Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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Equipping Undergraduates to Engage in Missional Apologetics at Broadway Baptist Church, Maryville, TN
Get PDFThis project is intended to equip undergraduates to engage in missional apologetics at Broadway Baptist Church in Maryville, TN. This is accomplished by implementing a strategic ministry plan to partner with campus ministries and equip their students through apologetics training. Chapter 1 describes both the context and the rationale for this project in detail. Chapters 2 and 3 contain exegetical, historical, and methodological warrant for the project. In chapter 2, the exegesis of 1 Peter 3:15 yields biblical principles which provide definition to the concept and practice of apologetics. The exegesis of Colossians 1:23–2:8 provides warrant for equipping undergraduates in the practice of apologetics. Chapter 3 is comprised of both the historical and methodological support for the project. First, the Apostolic model of apologetics described in chapter 2 is shown to have continued into later ages of the church’s history. Following that, an integrative method of apologetics that corresponds with the missional approach exemplified in Scripture and history is put forward.
Chapter 4 details the implementation of the project’s ministry plan and curriculum. Chapter 5 is an analysis of the data gathered during the weeks of implementation
The Eternal Spirit as the Superior Hyssop in Hebrews 9:14
Get PDFWhat precisely does the author of Hebrews refer to when he states that [Χριστὸς]... διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν ἄμωμον τῷ θεῷ? It is the contention of this paper that the New Testament hapax διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου in Hebrews 9:14 denotes the Holy Spirit. Moreover, this phrase describes the Spirit’s instrumental function as the applicator of the blood of Christ. The grammatical juxtaposition of διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου in 9:14, with “sprinkling” (ῥαντίζουσα) in 9:13, suggests that the Holy Spirit acts as the “superior hyssop branch” through which Christ offers his sacrifice to God. Furthermore, προσήνεγκεν is employed to describe Christ’s priestly “offering” in the heavenly Holy of Holies, which the author understood to be offered via a hyssop branch. Therefore, the prepositional phrase διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου which modifies προσήνεγκεν, naturally describes the Holy Spirit as the sacerdotal “instrument” through which Christ presents the benefits of his self-sacrifice to the Father
Integrating Faith and Reason in the Classroom at Mccallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Get PDFThe integration of faith and reason is necessary to equip the young men of McCallie to fully prepare them for life. From a biblical perspective, knowledge is tapered by truth and love. First Corinthians 8:1 speaks to what knowledge cannot do, but what love can: “We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant men, but love edifies.” Love is what the Christian is shown through Christ and the gospel. Without it, knowledge puffs up and people do not learn how to treat others, what to do with the knowledge they acquire, and even more, how to live a life that glorifies God. Understanding this emphasis allows one to truly be equipped to have a positive impact in the world. McCallie is committed to the spiritual growth of young men. As time passes, institutions may vacillate in their commitments. McCallie has not abandoned its Christian traditions; it still teaches Bible and has weekly chapel programs, a spiritual emphasis on campus, and Sunday church requirements for boarding students. Yet, in some ways, it no longer adheres to the idea that God’s Word should permeate every facet of education. To accomplish the goals set forth by the founders, integration of faith and reason has to be a part of the process.
Integrating faith and reason allows a student to begin developing a comprehensive worldview that brings together the academic and spiritual. Arthur Holmes, a philosophy professor at Wheaton College, “believed that operating from the standpoint of religious faith enabled one to develop a comprehensive worldview that would unite all knowledge and experience into a coherent, rationally persuasive picture of reality.” Faith helps bring this picture of reality together for people. Education does a disservice to students if it does not find a way to bring together all the facets of faith, worldviews, and reason. This is why integrating faith and reason in all academic settings is so important: it provides context for life.
