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Equipping Members of Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church in Milton, Wisconsin, for Biblical Discipleship
Get PDFhe purpose of this project was to equip members of Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church in Milton, Wisconsin, for biblical discipleship. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides an exegesis of four passages of Scripture (John 1:9–18; John 15:4–12; Phil 2:1–11; Matt 28:18–20) to show the biblical foundation of discipleship. Chapter 3 contrasts existing models of discipleship with the practical application of biblical discipleship both collectively and individually. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, recounting the content and teaching methodology of the sermon series. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on the completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project sought to equip believers in biblical discipleship that leads to transformation into the character of Christ
Jesus as God's Delight in the Gospel of Matthew: An Overlooked Aspect of Matthew's Christology
Get PDFThis work was embargoed by the author until 7/01/2025.Throughout the Old Testament, there are many things that God delights in: righteousness, mercy/steadfast love, Israel, Israel’s properly offered sacrifices, and Israel’s king, to name a few. This repeated theme in the Old Testament provides the background for an unexpected and underappreciated aspect of Matthew’s Gospel. Four times in the First Gospel we read that Jesus himself is the object of God’s delight, and each of these occurrences appear at key moments within Matthew’s sophisticated narrative (3:17; 12:18; 17:5; 27:43). God’s delight in Jesus is an unexplored and overlooked aspect of Matthew’s Christology. After establishing the contours of the Old Testament objects of God’s delight (chapter 2), this dissertation argues that Matthew portrays Jesus as the embodiment and fulfillment of God’s delight. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus as God’s delight is developed in the Gospel in three ways: First, Matthew explicitly declares Jesus to be the object of God’s delight at four key moments within his story (chapter 3). Second, Matthew portrays Jesus’s ways of moving throughout the world to be the object of God’s delight (chapter 4). Third, Matthew portrays Jesus as the obedient Son and Davidic king, and these themes, taken together, contribute to Matthew’s multifaceted portrait of Jesus as God’s delight (chapter 5). Unearthing the theme of God’s delight in the Old Testament and the repeated rhythm of God’s delight as a plot line in the First Gospel brings to light an overlooked aspect of Matthew’s Christology. God’s delight in Jesus is a multivalent plot line that surfaces at key junctures in the First Gospel to bring Matthew’s story to moments of narrative climax and to resolve narrative tension, stabilizing the reader’s vision of Jesus in the midst of repeated conflict
The Pastoral Theology of the Apostolic Fathers
Get PDFThis dissertation argues that early Christianity possessed a stable and unified theology of pastoral identity and work. Historic studies of early Christian leadership sought to justify present ecclesiological structures from apostolic and postapostolic texts, finding mutually exclusive leadership patterns in the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers. More recently, studies have either argued for discontinuity between these periods, significant diversity among postapostolic documents, or outside forces having primary influence on the nature and development of early Christian leadership. In contrast, this project will demonstrate in the texts of the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers that early Christians articulated a vision for ministry with four shared theological judgments about pastoral ministry: pastoral virtue, pastoral authority, pastoral work, and pastoral suffering. Regarding pastoral virtue, both a general blamelessness and a particular nexus of relational virtues were required for all who would lead the church. Additionally, all pastoral leaders were view with spiritual authority, often related to God’s authority and with repeated admonitions for Christians to obey pastoral leaders. While there is some diversity in pastoral work in this period, the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers consistently attribute preaching, spiritual oversight, and presiding at Christian gatherings as the central works of pastoral leaders. Finally, apostolic and postapostolic literature described pastoral leaders as sufferers, particularly suffering from the difficulties of ministry in the life of the church. These four theological judgments are expressed variously but equally insisted upon by the documents of the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers. This theological vision shows remarkable theological stability in early pastoral theology even in the midst of the development of ministry structures and strongly suggests a measure of catholicity about pastoral leadership in the earliest periods of Christianity
"The Matter and the Manner of Preaching": The Influence of Jean Claude on the Preaching of Andrew Fuller
