This study seeks to determine the extent to which Jimmy Swaggart's program for defense in 1988 complies with the expectations of the apologia genre. Three discourse media are examined for evidence of denial, bolstering, differentiation, and transcendence. Swaggart's defense is classified as "justificative" in that it seeks approval of actions. Swaggart's motivating drive force is defined as the need to assure the financial success of his ministry. Swaggart's defense is then compared with the past apologies of Nixon, Truman, and Kennedy. It was determined that certain apologies cannot serve as a reference standard if the contextual factors are not similar. There are some rhetorical resources available to religious figures that are not available to politicians.

This study examines the Church of Sweden Mission and the encounter between Swedish missionaries, African Christians and evangelists in Natal and Zululand in the early twentieth century. The ambition with the present study is to demonstrate that the mission enterprise was dependent on and an integral part of developments in society at large. It attends to the issue of how the idea of folk Christianisation and the establishing of a territorial folk church on the mission field originated in the Swedish society and was put into practice in South Africa. It describes how the goals implied attempted to both change and preserve African society. This was a task mainly assigned the African evangelists. By closely focusing on the particular regions where the Church of Sweden Mission was present, conflicts between pre-capitalistand capitalist, black and white societies are revealed. The 1906 Bambatha uprising became a watershed. The present study demonstrates how the uprising differently affected different regions and also the evolving -Zulu church. in the one region where Christianity was made compatible with African Nationalist claims, it was demonstrated that it was possible to be both a nationalist and a Christian, which paved the way for both religious independency and nationalist resistance and, eventually, large scale conversions.

This study analyzed representative works of John Mott and Bill Bright using Ernest Bormann's method of fantasy theme analysis. The analysis confirmed that Mott and Bright, as leaders of two organizations that encourage college students to engage in evangelism, share an identical rhetorical vision. This vision can be labeled the Great Commission and is identical in thought and content to the words of Christ found in Matthew 28. The shared rhetorical vision encourages members of the rhetorical community to acknowledge the needs of the world and seek to meet those needs by sharing the gospel message of Christ.In addition to a shared rhetorical visions, the works considered in this study also share identical fantasy types: "Fetching Good Out of Evil," and the quest. The fantasy type of the quest has received little interest in other studies. This study suggests that the type might provide rhetorical critics with a useful form for future studies. Several fantasy themes also were found to exist within each artifact. The presence of shared fantasy types and the commonalties that exist between the fantasy themes verifies the presence of the shared rhetorical vision, the Great Commission. / Department of Speech Communication

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Political Science, 2006. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-160).

This dissertation examines Richard Owen Roberts’s (1931-) life and ministry to present his theology of revival. Chapter 1 examines the need for clarity in the topic of revival for the church today. It discusses my background in the topic area, and the process which guided the study. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the research questions explored during the research and writing process of this dissertation. Chapter 2 contains a biography of the significant points of Roberts’s life and ministry. It presents some background of the time period in which he grew up, his early childhood, conversion, call to ministry, family life, preaching and bookstore ministries, and his legacy. A personal interview provides the content and support for the chapter. Chapter 3 surveys Roberts’s published works and sermons to develop a complete theology of revival. In particular it examines his teachings on the following topics as the topic relates to revival: definitions, God, man, conversion, the church, the community, results, hindrances, and true revival. Through the study of these areas the reader is presented with a thorough examination of Roberts’s theology of revival. Chapter 4 focuses on two significant connection points that Roberts has made in his ministry in revival—repentance and history. The chapter explores how and why Roberts has made these two connections. It examines his publications and teachings on the topics to demonstrate that from Roberts’s perspective one cannot have revival without repentance. Additionally, his ministry demonstrates that the church is best equipped for revival by examining the ways in which God has moved among his people in the past. Chapter 5 demonstrates the need for Roberts’s theology of revival in the church today. It examines the shift that the church underwent in its understanding and practices of revival over the last century and a half, and it discusses how Roberts’s understanding of revival can bring helpful changes in this area. The chapter concludes with some critique of Roberts’s theology and practice of ministry. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation with final thoughts on Roberts’s theology of revival and its impact on the church. It also includes with several areas in which further study of Roberts and revival could be undertaken by other researchers.

A. B. Simpson / Charles Spurgeon / Andrew Murray / Oswald Chambers / George Muller / Hudson Taylor / John MacMillan / A. W. Tozer / Kenneth Hagin / Kenneth Copeland / Frederick K. C. Price / E. M. Bounds / Amy Carmichael / Phoebe Palmer / This thesis is a study of nineteenth and twentieth century faith theology and praxis, seeking to determine a balanced, healthy faith that is both sound in theology and effective in practice. Part 1 presents a history and sources of Faith Teaching and Practices. It first looks historicalty at the roots of later faith teaching and practice by presenting a sampling of teachings on faith from early church fathers, reformers, mystics, and Pietists. These form the foundation for the movements of faith in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--the classic faith teaching, followed by the modern faith movement and leaders. Part 2 deals with the foundational issues of faith teaching and practice: the relationship of faith to the supernatural, the concept of the inheritance of the believer and the practice of claiming the promises of God, the nature of faith, and the authority of the believer and its inferences for faith praxis. Part 3 investigates seven major theological issues of faith teaching and practice: faith as a law and force, the object and source of faith, the relationship of faith and the will of God, distinguishing between a logos and a rhema word of God, the concepts of revelation and sense knowledge, the doctrine of healing in the atonement, the question of evidence of the baptism in lhe Holy Spirit. Part 4 examines major practical issues of faith teaching and practice about which controversy swirls: positive mental attitude and positive confession; issues of discernment in acting upon impressions, voices, revelations, and "words from the Lord;" questions of failh regarding sickness and healing, death, doctors and medicine; the relationships between sickness, suffering, healing, and sanctification; and prosperity. Part 5 reflects upon these issues and comes to final conclusions regarding: the role of hermeneutics in determining failh theology and praxis, how to handle unanswered prayers and apparent failures of faith, the seeming paradox and tension between claiming one's inheritance and dying to self, a summary of practical conclusions for exercise of healthy faith, and final conclusions and recommendations on developing a sound theology and practice of faith for the twenty-fist century. / Practical Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)

This dissertation analyses Reinhard Bonnke's evangelistic ministry in Africa, and examines to what extent his propagated "Evangelism by Fire" conforms with the New Testament ministry of evangelism. The results of an analysis of the New Testament ministry of evangelism, especially of the evangelistic ministry of Philip, provide the basis for a comparison with Bonnke's understanding and practice of the evangelistic ministry. A thorough analysis of Bonnke's publications, especially those referring to the theme of evangelism, allows a systematic insight into his understanding of the evangelistic ministry. In order to examine the conformity between Reinhard Bonnke's understanding and his practice of evangelism, expert interviews referring to his gospel crusade in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 2002 are analysed, and compared to his understanding of evangelism. Finally, the findings about Bonnke's understanding and practice of evangelism are related to the New Testament evangelistic ministry, and analysed synoptically. The research results of this study show that Bonnke's understanding of evangelism and his practice of evangelism, during the gospel crusade in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, conform with each other. Bonnke's propagated and applied "Evangelism by Fire" shows him to be an evangelist orientated to the New Testament. Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Dissertation setzt sich mit Reinhard Bonnkes evangelistischem Dienst in Afrika auseinander und überprüft, inwiefern die von ihm bekannt gemachte ,,Evangelism by Fire" mit dem neutestamentlichen evangelistischen Dienst übereinstimmt. Die Ergebnisse aus einer Untersuchung des evangelistischen Dienstes im Neuen Testament, insbesondere des evangelistischen Dienstes des Philippus, bieten die Grundlage für einen Vergleich mit dem Evangelisationsverständnis und der Evangelisationspraxis Bonnkes. Eine intensive Auseinandersetzung mit Bonnkes Publikationen, insbesondere zum Thema Evangelisation, gibt einen systematischen Einblick in sein Verständnis des evangelistischen Dienstes. Um Reinhard Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis auf Übereinstimmung mit seiner Evangelisationspraxis zu überprüften, werden Experteninterviews zu seiner 2002 durchgeführten Großevangelisation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, ausgewertet und mit seinem Evangelisationsverständnis verglichen. Schließlich werden die gewonnenen Forschungsergebnisse zu Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis und Evangelisationspraxis in Relation zum neutestamentlichen evangelistischen Dienst gesetzt und synoptisch ausgewertet. Die Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, dass Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis und seine Evangelisationspraxis während der Evangelisation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, kongruieren. Die von Bonnke propagierte und praktizierte ,,Evangelism by Fire" offenbart ihn als Evangelisten mit neutestamentlicher Grundausrichtung. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / (D.Th.(Missiology))

This dissertation analyses Reinhard Bonnke's evangelistic ministry in Africa, and examines to what extent his propagated "Evangelism by Fire" conforms with the New Testament ministry of evangelism. The results of an analysis of the New Testament ministry of evangelism, especially of the evangelistic ministry of Philip, provide the basis for a comparison with Bonnke's understanding and practice of the evangelistic ministry. A thorough analysis of Bonnke's publications, especially those referring to the theme of evangelism, allows a systematic insight into his understanding of the evangelistic ministry. In order to examine the conformity between Reinhard Bonnke's understanding and his practice of evangelism, expert interviews referring to his gospel crusade in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 2002 are analysed, and compared to his understanding of evangelism. Finally, the findings about Bonnke's understanding and practice of evangelism are related to the New Testament evangelistic ministry, and analysed synoptically. The research results of this study show that Bonnke's understanding of evangelism and his practice of evangelism, during the gospel crusade in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, conform with each other. Bonnke's propagated and applied "Evangelism by Fire" shows him to be an evangelist orientated to the New Testament. Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Dissertation setzt sich mit Reinhard Bonnkes evangelistischem Dienst in Afrika auseinander und überprüft, inwiefern die von ihm bekannt gemachte ,,Evangelism by Fire" mit dem neutestamentlichen evangelistischen Dienst übereinstimmt. Die Ergebnisse aus einer Untersuchung des evangelistischen Dienstes im Neuen Testament, insbesondere des evangelistischen Dienstes des Philippus, bieten die Grundlage für einen Vergleich mit dem Evangelisationsverständnis und der Evangelisationspraxis Bonnkes. Eine intensive Auseinandersetzung mit Bonnkes Publikationen, insbesondere zum Thema Evangelisation, gibt einen systematischen Einblick in sein Verständnis des evangelistischen Dienstes. Um Reinhard Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis auf Übereinstimmung mit seiner Evangelisationspraxis zu überprüften, werden Experteninterviews zu seiner 2002 durchgeführten Großevangelisation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, ausgewertet und mit seinem Evangelisationsverständnis verglichen. Schließlich werden die gewonnenen Forschungsergebnisse zu Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis und Evangelisationspraxis in Relation zum neutestamentlichen evangelistischen Dienst gesetzt und synoptisch ausgewertet. Die Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, dass Bonnkes Evangelisationsverständnis und seine Evangelisationspraxis während der Evangelisation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, kongruieren. Die von Bonnke propagierte und praktizierte ,,Evangelism by Fire" offenbart ihn als Evangelisten mit neutestamentlicher Grundausrichtung. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / (D.Th.(Missiology))

A. B. Simpson / Charles Spurgeon / Andrew Murray / Oswald Chambers / George Muller / Hudson Taylor / John MacMillan / A. W. Tozer / Kenneth Hagin / Kenneth Copeland / Frederick K. C. Price / E. M. Bounds / Amy Carmichael / Phoebe Palmer / This thesis is a study of nineteenth and twentieth century faith theology and praxis, seeking to determine a balanced, healthy faith that is both sound in theology and effective in practice. Part 1 presents a history and sources of Faith Teaching and Practices. It first looks historicalty at the roots of later faith teaching and practice by presenting a sampling of teachings on faith from early church fathers, reformers, mystics, and Pietists. These form the foundation for the movements of faith in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--the classic faith teaching, followed by the modern faith movement and leaders. Part 2 deals with the foundational issues of faith teaching and practice: the relationship of faith to the supernatural, the concept of the inheritance of the believer and the practice of claiming the promises of God, the nature of faith, and the authority of the believer and its inferences for faith praxis. Part 3 investigates seven major theological issues of faith teaching and practice: faith as a law and force, the object and source of faith, the relationship of faith and the will of God, distinguishing between a logos and a rhema word of God, the concepts of revelation and sense knowledge, the doctrine of healing in the atonement, the question of evidence of the baptism in lhe Holy Spirit. Part 4 examines major practical issues of faith teaching and practice about which controversy swirls: positive mental attitude and positive confession; issues of discernment in acting upon impressions, voices, revelations, and "words from the Lord;" questions of failh regarding sickness and healing, death, doctors and medicine; the relationships between sickness, suffering, healing, and sanctification; and prosperity. Part 5 reflects upon these issues and comes to final conclusions regarding: the role of hermeneutics in determining failh theology and praxis, how to handle unanswered prayers and apparent failures of faith, the seeming paradox and tension between claiming one's inheritance and dying to self, a summary of practical conclusions for exercise of healthy faith, and final conclusions and recommendations on developing a sound theology and practice of faith for the twenty-fist century. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished