<p>This thesis argues that 1 Peter dealt with and responded to the social situation of Christian communities in the provinces of Asia Minor. Having used terms familiar to a Gentile audience with a strong Jewish background, the author described the readers using metaphors of separation and solidarity. He understood his readers to have been a people alienated within their society.</p> <p>Analysis of ancient Mediterranean societies reveals that alienation would have been the experience of early Christian communities. Though social status within the Christian communities varied, social class was that of a predominately low level. Those who joined the Christian communities were among the masses of the "marginalized" in Roman society. The idea of conversion, prominent among such minority movements as Christianity, ran contrary to the popular religions of the state. As in similar communities, conversion into the Christian community resulted in a high level of social anxiety and rootlessness among the recent converts.</p> <p>Understanding the perceptions of ancient Mediterranean societies helps to explain the turmoil of such conversions. The group and its honour predominated over the individual; individuals, therefore, discovered identity and experienced honour through their group associations. Movement, then, to a minority group such as Christianity produced severe social distress. The individual could well be ostracized by his or her previous associations (especially the family) and be the object of social hostilities. Further, minority religious groups, such as Christianity, were disdained by the elite of society. Social pressure against the Christian communities came from all sides.</p> <p>1 Peter confirms that the persecution suffered by the community was indeed of a social nature. The Christian community was persecuted as a result of the perceived foreignness of their beliefs and practices. Recognizing that society had developed false notions about the Christian community attempting to undermine society, the author appealed to his readers to accept their persecution in the same manner that Christ had accepted his suffering and to behave in a manner that would eliminate these false notions; he urged them to imitate the behaviour of Christ. He also invoked portions of the household code to ensure his readers behaved in a manner acceptable to society and in keeping with his view of the nature of Christianity.</p> / Master of Theological Studies (MTS)

<p>How are the eschatology and ethics related in Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God and in the response to it that he hoped to win from Israel? How is the ethical dimension of the intended response formed or informed by the kingdom of God? In the history of scholarship the search for the coherence between Jesus' eschatological message and the response to it that he intended to win inevitably raised the question of the relation between "kingdom" and ethics. Albrecht Ritschl's influential view affirmed the closest bond between them: the kingdom of God is to be realized in and by human ethical action. This way of stating the relationship of shattered by the compact work of Johannes Weiss on Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God. If it is not possible simply to follow Weiss (or Schweitzer, who followed up on and refined the position of Weiss). It is also impossible to bypass him. Therefore in chapter one I outline the position of Ritschl and the response of Weiss' influential exposition of the kingdom of God. This is followed by an attempt to examine the relation between eschatology and ethics in the work of representative scholars from the past one hundred years. This interpretation of the kingdom of God in Jesus' proclamation depends significantly on what is presupposed about the resourced from which he drew in making his proclamation and carrying out his mission. There I survey Jewish writings with the ultimate aim of determining what was clearly important for Jesus. Furthermore, these sources give evidence of a relation between (eschatological) promise and appropriate ethical response. In the interpretation of Jesus' Kingdom-of-God proclamating attention has been directed either to eschatology or to ethics at one time the primary focus was on the human ethical response (e.g. Harnack), at another time on the activity of God (e.g. Jogannes Weiss). If it is true that eschatology and ethics exist in religion in the proclamation and teaching of Jesus, it follows that they may only be properly or clearly understood in a study that examines them in their relationships. This calls for a critical correlation of Jesus' eschatological message and his ethical teaching. Jesus' eschatological proclamation and the intended ethical response become concrete only with a recovery of the purposes of Jesus bearing on the whole people, Israel, to whom he came (chapter three). In chapter four I examine Jesus' kingdom-of-God proclamation defined more sharply and fully in the context of his mission and death as this was expressed in the esoteric teaching of his disciples. And in this teaching the connection between Jesus' own destiny and his ethics of discipleship is emphasized. A reasonably accurate comprehension of the ethics of Jesus depends on a reasonably accurate recovery of the whole historical figure that he was. The present study accordingly pays attention to the historical bases for the understanding of Jesus' ethical teachings whether in the public forum-or in the more intimate circles of his discipleship.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Chris Wright has offered to us in the Mission of God: Unlocking the Grand Narrative of the Bible, a way to read the canonical text in a faithful manner. This faithful reading, as Wright calls it, is accomplished as we read the Bible with Christology and Missiology in the foreground. Wright distinguishes what he is suggesting by indicating that such a reading is the biblical expectation expressed in Luke 24:44-47 and not something that we bring to the text from some extemallocation. Wright would suggest further that Luke 24 alerts us to the Mission of God, which is, according to Wright, to redeem and restore his creation for his glory. The development of this Mission is the primary story line or Grand Narrative which individual biblical stories nuance including the story ofJesus. This type of reading is what is meant by a missional focus. The intent of this thesis is to offer a critical examination of Wright' s work and apply his model to a biblical text, in this case Philippians 1:12-2:18. By doing this it can be demonstrated that Wright is offering a corrective to biblical studies to be practised in conjunction with established henneneutical efforts.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p> The author presents an increase in relationship dissatisfaction as a problem in ministry in the areas of Lowell, Nashua and New Ipswich. He created a ministry intervention model, which consisted of the six month LEARN-LIVE-HOPE program (Discipleship, counseling, coaching, Imago Relationship Therapy, and mentoring). He recruited eight participants. He used the Relationship Assessment Scale, Expanded Relationship Assessment Scale, and Green Relationship Assessment Scale to measure miscellaneous different constructs of relationship satisfaction, Specific needs met in relationship satisfaction and connection with one&rsquo;s partner in relationship satisfaction. He interviewed eight participants and searched for indicators of love and grace, personal needs, positive and negative thoughts about one&rsquo;s partner&rsquo;s character; and general concepts of relationship satisfaction. The author discovered that the four instruments used to measure relationship satisfaction, suggest an increase in: Miscellaneous different constructs of relationship satisfaction, specific needs met in relationship satisfaction, and connection with partner in relationship satisfaction. The author also discovered that all participant answers in the transcripts suggest that each of the five pillars contributed towards increased relationship satisfaction. Therefore the evidence suggests that an increase in horizontal relationship satisfaction is as a result of tending to a vertical relationship with God.</p>

<p> This study proposes that within preaching, preachers should increase their emphasis on the critical elements of the spiritual life and spiritual formation so that moral formation is avoided, spiritual formation is embraced, and hearts are formed into Christlikeness, with a growth in spiritual fruit. </p><p> It is believed that many Christians within Northern Ireland do not know the difference between moral formation and spiritual formation. Generally, there seems to be a limited understanding of the spiritual life and spiritual formation, with many sermons lacking any significant emphasis on these elements. </p><p> Therefore, this study researches the difference increasing one&rsquo;s emphasis on the critical elements of the spiritual life and spiritual formation makes within preaching. A full biblical, theological, and literary foundation is laid for the proposal that increasing one&rsquo;s emphasis on these elements within preaching will lead to moral formation being avoided, spiritual formation being embraced and hearts being formed into the likeness of Christ, with a growth in spiritual fruit. Teaching, training and testing is conducted among local believers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with the findings of this research seeking to prove the original proposal. It is hoped that the results of this study will benefit the Northern Irish church and lead to hearts being spiritually formed for many years to come.</p><p>

The purpose of this dissertation is to consider Israel's biblical wisdom traditions comments on collective accountability in a systematic way. In order to accomplish this, each of five biblical wisdom books--Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth, Ben Sira, and Wisdom of Solomon--will be examined individually. The investigation of each book will include an examination of any statement that refers to collective or individual accountability and of the author's position on the power of wisdom instruction to help the student overcome intergenerational punishment passed down to him by a sinful parent. In addition to a comprehensive look at biblical wisdom books, this study will also consider a proverb concerning collective punishment known from two prophetic books, Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 18, and the use of the divine attribute formula (Exod. 34:6-7), which describes YHWH as a deity who exercises collective punishment and reward, in wisdom texts. My analyses of these investigations produce the following conclusions: 1) The concept of collective accountability is not restricted to Israel's narrative, legal, and prophetic traditions. Israel's sages were familiar with and made use of the concept. 2) Israel's sages' use of collective accountability often differs from the concept's depiction in other parts of the Hebrew Bible. For the sages, collective accountability serves pedagogical functions and vindicates divine justice. 3) The representation of collective accountability in Israel's biblical wisdom tradition is not static. As the wisdom tradition itself undergoes developments, like including historical and literary references or drawing upon non-biblical philosophical positions, so too does its depiction of collective accountability. 4) Israel's wisdom literature is not, as is often claimed, concerned solely with the individual. Communal notions held importance for Israel's sages. / Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

