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Preaching Connection into Detachment: A Homiletical Model for Nurturing People Influenced by New Age Ideologies
Get PDFThis paper is aimed to assist people who have been influenced by New Age ideologies to become acquainted with the essential message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the primary theological medium of preaching. This thesis was implemented and tested at the Goleta Presbyterian Church in Goleta, California.
This study uses the homiletical models of Karl Barth to explore a significant inroad for individuals who have been influenced by Buddhism. One of Buddhism’s primary paradigms is that all people who seek transcendence do so from the starting point of “no-self” (Anatman). Christianity teaches that the first step of salvation begins with confession. A parallel between the two concepts is examined. To test this hypothesis the Goleta Presbyterian congregation was offered a four-month preaching regimen. A baseline Christological survey was conducted which demonstrated the otherwise unconventional belief systems found in the church. Follow-up interviews and empirical evidence was collected and analyzed for signs of personal transformation.
This study concludes that people who have been influenced by New Age Ideologies can experience significant spiritual transformation through the primary theological medium of preaching. Because of this study, members of Goleta Presbyterian Church showed a slightly higher appreciation of the essentials of the Christian gospel. While it is impossible to determine whether there was a definitive causal connection between preaching and these measurable outcomes, it does point to a strong correlative connection. Because around thirty-seven percent of the congregation did not take part in the survey, it cannot conclusively be said that preaching alone was singularly transformative in this church system. These results should only be viewed as a preliminary finding. The project is deeply appreciative of the contributions of the Goleta Presbyterian Church toward further understanding of this important subject matter
Sabbath, Community, and a New Imagination: Learning to Listen in Treynor, Iowa
Get PDFIn a world filled with idols vying for people’s allegiance, communities can easily lose their capacity to listen to and care for each other. The purpose of this project is to explore the various forces attempting to dominate life in Treynor, Iowa, in order to help neighbors to examine their own priorities and discover together a new imagination of Sabbath life and practices.
Utilizing the frameworks of Appreciative Inquiry and the Missional Change Process, a small group of leaders from Zion Congregational Church led two-session interviews with their neighbors. These interviews asked questions about faith and life in the Treynor community and explored the relationship between neighbors and the potential idols of work, sports, and consumerism. These interviews found that when neighbors spent time listening to other neighbors, their captivity to life-stealing forces lessened as they become more aware of the competing claims for their allegiance and instead began dreaming about Sabbath life and practices together.
This project humbly attempts to remind the larger church that there is life beyond the supermarket of idols in which we find ourselves; an alternate imagination of life can be awakened, one that is rooted in Sabbath practices flowing out of a primary relationship with God. May God lead us all in discovering this new imagination, as neighbors listen to each other and challenge the status quo
Reversing the Great Reversal: Renewing Urban Church Planting in the Wesleyan- Holiness Tradition
Get PDFThe purpose of this doctoral project is to develop new ways of thinking about missional strategies for church planting in the urban context. It considers how a robust missional theology, rooted in the best of the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, can take shape in a rapidly growing urban context. Additionally, it examines how these theological practices can nourish and promote a vibrant church planting movement for the Church of the Nazarene.
Part One examines the urban history of the Church of the Nazarene, with a particular focus on the missional strategies of first generation Nazarene leaders. There are sociological and ecclesial reasons why the second generation of Nazarene leaders began to disengage from the great urban areas. These include the influence of the evangelical mainstream’s move away from cities known as the “Great Reversal.” This regression removed the Church of the Nazarene from elemental facets of Wesleyan-Holiness theology, especially pertaining to the spiritual formation of Christlike disciples and efficacy of the means of grace.
Part Two defines particular aspects of Wesleyan-Holiness theology that contribute to the shaping of a Nazarene urban ecclesiology, concentrating on the importance of small groups, the means of grace, and compassion in the formation of Christian character. A biblical philosophy of Christian community is explored as a paradigm for urban churches.
Part Three summarizes the vision, strategy, and goals for urban church planting in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The strategy reviews three current models of Nazarene work in urban areas: renewal of established churches, immigrant churches, and compassionate ministries-based churches. With the practical implications of Wesleyan- Holiness ecclesiology as a guide, this project proposes a fourth developmental parish model evident in emerging expressions of Nazarene urban congregations. This parish church model presents transferrable methods and processes for diverse urban contexts
Adopting an Entrepreneurial Posture: Vocational Formation amidst a Changing Landscape of Work
No full textThe purpose of this dissertation is to interpret an emerging social reality for the church. The emerging social reality is that the economic context and thus the nature of work have changed so that there are more independent workers. Ranging from freelancers to entrepreneurs, these workers must adopt an entrepreneurial posture. Therefore, the church, which engages in vocational formation, must now include an emphasis on an entrepreneurial posture. This dissertation interprets this shifting economic context by working through a practical theology method, specifically the method outlined by Richard Osmer. Working through Osmer’s method, the dissertation describes the shifting economic context and interprets how globalization and accelerated technology influence this shift. Then, the dissertation outlines normative theology on vocation as well as an original research project on the practices of Christian entrepreneurs in order to develop theological underpinnings of an entrepreneurial posture. Finally, the dissertation offers a pragmatic approach for change—an entrepreneurial formation method intended for congregational leaders and Christian educators so that they might lead others in adopting an entrepreneurial posture for a changing world of work
