<p>This thesis has been researched against a backdrop of conflict that had arisen due to diferent approaches to possessions in the African church as practiced within the Association of Vineyard Churches. This conflict arose because of different parts of the African church. An examination of certain New Testament scriptures follows detailing the approach of the early church to the ownership and use of possesions. Fron there the researcher surveys the history of patriarchial and monastic literatures it impacts on an understanding of possessions. A number of socio-econonic and worldview factors are then surveyed in order to gain an understanding of the way in which they impact the African church's approach to resources and possessions. Different forms of ownership also impact upon the African church scene and these are examined in order to assess their importance. The body of this thesis is then used to survey the different approaches of African theologians who offer solutions to the economic and cultural problems of post colonial Africa as they impinge upon a theology of possessions.</p>

<p>This thesis has been researched against a backdrop of conflict that had arisen due to diferent approaches to possessions in the African church as practiced within the Association of Vineyard Churches. This conflict arose because of different parts of the African church. An examination of certain New Testament scriptures follows detailing the approach of the early church to the ownership and use of possesions. Fron there the researcher surveys the history of patriarchial and monastic literatures it impacts on an understanding of possessions. A number of socio-econonic and worldview factors are then surveyed in order to gain an understanding of the way in which they impact the African church's approach to resources and possessions. Different forms of ownership also impact upon the African church scene and these are examined in order to assess their importance. The body of this thesis is then used to survey the different approaches of African theologians who offer solutions to the economic and cultural problems of post colonial Africa as they impinge upon a theology of possessions.</p>

Thesis (MTh.(Department of Religion and Theology))--University of the Western Cape, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-217).

Magister Theologiae - MTh / This thesis has been researched against a backdrop of conflict that had arisen due to diferent approaches to possessions in the African church as practiced within the Association of Vineyard Churches. This conflict arose because of different parts of the African church. An examination of certain New Testament scriptures follows detailing the approach of the early church to the ownership and use of possesions. Fron there the researcher surveys the history of patriarchial and monastic literatures it impacts on an understanding of possessions. A number of socio-econonic and worldview factors are then surveyed in order to gain an understanding of the way in which they impact the African church's approach to resources and possessions. Different forms of ownership also impact upon the African church scene and these are examined in order to assess their importance. The body of this thesis is then used to survey the different approaches of African theologians who offer solutions to the economic and cultural problems of post colonial Africa as they impinge upon a theology of possessions. / South Africa

This dissertation is presented as a contribution to the study of the History and Theology of Argentine Pentecostalism. Attention is given to the social, political and religious context in which the events have taken place and the tendencies deriving from them are examined. The work is divided into three parts. In Part I, the study of the origin and development of Pentecostalism shows the correlation between the historical process and the distinctive features of Argentine society. At the same time the non-denominational and independent origin of the movement is established. Part II provides examples of ministry and predominant theological emphases. Special attention is given to elements that form the pastoral profile, theological education and the ministry of women. In the theological field, besides analysing the development of doctrines common to Pentecostalism, such as baptism in the Holy Spirit and divine healing, the decisive influence of the Latter Rains Movement is underlined. Three models of evangelism which have affected Pentecostal theology and practice are examined. Part III concentrates on movements towards unity and the way in which churches linked to missionary bodies have blocked this process as a result of ideological pressure from their denominational headquarters. The investigation closes with indications of some of the hazards and prospects to which the largest denomination in Argentina and Latin America is exposed.

