Christian Ministry Research Articles

Book Review: A People of One Book: The Bible and the Victorians

A People of One Book: The Bible and the Victorians. By Timothy Larsen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-19-957009-6. Pp. 336. $55.00 In A People of One Book: The Bible and the Victorians, Timothy Larsen continues his interest historical trends, especially regarding women, attempting to set the record straight and fill gaps left by those biographers who ignore the Christianity of their subjects. Larsen has previously published several books on Christianity the Victorian period and the early twentieth century, especially works related to evangelicals and non-conformists. His 1999 book Friends of Religious Equality: Nonconformist Politics Mid-Victorian England attempts to correct the view that nonconformists were bent on forcing everyone to worship and believe as they did. Larsen does this by studying Congregationalists and Baptists who involved themselves the political arena between 1847 and 1867 and worked for religious equality before the law;' not only for themselves but also for other groups such as Roman Catholics and Jews (1). His interests appear clearly his 2002 Christabel Pankhurst: Fundmentalism and Feminism Coalition, which tells about the militant English Suffragette the first chapter and then attempts to set the record straight by describing her Christian ministry and authorship Canada and the United States for the remainder of the book. Contested Christianity: The Political and Social Contexts of Victorian Theology (2004) also counters unfounded assumptions that Victorian Christians were either a golden age or in crisis and retreat, being routed by doubt, crumbling on all sides against intellectual, social, cultural, and political forces, arguing instead that the field was contested (1-2). Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith Nineteenth-Century England (2006) treats prominent figures the secular movement who overcame their doubt, worked diligently to bring people to Christ, and wrote vigorously to undo the damage they had previously done by their sermonizing to rid people of faith. Typical of Larsen's work, Crisis of Doubt serves as a corrective, as many contemporary scholars writing about Victorian culture have jumped to the conclusion that thinking Victorians only left their childhood faith, taking authors such as George Eliot as representative and ignoring the majority of people who retained their faith or regained it. In 2007 Larsen collaborated with Mark Husbands editing Women, Ministry and the Gospel: Exploring New Paradigms, a superb collection of essays on the controversial issue of leadership roles the church, which the two warring sides called themselves the complementarians and the egalitarians. His own essay on historical evangelical practice points out that were regularly used leadership roles until after the Second World War and discusses the strong social and cultural pressures to restrict the roles of women during the 1950s when men returning from the war wanted to set up ideal domestic spheres (231). In A People of One Book, Larsen again studies Victorian trends, demonstrating that Victorian writers and thinkers read the Bible, whether they considered themselves Christians or not, and argued for its inclusion education even if they did not believe its doctrines. They wrote habitually using biblical phrasing, whether to prove the Bible or disprove it. This eminently informed study starts with Victorian assumptions that one must read, memorize, and study the Bible on a daily basis whether a staunch believer or an atheist. Larsen states his introduction, There are only two kinds of eminent Victorian authors--the kind who have had a whole book written about their use of Scripture and the kind who are ripe for such attention (2). Larsen surveys biblical use by choosing a representative figure from each doctrinal position, pointing out that even atheists focus on the Bible to point out its inconsistencies. …

Theology of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: The Place of the Church

In this age of technology characterized by capitalist and materialist culture, Christian ministry pertaining to the natural world of creation has been relegated to the background in the teaching and preaching of many churches whereas on the other hand, it has long been held that the environment is among the most pressing concerns of this generation. While most Christians appreciate the beauty of nature, many do not realize that there is a strong biblical basis for creation care, and that, in fact, many ethical values, fundamental to the development of a peaceful society, are particularly relevant to the ecological question. The purpose of this research is twofold, firstly, to establish the basis for the Church’s response to the problem of climate change by correlating climate change with the Biblical mandate for creation care and secondly, to provide recommendations on how creation care can be integrated into the local church’s administration and ministry. Recent scientific findings on climate change alongside its environmental and social implications provided the framework upon which this research is based. The significance of the research is that it has provided a document that spells out clearly why and how Christian Churches should be involved in tackling the issue of climate change and the resultant ecological problems facing the world today. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n13p85

Dora Frost

1930-2013Nurse manager, RCN deputy president and committed Christian minister

Spirituality, Transcendence and Pastoral Care

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Theological Education and Character Formation in Nigerian Christianity: A Reflection

This paper presents theological education and character formation in Nigerian Christianity. Some theologians and religious scholars do not offer any practical recipes in dealing with the major pressing problems of theological training for Christian ministry today in the 21st century Nigerian society. Some priests, lay workers and laity alike find it difficult to practice the Christian character traits which Jesus Christ himself exercised perfectly. The proper examination of these problems engages the aim of this paper. The method of approach is analytical based on the review of related literature.

Responding to Ordinary Christology

This article uses empirical data from a previous study to explore how theological educators should respond to ordinary Christology as well as ordinary soteriology. It begins by addressing the question of how to respond to beliefs about Jesus that do not conform to the canons of official orthodoxy and proceeds to argue for the functional Christology of ordinary believers to be given a say in defining orthodoxy and enlarging normativity. Some of the implications for theological education of exemplarist soteriology, together with its corollary pluralism, are also discussed and a plea is made for ordinary theology to be taken seriously by those who are engaged in Christian education, as well as those involved in Christian mission and ministry. Finally, various pedagogical implications of ordinary Christology are briefly explored in the light of the findings from the previous study.

Living Contemplatively and Serving God in the World: Two Sides of the Coin of Christian Ministry

Living Contemplatively and Serving God in the World: Two Sides of the Coin of Christian Ministry

Hope in the promises of God: Some New Testament Reflections on Christian Ministry

Hope in the promises of God: Some New Testament Reflections on Christian Ministry

Undergraduate Perceptions of Vocational Calling into Missions and Ministry

This article is a qualitative study of undergraduate student perceptions of the calling into Christian missions and ministry. A number of central factors emerged when students spoke of the process of discovering their vocation. Students were likely to situate their calling in the midst of social interaction. They also tended to arrive at a sense of calling during or after participating in a ministry or mission-related experience. The role of mentors in affirming their vocation, especially within the local church and family life, was also emphasized, along with intuitive encounters with God.

Introduction

Introduction E. Bert Wallace The title of this volume is a bit of a compromise. Many, some with good reason, are rather repulsed by the word "religion." Visions of hidden agendas, of proselytizers and fundamentalists of various stripes, loom. "Spirituality" was briefly considered and quickly discarded. In the end, in lieu of another word, "ritual" was added to broaden the call. Whether or not theatre arose from ritual or religion or both, from prehistory to the present there have been clear and vital connections among the three. My own comingling of religion and theatre has been both vocational and avocational. Because I majored in theatre in college, I was oft en called upon to "put a little skit together" for various church occasions as a student and into my adulthood. For many years, I've been associated with Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA), an organization that has greatly encouraged my scholarship, theatrical practice, and faith. And I'm currently the chair of the Religion and Theatre Committee for SETC and the head of the Drama & Christian Ministry Program at Campbell University, where I continue to write and direct plays in which religion, or ritual, or faith is enacted on the stage. The topic for my second volume as editor of Theatre Symposium flowed naturally from my own scholarship and creative work. I was delighted that Dr. Tom F. Driver agreed to serve as our keynote speaker and conference respondent. His lifetime of work exactly coincides with our threefold focus. His address on the opening night of the conference is printed in this volume. We all sat enthralled; several attendees told me that his was the best keynote address they'd ever heard. Dr. Driver graciously attended all the sessions and held a conference response and discussion at the end of the event. [End Page 5] As I hoped, our topic drew a wide variety of scholars. Of course, not every paper can be published (for a variety of reasons), but the presented papers not published here deserve some mention. Bradley Stephenson (University of Missouri-Columbia) drew on his experiences as a fraternity pledge to discuss initiation rituals; Chris Peck (Baylor University) presented a case study about a conservative audience response to a controversial play; Joan Lazarus (University of Texas-Austin) spoke on religion and spirituality in secondary theatre education; Eric Kildow (Coastal Carolina Community College) drew parallels between Puritan and Platonic anti-theatrical prejudice; Karen Polit (University of Heidelberg) spoke on her fieldwork with tribal ritual in the Himalayas; Amanda Sweeney (University of Chicago) explored how religion dramatizes the divine; and Erin Hopkins (New York University) and Brenna Nicely (University of Central Florida) presented separately on historical Christmas pageants. Several presenters at this year's conference included performance as part of their presentation. In particular, Greg Carr (whose paper is printed here) enacted the call-and-response and "whoops" of the traditional black preacher that his paper discussed, greatly enhancing the audience's understanding. Another honored guest, Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) president Dr. William Doan, performed as well; excerpts of Bill's performances are printed at the end of this volume. I must give special thanks to Andy Belser of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, our host school. Andy was immensely helpful from the moment I approached him about having the conference at Wilmington. Thanks also go to former editors Phil Hill, J. K. Curry, and Scott Phillips for all their help and support; former editor Paul Castagno of UNC-W, who was my graduate advisor at the University of Alabama and very supportive of this conference; Betsey Baun, Quiana Clark-Roland, and all the staff at the SETC central office for their support; Dan Waterman, Debbie Upton, Crissie Johnson, and the staff of the University of Alabama Press; Trey Morehouse, our tireless student worker who drove us all over Wilmington; Becky Jurius, my student assistant at Campbell University; Ran Whitley, Georgia Martin, and all my supportive colleagues at Campbell; and, most importantly, Kelley, Peter, and Betsy Wallace. My family has been almost unbelievably supportive of all the effort it has taken to organize two conferences and get two volumes to press. My thanks—and all...

Relating Kenosis to Soteriology: Implications for Christian Ministry amongst Homeless People

Abstract Christian ministry amongst homeless people is often characterised by division between the ministry itself as social action by independent voluntary organisations, and congregational life. This is arguably the result of sociological forces, but is also compounded by the prevalence in mainline churches of ethically lacking popular versions of penal substitution that privatise spirituality. We argue that in addition to strengthening the ethical content of such teaching, it is important to offer alternative theological tools that challenge Christian self-understanding. Kenosis is just such a tool. In a brief historical sketch of biblical and theological approaches, we suggest that it is the ethical, narrative understanding of kenosis, rather than preoccupation with philosophically-orientated Christological debates about the locus of the apparent ‘emptying’ of divine attributes, that is central to understanding kenosis. What we label the necessary ethically kenotic dimension to salvation is then explored, an area in which we are influenced by current biblical scholarship on ‘justification’ in Paul by participationist-inclined scholars, particularly the work of Michael Gorman based on the Philippian hymn and his emphasis on justification by co-crucifixion. Kenosis as a ‘selfishness emptying’ that leads to co-resurrection is an integral and ongoing part of the soteriological process of theosis. Relating kenosis to soteriology in this way has implications for church work amongst homeless people, and we suggest that when also taking into account current social work research, churches receive an imperative to offer ministry that is community orientated, relational, self-giving and absorptive.

A Campus Come of Age?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reflected deeply on the dwindling authority that historic conceptions of religious belief held for those living in modern society. In musing on the position of Christianity and the church in a “world come of age” he highlighted many of the questions and challenges facing Christian ministers in our present age. This article explores the application of his thought to the particular circumstances encountered by chaplains working in Higher Education in the UK. It seeks to draw upon Bonhoef-fer’s notion of religionlessness as a resource to illuminate the plight of students encountering the polyphony of life, religious groups on campus and the challenge of fundamentalism, and university authorities and chaplaincy where the pursuit of neutrality is sometimes expected.

Action Research as Professional Development

This article explores the use of theological action research as a mode of professional development in Christian mission or ministry. Drawing on a case study of a cycle of theological action research within a Christian youth work agency in London, the benefits of action research are interpreted through the influence that participation has on theological capital. Theological capital is developed as a construct to indicate the relative agency Christian youth workers experience in fulfilling the intentional Christian ministry they aspire to perform. The case study explores the theological capital required in the challenging contexts and inter-disciplinary settings in which Christian youth work occurs. From this, action research is posited as a method of professional development for those engaged in such roles.

Resisting Daniel: The Church's Fear of Bearing Witness to a Difficult Book

Three obstacles contribute to American Christianity's resistance to reading the book of Daniel: 1) a backlash against the overuse of Daniel in certain presentations of end times doctrine; 2) Daniel's complicated references to previous biblical prophetic traditions and visionary experiences; and 3) the depictions of suffering in the latter chapters of the book. A reading of Daniel 10 illustrates the latter two obstacles, calling for readers to hearken to Daniel's testimony to the suffering of the Jewish community in the second century BCE. Overcoming the resistance to the book by Christian ministers is a daunting task that requires readers to deconstruct popular notions of apocalyptic eschatology, attend to issues of genre and biblical authorship, and develop a working knowledge of the historical context from which the writers of Daniel operated. While demanding, such an effort would allow readers to hear the book as an expression of a community living under unjust rule, to begin perceiving and evaluating the relationship between human and divine power, and to practice attending to the testimony of the oppressed.

Resisting the Power of Empire: The Theme of Resistance in the Book of Daniel

The recent theoretical perspective of postcolonial studies calls attention to the practices that empires use to maximize and to legitimize their uneven exercise of power, and to the efforts that subjected peoples use to resist these practices. This article compares two representative treatments of the book of Daniel from a postcolonial perspective. Daniel provides a testimony to the efforts of Jews to be faithful to God under the rule of foreign empires, culminating in acts of resistance to Antiochus IV's persecution of the Jews in 167 to 164 BCE. The article also considers implications of the theme of resistance in Daniel for Christian faith and ministry

Psychological-type theory and the exercise of Christian ministry: a pilot study

Previous research has demonstrated that all 16 psychological types are preparing for or engaged in the exercise of Christian ministry. Drawing on Jungian psychological-type theory, this paper suggests that each of the 16 types may approach ministry in ways that reflect both the unique strengths and the unique weaknesses of that type. The thesis is tested by developing a detailed analysis of the ministry profile associated with one of the 16 types, the INTJ minister. On the basis of this analysis of one specific type, the paper recommends the value and wisdom of examining the other 15 types in a similar manner.

Emerging Churches in Post-Christian Canada

The traditional mainline and evangelical churches in Canada, as in most western countries, are either in decline or static. Taken as a measure of the future, the prospects for Christianity in Canada, and more broadly the West, are bleak. Post-Christian Canada, however, contains thriving alternative and innovative forms of church, often called ‘emerging’ churches. They take many forms of expression, but share common theological convictions. Based on site research and personal interviews, this article describes the various types and contexts of these churches in Canada. It then highlights three of their central theological characteristics. First, rejecting the ‘culture wars’ social involvement of Christendom churches, they embrace practices and initiatives that transform their local communities. Second, they embrace an incarnational and contextual understanding of Christian life and ministry. Eschewing mega-church franchise models, they endeavor to shape their ministry to the their local communities. Third, they adopt a comprehensive rather than compartmental spirituality.

Gene L. Colborn (1935–2011)

Gene L. Colborn (1935–2011)

Online Ministry in a Massively Multi-Player World of Warcraft

Online Ministry in a Massively Multi-Player World of Warcraft

Zeal for Zion: Christians, Jews and the Idea of the Promised LandShalomGoldman. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009.

Zeal for Zion: Christians, Jews and the Idea of the Promised Land Shalom Goldman. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. There are whole libraries detailing the history of Zionism. Its beginnings in nineteenth-century Europe, its rise under Theodor Herzl in the 1890s, and its development, are well recorded. Shalom Goldman (of Emory University) has asked an intriguing parallel question: Who were the Christian supporters of the idea of a Jewish state over the years? His responses form the body of this book. Goldman's extensive introduction provides important background information on the fertile soil in which Zionism grew. Unfortunately, he neglects the enormous interest in archeology that exploded after the uncovering of the Rosetta Stone and continues today. This was paralleled by a fascination with the Bible among Christian ministers and scholars, leading to textual analysis of the life of Jesus. Regrettably, Goldman ignores these parallel elements. Once the narrative opens, however, Goldman has several fascinating stories to tell. He begins with Lawrence and Alice Oliphant, a wealthy English couple, and their connection to Naftali Herz-Imber, the composer of Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem). The Oliphants became fascinated by Imber, a chameleonlike figure who traveled back and forth through several cultures. The trio traveled and lived together for several years, a fascinating grouping. Their connection provides a glimpse into the beguiling effect Palestine had on interested Europeans. In Chapter 2 Goldman explores Christian supporters of Theodor Herzl. In particular, it focuses on William Hechler, an Anglican priest who became close to Herzl as political Zionism was forming. Hechler had access to many high-ranking German officials, and was instrumental in Herzl's meetings with many of them. HerzPs failure to gain their support was a serious blow, but Hechler continued to support the program. As a proponent of the Jews' political success as a means for their ultimate conversion to Christianity, he serves as an important link to later Christian-Jewish relations. The first figure in the book to spend extensive time in Palestine is Rev. Herbert Danby, an early Christian supporter of Jewish settlement. Danby served as an Anglican priest in Jerusalem from 1919 to 1936, and provided important support for Jewish culture there. He befriended Joseph Klausner, who asserted forcefully that Jesus was a product of his time; Roman ascendance, the late Second-Temple era and the age of the Talmudic Rabbis. Another friend was the great poet H.N. Bialik, whose work Danby translated and helped make famous. In addition, Danby was a Hebrew scholar; his translation of the Mishnah is still widely used. After returning to Oxford in the 1930s, Danby continued to support Jewish settlement (and eventual independence) and also advocated Christian missionary work in the Holy Land. …