Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Two Models Of Inspiration?: The Challenge Of The Old Testament Narratives, Bernard White

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"...it is not that the “two-model” view is wrong in seeking to show that inspiration was not always functioning in the same way in the biblical authors. It is simply that it is inadequate: the research model cannot be applied wholesale to the non-prophetic books, even to narratives alone. Short of declaring many of the OT narratives to be fiction, it therefore seems necessary to posit that certain of them, or sections of them, were supernaturally revealed to the authors. The prophetic model, in other words, is far more widespread a phenomenon of Scripture than the “two-model” view would suggest. …

Atonement In Revelation—Part I: Love, Substitution, Liberation, Doxology, Larry L. Lichtenwalter

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"Two broad understandings of what atonement signifies in Revelation compete for primacy: 1) whether atonement in Revelation “signifies primarily a sacrificial death that expiates sin and puts humanity right with God”;17 or 2) whether it refers to “the larger cosmological significance of Christ’s death as it relates to the overcoming of evil and the working out of God’s purposes on earth.”18 The former would see atonement as substitutionary19 and thus relating to realities of human sin and the need for personal redemption. This includes both objective and subjective aspects of atonement. The latter would be revelatory, relating primarily to questions …

Israel As The People Of The Covenant And Dispensationalism: A Biblical Evaluation, Ikechukwu Michael Oluikpe, Kim Papaioanou

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"This article ... is divided into four sections. The first two will survey the biblical context of Israel as God’s covenant people and its implications for the Gentiles in the OT and NT respectively. The third will briefly present the basic theology of Dispensationalism as it relates to Israel and the Church. The fourth will give a biblical evaluation of Dispensationalism’s basic tenets and theology in the light of the covenant theme."

Miracles And Natural Law: Are They Compatible?, Glauber S. Araujo

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"We have tried here to bring together the contribution of many who saw the incoherence in Hume’s violation theory and have proposed a different view of the universe, where the natural and the supernatural cooperate with each other, maintaining the possibility of miracles. By avoiding Hume’s proposition, they were able to present a worldview of a universe open to divine action, turning the belief in miracles into a reasonable option. Miracles, although naturally impossible, do not need to be understood as opposing natural laws, but can be interpreted as events in nature produced by a supernatural cause, having a spiritual …

The Controverted Little Book Of Revelation 10 And The Shape Of Apocalyptic Mission, George R. Knight

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"If the contents of the little book of Revelation 10 are controverted, someone forgot to tell the founders of Seventh-day Adventism. William Miller, for example, in 1841 interpreted the little book that would be sweet in the mouth as being opened in 1798 as evidenced by the increased study of Daniel’s prophecies stimulated by events related to the French Revolution and the taking of the Pope captive by General Berthier. And Ellen White couldn’t have been more certain. “The book that was sealed,” she wrote in 1896, “was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of …

The Meaning Of The Intercessory Ministry Of Jesus Christ On Our Behalf In The Heavenly Sanctuary, Jiri Moskala Thd, Phd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"Christ’s intercessory ministry is twofold: He reveals God’s character and His values to humanity, and presents our needs, struggles, and issues to God. The Triune God closely collaborates in this double mission. A decision for Jesus Christ means complete salvation—eternal life (Heb 7:25), and He is always ready to help (1 John 2:1; 1:8-9)."

The Faithful And True Witness Of Revelation 1:5 And 3:14, S. Joseph Kidder

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"Since the concept of witnessing is very broad in the Bible, I have limited this article to six: in ed and martys, in Psalm 89, in Isaiah 40-55, in the Johannine writing, in faithfulness, and in the character of God. The main emphasis throughout this article is on how each category enhances our understanding of the meaning and use of the phrase the “faithful and true witness” in Revelation."

Misinterpreted End-Time Issues: Five Myths In Adventism, Jiri Moskala Thd, Phd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"realize that my unpleasant Christian experience was built on five misunderstandings which assumed that the Bible and/or the Spirit of Prophecy: (1) teach that believers will only receive the seal of God at the end of time; (2) stand against the assurance of salvation; (3) affirm that living believers can be called and examined in the pre-advent judgment at any time; (4) proclaim that after the close of probation the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth meaning that even believers will be without any supernatural help; and (5) declare that believers in Jesus Christ will be on their …

An Ecclesiological Understanding Of The Remnant: The Concept Of Visible/Invisible Church And The Remnant, Adriani Milli Rodrigues

Papers

No abstract provided.

God Of Sense And Traditions Of Non-Sense, Denis Fortin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

La Doctrina De La Justificación Por La Fe—Parte I: ¿En Las Huellas De Los Reformadores, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

"This is the first part of a series of three articles where the author examines the issue of justification by faith with emphasis on the Old Testament perspective. In this first part, the debate on justification in the context of the different Christian theological perspectives from the time of the Reformation to the present is reviewed in a panoramic way. In the second part, in the following article, the study focuses on the Old Testament perspective. Finally, the study concludes establishing a series of implications that the discussion of this topic in the Old Testament has for the understanding of …

Deus Em Questão, John C. Peckham

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sola Scriptura Statuat Lex Orandi: Toward A Transcultural Theology Of Liturgy, David A. Williams

Faculty Publications

The Seventh-day Adventist church is one of the most diverse religious groups. With this diversity comes a preponderance in worship practices. Calling upon the Reformation principle, sola scriptura, the Bible alone should establish the rule for liturgy. How do we apply the Bible as the rule for liturgy, with so many worship preferences and diversity of cultures within the Adventist church? In this paper, I seek to articulate a way forward, developing a transcultural theology of liturgy to be applied in every Adventist culture, allowing room for a rich variety of local cultural contextualizations.

Death As Sleep: The (Mis)Use Of A Biblical Metaphor, William Paroschi

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"The SDA view on what happens at death has been sometimes misunderstood; first, because the way we ourselves have occasionally used the sleep metaphor to describe death and, second, as a result of the dualistic connotation traditionally associated with soul-sleep. It could be argued that this comes from a reading of Adventist literature unmindful of the larger context of biblical anthropology in which these statements are made. This, however, is no excuse for not making every effort to express our understanding of the subject as clearly and completely as possible. Sleep is not a description of the nature of death. …

The Relationship Of Law And Grace In The Hermeneutics Of New Covenant Theology, Carlos J. Cruz Pacheco

Master's Theses

Problem

This thesis evaluates the offer by New Covenant Theology of an interpretation of salvation history that stands in criticism of interpretations offered by Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. Does New Covenant Theology demonstrate a distinctive view of the law-grace relationship that brings new perspectives on important theological and hermeneutical issues such as the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, and the Sabbath. Are New Covenant theologians correct in their claim that their system presents the best interpretation of salvation history, and of the law-grace relationship?

Purpose

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate New Covenant Theology’s hermeneutics by …

Sin And Its Place In The Experience Of Suffering: Presenting The Basis For A Sound Theodicy, Roman Wiens

Master's Theses

Topic

One of the most significant issues in theism is the obvious existence of evil and suffering. Thus many philosophers (especially Atheists) propose this fact alone negates the existence of an all-loving, omnipotent, and caring God. This attacks both the integrity of God and the coherence of the scriptural accounts. In response, theologians around the world proposed theodicies to show that the existence of a God, as portrayed in the Bible, is coherent with suffering in this world.

Purpose

The different approaches to this problem are categorized in four categories, outlined, and evaluated in one chapter about the most noteworthy …

The Hermeneutical Frameworks Of Fernando Canale And Fritz Guy: Sola And Prima Scriptura And The Science-Theology Relationship, Ryan Nicholas Claude Brousson

Master's Theses

This thesis presents research on the hermeneutical frameworks of sola and prima Scriptura and how they affect the science-theology relationship. It specifically focuses on the writings of Fernando Canale and Fritz Guy who hold opposing views on both sola and prima Scriptura and the relationship between science and theology. Canale argues for a sola Scriptura framework with science governed by theology, whereas Guy argues for a prima Scriptura framework with science and theology working independently of each other.

This thesis begins with a brief historical overview of the issues and then moves into describing Canale’s and Guy’s views. It ends …

An Evaluation Of The Definition Of Exhaustive Foreknowledge In The Writings Of Richard Rice, Dennis E. Akawobsa

Master's Theses

Problem

This thesis addresses the conflict of interpretation between Richard Rice’s model of God’s exhaustive knowledge of the future as a realm of possibilities and the generally accepted traditional model of God’s exhaustive definite knowledge of the future. In harmony with the traditional perspective, Richard Rice has affirmed God’s exhaustive knowledge of the past and the present. However, in contrast to the traditional perspective, he has denied God’s exhaustive definite foreknowledge of future free choices. According to Rice, God can know everything there is to know. This implies that, on one hand, the future does not yet exist, so God …

Toward A Priestly Christology: A Hermeneutical Study Of Christ's Priesthood, Adriani Milli Rodrigues

Dissertations

Problem

There is a disagreement between three theological models (sacramental, functional, and ontological) of interpretation about Christ’s priesthood. One clear aspect of this disagreement is the existence of different views on the relationship between sacrifice and heavenly mediation in the priesthood of Christ. These conflicting views reveal that Christian theology does not have a consensus about the nature of the priestly work of the ascended Christ, including the conception of how Christ mediates salvation through his priesthood. This problematic situation raises the question whether there is a way to resolve this conflict of interpretations.

Method

The present study hermeneutically deconstructs …

Uncovering The Protological Hermeneutics Of George Mccready Price And Benjamin Warfield, Sergio L. Silva

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this dissertation addresses is the protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over whether biblical protology should be interpreted literally or symbolically in response to the evolutionary theory.

Method

To identify, compare, and contrast the protological hermeneutics of George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield, this dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary methodology that seeks to integrate historical theology, systematic theology, and exegetical-biblical theology.

