Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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A Theological Analysis of the Educational Method of Maria Montessori Using an Inverse Consistency Protocol
Get PDFEd. D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023The Montessori approach to education has been embraced by a wide variety of educators around the world. Ironically, though, as secular educators have accepted Maria Montessori’s pedagogical methods, little research has been conducted by Christians especially in relation to the driving force of her approach: the intrinsic spirituality of children. Through the consideration of Montessori’s primary source writings, the aim of this thesis is to summarize this often-neglected component of children’s spirituality in Montessori’s own words. In so doing, the spiritual nature of the Montessori method is articulated and compared to an orthodox Christian view of children’s spirituality. The researcher examines Montessori’s educational perspective with specific attention to her view of the child, environment, and teacher as well as her Catholic Christian foundations. Utilizing the Inverse Consistency Protocol, the researcher provides a theological analysis of the Montessori method to determine what is congruent/incongruent with the Christian faith and identify what is potentially useful in Christian contexts. The hope is to provide Montessori-curious evangelical Christians some insights into the spiritual nature of this educational phenomenon. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction and background of the Montessori method. In chapter 2, the researcher attempts to articulate Montessori’s key principles and assertions from her published works (books, articles, and lectures), giving special attention to how her Catholic faith influenced her view of the spiritual nature of children. Chapter 3 interacts with past Christian sources that have sought to provide analyses of what Montessori said in her writings. Some of these include individuals such as Sofia Cavalletti, Gianna Gobbi, Jerome Berryman, Sonja Stewart, Catherine Stonehouse, and Scottie May. Chapter 4 builds upon the prior two chapters by employing the Inverse Consistency Protocol as a method to analyze and evaluate the final iteration of Montessori’s writings from an orthodox, Christian perspective. Lastly, chapter 5 concludes this study by considering implications for Christian educators and suggests potential avenues for further study
Teaching the Members of First Baptist Church in Rogersville, Tennessee, the Doctrine of Scripture in Pursuit of Intergenerational Unity
Get PDFThis project sought to teach the members of First Baptist Church in Rogersville, Tennessee, the doctrine of Scripture in pursuit of intergenerational unity. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and roadmap for the project. Chapter 2 offers an exegetical analysis of the doctrine of Scripture, demonstrating Scripture’s sufficiency in developing integrational unity within the church. Chapter 3 deals with the historical and theological issues related to the doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 4 lays out the details concerning the ministry project in which members were taught the doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 5 serves as an evaluation of the project through which generational views and knowledge of the doctrine of Scripture was assessed to determine whether greater intergeneration unity was achieved
Training Preachers in Sacred Rhetoric Commonly Associated with African-American Preaching at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Wilmington, North, Carolina
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to train preachers in sacred rhetoric commonly associated with African American preaching for the improvement of biblical exposition in the context of Wilmington, North Carolina. Chapter 1 introduces the ministry context of Cornerstone Baptist church along with the rationale, purpose, goals, research methodology, definitions, and delimitations of the project. Chapter 2 provides a biblical and theological foundation for sacred rhetoric and the strengths of that rhetoric in the African American church. Chapter 3 provides a practical and theoretical basis for sacred rhetoric and the commonalities with black preaching. Chapter 4 describes the development and implementation of the project. Chapter 5 provides evaluation of the project and its goals, suggestions for improvements, and further reflection
Leading Revitalization Through Prayer at Jeffersonville Baptist Church in Jeffersonville, Georgia
Get PDFThis project seeks to lead revitalization through prayer at Jeffersonville Baptist Church. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the ministry context with a list of goals for this project. Chapter 2 examines the biblical foundations of prayer for revitalization, including an exegesis of four passages (Gen 4:17–26; Ezek 37:1–14; Matt 7:7–12; Acts 4:23–30) to show that God alone brings about spiritual revitalization, yet he welcomes his people to pray and uses the prayers of his people as a catalyst towards accomplishing his work of revitalization. Chapter 3 presents a historical overview of church revivals and how prayer undergirds revitalization. Chapter 4 details the implementation of the project itself, recounting the research methodology involved in the implementation of the project. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on the successful completion of the specific goals. Ultimately, this project seeks to strengthen the corporate and individual prayer life of the members of Jeffersonville Baptist Church that leads to revitalization
