Thesis (M. Div.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1985. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-43).

This dissertation came as a response of the outcome of the author's Master's thesis in which female Pastors in the North West Province, in the Republic of South Africa lamented that their male subordinates destruct them from doing their ministerial work properly. The relevant methodology to address this problem was found to be; fusion of Feminist Liberation Theology, Shepherding and Quantitative methods in the light of Practical Theology. The research has been conducted in the three Provinces of the Republic of South Africa, namely; Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo, with four female Pastors from each Province. These interviewees from twelve different denominations answered a questionnaire marked appendix A, which comprises of biblical and general questions. The outcome of these three Provinces was that generally female leaders are dehumanised by being marginalised, undermined, silenced and crushed by their male subordinates and counterparts, to a point that these female leaders use respect as a bait to harmonise the situation. The outcome of the North West Province which necessitated this research was then confirmed that female Pastors are generally denigrated by their male subordinates and as result they become destructed from doing their duties well. And because of that they are labelled incompetent. Regardless the negation of female leadership as based on the above indicated factors, the research has managed to prove that females had been part of leadership from time immemorial to date. Liberation Now, as Russell has mentioned, is the heartbeat of this study, therefore recommendations are that the biblical interpretation, masculine language (gender sensitive) and the negative Setswana idioms and proverbs that are oppressive to females especially those in leadership be replaced by the positive or constructive ones. Interpretation should be rapidly emancipative, just like Jesus did by overriding the Law of Purity, Defilement and Sabbath by that of Liberation and Justice. As God he understood that justice delayed is justice denied, see Mark 5: 23- 42 and Luke 13: 10- 16. Scripture must be allowed to interpret itself, especially on issues of serious controversy such as the topic in question. A line should also be drawn between the Word of God and the words of people that are found in the Bible, e.g. thus says the LORD and I, Paul, say. This does not discredit God’s inspiration upon His Word, but acknowledges the honesty in recording people’s thoughts that are both good and evil. Egalitarian male senior Pastors (Bishops) with their authority of ordaining Pastors should spearhead the liberation and affirmation of female leadership, through counselling and intense teaching to all stake holders, as to avert this warp concept of denigrating females in the name of God. The reason for recommending them is because females could not counsel themselves, nor by their subjugators, however egalitarian male senior Pastors would have to create a rapport that is deemed as a key to this endeavour, since females may perceive them as subjugators and male subordinates as sell-outs. Concomitantly theological training should be a prerequisite to church ministry. The monitoring tool had been developed in accordance with concerns and recommendations of the outcome of the research, in order for the church top leadership to track the situation at local churches, and respond timeously to the matters that may affect the church negatively. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-73).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-87).

Thesis advisor: Jeffrey Bloechl / Is it possible for a finite thing to mediate an infinite God? Would it not be as futile as a hand trying to grasp the entire earth, or a seashell to contain the ocean? A finite thing is by definition limited, and thus its attempt to reveal an infinite God seems to lead immediately to two possible outcomes: (a) idolatry, where the finite fails to adequately capture God, where mediator becomes imposter, and (b) iconoclasm, which recognizes the inevitable failure of mediation and seeks to avoid or destroy any further attempts to carry it out. While taking different courses of action, their opposition reveals a deeper unity: both posit an implicit competition between the infinite God and finite reality. And yet most religions still claim mediation of God is possible. How do they avoid this impasse? To explore this possibility of mediation, I turn to the things themselves, focusing on the particular case of the icon. As something to be looked at, touched, or kissed, the icon reminds us how deeply rooted we are in the senses we prefer to take for granted, and cuts short any attempts to “spirit away” the finite limitations of human existence. The Introduction contextualizes this first problem, but upon turning to the icon in Chapter 1 a second problem immediately arises. What is an icon, and how do we approach it? Aesthetics, history, patristics, and contemporary theology have a legitimate claim on its identity, but also suffer from significant blind spots. By untangling the lines of these debates, I show that two questions critical to my inquiry remain without a satisfactory answer: 1) What is an image, and how does it mediate the truth in what it shows? 2) What would it mean for God to “show” himself? I argue that phenomenology will serve as a productive way forward on both these fronts. Chapter 2 uses the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer to address the first of these questions with a hermeneutic phenomenology of the image. Chapter 3 addresses the second in dialogue with Jean-Luc Marion. Although Marion does engage with the question of the painted icon in several places, the “icon” for Marion is not primarily a question of images, but of the unique way that God shows himself. When combined with Gadamer’s aesthetics this will offer the launching point for my phenomenological analysis of the icon in Chapters 4 and 5. The icon is something to be seen, but also something to be touched and kissed. It is a kind of representational art, with a unique style and clearly defined content, but also embedded in a practice of substitutional prayer and shared with a liturgical community. I show how each of these dimensions of meaningful mediation arises within ordinary human experience and how its structure changes as it is extended in prayer. Chapter 6 closes the inquiry by drawing these particular results into a final and general model of “iconic mediation.” This begins to explain how a finite thing in its limitations and particularities can mediate an infinite God, but only once we have exposed and subverted the layers of iconoclasm implicit in the original question. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Thesis advisor: Jeffrey Bloechl / Is it possible for a finite thing to mediate an infinite God? Would it not be as futile as a hand trying to grasp the entire earth, or a seashell to contain the ocean? A finite thing is by definition limited, and thus its attempt to reveal an infinite God seems to lead immediately to two possible outcomes: (a) idolatry, where the finite fails to adequately capture God, where mediator becomes imposter, and (b) iconoclasm, which recognizes the inevitable failure of mediation and seeks to avoid or destroy any further attempts to carry it out. While taking different courses of action, their opposition reveals a deeper unity: both posit an implicit competition between the infinite God and finite reality. And yet most religions still claim mediation of God is possible. How do they avoid this impasse? To explore this possibility of mediation, I turn to the things themselves, focusing on the particular case of the icon. As something to be looked at, touched, or kissed, the icon reminds us how deeply rooted we are in the senses we prefer to take for granted, and cuts short any attempts to “spirit away” the finite limitations of human existence. The Introduction contextualizes this first problem, but upon turning to the icon in Chapter 1 a second problem immediately arises. What is an icon, and how do we approach it? Aesthetics, history, patristics, and contemporary theology have a legitimate claim on its identity, but also suffer from significant blind spots. By untangling the lines of these debates, I show that two questions critical to my inquiry remain without a satisfactory answer: 1) What is an image, and how does it mediate the truth in what it shows? 2) What would it mean for God to “show” himself? I argue that phenomenology will serve as a productive way forward on both these fronts. Chapter 2 uses the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer to address the first of these questions with a hermeneutic phenomenology of the image. Chapter 3 addresses the second in dialogue with Jean-Luc Marion. Although Marion does engage with the question of the painted icon in several places, the “icon” for Marion is not primarily a question of images, but of the unique way that God shows himself. When combined with Gadamer’s aesthetics this will offer the launching point for my phenomenological analysis of the icon in Chapters 4 and 5. The icon is something to be seen, but also something to be touched and kissed. It is a kind of representational art, with a unique style and clearly defined content, but also embedded in a practice of substitutional prayer and shared with a liturgical community. I show how each of these dimensions of meaningful mediation arises within ordinary human experience and how its structure changes as it is extended in prayer. Chapter 6 closes the inquiry by drawing these particular results into a final and general model of “iconic mediation.” This begins to explain how a finite thing in its limitations and particularities can mediate an infinite God, but only once we have exposed and subverted the layers of iconoclasm implicit in the original question. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--George Fox University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-315). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-157).

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-148).