No description available.

<p> "Sowing Stories Deep in the Soul" is a creative, interactive workshop model focused on "Transformative Biblical Storytelling Ministry with Adolescent Young Women" to meet the need for this course within the Congress of Christian Education of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Baptist State Convention of Indiana. Adolescent young women and leaders participate in the study of Scripture as ancient stories within an oral/aural media experience and performance paradigm to elicit positive impact. Qualitative research findings show a relationship between internalizing stories, applying them personally, performing them by heart, and the impact of transformative spiritual formation for adolescent young women.</p>

Paul, like other apostles who adopted the so-called 'charismatic poverty, ' could have relied on his churches for the funding of his mission. He rejected such support and opted to work on a trade, a choice which ultimately rested on his conception of the gospel and the influence it had on his life. He gives three reasons for his actions: love for his converts, not to hinder the gospel, and his independence/freedom. This shows also an awareness of his social milieu. This thesis utilises 'models from the environment' to demonstrate that Paul extensively adopted, reshaped or modified the social conventions of his day, as need be. He conceived the gospel as received and interpreted within his social context, appreciating the good aspects of that social context. He accepted hospitality and benefaction only when it did not 'hinder the gospel' as he put it. Similarly, Paul expected the churches of his mission to run their local finances on these same principles, with the social conventions of hospitality, and benefaction featuring prominently. Such hospitality and benefaction were however understood in the light of the gospel message described as the 'law of Christ' (&vogoc XPLUTOO). His admonitions on work indicate that he expected his converts to follow his practice. Although he anticipated that out of love his converts would help one another, especially the poor, he did not by that expect that the poor would be lazy. For translocal finances, he expected that his reshaped, and modified form of patronage and benefaction would be adopted, taken in conjunction with the theological conception of giving as the grace of God bestowed for generosity.

The aims of this thesis are to study how the Pentateuch portrays land ownership and to answer some of the theological questions which arise from the study. By considering the Pentateuch as a literary work of art, relevant texts in their finished form are analysed in their contexts. The first Part, examining the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Gen. 12-50, deals with the idea of land ownership on two levels: (i) Yahweh's promise of the land to each patriarch and statements about a future owning of the land promised. The study of land promise accounts discusses issues such as the identity and extent of the promised land, the meaning of the giving of the land and the present and future owners of the land. (ii) The other aspect is the actual purchase of pieces of land and owning them, the cultivating of vacant land and appropriating it, and the digging of wells and claiming them. The second Part, examining the stories of Liberation, the Sinai Covenant and the Conquest in Exod. I--Num. 36, deals with the idea of the ownership of land by Yahweh and by the people of Israel. In the discussion of Yahweh's ownership is included his claim to the whole earth, agricultural land and a mountain sanctuary in the promised land. Regarding the ownership of land by the Israelites, different methods of possessing the land, rights and responsibilities of their tenancy, Levitical use of the pasture land and the priestly care of the dedicated land are discussed in detail. The third Part is the Farewell Address of Moses in Deuteronomy. Three ideas of land ownership are discussed in detail: Yahweh's ownership of the entire heaven and earthi the Isr~aelite ownership of the land possessed in Transjordan and the land to be possessed in west Jordan and the conditions of land ownership, and the ownership of land by other ethnic groups. In the Conclusion, some important questions identified during the analysis of the texts are answered from the total perspective of the study.