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The broad scope of my study is the encounter of Christian theology and democratic social theory. Within this area I relate as well as compare to each other the thoughts of the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the political thinker István Bibó. The possibility of the comparison is supported by the fact that both thinkers elaborated a characteristic understanding and concept of freedom on whose basis they investigated a viable political order for post-war Europe. Their understanding of freedom was significantly different and this difference became manifest in the manner of the political reconstruction they proposed. In my analysis of some early writings and wartime considerations of the two thinkers, my main concern is to reveal the relationship of thelogical reasoning and political argumentation, both within the two thinkers' own thoughts and in their encounter. In the first chapter I create an elementary map of the development of the mutual influence of Christianity and democracy. Here I venture to understand democracy from a Christian point of view as tradition, vision, system and process. In the second chapter I show the relationship between Bibó's concept of freedom and his democratic theory. The third and the fourth chapters are devoted to an analysis of Bonhoeffer's theology that was determined by definite political values already at their roots. I conclude that despite several converging elements in their thinking and understanding of the challenge of the times, some fundamental differences remain in the political theories of Bibó and Bonhoeffer, which have their roots in their opposing understanding of freedom.

The argument of my thesis concerns the understanding of the doctrine of sin in systematic theology, and, as a corollary of this, the scope of the doctrine in terms of its content. My argument is that the doctrine of sin is particularly prone to being defined with a strictness or narrowness which causes it to lose much of its meaning; that such limiting treatment tends to be accompanied by distorted relationships with, or over-determination by, other key doctrines, particularly that of salvation; and that it is helpful to see this tendency as a failure to see sin as a symbol with a complex of meanings, this complex being essential to the doctrine. A brief introductory survey of the usual perspectives on sin and of recent monographs firstly indicates the major issues raised by sin. Then more detailed analysis of the work of Barth, Brunner, Rahner, Pannenberg and Ricoeur provides examples of different methods of dealing with sin and leads to the conclusion that the tension between freedom and inevitability is essential to the doctrine of sin: it is part of sin's meaning and attempts to suppress, explain or relocate it lead to unacceptable tensions elsewhere. The use of Ricoeur's analysis of the symbolism of evil as a critical tool demonstrates the significance of the Adamic narrative for Christian doctrine, and the way in which its neglect can lead to the acquisition of ideas characteristic of non-Christian mythologies. The positive suggestion of the thesis is that sin should be seen as a tensive symbol incorporating a wide complex of meanings and involving a specific mythology of "the beginning" and that its paradoxical nature should be maintained as indicating a conflict within humanity, and seen in relationship to the suffering of God in Christ.

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This research breaks new ground by examining the history and theological education of the Adelaide Bible Institute (ABI) between the years 1924 and 1962. ABI is now known as the Bible College of South Australia (BCSA). The College is an interdenominational evangelical Protestant bible training institute in Adelaide, South Australia, and was commenced in 1924 for the purpose of training young people for missionary service. This study was undertaken to research the history and theological education of ABI, its place in the international bible college movement and its contribution to the evangelical world of interdenominational missions. / thesis (MA)--University of South Australia, 2000

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain significant mentor/protege relationships in professional ministry education. Through an exploratory, naturalistic inquiry, the mentoring phenomenon was studied inductively, culminating in a descriptive theory that illuminated the variables and their interrelationships on the ministerial campus. The multiple case study design accommodated ten mentoring pairs from three graduate level seminaries in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Data were collected through several in-depth interviews and a written questionnaire. The findings indicated that the relationships were the product of three dimensions in a dynamic, evolving interaction: interpersonal factors, intrapersonal factors, and contextual factors. Additionally, each dimension brought a mix of variables which, when present, gave rise to the formation, development, and outcomes of mentor/protege relationships. Pre-existing personal factors were mediated by entry conditions, and further influenced by aspects of the social and institutional setting. The relationships developed through a uniform progression of five stages, with each stage moving through a transitional characteristic making possible the formation of the next level of interaction. Common relationship qualities were evident, as were mentoring functions which enhanced or enabled the achievement of personal growth or ministerial competence. Personal motives and selection criteria were significant in the formation and timing of the relationships. Individual differences were acknowledged, but were tempered by the commitment to one another and to the relationships. The influence of significant others, as well as the institutional environment were described. Benefits for students, faculty, and institutions were identified. / Graduation date: 1994