Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Sanctity Without Starch A Layperson's Guide To A Wesleyan Theology Of Grace, Robert G. Tuttle Jr.

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Two Sermons: God’S Ability And The Blood Of Jesus; And, Three Experiences: 1. Rev. Jno. Haime, 2. Rev. Wm. Hunter, 3. Rev. Robt. Wilkinson, Bud Robinson, John Haime, William Hunter, Robert Wilkinson

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Imam And The Pastor: Attempts At Peace In Nigeria Using Interfaith Dialogue, Jinelle Piereder

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Worshipping Meaningfully: The Complementary Dynamics Of Liturgy And Theology In Worship, Joseph Omolo

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Omolo, Joseph, T. "Worshipping Meaningfully: The Complementary Dynamics of Liturgy and Theology in Worship." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 242 pp.

This dissertation is a work in systematic theology which explores the relationship between liturgy and theology in the current scholarship of liturgical theology. It examines how the complementary dynamics of liturgy and theology enhance the appropriation of meaning experientially and conceptually in the Christian assembly and thereby making worship meaningful event. Worship is meaningful when the Christian assembly encounters the Triune God in his word and sacraments and the assembly responds in praise, prayer and thanksgiving. In such encounter …

Christian Hope Among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories As Narrative Theodices, Michael Zeigler

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Zeigler, Michael. W. “Christian Hope among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories as Narrative Theodicies.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 270 pp.

This dissertation answers the following: How is Christian hope distinct from others? The answer given is that Christian hope is distinct from its rivals because it expects the God of Jesus to bring the world to conform to the word of the promise he made to Abraham. This answer arises from an approach to Christian eschatology that differs from what has become typical. Current studies in eschatology focus on an internal use attributes, that is, a use fitted for derivation and …

A Theology Of Creation Lived Out In Christian Hymnody, Beth Hoeltke

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Hoeltke, Beth June “A Theology of Creation Lived Out in Christian Hymnody.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 308 pp.

A seminal article written by Lynn White in the mid-1960’s indicted Christianity as a major cause affecting the ecological crisis of the day. White emphasized that the Christian tradition practiced domination rather than dominion and ownership rather than stewardship. Since White’s article Christian theologians have challenged his interpretation. One of the unexamined sources of the church’s teaching on creation is hymnody. This dissertation examines this source. Hymns play a vital role in the church’s teaching as they have the ability to …

Transformational And Strategic Leadership : Its Impact On The Capacity For Organizational Effectiveness, Barbara Angela Dobson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Soul Care: Deliverance And Renewal Through The Christian Life, Kenneth J. Collins

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Integrity In Christian Leadership : Giftedness + Integrity(3) = Productivity, Jasmin O. Brown

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"One of the christian world’s greatest leadership challenges today is integrity. the church is facing an integrity crisis that will compromise its influence within society. this integrity crisis within the church serves as the impetus for exploring the importance of integrity among christian leaders. this study examines three dimensions of integrity: personal integrity, vocational integrity,"

The Importance Of Integrity In Christian Leadership : Giftedness + Integrity(3) = Productivity, Jasmin O. Brown

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Developing Young Leaders Through Effective Mentoring Relationships Within The Bethel Church Of Liberia, Jacob Meiporkoyah

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Growing Places : An Exploratory Study Of Lay Leadership Development In The Local Church, Craig Taylor

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Practice Of Rule Of Life As A Tool For Spiritual Formation In View Of Ministry In Union With Christ, Ethiege Upul Nishantha Silva

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.

Twelfth Century Literal Bible Commentaries: Comparing Jewish And Christian, Devorah Schoenfeld

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In the twelfth century, both Jewish and Christian Bible commentators began to emphasize literal, or historical, or contextual, approaches to interpreting scripture. These commentators wrote predominantly line‐by‐line commentaries that focused the reader's attention on linguistic questions in the biblical text. There was also a renewed interest in seeing the Bible in its own terms rather than exclusively through the lens of earlier midrashic or patristic commentaries, although those continued to play an important role. These developments happened at the same time for both Christian and Jewish scholars, who were often in conversation with each other about how to interpret the …

Promissio Spei God's Eschatological Action In The Church, Richard Aaron Davenport

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Davenport, Richard A. "Promissio Spei: God's Eschatological Action in the Church. “Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2012. 213 pp.

This dissertation, a work in systematic theology, examines the nature of Christian hope in the context of current scholarship in systematic theology. Its goal is to assess the way in which Christian hope is rooted in God's word of promise and the extent to which that promise affects Christian life. The eschatological outlook presented in Scripture shows that God's promises, and the hope that they offer, are presented to all of creation. This dissertation investigates the process by which the communication of …

An (Enduring) Ecclesiology Beyond The Cultural Captivity Of The Church, Chad Lakies

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

This dissertation is located within the larger conversation about ecclesiology as it is emerging in our post-Christian era. Its effort is both theoretical and practical. Not only will it provide a theological account of the church, but it will do so for the sake of reflective practitioners who are looking for guidance in navigating and negotiating our post-Christian culture in the effort to form faithful Christians. Thus, this dissertation will articulate an ecclesiology of the Christian life, thereby enabling the church to diagnose, assess, and respond to contemporary instances of its own cultural captivity so that it might better embody …

Life In The Spirit: A Post-Constantinian And Trinitarian Account Of The Christian Life, Andrea Snavely

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Snavely, Andrea D. "Life in the Spirit: A Post-Constantinian and Trinitarian Account of the Christian Life." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2013. 235 pp.

