Liberation theology

Eric Pugh

In the United Methodist Church, the preaching of the deacon is an underdeveloped voice that should be included among all the other preaching voices in the church. The preaching voice of the deacon is grounded in their call to compassion, justice, reconciliation, and restoration, and is informed by biblical and historical contexts that affirm and confirm the value and necessity of such preaching. Naming and claiming the voice of the deacon as preacher requires deacons to understand themselves, their call to ministry, and the relevance and importance of their voice that calls attention to the need for justice in action as valid and necessary in our world today. The voice of the United Methodist deacon as preacher is a necessary voice in the local church and beyond for the advancement of social justice. This project thesis rests on the belief that for the United Methodist deacon, claiming their voice as preacher helps them more fully fulfill their call to ministry and live into their baptismal and ordination vows.

Elia S Cardenas D.Min.

There is an inculturated, integrative, liberative, and decolonized model of church in the highlands of Chiapas. This Diocese in an autochthonous church developed by the prophetic vision of Bishop Samuel Ruiz, who knew how to read the signs of the times, was inspired by the vision of the Vatican Second Council, the Medellin Conference in Latin America, and the Church’s preferential option for the poor. He succeeded in restoring the dignity to the indigenous people with his subversive praxis and helped them become subjects of their own destiny. Today, they still walk accompanied by the courageous pastoral team of San Cristobal de las Casas.

John Foster Magnuson D.Min.

The practice of Church mission engagement within a culture of specialization, individuality, and volunteerism has created the opportunity for the North American Protestant church to narrate mission through an identity and story of the individual. However, through the practice of reading scripture and reflecting alongside storytelling, a more robust missional identity can be found within the church. This identity through storytelling moves from viewing church members as an autonomous individual into seeing both church members and neighbors as necessary members of community, together participating in God’s mission in the world through companionship with God and one another. This work moves from a historical background of mission work within a local congregation to then explore the theological basis for connecting storytelling alongside biblical engagement in congregational mission. As a result of the project, a tool for missional story telling through scripture is presented to the reader.

Robert Dale Musick D.Min.

Central Appalachia is a complex and beautiful region that has been historically mislabeled, misrepresented, and shamed as the land of hillbillies. Suffering in this region is deep and broad as poverty, addiction, and disparities are statistically evident. Although the region is filled with churches, missionary endeavors, and government programs, places like Eastern Kentucky continue to struggle. As the Church seeks to address these diseases of despair, it is imperative for Christian universities to address this suffering through critical pedagogy and a contextualized theology. By the development of an Appalachian liberation theology known as hollering theology, this research project took this new theology and imbedded it in two different college classes at the University of Pikeville. Through this project, it was discovered that the fundamental source of oppression in Central Appalachia is the damning stereotype of the hillbilly. This stereotype has been internalized and is now killing Appalachian Americans. In this study, hollering theology will be offered as a way to challenge the stereotype, give a new vision for God’s work in the region, and make known a hillbilly Christ, which seeks to empower students at UPIKE to engage themselves and their community in a critical and engaged way.

Jon Robinson D.Min.

Over the past few decades, the focus of the black church in America has shifted from a communal pursuit of justice and liberation for marginalized people, toward a personal pursuit of piety and prosperity. This project, Prophetic Preaching to Inspire Embodied Discipleship Beyond the Walls of the Building, offers a theo-political discipleship model that seeks to reclaim and reimagine Jesus’ first century call to discipleship. Through prophetic preaching and a practical application of womanist ethics of personal and communal thriving, pastors and parishioners can embody a liberative, justice-oriented discipleship praxis that advances human flourishing beyond the walls of our buildings.

Danny Anthony Everett D.Min.

University Circle United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio partnered with Mary B. Martin School to address academic achievement disparities for low performing African-American males. If students participate in faith and culturally based extended school programs, then their academic performance improves. Explorations from qualitative research during a church led after school program were expounded. The approach incorporated prophetic activism based on themes of spirituality, educational inequity, and social learning and critical race theories. The data suggests partnerships between churches and schools improve outcomes for African-American male students. A final project was submitted to the Doctoral Studies Committee at United Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry.

Vernell Lumbus-Young

A Project to Discover the Need for a Prison Ministry at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH :
The purpose of this project was to discover the need for a prison ministry at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. In order to determine the need for a prison ministry, a five-point Likert scale questionnaire survey was designed along with one to two open ended questions. The results of the survey revealed that there was a great interest among the congregants for a prison ministry. In the final results of my questionnaire survey and open ended questions, almost all respondents revealed that there is a need for a prison ministry. I concluded that there was a 95% interest in the need for a prison ministry at New Mount Zion Baptist Church.

LaWanda Ann Hitt

This project argues for teaching Liberation Theology, as a logical heir of Wesleyan Theology, to Local Pastors & Ministry Candidates in the UMC, in order to improve their preaching, teaching and evangelism, and to strengthen their response to the stressors of ministry. Surveys were taken regarding the prevalence of problems encountered by Pastors in the Central Texas Conference in the areas of Theology, Leadership, Authority and/or "Other."

Mark F Bozzuti-Jones

Liberation theology offers the preacher a more authentic presence, praxis, and voice. Efective preaching is always an imitation of Jesus and Jesus preached good news to the poor and the oppressed. Women, African Americans and immigrants are the poorest in our society; liberation theology provides an opportunity for a most effective preaching enterprise. This thesis looks specifically at liberation-theology-focused preaching, asking these research questions: What makes for authentic preaching on behalf of those who suffer and experience oppression? How can we use liberation theology to make our preaching more effective, especially in relation to those who are oppressed?

Derrick L Noble

This project is designed to impact the knowledge base and attitudes of Black youth in the Black church by teaching them Black liberation theology, with emphasis upon Black history and self-esteem. The project surveys both the academic disciplines of Black liberation theology and educational theory as well as their implications for Christian educational ministries within the Black church. It also gathers by questionnaire data from 20 youth who participated in two seminars concerning Black history and self-esteem. The compiled data confirms that this project impacted participants' knowledge and attitudes, while confirming the need for teaching Black liberation theology to youth.