Get PDFThe dissertation argues that Jean Claude’s (1619–1687) influential Essay on the Composition of a Sermon supplied Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) with a coherent homiletical method that he modified to fit his own theological convictions and ministerial context. Chapter 1 introduces the thesis and methodology of the present study. This chapter also reexamines Fuller’s reception as a preacher in his own day and explores several distinguishing characteristics of his preaching. Chapter 2 introduces Claude and traces the impact of his Essay on the history of homiletics. Chapter 3 reads Claude’s Essay alongside Fuller’s instructions on preaching to discern the extent to which Fuller relied on Claude when developing his own homiletical method. Chapters 4–6 show how Fuller employed his methodology in his preaching by examining a selection of his doctrinal, practical, and expositional sermons. These chapters also highlight the continuity and discontinuity between Fuller’s preaching and Claude’s instructions. Chapter 7 concludes the present study and details the significance of Fuller’s preaching for historians and homileticians today
Teaching Foundational Apologetics at Waurika Church of Christ in Waurika, Oklahoma
Get PDFThe purpose of the project was to teach foundational apologetics in a cumulative case format to the saints at Waurika church of Christ to enhance their apologetic knowledge. To that end, chapter 1 established the context, rationale, and goals of the project. Chapter 2 established the scriptural foundation (Eph 4:1-16) for the thesis that the three mandates of the church—to worship God, to edify one another, and to evangelize the lost—are all strengthened and advanced through learning and application of Christian apologetics. Chapter 3 established that in light of the churches of Christ holding some degree of Campbellite traditionalism, a cumulative case approach to apologetics was necessary to enhance and broaden the tool set to engage in the three dynamics in a manner more consistent with church of Christ theology. Chapter 4 provided methodological justification and details of the cumulative case curriculum including theoretical teaching methodology. This project then culminates in an assessment of legacy Campbellite traditionalism, and of the increase in apologetic knowledge of the Waurika church of Christ adult Bible class in chapter 5
Equipping Members of Citizens Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Develop and Practice a Rule of Life
Get PDFThis project seeks to equip members of Citizens Church Charlotte to develop a rule of life consisting of five spiritual practices for their spiritual formation. Chapter 1 presents the ministry context of Citizens Church as well as the goals and methods utilized in this project. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the discipleship focus of the Gospel of Matthew, with special emphasis given to the Sermon on the Mount, to show God’s desire and power as well as human responsibility for spiritual formation. Chapter 3 presents an overview of church history and the ways various Christians have viewed spiritual practices and a rule of life through different generations of the church. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, detailing the content and timeline of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the project based on the successful completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project seeks to equip followers of Jesus with the tools necessary to develop and implement a rule of life for their spiritual practices
Edmund Burke’s Moral Imagination: Interpretation and Cultivation
Get PDFThis dissertation argues that the faculty of imagination is crucial to Burke’s view of man, the sublime and beautiful, the arts, morality, society, and politics and that, therefore, the cultivation of a moral imagination is likewise crucial to his ethic. It accomplishes its thesis by systematically examining (nearly) every usage of the term “imagination(s)” in Burke’s corpus.
Chapters 2–3 focus on Burke’s view of the imagination as a creative mental faculty with the powers of representation, wit, fancy, and invention. Imagination reflects the senses, interacts with reason, gives rise to emotions, and shapes the will, thereby mediating the person’s faculties and powers. Although Burke lived in the shadow of British empiricism, he affirmed a priori truths of imagination. Additionally, imagination gives form to thought, both representational and non-representational (e.g., memories, plans, and beliefs), and undergirds the expression of one’s thought (e.g., language). The imagination may be deceived, and it may deceive.
Chapter 4 introduces Burke’s enquiry into the sublime, the beautiful, and the arts. The imagination experiences the sublime and beautiful, giving rise to corresponding feelings of terror and love. Whereas the sublime results from causes such as divinity, infinity, and eternity, the beautiful results from loveliness; significantly, Burke rejected proportion and fitness in themselves as causes of beauty, though he recognized that beauty may bear those qualities. These reflections undergird his view of the arts. By imagination, the person observes and produces artifacts, and by the arts, people and societies are formed, making the arts exceedingly important for both the individual imagination and the social imagination. Finally, by imagination, man cultivates taste, which he develops by improving his sensibility and judgment, knowledge and attention, morals and manners, and exercise and labor.
Chapter 5 examines Burke’s articulation of the “moral imagination,” or the sociohistorical inheritance of Christianity, which extols noble equality and chivalry and balances restraint and liberty. Burke characterized the moral imagination as the pleasing illusions, the decent drapery, and the superadded ideas of private and public life that cover man’s nakedness and dignify his nature. While the moral imagination is socially received, it is also individually cultivated in the mind and heart; additionally, it bridges the sublime and beautiful, and it balances universals, circumstance, and perfection. However, Enlightenment liberalism destroys the moral imagination.
