Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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Christian Curriculum Emphases and Academic Rigor: A Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFPh. D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023Chapter 1 of this study explores the relationship between Christian curricular emphases and academic rigor among Christian secondary schools. It uses convergent data transformation methods to analyze published curriculum descriptions in relationship to published academic data. This study correlates the two sets of variables while controlling for the influence of family income on these academic performance metrics. Chapter 2’s review of the precedent literature first presents the foundations for Christian education. It then reviews studies of curriculum, both theoretical and practical, and introduces the term “Christian curricular emphases” for discussing intentional assertions of Christian principles. It also reviews studies examining selected criteria (AP courses, SAT scores, and acceptance into top universities) as measures of academic rigor. Few previously published studies have examined both strands together.
Chapter 3 outlines the methodology of the study’s convergent data transformation research design, which consisted of qualitative and quantitative analyses in four phases. The study required a population that could demonstrate both Christian curricular emphases and academic rigor, hence the selection of CESA schools. The first phase collected published qualitative curricular data and quantitative academic rigor data. The second phase gathered tuition and family income data to control for possible confounding variables. The third phase coded schools’ course descriptions for integration of faith and learning (IFL) language, which was then transformed into quantitative data for analysis. The fourth phase performed a multivariate analysis of variance with covariates (MANCOVA) on all collected data.
Chapter 4 presents the findings of the descriptive statistics and the inferential statistics. The study was a census of all the existing CESA schools at the time of the research window in 2016. Therefore, all the research findings were significant, no matter how small the interaction. The primary finding of note is that controlling for income level increased the effect size of IFL in every dependent variable.
Chapter 5 presents the conclusions and implications of this research study. Overall, this study found that CESA schools provided rigorous academics when compared to other categories of schools. Controlling for family income levels strengthened all academic rigor measurements. Increasing years of required Bible courses correlated with lower measures of academic rigor. Higher frequency of IFL language in science course descriptions correlated with higher academic rigor measures, while higher frequency of IFL language in English or social studies courses did not. No school used IFL language in math course descriptions. Evaluating CESA schools’ Christian curricular and academic rigor data confirmed the added clarity of controlling for income data.
Ultimately, this study provided a new methodology for correlating Christian curricular emphases and academic rigor in Christian secondary schools. Chapter 6 provides the basis for building an entirely new body of research related to IFL, including a plan researching and validating a new instrument for the study of IFL. Additionally, it proposes a small profile for the types of research expertise needed and the potential for a research center, either independent or attached to an institution of higher learning, and the attendant work required
Launch Strategy and Core Team Development During the Pre-Launch Phase of a Church Plant in San Diego, California
Get PDFThis project’s objective was to assist in the process of planting a church in San Diego, California, in the 2022-2023 timeframe. Specifically, the project sought to find a planting method that was both biblically rooted and culturally relevant. Then, the critical factor of success was to be determined within the selected planting method. Finally, a practically training plan was to be developed based on the chosen methodology and the related critical factor for success. Chapter 1 outlines this development. Chapter 2 provides the theological basis for planting a church. It begins with the starting point for a kingdom-building mission, then introduces church planting as the vehicle for the mission to advance. Chapter 3 details our chosen methodology for planting a church and provides a brief a defense of our model and its critical factor. The chapter closes with an overview of our process of planting. Chapter 4 takes the chosen strategy for planting and details a practical curriculum and calendar intended to see commitment levels increase. Chapter 5 reflects on the findings of the project and draw final conclusions. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the selected planting methodology and what could have been different in retrospect
Developing a Thirty-Hour Discipleship and Counseling Course for Strengthening Ministries Training Institute in Pretoria, South Africa
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to develop a thirty-hour ACBC approved discipleship and counseling course for an African context that demonstrates a biblical approach to discipleship and counseling for Strengthening Ministries Training Institute at Lynnwood Baptist Church in Pretoria, South Africa. Chapter 1 covers the context of SMTI and addresses the goals of the project. Chapter 2 examines several biblical texts, which give the theological basis showing the role of the church in discipling believers. Chapter 3 explains the importance of understanding the diversity of the African context. The chapter further highlights possible approaches that may hinder the assimilation of biblical counseling principles. Chapter 4 discusses the development of the curriculum for the 30HDC course. The chapter also deals with the importance of contextualizing biblical counseling for the African context. Chapter 5 focuses on the results of the pre-course and post-course survey data. This chapter also considers an evaluation of the project’s purposes. An evaluation of the project’s goals is also addressed and measured by the results of the surveys. Chapter 5 closes with a theological reflection on the project
