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<p> Hans Urs von Balthasar was one of the most prominent Roman Catholic theologians of the twentieth century and has inspired a thriving ecosystem of secondary scholarship, with impassioned critics and determined defenders churning out a steady stream of scholarship as expansive as Balthasar&rsquo;s own massive body of work. This wealth of secondary scholarship is not, however, without a penumbral character. Due to the controversies that have&mdash;not without reason&mdash;plagued Balthasarian studies, it is often more akin to a war-strewn battleground than a lively and productive dialogue in various areas. By engaging with the work of Gilles Emery and Thomas Joseph White, this thesis explores the ways in which overly rigid interpretations&mdash;due to what I call readerly rigidity&mdash;can impede an attempt to productively read and present (and critique) Balthasar&rsquo;s theology. The goal herein is not to counter their critiques, but rather to challenge how those critiques are made.</p>

<p>ABSTRACT Title: An Evaluation of a Mentoring and Partnering Program to Mobilize Small Harlem Churches to Intentional Community Engagement Author: Carlton T Brown Degree: Doctor of Ministry Date: 3-1-17 Adviser: Dr. Frank Chan The purpose of writing "An Evaluation of a Mentoring and Partnering Program to Mobilize Small Harlem Churches to Intentional Community Engagement" is to address and evaluate a mentoring and partnering program designed to mobilize small Harlem churches to intentional community engagement. The approach of the project focuses on the modification of ministry views of the pastor and key leader(s) of small, less resourced churches through the intervention of the Pastor of a large 500 or more member church in the area of community engagement and potential partnership opportunities for that purpose. Chapter 1 provides the purpose, goals, context, and rationale of this project. This chapter includes the Researcher?s inspiration for the research, purpose of the study, ministry problem addressed, Bethel Gospel ministry and community context in which research was conducted, research questions and model of research, definition of terms ?Ark Mentality, black liberation theology, great commission, theology of the priestly and prophetic, storefront churches ? and possible limitations and delimitations of the current project. Chapter 2 provides literature review and theological foundations for historical and current state of the ministry of the black church inner-city and its approach to community engagements and partnerships dealing with the prevailing spiritual and social condition in context of the churches mission. Chapter 3 sets forth the research methodology utilized in approaching managing attitude changes of pastors and leaders of small less resourced churches, the instruments used to establish initial position, procedures employed during mentoring session, and data collection procedure. Chapter 4 presents an analysis of the findings including: quantitative and qualitative data of the 5 areas of assessment and intervention including: Discipleship, Mission and Vision, Community Engagement, Great Commission, and Shared Missional Commitment, along with information gleaned from interview and finally post-intervention Church Philosophy Questionnaire. Chapter 5 summarizes the purpose of the project, the findings as regards the attitudes and commitments of the participants. The research questions are restated. The Researcher?s conclusions include challenges of participants? schedules and ministry commitments, and the possibility of conflicts around theological issues.