Application for the Sake of Transformation: A Study of Thomas Manton’s Categorical Approach to Sermon Application
No full textIn this dissertation, I argue that Thomas Manton’s categorical approach to sermon application, being thoroughly influenced by William Perkins and the Westminster Directory for Public Worship, maintained a teleological aim of transformation through an informed mind as conceptualized in the Augustinian tradition. Chapter 1 introduces the key components of this study and articulate the thesis of this work. Chapter 2 provides a biographical context for Thomas Manton. Chapter 3 explores the primary influences for Thomas Manton’s approach to application in the sermon. Throughout hundreds of sermon manuscripts, Manton employed categorical framework for sermon application. This categorical approach has its roots in the homiletical theory of William Perkins as laid out in his seminal work, The Arte of Prophesying, in which Perkins conceptualizes sermon application categorically, both in terms of hearers as well as actual application. Additionally, Manton was influenced by the Westminster Directory for Public Worship, written by the English Westminster divines. In the Directory, sermon application is again conceived in a categorical framework, specifically in terms of application categories. In chapter 4, I present a careful analysis of Manton’s extant sermon manuscripts with particular focus on application. I argue that Manton indeed followed the course charted by Perkins and Westminster, but also seek to show that Manton expanded on the available categories in his own sermons. In chapter 5, attention is shifted to the teleological aim of Manton’s categorical sermon application. I argue that Manton’s central focus in his sermon application was the transformation of those to whom he ministered. The catalyst for transformation in Manton’s theological framework was faith in Christ. A careful study of Manton’s Treatise of the Life of Faith provides the foundation for this chapter. The sixth chapter, following the discussion of Manton’s purpose in application, seeks to show how Manton’s understanding of human psychology affected the manner in which he applied the sermon to his hearers. Thomas Manton followed the prevailing psychological perspective of his day: faculty-humor psychology. Manton’s aim in sermon application was transformation through faith in Christ. This transformation, however, took place in the rational faculties of the soul: the mind, the will, and the affections. As such, Manton targeted the rational faculties of the soul in his sermon application and frequently mentioned the faculties by name in his sermons. In chapter 7, I conclude the study and provide final remarks on Manton’s works and their relation to the larger world of Puritan preaching
Equipping the Members of Anna Heights Baptist Church, Anna, Illinois, in the Assimilation of Visitors to the Discipleship Process of the Church
Get PDFThis project seeks to equip the members of Anna Heights Baptist Church in the assimilation of visitors to the discipleship process of the church. The equipping will accomplish the church’s mission of “making followers of Christ.” Chapter 1 describes the context of AHBC, the weaknesses and strengths of the church, and the goals of the project. Chapter 2 details the exegesis of five passages of Scripture (Matt 28:16-20; 2 Tim 2:1-2; Col 4:2-6; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Phil 3:13-21), which demonstrate the use of relational discipleship in the early church. Chapter 3 provides a historical example of how the Puritans discipled one another to Christian maturity. Further, it contains examples of relational discipleship used in the modern church. Chapter 4 details the project itself, with the curriculum used in the equipping of members. Chapter 5 is an evaluation of the project’s success, including the completion of the stated goals. This project seeks to demonstrate that discipleship is effective in the local church when members, outside of the pastorate, are themselves discipled, equipped, and active in engaging visitors that come to church services
Utilizing a Reformed Sanctification Framework to Assess and Evaluate C. Peter Wagner’s Doctrine of Sanctification
Get PDFPh. D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2023Through the utilization of John David Trentham’s Inverse Consistency Protocol (ICP) as a methodological paradigm to define, reflect on, evaluate, and assess C. Peter Wagner’s philosophy of discipleship, this thesis demonstrates that Wagner’s philosophy of discipleship is incongruent with an articulated Reformed doctrine of sanctification and paradigm of discipleship and sanctification. This work (1) introduces and employs an articulated paradigm of discipleship, Virtuous Christian Discipleship (VCD), to access and evaluate Wagner’s doctrine of sanctification and (2) introduces the term commissional catechetical confessionalism to further articulate a redemptive and confessional doctrine of sanctification for a biblical perspective on human learning, growth, and development in light of the imago Dei. VCD endeavors to strengthen the church’s commitment to the practice of a biblical model of discipleship.
