Thesis (D. Min.)--Temple Baptist Theological Seminary, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-138).

In an age marked by declining trust, cultural divisiveness and secularism, Restorative Witness offers a theological stance to undergird evangelism by using the lens of reconciliation. Drawing on the work of Miroslav Volf, Restorative Witness offers a theological exploration of evangelism, including an examination of the current climate of Western culture regarding issues of trust, mistrust and distrust; a historical overview of factors leading to the present situation; and observations regarding current difficulties facing the church in the arena of evangelism and reasons for those difficulties. The exploration uses theological resources in the areas of evangelism, biblical studies and systematics to offer a new theological disposition from which to engage evangelistic efforts. Firmly grounded in the biblical events of creation, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, Pentecost, and new creation, this theological stance takes seriously understandings of ecclesiology and the kingdom of God with the goal of restoring strength, integrity and power to Christian witness in an age of mistrust and divisiveness.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This research compares the similarities and differences in the official documents and proceedings of the Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) in Athens 2005 and the Lausanne Movement held in Cape Town in 2010. The former has always exhibited a missiology strong in issues of social justice while the latter has for a long time been consistent in identifying mission as evangelism. The close of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th saw the emergence of the social gospel, which came about as a result of the historical critical approach to biblical texts. Fundamentalists, arose as a reactionary phenomenon to the social gospel, while emphasizing fundamentals of the Christian doctrines and a strict premillennial eschatology which resisted social involvement in favour of salvation of souls.

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Since the end of 20th century, Korean churches have awakened to the importance of culture, cultural products, and culture-making in discipling Christians and evangelizing non-Christians. In particular, popular culture has become very important for practicing evangelism in the context of Korean Christianity because pop culture is enjoyed by a large segment of the population and thus provides a natural bridge between Christians and non-Christians. This dissertation examines Korean churches’ pervasive mimetic use of popular cultural elements that Christians and non-Christians relish, such as movies, plays, and popular music styles. While Korean churches introduced these slightly modified materials from popular culture as “parodies,” I argue that they are instead pastiches, and I explore the extent to which these pastiches are able to play a role as significant, though problematic, evangelistic media in the context of Korean Christianity. Since this practice encompasses Christian evangelism, popular culture, and the relationship of those two by a particular artistic technique, I approach the study of evangelistic pastiches both theologically and aesthetically studying their practical, theological role within the church setting. The dissertation argues that pastiches are combinations of imitated images that do not contain any substantive messages. When it comes to utilizing pastiches in evangelistic practices, the interesting and entertaining, but ultimately hollow, messages distort faithful witness to the gospel by emptying it. I suggest that evangelistic pastiches are simulacra that only communicate a hyper-gospel. Parody, by contrast, is a creative production that makes of Christianity and popular culture a new, culturally hybrid form with the capacity for building a robust relationship between Christianity and popular culture. Parody can play a positive role in enriching Christian evangelism by providing a substantive means to witness to the kingdom of God by providing a Christian perspective on and critique of culture and its concerns. Parody creates a point of contact between Christians and non-Christians from which Christian evangelism can be initiated.

ABSTRACT THE ROLE OF "PERFECTING" IN DONALD MCGAVRAN'S CHURCH GROWTH THOUGHT Matthew Donald Spradlin, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012 Chairperson: Dr. Charles E. Lawless, Jr. This dissertation examines the role of "perfecting" in Donald McGavran's church growth thought. Chapter 1 introduces McGavran and the need for a study of his "perfecting" concept. Chapter 2 briefly gives McGavran's background and describes his discovery and definition of "church growth." This chapter also explores the experiences in McGavran's own life which shaped his understanding of the perfecting task and motivated its incorporation into his church growth thought. Chapter 3 theologically defines the terms "discipling" and "perfecting" as McGavran understood and used them. McGavran's rationale for using the term "perfecting" is examined, as well as why he chose the term perfecting as opposed to other terms. The chapter includes an analysis of McGavran's understanding of the relationship between discipling and perfecting. Chapter 3 concludes with a critique of the helpfulness of McGavran's choice and use of the term "perfecting." Chapter 4 is an analysis of the church growth thinking that distinctively comprised McGavran's understanding and approach to perfecting. McGavran's belief that missions is to be evangelistic and ecclesiocentric is outlined and analyzed, and how it affected his understanding of the perfecting task. Chapter 5 examines McGavran's methodology in relation to perfecting. The role of worship, Bible study, prayer, and evangelism in relation to perfecting and church growth is described. Chapter five focuses upon the role of perfecting in the training of workers, and how McGavran's methodological approach to perfecting differed from the missiology of his day. Chapter 6 evaluates the role of perfecting in Donald McGavran's church growth thought, determining that it was shaped by his conviction that biblical perfecting teaches and produces church growth. Chapter 6 concludes that McGavran's understanding of the role of biblical perfecting in church growth is helpful in developing a perfecting strategy for effective missions and ministry.

ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF THE DISCIPLESHIP STRATEGY OF ROBERT EMERSON COLEMAN John Thomas Green IV, Ph. D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012 Chair: Dr. Charles E. Lawless, Jr. This dissertation examines the discipleship strategy of Robert Emerson Coleman. Chapter 1 introduces the ministry and work of Robert Coleman. The chapter also discusses the call to discipleship given by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission and the need for the local church to effectively disciple its members. Chapter 2 presents a biography of Coleman. This chapter highlights his conversion and call to ministry. It also includes details of his ministry as a pastor, professor, and author. Chapter 3 provides an historical analysis of Coleman's discipleship strategy. This chapter notes influences upon Coleman's strategy, including the work of John Wesley. It also describes the historical context in which Coleman's strategy was developed, particularly the states of the evangelical church and the Methodist church. Chapter 4 addresses Coleman's practice of discipleship in his ministry. The chapter includes insight into Coleman's personal discipleship, as well as, his discipleship of his family, churches that he has pastored, and students that he led while teaching. Chapter 5 offers a biblical analysis of Coleman's discipleship strategy, dissecting Scripture used by Coleman to support his principles of discipleship outlined in The Master Plan of Evangelism. The chapter also notes several other works by Coleman to show how he consistently communicated his discipleship strategy. The conclusion offers application of Coleman's strategy in the North American church. Positive contributions of Coleman's work for discipleship in the local church are enumerated. Challenges to implementing his strategy are also shared. This work contends that Coleman has provided a biblical and effective model for discipleship in The Master Plan of Evangelism. His strategy is faithful to the model of Christ with His disciples. Coleman's work provides helpful contributions to discipleship in the local church though it has its challenges in implementation. Although Coleman's discipleship ministry has been conducted largely outside of the local church, his strategy can and should be used in the local church for discipleship.

The New Evangelism, a term popularized by Paul VI and a primary concern of John Paul II, articulates the Catholic Church's reply to the appeal of the Council Fathers for renewed gospel proclamation in the modern age. Theology observes copious permutations of the New Evangelism, and these competing narratives cover a variety of perspectives. My project explores the question of the New Evangelism's meaning within United States Catholicism amidst its various interpretations by applying Paul Ricoeur's theory of narrative to this multiplicity of configurations. Ricoeur's theory actually anticipated the contemporary situation: as new interpretations challenged sedimentation, multiple reconfigurations of the Church's call to proclaim were the inevitable result, in light of story's power upon human imagination. In the reciprocal dialectic between historical consciousness and personal identity, story informs each and is informed by each--an epistemological circle which allows for multiple reconfigurations when narratives engage imagination. My application of Ricoeur's theory will indicate that theology is not about the New Evangelism so much as it is about New Evangelisms, and that the Church may embrace a breathing room for multiple voices without losing herself to the vacuum of relativism nor to the suffocation of autocracy. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts; / Theology / PhD; / Dissertation;

In recent years, the relationship between religion and Enlightenment, traditionally cast in opposition to one another, has received increasing reconsideration. Scholars now recognise that even orthodox religion played a central role within the Enlightenment project. This development has marked a paradigm shift in Atlantic world and Enlightenment historiography. However, while the relationship between religion and Enlightenment has been greatly clarified, there remain major gaps in our understanding of the nature and parameters of this relationship. This thesis contributes to the understanding of religion’s function within Enlightenment thought and practice through a case study of the colonial missionary work of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge (SSPCK). Using primary sources such as institutional records, sermons, journals, diaries and letters, it examines evangelism within the framework of the Enlightenment. The study demonstrates first how both the founders of the SSPCK and the Society’s most fervent advocates of missionary work in the colonies were simultaneously the foremost leaders of the British and American Enlightenment. It then traces the implications of this religious Enlightenment dynamic, illuminating not only the ambitions of the Society’s leadership but also certain contours of intimate encounters between Native Americans, Native Christians and white missionaries. As the SSPCK’s missionary endeavours demonstrate, the relationship between evangelism and Enlightenment not only changed all individuals and institutions involved. It also transformed the very landscape of British Protestant religion. This assessment points to the overarching conclusion that the Enlightenment shaped the very foundation of modern missions. In the process, however, British Atlantic Protestants of many different varieties wove the discourse of the Enlightenment into the tapestry of their understanding of evangelism as a primary means of identity formation, both personally and institutionally. Historiographically, this research forces a reexamination of the nuances of the religious Enlightenment. It also problematizes the static (albeit dominant) interpretation of evangelicalism by observing its emergence in light of the broader conditions of British Atlantic Protestantism.

Thesis (M.A./Missiology)--Columbia Biblical Seminary and Graduate School of Missions, Korntal, 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-173).