<p> This study argues that Lesslie Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture is best seen when viewed through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. For this point to be made, two important aspects of Newbigin&rsquo;s thought must be systematized and related to each another. First, it will be shown that Newbigin has a theology of missionary encounter. Second, Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter will be shown to function as a lens to view his theology in general and his doctrine of Scripture in particular. Chapter 1 explains the research topic and the limits of the thesis. Chapter 2 shows the presence of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition that led to his theology of missionary encounter. Chapter 3 reveals the formative role that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter had on his theological method and theological project as a whole. Chapter 4 builds upon the previous two chapters by using Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter as a lens to view his doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 5 considers what the nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian.</p><p> Chapter 1, &ldquo;Introducing The Research Topic,&rdquo; introduces Lesslie Newbigin and the thesis of this research. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with the research focus, understanding of key concepts, and the delimits of the issues involved. First, attention is given to understanding the place of this dissertation within the literature and the personal journey that led to the writing of this dissertation. This chapter will highlight the importance of the topic by explaining the ways it contributes to the field of Newbigin studies as well as the discipline of theology in general.</p><p> Chapter 2 is an overview of Newbigin&rsquo;s life and work. This chapter demonstrates the presence of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition to engage in a missionary encounter that resulted in his theology of missionary encounter. By examining Newbigin&rsquo;s missionary theology, this chapter outlines the development of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological ambition throughout his life. It is shown that his ambition to engage in a missionary encounter reached maturity later in his life as he articulated his theology of missionary encounter. At its core, Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter is aimed at helping the Church recover the gospel, indwell the biblical story, and challenge the axioms of the culture with the axioms of the Bible in order to live as a faithful witness. The missionary encounter, this challenging of competing stories, takes place within the individual lives of members in a local congregation. </p><p> In order to show that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter best mediates his doctrine of scripture, consideration must be given to understanding the form and function of his theology as a whole. Chapter 3, &ldquo;Newbigin&rsquo;s Theological Method,&rdquo; explores the structure of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology. After surveying the structure of Newbigin&rsquo;s theological method as a whole, the focus of this chapter narrows on a series of unpublished articles which Newbigin thought of as a sort of Dogmatics of his thought. The contextual nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology makes it clear that a robust understanding of what Newbigin believed about anything must be understood in relation to his desire to bring the gospel story to bear on the cultural story. The intended point is that Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter has a permeating presence throughout the form and function of his theology as a whole.</p><p> Chapter 4, &ldquo;Systematizing Newbigin&rsquo;s Doctrine of Scripture,&rdquo; presents a systematization of Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture with the help of his theology of missionary encounter. Building upon the previous two chapters, this chapter utilizes Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter as a lens through which his doctrine of Scripture can be understood. The clarity of Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture emerges as his theology refracted through the lens of his theology of missionary encounter. Newbigin&rsquo;s doctrine of Scripture is presented in one summary sentence followed by seven categorical statements which are intended to exegete the summary sentence. Observing Newbigin&rsquo;s missionary encounter between gospel and culture provides the proper lens for seeing what Newbigin believed about Scripture. </p><p> Chapter 5, &ldquo;Newbigin&rsquo;s Public and Prophetic Theology,&rdquo; raises the question about what the nature of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology reveals about Newbigin as a theologian. This chapter provides a concluding summary of the research involved and clears some paths for future research. While demonstrating the usefulness of Newbigin as a dialogue partner this chapter provides some cautions for appropriating Newbigin&rsquo;s thought uncritically. Combining these different levels of analysis highlights the central role of Newbigin&rsquo;s theology of missionary encounter in his theology.</p>

<p> The author presents that Cuban house churches lack leaders who can evangelize their own people without help from Christians of other countries. This is a problem in ministry for the indigenous house church leaders in Cuba. The project was &ldquo;experimental research,&rdquo; in which an intervention in evangelism training was introduced and then evaluated. He recruited 60 participants and used a 40-item Evangelism-Ready Checklist to measure participants&rsquo; perceived confidence levels in their ability to do evangelism. The researcher interviewed 60 participants and searched for indicators of increased confidence levels in students&rsquo; ability to do evangelism on their own. The true picture of the participants&rsquo; confidence in their evangelism-readiness was to take into account their sense that some topics were not covered sufficiently. Both the quantitative data and their interview data at six months post revealed great confidence and was combined with qualitative interview data to give the full picture. Recommendations were offered on how the evangelism training course could be improved.</p>

<p> The transmission of the gospel relies heavily on the continuous and faithful proclamation of the gospel and on the positive response of the hearers to enter a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Preaching serves as a primary means by which the gospel of Jesus moves forward. While the bulk of gospel proclamation is one-way communication, the ultimate result focuses on moving the hearer to accept the gospel message. This could take place in large rallies, small gatherings, or in one-on-one conversations. </p><p> This project examines the possibility of increased receptivity to the gospel by connecting with a spiritual coach to assist a person on his or her journey to understanding and positively responding to the gospel. It also pursues the biblical precedent of incorporating questions into the spiritual seekers&rsquo; discovery process. This project sees the message of salvation as something the person must uncover, discover, understand, and then respond to. Coupling a spiritual seeker with a spiritual life coach can help guide the seeker to pursue and positively respond to Christ. </p><p> Four Christians and three non-Christians participated in six, one-on-one coaching sessions with me. The knowledge and awareness of their spiritual life was tracked and assessed. The goal was to test and measure how the coaching approach enabled the spiritual seeker to grow in understanding, accepting and advancing the gospel.</p><p>

