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Microstructure and Macrostructure in Isaiah 28–35
Full text linkThis dissertation begins by briefly reviewing the history of research regarding poetic microstructure and macrostructure. The key takeaways are that although Robert Lowth articulated Hebrew poetry as consisting of meter and parallelism, a consensus now exists that Hebrew poetry is not metrical. Rather, Hebrew poetry consists of free verse. Parallelism also does not precisely capture the relationships between lines, nor does it explain the contours of a single line. Poetic macrostructure has also been an object of study, but little agreement exists as to how to discern the complete hierarchical organization of a poem. After explaining leading microstructural models according to syntax (Hebrew Verse Structure and The Revised and Extended HVS Model) and a perceptual approach (Unparalleled Poetry), eight chapters are spent explaining how these models lineate Isaiah 28–35. Emmylou Grosser’s perceptual model is also used to examine line-group relationships. The perceptual model was found to account for the greatest amount of textual detail and provide the greatest explanatory power for lineation and verse structure. After an exhaustive microstructural analysis, each chapter continues by examining poetic macrostructure according to the methods of Pieter van der Lugt and Ernst Wendland. These methods fruitfully captured repetitions and patterns spread across large poems and thereby brought clarity to poetic macrostructure. This dissertation argues that Isaiah 28–35 consists of seven poems made of six poetic levels each: line, verse/line-group, strophe, stanza, section, and whole-poem which are clearly indicated by perceptual principles and repetition
Training Sabbath School Teachers From Hispanic Adventist Congregations in the Bronx, New York, in the Principles of Teaching
No full textThe purpose of this project is to train Sabbath School teachers in teaching principles so that they can develop and implement a comprehensive pedagogical methodology that encourages active student participation in classes, enabling them to achieve meaningful learning of the truths of God's Word that will impact their lives and character.
Chapter 1 presents the context in which this project is being implemented: four Hispanic Adventist churches in the Bronx, New York. The biblical-theological foundation of this project presupposes that biblical education occupies a fundamental place in the life of God's people, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The goal of this project has three closely related objectives: (1) to evaluate teachers' pedagogical methodology, (2) to train teachers in the principles of teaching and learning, and (3) to engage teachers with the knowledge they have acquired. Multiple definitions of key words and expressions used in this project are also provided, along with descriptions of their limitations and boundaries.
Chapter 2 establishes the scriptural and theological foundations of biblical teaching by presenting an analysis of key Old and New Testament passages. It establishes that teaching has the purpose of contributing to the restoration of God's image in human beings, a work brought about by the Holy Spirit. In this regard, the teacher is a key figure, being empowered by the Spirit through the gift of teaching.
Chapter 3 analyzes the theoretical and practical foundations related to teaching and learning. It provides relevant information on the most influential theories of teaching; defines teaching and learning; and broadly describes the contributions provided by neuroscientific studies on how the human brain learns, thus establishing new pedagogical paradigms.
Chapter 4 presents in detail the information gathering protocol and research process followed by this project; it also describes precisely the results obtained from the evaluation surveys conducted with teachers to measure their pedagogical performance and their commitment to student participation in the teaching process. It offers some enthusiastic testimonials from several teachers who reveal the positive results they experienced when implementing the knowledge they acquired.
Chapter 5 presents in detail the information gathering protocol and research process followed by this project; it also describes precisely the results obtained from the evaluation surveys conducted with teachers to measure their pedagogical performance and their commitment to student participation in the teaching process. It offers some enthusiastic testimonials from several teachers who reveal the positive results they experienced when implementing the knowledge they acquired.
This thesis also contains five appendices containing the evaluation questionnaires, a brief description of the six classes that were taught in the teacher training program, and a summary of the seven laws of teaching.El propósito de este proyecto es capacitar a maestros de Escuela Sabática en los principios de la enseñanza con el objetivo de que desarrollen e implementen una metodología pedagógica integral que propicie una participación activa de los alumnos en las clases que le permita alcanzar un aprendizaje significativo de las verdades de la Palabra de Dios que impacte su vida y su carácter.
El capítulo 1 presenta el contexto en el cual tiene lugar la implementación de este proyecto: cuatro iglesias adventistas hispanas del Bronx, New York. El fundamento bíblico-teológico de este proyecto presupone la que la educación bíblica ocupa un lugar fundamental en la vida del pueblo de Dios, tanto del Antiguo Testamento como del Nuevo Testamento. La meta de este proyecto tiene tres objetivos estrechamente vinculados: (1) Evalúa la metodología pedagógica de los maestros, (2) capacita a los maestros en los principios de la enseñanza-aprendizaje, y (3) procura comprometer a los maestros con los conocimientos adquiridos. Se provee además múltiples definiciones de palabras y expresiones claves usadas en este proyecto y descripciones de sus limitaciones y delimitaciones.