There are good reasons for the McCallie administration to integrate faith and reason in all classroom settings, and it is up to them to set a vision for the school. The chaplain’s office is a natural place to begin the discussion because it observes the spiritual life of the community
The Biblical Role of Beauty in Spiritual Formation Applied to the Christian High School Classroom
Get PDFThis thesis develops a conceptual framework for understanding the relevance of beauty in the spiritual formation of contemporary high school students, and then this thesis surveys some practical applications of that framework. Chapter 2 defends the objectivity of beauty as necessary to hermeneutics and worldview. Chapter 3 surveys the literary features of the Bible and the Hebrew and Greek lexemes that are translated to mean something approximate to beauty. These surveys stress the importance of beauty to an accurate understanding of God’s attributes. Chapter 4 argues that beauty has moral implications. In this argument, the chapter asserts: (1) beauty is a gift of common grace, and (2) holiness is the beautiful and proper response to grace. The final chapter offers an overview of some ways that this framework can be applied to the classroom through the methods of the teacher, the culture of the school, and the practice of spiritual disciplines
Spiritual Formation in the Context of Seminary-Level Distance Competency-Based Theological Education
Get PDFThe seminary endeavor has transitioned from a primarily residential full-time undertaking to a project assumed by individuals in a multiplicity of life-stages and in less traditional and less-residency-oriented formats. The burgeoning modality of competency-based theological education (CBTE) may offer an alternate approach to traditional face-to-face or online-model seminary training. This thesis aims, through a mixed methods study, to consider possible best practices in the area of spiritual formation in the context of seminary-level competency-based theological education. This study examines best practices at the three seminaries with established CBTE programs in the Association of Theological Schools
The Laying On of Hands As a Paradigm for Ecclesiastical Ordination: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Study
Get PDFThe tradition of the laying on of hands (LOH) can be ambiguous in both essence and practice. Further, the contemporary evangelical church and the academy lack a robust understanding its significance in both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The goal of this work is threefold: (1) to clarify the essence of the LOH, (2) to clarify the relationship between the LOH and ordination, and (3) to demonstrate that the LOH for ordination has both scriptural and historical precedents. This thesis argues that the Bible presents the LOH as a paradigm for ecclesiastical ordination, establishing it as an essential aspect of polity. A theological retrieval of John Calvin’s view of the LOH for ordination demonstrates historical precedent and further bolsters the above claim. My findings are threefold: (1) the LOH is a symbolic expression, (2) the LOH is external and communal, and (3) the LOH brings order to church governance and church life
Equipping Ministry Leaders for more Effective Ministry at Ridgedale Church of Knoxville, Tennessee
Get PDFThis project sought to understand how pastors can train ministry leaders to build effective ministries. Chapter 1 describes Ridgedale Church’s ministry context and the project’s goals. Chapter 2 examines the biblical rationale for implementing an equipping program by examining Matthew’s call to go make disciples (Matt 28:18-20) while utilizing the body of Christ to fulfill this commandment (Rom 12:3-8; Eph 4:11-16). Chapter 3 explores the theological and practical aspects of equipping ministry leaders. Chapter 4 describes the process of developing an equipping process and putting it into action at Ridgedale Church. Chapter 5 assesses the project’s effectiveness in relation to the stated objectives
Practicing Biblical Stewardship As a Means to Disciple Adolescents in the Youth Sports Culture
No full textD.Min., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016This restricted item is available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary through the URI below
Increasing the Confidence of Small Group Leaders in Bible Teaching at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Virginia
Get PDFThis project seeks to increase the confidence of small group leaders at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church in Glen Allen, VA in Bible teaching. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of SMRBC and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides exegesis of five passages of Scripture (Eph 4:11–12; 2 Tim 2:15; 2 Tim 2:1–2; Matt 28:18–20; Heb 13:7) to show that training believers in Bible study and teaching is necessary for discipleship in a local church. Chapter 3 presents the abundance of resources available to train small group leaders to effectively study and teach the scriptures. 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. The fulfillment of this project will increase the confidence of small group leaders at SMRBC to study and teach God's word so that the members of our church will know the truth of God and love others according to his truth
"The Fountain of Life": John Gill’s Doctrine of Christ's Eternal Sonship
Get PDFJohn Gill believed that without the doctrine of eternal generation the doctrine of the Trinity could not be upheld. For Gill, this doctrine provided the foundation for the distinctions between the persons within the Godhead and evinced the Son’s divine nature. Both of these aspects of Gill’s doctrine of eternal generation were crucial in defending the doctrine of the Trinity in opposition to Socinianism and a resurging Sabellianism. While Gill’s doctrine of the Trinity and eternal generation belonged within the Nicene tradition, he followed Calvin’s understanding of the Son as autotheos that led him away from the Nicene tradition’s dominant formulation of eternal generation as a communication of the divine essence from the Father to the Son. Gill, in reaction to the anti-Trinitarian context of his day, opted for Calvin’s definition, arguing that the Son, just as much as the Father, is the fons Deitatis. While Gill’s doctrine of aseity, as it related to generation, took a narrow turn in what could be described a “Calvinistic” direction, he adopted a familiar understanding of the Son as the divine Word by way of the mental analogy. The Son’s designation as the Image and Wisdom of God further advanced his understanding of the Son as the Word—a name he believed pointed to the Son’s consubstantiality and personal distinction. Gill also applied the Son’s identification as the Word to the Son’s works in creation and salvation, taking his understanding of this name in a Reformed direction by appropriating it into his covenant theology