Landmarkism was a sectarian view of Baptist church history and practice. It arose in the mid-eighteenth century and was a dominant force in the first half-century of the life of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination. J. R. Graves was its chief architect, promoter, and apologist. He initiated or helped propagate controversies which shaped Southern Baptist life and practice. His influence spread Landmarkism throughout the Southern Baptist Convention through religious periodicals, books, and educational materials. Key Landmark figures in the seminaries and churches also promoted these views. After over fifty years of significant impact the influence of Landmarkism seemed to diminish eventually fading from sight. Many observers of Southern Baptist life relegated it to a movement of historical interest but no current impact. In an effort to examine this assumption, research was conducted which explored certain theological positions of Graves, other Landmarkers, and sects claimed as the true church by the promoters of Baptist church succession. Further research focused on the Landmark influence leading up to the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the spread of Landmarkism after the death of Graves (1893) until the close of the twentieth century. The research revealed significant theological inconsistencies which were heretofore unexamined critically and often ignored by promoters of the Landmark view as long as the view of the Baptist Church and its history was within Landmark definitions. A mass of vituperative rhetoric in defense of slavery from Landmark authors was uncovered. It was also found that significant percentages of Southern Baptists still hold some key Landmark beliefs. The persistence of these beliefs is tied to Landmarkers in key positions within the Southern Baptist Convention and the influence of local pastors with Landmark views. Landmarkism is a term the average Southern Baptist cannot define. Landmark beliefs, however, are still present, but many view them merely as Baptist doctrine and history. The research concluded that Landmarkism is far from a forgotten piece of Southern Baptist history. Its influence, impact, and grip are very visible in some Southern Baptist beliefs and practices. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Church History)

Assessment of the past helps one seize emerging opportunities. The Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Foreign Mission Board (FMB) radically redesigned itself July 1, 1997, the most far reaching self-assessment since its 1845 founding. The FMB's changes neglected some essential historical precedents. In 1892, a band of FMB missionaries posted with the North China Mission resigned and established their own operation. They held and integrated three core values: indigeneity, incarnation, and responsible autonomy. Baptist historians have dismissed these dissidents because they considered them Landmarkers (an earlier movement that threatened the SBC itself). Later historical inquiry corrected this assumption demonstrating that Landmarkers seized the Gospel Mission Movement to serve its own ends not the reverse. What prorrpted these missionaries to leave their base of support and operate independently? Original sources tell the tale of strong convictions about missions that were more commonly apparent later, in a post-modern era. Gospel Missionism's peers did not listen, partly because of the Landmarkist confusion and partly because they advocated things others were not prepared to hear. The Gospel Missioners found it difficult to sustain their experiment outside the SBC. Hence, survivors gradually reentered the FMB structure, primarily the Interior China Mission. Their influence extended to the next generation of missionaries. Yet, indirectly their values entered the FMB's strategies through outside evangelicals which increasingly espoused similar core values. By 1985, the Board tackled the challenge of the least evangelized peoples. Trustees formed Cooperative Services International (CSI) to accommodate the need. Unwittingly, from within the FMB, CSI embodied Gospel Missionism's core values with more modern emphases. In 1997, trustees restructured the FMB and dismantled CSI. They borrowed its drive and its penchant for streamlined administration, but jettisoned its priority passion for those least evangelized. Only time will tell, but there is evidence that the FMB has reverted and embraced elements of an older paradigm, possibly because it was unprepared to face a postmodern future. This study concludes that the Gospel Missionism movement was a blending of both enlightenment and post-modern missiological ideals. It was an incipient, evangelical version of a post-modern missiological paradigm. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

