Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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The New Authority of the Resurrected Jesus in the Gospels
Get PDFFollowing the evangelists’ emphases in characterizing Jesus, a study of all four resurrection accounts reveals two major themes, namely, that Jesus is (1) the same person as before and (2) one with great and expanded authority. This thesis will focus on the latter point and seek to answer in what ways his authority is new. I will argue that the Risen Jesus’s authority is new (1) in that it is now “in heaven” as well as “on earth” (Matt 28:18; cf. Matt 9:6)—that is, that it is universal and global—and (2) in that he exercises new control over his body. After considering some of the implications for the body of Jesus, I will argue that these two points are related: Jesus’s universal authority which he exercises in his humanity, in heaven, and after the ascension is enabled by his resurrected body and the extraordinary power he has over it
Developing a Church Revitalization Plan for Immanuel Baptist Church in Petersburg, Indiana
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to develop a group revitalization program for Immanuel Baptist Church in Petersburg, Indiana. Chapter one explains existing conditions, need for revitalization, and reasons for choosing a group revitalization program. Chapter two states the biblical basis for group revitalization. Working in community is supported by Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 teaching that two are better than one, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 teaching that Christians are members of the body of Christ, and Ephesians 4:1-16 teaching that spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. Chapter three presents the educational benefits and efficiencies of group revitalization followed by examples of current literature by the working community on church revitalization. Chapter three concludes with the sociological and psychological support for group revitalization. Chapter four describes the implementation of the project. Chapter five evaluates the project and makes conclusions on the successfulness of the project
"The Bond of Union": Yankee Protestantism, National Ambition, and the Erie Canal, 1817–1851
Get PDFNew York Protestants modified their faith to address the social conditions wrought by the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal was a triumph of early republic engineering, and New Yorkers interpreted the process of organizing, building, and celebrating its construction with nationalistic fervor. In their minds, the accomplishment vindicated the early republic. The religious convictions of New Yorkers had an additional impact. Because New Yorkers inherited their theological categories from New England, they interpreted the experience through the lens of providence. For them, the canal confirmed both the legitimacy of the young nation and New Yorkers’ unique place in history. So, when the moral degradation wrought as the western frontier rapidly urbanized, New Yorkers organized dense networks of reform societies to address the perceived moral decline. Network analysis demonstrated that these societies were not bourgeois efforts, even though they were a “united front.” Instead, the ordinary New Yorkers who had contributed to bond markets to construct the canal also contributed to reform societies. This effort reflexively changed New York Protestantism by reinforcing voluntarism and generating the marketization of Yankee evangelicalism
Evaluating and Improving Self-Control Through the Renewal Ministry at West Park Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee
Get PDFThe project was designed to evaluate self-control and identify steps to strengthen this spiritual attribute. The presence of life-dominating sins is a key indication that self-control is lacking and requires strengthening.Chapter 1 presents the purpose, goals, context, rationale, definitions, and limitations of the project in the context of addressing enslaving habitual sins.
Chapter 2 discusses biblical and theological perspectives on self-control in Scripture. The chapter explores a model of self-control focused on self-denial and self-discipline.
Chapter 3 explores how the church has addressed enslaving sins through self-control. This chapter also explores secular alternatives deployed to address self-control.
Chapter 4 presents recommendations on how to implement this project within a local church or ministry context.
Chapter 5 provides an evaluation of the project goals, along with modifications to strengthen the project for future use
Leading Cultural Change in the Established Church Through Preaching: Select Discourses from the Teaching Ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
Get PDFThis thesis argues that pastors can reshape an established church’s evangelistic culture by utilizing the teaching methods of Jesus. Chapter 1 provides an overview of organizational culture and how cultures are shaped and reshaped. Chapter 2 exegetes Luke 11:1-13, examining how Jesus used direct instruction to reshape the established religious culture and showing how this method can be used to reshape evangelistic culture in the church. Chapter 3 describes how Jesus used confrontation to reshape established religious understandings about the law of God and examines how confrontation can be used to reshape evangelistic culture in the church. Chapter 4 examines how Jesus set high expectations for his followers to help them advance the mission of God and makes application for how pastors can do the same. Finally, chapter 5 offers broader implications for the church and demonstrates the need for further research
Foreign Language Acquisition among Children with Down Syndrome: A Precedent Study for Christian Schools
