5,777 research outputs found
The Christian ministry : case studies of preachers of the Churches of Christ in Bicol, Philippines
No full textThis thesis examines the challenges faced by the ministers of religion in Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement) in Bicol, Philippines. The goal is to do theology from below, not from above, as pastoral ministry must come from the experience of those who practice it, not from textbooks. The pastoral perspectives of the dilemmas that the ministers raise are heard, observed, documented, and then reflected upon. To do this, case studies of four preachers are used and the mga problema that they present are explored with them.
As a result, first, I introduce some of those challenges which are perplexing on the ground level and which appear to be under-researched in serious theological circles, especially in an Asian context. Second, I hope that these case studies can be used to stimulate reflection in ministerial and spiritual formation. Third, I document some of the theology and methodology of the Churches of Christ, particularly as practiced in the Philippines.
Chapter 1 explores the dichotomy between the perceived satisfaction in the pastoral ministry with the crisis of role and identity. In particular, issues such as forced exits and stress are presented while baptism and preaching are scrutinized. Chapter 2 centres on the conundrums experienced in planting a new church and being the lone planter. Chapter 3 examines three challenges–the task of ministering in a home congregation, the issue of accreditation in ministerial training, and how the minister can be a success and grow the church. Never far from the thoughts and actions of any of the Bicolano ministers is the problema of poverty, so Chapter 4 considers some of the Filipino, personal, and spiritual complexities of poverty, delineates a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration in any effort to overcome this malady and concludes with a particular reference to ministry
Harmony and discord within the English ‘counter-culture’, 1965-1975, with particular reference to the ‘rock operas’ Hair, Godspell, Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar
No full textPhDThis thesis considers the discrete, historically-specific theatrical and musical sub-genre of ‘Rock Opera’ as a lens through which to examine the cultural, political and social changes that are widely assumed to have characterised ‘The Sixties’ in Britain. The musical and dramatic texts, creation and production of Hair (1967), Tommy (1969), Godspell (1971), Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) and other neglected ‘Rock Operas’ of the period are analysed. Their great popularity with ‘mainstream’ audiences is considered and contrasted with the overwhelmingly negative and often internally contradictory reaction towards them from the English ‘counter-culture’. This examination offers new insights into both the ‘counter-culture’ and the ‘mainstream’ against which it claimed to define and differentiate itself.
The four ‘Rock Operas’, two of which are based upon Christian scriptures, are considered as narratives of spiritual quest. The relationship between the often controversial quests for re-defined forms of faith and the apparently precipitous ‘secularization’ and ‘de-Christianization’ of British society during the 1960s and 1970s is considered.
The thesis therefore analyses the ‘Rock Operas’ as significant, enlightening prisms through which to view many of the profound societal debates – over ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in the widest senses, sexuality, the Vietnam war, generational conflict, drugs and ‘spiritual enlightenment’, and race – which were, to some considerable extent, elevated onto the national, political agenda by the activities of the broadly-defined ‘counter-culture’. It considers subsequent representations of the ‘counter-culture’ as the root of a contested but enduring popular legacy of ‘The Sixties' as a period of profound cultural change
Arcade Britannia
No full textThree-person exhibition titled Arcade Britannia at the Daphne Oram Gallery, Canterbury Christchurch University (6 March - 21 April, 2023).