El capítulo 2 establece las bases escriturarias y teológicas de la enseñanza bíblica presentando un análisis de pasajes veterotestamentarios y neotestamentarios claves. Se establece que la enseñanza tiene el propósito de contribuir a la restauración de la imagen de Dios en los seres humanos, una obra propiciada por el Espíritu Santo. En este punto, el maestro es una figura clave al ser habilitado por el Espíritu a través del don de la enseñanza.
El capítulo 3 analiza los fundamentos teóricos y prácticos relacionados con la enseñanza-aprendizaje. Provee informaciones relevantes sobre las teorías más influyentes de la enseñanza; define la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y describe de manera amplia los aportes provistos por los estudios neurocientíficos sobre la forma en que aprende el cerebro humano, estableciendo así los nuevos paradigmas pedagógicos.
El capítulo 4 presenta de manera detallada el protocolo de recopilación de información y el proceso de investigación seguido por este proyecto; describe, además, de manera precisa, los resultados obtenidos de las encuestas de evaluación que fueron hechas a los maestros para medir su desempeño pedagógico y su compromiso con la participación de sus alumnos en el proceso de la enseñanza. Se ofrecen algunos testimonios entusiastas de varios maestros que revelan los resultados positivos que experimentaron al implementar los conocimientos adquiridos.
El capítulo 5 presenta las evaluaciones del propósito y los objetivos; también analiza de manera objetiva sus fortalezas y limitaciones. Se realizan varias consideraciones para futuras investigaciones similares y algunas reflexiones teológicas que se desprenden de la implementación de este proyecto.
Esta tesis contiene, además, 5 apéndices que contienen los cuestionarios de las evaluaciones, una breve descripción de las seis clases que fueron impartidas en la capacitación de los maestros y un resumen de las siete leyes de la enseñanza
Training Small Group Teachers in Didactics in the German-Speaking Churches of Action Biblique, Switzerland
Full text linkThis project sought to train small group teachers in Switzerland’s German speaking churches of Action Biblique. Chapter 1 presents the ministry context of Action Biblique and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides an exegesis of three passages of the Bible to show that both the Old and New Testaments encourage the training of teachers and provide examples of a range of teaching methods (Deut 31:9; Luke 6:40; Col 3:16). Chapter 3 further expands on what teaching methods were employed in church history, how recent advancements in pedagogy and didactics provide methodological improvements for biblical teaching, and how many of these recent advancements are particularly important for improving small group teaching. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, explaining the content and teaching methodology of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the project based on completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project seeks to equip and improve the teaching skills and abilities of small group teachers to ensure the faithful passing on of biblical truth to generations to come
The Twofold Reign of Christ: A Baptist Approach to Two Kingdoms Theology
Full text linkThe thesis argued in this dissertation is a Baptist political theology can and should maintain Christ’s twofold kingship and entails: (1) a maximalist form of church governance as regenerate membership and congregationalism in keeping with new covenant positive laws are ordered to their supernatural/heavenly ends in Christ, and (2) a perfectionist form of civil governance, ordained to exercise prudence and directing society toward its natural ends, both negatively in the form of proportional retribution for evil conduct, and positively in the form of commending that which is good unto human flourishing—in keeping with the law of creation. Chapter 1 introduces the discipline of political theology, providing an overview of the methodological approaches to be employed and surveying the state of historical and contemporary discourse on Christ’s universal and mediatorial kingship among Protestant political theologians/theorists. Chapter 2 provides a response to Stephen Wolfe’s case for Christian Nationalism, in which I make a biblical-theological case for nations being a postlapsarian adventitious good. This is followed by a critique of Wolfe’s two kingdoms doctrine from a Baptist perspective. In chapter 3 I interact with David VanDrunen’s political theology, critiquing his interpretation and application of the creation covenant and Noahic covenant, arguing his proposal is attenuated due to a strict bifurcation of “common” and “redemptive” activities and undermines the stability and durability of creational/natural/moral goods. In chapter 4, I offer a critique of Douglas Wilson’s Mere Christendom by exegeting Psalm 2 in comparison to Wilson’s interpretation; I argue that a proper understanding of the two ages and NT priority leads to the conclusion that Christ will not rule the nations with a rod of iron until his Parousia and final judgment. Chapter 5 provides a Baptist approach to Christ’s twofold kingship, and to do so the work of Jonathan Leeman and Andrew Walker (alongside