Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 351-358).

D.Phil. / Communities in a society consist of individual members of the communities. Only when the individuals in communities are thriving can the communities contribute to the health of society. This study focuses on the members of macro communities. A macro congregation was used as an example of a macro community. An unhealthy imbalance between individual growth, self-assertion, and a healthy self-esteem, on the one hand, and functioning as part of a larger community, on the other hand is indicative of massification that has a detrimental effect on the wellbeing— spiritually, psychologically, socially and potentially even physically—of the individual. Little or no research has been done about the role of the spiritual disciplines in personal wholeness, specifically as far as members of macro communities are concerned. The following question can therefore be asked: "What can be done to accompany members of a macro community to understand the importance to be self-responsible to implement the disciplines of spirituality?" The purpose of this study is to develop a model for accompaniment of members of macro communities to promote wholeness. A theory generative, qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to conduct this study. The fieldwork was done by having semistructured interviews with members of macro communities. The results obtained were analysed and categorised. The findings from all data were contextualised and a literature control was carried out. In this way findings were validated. The results obtained from the analysed data reflect the fact that members of macro communities are preoccupied with the mass gathering of the community during the Sunday service. Members of macro communities often associate strongly with the macro community, its leaders, dogma, philosophy and culture, but fail to grow as individuals. Members of macro communities are in desperate need of exercising selfresponsibility for spirituality. A lot can be done to facilitate self-responsibility for spirituality. The central concept of facilitation of self-responsibility for spirituality can be defined as the facilitator creating a safe space in order to assist, intervene, empower and motivate a community member to bring about self-awareness, selfacceptance and the making of a conscious effort in order to bring about selfdiscipline to practice spiritual disciplines and private spirituality in order to grow towards wholeness. A model was developed as framework of reference to facilitate self-responsibility for spirituality. The interrelated divisions were identified for the model of facilitation of self-responsibility for spirituality namely initiation, facilitation and mobilisation. The unique factor about the model of facilitating self-responsibility for spirituality is that members of macro communities are facilitated to live in a way that they will not be victims of massification. The aim is to assist them in living with a new inner functioning. This new inner functioning is available through the self-discipline of practicing the spiritual disciplines. That would bring about the healthy condition of an inner locus of control and a healthy relationship with the macro community, promoting hope, positive beliefs and personal growth. Members of macro communities can exercise self-responsibility for spirituality through self-awareness, self-acceptance and the making of a conscious effort. This thesis therefore proposes a model of facilitating self-responsibility for spirituality on which guidelines can be operationalised. This will assist members of macro communities to exercise self-responsibility for spirituality in order to continue in the lifelong process of growing towards wholeness.

Using surveys and interviews with Mississippi Christians, this study provides a more complete understanding of Christians’ beliefs and attitudes toward homosexuality and gay and lesbian civil rights. I analyze how Mississippi Christians make sense of their relationships with gay and lesbian friends and family members and how this differs based on their religious identity. I then consider how these beliefs and attitudes are influenced by social contact with gays and lesbians. I find Mississippi Christians’ views toward homosexuality and gay and lesbian civil rights vary widely from rejection to acceptance. The most conservative views are held by evangelical Protestants who set themselves apart from society through their beliefs about homosexuality. They feel that homosexuality is always sinful and describe almost complete opposition to gay and lesbian civil rights. On the contrary, mainline Protestants continue to move towards full assimilation with secular society. Many believe the Bible does not say anything about homosexuality and that the church should be accepting of gays and lesbians. Mainline Protestants also largely support gay and lesbian civil rights. Catholics fall in the middle of the continuum. They describe a greater degree of ambivalence about the sinfulness of homosexuality and describe conditional acceptance of gay and lesbian civil rights. Social contact with gays and lesbians did not influence evangelical Protestants beliefs and attitudes toward homosexuality or gay and lesbian civil rights. Similarly, conservative Catholics continued to hold on to their more conservative religious beliefs about homosexuality despite social contact. Conservative Christians’ subcultural identity which stands in opposition to homosexuality is stronger than the effects of social contact for evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics. On the other hand, social contact is often a strong enough influence to change beliefs and attitudes toward homosexuality and gay and lesbian civil rights for mainline Protestants and more liberal Catholics. This study demonstrates that conservative religion acts as a negative feature that deters the positive benefits of social contact to overcome prejudice.