Stephen Clarke’s contribution: exhibition development; twenty black&white photographic prints of the seaside resorts of Blackpool and Rhyl; display of Stephen Clarke’s photozine titled Blackpool 1980s - 1990s (2023) published by Café Royal Books; text panel; short article for Canterbury Christ Church University blog titled Change Always Given: Holidays and Slot Machines (posted 4 April, 2023); presentation of photographic work to an audience online with Alan Meades and Rob Ball (19 April 2023); attendance at public ‘meet the photographer’ event at Daphne Oram Gallery, Canterbury Christ Church University (22 April 2023). The photozine Blackpool 1980s - 1990s (2023: CRB) was available for sale in the University Bookshop.An exhibition looking at the amusement arcade in British popular culture. It was proposed by Dr Alan Meades (Canterbury Christ Church University), author of a history of the British arcade from the 1800s to the present: Arcade Britannia (2022, MIT Press). The exhibition was developed by Alan Meades, Rob Ball (Canterbury Christ Church University) and Stephen Clarke. Clarke contributed twenty black&white photographs taken in the 1980s and 1990s of the seaside resorts of Blackpool and Rhyl. These photographs are part of his ongoing project about the British seaside. Many of the prints included were being exhibited for the first time; some works had been previously published by Café Royal Books
Best recipes from the Womens' Auxiliary of the Lutheran Church of Christ
No full textInconsistencies in page numbering and recipe type in the "Cakes, frostings, and fillings" section
Communion with Christ and Christian community in 1 Corinthians: a study of Paul's concept of Koinonia
No full textAlthough the concept of χοιυωυια occurs only twice in 1 Corinthians (1:9 and 10:16), each of these two occurrences appears to be highly significant not only for the context in each case but also generally with reference to the character of the Apostle's argumentation in this epistle. In the first passage, which has almost entirely been neglected so far in the many scholarly contributions to the subject of χοιυωυια, the term occurs in the summarizing climax of the letter-opening (1 Cor 1:1-9) which is remarkably packed with theological and christological statements and which is structured by a laudatory description of God's wonderful works in the Corinthians' lives in past (vvA-6) present (v.7a) and future (vv.7b-8). The basic message which Paul wants his addressees to comprehend right from the beginning and which - according to the epistolary I P function of these nine verses - reveals his approach to their many serious problems, culminates in the concept of χοιυωυια, in the salvific communion with Christ crucified, God's Son, their risen Lord, a communion into which they had been called once-for-alI and where God's faithfulness continually preserved them until the end. The other instance in 1 Cor 10:16 is not a Pauline formulation but a presumably catechetical tradition on the Lord's Supper which the Apostle quoted and employed as an argument in the course of his lengthy discussion of the problem of idol-meat (1 Cor 8:1-11:1). Because of the communion (χοιυωυια) with the body and blood of Christ, i.e. the inclusive involvement into Christ's death and resurrection as it is tangibly expressed in the celebration of the Eucharist, any other competing relationships and meal fellowships with idols are necessarily excluded. So, in both cases of χοιυωυια in 1 Corinthians the concept is not an ecclesiological term but rather emphasizes the communion with Christ as the constant constitutive condition of the Christians' individual and community life
The triumph of God in Christ : divine warfare in the argument of Ephesians
No full textIn this thesis I argue that the letter of Ephesians contains a coherent
argument and that this argument is animated by the ideology of divine warfare.
This ideological tool was utilized throughout the ancient world to assert and
defend the cosmic supremacy of national deities, and appears throughout the Old
Testament in texts that declare the exalted status of Yahweh over all other gods
and over the forces of chaos that threaten creation. This ideology is applied to
Ephesians with the result that what many regard as the central portion of the
letter-Ephesians 2--contains a complete cycle of this mythological pattern.
