Theology, Doctrinal

Wendell C. Yorkman

There seems to be a gap between church doctrine and praxis as far as matters of grace is concerned, particularly grace understood as forgiveness and reconciliation. Because of the lack of clear, theologically coherent doctrine, church leaders and their members are left to decide for themselves how to practice grace toward themselves and one another. Through a process of examining doctrines, analyzing sermons, reviewing literature, and conducting personal interviews with church leaders from African American Pentecostal Holiness churches the researcher’s intent is to determine how closely aligned doctrine and praxis are. Since a large percentage of the church doctrines examined include no specific guidelines or directions as to matters of grace beyond being the power of God in bringing salvation (Eph. 2:8-9), the lack of understanding often causes un-graceful responses by leaders and members alike. It is hoped that this work will be read by Christian leaders as they gain insight as to how grace is to be understood and practiced.

Jonette Gay

This project is an exploration of the tension between the extremes of order and novelty to determine how one should decide to act in church polity or personal ethics. In a world caught in an either/or mindset, maybe the answer is not simply both/and, but holding the two together intact and in tension. Using order and novelty as a lens, this project will review the church polity in the Book of Discipline in the United Methodist Church and compare two other denominations heavily weighted in order or novelty: The Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ. [This is the complete original abstract from the author.]

Susan A Minasian

“Claiming Lives of Peace When Justice is Denied” is a theological essay on forgiveness and how the humanity of Jesus on the cross can serve as a model to clarify forgiveness as a spiritual practice. In this essay, the reader will be introduced to the denial on the part of the Turkish government and the role of the Ottoman Turkish government in the genocide of Armenians in 1915. It is my position that denial creates a burden for the survivors of genocide and other traumas. I contend that the victims need to receive a sense of agency in considering forgiveness as an on-going spiritual practice instead of an immediate destination. We will consider voices in the current conversation about forgiveness and discover that they all come to somewhat of the same conclusion that we must all forgive. Forgiveness is seen as a mandate of Christian piety and we must also be agents of forgiveness for our own wellbeing. I agree and yet find these positions to be limited. I propose that we take this saying of Jesus on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing,” and consider how this is his moment of emptying himself and claiming the fullness of his humanity in all of its limitations. In this moment he is praying and releasing his desire for forgiveness to God. We do not know if he refused to say “I” forgive you. While forgiveness is inherent in the act of even praying for his “Father” to do so, it is a profound moment and a model for victims and survivors to move further on the spiritual journey toward thriving.

Gabriel Elías Vidal

The purpose of this study is to explore the reforms of the Church of God of Prophecy during the 1990s and the impact of those reforms on the Church in South America between 2010 and 2020. The investigation required a thorough historical analysis of the changes to the denomination, beginning with its establishment in 1886 in the mountains of North Carolina, U.S.A., until the year 2000. Additionally, the opinions and strategies of several writers concerning changes have also been included in an attempt to determine if the methods these leaders employed during the decades studied coincide with ordinary aspects and methods of change in general.

These results indicate that the 1990s reforms were widely accepted by those surveyed. It was determined that, as a component of these reforms, changes in ecclesiology played a significant role as they led to a cognitive shift within the Church of God of Prophecy. As a result of the survey, we were able to determine the significance of Bishop Billy D. Murray and his leadership to the whole transformative process. Finally, we collectively determined that these reforms had been transcendent in creating a better future for the Church of God of Prophecy.

Benjamin Zandstra

This project is designed to provide average readers with a relational overview of Christian life. it reflects a Reformation perspective or the centrality of grace and is presented with the hope of increasing the reader's clarity in understanding and living a complete Christian life. The Context is described by means of a summary of selected aspects of the research done by the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries and the Search institute. The contents were used in the adult education program of the Surprise Valley Parish, United Church of Christ, in rural, northeastern California.

The introduction is intended as an invitation, to pull the reader into considering a comprehensive view of their faith. The Conclusion provides the reader with a summary along with a sense of commission that suggests directions for further exploration and implementation.

The four Chapters describe standing in grace with ourselves, others, the world, and God. The approach begins with the reflexive relatlonship and moves continuously outward until it culminates with one's ultimate relationship. Throughout, God's grace in Jesus of Nazareth is the point of reference for understanding the nature of these relationships. This is done with a view toward describing how a maturing Christian faith might manifest itself in these relationships in the ever-changing temporal context. Also, basic resources for growth are suggested along with questions for reflection and discussion.

Manabu Ishida

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate that the Christian faith community is essentially a missionary community. I produced a contextual commentary on the Apostles' Creed for that purpose, interpreting the symbols of the Creed from the Japanese socio-historical perspective.

Chapter One briefly reviews some negative legacy of Christendom commonly known to Japanese people. This kind of knowledge is crucial to make effective communication of Christian faith to the non-Christian people.

Chapter Two is a brief introduction to the commentary and the text of the Creed.

Chapter Three deals with the first part of the Creed. I point out that it is necessary to convey to Japanese people the meaning and importance of the terms "believe" and "God" in a Christian sense.

Chapter Four is a commentary on the section of the Creed on Christ. I present the possibility of interpreting the credal symbols within a Japanese socio-historical context. I conclude that our way of life, in accordance with the coming of Kingdom of God in this world, is what identifies us as the people of God.

