The research explores three interrelated theological problems – human suffering as encountered during the eruptions of the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat, the inadequacy of existing Protestant religious traditions on Montserrat to cope with the crisis situation, and the weaknesses of recommended models of pastoral care inherited from Western Christianity. The latter two concerns became obvious at a time of heightened demand for the churches to offer consolation in the face of natural disaster. At the intersection of the three stated concerns is the researcher who served as a pastor in the context of the disaster. Through critical utilisation of Thomas Groome’s practical theological method of Shared Christian Praxis, she acts as interlocutor between the theological reflections of focus groups and theological statements, including contributions from cultural art forms, originating in the wider community of people resident on Montserrat during the eruptions. Irreconcilable differences between the practice of pastoral care and the theological bases for the ministry of care are exposed. The exploration of the spaces between expounded theory and actual practice of pastoral care in this research yields resources to explain the discrepancies and to help move forward the process for a praxis oriented approach to pastoral care that is both theologically valid and contextually relevant. In identifying sources of traditional wisdom useful for providing care in disaster and for developing culturally appropriate models of care and counselling, the research also suggests Shared Christian Praxis as valuable to Caribbean pastoral theological method. It is also recommended as a way of caring and doing theology in disaster situations.

James Fraser of Brea’s significance in Scottish theological history stems principally from his controversial doctrine of universal redemption which led to schisms within the Associate Synod and the Reformed Presbytery in the mid-18th century. During those disputes, several assumptions were made concerning his doctrines that have endured, thereby hindering the development of a more objective interpretation of Fraser's thought. Recent scholarship has begun the re-evaluation of his place in the development of Scottish theology and this thesis continues the process by seeking to exonerate Fraser from the unwarranted and reductionist accusations that have hitherto obscured his doctrine of redemption. This thesis advances a new and more accurate interpretation of Fraser’s doctrine of Christ’s redemption. By broadening discussions beyond the single criterion of the scope of Christ’s redemption, it also helps develop a more precise understanding of the fundamental issues of the orthodox Reformed position upon redemption during the 17th century. In order to provide a context for scrutinizing Fraser’s formulations, the debates surrounding the doctrine of redemption throughout the 16th and 17th centuries have been explored. In addition, a systematic evaluation of Fraser’s views on assurance, God’s eternal decrees, federal theology and justifying faith has been undertaken to construct a framework through which a more accurate interpretation of his doctrine of universal redemption has been achieved. Divided into three sections, this thesis begins with two contextualizing chapters. These establish the parameters of this thesis as well as detail several key developments in the doctrine of redemption throughout the 16th and 17th centuries related to determining the proper interpretation of Fraser’s doctrine of universal redemption. Following this introductory section, the second section of this thesis, which constitutes the main body in four chapters, scrutinizes Fraser’s doctrine of redemption in relation to his expressed purpose in writing and his fundamental doctrinal commitments, namely his unwavering fidelity to covenantal absolutism and redemptive particularism. The final section of this thesis is the conclusion, wherein scholars are encouraged to reconsider how they classify the doctrine of redemption and, specifically, how they understand Fraser’s doctrine of redemption in relation to the redemptive theories of his contemporaries. It is commonly recognized that Fraser deviated from the Reformed orthodox norms of the 17th century by arguing for a broader scope of Christ’s redemption, one that included the reprobate as well as the elect. This thesis moves beyond this basic understanding of his theology in two ways. Firstly, it explores why Fraser determined it was necessary to depart from the traditional presentation of Christ’s redemption and secondly it identifies how his adoption of the two-fold design of redemption corresponded to the more foundational theological commitments of his Reformed contemporaries. Since most previous interpretations have run together the three different positions, Fraser’s perspective has been carefully compared and contrasted with the redemptive paradigms proposed by the Arminians and the Hypothetical Universalists. This thesis will challenge such a confusion of theologies, arguing instead that Fraser’s doctrine of redemption truly represents via media alia. In order to fill the gaps left by earlier examinations of Fraser’s theology which concentrated upon his Treatise on Justifying Faith, for the first time equal consideration has been given to all of Fraser’s writings. Even the voluminous doctoral study by Duncan Fraser (1944), proving that Fraser of Brea employed the theme of Christ’s universal redemption throughout his writings, failed to provide an adequate analysis of how Fraser’s doctrine of redemption fitted into his own theological system or into the context of the Reformed community of 17th century Europe. This thesis provides just such an analysis.

