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Earth Stewardship and the Missio Dei: Participating in the Care and Redemption of All God Has Made
Get PDFThis explanatory sequential mixed methods research project surveyed leaders and conducted focus group interviews in an ELCA synod. It evaluated earthkeeping practices and perceptions using several lenses: sustainability, globalization, global civil society, nature as active subject, stewardship as participating in God’s mission, perichoresis as modeling reciprocal relationships with nature, eschatological themes of redemption and reformation, and sacramental imagination. Results revealed concern about environmental challenges, openness to earth stewardship, significant differences by political preference, and more pronounced personal than congregational practices. Congregations with creation care teams have promising capacity to exhibit earth stewardship’s missional character through personal, congregational, and community engagement
Exploring the Effectiveness of Field Preaching Evangelism in the United Methodist Church
Get PDFExplores present-day versions of John Wesley’s field-preaching. Wesley preached in fields, at marketplaces and in a variety of other outdoor settings. Field-preaching requires pastors to take their preaching ministry beyond church buildings. This thesis considers the effectiveness of pastors who preach at restaurants, coffee shops, bars and in rented spaces. It also evaluates the cost of these efforts. It argues that reclaiming this historic Methodist practice helps reach a population and demographic currently not served by most United Methodist congregations
Relational Pastoral Care and Counseling: A Practical Theological Exploration of Relational Spirituality and Grief
Get PDFWhat is the relationship between relational spirituality and grief? This dissertation pursues this question by employing a practical theological method for practitioners of pastoral care and counseling when tending to unique grief experiences. Grief is understood in terms of contemporary bereavement science. Relational spirituality is developed as an interdisciplinary, interpretive lens with the capacity to describe how individuals relate to the sacred in light of four dimensions: human-human, human-God, God-human, and inner Trinitarian. The outworking of these dimensions suggests a relational approach to interdisciplinary dialogue. Applying relational spirituality to individuals’ unique grief experiences produces a process of care for tending to grief experiences. This exemplifies how relational spirituality is an explicitly relational, interdisciplinary paradigm that creates transformational dialogue applicable to a breadth of human needs.
Chapter One tends to the complexity of integrating contemporary bereavement science with pastoral care and counseling by describing how this dissertation is guided by Richard Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology: descriptive-empirical, interpretive, normative, and pragmatic. Also, the Chalcedonian Pattern of Logic is extended in order to propose a relational approach to interdisciplinary dialogue. Chapter Two represents the interpretive task, as it is based on psychological literature that describes the history and trends in grief research, highlighting resilience as the hallmark of contemporary bereavements science. Chapters Three and Four engage in the normative task by developing relational spirituality in each of its four dimensions. Concepts used to develop these include attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), analogia spiritus, imago Dei, Trinitarian relationality, and the immanent-economic distinction. Each of these concepts highlights normative relational patterns that lead to thriving in human life, particularly in light of specific virtues. Normativity is also suggested in terms of what it is not, namely suffering. The descriptive-empirical task occurs in Chapters Five and Six, which includes an in-depth, qualitative exploration of individuals’ unique grief experiences. Chapter Seven concludes the dissertation with a thorough explanation of research findings and development of pragmatic guidelines, as described in the process of care. It is hoped that relational spirituality not only serves practitioners with a descriptive paradigm to creatively elicit dialogue and co-create life-giving narratives with others and God
Preparing Transformational Sermons: An Attitudinal Model of Sermonic Application
Get PDFThis mixed method, action-reflection project explores the results of attitudinal rather than a behavioral sermon-application model. The research project delves into the change in the listener’s perceptions, thoughts, and beliefs through sermons deliberately designed for attitudinal application of the gospel. My project will attempt to assess whether such an intentional focus on attitudinal application can impact heart transformation. I hoped to study sermons that transform the human heart as opposed to legalistic (behavior-based) sermons within evangelical churches
Preaching More Effectively to Multiple Generations
Get PDFThis thesis explores the possibility of preaching more effectively to multiple generations at the same time. There are currently six generations (G.I., Silent, Boomer, Generation X, Millennial, and Unnamed) represented in the congregation where this research was conducted. First-person narrative, object-based, and story-based sermon styles were presented and tested to determine if a particular style was more effective. The definition used for effective preaching included the need for instruction, a delightful presentation, and persuasion to be present. Preaching effectively to multiple generations has the potential of shaping other ministries in the church in profound ways, and build strong multi-generational churches
Planning for 2017: Reformation Resources for Your Library
Get PDFThis survey of recent and forthcoming books relating to the Reformation seeks to help readers to navigate the deep waters of this literature and to find useful volumes from which to “drink.
Preaching John 8:31-36: Reforming Contexts Then and Now
Get PDFThe Gospel reading for Reformation Sunday is always John 8:31–36, yet preaching on this passage tends to overlook the critical contexts in which this pericope is located. Preaching John 8:31–36 on Reformation now will demand a careful analysis of the role of the passage in the Fourth Gospel, both as a means by which to respect its literary integrity as well as invitation to how it might shape a new hermeneutic for a new day
Preaching From a Biblical Anthropology: Sources and Methods for Correlating the Gospel and the Human Condition
Get PDFPreachers’ understandings of the human condition are foundational to preaching that is faithful and effective, yet are often unreflective or dogmatic. Biblical anthropology provides both revelation about humankind and a variety of perspectives, aiding the preacher in addressing diverse situations. Topics explored: Old Testament anthropology undergirding the New; the fundamental unity of the human being; the differentiation of law, sin, and human nature; the doctrine of theological anthropology; law and gospel preaching. Research draws on preachers’ journals and listener feedback surveys to identify and demonstrate patterns of creative proclamation of the human situation and a corresponding Gospel response