<p><strong>Abstract </strong></p><p>Uppsatsen <em>Barn och ungdomars gudsbild </em>är en c-uppsats, med didaktisk inriktning inom ämnet religionskunskap. Den handlar om barns och ungdomars gudsuppfattning.  Åldern på barnen och ungdomarna i min undersökning är 6, 7 och 18 år gamla. Efter att ha läst olika teorier om barn och ungdomars gudsbild, har jag gjort intervjuer med barn i förskoleklass samt i första klass.  När det gäller ungdomarnas gudsbild ställde jag 10 frågor i ett frågeformulär, till 18-åriga gymnasister i årskurs 3, angående deras gudsbild. Efter inledning, syfte, material, metod, tidigare forskning samt teoridel, redovisar jag resultatet av intervjuerna och ungdomsfrågorna. Därefter följer en analys av dem, tillsammans med de teorier jag har läst om och behandlat i min uppsats. Till sist följer en friare och mer allmän diskussion om resultatet och ämnet barns och ungdomars gudsbild. Den avgörande skillnaden mellan barn och ungdomars gudsuppfattning ligger i skillnaden mellan det konkreta och abstrakta. För ett barn är Gud något mer konkret och påtagligt vardagligt än för en 18-åring. En 18-åring ser på den här frågan med kritiska ögon, samt på ett mer abstrakt sätt än vad barnen gör. Gud är mer en naturlig del i ett barns vardag, i och med den antropomorfa gudssynen, än hos en 18-åring. En 18-åring har även kommit längre i sina funderingar om livsfrågor än vad barnen har gjort och har därigenom bildat sig egna uppfattningar utanför den närmaste omgivningen, vilket har utvidgat deras gudsuppfattning. Gemensamt för både barn och ungdomar i de här ålderskategorierna är att de förkunskaper i till exempel hemmiljön de har med sig, spelar roll när det gäller vilken gudsuppfattning de har. Den syn ungdomar har på Gud är monistisk, inte dualistisk. Många tonåringar och unga vuxna vill nu för tiden heller inte acceptera bilden av Gud som en förstorad fadersgestalt. De vill istället få lov att bilda sig sin egen uppfattning om vad eller vem Gud är. Endast för att man inte tror på Gud som en gubbe i himlen, behöver man inte vara ateist, som Olle Carlsson skriver i boken <em>Kristendom för ateister</em>, 2007, s 29.</p>

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera varför människor väljer att gå med i ett samfund.Undersökningen är gjord i Kalmar stad och empirin bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer frånrepresentanter inom de olika samfunden. Målsättningen är att skapa en förståelse för de olikasamfundens organisationer och studera huruvida människor ser sig som sekulariserade ellerej. Det har också varit vår avsikt att studera medlemmarna och deras aktivitet i de olikasamfunden, samt avgöra huruvida sekulariseringen påverkat deras intresse för samfunden.Våra förhoppningar är att studien bidrar till att diskussioner kan uppkomma ur resultatet.Resultatet i vår undersökning visar på en ökad andlighet hos människor i Kalmar stad.Ökningen kan ses som en motsägelse till sekulariseringen och tyder på att samhället idag ärmer öppet mot religiösa samfund. Man kan se tydliga resultat på att samfunden har gjort småbetydelsefulla förändringar för att kunna nå ut till dagens samhällsmedborgare, utan att haförändrat sina grundpelare i någon större utsträckning. Man kan se att respekten församfunden i Kalmar stad har ökat.</p>

<p>This essay examines the processes of interpretations of hadith within a group of muslim women in Stockholm, Sweden. The readings and interpretation of hadith took place in a smaller mosque. The practices of interpretation was studied by the authour through observations and further discussed with informants in interviews. Meaningmaking processes which connected the hadith readings with the everyday life of the group participants; related to questions of moral and etics, relations between men and women and other specific issues, has been highlightened through the observations. The material from observations and interviews has been examined hermeneutically through a narrative model of analysis, revealing structures of interpretation which includes local perspectives as well as connections to a global islamic discourse. The analysis shed a light on the interconnections between the sayings of the Prophet, the religious self and the everyday life of the participants of the group.</p>

<p>Abstract:</p><p>The purpose of this study is to get increased knowledge of how teachers motivate and teach youth about existential questions at junior highchool. My issue for this composition is to find out how – and how much – teachers in fact teach about existential questions in the religious education.</p><p>I interviewed four teachers at junior highschool, with various experiences. One teacher had about thirty years of experience in teaching, and one teacher was quite young and unexperienced.</p><p>The result indicates that the youth were interested in a lot of existential questions. The study also indicates the teachers view of youth’s identity-work and their existential questions.</p><p>The resultat is compared with studies of Dahlin, Hartman and Sjödin.</p>