Get PDFEd.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022Children with Down syndrome are largely excluded from the foreign language classroom, and no research exists documenting their abilities to learn a foreign language. Research is needed to demonstrate the abilities of children with Down syndrome to learn a foreign language so that they might be included in the foreign language classroom along with their typically developing peers and be afforded the same benefits of learning a second language. This exploratory mixed methods multiple case study is the first to document the participation of elementary-aged children with Down syndrome in a foreign language class and to measure the receptive and expressive lexical acquisition of Spanish as a foreign language in students with Down syndrome. In the first phase, students underwent a six-week Spanish intervention. In the second phase vocabulary assessments based off of the Spanish intervention curriculum were developed and in the third phase participants were assessed on their expressive and receptive Spanish vocabulary using standardized assessments and the instrumentation developed in stage two. All students demonstrated measurable evidence of Spanish vocabulary acquisition, with receptive acquisition exceeding expressive, and exposure to a foreign language did not appear to impact L1 vocabulary development. Additionally, maternal education, L1 receptive ability, performance on a nonword repetition task, and L1 expressive ability were found to significantly correlate with FL acquisition. Finally, the qualitative and quantitative data was combined to provide an overall language acquisition profile of each child who participated in the multiple case study. Implications for children with Down syndrome, foreign language teachers, school administrators and other professionals, and Christian schools are discussed
Teaching the Redemptive Story of the Bible to Increase Biblical Literacy at Brainard Avenue Baptist Church in Countryside, Illinois
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to teach the redemptive story of the Bible to increase biblical literacy at Brainard Avenue Baptist Church in Countryside, Illinois. Chapter 1 summarizes the context of the church, states the rationale for the project, and lists the goals of the project. Chapter 2 explains the biblical basis for the project, focusing on a several significant New Testament passages. Chapter 3 describes the role of habits in developing biblical literacy. Chapter 4 outlines the project and describes how it was implemented. Chapter 5 evaluates the project as a whole and whether the project successfully met its goals
Factors Relating to Diminished Confidence in Core Christian Doctrines among Students in Private Colleges and Universities: a Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFThe purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine areas where students attending private colleges or universities found themselves least equipped to defend core Christian doctrines of the faith to define areas that churches and parents can better partner in equipping young adults with apologetic and foundational truths. Based on a review of significant texts, research reports that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of young adults spiritually decline and disengage from the church. With this in mind, the research of this study examined the factors relating to the diminishment in confidence of core Christian doctrines among college students in private colleges and universities.
Using a short Christian orthodoxy scale that consisted of six questions foundational to Christian belief, quantitative data was collected from college seniors or recent graduates of private higher educational institutions based on the core Christian beliefs they held when they entered college compared to beliefs when the graduated from college. Using a dependent t-test, the results of this study this study report a significant decrease in confidence of core Christian doctrines among college students in private colleges or universities. The exception were students who attended a Christian college or university where the research of this study did not report a significant decrease of confidence in core Christian doctrines during their college years.
College students attending private schools reported eleven major religious themes that were difficult to believe or defend. These themes included issues surrounding theodicy, God, gender roles, the Bible, Jesus, faith, knowledge, creation, the spiritual realm, free will, the church, and morality. Core Christian doctrines that had the greatest diminishment during the college years are the following, in descending order: (1) the Bible was inspired by God; (2) Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God; (3) God is aware of people’s personal actions; (4) Jesus was crucified, died, and buried but arose from the dead on the third day; (5) God is not an old superstition; (6) God provided a way for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus.
The qualitative research process consisted of six interviews for illustrative purposes. The follow-up interview consisted of three sections that included (1) two questions regarding beliefs about God or religion that are difficult to defend, (2) one question about religious activities the respondent and their parents practiced in their home, and (3) two questions regarding church resources for in-home discipleship.
KEYWORDS: faith; foundation; diminished confidence; Christian doctrines; private college; private university; church dropout; moralistic therapeutic deism; Christian formation; faith development, Christian Smith, Short Christian Orthodoxy Scal
The Congregation’s Understanding of Worship at Pisgah Presbyterian Church, Versailles, Ky
Get PDFD. Ed. Min., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2021This project was designed to discover the congregation’s understanding of worship at Pisgah Presbyterian Church in Versailles, KY. It contains five chapters: chapter 1 presents an introduction to this project. Chapter 2 presents three passages (Ps 8, Deut 6:49, and John 16:1215) as the biblical and theological basis for this project. To accomplish the purpose of this project, that is to discover the congregation’s understanding of worship at Pisgah Presbyterian Church, chapter 3 focuses on overviewing two Reformers’ views of the worship of God (John Calvin and John Knox) because of their strong historical connection to the making of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Chapter 4 describes how this project was carried out in detail, while chapter 5 provides an evaluation of this project
Introducing Biblical Counseling at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, Florida
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to introduce members at Hickory Grove Baptist Church of Green Cove Springs, Florida to biblical counseling. Chapter 1 introduces the project by presenting its purpose, goals, rationale, definitions, limitations, delimitations, and research methodology. Chapter 2 focuses on the biblical and theological foundations for a biblical counseling ministry. Chapter 3 concentrates on the fundamental components of a biblical counseling ministry, specifically related to problems associated with sorrow and grief. Chapter 4 describes the development and implementation of the six-week “Introduction to Biblical Counseling” seminar curriculum taught at Hickory Grove Baptist Church of Green Cove Springs, Florida. Chapter 5 provides an evaluation of the project, including strengths, weaknesses, theological reflections, and personal reflections