The strong emphasis on ecclesiology in the work of Stanley Hauerwas, John Milbank and others associated with ‘the new ecclesiology’1 brings theological challenges to the contemporary move to recast practical theology’s attention to church and society as ‘public theology’. A historical reading of three key examples of practice in the tradition of twentieth century Scottish reformed-ecumenical reflection on ‘church and society’ displays a rich seam of reflection on ecclesiology, with some significant affinities to ‘the new ecclesiology’. The work of Stanley Hauerwas is used to develop a critical reading of the practices of theology and the theologies of (church and world) practice embedded in each example. This leads to the claim that ‘the new ecclesiology’ offers practical theology a way of articulating the church-world relationship and expressing the social, political and cultural witness of Christianity within Scotland which is to be preferred to the rubric of ‘public theology’. Its appeal for practical theology in the face of church decline and the marginalisation of theological discourse within liberal culture lies not in a temptation towards the comforts of “sectarianism”, but in its confession of the “ironic” character of the politics of Jesus and the reign of God. Its promise for practical theology lies in its claim to offer a narrative display of how theology as “church pragmatics” can mediate a fruitful social, political and cultural imagining of the world Scotland is and the world it is called to be.

This thesis examines the part played by Christian churches in the communal stabilisation of three refugee settings and in the national resolution of the second Sudanese civil war. Based on extensive field research in Sudan and in Sudanese refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda, the thesis is further underpinned by current theories on displacement, social identity and conflict resolution. Ranging from grassroots pastors to Presidential Cabinet Ministers, altogether more than one hundred fifty church and political leaders were consulted through individual interviews and focus groups with more than seventy-five recorded hours. Archives at The Centre for Documentation and Advocacy in Nairobi, Kenya, the New Sudan Council of Churches’ Archive in Kampala, Uganda, the Sudan Archive at the University of Durham, United Kingdom and the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C., United States were also utilised. The thesis commences with an examination of three grassroots communities in refuge, Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, the internally displaced of Hajj Yusuf, Khartoum and Oliji Refugee Camp in Uganda. In establishing the social impact and influence of the churches on the respective displaced community, each of the three local manifestations function as a case study detailing endeavours by Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Catholic and Pentecostal churches to respond to arisen needs, resolve political instabilities and reconcile ethnic tensions. Though the exact influence of the churches differs in each context one overarching theme that emerges is greatly enhanced communal stabilisation. Alongside the numerical growth and social impact of the churches at the local level, the ecumenical New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) employed a three-tiered strategy to facilitate national resolution of the second civil war as is delineated in the second half of the thesis. First, through ‘the people-to-people peace process’ the NSCC directly mediated grassroots reunification throughout southern Sudan. Second, the NSCC functioned as the primary channel of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) criticism and utilised its growing clout to pressure the SPLM/A to adopt measures of good governance and pursue in good faith negotiated settlement with the Government of Sudan. Third, the NSCC stood behind a successful international campaign that lobbied and secured engagement from regional and European and American governments critical to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. By paralleling three local communities and the NSCC national resolution initiatives the thesis proffers several important conclusions about Christianity and the civil war in south Sudan including enumerating rationales related to the explosive growth of Christianity, demarcating several nascent indicators of a Christian influenced civil religion, highlighting the growing social and political impact of the churches throughout south Sudan and finally, delineating several general conflict mediatory keys relevant to the churches’ endeavours. The thesis furthermore clearly demonstrates that in the midst of civil war the southern Sudanese indigenous churches bolstered communal stabilisation at a grassroots level, substantively impacted the emergence of national political resolution and thereby directly facilitated the road to Sudanese peace.