Post-Constantinians John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas have re-imagined the Christian as a follower of Jesus, critiquing natural theology's dominance that eclipses seeing Jesus' life as the "content" of a Christian's life. However, they lack an answer to the "energy” question, of how one lives like Jesus, because their theologies are based on Logos-Christology. This dissertation proposes that a complementary Spirit-Christology provides the answer to the “energy" question by describing Jesus' life as receiver, bearer, and giver …

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 …

Thoughts For The Thoughtful, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Understanding Christian Perfection And Its Struggle With Antinomianism, Victoria L. Campbell

The Asbury Journal

Every so often, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary will notice a current student with exceptional promise. The Asbury Journal wants to help highlight the work of rising academics by publishing works from such students. This paper is an example of such a work, brought to the attention of the editor by Dr. Larry Wood.

Much of the confusion regarding John Wesley’s phrase, Christian perfection, comes from the western tendency to define “perfection” as a state of infallibility (from the Latin perfectio) rather than a process of spiritual maturing based upon the Greek word for perfection, teleios (Matthew …

Conversion Theory Through The Cognitive Science Of Religion Lense In A Christian-Muslim Context, Jennifer A. Garcia

Scripps Senior Theses

The Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) in recent years is beginning to become more popular. This project evolves around the development of the field as well as critiques of the field. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of CSR, it lends an interesting way to understand religion as well as religious experiences. One of those religious experiences, conversion, is examined and explored through the use of conversion narratives from western women who were formally Christian but converted to Islam. Many themes arise out of this research that paves the way for trying to understand religious experiences. Overall, the project focuses on …

Christian Justification After Nihilism, Joel Meyer

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Meyer, Joel P. "Christian Justification after Nihilism." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary,2012. [235] pp.

This dissertation addresses the problem that nihilism presents to Christian faith and life. North Atlantic Christians live in an age when nihilism is a normal condition. The world does not appear to have one clear and unquestionable meaning. Instead, each of us has convictions about the world that we hold dear. But we realize that other people hold drastically different convictions than our own, and we have no absolute way of determining the validity of one set over another. So they appear to us as values, rather …

The Journey To God: Union, Purgation And Transformation Within The Ascent Of Mount Carmel And A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection, Stephen L. Martyn

The Asbury Journal

This article is both a call to Christian maturity and an appreciative recounting of how a Roman Catholic mystic, John of the Cross, helped me reclaim and love my own Wesleyan tradition of entire sanctification. In this article I hold up the theological doctrine of Union with God as the goal of the Christian life and review and contrast how Wesley and John of the Cross approached the issue. UThile these two spiritual masters outline differing views of the path to perfection in love, they both, nevertheless, continue to inspire and offer the light of Christ to Christians seeking full …

Developing Pastors' Understanding And Practice On Biblical Financial Stewardship: The Key To Impacting The Growth Of The Bible Christian Fellowship Church Of Indonesia, Tandi Frederik Randa

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Poetry As The Handmaid Of Piety: Hymns As A Catalyst For Human Development In Early Methodism, Brian Yeich

The Asbury Journal

In the preface to the 1780 edition o f Hymns for the People Called Methodist, John Wesley stated, 'When Poetry thus keeps its place, as the handmaid of Piety, it shall attain, not a poor perishable 'Wreath, but a crown that fadeth not away."l While John Wesley may have never used the term ''human development," a student of Wesley would quickly observe that Wesley and the early Methodists were focused on the transformation of individual human lives as well as the society in which they lived. This paper explores the connection between the hynmody of early Methodism and …

Christian Sensitivity In Interreligious Relation, Paul D. Numrich

The Asbury Journal

This essay reflects on the implications of my mandate to guide seminary students "to think creatively and responsibly about how to proclaim the Christian gospel in multi-cultural contexts with a sensitivity to interfaith perspectives." I ask the question, What does it mean for Christian seminarians--and Christians generally--to engage adherents of other faiths with sensitivity to their perspectives? I offer a general definition of "sensitivity" and distinguish Christian sensitivity from other kinds, in that it is informed by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the continuing presence of the Holy Spirit in the living heritage of the Christian faith. …

Sustaining Effective Spiritual Leadership Through Spiritual Formation Practice And Self-Care Among United Methodist Ordinands In The Rocky Mountain Conference, Jane Youtz Riecke

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Doctrine After Foundationalism, Robert Lewis Fossett

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Fossett, Robert, L. “Doctrine After Foundationalism.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2011. 250 pp.

This essay argues for an account of Christian doctrine that will bring to light the lingering entrenchment of foundationalism within the context of religious discourse and will show this entrenchment for what it is: a confusion inherited from the Enlightenment (and ultimately from Plato). In its place I offer an account of doctrine that is more explicitly Christological than what is currently being offered in the modern discussion on doctrine and that at the same time, moves the conversation past the assumptions of foundationalism. A properly Christian …

Leading A Polytheistic Faith To The Monotheistic God: A Study In Identifying Barriers To The Gospel In A Chinese Buddhist Community And Ways To Overcome Those Barriers, Agnes Wood

The Asbury Journal

This article is written for the purpose of exploring a way to lead a polytheistic faith, prevalent in the local Chinese Buddhist community (LCBC) in Brunei, to the reality of a monotheistic God as revealed in the Bible (1 Corinthians 8:6). It serves as a guide for the local Chinese church (CC) to lead the LCBC to see that God as a Creator is sufficient to be their God.

This article identifies the need of a missiological package in order to lead the LCBC to Christ. The CC needs to assist the LCBC to become receptive before the core of …