Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of History, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 2008; thesis submitted 2007. Also available in print form. Includes bibliography.

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This study inquires into the institutional identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its founding in 1830. The study takes a historical stance in discussing the relationship between American public perceptions and the Church's developing internal identity, tracing these changes through three distinct historical stages. Building on the works of historians and sociologists such as Jan Shipps, Armand Mauss, and Terryl Givens, this study hopes to contribute to the understanding of new religious movements and the progression from sect to church. The study finds that Mormon identity and American perceptions of Mormons have had an inter-influential relationship, each responding and re-forming in turn. The LDS Church has progressed from sect to church as tensions with the host society have lessened. Currently, the Church is at an optimum level of tension with the host society, maintaining a distinct identity while enjoying conventional acceptance.

Atonement theologies of salvation are problematic for suffering victims, which calls for a change in how we imagine God and view salvation today. A distorted image of God and God's salvation deprives those in distress of finding consolation, healing, and agency through their faith. I apply a feminist critical hermeneutic of liberation that reveals that the application of CDH can accommodate violence and other forms of evil against the marginalized, women, and the natural world. It is necessary to find metaphors for God that can offer spiritual sustenance to those who suffer and reimagine an alternate idea of God's salvation. Understanding God's deliverance as accompaniment, mediated through a loving community, is one pastoral approach to responding to the suffering in our world today.

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Many current theories (e.g., individualism, materialism, relativism, etc.) exalt individual freedom as an absolute. They ignore the voice of universal truth as a principle of conscience and instead place conscience underneath individual choice. The concept of individual freedom in this way is influencing the conscience of many young Vietnam people to make decisions that destroy and jeopardize moral human life (e.g., abortion, transgender, same-sex marriage, murder, etc.). Educating young people to see themselves as God’s children by forming their conscience is an urgent obligation for the Vietnamese Catholic Church. Thus, my PSP is to follow past practices of the Church’s faith tradition as well as developing new resources that specially address the situation of the younger generation in Vietnam. To accomplish this, I intend to work with the presbyterate to cultivate a culture of reconciliation to help young people restore a sensitivity of guilt within one’s conscience. I also intend to work with the parents within my diocese to cultivate a culture of love where the younger generation can first flourish before tackling social and cultural challenges.

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<p>Organic ministry is a term that describes the matrix of life-to-life mentoring that is found in the biblical tradition of the spiritual community of families, house churches and mission teams. The familia Dei and the missio Dei inform our focus on mentoring and mission. The family became the organic structure around which the early church community was built. House churches provided a place for transformational social dynamics to be worked out as spiritual fictive kinship challenged blood kinship as well as social structures. Ministry was developed through a network of organic relationships in the early church, and this should cause leaders to reconsider approaching ministry merely as a leadership function that requires institutional support.</p> <p>Mentoring that is grounded in community and mission builds authentic relationships and develops organic ministry. The missional community advances the Kingdom of God and engages in the mission of God by sharing the gospel through relational networks. Mentoring in this context provides for transformational growth, is focused on character development, and maintains a missional focus. Modern patterns of mentoring help to inform our understanding of mentoring, but often are contrived or individualistic. The organic missional church will provide a backdrop for exploring missional values and practices that reinforce authentic mentoring relationships.</p> / Master of Theological Studies (MTS)

<p>Psalm 29 is studied first as a discrete poem using poetic analysis (parallelism, imagery, verse patterns) and then as a psalm within the larger context of the Psalter using a canonical approach. Psalm 29 as a discrete poem reveals the mighty power of the LORD as eternal king over His created world. The meaning of Ps 29 is clearly expanded in the context of the whole Psalter. In the context of the introductory (Pss 1-2) and concluding psalms (Pss 146-150) of the Psalter, Ps 29 emphasizes the theme of the kingship of the LORD. In the context ofPss 23-30 and in the wider canonical contexts (Books I-V), however, the emphasis ofPs 29 clearly shifts from the theme of the kingship of the LORD to the theme of the temple of the LORD. Reading Ps 29 in the context of the Psalter, reveals not only the kingship of the LORD over the cosmic forces, but also the importance of the temple of the LORD where the LORD dwells.</p> / Master of Theological Studies (MTS)

<p>This thesis examines the concept of God as Father in the thinking of two Patristic authors: Athanasius (c. 293-373) and Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390). Since God is called Father frequently in the New Testament both Athanasius and Gregory see the name as fundamental to understanding the nature of the intradivine life, as well as God’s relationship to humankind. The reliance of Patristic authors on the language of Father and Son brings relational language to the fore of Christological and trinitarian discussions of the 4th and 5th centuries. In this thesis, I endeavour to demonstrate the centrality of the fatherhood of God in the thinking of Athanasius and Gregory of Nazianzus, and to connect their thinking on this topic to larger theological questions of the period.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)