Here, within a context of praise and worship (1:1-19), the cosmic Lordship of
Christ is asserted (1:20-23) and the triumphs of God in Christ over the powers that
rule the present evil age are elaborated (2:1-22). God in Christ has triumphed over
the powers that hold humanity captive to death by raising believers to life and
seating them in the heavenlies with Christ. Further, Christ triumphs over the
powers and their divisive effects within humanity by creating a new unified
humanity that shares in the life of God in Christ by the Spirit. I then attempt to
demonstrate that reading Ephesians through this lens provides satisfying solutions
to a number of problems in subsequent sections of the letter. The
'autobiographical' remarks in Eph 3:2-13 are not intended as an apostolic defence,
but rather are an explanation of how Paul's imprisonment, which would appear to
be a devastating argument against the cosmic Lordship of Christ, actually serves
to epitomize and reinforce that exalted status. I also argue that the difficult
quotation of Psalm 68 in Eph 4:8 finds a satisfying solution through the
application of divine warfare ideology. Finally, I argue that this reading
demonstrates that the two halves of Ephesians are integrally related-that the
exhortatory portion is a call to the New Humanity to engage in divine warfare
against the evil powers, embodying the triumph of God in Christ in their corporate
life
Jesus Christ, the 'Prince of pilgrims' : a critical analysis of the ontological, functional, and exegetical christologies in the sermons, writings, and lectures of Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
No full textThis thesis centers on the doctrine of Christ in the theology of Charles Haddon
Spurgeon through the lens of Spurgeon’s highly developed metaphor, that of Jesus
Christ, the “Prince of pilgrims.” That no scholarly work has thus analyzed or surveyed
Spurgeon’s ontological, functional, and exegetical Christologies warrants continued
contribution to the field of scholarship. Though not a systematician, Spurgeon stood
in direct theological continuity with his Nonconformist Puritan predecessors and
transmitted a highly developed Christology that was Chalcedonian in creed and
Alexandrian in style. This thesis positions Spurgeon’s Christology against the
backdrop of a complex Victorian religious context that, through the use of scientific
enquiry, sought to recover the full humanity of Christ. Though reacting against
modern conclusions concerning the person, natures, and work of Christ, Spurgeon
also sought to recover Christ’s humanity, though his theological presuppositions stood
in marked contradistinction to the spirit of the age. Particular attention is given to
Spurgeon’s utilization of an allegorical hermeneutic to the end that his vernacular, at
times, potentially deviates from traditional, orthodox Christological teachings. The
scope of this research is a survey of Spurgeon’s Christology by way of his sermons,
published writings, lectures, and letters. The purpose of this study is to analyze
Spurgeon’s doctrine of Christ in the context of the wider theological tradition through
an investigation of his allegorical and innovative rhetoric
"Joining the End to the Beginning" Divine Providence and the Interpretation of Scripture in the Teaching of Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons
No full textIn this dissertation, the author argues that Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in the second century, reads the scriptures as the living proclamation of the Creator by which he creates and forms human flesh and blood. The scriptural narrative originates in God’s creation of all things ex nihilo and traces the movement of humanity toward its eschatological perfection in the incarnate, crucified, and risen Christ. Thus, the author argues that, for Irenaeus, the scriptures are as anthropological as they are theological. The biblical narrative possesses a continuity that is rooted in the substance of the human body. The very body that was created out of the dust in Adam, preserved from the flood in Noah, catechized by the law in Abraham and Moses, and became accustomed to the Spirit in the prophets is assumed by the Son of God from the Virgin Mary, crucified on the tree of the cross, and raised from the grave. The author maintains that Irenaeus views the scriptures as a single narrative describing precisely that flesh and blood given at the eucharistic altar in the fellowship of the church. Irenaeus reads the scriptures, not only in an intimate relationship with the creation of all things in the beginning and their recapitulation in Christ, but also in accord with an ecclesial dimension. The biblical narrative describes the identity of the baptized, who are joined to the body of Jesus through the baptismal and eucharistic life of the church. From this perspective, the author insists that the meaning of the scriptures, for the second century bishop, is not merely rational, moral or mystical, but truly ontological
Paul and the Triune Identity: Rereading Paul's God-, Christ-, and Spirit-Language in Conversation with Trinitarian Theologies of Persons and Relations
No full textThis thesis rereads central texts of Paul’s letters to demonstrate that Paul’s speech about God, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit is intricately intertwined so that talk about any one of the three (God, Jesus, or the Spirit) implies reference to all of them together (God, Jesus, and the Spirit). The first part of the Introduction describes how the current landscape of Pauline scholarship has largely given up this way of articulating the dynamics of Paul’s God-, Christ-, and Spirit-discourse. Eschewing explicitly trinitarian language in favor of other conceptualities, much recent Pauline scholarship has opted for discussing the relationship between God and Jesus in terms of ‘high’ or ‘low’ christology. After summarizing this trend, the second part of the Introduction describes trinitarian theologies as representing a better approach that will serve to open a fresh angle on Paul, despite its conceptual difference from Paul’s own speech.