Chapter Five is an experimental description of how a Japanese Christian community can be a missionary community. I suggest the following three points: l.The church should be freed from a church growth oriented concept of mission. 2.The participants of the community are the narrators of God's saving activities in the world, and at the same time those who act out God's divine will. 3.The faith community should live a minority way of life in its society.

Sherwin Brantsen

Chapter One explains that this D.Min. program started out with a desire to study church growth methods, find one that works in a suburban RCA congregation and implement it.

Chapter Two describes the author's personal conflict with the decretal theism of his youth. It starts with childhood perceptions of God while growing up in a Reformed context. The chapter travels through a personal history with Dort and concludes with the discovery of the writings of Stephen Covey and John Sanders.

Chapter Three discusses the history of the Canons of Dort, questioning the doctrine of reprobation. It goes into a pastoral evaluation of decretal theism and concludes with a study of the contemporary influence of the teachings of Dort in the RCA.

Chapter Four compares the decretal theism of the Westminster Confession and the Canons of Dort with the teachings of modern business consultant and best-selling author, Stephen Covey. This chapter asserts that, especially in today's context, emphasis needs to placed more on human responsibility than on God's eternal decrees.

Chapter Five compares decretal theism to relational theism. It discusses the risk-free nature of Dort and compares it to the relational "risk" theism of John Sanders.

Chapter Six discusses various implications decretal theism may have for the RCA. The suggestion is made that we further examine our theology as perhaps one of the contributing causes of our decline.
Chapter Seven concludes the paper with statistics of decline in the RCA. The suggestion is again made that perhaps our lack of growth is due, at least in part, to our lack of motivation to evangelize. It may be that our lack of motivation is due to our theology that does not put enough emphasis on human responsibility.

Kevin J VanderVeen

As a lover of theology and theological reflection, I am deeply convicted that theology not only articulates the foundation of our world and live view but is both spiritually formative and life-giving. Herman Bavinck shares this deep conviction as he writes, “Good theology puts this knowledge of God on public display. It resists allowing theology to degenerate into rhetoric, a theology merely of words; it seeks the heart of the matter, knowing God in order to worship him, love him, and serve him.” He continues by writing, “Such theology is never a dry and academic exercise; it is eminently practical and superlatively fruitful for life.” As he eloquently suggests, good theology is always both practical and fruitful. That means that good theology is always given expression in practices that foster a deep love for God and a meaningful experience of his love and grace. One practice that is both deeply theological and spiritually formative is prayer. The practice of prayer is one of the primary expressions of the spiritual life, and prayer is also an integral component of our spiritual formation and our transformation. When reflecting on prayer, David Benner writes, “Prayer would not be worthy of being called a spiritual practice if it did not play a central role in this deep inner work of transformation.” As he makes clear, prayer is an integral component of our spiritual transformation. This leads me to the conclusion that a vibrant spirit life includes the practice of prayer in its many forms.

Kevin J VanderVeen

As a lover of theology and theological reflection, I am deeply convicted that theology not only articulates the foundation of our world and live view but is both spiritually formative and life-giving. Herman Bavinck shares this deep conviction as he writes, “Good theology puts this knowledge of God on public display. It resists allowing theology to degenerate into rhetoric, a theology merely of words; it seeks the heart of the matter, knowing God in order to worship him, love him, and serve him.” He continues by writing, “Such theology is never a dry and academic exercise; it is eminently practical and superlatively fruitful for life.” As he eloquently suggests, good theology is always both practical and fruitful. That means that good theology is always given expression in practices that foster a deep love for God and a meaningful experience of his love and grace. One practice that is both deeply theological and spiritually formative is prayer. The practice of prayer is one of the primary expressions of the spiritual life, and prayer is also an integral component of our spiritual formation and our transformation. When reflecting on prayer, David Benner writes, “Prayer would not be worthy of being called a spiritual practice if it did not play a central role in this deep inner work of transformation.” As he makes clear, prayer is an integral component of our spiritual transformation. This leads me to the conclusion that a vibrant spirit life includes the practice of prayer in its many forms.

Eric David Zegeer D.Min.

This thesis proposes an acronym consisting of seven essential characteristics for the exercise of preaching in the Sunday Eucharistic liturgy that considers the statistical data of the decline of Catholic Sunday participation in the United States while being informed by the theology of missionary discipleship in Catholic teaching.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction that contrasts the actual decline of American Catholics in the participation of the Sunday liturgy with the Church’s teaching on missionary discipleship.
Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive explanation of the Catholic Church’s teachings on the vocation to a life of missionary discipleship of every baptized Catholic in the context of stages or steps of spiritual growth that lead to a fully lived baptismal calling.
Chapter 3 looks at the statistical data of Catholic participation available since the scandals of child sex abuse came to light around 2002. It considers the impact it has had on the Catholic Church in the United States as a whole as well as some specific generations.
Chapter 4 offers an in-depth explanation of the acronym “BREATHE” and how each characteristic of that acronym should inform our preaching. It also loosely corresponds each letter to the seven different stages of growth toward missionary discipleship.
Chapter 5 and its subsequent appendices provide the statistical data of one Catholic parish where the acronym was implemented in a five-week preaching exercise to reach the most Catholics possible in that one setting. It then considers the response and how that aligns with the statistical data found in chapter three.
Chapter 6 offers conclusions to the thesis overall and a recommendation of how to move forward while acknowledging the limitations of this one exercise and the importance of an overall plan to form and send the average parishioner into the world to bring more souls to Christ.