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邢福增. / 稿本(複印电腦打印本) / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學, 1989. / Gao ben (fu yin dian nao da yin ben) / Includes bibliographical references: leaves 376-386. / Xing Fuzeng. / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 1989. / Chapter 第一章 --- 緒言 --- p.1 / 註釋 --- p.12 / Chapter 第二章 --- 晚清中國教會的時代處境 --- p.15 / Chapter 第一節 --- 中國教會歷史發展概略(1807-1911) --- p.17 / Chapter (i) --- 第一階段：草創期(1807-1860) --- p.17 / Chapter (ii) --- 第二階段：發展期(1860-1900) --- p.21 / Chapter (iii) --- 第三階段：黃金期(1900-1911) --- p.26 / Chapter (iv) --- 從「文化適應」看中國教會的歷史發展 --- p.29 / Chapter 第二節 --- 中國社會與中國基督徒：發展期(1860-1900) --- p.33 / Chapter (i) --- 外在困難：基督教與「洋教」 --- p.54 / Chapter (ii) --- 内在隠憂：中國基督徒的質素問題 --- p.43 / Chapter 第三節 --- 中國社會與中國基督徒：黃金期(1900-1911) --- p.56 / Chapter (i) --- 外在衝擊(之一）：科學 --- p.57 / Chapter (ii) --- 外在衝搫(之二）：傳統 --- p.61 / Chapter (iii) --- 内在隠憂 --- p.64 / Chapter 第四節 --- 中國基督徒的社會地位 --- p.67 / Chapter 第五節 --- 結語 --- p.73 / 註釋 --- p.75 / Chapter 第三章 --- 宣教事業與中國基督徒 --- p.86 / Chapter 第一節 --- 傳教系統與中國基督徒 --- p.87 / Chapter (i) --- 傳教系统的建立 --- p.87 / Chapter (ii) --- 中國基督徒的重要性 --- p.95 / Chapter 第二節 --- 西方傳教士對建立「本地教會」的態度 --- p.103 / Chapter (i) --- 「自治、自養、自傳」的呼聲 --- p.104 / Chapter (ii) --- 「本地教會」與本地傳道者 --- p.111 / Chapter 第三節 --- 結語 --- p.119 / 註釋 --- p.121 / Chapter 第四章 --- 晚清中國基督徒的自我體認 --- p.126 / Chapter 第一節 --- "作為中國人," --- p.128 / Chapter (i) --- 生命處境的回應與反省 --- p.130 / Chapter (ii) --- 特殊環境的抉擇與悔改 --- p.156 / Chapter 第二節 --- 作為基督徒 --- p.164 / Chapter (i) --- 得救重生的體認 --- p.165 / Chapter (ii) --- 人生價值的改變 --- p.173 / Chapter (iii) --- 成聖的追求 --- p.182 / Chapter 第三節 --- 作為中國基督徒 --- p.187 / Chapter (i) --- 個人得救的自述 --- p.188 / Chapter (ii) --- 處境的疏辯與理解 --- p.190 / Chapter 第四節 --- 結語 --- p.199 / 註釋 --- p.201 / Chapter 第五章 --- 文化適應與晚清中國基督徒一一對文化環境的調適 --- p.210 / Chapter 〔上篇〕： --- 儒家傳统 --- p.212 / Chapter 第一節 --- 調適架構的理論基礎 --- p.216 / Chapter (i) --- 中西文化一源論 --- p.218 / Chapter (ii) --- 援古儒而非今儒 --- p.221 / Chapter 第二節 --- 晚清中國基督徒對儒家傳统的調適 --- p.226 / Chapter (i) --- 「合儒」論 --- p.226 / Chapter (ii) --- 「補儒」論 --- p.239 / Chapter (iii) --- 天道與富強 --- p.250 / Chapter 第三節 --- 調適之外：「反儒」論 --- p.266 / Chapter 第四節 --- 結語 --- p.271 / Chapter 〔中篇〕： --- 祭祖 --- p.277 / Chapter 第一節 --- 晚清中國基督徒對祭祖的態度 --- p.282 / Chapter (i) --- 折衷論 --- p.284 / Chapter (ii) --- 變質論 --- p.286 / Chapter (iii) --- 真祖宗 --- p.290 / Chapter 第二節 --- 個案分析 --- p.293 / Chapter (i) --- 「劫餘子論爭」 --- p.293 / Chapter (ii) --- 《釋疑棄編》 --- p.503 / Chapter (iii) --- 「史香氏論爭」 --- p.328 / Chapter 笫三節 --- 結語 --- p.338 / Chapter 〔下篇〕： --- 科學 --- p.341 / Chapter 第一節 --- 先覺者的憂慮 --- p.343 / Chapter 第二節 --- 回應的芻議 --- p.345 / Chapter 第三節 --- 結語 --- p.349 / 註釋 --- p.351 / Chapter 第六章 --- 結論 --- p.370 / 註釋 --- p.375 / 參考書目 --- p.376

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-65).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-65).