Boyce Digital Repository (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
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Who Says That God Loves the World? A Historical Argument to Identify the Ambiguous Speakers in John 3
Get PDFThis dissertation examines and catalogues the history of interpretation of the ambiguous speakers in John 3:16-21 and 3:31-36. The history of interpretation leads to the conclusion that the passages are best understood as spoken by Jesus, not the Evangelist. Chapter 1 introduces the topic and the disagreement within modern scholarship regarding the speakers.Part one contains the history of interpretation proper. Chapter 2 investigates the early Christian era including the second through sixth centuries. Authors throughout this period tend to identify Jesus as speaking in 3:16-21 and Jesus or the Baptist as speaking in 3:31-36. Few identify the Evangelist as speaking in one or both passages. In addition to this common interpretation, authors also correlate the identity of the speaker to a christological focus: Jesus/the Baptist is speaking when the focus is on the incarnation and the Evangelist is speaking when the focus is on the crucifixion.
Chapter 3 covers the medieval era and demonstrates a continuation of the findings from the previous period. Although slightly more authors identify the Evangelist as speaking, the correlation between speaker and christological focus remains in most cases. The exceptions are relegated to 3:31-36; no authors break the correlation with regard to 3:16-21.
Chapter 4 discusses the Reformation era and the new focus on the role of the Evangelist. Although these authors stress the importance of the Evangelist’s hand at work, the vast majority still attribute the words of both passages to either Jesus or the Baptist. Again, those that attribute the words to the Evangelist himself do so while discussing the crucifixion. Even in the Reformation era, authors still interpret 3:31-36 as the words of Jesus, although this phenomenon has become far less frequent. At the end of chapter 4, the early modern era comes into focus and shatters the established correlation. Several authors within a small time period attribute the words of 3:16-21 to Jesus while discussing the crucifixion.
Chapter 5 explores the modern discussion on these ambiguous speakers and demonstrates that scholars agree very little as to the identity of the speaker in either passage. Using various methods and coming from various ideological backgrounds, scholars arrive at similar conclusions. Conversely, scholars coming from the same backgrounds or applying the same methods might arrive at vastly different conclusions. For this reason, the connection between the theological focus and the identity of the speakers is of utmost importance.
Part two argues that both passages in John 3 should be attributes to Jesus in order to make the best sense of the theological focus of the chapter. Chapter 6 places John 3 within the larger context of the Book of Signs and the Gospel of John as a whole. By examining John’s larger rhetorical strategy, it becomes clear that John 3 is best understood as focused on the incarnation of the Christ and the testimony regarding Jesus’ self-revelation.
Chapter 7 offers a reinterpretation of John 3 with Jesus as the speaker. It examines both positive arguments for this reading as well as the negative arguments against it, and concludes that this reading best explains that God demonstrates his love for the world through giving his Son in the incarnation. Chapter 8 concludes the dissertation with a recapitulation of the arguments and a brief discussion on areas of further study
Incorporating Soul Care into the Membership Process at Clifton Park Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland
Get PDFD.Ed.Min., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020This project sought to incorporate soul care into the membership process at Clifton Park Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. Chapter 1 presents the ministry context of Clifton Park and the purpose, rationale, and goals of the project. Chapter 2 provides the biblical basis for the project, which is grounded in Jesus’ ministry actions in Matthew 9:35-36 and in His declaration in Luke 5:31 that the sick need a physician. The project also finds support in Jesus’ soul care actions in John 4:1-42 and in Luke 8:40-48 and 19:1-10, and in His soul care mandate in John 13:1-17. Chapter 3 presents the need for soul care in churches, presenting the why of the approach, and provides direction in how the church can prepare itself to perform this ministry. Chapter 4 provides the timeline for the project and the specific actions needed to bring it to fruition. Chapter 5 evaluates the project based on the completion of the goals and the stated purpose for its implementation. It is hoped that this project can help to create a soul care way of being within and outside the walls of Clifton Park Baptist Church
Soul Care and Discipleship for Missionary Kids Through the World Mission Department in University Bible Fellowship
Get PDFThis project seeks to encourage missionary children (MKs) and Third Culture Kids (TCKs) in University Bible Fellowship through the biblical soul care and discipleship during the MK camp. Chapter 1 introduces the ministry context of University Bible Fellowship, the rationale for the Asian MK care, and its goals. Chapter 2 provides the theological basis for MK care and discipleship through the exegesis of Matthew 22:35-40, 28:18-20, and 1 Peter 1:1-12. Chapter 3 explains MK care's biblical foundation and methodology for presenting issues: the identity, the sense of loss and belonging, and the conflict resolution. Chapter 4 details curriculum, the process of caring, and discipleship for MKs through teaching and administering a pre-and post-series survey. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project, suggesting further development. Comprehensive biblical soul care can provide MKs comfort and a hopeful purpose to grow in wisdom and Christlikeness through family and Christian fellowship
Equipping Fathers of Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Shepherd Their Families in Accordance with the Bible
Get PDFThis project seeks to equip fathers of Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee to shepherd their families in accordance with the Bible. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry of Beaver Dam Baptist Church and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides exegesis of four passages of Scripture (Gen 1-2; Ps 112; Eph 5:25-33, and Eph 6:1-4) for the purpose of gleaning their instructions for being a godly father. Chapter 3 presents the practical implications for fathers who live accordingly to the biblical standard. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, recounting the content and teaching methodology of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficiency of the project based on completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project seeks to equip Christian fathers with the confidence and competency to minister to their families with the truth of the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ
Establishing the New Member Assimilation Process of Airport Baptist Church, Greer, South Carolina
Get PDFThe purpose of this project was to establish the assimilation process of Airport Baptist Church by introducing changes that will ultimately result in an increase in the number of new members actively participating in the mission of the church. The first chapter is an introduction to Airport Baptist Church, its pastor and people, and the potential opportunities to impact its community. Chapter 2 provides an exegetical study of several Old and New Testament examples of God’s people encountering and assimilating outsiders. Common challenges to, as well as best practices for, assimilation are described in chapter 3. Chapter 4 is a review of the process whereby the project was conducted, and chapter 5 contains my evaluation of the project
Introducing Leaders to Biblical Counseling at Mount Ararat Bible Church in Northridge, California
Get PDFDMin. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020This project seeks to introduce leaders to biblical counseling at Mount Ararat Bible Church (MABC) in Northridge, California. Chapter 1 describes the ministry context of MABC and the goals of the project. Chapter 2 establishes the centrality of the heart in biblical counseling through four passages of Scripture (Mark 7:14-23; Jas 4:1-4; 2 Cor 5:11-21; Gal 5:16-25). Chapter 3 examines the priority of addressing the heart in biblical counseling by focusing on the priority of the sufficiency of Scripture, community, and the implications of the gospel to sin and suffering. Chapter 4 describes the 8-week curriculum called “The Fundamentals of Christ-Centered Change.” Chapter 5 examines the effectiveness of the curriculum. The overall focus of the project was to introduce biblical counseling to those unfamiliar with it, so they can understand that God’s Word provides help and hope to the sin and suffering that all people face in life
Developing Church Membership at Rock Valley Bible Church in Loves Park, Illinois
Get PDFThis project was designed to develop an understanding of church membership at Rock Valley Bible Church in Loves Park, Illinois. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of Rock Valley Bible Church and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides exegesis of five passages of Scripture (Matt 18:15-17; Acts 20:28; Phi 1:5; Heb 10:24-25; 13:17). The passages show that the clear call of the New Testament is for believers in Jesus Christ to identify themselves with a local congregation, where they can submit to the leaders, assemble with other believers and serve one another with their gifts. Chapter 3 presents the practices of church membership throughout the history of the church along with an argument that today’s litigious context is a clarion call for churches today to have a clear church membership practice. 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 the completion of the specified goals. Ultimately, this project presents a blue-print for implementing a formal church membership
Training Members at the First Baptist Church of Nacogdoches, Texas, in the Use of Spiritual Disciplines for the Mortification of Persistent Sin
Get PDFD.Min., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020This project is designed to train members at the First Baptist Church of Nacogdoches, Texas, in the use of select spiritual disciplines for the mortification of persistent sin. The process will begin with an assessment to determine the members’ engagement with spiritual disciplines and their struggle with persistent sin. A six-week message series with accompanying devotions and discussion guides will be created and taught to increase their knowledge and impact their behavior in respect to the spiritual disciplines and persistent sin.
Chapter 1 introduces the project by reviewing the ministry context of FBCNac and exploring the rationale, purpose, goals, research methodology, definitions, and delimitations of the project. The next chapter provides the biblical and theological basis for sanctification, mortification and the spiritual disciplines. Chapter 3 addresses the specific approaches pastors and authors have utilized through the years to connect mortification and the spiritual disciplines. Chapter 4 outlines the project. Chapter 5 includes an evaluation of the project with suggestions for further development. Appendices include surveys, sermon outlines, evaluation rubrics, and a bibliography
Leading Ezekiel Baptist Church In Philadelphia Pennsylvania From Congregation To Community
Get PDFLEADING EZEKIEL BAPTIST CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, FROM
CONGREGATION TO COMMUNITY
Brian David King, Sr., DEdMinThe Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Matthew D. Haste
The purpose of this research was to lead Ezekiel Baptist from a congregation to a community. The research showed that by introducing Scripture to select members of Ezekiel Baptist Church, their beliefs would change, thus beginning the transformation of becoming a community.Chapter 1 details the introduction to the research. Chapter 2 describes a theological review of Acts 2:42-47. Chapter 3 details how a Christian community lives by focusing on the unique roles of a leader and follower. Chapter 4 describes the process of obtaining information from ten participants. Chapter 5 explains the strength and weaknesses of the project
Missional Competencies of Christian Teachers Engaged in Public Education: A Quantitative Study
Get PDFThe intent of this descriptive quantitative study was to examine the missional competencies that Christian teachers in public education exhibit as they seek to leverage their Christian witness in the workplace. The research questions this study sought to answer were as follows: (1) What Christian activities do Christians in public education engage to leverage their Christian witness? (2) What missional competencies do Christians in public education possess? The data for this quantitative study was gathered through online surveys that were accessed through social media targeted ads. For data analysis, the mean was first calculated to understand the frequency of behaviors that were indicative of the competencies being measured. Following this analysis, data was analyzed using a chi-squared test to determine if there was any statistically significant relationship between the demographic data and the missional behaviors identified. Finally, when a statistically significant relationship was identified, a linear regression test was performed to determine the strength of the correlation within the demographics and missional behaviors