Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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Training the Members for Intergenerational Unity at Bethany Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Get PDFThis project centered on the development of biblical Christ-centered unity at Bethany Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale. The first chapter describes the purpose, goals, context, rationale, and definitions of the project.
Chapter 2 considers the theological and biblical foundations of biblical Christ-centered unity for an intergenerational unity at BBCF. This chapter zoomed in on the source of believers’ calling (Eph 1:3-10), cultivation of a worthy walk in Christ ( Eph 5:15-21, Gal 5:16-26), a walk in unity with the triune God (Eph 2:1-22), an earnest work to maintain unity in the body of Christ (Eph 4:1-6), and a demonstration of an imitable biblical spiritual life transformation (Eph 5:1-8) .
Chapter 3 exposes the theoretical and practical aspects of biblical Christ-centered unity. This chapter demonstrates that a church with a healthy ecclesiology trains its members to foster biblical Christ-centered unity through the experience of God’s power, strengthening believers’ faith through mutual love and service, and the living experience of God’s power in all facets of believers’ lives.
Chapter 4 depicts the implementation process of the project. The execution of the project consisted of the teaching of five sermon series and twelve lessons that covered the practical aspect of a biblical Christ-centered unity in the local church. Participants experienced this practical aspect of the project through interactive lessons and two case studies.
Chapter 5 presents the results of the project through a succinct evaluation of the purpose and goals of the project. It also analyzes the project’s strengths and weaknesses, followed by personal and theological reflections on the “bien-fondé” of the project for an intergenerational unity in the local church
Equipping Church Leaders in Transformational Leadership Theory at Essential Church, Huntsville, Alabama
Get PDFThis project aims to equip church leaders at Essential Church, Huntsville, Alabama, in Transformational Leadership Theory. Chapter 1 presents the context, rationale, and goals of this project. Chapter 2 studies Ephesians 4:11–12, Exodus 18:13– 14, and Acts 6:1–7 to see biblical models for training leaders. Chapter 3 reviews a host of philosophical and theoretical resources for how to train leaders. Chapter 4 discusses the implementation of this project, including development of the pre- and post-training survey, the development of a five-part training video, and the compilation and analysis of the post-implementation data. Chapter 5 examines the effectiveness of this project through the completion of the project's three goals
Creating a Culture of Scripture Intake and Prayer Using the Psalms at United Baptist Church in Carson, California
Get PDFThis ministry project was designed to teach Scripture intake and prayer using the Psalms at United Baptist Church in Carson, California. This instruction increased knowledge and enhanced the practice of basic spiritual disciplines among the members of this church. Chapter 1 explains UBC's ministry context, rationale, purpose, goals, research methodology, definitions, and delimitations of the project. Chapter 2 describes the biblical and theological understanding and basis for instruction of the practice of Scripture intake and prayer through the exegesis of selected Psalms: Psalm 1, Psalm 12, Psalm 22, Psalm 51, and Psalm 109. Chapter 3 explains the church's historical understanding and instruction by using the Psalms in the practice of Scripture intake and prayer by briefly analyzing Patristic, Medieval, Reformation, Puritan, and Modern Era thought on the subject. Chapter 4 details the production, implementation, and analysis of the results for the ministry project. Chapter 5 offers an overall evaluation of the project's success, with suggestions for improvement and further development
The Literary Structure of the Fifth Book of the Hebrew Psalter: A Structural Analysis and Canonical Reading of Psalms 107–150
Get PDFThis thesis maintains that the fifth book of the Hebrew Psalter subdivides into three sections, each of which portray the coming Davidic King from a different angle in order to present a three-dimensional messianic portrait. Chapter 1 introduces the topic of this study by overviewing Psalms scholarship, highlighting evidence that supports a canonical approach to reading the Psalter as a unified book, and outlining the study’s methodology and thesis. Chapter 2 then argues for the tripartite literary structure of Psalms 107–150, and also discusses the fifth book’s eschatological orientation. Next, chapters 3–5 respectively analyze Psalms 107–118, 118–136, and 136–150, devoting particular attention to the way in which the fifth book’s literary and structural contours recursively develop its eschatological, messianic message. Lastly, chapter 6 concludes with a brief summary tying the threads of the discussion together
Toward Creaturely Value: God's Inner Processive Life and the Intrinsic Value of Creatures in Thomas Aquinas
Get PDFThe intrinsic value of creatures is defensible on many accounts, though more rarely from a speculative, metaphysical, and theological perspective. In this thesis, I seek to establish and elaborate the connection between creaturely value and scholastic theology through the work of Thomas Aquinas. In chapter 1, I explicate the thesis and the methodology and build a case that Aquinas’s speculative, metaphysical, and theological clarification provide the substructure for creaturely value. In chapter 2, I argue that Aquinas’s vision of creation and inner trinitarian relations are mutual informing. In chapter 3, I explicate the ad intra processions of the Trinity as the origin and end of all created life. In chapter 4, I elucidate the relation between the processions of the Trinity ad intra and the procession of creatures ad extra. In chapter 5, I summarize my thesis and offer points of contact for future research. As such, according to Aquinas, the value of all creatures has a direct correlate in the eternal processions of the Trinity
Strengthening Personal Evangelism Through Apologetics at First Baptist Church of Rogersville, Tennessee
Get PDFThis project sought to equip the members of First Baptist Church at Rogersville, Tennessee (FBCR) to utilize apologetics in evangelism. A curriculum was developed and taught, applying an evangelistic approach to several common objections to Christianity. Course participants were instructed to go beyond the arguing of an apologetic point to the evangelizing of a person. A pre-project assessment identified some of the most pressing apologetic issues among FBCR membership. It also revealed that high levels of doctrinal orthodoxy do not necessarily translate into evangelistic confidence in a secular society. Post-project measurements indicated increases in levels of knowledge and evangelistic confidence for course participants. Growth in evangelistic competency when dealing with apologetic issues was also evident. While post-project measurements showed only slightly increased frequency in evangelistic encounters between course participants and unbelievers, the overall statistically significant gains indicated a base to build upon in the future at FBCR
The Lived Experience of African American Pastors: A Phenomenological Study
Get PDFPh. D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022This study uniquely aims to ascertain how African American pastors, serving in predominately African American churches, perceive how the intersection of race and faith has impacted their lived experience. Furthermore, in the aftermath of prominent national cases where black people were killed in confrontations with police, this research highlights their personal and pastoral responses. Specifically related to Christian education, this study serves to inform issues associated with vocational preparation and racial reconciliation efforts among Christian schools and ministries. While African American Christians must wrestle with dueling identity consciousnesses of who they are as Christians considering cultural context, they must also reconcile whether their experiences have contributed to making them who they are and if those experiences have hindered or helped them in their pursuit of holiness. This struggle magnifies in the Black pastor, who is both African American and the undershepherd of God’s flock. Whereas the Black pastor, historically, serves in functions beyond the pulpit, the social justice lens surrounding today’s climate often results in the African American pastor at the forefront of race related conversations. The appreciation of the lived experience of Black pastors can ultimately aid in understanding the whole being, prompting further dialogue surrounding the gospel and social justice.