This thesis examines the interaction between the Kirk’s institutions and the state between the fall of the earl of Arran’s government in 1585 and the full restoration of diocesan episcopacy in 1610. Due to the lack of focussed secondary material, reliance has been placed upon primary sources, especially information from the courts of the Kirk above the parochial level - the presbyteries, synods and the general assembly - on personal correspondence and on governmental and diplomatic sources. The role of the general assembly has been investigated by analyses of its composition and its interaction with the crown. The part played by the presbytery of Edinburgh and its successor as the principal standing committee of the Kirk, the commission of the general assembly, provides a more focussed investigation of the personnel involved in ecclesiastical politics at the highest level. Chapters are also devoted to the synods and the presbyteries, concentrating on how these regional and local courts responded to matters of national significance. Finally, a chapter on the question of ecclesiastical representation in parliament complements the analysis of the institutional framework of the Kirk by demonstrating how opinions on a particular issue were formed and changed by political circumstances. This analysis demonstrates that many of the historiographical constructs which have been placed upon the issue of ecclesiastical politics in the reign of James VI require fundamental reassessment. The idea of factions within the Kirk - ‘Melvillians’ , or ‘Presbyterians’ and ‘episcopalians’ - is misleading and has done much to cloud the true picture. The alternative view presented here suggests that there were, throughout the period, shifting patterns of opposition and obedience to the policy of the crown rather than fixed clerical parties. Opinions remained fluid and were affected by events. Historians have approached the sources with preconceptions concerning the existence of such factions and have thus tried to find what was often not there. It is also demonstrated that there was a crucial difference in royal policy on either side of the regnal union which, along with 1596, should be seen as a turning point. Prior to 1603, James VI had a firm gnp on his ecclesiastical policy as a result of direct personal involvement after 1596. Consequently, he was able to carry out a successful policy based on consensus. After his accession to the English throne, however, the indirect nature of hs contact with ecclesiastical politics caused him to lose that grip. The centralising tendency in government, which had become evident prior to 1603, accelerated and was a major factor in increased clerical opposition to royal policy during the first decade of the seventeenth century. It is, therefore, also asserted here that, contrary to the view of most historians, it was this factor and not the liturgical innovations of the second decade of the seventeenth century which brought about the loss of clerical confidence in the religious policy of James VI.

In this thesis, the author takes a journey through both biblical and contemporary patriarchal cultures, contemplating the commonality of rape survivors’ experiences across space and time, and, in particular, evaluating the insidious and pervasive influences of patriarchy, which have long served to deny these women a voice with which to relate their narrative of suffering. Consideration is given to some of the common contemporary cultural attitudes and misperceptions regarding sexual violence, commonly known as ‘rape myths’, which appear to be rooted within the deeply entrenched gender stereotypes of patriarchal cultures the world over, and which survivors of sexual violence regard as lying at the very heart of their own voicelessness. The author examines the means by which these rape myths silence victims of sexual violence, then, using these myths as a hermeneutical tool, evaluates whether they are likewise given voice within both the text and interpretive traditions of Genesis 34, a biblical narrative recounting the rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah. When these myths do appear to be represented within this narrative, consideration is then given to the impact that they may likewise have had upon Dinah’s own experience of her violation and thus, upon her ability to share her story. Moreover, the author evaluates the representations of Dinah in her interpretive afterlife, assessing the ways in which biblical interpreters may or may not appeal to these same myths in order both to attend to her silence and to make sense of her experience. This thesis therefore has two primary aims. Firstly, there is an attempt to paint a picture of the world in which Dinah experienced her sexual assault, by casting light upon the attitudes and ideologies that she would have faced from others within her own community. In addition, consideration is also given to the narrative world, which Dinah continues to occupy in the minds of those who read her story, by looking at the responses she has received and continues to receive from this interpretive community. This thesis therefore attempts to provide a deeper insight into Dinah’s own experience of sexual violence, in order that contemporary readers can better comprehend the meaningfulness and complexity of her silence and grant to it a rich and new meaning.