others within the Baptist tradition) is considered. After making a case for Baptist covenantal and ecclesiological distinctives, it is shown how the different emphases of Leeman and Walker complement one another in developing a sound understanding of Christ’s twofold kingship. The biblical-theological methodology of Leeman (inflected toward ecclesiology) works well with the systematic-philosophical categories promoted by Walker (inflected toward ethics and public policy) combining for a robust political theology. Chapter 6 concludes the study by reviewing and reinforcing the need for Baptists to have a coherent and consistent theology to rightly define and apply Christ’s twofold kingship, encouraging Baptists to learn from our rich heritage as we seek to be faithful in our own day in both the church and the public square
The Shiraz Controversy: Henry Martyn, Crucicentric Conversionism, and Islam 1811–12
Full text linkWhile translating the New Testament in Shiraz, Persia, in 1811–12, East India Company chaplain Henry Martyn (1781–1812) also composed three Persian tracts—the Shiraz Controversy—which presented Evangelical Christianity to Muslim scholars. Although contemporary Muslim scholars and the Persian shah read Martyn’s tracts, recent scholarship has neglected the context and content of the Shiraz Controversy. In this early Evangelical encounter with Islam, Martyn drew from the past while contributing to the development of Christian-Muslim dialogue. I argue that in the Shiraz Controversy, Martyn pioneered a shift in Christian-Muslim dialogue by integrating an emphasis on crucicentric and new birth conversionism, even while drawing from arguments reaching back to the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. This thesis is argued across nine chapters. The first chapter identifies the research questions and thesis of this dissertation. Chapters 2–4 set the background for Martyn’s Shiraz Controversy. The second chapter surveys the use of the doctrines of the cross and conversion in Christian dialogue with Muslims prior to Martyn’s ministry. Chapter 3 argues that the doctrines of the cross and conversion played a central role in Martyn’s life, journals, and letters. Chapter 4 evaluates the political, religious, and social context of Shiraz in the early nineteenth century. Chapters 5–7 take up each of Martyn’s three Persian tracts. Here the Persian tracts are outlined and explicated to show the role of crucicentric and new birth conversionism in each. Chapter 8 studies the legacy of Martyn’s Shiraz Controversy and draws implications for the discussion of conversion in missiology today. Chapter 9 summarizes the argument of this dissertation and identifies areas for further study
Laborers in God's Vineyard: William Kiffen and the Formation of Seventeenth-Century Particular Baptist Associations
Full text linkWilliam Kiffen quickly became a leader among Particular Baptists in mid-seventeenth-century England. His role among them brings clarification for why Baptists decided to start associations. This dissertation seeks to demonstrate that Kiffen saw his work as a local church pastor to necessarily include working with other Particular Baptist pastors and churches, leading him to a place of revered ministerial authority among the churches. For Kiffen, his associational role did not contradict his understanding of congregational church government but rather complemented it. Chapter 1 is an introduction which includes a summary of Kiffen research, demonstrating the need to highlight his associational work. Chapter 2 is a discussion on the scholarship surrounding the formation of Particular Baptist associations, assessing the work of W. T. Whitley, Robert Torbet, Hugh Wamble, B. R. White, and Ian Birch. Birch agrees with Wamble and White that the Particular Baptists were influenced not by Cromwell’s New Model Army but rather the ecclesiology of Henry Jacob. The Jacob theory makes more sense of the historical data. In addition, this chapter examines the influence of other traditions on the formation of Particular Baptist associations. Chapter 3 is an investigation of the roles of Henry Jessey and Kiffen as the two key leaders of early Particular Baptist associational life. This chapter also includes a critical analysis of Matthew Bingham’s thesis about early Baptist identity. Chapter 4 is an exposition of article 47 of the First London Confession, which reflects early Particular Baptist thought on associations. Kiffen spearheaded the composition of this Confession, leading Particular Baptists to think of all their churches as one body in Christ, who all needed one another to thrive. Chapter 5 is a survey and analysis of Kiffen as a model of associational work throughout the middle decades of the seventeenth century. This chapter ultimately shows Kiffen living out his London Confession beliefs and demonstrates his prominent role among Particular Baptist brethren. Chapter 6 is an exposition of the Second London Confession’s 26.14–15, which reflects Kiffen’s mature doctrine of association. The Particular Baptists believed there would be occasions where it was necessary to give counsel and help to one another through messengers, and they saw their associations as being to their own advantage. Chapter 7 concludes with a summary of Kiffen’s role and suggestions for future research