Conclusions

The protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over the interpretation of biblical protology was caused by how they applied their views on epistemology. On the hermeneutical level (where …

Ethical Analysis Of Abuses Of Power In Christian Leadership - A Case Study Of "Kingly Power" In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Zorislav Plantak

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

Power is an integral aspect of all types of leadership. The term “abuse of power” describes an inappropriate and corrupt application of power. The exercise of power becomes an abuse of power when a person in a position of power acts in a manner that cannot be justified in terms of truth or morality (goodness, kindness, justice, or obedience). While abuses of power have always been a part of Christian leadership, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership, no scholarly study on the moral dimensions of abuses of power in the Adventist Church has been done. Although such …

The Doctrine Of Prevenient Grace In The Theology Of Jacobus Arminius, Abner F. Hernandez

Dissertations

Topic

This dissertation addresses the problem of the lack of agreement among interpreters of Arminius concerning the nature, sources, development, and roles of prevenient grace in Arminius’s soteriology.

Purpose

The dissertation aims to investigate, analyze, and define the probable sources, nature, development, and role of the concept of prevenient or “preceding” grace in the theology of Jacobus Arminius (1559–1609).

Sources

The dissertation relies on Arminius’s own writings, mainly the standard London Edition, translated by James Nichols and Williams Nichols. However, I also frequently consulted the original Latin edition of his works when needed to clarify some translations. Secondary sources played …

Toward A Model Of The Ontology Of The Divine Indwelling Of Humans: A Comparative Study Of John Wesley And John Cobb, Cory Wetterlin

Dissertations

Topic

The topic of this dissertation is moving toward a model of the ontology of the divine indwelling by the means of a comparative study of John Wesley and John Cobb.

Problem

The purpose of this research is to survey and analyze the writings of Wesley and Cobb, in order to present their models of the ontological nature of the divine-human indwelling. In addition, an effort will be made to evaluate their models, based on their interpretations of Romans 6-8 compared with each other and selected current scholarship.

Sources

Sources used in this research include but are not limited to …

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.

The Nature And Work Of The Holy Spirit In The Pentateuch, Richard M. Davidson

Faculty Publications

The Hebrew word ruakh refers to the divine Spirit some sixteen times in fifteen verses of the five books of Moses, and the Holy Spirit is also prefigured in several Pentateuchal passages dealing with typological aspects of the sanctuary services. Each of these passages contains profound insights into the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. It is the thesis of this study that all of the major aspects of the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit are set forth, at least in nascent form, in the foundational divine revelation which comprises the Torah. We will examine each of these …

Power Or Person: Nature Of The Holy Spirit, Joann Davidson

Faculty Publications

Scripture is the primary source for any knowledge of the God of heaven—and when dealing with issues of divinity, it must be studied attentively and listened to carefully. Within its sacred pages God reveals Himself with a triune identity. The nature of the biblical God cannot be fully explained without God the Holy Spirit, along with Jesus and the Father. God’s personal plurality, seen throughout Scripture, presents One of the Three of the divine Godhead as the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit has never been incarnated as Jesus was, He is more inscrutable, making, to a greater extent, potential misunderstandings …

Disabling The Body Of Christ: Toward A Holistic Ecclesiology Of Embodiment, Nancy Jill Hale

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of Dissertation

A brief history of ecclesiology is followed by an assessment of the embodied ecclesiology of selected theologians. The relationship among embodiment, liturgy, and christian formation is probed. Finally, principles are proposed that answer the question, “What would it mean for the church to be a disabled body?” The intention of these principles is to help churches disable those beliefs and practices that keep them from being the message of the kingdom of God and from embodying the new social reality of the gospel that challenges the values of other social bodies in the world.

The Legacy Of God's Leadership

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

...the notion of shared leadership is seriously explored by secular businesses. With this in mind, it may be beneficial to look at this topic from the perspective of the Triune godhead in the light of Scripture. Although there are numerous texts in the Bible relating the trinity and leadership, we will limit our focus particularly to two of the most vivid places dealing with god in his three persons: the first letter of John and Matthew 28:18–20.

The Creativity Behind Creation: The Trinity In Genesis 1:1-2:3 And Group Creativity, Justin R. Bowers

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

The need for organizations to rely on individual members and their collective creativity to thrive in the 21st century has greatly increased. Today, the words of Bennis and Biederman (1997) ring true: the organizations of the future will increasingly depend on their members to survive. Great groups offer a new model in which the leader is an equal among titans. In a truly creative collaboration, work is pleasure, and the only rules and procedures are those that advance the common cause. (p. 8) The growing literature surrounding group creativity reveals a thriving area of interest among group theory scholars. Questions …

A Theological Heritage For New Evangelicalism And Its Social Justice Focus, Kenley Hall

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Based on a review of relevant literature, this article will look at this emerging submovement within evangelicalism that researchers are referring to as “New Evangelicals” and its expanding social consciousness. Then the article will address an issue I believe is of critical importance: a likely theological and historical heritage for New Evangelicalism that can serve as a theological resource and even connection between them and the larger evangelical narrative.