Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Rethinking Religious Tradition And Authority In The Postmodern World, Chang Yau Hoon

Chang Yau HOON

No abstract provided.

Christ's Response To The Last, The Least, The Lost, The Left Out - Is The Church Living Up To Christ's Standard?, Jerry Staples

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a plethora of statistics concerning how many un-churched people there are in the United States and the socioeconomic ladder does not discriminate who fits this lost category. Yet, the concern of this project deals with the gang member, drug dealer, drug users, pimps and prostitutes. The intent is to take outreach to the street through cook outs, Holy block parties, street revivals and the like. The rationale of this project is to show how one can reach, teach and keep this group of people, the potential dangers, and positive consequences associated with it. The potential value of this …

Hindu-Christian Conflict In India: Globalization, Conversion, And The Coterminal Castes And Tribes, Chad M. Bauman

Chad M. Bauman

While Hindu-Muslim violence in India has received a great deal of scholarly attention, Hindu-Christian violence has not. This article seeks to contribute to the analysis of Hindu-Christian violence, and to elucidate the curious alliance, in that violence, of largely upper-caste, anti-minority Hindu nationalists with lower-status groups, by analyzing both with reference to the varied processes of globalization. The article begins with a short review of the history of anti-Christian rhetoric in India, and then discusses and critiques a number of inadequately unicausal explanations of communal violence before arguing, with reference to the work of Mark Taylor, that only theories linking …

Cosmopolitan Christians: Religious Subjectivity And Political Agency In Equiano's Interesting Narrative And Achebe's African Trilogy, Joel David Cox

Masters Theses

The primary texts featured in this study—the Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano and two novels of Chinua Achebe’s so-called African Trilogy—each constitute responses to a sly and exploitive Christian modernity, responses which, borrowing from theories of intersubjectivity articulated by Kwame Anthony Appiah and others, might be called two cosmopolitanisms: for Equiano, a Christian cosmopolitanism, which works within available theological structures to revise Enlightenment-era notions of shared humanity; and for Achebe, a contaminated cosmopolitanism, which ironically celebrates the modern inevitability of cultural admixture. Despite their separation by time, space, and even genre, and even more than their common …

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum, Michael W. Goheen, Calvin P. Van Reken, Kevin Adams, Carl J. Bosma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Engaging the Church
Articles
3 - The Church: Who and Whose Are We? by Michael W. Goheen
5 - Why Join a Church? by Calvin P. Van Reken
7 - What Attracts People to the Church? (and what puts them off) by Kevin Adams
9 - Church Engagement A Roundtable Discussion
11 - Vision for the Seminary’s Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal (IGCPR) by Carl J. Bosma

Departments
14 - Distinguished Alumni
15 - New Staf

Elder Selection: Engaging The Monterey Church Of Christ In A Collaborative Elder Selection Process, Benjamin D. Pickett

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the outcomes of a project intended to foster greater collaboration at the Monterey Church of Christ in its selection of elders. The intervention involved the engagement of the Monterey Church in a process that involved multiple steps. These steps involved engagement with teachers in the context of a teacher training seminar, with Bible classes in a series of Bible lessons, and with elders, elder nominees, and their spouses in order to discern the perceived degree to which Monterey members participate in the elder selection process. The Bible lessons presented an alternative model for theological …

From Evangelistic Preaching To Mentoring: A Model For The Local Church, Seunghyun Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout Christian history, biblical and historical figures have used strategic invitation methods that focused on the needs of the people who were listening to their evangelistic appeal. This demonstrates that evangelism and the invitation process is relevant to those who respond to the message.

An Effective Prayer Training Model For Church Growth: Centered On Wangsung Presbyterian Church In South Korea, Geunbae Hwang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to investigate biblical church growth, specifically studying South Korean pastors roles concerning the healthy church and spiritual reinforcement, with a limited focus and application to WangSung Presbyterian Church and other churches in South Korea. This project primarily utilizes the New Testament, as well as literature on church growth and healthy spirituality. In addition, references specifically regarding church growth and statistical information from Korean church ministries will also be used. This project shares a new alternative way for the growth of churches: A prayer-training model as the most effective method for church growth. A healthy …

Blessed Are The Peacemakers: Transnational Alliance, Protective Accompaniment And The Presbyterian Church Of Colombia, Michael C. Brasher

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to explore how Christian networks enable strategies of transnational alliance, whereby groups in different nations strive to strengthen one another’s leverage and credibility in order to resolve conflicts and elaborate new possibilities. This research does so by analyzing the case of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC). The project examines the historical development of the IPC from the initial missionary period of the 1850s until the present. Specifically, the purpose of the study was to consider how the historical struggle to articulate autonomy and equality vis-à-vis the U.S. Presbyterians (PCUSA) and paternalist models of …

Lesslie Newbigin's Understanding Of The Holy Spirit And The Church In Mission, Robert Schafer Hughes Iii

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum, Stan Mast, John W. Cooper, John Bolt, Lyle D. Bierma

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

Engaging the Forms of Unity
Articles
3 - Preaching Sound Doctrine in a Time of Itching Ears by Stan Mast
5 - The Pros and Cons of Confessions by John W. Cooper
7 - The Belgic Confession (1561)—Testimony of an Oppressed Church by John Bolt
9 - Engaging the Heidelberg Catechism by Lyle Bierma
11 - The Canons of Dort by Richard Muller
13 - The Confessions in the Church

Departments
14 - Mentored Ministries by Al Gelder
14 - New Staf

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 …

Identity Crisis Of Jordanian Bmb (Believer From Muslim Background) Women At The Beginning Phase Of New Faith, Sam Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Preparing The Local Church To Reach Out To The Dislocated: A Case Study Of The Kikuku Indigenious Church Mission To The Mao People Group, Louis Matundu Zulu

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Through The Lens Of Photography : A Missiological Study Of Liberian Culture And Identity From The Other Side, Gabriel Bernard Tait

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Islamic Da'wa In Korea: A Study Of Koreans' Religious Conversion To Islam Taking Place In The Twenty-First Century, Sungsu Park

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Work Of The Spirit And The Ministry Of The Word In Ambrose Of Milan, John Wesley Hatton

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Constructing A Kazak Christian Identity Using Collective Memory And Critical Contextualization, Kris Stewart Kappler

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Call Waiting : The Young Clergy Crisis In The United Methodist Church, David Thomas Rittgers

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From The Archives: Methodist Camp Meetings And Revival, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Pictures Shown:

• Unknown Camp Meeting with Tents

• Camp Meeting at Camp Wofowag, near Moodus, Connecticut

• Pasadena Camp Meeting, Pre 1917

• Willimantic Camp Meeting with “Cottages”, Connecticut in 1910

• Asbury President H.C. Morrison at an Unknown Camp Meeting

• Asbury President Frank Bateman Stanger Preaching at Redwoods Christian Park Camp Meeting

  
  

Special Book Review Essay, Aaron Perry

The Asbury Journal

The Economy of Desire: Christianity and Capitalism in a Postmodern World
Daniel M. Bell, Jr.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2012, 224 pp. paper, $19.99
ISBN: 978-080-1035-739

Liturgy as a Way of Life: Embodying the Arts in Christian Worship
Bruce Ellis Benson
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2013, 160 pp. paper, $17.99
ISBN: 978-080-1031-359

Book Reviews, Ruth Anne Reese, Dale F. Walker, Randall Hardman, Robert A. Danielson, Brian Yeich

The Asbury Journal

Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice
Edward W. Klink III and Darian R. Lockett
Grand Rapids: Zondervan
2012, 193 pp. paper, $17.99
ISBN: 978-0310-49223-8
Reviewed by Ruth Anne Reese

Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament
Murray J. Harris
Grand Rapids: Zondervan
2012, 304 pp. cloth, $42.99
ISBN: 978-0310-49392-1
Reviewed by Dale F. Walker

The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction
Donald Alfred Hagner
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2012, 896 pp. cloth, $49.99
ISBN: 978-0-8010-3931-7
Reviewed by Randall Hardman

Contextualization in World Missions: Mapping and Assessing Evangelical Models
A. Scott Moreau
Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications …

Overcoming The Omission : A Study In Determining The Foundational Beliefs And Values That Lead To The Effective Implementation Of Corporate Prayer In The North American Context, John L. Whitsett

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Formissional Worship: Curriculum Design And Delivery, Gregory B. Rosser

ATS Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral changes in students concerning formissional worship as a result of a Master of Ministry class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University entitled Christian Worship. The scriptural foundation was the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5), quoted by Jesus in the Greatest Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31). The curricular outline was worship as invitation, revelation, participation, formation, contextualization, incarnation, and integration. The instruments used to gather data from the students were two surveys and an online threaded discussion by the students during class. The surveys framed the class as a pre- and …

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

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Donald Mcgavran And The City, Jeff K. Walters

Great Commission Research Journal

As the “father of the Church Growth Movement,” Donald A. McGavran’s impact on twentieth century missiology is undisputed. His teaching on missions in urban contexts holds great value for our rapidly urbanizing world, but those contributions have been studied very little. The purpose of this article is to survey McGavran’s urban missiology, especially as presented in his seminal work, Understanding Church Growth.

Donald Mcgavran’S Understanding Of Conversion, Gustavo V. Suarez

Great Commission Research Journal

This paper seeks to explore Donald McGavran’s understanding of conversion. First, we will look at the people and events that shaped his theology and methodology. Second, we will explore McGavran’s understanding of conversion. He clearly emphasized in his writings that Church Growth was conversion growth. He also was very clear that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. However, Donald McGavran’s understanding of conversion was clouded with the conflicting theological and sociological views that consequently influenced his methodology. Donald McGavran’s view of conversion lacked a clear theological explanation as to how man becomes a Christian. Most of McGavran’s explanation of conversion …

The Rise And Decline Of The Church Growth Movement, Elmer Towns

Great Commission Research Journal

Dr. Towns surveys the movements and personalities that brought the Church Growth Movement into being and gave it a focus in the American church scene. Then he discusses the several accomplishments in its golden age of influence. After 20 years of ministry in various areas, the Church Growth Movement began to decline as evidenced by nine trends surveyed by Dr. Towns. Then he noted seven continuing influences of the Church Growth Movement on today’s church culture. Finally he reminds the reader of what God can do through the church and that God is still using churches today.

The Twenty-First Century Relevance Of Donald Mcgavran, Gary Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

Donald A. McGavran is widely considered to be the greatest missiologist of the twentieth century. However, recent articles and books often ignore his contributions to mission theory. This lecture presents ten major influences of McGavran on the church in North America, and suggests five ways he challenges missional thinking in the twenty first century