Strengthening Alvin Plantinga’s Felix Culpa Theodicy Through the Addition of Eschatological Hope
Full text linkAlvin Plantinga’s O Felix Culpa theodicy posits that worlds with incarnation and atonement are of maximal value, inherently containing evil as a necessary condition. While Plantinga’s Free Will Defense has garnered extensive analysis, his theodicy remains underexplored. This dissertation presents O Felix Culpa as cogent and biblical, yet requiring enhancement to be persuasive and pastorally helpful. The core of Plantinga’s argument is that incarnation and atonement are infinite goods, but their infinite nature is not their sole good-making property. The eternal state of these goods amplifies their value, culminating in an ultimate infinite good: the redeemed in heaven fully comprehending God’s love for eternity, evidenced by Christ’s visible incarnation and atonement (Rev 5:5–6). By integrating inaugurated eschatology, this work frames suffering within a kingdom both “already” present and “not yet” complete, addressing critiques from scholars like Marilyn McCord Adams and Kevin Diller. Eschatological hope answers objections by alleviating individual suffering through the assurance of temporary pain and eternal restoration (2 Cor 4:17–18). This synthesis transforms O Felix Culpa into a dynamic, biblically grounded response to the Problem of Evil, offering immediate comfort and future hope resonant with the lived experience of faith in Jesus
Developing a Spiritual Revitalization Resource for the Mennonite Brethren Pastors in British Columbia, Canada
Full text linkThis ministry project was designed to bring revitalization to the British Columbia Mennonite Brethren churches by providing resources to the pastors that focused on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture meditation, and Sabbath. Chapter 1 outlines the project’s methodology, rationale, purpose, goals, and limitations. Chapter 2 provides a biblical foundation for these three spiritual disciplines by looking at Matthew 6:7–13 where Jesus provides his disciples with a model of prayer. The text from Psalm 1 is used as a biblical foundation for Scripture meditation. The passage from Matthew 12:1–12 forms the basis to show the benefits and biblical principles of regularly observing a day of rest. Chapter 3 provides the theoretical, practical, and historical issues related to prayer, Scripture meditation, and Sabbath within the Anabaptist, specifically Mennonite Brethren context. Chapter 4 details the planning, preparation, and implementation of the ministry project as well as a summary of the curriculum. Chapter 5 contains an assessment of the project, evaluating the purpose and goals, as well as assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the project. The chapter concludes by offering reflections on future changes and theological and personal reflections
Theological Training in the Area of Christology for Ministry Leaders at Nuʻuanu Baptist Church in Honolulu, Hawaii
Full text linkThis project provided theological training at Nuʻuanu Baptist Church for leaders by developing and teaching a class on Christology. Chapter 1 assesses the ministry needs at Nuʻuanu Baptist Church and identifies a need for theological training in the area of Christology. Chapter 2 provides a biblical foundation for sound Christological confession. Chapter 3 provides a survey of Christological literature. Chapter 4 describes the project implementation of developing and teaching a curriculum on Christology for church leaders, and the methods used in assessing the effectiveness of the class study on the participants. Chapter 5 provides an evaluation of the project’s goals, methods, and ministry effectiveness
Native Knowing, Western Knowing, and Biblical Knowing: Developing an Integrated Epistemology for Missions
Full text linkSince the last half of the twentieth century, missiologists have recognized the need to shift away from Enlightenment epistemologies in order to develop contextualized missionary practices. Prominent missiologists Lesslie Newbigin, David Bosch, and Paul Hiebert applied Michael Polanyi’s shifts in scientific epistemology to missiology’s epistemology, but an explicitly biblical epistemology was not forthcoming. Dru Johnson has proposed an epistemology derived directly from Scripture which also corresponds to Polanyian principles. Though Johnson gives some general application of his epistemology to ministry, his work has not yet been specifically applied to missions and cross-cultural ministry. During this shift in missiological and biblical epistemologies, Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations scholars have been developing Native epistemologies to counter the West’s colonizing influence on their cultures. This dissertation seeks to integrate principles from Native knowledge systems with principles from Johnson’s biblical epistemology in order to develop an epistemological model that can be used in indigenous ministries worldwide. This culturally appropriate, biblically faithful model goes beyond the rationalism and empiricism of Western epistemology. Instead, it is founded upon the nature of humans as relational beings and extends to actions, beliefs, and values to create a holistic approach to knowing