<p> The purpose of writing this paper was to raise awareness about spiritual fitness within the Hawaii Army National Guard. A training program was developed to assist soldiers with increasing their spiritual fitness, thereby making them more resilient. </p><p> Chapter 1 outlines the current trends and ministry problem facing the Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers. A review of the US Army Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is addressed, and it is shown how spiritual fitness is developed and increased. </p><p> Chapter 2 provides a review of literature relating to the topic of spiritual fitness, and the importance and place it has in our society. The development of the Four Spiritual Laws is addressed, and shown how the use of the booklet can very simply and directly help individuals grow their faith personally. </p><p> Chapter 3 sets forth the research methodology utilized in approaching the project, including the use of readily available training materials and resources. The purpose of the spiritual fitness inventory is discussed and the goals of each research area are defined. </p><p> Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the method used to gather supporting data. The methodology for the chaplain led intervention is outlined, so that others can use the program to engage their military units in the future replication of this program. </p><p> Chapter 5 assesses the data and points to the strategy for areas of further research across the Hawaii Army National Guard. The benefits of the program are discussed and shown to be applicable for implementation by other chaplains across the state.</p>

<p> The Black community has historically been beset by much higher school suspension rates when compared with other racial groups. The U.S. Department of Education reports that black K-12 students are 3.8 times more likely to receive school suspensions as white students. Researchers have determined that suspensions also enhance dropout rates for students. Across all racial demographics, dropping out of school promotes negative social behaviors and below average successes in a youth&rsquo;s lifetime, which is more evident in the Black community. Black suspended youth, if not assisted, have the potential to become high-school dropouts which may result in becoming juvenile delinquents, social nonconformists, and later underachieving adults. This doctoral project consists of assessing two existing programs for black youth through <i> IN-AGAP&Emacr; Family Life and Educational Center</i> organization: (1) <i> Stay Up While You Are Out,</i> which supports youth who are suspended for a short-term or a long-term from the Newport News Public School system, and (2) <i>One More Chance,</i> which supports the youth that is recommended to the program by the Newport News Juvenile Court system but can return to school after a period of court-imposed probation.</p><p>

This paper shares how multisensory worship is vital in reaching people today and how multisensory worship can be implemented in traditional settings small and medium-sized churches where worship has primarily been an exercise of print culture. This paper shares information gathered from the implementation of multisensory worship and preaching at First United Methodist Church, Canton, Texas, from January 2004 until the present as well as information gathered from workshops and research of trends in worship. In the first chapter entitled Multisensory Worship in Traditional Settings, definitions are formed to frame the discussion, a history of communication changes are given, multiple intelligence theory is introduced, the contemporary-traditional worship discussion matrix is critiqued and the current situation of worship of churches in traditional settings is described. The second chapter, entitled The Danger and Reality of Consumerism in Worship, helps answer the criticism of many who feel that new styles and modes of worship are a capitulation to the consumer-dominant society that we live in today. The third chapter, entitled The Worship Corpus as the Word of God, shares a theological construct by which the entire worship celebration of a church can embody the Word of God. The fourth and fifth chapters, entitled Elements of Multisensory Worship in Traditional Settings and Multisensory Worship Preparation, give the practical aspects of implementing multisensory worship in churches in traditional settings, including a new way in which churches can use advanced planning to facilitate the production of many time-consuming elements.

The subject of this thesis is The Ritual of Blood Sacrifice as Evidenced in Colossians 1: 20 and its Implications in the Akan Traditional Culture. It first explores the traditional Akan cultural worldview in terms of their concepts of God, deities and ancestors. Then it deals with their concept of sacrifice by looking at three examples of ritual sacrifice: the Ritual Killing after the Death of a Chief, Human Sacrifice for Victory, and Sacrificing Living People. After an exegesis of Col. 1:20 within the context of the Christ Hymn, the thesis examines some elements of human sacrifice in the Greco-Roman world and describes the wider early Christian understanding of Jesus death as a sacrifice. This analysis will help us to engage those aspects of Akan theology and cosmology that have a direct correlation with the Akan-language translation of the Colossians Hymn. Drawing on examples from recent newspaper articles on ritual killings in Ghana, the thesis tries to determine the rationale for these sacrifices within the traditional Akan context. The thesis draws the conclusion that for Pentecostal-Charismatic believers Christs death on the cross is a blood ritual sacrifice that meets the sacrificial needs of the Akans; however Christs sacrifice is more efficacious and superior to the Akan traditional ritual sacrifices for maintaining the cosmological balance within the universe in regard to peace, protection, prosperity and power.