Thesis (D. Min.)--Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, 1997. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 290-292).

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-139).

No description available.

The contents of this dissertation is about the authoritarianism presently found in Lutheran churches in general and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) in particular. In contradiction to the Roman Catholic Church, Luther advocated the participation of the laity in decision-making processes. However, strong offices of authority have been established in ELCIN and excessive powers have been granted constitutionally to the clergy against the laity, with the result that lay leaders are made to believe that the decision-making procedures belong to the higher authorities at all levels of the church. There is a lack of willingness among the higher authorities to motivate lay leaders to take up leadership responsibilities in their presence. The danger of this attitude is that most of the decisions made in the church are initiated by the clergy and are therefore not representative. The leadership style of ELCIN can be described as partially democratic and partially authoritarian. The authoritarian leadership style of ELCIN was not derived from the original Lutheran heritage. This situation is due largely to a combination of the leadership patterns of the Finnish missionaries and the prevailing Owambo traditional culture. Authoritarian attitudes remain an urgent challenge to ELCIN in particular, and to Lutheran churches in general. The formulation of a new concept of leadership in the church must embrace the collective participation of all male adult members of the community in decision-making processes as observed in positive elements of Owambo traditions and Luther's concept of the priesthood of all believers. This dissertation recommends that lay leaders must be allowed to chair decision-making bodies at all levels in the church and that clergy and lay leaders participate equally in these bodies. ELCIN theologians also have to formulate concepts which contextualise church leadership and dissociate it from foreign vessels of culture. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

The history of conflict in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) has had negative results for the life of the church. This history has seen at its best the disintegration of the strongest social cords that ever existed, including the indigenous resources ubuntu and ukama. In the communal life of the Shona and the Ndebele in Zimbabwe, the concepts of ukama and ubuntu challenge, in a neighbourly way, negative views that people hold against each another. This position is strengthened by Luther’s teaching on neighbourliness through the metaphor of “becoming a Christ for your neighbour.” This metaphor expresses the deeper relationship that exists within members of the same faith shared with those outside their boundaries. Luther’s notion of neighbourliness can be combined with the local resources to achieve unity and break tensions within the local communities in Zimbabwe. Divisions and tensions tarnish human identities and mar the future potential of people in the country in general. Besides, the tensions and divisions distract the vision and purpose of the church in society. An indigenous African theology of unity can be constructed to counter the dehumanization of humanity. This study attempts to construct a local theological framework of unity that can guide the ELCZ in the continuing divisions and tensions that exist. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The ELCT Southern Diocese is recognised by the ELCT as having made substantial and exciting strides in Theological Education by Extension (TEE). It has further acquired the reputation of having a strong philosophical commitment to the cause of the TEE programme and of having a conviction regarding the importance of TEE as a means of improving Christian education among its members as well as increasing the number of church workers. The TEE programme has been running since 1990 when the ELCT Southern Diocese embarked on the TEE philosophy transformation. TEE is considered capable of playing a major role in achieving TEE goals and aspirations. The year 1990, in particular, when the plan was launched, marks a concrete take-off point for the rapid improvement of adult Christian education especially for parish workers, on a kind of scale which had hitherto been unprecedented. This thesis is an attempt to document the spirit and substance of TEE development in the ELCT Southern Diocese. The scope of the different kinds of development that have taken place in TEE during this time is too wide to give a detailed and comprehensive treatment of the subject within the covers of a thesis of this size. An attempt is made to highlight the major features of TEE development in the Southern Diocese between 1990 and 1997. The thesis is supported by extensive reference to primary and secondary sources on TEE. Interviews with key informants from the various churches provide rich information. The thesis describes the TEE philosophy and policies behind the programme. The success story of the TEE programme is supported by a number of tables and the problems are given some possible solutions. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This is a thesis about Lutherans and their schools in Australia. There have been Lutheran schools in Australia for more than 170 years. The first three schools were established in 1839. Currently there are eighty-three Lutheran schools with total enrolments of approximately 37 000 students. In the intervening period there have been two great waves of development. The first began with the first schools in 1839 and reached its climax at the end of the nineteenth century before the advent of state schools and the anti-German sentiment of the Great War caused a period of decline. The second wave, fuelled by government funding and some disillusionment with state schools, gathered its momentum in the last half of the twentieth century and is still in full flow. This thesis deals with the first wave, the eighty years of Lutheran schooling history from 1839 to 1919. It is an exercise in educational historiography and takes a biographical approach. According to its title it focuses on the lives and roles of the male leaders who dominated the church’s educational endeavours during this period. The subjects of the eight biographies are chosen to be representative of regions, eras and issues. They are: August Kavel, the founder of Australian Lutheranism and its schooling system; Daniel Fritzsche, the first Lutheran tertiary educator; Wilhelm Boehm, founder of the Hahndorf Academy in South Australia; Rudolph Ey, a Lutheran pastor and teacher in South Australia; Theodor Langebecker, a Queensland Lutheran pastor and educator; Carl Krichauff, a Lutheran teacher and journalist; Wilhelm Peters, the founder of Concordia College in Adelaide; Georg Leidig, the founder of Immanuel College in Adelaide. The main themes pertaining to Lutheran schooling which the thesis explores are: relations between church and state; relations between schools and the church; schools adjusting to mainstream educational realities; preservation of distinctive traits; regional contrasts; teacher formation and educational standards; American influences; German roots. As a thesis this history attempts to establish, by means of a number of biographies and the exploration of various themes, the answer to a basic question: what were the main events, issues, personalities and forces which impinged on Lutheran schooling in its first eighty years in Australia and how did they contribute to its unique character?

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [98]-101).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas Christian University, 2009. / Title from dissertation title page (viewed Mar. 26, 2009). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nebraska, 1937.