The Command from His Father: Begotten not Made, Submissive not Subservient, Assigned not Subjected
Get PDFThis work is embargoed until 6/1/2025.While a majority of contemporary theologians conceptualize the Trinity as ordered relations with unstructured authority (ORUA), other theologians view the Trinity as possessing eternal relations of authority and submission (ERAS). I argue ERAS offers a viable, biblically supported model within pro-Nicene orthodoxy. The following points ground this claim: (1) ERAS fully coheres with the biblically patterned, pro-Nicene Christological framework (i.e., true God begotten from true God, same essence with God, and identical in divine will and action to his Father); (2) ERAS compellingly explains the Scripture-revealed Trinitarian economy, which is best understood as expressing immanent Trinitarian relations; (3) ERAS is less vulnerable than ORUA to the misunderstanding that the persons reduce to God’s names (i.e., monarchianism) or that Christ possesses two filial relations (i.e., Nestorianism); and (4) ERAS fully answers key objections of ORUA proponents. Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation’s argument, background, methodology, and significance. Chapter 2 overviews ORUA, focusing on arguments for unstructured authority. Chapter 3 details ERAS’s understanding that authority distinctions inhere Trinitarian relations. Chapter 4 appeals to the following: (1) biblical data—the Son and Spirit express receptive dependence (i.e., submission) in the economy; (2) epistemic self-skepticism—we cannot discern, independently from Scripture, whether submission befits the transcendent Son of God; and (3) hermeneutical consistency—Christ’s economic sonship is eternal in divine equality (i.e., one God with the Father), in relational identity (i.e., Son of the Father), in constituting activity (i.e., generation from the Father), and in non-constituting disposition (i.e., submission to the Father). Chapter 5 defends ERAS’s consistency with fundamental doctrines: divine incomprehensibility, same-essence, simplicity, self-existence, freedom, etc. This chapter also shows how ORUA is susceptible to the misperceptions that the persons simply name God and that the non-submissive Son assumed a submissive person. Chapter 6 reviews the biblical and systematic conclusions in defense of ERAS’s coherence with pro-Nicene Trinitarianism
Equipping Members of A. Umut Kilisesi in Central Asia, with an Introductory Framework for Biblical Change
Get PDFThis project seeks to equip the members of A. Umut Kilisesi (AUK) in CentralAsia, with an introductory framework for biblical change. Chapter 1 explains the context
of AUK and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 examines five key texts that give a
framework for biblical change: Psalm 46, 1 Peter 2:9–12; Matthew 11:28–30, Galatians
5:13–6:10, and Psalm 1. Chapter 3 outlines the essential biblical criteria to use when
evaluating counseling curricula, and then applies these criteria to my context in Central
Asia by explaining and evaluating two curricula. Chapter 4 describes the content and
process of teaching the ten-lesson biblical change curriculum developed for AUK.
Chapter 5 then evaluates the project based on completion of the specified goals.
Ultimately, this projects seeks to equip the average believer in Central Asia to change and
help others change as he or she walks by faith in Christ together with others in a local
church
Training The Malaysian Churches of the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference in Apologetics
Get PDFThis project seeks to train the Chinese Christians and Iban Christians of the Bahasa Malaysia Ministry congregation of Gloria Methodist Church (GMC) in Apologetics. Chapter 1 presents the background and ministry context of SCAC of this project. Chapter 2 provides biblical and theological foundations of the truth of the resurrection, an exegesis of three passages of the Scriptures (1 Cor 15; Acts 2:14-41; Acts 17:16-34) to show that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the apostle’s apologetic presentations. Chapter 3 provides historical knowledge of the resurrection and presents the five Patristic arguments to show that Jesus Christ's resurrection is the center of the early Church Fathers’ apologetic works. Chapter 4 describes the implementation of the project, the development and teaching of the apologetics curriculum, and the analysis of the pre- and post-survey. Chapter 5 evaluates the project’s efficacy based on the completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project seeks to train the Chinese Christians and Iban Christians of the BMM congregations of GMC for effective defense of the Christian faith and the proclamation of the gospel among Muslims, respectively
Equipping Church Leadership in Cross-Cultural Ministry at Riverside Baptist Church in Miami, Florida
Get PDFThis research project is designed to equip leaders at Riverside Baptist Church in cross-cultural ministry. Chapter 1 presents introductory aspects of the project including the context, rationale, purpose, goals, and research methodology of the project. Chapter 2 provides a theological foundation for cross-cultural ministry by asserting that the church is a multicultural institution by virtue of its mandate and calling. Chapter 3 argues that to effectively equip the church for cross-cultural ministry, church leaders should be equipped with an understanding of the human heart, a biblical understanding of cross-cultural ministry, leadership skills, and a God-centered vision for discipleship and equipping the church in meaningful educational ministry. Chapter 4 provides a detailed explanation of the project and its unfolding, including project timelines. Chapter 5 is both an evaluation of the project implementation based on the completion of the specified goals and a personal reflection on the results of the project
