Statistical trends among the Anglican Churches of Canada, the United States of America and England demonstrate significant patterns of decline not yet apparent in the Anglican Church in Newfoundland. This dissertation sets out to assess the extent to which this resilience is associated with a civic and church structure that has maintained a high level of investment in the social components of religious expression and the more private devotional patterns of Anglican life. This dissertation is divided into three parts. Part 1 will look at the origins of the Anglican Church in Newfoundland and its contemporary place in society and will propose social capital theory as a theoretical explanation for the patterns of Anglican Church life in Newfoundland. The relevance of religious orientation theory will be considered as a counterbalance to ask if the social capital found among Anglican churchgoers in Newfoundland is at the expense of intrinsic religious motivation. Part 2 begins with a discussion of methodological considerations followed by a comparison of statistical trends since 1960 for the Anglican Church in Newfoundland, the Anglican Church in the rest of Canada, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and the Church of England. A contemporary profile of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador will then be considered followed by a qualitative study of the Diocese. Results from the US Congregational Life Survey administered in the Diocese will also be presented, enabling comparisons to be undertaken between the Anglican Church in Newfoundland and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Part 3 will reveal that in and around the Anglican Church in Newfoundland social capital remains high along with intrinsic religious motivation among churchgoers but it will be shown that the resilience of the Church is due to an unusually high degree of passive church membership in the wider society and the mutually beneficial way in which the Church and the community around it relate.

The research explores three interrelated theological problems – human suffering as encountered during the eruptions of the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat, the inadequacy of existing Protestant religious traditions on Montserrat to cope with the crisis situation, and the weaknesses of recommended models of pastoral care inherited from Western Christianity. The latter two concerns became obvious at a time of heightened demand for the churches to offer consolation in the face of natural disaster. At the intersection of the three stated concerns is the researcher who served as a pastor in the context of the disaster. Through critical utilisation of Thomas Groome’s practical theological method of Shared Christian Praxis, she acts as interlocutor between the theological reflections of focus groups and theological statements, including contributions from cultural art forms, originating in the wider community of people resident on Montserrat during the eruptions. Irreconcilable differences between the practice of pastoral care and the theological bases for the ministry of care are exposed. The exploration of the spaces between expounded theory and actual practice of pastoral care in this research yields resources to explain the discrepancies and to help move forward the process for a praxis oriented approach to pastoral care that is both theologically valid and contextually relevant. In identifying sources of traditional wisdom useful for providing care in disaster and for developing culturally appropriate models of care and counselling, the research also suggests Shared Christian Praxis as valuable to Caribbean pastoral theological method. It is also recommended as a way of caring and doing theology in disaster situations.

This thesis examines the part played by Christian churches in the communal stabilisation of three refugee settings and in the national resolution of the second Sudanese civil war. Based on extensive field research in Sudan and in Sudanese refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda, the thesis is further underpinned by current theories on displacement, social identity and conflict resolution. Ranging from grassroots pastors to Presidential Cabinet Ministers, altogether more than one hundred fifty church and political leaders were consulted through individual interviews and focus groups with more than seventy-five recorded hours. Archives at The Centre for Documentation and Advocacy in Nairobi, Kenya, the New Sudan Council of Churches’ Archive in Kampala, Uganda, the Sudan Archive at the University of Durham, United Kingdom and the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C., United States were also utilised. The thesis commences with an examination of three grassroots communities in refuge, Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, the internally displaced of Hajj Yusuf, Khartoum and Oliji Refugee Camp in Uganda. In establishing the social impact and influence of the churches on the respective displaced community, each of the three local manifestations function as a case study detailing endeavours by Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Catholic and Pentecostal churches to respond to arisen needs, resolve political instabilities and reconcile ethnic tensions. Though the exact influence of the churches differs in each context one overarching theme that emerges is greatly enhanced communal stabilisation. Alongside the numerical growth and social impact of the churches at the local level, the ecumenical New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) employed a three-tiered strategy to facilitate national resolution of the second civil war as is delineated in the second half of the thesis. First, through ‘the people-to-people peace process’ the NSCC directly mediated grassroots reunification throughout southern Sudan. Second, the NSCC functioned as the primary channel of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) criticism and utilised its growing clout to pressure the SPLM/A to adopt measures of good governance and pursue in good faith negotiated settlement with the Government of Sudan. Third, the NSCC stood behind a successful international campaign that lobbied and secured engagement from regional and European and American governments critical to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. By paralleling three local communities and the NSCC national resolution initiatives the thesis proffers several important conclusions about Christianity and the civil war in south Sudan including enumerating rationales related to the explosive growth of Christianity, demarcating several nascent indicators of a Christian influenced civil religion, highlighting the growing social and political impact of the churches throughout south Sudan and finally, delineating several general conflict mediatory keys relevant to the churches’ endeavours. The thesis furthermore clearly demonstrates that in the midst of civil war the southern Sudanese indigenous churches bolstered communal stabilisation at a grassroots level, substantively impacted the emergence of national political resolution and thereby directly facilitated the road to Sudanese peace.