Finally, chapters 6–7 evaluate Burke’s integration of the doctrine of moral imagination with the topics of virtue, vice, authority, rights, and social change. The moral imagination is cultivated by the virtues of humility, truth, justice, sympathy, and wisdom. However, the immoral imagination is vain, revealing a faculty that is weak and juvenile, infected and strange, disordered and distempered, unbounded and wild, and revolutionary. Whereas the moral imagination submits to good authorities, such as good tradition, prejudice, community, religion, and government, the immoral imagination does not so submit to them but rather subverts them. Authorities should reflect true natural rights, not false abstracted rights. To the extent they do not, they should be changed, but the method of change should be reform not revolution. In conclusion, the faculty of imagination is crucial to Burke’s view of man, the sublime and beautiful, the arts, morality, society, and politics so that the cultivation of a moral imagination is likewise crucial to his ethic
A Widow’s Hope in Late-Life Spousal Loss: A Biblical Response to Meaning-Making and Continuing Spiritual Bonds
No full textWidowhood is considered one of the most stressful and life-altering experiences that can cause a loss of meaning and purpose in life. Bereavement brings mortality to the forefront, raising questions related to life’s existential meanings. In recent years, there has been a broadening interest in the role of spiritual beliefs in coping with the death of a loved one and how it facilitates a quest for meaning in the grief and bereavement process, especially for elderly widows in late-life spousal loss. Bereaved elderly widows are compelled to contend with a meaning-making process that involves making sense of the events leading to the death or around the death of their spouse, making sense of one’s relationship with their spouse, and making sense of one’s ongoing life after the death. Bereavement researchers have noted that spiritual beliefs, such as the belief that the deceased is in a better place or that the bereaved and deceased will someday reunite, can aid the meaning-making process and mitigate bereavement-related issues.
This dissertation argues that elderly Christian widows who experience late-life spousal loss can find consolation through bereavement-related issues by developing a biblical response to meaning-making and continuing spiritual bonds through the doctrine of union with Christ. Chapter 1 sets forth the thesis and presents traditional and contemporary bereavement care of widows in late-life spousal loss. Chapter 2 provides a critical analysis of contemporary theories of grief and bereavement and their influences on the modern understanding of death. Chapter 3 expounds on the effects of meaning-making in bereavement related to spousal loss and describes several core features associated with aspects of sense-making and benefit-finding. Chapter 4 outlines various meaning-making adjustments and outcomes for elderly widows in late-life spousal loss. Chapter 5 discusses the biblical and theological foundations for the care of widows throughout the Old and New Testaments. Chapter 6 discusses a biblical meaning-making model of counseling and care for elderly Christian widows in a late-life spousal loss that makes the doctrine of union with Christ prominent in the church. Chapter 7 concludes this work, emphasizing the doctrine of union with Christ for Christians who experience the death of a loved one. The church can provide public preaching and personal counseling on the doctrine of union with Christ so that bereaved Christians can abstain from grieving as those with no hope (1 Thess 4:13)
Training Church Leaders of the Auburn, Alabama, Community in Biblical Counseling Through the Owen Center
Get PDFThis project strives to provide training in biblical counseling for pastors and ministry leaders in Auburn, Alabama, through The Owen Center. Chapter 1 presents the ministry context and history of The Owen Center, a biblical counseling ministry located in Auburn, Alabama, and describes the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides exegesis from Scripture supporting the biblical grounding for the need for biblical counseling within the church. Chapter 3 describes the historical evidence that supports the pastor’s call to counsel biblically, as well as a theoretical basis for the approach developed in recent decades. Chapter 4 describes the details of the project and the methodology used therein. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on the results found in the training. The main purpose of this project is to give pastors and church leaders confidence in properly utilizing biblical counseling principles as they seek to care for their church
A Historical and Theological Analysis of Latin America’s Theology of Missions From 1900 to 2023 With a Focus on Réne Padilla
Get PDFThis dissertation presents a historical and theological analysis of Latin America’s theology of missions from 1900 to 2023, focusing on how René Padilla’s missiological theology influenced the Latin American continent’s mission practices. The goal of the study is (1) to offer a general panorama of a Latin American theology of missions, (2) to overview the historical development of Latin American evangelical missiology, providing a foundational understanding of the continent’s missionary landscape, (3) examine the evolving theological perspectives and paradigms within Latin American mission theology, highlighting fundamental shifts and turning points, (4) examine René Padilla’s theological response to the social gospel, Marxism, liberation theology, and evangelical fundamentalism, elucidating how his response informed his missiological theology, and (5) evaluate how Padilla’s primary missiological response and framework has influenced and served as a cornerstone for contemporary sending movements in Latin America.
The Latin American church’s missionary activities were sparse in the first half of the 1900s. Nevertheless, its sending rate, capacity, and passion have multiplied over the last century. Thus, Latin America has become a significant missionary-sending continent. How has what Latin Americans written about the church’s mission responsibility impacted their sending practices? This dissertation argues that there should be a direct correlation between Latin American evangelical missions’ theology and its sending praxis since thinking impacts practices. Theology impacts missions, and missions impact theology. One cannot exist without the other. Nevertheless, it is also true that wrong thinking about missions could have negatively impacted Latin America’s sending habits and methodologies. Therefore, understanding what theology of missions has dominated the mind of Latin American missiologists should be able to provide insights into Latin America’s contemporary sending practices and passion.
