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Since the beginning of the twentieth century missionary leaders have become aware of the national church as the focal point of their difficulties. The church on the mission field is a victory in itself, but with it comes an awareness of problems both new and old. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss and analyze these problems and draw certain conclusions. The procedure will follow this outline: (1) Definition (2) The Problems Involved (3) Origin of the Problems (4) Efforts Toward Resolution of the Problems.

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The thesis follows the stages of the Reformation from the late-medieval Church to the Elizabethan Church and later Separatist groups in eighteen parishes of the upper River Tove valley. A number of ideas and assumptions about the Reformation have been tested for the area. An important finding is that even in this small area the timing and pace of the Reformation varied between individual parishes and occurred in different ways. There is shown to have been a diversity and variety of piety between and within communities across the period of the study. It is shown that changes had begun before the Dissolution, making Henry VIII’s reforms easier to accept; that there was no Marian revival of Catholicism in the area; and that the main element in the timing of reform was the different influences at work in the parishes. After an introductory chapter, evidence is presented in five more chapters that are entitled: the Study Area; the Late-medieval Church; Wills and Religious Beliefs; Influences in the Parishes; and the Growth of Dissent. These are followed by a Conclusion, outlining the main findings of the thesis, the advantages of the methodology used, and how the thesis is a new type of study of the Reformation.

Chan Hon-suen, Autor. / Bibliography: leaves 139-141 / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1986

手稿本. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學. / Shou gao ben. / Includes bibliographical references: leaves 178-191. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue. / 序言 --- p.1-6 / Chapter 第一章 --- 三自愛國運動的經過 --- p.7-58 / Chapter 第二章 --- 吳耀宗對拯救的觀念 --- p.59-91 / Chapter 第三章 --- 趙紫宸對拯救的觀念 --- p.92-126 / Chapter 第四章 --- 倪拆聲對拯救的觀念 --- p.127-154 / Chapter 第五章 --- 結論 --- p.155-177 / 參考書目 --- p.178-191

Early sixteenth century radical Anabaptism emanated in Switzerland during Huldrych Zwingli's protest against the Roman Catholic Church. Much like Martin Luther, Zwingli founded his reform effort on the Bible being the final arbiter of the faith, sola scriptura, and the sufficiency of the shed blood of Christ plus nothing for eternal salvation, sola fide. Based on these principles both adopted the doctrine of the Priesthood of the Believer which recognized every believer's Spirit empowered ability to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. These initial theological tenets resulted in the literal reading of the Bible and a very pragmatic Christian praxis including a Pauline pneumatology that recognized the efficacy of the manifestation of the charismata. Radical adherents of Zwingli rejected infant baptism as being totally unbiblical and insisted upon the rebaptism of adults but only on a personal confession of faith, thus the term Anabaptist. Notwithstanding any knowledge of the Anabaptist movement, early twentieth century Pentecostalism had a similar response to a literal reading of Paul with the same results, the manifestation of the charismata. This thesis identifies the similarities between Anabaptism and Pentecostalism notwithstanding the lack of knowledge of the early Anabaptist movement on the part of early Pentecostals.

When Pentecostal-Charismatic [P-C] theologians look for theological resources, John Calvin is rarely first choice. This thesis explores how the Reformer's theology of human participation in God through Union with Christ offers a rich, untapped, resource for constructing a theology for P-C worship. It moves through three key questions: I. What is the distinct understanding of divine-human relationship captured in the instinctive praxis of Charismatic worship? 2. How does Calvin's notion of Union with Christ provide a theological grounding for, and critique of the notion of intimacy and encounter with God at the heart of Charismatic worship experience? 3. Can the dialogue between these two traditions form the basis for constructing a wider Trinitarian theology of Christian worship that is a synthesis of pneumatological emphasis and Christo-centricity. Union with Christ is found to provide a missing soteriological lens for P-C worship whilst P-C worship invites an expansion of the notion of 'visible grace' and the 'accommodation' of God. United by their shared pneumatological emphasis, together both traditions offer a new framework for constructing a theology of worship that expands existing sacramental models. This 'Trinitarian Participatory Ontology' places both Christ and the Spirit as central to mediating human participation in God.

It is argued that an exclusive theology of evangelism can contribute to a public theology in a multicultural and Muslim majority context. The result theologically contributes towards a contextual articulation of an exclusive faith to a pluralistic public. On the practical level, this theology of evangelism provides a public theology for Chinese-Indonesian Charismatics to express their exclusive faith to the wider Indonesian public, mainly the Javanese Muslims. A unified paradigm of theology as wisdom is utilised in this research to discern the psychological, cosmic and public aspects of the belief and practices of ordinary Charismatics. This 'ordinary theology' is portrayed through qualitative research in a case study megachurch in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. An interdisciplinary approach towards these psychological and cosmic aspects is done by employing a Jungian personality psychology theory and a managerial philosophy for a non-profit organisation. This study shows the influence of evangelism in the extensive public engagement of Indonesian Charismatic megachurches. These findings indicate a potentiality of such exclusive faith to speak publicly that is elaborated through Miroslav Volf's proposal on political pluralism, which assumes an authentic voice for religious exclusivism. This provides an alternative articulation of Charismatic academic theology besides the common systematic expression.

This thesis seeks to illustrate the substantial contribution which John Owen, Bishop of St. David's, made to the campaign against the disestablishment of the Anglican Church within Wales, and the foundation of the Church in Wales. Owen's significant contribution to this important period within Welsh ecclesiastical history has not been acknowledged. This thesis demonstrates that Owen played an invaluable role not only in opposing the various measures which sought to disestablish, disendow and dismember the Anglican Church, but also in preparing the Church for its new disestablished status following the successful passing of the disestablishment measure in 1914. The thesis draws on the extensive pamphlet material which was published by Owen during his episcopacy, a resource which has largely remained unused, which provides the basis for the distinctive voice which he provided during this period of significant religious and political change. Through the substantial use of these materials, together with other contemporary and scholarly work, it is clear that Owen's significant involvement in the debates was a crucial element of the Church's response to its opponents. Owen vigorously demonstrated through political argument and factual detail, the Church's position in respect of a wide range of issues, which encompassed the disestablishment debate, and he remained committed to facilitating a positive beginning for the Church upon its disestablishment in 1920. Through the exploration of Owen's life and work, this thesis provides insight into the disestablishment campaign from an Anglican perspective, it offers new insight into the history of the foundation of the Church in Wales, and is a contribution to the history of Christianity in Wales in the twentieth century.