathy, patience, and intentional guidance.

Harvest Leadership: A Philosophy For Empowering Indigenous Leaders For Ministry Among Unreached People Groups, Sarah Kelley

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

One-third of the world's population lacks meaningful access to the gospel, underscoring a critical need for contextualized ministry and leadership development. This paper outlines a philosophy of ministry for Harvest Leadership, a ministry dedicated to empowering indigenous leaders for ministry among unreached people groups. Following William Frankena's philosophy of education as its framework, this paper argues that effective Christian education for these leaders must be contextually appropriate, emphasizing principles such as Oral Learning, Social Learning Theory, and Experiential Learning. By illustrating through the case of Pikugi, an Ache woman in Paraguay, the paper demonstrates how intentional ministry practices, informed by …

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 67, No. 2

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 66, No. 1.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

Book Review: Christianity In North America (Edinburgh Companions To Global Christianity) Edited By Kenneth R. Ross, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, And Todd M. Johnson, John Cheong

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Church Revitalization: A Pastoral Guide To Church Renewal By Russell N. Small, Brian Grow

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Confident Witness: Evangelism And Apologetics For The 21st Century Edited By David Dockery, Daniel Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Stronger Together: Seven Partnership Virtues And The Vices That Subvert Them By Dave Harvey, Rex Ng

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: De-Sizing The Church: How Church Growth Became A Science, Then An Obsession, And What’S Next By Karl Vaters, H. L. Scooter Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

2025 Vol 17(1) Complete Issue.Pdf, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Rise Kids: A Disabilities Ministry At Markle Church Of Christ, Sydnee Follett

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Churches are called to be a place of belonging and welcoming to all people who walk through their doors. However, it is common that individuals and families impacted by disability are left feeling marginalized and unwelcome in the church. This paper presents a philosophy for RISE Kids, a ministry at Markle Church of Christ in Markle, Indiana that exists to provide advocacy and support for these families to promote a true sense of belonging. The goal of this paper is to provide local churches with a ministry framework to intentionally minister to individuals and families with disabilities. This paper describes …

One More Neighbor: Utilizing Legal Services For Holistic Immigrant Care, Mitch Mcgeath

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

This paper rests upon the assumption that local churches in the United States have a critical role to play in obeying the command of Jesus to care for immigrants. I argue for a ministry that combines the mission of Jesus with the compassion of Jesus by bringing together immigration legal services with opportunities to disciple our “neighbors,” immigrants who live in close proximity to our church site. One More Neighbor is a ministry within One More, the missions non-profit of Church at the Crossing on the northwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana. The ministry of One More Neighbor is explored systematically …

Word & Witness: A Philosophy Of Ministry In Training Women To Engage God's Word And Witness To His Faithfulness, Elliana Carter

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Many women in the church today are seeking depth in their relationship with God. Word & Witness women’s ministry seeks to walk-alongside and spiritually guide women towards greater love for God and Scripture, bringing about deeper intimacy. This ministry will be described as a branch off of the women’s ministry at Granger Community Church, in Granger, Indiana. Word & Witness desires for women to be equipped and encouraged to engage God’s Word and witness to God’s faithfulness in their lives. As women participate in this ministry, they will learn how to be in communion with God, community with others, live …

Biblical Theology For God's People : Perspectives In Theological Interpretation, Benjamin J. Aich

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Equipping For Global Mission: Theological And Missiological Proposals And Case Studies Edited By Linda P Saunders, Gregory Mathias, And Edward L. Smithe, Mark D. Wood

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Karl Barth’S Critique Of Natural Theology: The Epistemological Shift Post-Salvation, Luke D. Pelkey

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis reexamines Karl Barth’s rejection of natural theology, specifically if his Christocentric framework allows for a limited, post-salvific engagement with natural revelation. While Barth is adamant in his denial of the source of knowledge of God being found solely through reason, logic, or nature, this thesis argues that Barth does not reject the possibility of natural revelation but rejects its accessibility. But, due to the effects of salvation on not just the soul but the whole of one’s being, the mind is also renewed, allowing for the noetic effects of sin to be overcome. Drawing from Church Dogmatics I/1, …

Validity And Reliability In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Conducting high-quality research is difficult because so many things can go wrong, whether it be poor research design, researcher bias, inaccurate attempts to measure phenomena, random errors made by participants, or any of a myriad of other problems that can occur. Researchers need to consciously seek to maximize the accuracy of their measurements (measurements that are high in reliability) and make credible conclusions (conclusions that are high in validity). This paper explains several forms of validity and reliability using examples from measures of church attendance and spiritual gifts inventories. It first examines how the validity of research design (including both …

Church Doors And Hospital Doors: The Interrelationship, Azubuike Chukwubumnobi Okeke, Samuel Obiajulu Ike

Great Commission Research Journal

This study examines the place of medical evangelism as a means of church expansion in modern Nigeria. It is a retrospective cross-sectional investigative study involving data collection from the Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital’s anonymized patient records. The Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital is in Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria. Over 100,000 patients sought medical care in the hospital during a period of 19 years. Seventy-four percent had spiritual care provided by a person of the same faith. Most of the respondents came from within the Enugu metropolitan area. Using the church planting ministry of the Chapel of His Resurrection within the …

From Doubter To Disciple: A Case Study On The Process Of Spiritual Transformation, Petr Činčala

Great Commission Research Journal

This study examines the spiritual transformation of Hadassah, who, despite a Christian upbringing, struggled with faith until a series of crises—including a severe car accident—catalyzed her journey toward discipleship. Grounded in theological principles such as the Great Commission and the Parable of the Sower, the article explores the unpredictable nature of spiritual growth. Integrating scientific research on conversion and six key motifs of transformation, it highlights the roles of crisis, mentorship, rituals, sensory experiences, rebirth, and triggering catalysts. Hadassah’s story underscores that discipleship is not an immediate outcome but a dynamic, ongoing process requiring divine intervention, relational support, and personal …

Pastors Of Smaller And Larger Churches Face Different Challenges: Empirical Evidence, William Ingersoll, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

This study seeks to expand our understanding of the differences between the challenges faced by pastors of smaller churches and the challenges faced by pastors of larger churches. Pastors of North American churches (N = 347), generally with a theologically conservative orientation, responded to an online survey indicating how difficult they perceived each of 79 challenges to be. In general, evangelism and retaining youth were the most difficult challenges. However, clear distinctions were found between pastors of smaller churches and pastors of larger churches for over one-third of the challenges. For example, pastors of larger churches found that adequately addressing …

Book Review: Missiological Triage: A Framework For Integrating Theology And Social Sciences In Missiological Methods By Sarah Lunsford, L. Lynn Thigpen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.