Chapter 1 introduces the need for research. The following two chapters follow the first step of ICP, which identifies and asserts the normative biblical priorities of a Reformed biblical-theological system (chap. 2) and the Reformed doctrine of sanctification (chap. 3). Chapters 4 and 5 follow the second step of ICP, which summarizes with precision and intellectual honesty the writings of Wagner (1952–2016) concerning his articulation of the doctrine of sanctification. Chapter 6 follows the third step of ICP, which provides a critical and charitable reflection of Wagner’s theology, axioms, and praxes by expounding the conclusions of this research and articulating the implications of Wagnerian theology on discipleship praxes and ethics. Lastly, this study’s appropriative dimension determines that understanding Wagner’s longings that led to his definition of disciple and philosophy of discipleship helps us become more aware of how we are affected by the same longings, whether pragmatic or consumeristic tendencies, and how those are very relevant in our own context
Disruptive Leadership: The Art and Practice of Leading like Jesus
Get PDFThis thesis presents disruptive leadership as a unique combination of the effectiveness of servant leadership, the art of leading change, and the skill of innovation. Chapter 1 details and explains the need for a new model of leadership. Within chapters 2 and 3, this study surveys leadership theories and practices from the contemporary and Christian perspectives examining the potential combination of servant leadership, innovation, and leading change theory. Those chapters present an integrative model, disruptive leadership, that compliments the literature and practices on leadership. Additionally, those chapters argue that leadership is multifaceted and multidimensional, meaning it is skill and process while art and practice. To illustrate this model, chapter 4 examines the life and leadership of Jesus as the penultimate disruptive leader whose leadership does not fit in one unique theory and practice. The study concludes, in chapter 5, by exhorting the church and Christian leaders that the world has changed and, therefore, Christian leaders must take the necessary steps to be disruptive, or they will be disrupted. This change requires leaders to lead with a servant’s heart, with the skill of innovation, and with the art of leading in uncharted territory
Strengthening the Partnership Between the Church and Parachurch in the Calling and Care of Cru’s International Interns
Get PDFGaps exist between sending churches and Cru in the calling and care of Cru’s international interns that will only be bridged through stronger collaboration so that the two can partner well together for the kingdom. Chapter 1 examines several works to acquaint the reader with the conversation surrounding the ways churches and parachurches partner together. Since parachurch organizations like Cru are not a recent phenomenon and neither are the tensions in their relationships to local churches, chapter 2 provides a study of relevant biblical passages and a survey of the historical context for the current relational gaps. Chapter 3 follows with a brief discussion of Cru’s origin and the core values that distinguish the organization. Because the philosophies and practices Cru utilizes to reach college students naturally carry forward in the life and ministry of those who intern, two recent studies are analyzed in chapter 4 to pinpoint potential gaps in the sending process. Chapter 5 presents conclusions and recommendations to help facilitate partnership through appropriate expectations and clear communication
Covenant and Identity Formation in the Second Century
Get PDFThis study examines the use of the covenant concept in second-century texts that address three primary social and rhetorical contexts for early Christian identity formation: Judaism, Greco-Roman culture, and heterodoxy. It argues that leading Christian writers consistently developed and applied a notion of the church as the new covenant community by interpreting scriptural sources through the lens of christological assumptions, which they used to characterize the covenant community’s identity in the areas of belief, ritual, and practice.
Chapter 1 notes the absence of the covenant idea as a major element in recent scholarly discussion of early Christian identity formation and also reviews the history of scholarship on the covenant concept itself, which has been analyzed in both biblical studies and historical theology, in addition to select studies of individual writers (though rarely in connection with identity formation).
Chapter 2 surveys the first of two important background contexts for understanding early Christian use of the covenant concept—its use and development within Judaism, including the Old Testament, apocryphal and pseudepigraphal literature of Second Temple Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. It also briefly examines the New Testament usage in the Synoptic Gospels, Paul, and epistle to the Hebrews.
Chapter 3 turns to the Greco-Roman context and notes the absence of the covenant concept as a significant category of identity there, and explores possible parallels to it in the religious and social realms. It also notes the lack of usage within diverse “Gnostic” movements and the mis-use, from the perspective of orthodox writers, within Marcion’s theological system.
Chapter 4 introduces three chapters analyzing the orthodox Christian use of the covenant concept, beginning with the dialogue with Judaism, which also regarded it as an essential category of collective identity, and derived it from the same sources, the Old Testament scriptures. Though retaining Judaism’s basic covenantal logic and structure, such Christian texts as the Epistle of Barnabas, Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho, and Tertullian of Carthage’s Against the Jews redefine these features in christological terms to develop the notion of a distinctly christological new covenant community.
Chapter 5 examines the ways in which apologetically-oriented writers redeployed these covenantal concepts in engaging Greco-Roman culture—for example, by identifying Christ as logos and nomos. The Apologies of Justin Martyr and Aristides of Athens and Clement of Alexandria’s Exhortation to the Greeks follow the precedent of the Preaching of Peter in presenting Christ as the New Law and portraying the new covenant community as a “third race” that fulfills and transcends the ideals of earlier Hebrew and Greek philosophical traditions.
Chapter 6 focuses on the “internal” application of the covenant concept to the church’s struggle with heterodox movements, which either lacked or mis-used covenant schemes in articulating identities grounded in false doctrines. Among heresiological writers, Irenaeus of Lyons defends the unified redemptive-historical narrative that results from a christological understanding of the covenants (Against Heresies; Epideixis), while Clement of Alexandria utilizes the covenant concept for the moral formation of the orthodox community (Christ the Pedagogue) and applies it to Greek philosophy as a parallel concept to the Mosaic law among Gentiles (Miscellanies). Finally, Tertullian of Carthage uses it to argue, like Irenaeus, for the unity of Scripture against Marcionites (Against Marcion), and also grounds his anti-monarchian Trinitarian theology in a proper understanding of the new covenant economy (Against Praxeas).
Chapter 7 summarizes the findings of chapters 4–6 and offers a synthetic portrait of the new covenant idea among Christian writers of the second century, noting its leading characteristics in the identity-forming areas of belief/narrative (redemptive history and the rule of faith), ritual (baptism and the Eucharist), and ethics (the Two Ways tradition and the Law/Spirit dichotomy). The conclusion suggests some possible implications for contemporary scholarly discussions and avenues for further research