<p> While ethical arguments for nonviolence have persisted for generations, theological arguments for an absolutely nonviolent God have recently emerged. Some theologians deem violence in every form to be immoral and punishment to be a form and cause of violence, so they contend that a moral God must be nonviolent and non-retributive. Also, this nonviolent God assertion undermines other doctrines including penal substitution in the atonement, eternal punishment in hell, and temporal judgments in biblical narratives. In response, I will argue that God&rsquo;s justice has a retributive aspect, for He gives to people what they deserve including punishing sinners or a substitute in their place. His justice is a necessary divine attribute, for to be true to Himself, God highly values His image bearers by dignifying their free will and choices by assuring that they experience the results of their decisions. Thus God&rsquo;s retributive justice provides a moral framework for His violent judgments. </p><p>

<p> This project addresses the subtle pneumatological shifts in doctrine and in practice that have taken place in the Pentecostal Movement in North America over the past several decades and the relationship of these shifts to a decline in growth. </p><p> The biblical-theological literature review establishes a solid biblical-theological foundation for the importance of Spirit baptism as empowerment for the fulfillment of God's mission, the vital significance of initial evidence as a gateway to the increased manifestation of the <i>charismata</i> (1 Cor. 12:8-10), the critical role of the <i>charismata</i> in effective ministry and mission, and the importance of leaders creating a learning environment to equip believers to minister the gifts of the Spirit. The general literature review emphasizes the experienced presence of God and the baptism in the Holy Spirit as central to Pentecostal spirituality, the key role of the <i> charismata</i> in church growth, and the ramifications for the future in developing a Pentecostal model of ministry. </p><p> The School of the Spirit (SOS) uses sound teaching and activation exercises to provide believers the opportunity to exercise the gifts of the Spirit under the guidance of spiritual leaders. SOS helps believers to develop confidence in operating in the gifts as a natural part of a lifestyle that builds up the church and provides a powerful witness to the community as they proclaim the gospel with confirming signs and wonders. </p><p> In addition to the immediate benefit to the participants of the SOS, it also provides a curriculum for Pentecostal and charismatic pastors and spiritual leaders who desire to equip their congregations or groups to minister in the gifts of the Spirit.</p>

<p> Recognizing the lack of consensus among studies of the letter of James concerning its original situation, this thesis is a study in the circumstances that precipitated the letter of James; it argues that the letter responds in significant measure to the inclination of some pre 70 Diaspora Jews to rebel violently against the Roman Empire. In so doing, it is suggested that the paralleled passages of Jas 1:2-20 and 5:7-11/12 might covertly critique a set of convictions and behaviors of the letter&rsquo;s audience that configures a &ldquo;war agenda.&rdquo; This thesis finds sufficient reasons to read the letter of James as a paralleled literary structure rather than as a linear progression of thought. Reading it thus provides a better control on the exploration of the plausibility of a &ldquo;war agenda&rdquo; as the original situation of the letter of James, inasmuch as such exploration can be speculative. Some corroborating evidence for the plausibility of the &ldquo;war agenda&rdquo; is provided in the form of identifying a highly volatile political environment in mid-first-century Palestine with important implications and reverberations in the Jewish Diaspora. Such evidence is correlated with the letter of James. </p><p> The letter of James can be seen thus as an authoritative exhortation embedded in the thought-world of the Old Testament as interpreted according to the teachings of Jesus. It is argued that such exhortation was addressed to the Jews in the Diaspora, irrespective of whether they were Christians, and that its author was James, the brother of Jesus and a Christian Jew. This James emerges then as a recognized leader in the nascent Christian movement, with influence among his Jewish brethren in Palestine and in the Diaspora, at a time when there was no clear discontinuity between Christianity and Judaism. Such reading seems to account for some of the clear, and at times problematic, traits identified by other studies in the letter of James, including the seemingly meager Christology, a strong Jewish ideological background, a reflection of the thought-world of Jesus, and the social concern for the marginalized.</p>

Thèse (M.A.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2008. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.