Landmarkism was a sectarian view of Baptist church history and practice. It arose in the mid-eighteenth century and was a dominant force in the first half-century of the life of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination. J. R. Graves was its chief architect, promoter, and apologist. He initiated or helped propagate controversies which shaped Southern Baptist life and practice. His influence spread Landmarkism throughout the Southern Baptist Convention through religious periodicals, books, and educational materials. Key Landmark figures in the seminaries and churches also promoted these views. After over fifty years of significant impact the influence of Landmarkism seemed to diminish eventually fading from sight. Many observers of Southern Baptist life relegated it to a movement of historical interest but no current impact. In an effort to examine this assumption, research was conducted which explored certain theological positions of Graves, other Landmarkers, and sects claimed as the true church by the promoters of Baptist church succession. Further research focused on the Landmark influence leading up to the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the spread of Landmarkism after the death of Graves (1893) until the close of the twentieth century. The research revealed significant theological inconsistencies which were heretofore unexamined critically and often ignored by promoters of the Landmark view as long as the view of the Baptist Church and its history was within Landmark definitions. A mass of vituperative rhetoric in defense of slavery from Landmark authors was uncovered. It was also found that significant percentages of Southern Baptists still hold some key Landmark beliefs. The persistence of these beliefs is tied to Landmarkers in key positions within the Southern Baptist Convention and the influence of local pastors with Landmark views. Landmarkism is a term the average Southern Baptist cannot define. Landmark beliefs, however, are still present, but many view them merely as Baptist doctrine and history. The research concluded that Landmarkism is far from a forgotten piece of Southern Baptist history. Its influence, impact, and grip are very visible in some Southern Baptist beliefs and practices. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Church History)

The purpose of this research is to program cycles or units of study which may be used with the Cyclo-Teacher Learning Aid, a commercial teaching machine produced by the Field Enterprises Educational Corporation of Chicago. The program will consist of the mechanics of music and will be designed for use with the seven- and eight-year-old child in primary choirs of the graded choir program of Southern Baptist churches.

This dissertation examines the current state of global youth ministry leadership, with a focus on the training of indigenous youth workers. The goal of this work is to encourage the International Mission Board and other missions organizations to consider the need for a global strategy to train youth workers for every people group. Chapter 1 introduces and defines the subjects of youth ministry and youth missions. Attention is given to the emergence of the North American Youth Culture in the twentieth century, as well as the church and parachurch organizations that developed concurrently with the American Youth Culture. Chapter 2 examines the strategies for global youth ministry that are currently being implemented by ReachOut, Youth Ministry International, Youth Builders, and SonLife. In addition to presenting a brief history along with the guiding vision of each organization, this chapter sets forth the similarities and differences among the various organizations, and identifies indigenous youth worker training as a key component of each strategy. Chapter 3 analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies of each of the aforementioned missions organizations. Strengths and weaknesses of each organization are presented, with special attention to their respective strategies for training indigenous youth workers. Chapter 4 describes the current state of Southern Baptist mission work among the youth of the world. The results of surveys from IMB missionaries from every region, as well as feedback from interviews with IMB missionaries, are set forth. Data from the surveys and interviews is used to assess the current situation and priority of global youth ministry among Southern Baptists. In Chapter 5, IMB youth work is evaluated and critiqued. Chapter 6 offers a proposal for the IMB of the SBC to train indigenous youth workers for the people groups of the world. A brief concluding chapter offers suggestions for further study in the area of global youth ministry. This study suggests that youth ministry ought to be playing a key role in the world of missions in the twenty-first century. The fact that the majority of the world's population is under age 25, accompanied by evidence that youth are the most receptive age group for the Christian gospel, serves as an indictment against missiologists and missions organizations that fail to incorporate youth into their world missions strategies. In spite of the evidence, it appears that only a handful of missions "experts" and organizations are strategizing to reach the young people of the world. This dissertation seeks to perform an assessment of youth work done by IMB personnel. The research revealed that many IMB missionaries are focusing on young people. This study concludes that although the IMB is involved in youth work around the world, its involvement is generally not strategic, completely uncoordinated, and not sufficiently prioritized and encouraged. I argued that youth ministry and indigenous youth worker training warrant a higher level of emphasis and priority from the IMB, and I have made a series of recommendations for the IMB to address its shortcomings in the area of global youth ministry. The work of ReachOut, Youth Ministry International, Youth Builders, and SonLife were analyzed and principles from the work of these organizations informed the evaluation of, and recommendations for, IMB youth work. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

Thesis (M.R.E.)--Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, 1965. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [75]-76).

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-106)

Thesis (M.R.E.)--Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, 1965. / This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #090-0034. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [75]-76).

