Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Mass., 1998. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [169]-200).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-172).

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1980. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-45).

Thesis (M.A. Rel.)--Anderson School of Theology, 1987. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-135).

A study of the comprehensive understanding of worship in the New Testament, according to which corporate worship is the center - not less than the center, but also only the center - of the whole worship Christians owe to God, while holiness, love and witness to Christ in all circumstances of life are the context both necessary to and dependent upon that center. This new and greater way of worship, ethical-missionary in character and ruled by the New Testament spirit of conscious and responsible freedom, replaced the cultic worship of the Old Testament law, thus being deprived of holy places, times, intermediating authorities and rites. The logic of service to God through service to people is explored. And a misunderstanding of the role of the old cultic order in God's pedagogy of revelation is alleged to be the reason why this worship pattern has long been ignored by the churches in general. / Sys Theology and Theol Ethics / MTH (SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY)

Recent trends in Baptist worship have revealed an interest in Liturgical forms and some movement toward more thoughtful worship content and order in what has historically been a free church worship tradition. The fields of liturgical theology and liturgical anthropology have produced research that indicates that there is validity to this interest and that the order of worship elements can be instructive as is the content of worship. When both are oriented around the gospel's shape and truth (e.g., the gospel of the glory of Christ), the worshiper is pointed to Christ who is the object of faith and the facilitator of spiritual formation through the Holy Spirit. The result is a worshiper who becomes like the one he holds in view in worship. This survey of representative churches in North American Baptist history (ca. 1650-1910) reveals that there has always been some evidence regarding the gospel's presence in Baptist worship. This has not always been due to deliberate thought and planning, but because the gospel controls its forms. Where a church has held the gospel, its worship has reflected that conviction. Where the gospel has been lost, worship is at least reflective of that, if not partially the precipitator. These churches reflect varying degrees of gospel-content and form. The historical trend demonstrates that overall, Baptists have held the gospel, often in the face of stiff opposition. This grip on grace has been reflected consistently in their worship and likely is at least one of the reasons that they have continued to grow. Their growth is at least partially, in direct correlation to their worshiping in light of the cross. They have not just sung of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but they have engaged it in corporate worship and reflected the effects of this encounter with Christlikeness in their daily lives of worship.

As "Prayer in the Old Testament" is a very wide subject, I have restricted myself to outlines on certain themes. In a sense the whole Bible can be described as "prayer" since it is a dialogue of man with God, and God with man. Obviously the word with which to attempt any definition of prayer is the Hithpa'el verb (?)and its noun (?). It describes speech with God. As the Hebrew poetic device of parallelism offers us synonyms to (?) we examine those words with much the same general definition. There are other words which the Hebrew concordance reveals as being translated as "prayer", or as describing prayer. Most of these words are the ordinary words for speech. The words for prayer, in general, describe speech before God. With this wide definition Chapter Two groups the various kinds of speech before God, and attempts to describe each. Prayer is seen as dialogue, as asking, and as praise and thanksgiving. Prayer, however, does not exist in a vacuum. It cannot be separated from the people who pray and the God who makes prayer possible. Personalities of prayer give prayer meaning, purpose and dynamic. Looking at their prayers in context enables us to grasp a little more fully the role of prayer in life itself. As God provides the framework of prayer we must also look at that framework. He determines what kind of prayers are acceptable. He gives direction and power to the words of prayer. Without God, prayer is either magic or meaningless words. In the final chapter I try to tie up some of the loose ends. Prayer is not just an isolated and individual thing it exists within the cult and the community. Certain disciplines accompany it.

According to the Instructions for the Preparation of Graduate Theses, the abstract by definition "... is a summary or condensation of the thesis; it states the problem, the methods of investigation followed, and the general conclusions.” The purpose of this thesis is to determine the nature of the Roman Imperial Cult as it developed in the West from the time of its inception to A.D. 14, the year of Augustus' death. The method of investigation has been to examine the epigraphic, archaeological, numismatic and literary evidence. The reader is referred to the final chapter for a statement of the conclusions; the complexity of their relationships is such that they do not lend themselves to generalization. / Arts, Faculty of / Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Department of / Graduate

Steadfast is an expression of dance as an emotional and spiritual experience, as well as an exploration of the deep connections that may be fostered through the art form of dance. My personal experience, which will function as inspiration for this choreographic piece and performance, has led me to see dance as a means to connect with God when used as worship and a way to connect with other people and form meaningful relationships. Through the production and execution of this performing art, I hope to explore and experience these aspects of dance as well as my own personal journey. I learned a vast measure about myself in my four years of college that led to the development of who I am today. This composition is meant to mirror some of the emotions that I experienced in my time of growth; however, I don’t want my piece to try to tell a story or follow a sequence of events. Instead, I hope this dance provides the audience with more of a deep, emotional, and spiritual dive into the places that my heart and soul went during this time-period. Steadfast means so much to me, and as the culminating artistic presentation in my college career, I want to use my growth as an artist and individual to display an array of emotions to the audience. The dance is a cry for help and surrender, but it also expresses the feelings of joy, love, and hope that one might feel when they make it through a valley and find themselves standing on a mountaintop. This ensuing written work is a narrative of the choreographic process and explanation of the inspiration behind the production of my thesis, Steadfast.

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