This thesis addresses the problem of the fragmentation of conversion and discipleship in the theology and practice of evangelism within the Wesleyan tradition. Fragmentation is understood as the process of splintering or separating elements that were previously united. It is argued that this fragmentation results in large part from the lack of a unifying vision for conversion and discipleship, and that recovering the significance of Christian perfection can present a way forward. The work of Alisdair MacIntyre is used to interpret the doctrine of Christian perfection as providing a telos and vision for evangelism. The work of Ellen Charry is also drawn upon to show how the doctrine of Christian perfection is sapiential in nature, and shapes the practice of evangelism to that end. This thesis argues that the renewing of Christian perfection as a vision of evangelism can hold the elements of conversion and discipleship in tension, thus repairing the fragmentation. On the one hand, evangelism that aims at making disciples who press on to perfection will intentionally seek conversion as a necessary but incomplete goal. On the other hand, spiritual formation that aims at perfection must be rooted in the reality of conversion itself, and cannot proceed without effective evangelism. Drawing upon evidence from the theology of John Wesley and the early Methodist movement supports the argument, and the problem is further explored by a critical analysis of contemporary scholarship in the Wesleyan tradition. The implications of the thesis include the need for an evangelistic message that communicates the good news in terms of holy love, capturing both the need for personal conversion and the pursuit of Christian perfection. A second implication is the need for an approach to evangelism that restores the link between conversion and discipleship. A third implication is for a new or renewed set of evangelistic practices that guide persons through the experience of conversion, and on toward the telos of Christian perfection.

Jonathan Edwards is rightly titled America's first great theologian and philosopher, yet in terms of his historical influence he is foremost a preacher. This thesis links Edwards' philosophy to his preaching passion by demonstrating how his desire to establish a communication theory brought cohesion to his far-reaching philosophical interests. More specifically, this study shows how Edwards' speculative analysis on the composition of the human soul is motivated by his desire to configure a preaching strategy compatible with the soul's content and conduct. Jonathan Edwards' philosophy and its relation to his sermon writing is introduced in the first two chapters. The third chapter presents Edwards' conception of the human soul as an arrangement of mental powers which he calls "principles." Although the converted soul owns both natural and supernatural principles, Edwards' evangelistic preaching strategically targets the natural principles operating unaccompanied in the sinner. Focusing on Edwards' preaching to the unconverted, the next four chapters are devoted to an examination of the four natural principles: human reason; simple imagination; common affection and natural conscience. Each natural principle is placed within Edwards' communication theory while sermon extracts are called in to demonstrate the principle's function in Edwards' awakening preaching. The significance of this study is enhanced by the introduction of 100 unpublished sermons which are cited and used as background reference. These unpublished sermon portions offer a rare glimpse into Edwards' homiletic genius and in many cases appear in this study for the first time in print.

The Gaelic women’s song tradition has been studied in depth, and the post-Reformation Church and its impact on the Gàidhealtachd examined from various perspectives, yet the body of evangelical song which shows the interaction of the two is possibly the least explored area of traditional Gaelic verse and the least understood outside the immediate environment in which it was created. In their devotional songs, evangelical elegies and waulking songs, generations of women have left a record of the domestic, spiritual and cultural life of the Gàidhealtachd which would be difficult to retrieve from any other source. The present study provides access to this important literary and cultural resource by creating a research corpus of 600 poems, representing the work of 165 women from many different parts of the Gàidhealtachd, dating from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day. The historical, theological and literary background to the songs is explored, using both a range of secondary sources and the words of selected poets as they articulate and define contemporary events within the context of Reformed doctrine. Analysis across the corpus shows songs creating an allegorical world within which every creature, person and place is imbued with spiritual significance, each acting as a mnemonic for an associated biblical paradigm. This use of scriptural and doctrinal allusion is functional rather than purely ornamental, with core metaphors expressed and made authoritative in lexicons of honorifics, epithets and poetic place names. The thesis facilitates fuller reading of spiritual song by explaining the symbolic significance of the above elements, demonstrating their role in creating contextual settings, linking songs into a network of biblical, doctrinal and poetic texts, extending and validating the poet’s message. The functioning of this referential system is further explored in detailed literary analysis of the work of a representative sample of poets, each of whom is set in her own social and historical context.

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Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with a Southern Baptist congregation in Atlanta, this thesis analyzes members’ experiences of becoming born-again Christians and their engagement with prayer to explore the affects that permeate the practice of developing a personal relationship with Jesus.