This thesis explores the meaning of the biblical phrase ‘God is love’ through an examination of two quintessentially modern Protestant theologies. After considering the complexities of theological predication and juxtaposing several classical and contemporary approaches to the matter, the distinct approaches of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Karl Barth are presented and ultimately commended for their tendency to treat divine love as a ‘conclusion’ to the doctrine of God, rather than as a conceptual starting point. In contrast to many contemporary approaches, the thesis concludes by suggesting that God’s love is best conceived as his being toward fellowship, rather than as the eminent instance of loving fellowship understood according to human experiences of love (including that of being loved by God).

This thesis will look at the changes brought about in the perception of women's role in society by the advent of Christianity. The early chapters will discuss the actual status of women in ancient Graeco-Roman and Jewish society, so far as that can be discovered; followed by St Paul's views on women, which heavily influenced St Augustine. I shall then examine the status assigned to women and slaves by Plato in his two outlines for ideal societies, the Republic and the Laws, and shall finish with an examination of Augustine's attitudes to women and slavery. Plato believed that intelligent women were just as capable as men of achieving the philosophical ideal, and he believed that there would be many intelligent women in any given society. Many of Augustine's Letters are addressed to 'holy women", though he was reluctant to accept that these women were not exceptional. Augustine had many female correspondents, most but not all of whom were consecrated virgins or chaste widows. It is quite clear that Augustine believed that these women could achieve salvation on their own account, and also that he respected the intellect of some of them. However, even these women were to live subdued, enclosed lives. In the City of God he follows Paul in circumscribing the actions of women, but his estimation of their intellect is consistently higher than Paul's. The major difference between Plato and the Christians on this issue was that for Plato, sex was a part of normal life, and indeed essential to the continuation of the State; whereas for Christians it had become a problem and a hindrance to salvation. Neither Paul nor Augustine considered it necessary to combat slavery, probably because they were more concerned with securing the afterlife than with correcting conditions in this life.

Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation’s thesis and highlights its methodology. This dissertation argues that the divine design for suffering in Christ-followers is to decrease self-rule through mortification, increase God’s rule through engendering spiritual maturity, with both of these functions serving the ultimate purpose of God glorifying himself in the individual lives of his covenant people. This chapter also sets the argument within the contemporary context of biblical counseling. Chapter 2 explores the first major element of the thesis, that God designs suffering to decrease self-rule in his covenant people through mortification. This theme is traced through the lamenting psalmists, the Suffering King’s attack on self-rule via the cross, and Jesus’ imperative to self-denial. Chapter 3 argues the second major element of the thesis, that God designs suffering to increase his rule in his covenant people by engendering the blessings consistent with spiritual maturity. This thought is developed by examining the spiritual maturity suffering produced in the lamenting psalmists and Jesus. Six New Testament passages are examined which indicate suffering is instrumental in engendering spiritual maturity in the Christ-follower. Chapter 4 demonstrates the third major thesis element that suffering that the ultimate purpose of suffering in Christ-followers is to glorify God. This conclusion is reached by examining the lamenting psalmists glorification of God, Jesus glorifying the Father in his sufferings, Christ-followers’ glorification of Christ through suffering, and how God glorifies himself when suffering ceases. Chapter 5 defends the dissertation thesis against the challenges forwarded by open theism. The main arguments focus on open theism’s contention that no divine design for suffering exists and suffering is purposeless. The last section critiques the implications open theistic beliefs has on trusting God, Christ and the gospel, prayer, and eternal hope. Chapter 6 proposes that the cognitions, affections, and volitions of the heart are each mortified of their unchristlikenesses, conformed to Christlikeness, both for the glory of God through suffering. The last section is directed to biblical counselors to give indicators of self-rule in sufferers and to suggest how they may minister to all the suffering heart’s functions. Chapter 7 concludes the dissertation by giving a summary of its arguments, suggestions for further research, and some concluding thoughts.