The dissertation consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research’s thesis, methodology, background, delimitations, definitions, and significance. Chapter 2 presents a contemporary theological basis for missions from a Latin American perspective. Chapter 3 offers a historical understanding of the theology of Latin American missions from 1900 to 2023, organized into five periods defined by major world and continental missionary conferences. Chapter 4 analyzes René Padilla’s primary mission theology, focusing on the concept of the kingdom of God and its implications for social justice. Chapter 5 evaluates Padilla’s missiology and theology about his critique of the social gospel, Marxism, liberation theology, and evangelical fundamentalism. Chapter 6 discusses how Padilla’s mission theology has impacted current missionary practices in Latin America and globally. Finally, chapter 7 concludes the research with practical applications, further areas of study, and concluding thoughts.
These chapters trace René Padilla’s missiological development, his influence on Latin American missions, and contemporary practices of integral mission. How has the theology of mission written from Latin American perspectives influenced the Latin American church’s missionary practices? Is this theology of mission sufficient to guide the Latin American church in effectively mobilizing millions more missionaries to accomplish God’s global purpose among those still unreached? This research provides valuable insights that shine a light on these questions.
Alternate abstract:
Esta disertación presenta un análisis histórico y teológico de la teología misionera de América Latina desde 1900 hasta 2023, con un enfoque en cómo la teología misional de René Padilla influyó en las prácticas misioneras del continente latinoamericano. Los objetivos del estudio son: (1) ofrecer un panorama general de la teología misionera latinoamericana, (2) proporcionar una visión histórica del desarrollo de la misiología evangélica en América Latina, aportando una comprensión fundamental del panorama misionero del continente, (3) examinar las perspectivas teológicas y paradigmas en evolución dentro de la teología misionera latinoamericana, destacando cambios y puntos de inflexión fundamentales, (4) analizar la respuesta teológica de René Padilla al evangelio social, el marxismo, la teología de la liberación y el fundamentalismo evangélico, esclareciendo cómo esta respuesta dio forma a su teología misional, y (5) evaluar cómo la respuesta y el marco misional primario de Padilla han influido y servido como piedra angular para los movimientos de envío contemporáneos en América Latina.
Las actividades misioneras de la iglesia latinoamericana fueron escasas en la primera mitad del siglo XX. Sin embargo, su tasa de envío, capacidad y pasión se han multiplicado en el último siglo. Así, América Latina se ha convertido en un continente significativo en el envío misionero. ¿Cómo ha impactado lo que los latinoamericanos han escrito sobre la responsabilidad misional de la iglesia en sus prácticas de envío? Esta disertación argumenta que debería haber una correlación directa entre la teología misionera evangélica latinoamericana y su praxis de envío, ya que el pensamiento influye en las prácticas. La teología influye en las misiones, y las misiones influyen en la teología. No pueden existir una sin la otra. No obstante, también es cierto que un pensamiento erróneo sobre las misiones podría haber afectado negativamente los hábitos y metodologías de envío de América Latina. Por lo tanto, entender qué teología de misiones ha predominado en la mente de los misiólogos latinoamericanos debería proporcionar información sobre las prácticas y pasiones de envío contemporáneas en América Latina.
La disertación consta de siete capítulos. El capítulo 1 introduce la tesis, metodología, antecedentes, delimitaciones, definiciones y la importancia de la investigación. El capítulo 2 presenta una base teológica contemporánea para las misiones desde una perspectiva latinoamericana. El capítulo 3 ofrece una comprensión histórica de la teología evangelica de las misiones latinoamericanas desde 1900 hasta 2023, organizada en cinco períodos definidos por las principales conferencias misioneras mundiales y continentales. El capítulo 4 analiza la teología misional principal de René Padilla, centrándose en el concepto del reino de Dios y sus implicaciones para la justicia social. El capítulo 5 evalúa la misiología y teología de Padilla en relación con su crítica al evangelio social, el marxismo, la teología de la liberación y el fundamentalismo evangélico. El capítulo 6 discute cómo la teología misional de Padilla ha impactado las prácticas misioneras actuales en América Latina y a nivel global. Finalmente, el capítulo 7 concluye la investigación con aplicaciones prácticas, áreas adicionales de estudio y reflexiones finales.
Estos capítulos trazan el desarrollo misional de René Padilla, su influencia en las misiones latinoamericanas y las prácticas contemporáneas de la misión integral. ¿Cómo ha influido la teología de las misiones escrita desde perspectivas latinoamericanas en las prácticas misioneras de la iglesia en América Latina? ¿Es esta teología de las misiones suficiente para guiar a la iglesia latinoamericana en la movilización efectiva de millones de misioneros más para cumplir el propósito global de Dios entre los no alcanzados? Esta investigación ofrece perspectivas valiosas que iluminan estas preguntas