Chapter 1 introduces the research problem and defines key terminology. Chapter 2 examines the existing literature that addresses or has implications related to the research problem. Chapter 3 is an initial summative exercise in applying the principle of inverse consistency to Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality. Chapter 4 delineates the research design and methodology of the study. The population, samples, delimitations, limitations, instrumentation, and procedures for the study are communicated, in addition to answering why a phenomenological study approach was selected. An analysis of data and a discussion of findings is presented in chapter 5. Chapter 6 summarizes the dissertation conclusions and provides recommendations of the study
Teaching Spiritual Disciplines to Support Counseling at Grace Bible Church in Bend, Oregon
Get PDFThis project sought to promote the effective instruction of three basic spiritual disciplines, Bible intake, prayer, and fellowship, to transform the lives of those receiving biblical counseling and discipleship at Grace Bible Church of Bend, Oregon, for their good and God’s glory.
Chapter 1 introduces the context, rationale and goals for promoting the instruction of basic spiritual disciplines to those being counseled and discipled. Chapter 2 gives biblical and theological support for teaching the spiritual disciplines to help transform the lives of counselees and disciples. Chapter 3 describes a framework for teaching what the disciplines are, why they are important, and how they bless the life of a Christian counselee and disciple. Chapter 4 describes the course curriculum for teaching counselors how to instruct their counselees in the disciplines. Chapter 5 is an evaluation of the project with reflections on successes and ideas for improvement
A Theological Evaluation of Edwards’s Freedom of the Will: A Case for Continuity with the Reformed Tradition
No full textThis work is embargoed by the author until 5/31/2024.Recent scholarship claims that the Reformed tradition was neither libertarian nor compatibilist with regard to free will and, as a consequence, Jonathan Edwards’s work, Freedom of the Will, represents a departure from the tradition. However, good reasons exist to dispute both claims. In this dissertation, I argue that in Freedom of the Will, Edwards employs theological arguments for compatibilism that were consistent with and common among the Reformed. In order to defend this thesis, I compare the arguments for compatibilism in Freedom of the Will with the anthropology, theology proper, and Christology of the Reformed. Edwards’s anthropology differed from the faculty psychology of the Reformed, but these differences are not substantial as Edwards can still distinguish the intellect from the will and argue, with the Reformed, that the intellect determines the will to the greatest perceived good. In theology proper, Edwards utilized the reasoning of his Reformed forebearers as he argued from God’s foreknowledge of future events to demonstrate that free will is compatible with moral necessity and the necessity of the event. Finally, Edwards used classic Reformed Christological categories and the covenant of redemption in order to argue that Christ’s will was determined to the good. The theological arguments for compatibilism found in the Reformed were consistently developed by Edwards in Freedom of the Will
Improving the Preaching Team Model at Brentwood Baptist Church and Its Regional Campuses
Get PDFThis project was designed to improve a theological and methodological framework for the preaching team model at Brentwood Baptist Church and its regional campuses that would result in greater unity, alignment, and effectiveness in gospel proclamation as well as provide transferable principles for other multi-site churches or networks that would prefer a preaching team model to a video preaching model. Chapter 1 introduces the ministry context regarding Brentwood Baptist Church and the development of its multi-site structure and the preaching team model. Chapter 2 provides the biblical and theological basis for preaching in a multi-site church structure where faithful men are equipped to contextualize the unchanging message of the gospel to their campus and congregation. Key passages examined are Acts 2:17-36, Ephesians 4:1-16, and 1 Timothy 3:1-16. Chapter 3 examines the multi-site movement and how it is an emerging strategy to fulfill the mission of the church that leverages team-based leadership, collaboration, and the ministerial development of pastors. Chapter 4 details the preaching team meeting assessment, a survey of other churches that utilize preaching teams, the development of “points of excellence” for the preaching team, and the sermon self-evaluation rubric introduced to improve preaching. Chapter 5 concludes with an evaluation of the project and suggestions for improvement