abstract Preaching a christian worldview in a post-christian culture Robert Craig Thompson, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016 Chair: Dr. Timothy K. Beougher This dissertation examines worldview preaching in a post-Christian culture. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of worldview preaching and its necessity for evangelism within the church of the twenty-first century. This chapter also defines terms used throughout and establishes the methodology for the research. Chapter 2 takes a more in-depth look at presuppositional “apologetical preaching” and its application to the study of worldview in evangelistic preaching. This chapter also shows the difference between apologetical preaching and expositional preaching and suggests apologetical preaching as a needed corrective. Chapter 3 argues that worldview preaching is a form of spiritual warfare. This chapter also outlines the ways that preaching is spiritual warfare in three areas: battle with the flesh, battle with the world, and battle with Satan. Chapter 4 introduces the concept of sermon-driven discipleship. It is argued in this chapter that evangelism cannot be separated from discipleship and that evangelistic preaching necessarily focuses on discipleship as well. This chapter also shows how worldview preaching can direct the discipleship ministries of the church. Chapter 5 investigates examples of worldview preaching. It is argued in this chapter that some preachers from the past and present practice the form of worldview preaching advocated in this dissertation without having applied the particular terms associated with this research project. This chapter critiques those who have adopted secular worldviews in their preaching as well as those who have adapted their message delivery to fit the secular world. Chapter 6 examines the deficiency of worldview emphasis in preaching literature. It commends John Stott’s approach, but also shows that bridging the two worlds doesn’t go far enough. This chapter then surveys a number of preaching texts for their emphasis on worldview and presuppositional apologetics in their treatment of preaching. Chapter 7 answers the question of how these findings can be applied to contemporary churches. It concludes by emphasizing the need for preachers to engage with the world around them and to challenge the worldview of their secular hearers and challenges church leaders and educators to adapt their approach to preaching and preaching education to include presuppositional apologetics as a necessary component.

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This study aims to investigate the reactions of a group of Anglican clergy who visited the Holy land on pilgrimage in January 1995. The academic discipline is anthropological. The study employs qualitative methods of a multiple nature. Participant observation is the basis of the fieldwork. A symbolic interactionist approach forms the basis of the data analysis. A pilot study with a similar group twelve months previously laid the methodological basis for the multi-method enquiry. This was based further on my own experience over several years in leading pilgrimage parties to the Holy Land and other European pilgrimage sites. Particularly I had for twelve years led clergy parties of the sort which I accompanied in 1995. Participant observation and in-depth interviews with six main informants formed the basis of the study. Informal interviews provided further valuable data material. Further interviews afterwards at home with the main informants enabled me to gauge the ongoing impact of the pilgrimage on their lives and ministries. I review the anthropological literature on tourism, where relevant, and fully on pilgrimage. The seminal works of Victor Turner and his theories of communitas form a core discussion as the particular liminal/liminoid status of the clergy has special significance in relation to Turner's understanding of structure and anti-structure. The work of John Eade and Michael Sallnow is also central to the discussion of this thesis in their triad notion of person, place and text as underpinning the potency of the pilgrimage experience These ideas of communitas and the triad of person, place and text form substantive themes which are emically tested in the data analysis. Other themes in the data were mostly generated from the actual perceptions of the clergy pilgrims. The originality of this research is twofold. There is no previous methodological template for an ethnographic study of a group of pilgrims in any setting. As far as the Holy Land is concerned this is the first study of the impact of a pilgrimage tour there on individuals, and of clergy in particular. It also breaks new ground in being an ethnographic study of any aspect of clergy life.

This is a study of the Qua Iboe Mission from 1887-1945. The Mission commenced in 1887 under Samuel A. Bill in response to an invitation from the Ibeno Chiefs of the Ibeno who lived as fishermen and traders on the mud and sand flats East and West of the Qua Iboe River's mouth in South East Nigeria. It was established at Obarekan in 1888 where it continued until the Ibeno people, for the most part became Christian by 1907. Bill and Mission Headquarters moved up river to Nditea in that year, where the Mission in its outreach at Nditea failed. Bill returned to Obarekan in 1928. Bill's colleague, Bailie, settled among the Ibibio in 1894 uninvited, forcing himself upon the Ibibio with the support of the African Association traders. His missionary efforts, which were considerable, failed. Kirk's entry to Etinan, further inland in 1898 was negotiated by a leading Chief and became so successful as to establish that centre of burgeoning Christianity as the Headquarters, de facto of the Mission. It is concluded that the Mission's success was due to having been first on the scene, secured by comity arrangements and the desire of the Ibeno, Ibibio and Igbo to obtain every possible advantage for their total well-being in the new order of things. Appendices, primary and secondary sources used form the completion of this work and provide data for a critical examination of its results.