The next four chapters defend that supposition with detailed exegesis. Chapter 1 considers how the identity of God is shaped by Paul’s christology: God’s identity is only what it is in relation to Jesus. Chapters 2 and 3 consider the converse: how the identity of Jesus is shaped by his relation to God. These latter two chapters also rebut the charge that Paul’s alleged ‘subordinationist’ christology renders a trinitarian, relational reading of the divine identity untenable. Drawing on the conclusion found in the history of trinitarian theologies that the oneness or unity between God and Jesus does not come into conflict with the distinction between God and Jesus, Chapters 2 and 3 argue that the mutuality that exists between God and Jesus is asymmetrical but not for that reason graspable with the concept of ‘subordinationism’.
Chapter 4 brings the Spirit into the mutual, reciprocal relationship between God and Jesus. The Spirit’s identity is derived from God and Jesus’; yet the Spirit is also involved in the sequence of events whereby God and Jesus are identified. The Spirit’s identity is relationally determined, but also God and Jesus are who they are only by virtue of the Spirit’s agency which is exercised by God in the resurrection of Jesus.
In this way, despite its historical distance from Paul and its different idiom, trinitarian theology is shown to illumine a way through interpretive difficulties in Paul’s letters that the more recent concepts of ‘high’ and ‘low’ christology have hitherto been unable to illumine
The descent of Christ in Ephesians 4:7-11 : an exegetical investigation with special reference to the influence of traditions about Moses associated with Psalm 68:19.
No full textThis study attempts to demonstrate that the most probable interpretation of the descent of Christ in Eph. 4: 7-11 involves a descent of Christ as the Spirit who distributes gifts to his church subsequent to the ascent of Eph. 4: 8. The investigation begins with a history of the interpretation of Eph. 4: 7-11. Most modern interpreters favour either a descent to the under- world (or the grave) between Christ's death and resurrection or a descent from heaven to earth at the incarnation. Textual and grammatical problems relevant to the proposed exegesis are also discussed. A major portion of the study deals with the ascent-descent imagery associating Ps. 68: 19 (quoted in Eph. 4: 8) and Moses as found in Tg Psalms and the rabbinic literature. The author of Ephesians, had he been aware of these traditions associating Psalm 68 with Moses, would have been predisposed to think in terms of a subsequent descent, because Moses' ascent of Mt Sinai to receive the Torah was followed by his descent to distribute it as 'gifts' to men. Although it is clear that both Tg Psalms and the rabbinic literature are later than Ephesians, there is evidence from a number of early sources that such Moses-traditions were in circulation prior to the first century CE. The association of these traditions with Ps. 68: 19 as employed by the author of Ephesians appears to exist through the connection of Moses' ascent of Sinai to receive the Torah with the celebration of the Jewish feast of Pentecost on the one hand, and the Christian use of Psalm 68 in connection with Pentecost (described in Acts 2) on the other. Ps. 68: 19 was already understood to refer to the ascent of Christ and the gift of the Spirit in a layer of tradition older than Ephesians. Familiarity with the Moses-traditions connected with an ascent and descent of Sinai would have suggested a subsequent descent. Thus the author's innovation did not lie in the use of the psalm in a christological sense, nor in the introduction of a subsequent descent of Christ inferred from the ascent mentioned in Ps. 68: 19. The contribution of the author of Ephesians consisted in his identification of the ascended Christ as the Spirit who descended to distribute gifts to his church. Such an interpretation offers the best explanation of the passage in light of the evidence linking Moses-traditions of a heavenly ascent at Sinai with Pentecost and Psalm 68
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