A Critical Assessment of Modern Qazaqs’ Historical Claim That Islam Is the Ancestral Faith
Get PDFAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Qazaq people embarked on the journey of reinstating their authentic ethnic and cultural identity. After a thirty-year quest for true Qazaqness, many came to believe that indigenous Qazaq identity is tightly linked to the Islamic faith. Modern Qazaqs point out that before the Russian colonization, Qazaqs professed Islam. Particularly, Hanafi Maturidism prevailed alongside Sufism. However, a careful examination of historical data and archaeological findings does not coincide with the broadcasted narrative on the significance of Maturidism among Qazaqs before 1991. This research suggests that the role of Maturidism became prominent only after 1991 when it was accepted as an officially recognized branch of Islam in Qazaqstan. The arguments about the Islamic past are the key elements to state post-colonial ethnic identity. As a result, Christianity is viewed as alien or even hostile due to its association with the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia, which is a former colonizer.In seven chapters, I examine the religious history of the Qazaq people and probe implications for modern Christian missions. In chapter 1, I introduce the subject matter and outline the entire work. In chapter 2, I summarize, compare, and contrast the leading arguments posed by modern Qazaqs regarding their religious history. In chapter 3, I critically assess the argument posed in chapter 2 against historical and archaeological evidence, examining the pre-Islamic religious beliefs of Central Asian Turkic and
Mongolian tribes. In chapter 4, I examine the history and theology of Hanafi Maturidism, which is regarded as the branch of Islam to which early Qazaqs adhered. Yet, in chapter 5, I show that historically Yassawi Sufism was more popular among Qazaqs than Hanafi Maturidism, which disproves the narrative that latter was the ancestral faith of the Qazaqs. In chapter 6, I suggest opportunities for Christian missions in light of the historical narratives regarding Islam and its attachment to ethnic identity. Chapter 7 concludes this study
Developing a Disciple-Making Program for Ross Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to develop a disciple-making program for Ross Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of Ross Baptist Church and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides biblical and theological foundations of disciple-making by means of an exegesis of Matthew 28:16-20, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 2 Timothy 2:1-8, and Ephesians 4:1-12 applied to the thesis. Chapter 3 shows that disciple-making requires teaching believers the content of the Gospel, how to read and understand the Bible, how to pray, and the importance of being a part of the local church. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, recounting the content and teaching methodology of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on completion of the specified goals. This project sought to train believers how to make disciples to the glory of God
Paul’s Gospel Approach to the Athenians: A Missional Implication for Contemporary Nepalese Hindu Contexts
Get PDFEastern philosophies, especially Hinduism, are appealing to the Western mind. Hindu adherents can be found in many neighborhoods with Hindu temples in nearby towns and cities. Instead of proclaiming the uncompromised gospel to the world (Rom 1:16), many evangelicals today are gradually accepting and normalizing Hinduism concepts.
Christians are commanded to witness in their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The question for believers is how to witness to Nepalese Hindus. As a former Hindu, I found that Paul’s gospel approach to the pantheistic Athenians (Acts 17:16–34) can be applied to the contemporary pantheistic Hindu context. Like Paul, the gospel workers today must hold to sound doctrine but should also understand their listeners’ context, cultural setting, and belief system in which they intend to present Christ.
The thesis identifies the problem that gospel proclaimers face. In the Nepali context, to witness to Hindus is complicated and confusing. A presenter must understand the basic theological concepts of Christianity and the worldview of Nepalese Hindus. The thesis argues that Paul's emic gospel approach to the Athenians (Acts 17:16-34) should applied in modern Nepali Hindu contexts.
Paul's gospel approaches to Athenians raised curiosity in Athenians' minds. Paul presented his Judeo grounded faith to the Athenians. Paul knew they were idol worshipers. Instead of blaming them, he tells the Athenians, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious" (Acts 17:22). From there, he bridges his monotheistic view of God.
God has been revealed in the Bible as YHWH and is not the Hindus' Brahman as described in the Vedas, Gita, Upanishads, Mahabharata, the Law Code of Manu, or in the Puranas. The Biblical God is incredibly different from Brahman and Hindu Trimurti— Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Finding the comparative teachings from both traditions helps the gospel presenter equip his beliefs that require at least his basic but essential beliefs and practice and his hearers' basic teaching Essential fundamental Hindu teachings are presented directly from their sacred texts.
Hindus are religious. Their goal is to be free from bad karma and attain moksha. Moksha for Hindus is union with Brahman. Their polytheistic and pantheistic view of god leads them nowhere. To reach a Hindu, an understanding of their monotheistic view of god, their concept of sin, salvation, and the path to moksha are crucial. Hindus need to know that Brahman and YHWH are different deities. The god that the Bible reveals is the Creator, the one true god