This dissertation examined the relationship between open and closed Sunday school groups and real and perceived measurements of church health in growing Southern Baptist churches. The concern for Sunday school growth was explored through an analysis of the relationships between open and closed Sunday school groups in 1,013 small and medium sized Southern Baptist churches that were experiencing significant positive growth, in the geographic South. According the precedent literature, research, and an expert panel, the growth characteristics leadership, evangelism, fellowship, and ministry were expected to rank among the most significant of the measured growth factors. Data collected, however, demonstrated critical differences in the perceived significance of the identified growth factors. Sunday school members and leaders ranked discipleship, doctrine, prayer, and worship as the most significant growth factors. The research also identified significant differences between the expected measurements and perceived measurements of open and closed Sunday school groups. Fifty-eight percent of all respondents perceived their Sunday school to be an open group; however, 78% of all respondents perceived Sunday school's primary purpose as instruction and discipleship; 5% perceived Sunday school's primary purpose as nurture and fellowship; and 17% perceived Sunday school's primary purpose as evangelism. Based upon the definitions of open and closed groups, both groups were expected to exhibit biases toward specific growth characteristics; however, there was no significant difference between how open groups and closed groups perceived discipleship, doctrine, and prayer. Both open and closed groups ranked doctrine, discipleship, prayer, and worship as the most essential characteristics of a growing Sunday school. Of the eleven identified Sunday school and church growth characteristics, only four growth characteristics produced correlation coefficients ( r ) that demonstrated any level of significance: leadership, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship. For most churches surveyed, there was a positive correlation between leadership within the Sunday school and an increased number of baptisms. Overall, there was a general decrease in average weekly worship attendance as the degree of significance in evangelism increased. There was a general increase in adult Sunday school enrollment as the perceived significance of fellowship decreased; as well as a negative correlation between fellowship and worship attendance; as the average weekly worship attendance increased as the perceived significance of fellowship decreased. Regarding the growth factor discipleship, there was a negative correlation between discipleship and the average weekly worship attendance as recorded by the research. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

Chapter one gives a proposed outline for the research that will develop the theological-ethical dimension of neighbor as discerned from Leviticus 19. This chapter will give the reader an understanding of the purpose, motivation, and a hypothesis for the proposed research. An outline of the impending study will also be highlighted. In chapter two a brief discussion of two events and the evangelical denomination that have shaped my worldview will be highlighted. This chapter will also explore the diverse world of ideological criticism. A look at the wide ranging areas of specialties within ideological criticism will be the focus of this chapter. The way in which ideological criticism will be utilized as an interpretive methodology will be argued alongside Mary Douglas’ ring composition as a function of socio-rhetorical criticism. A grammatical analysis of Leviticus 19 will comprise chapter three. The Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible will be the primary source for this analysis. The exegesis of Leviticus will be the foundation for the study of the proposed topic. The purpose for the historical setting of the writing of Leviticus 19 will be given as well as archaeological evidence describing the societal make-up of the time period. An alternative interpretative emphasis will be argued in chapter four. Ring composition, as outlined by Mary Douglas, will be the tool utilized for this interpretation for Leviticus 19. This chapter will also explore the ways in which three New Testament characters utilized and contextualized passages from Leviticus 19. Chapter five will spotlight the recent events of May 2008. This month demonstrated the explosive consequences of unleashed and uncontrolled xenophobic violence. This month saw some of the most terrifying events since the inception of democracy in South Africa. Commentary and deliberation on the causes that sparked this violence will be examined through the eyes of journalists, politicians, citizens, foreigners and religious leaders. The reluctance of evangelicals to engage in social transformation will be critically analyzed in chapter six. Two movements that polarized the evangelical community will also be addressed. The thrust of this chapter will be the proposed theology of transformation. If this strategy of transformation might be utilized by the evangelical church, sustainable social justice could be possible. This strategy will be presented in a practical, applicable manner. The interrelationship between spiritual and social transformation will conclude this chapter. All of these will be encapsulated within the idea of ubuntu or African hospitality. Chapter seven will bring to a conclusion the research. There is a short synopsis of past and present religious creeds and statements of faith. The Hitler Effect will be examined in the light of how people focus on the minute differences instead of celebrating their overwhelming similarities. The events of November 2008 in America will be viewed through the refining lenses of society and its effect within greater society. This chapter will conclude with a summary of the study, reflections and future considerations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted