VTS Masters Theses
Title
VTS Masters Theses
Subject
VTS Thesis Collection
Description
Theses for the M.Div. or M.A. from participating authors 2017-
Publisher
Virginia Theological Seminary
Date
2017-
Collection Items
The Divine Mandate to Conquer? Towards an Ethical and Theological Reading of Joshua 1:1-9
This master's thesis explores the significance of Joshua 1:1-9 in Christian Scripture, specifically examining its conquest narrative as a pivotal concept in understanding Israel's complex biblical relationship with the land of Canaan and how that…
Utilizing Dance as a Practice of Prayer in the Contemporary North American Church
In this paper, I offer a theology of dance as a practice of embodied prayer for the North American Christian church. Every human has the capacity to dance, regardless of ability or knowledge, because God imbues us with creativity in the imago Dei.…
Designs of the Deep: The Creator God's Binding of Wind, Water, and Darkness in Genesis 1, Psalm 104, and Job 38
Genesis 1, Psalm 104, and Job 38 engage the story of the earth’s creation in dramatic detail. The
three cosmic creation forces of wind, water, and darkness can be identified as common themes
among the three passages. The thesis and accompanying…
three cosmic creation forces of wind, water, and darkness can be identified as common themes
among the three passages. The thesis and accompanying…
Reading Received History of the Episcopal Church of Liberia:
Lessons for Today
This research will review received histories of the Episcopal Church’s mission to Liberia in order to identify lessons for today. Particular focus will be given to key leaders and how mission through evangelism and education establish the Church of…
Feed My Sheep : An Anglican Defense of Lay Presidency
The Diocese of Alaska is the largest diocese in The Episcopal Church (TEC) by geographical size. The 6,072 members of its 48 constituent congregations are spread out over an area larger than the total combined size of California, Texas, Montana, and…
Joy Cometh in the Morning : Ritual, Art, and Crisis
This Capstone Project is designed to celebrate the triumph of The Episcopal
Church as it moved through the crisis of HIV/AIDS in North America in the last third of the twentieth century. My objective is to tell a story about how the Episcopal Church…
Church as it moved through the crisis of HIV/AIDS in North America in the last third of the twentieth century. My objective is to tell a story about how the Episcopal Church…
A Formula for the Application of Trauma-Informed Care in the African American Church
How can the church minister in a more effective way to individuals who have suffered some form of trauma? One of the solutions is to become trauma-informed . This Capstone will offer a deeper understanding of the impact of childhood trauma, and…
Paradox Unpacked : Jesus as God in the Gospel of John
The Prologue of the Gospel of John previews the theological framework which guides readers through the book. This thesis identifies in the Prologue three paradoxes pertaining to Jesus’ identity, mission, and purpose and traces them through the…
Infinite Sanctum
A site-specific immersive exhibition allowing guests to explore their (a)theism in community while engaging all five senses at different exhibits, in an amazing historical building on the campus of Virginia Theological Seminary. Guests can expect to…
Sin and Salvation : An Inter-Cultural Re-Reading
Is it possible to have only one conception of sin? Of salvation? Derek Nelson in Sin: A Guide for the Perplexed observes that with a variety of approaches, we are able to “see, in relief and detail, features of sin that might be otherwise obscured.”…
Servant Leaders Seeking Justice : An Ethnographic Sketch of Trinity United Methodist Church (1774-2023)
On November 20, 1774, a young, itinerant Methodist minister, William Duke, rode into Alexandria, Virginia, and preached to a small group of local people. He recorded in his diary that he had “formed them into a new society.” No pomp and circumstance,…
Intentional Mentorship Lesson Plan for Training Lay and Clergy Leaders : a tool for Children's Ministry in the Diocese of Bondo, Kenya
Bondo Diocese is one of the Anglican dioceses that has made history in the life of the Anglican Province of Kenya through its progressive support of the quest for the ministry of women’s liberation. This diocese was the first to ordain and consecrate…
The Apostle Andrew in Scripture and Tradition
The name of Andrew the Apostle appears thirteen times in the Gospels and Acts, and he is the generative character in four crucial episodes of Jesus’s ministry. But his role as an apostle is muted in the New Testament, in the Church, and in…
Face to Face : The Kenosis of God Before Christ
Thesis (MA)--Virginia Theological Seminary, 2021.\"Prepared in fulfillment of the Master of Divinity program at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia."
Advisor: Stephen L. Cook. Readers: Katherine Sonderegger, Victor H. Matthews.
Advisor: Stephen L. Cook. Readers: Katherine Sonderegger, Victor H. Matthews.
The Post-Colonial Imperative of Interreligious Dialogue : Translating the missio Dei through Nicholas Black Elk’s Multireligious Participation
By Hubbard, Joe. (2021) -- "This conversation around the nature of “mission,” the church’s role in it –as well as the role of the “missionary” and the role of the “missionized” –emerges from the complicated context of my own journey. It…
Listening for the Monastic Imagination
By Walker, Demarius J. (2021) -- "My project starts with Jesus’ questions to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” The question is as pertinent today as it was over 2000 years ago. The question invites us into the prophetic…
The Significance of Inculturation for Evangelism : A case study of The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Masasi, Tanzania.
Mhema, Oraph Joseph (2021) -- "This thesis presents the process of inculturation as an effective means to render the Christian faith more meaningful and practical to people in their local cultures. The historical survey of the evangelization process…
The influence of American Missionaries on the culture, education, and medicine of Tamil people in Jaffna, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
By Vijayathasan, Daniel Jeyaruban (2021) -- In the 19thCentury, as a result of the American Presbyterian and Congregationalist Missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission, the river of God’s love flowed into Jaffna, Ceylon…
Church in the Forefront:Addressing Violence Against Women in the Anglican Diocese of Bondo, Kenya.
Gender-based violence is recognized as a pressing social issue because of its psychological and physical consequences to the victimized.1 This study will elaborate on how the presence of gender-based violence …