The kingdom of God in the Gospel of Luke and its social implications for the church in China
Bible. Luke -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bible. Luke -- Parables.
Kingdom of God -- Biblical teaching.
By Lin, Wen-En, 2019 -- There is consensus among New Testament scholars that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus’ message in the Synoptic Gospels. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that self-sacrificial love and social service to those in need are particularly significant to Luke’s understanding of what the kingdom of God means to Jesus’ followers, and they are inspiring and instructive for the faithful and effective mission of the Church in the modern Chinese context. This thesis (1) discusses the nature and traits of the kingdom of God in the ministry and teaching of Jesus as presented in the Gospel of Luke, (2) shows that the kingdom of God is already a present reality but one with eschatological hope for a full consummation, and (3) argues that the kingdom of God has important ethical implications for Jesus’ followers.
The Introduction presents my research questions, reviews recent scholarly contributions, and outlines my methodology. The First Chapter elaborates on the claim that the kingdom of God in Luke’s Gospel has been realized in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The kingdom of God is a present reality with important implications for social services. Most noticeably, Jesus welcomes all kinds of people, especially the marginalized, into the kingdom of God. The Second Chapter puts forth several ideas regarding the kingdom of God in the teachings of Jesus. The less fortunate in society are beneficiaries of the kingdom of God. Love for enemies, though counter-intuitive, is a basic characteristic of the kingdom of God. Love of neighbor should be manifested in practice. The disciples of Jesus are to show mercy
to the neighbor. Those who wish to enter the kingdom of God must show hospitality to the marginalized. The Third Chapter analyzes the theme of the kingdom of God in the parables of Jesus, many of which are found only in Luke. In summary, the kingdom of God is a present reality to be experienced and to embody. It is a remarkable manifestation of God’s salvation, and it is a resounding call for a positive response in life. In the Conclusion of this thesis, I suggest how Luke’s view of the kingdom of God may be applied to the Church in China in modern Chinese contexts.
Lin, Wen-en
See <a href="http://librarycatalog.vts.edu/record=b1768138~S1" target="_blank" title="Library Catalog" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library Catalog</a> for details on print version.
Virginia Theological Seminary
2019
© Copyright Wen-En Lin, 2019.
PDF
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 emerges from a conviction that our Indigenous communities are not the object of our charity, or even our mission. They are our teachers and partners in God’s life of transformation and reconciliation. This conversation is rooted in a sense that mission is not something the church does. Mission is something the church is. As Darrell Guder describes, “it has taken us decades to realize that mission is not just a program of the church. It defines the church as God’s sent people.” Ultimately, then, “mission is the result of God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purpose to restore and heal creation. ‘Mission’ means ‘sending’ and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human history.” This is a conversation grounded in the recognition that, if my tradition, the Episcopal Church,is serious about reimagining itself in light of the mission of Christ – to more fully embody the missio Dei – we must learn what it means to be a community grounded in and sent by God’s outpouring life of contestation and restoration from the very peoples we once sought to evangelize. We must listen and learn how to engage the missio Dei through the mode of interreligious dialogue." -- Introduction pp.3-4.
"Steven Charleston, an Episcopal Bishop and member of the Choctaw Nation, joins Taylor in recognizing that God was present and active amongst God’s peoples long before Christian missionaries arrived, but for Charleston the Indigenous peoples of North America have “their own original covenant relationship with the Creator and their own original understanding of God prior to the birth of Christ.” Comparing Indigenous nations to the tribes of Israel, he observes, “God was here, on this continent among this people, in covenant, in relationship, in life.” Indeed the “Old Testament of Native America,” as Charleston calls it, “tells of the active, living, revealing presence of God in relation to Native People through generations of Native life and experience ... It is the living memory, the living tradition of a people’s special encounter with the Creator of life.” This divine encounter and revelation among Indigenous peoples of North America does not discount the encounters and revelations of God among any other peoples but enriches them. The encounters and revelations in these lived traditions, or other “testaments,” according to Charleston, enrich one another as they are in conversation with other traditions and testaments, discerning where and how God is present and at work in and through God’s peoples, “broaden[ing] our dialogue about the connections between old testaments” and even broadening our appreciation of the reach of the life and work of God." -- pp. 10-11.
Hubbard, Joe
Virginia Theological Seminary
May 13, 2021
Copyright © 2021 by Joseph L. Hubbard, Jr. All rights reserved
PDF
An Honor’s Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Christian History, Witness, and Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Divinity.
The Significance of Inculturation for Evangelism : A case study of The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Masasi, Tanzania.
Church of the Province of Tanzania. Diocese of Masasi.<br />Intercultural communication -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.<br />Evangelistic work -- Tanzania.<br />Christianity and culture -- Tanzania.<br />Missions -- 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 among the Makua people and many Tanzanian cultures indicates that their religious and cultural worldviews are not given due recognition during the evangelization process. Christian converts are obliged to forsake their cultural identity. However, since the first Anglican missionaries in Masasi could not dissociate themselves completely from their religious and cultural beliefs, they tended to blend the Christian faith with Makua traditional religious beliefs, even if in some areas like witchcraft contradicts the Christian faith. This thesis argues that, it is the demand of inculturation to root the Christian faith into cultures so that Christ becomes the principle that guides decisions and transforms the lives of people. When the Christian faith is integrated into Makua cultures it purifies them, and the wholesome elements found in them are incorporated into the life of the Church. This gives uniqueness to the Church of Masasi and also enrichment to the church in Tanzania at large. As such, effective inculturation would create a church in Masasi that is truly Christian and truly African. However, this thesis does not intend to equate the Makua religious and cultural beliefs to Christian faith. While inculturation is only effective through the collaboration of all agents of the local Church, the theologians and Christian anthropologists have an urgent task to carefully study and recommend those cultural elements which could possibly be incorporated into the Christian faith but without obliterating the essential elements of the Christian faith" -- Abstract
Mhema, Oraph Joseph.
See record for print version in <a href="http://librarycatalog.vts.edu/record=b1965917~S1">VTS Library Catalog</a>
Virginia Theological Seminary
May 5, 2021.
Copyright © 2021 by Oraph Joseph Mhema. All rights reserved.
PDF
Summative Capstone project.
The Significance of Inculturation for Evangelism: A case study of The Anglican Church in the Diocese of Masasi, Tanzania.
Church of the Province of Tanzania. Diocese of Masasi.
Intercultural communication -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
Evangelistic work -- Tanzania.
Christianity and culture -- Tanzania.
Missions -- Tanzania.
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 among the Makua people and many Tanzanian cultures indicates that their religious and cultural worldviews are not given due recognition during the evangelization process. Christian converts are obliged to forsake their cultural identity. However, since the first Anglican missionaries in Masasi could not dissociate themselves completely from their religious and cultural beliefs, they tended to blend the Christian faith with Makua traditional religious beliefs, even if in some areas like witchcraft contradicts the Christian faith. This thesis argues that, it is the demand of inculturation to root the Christian faith into cultures so that Christ becomes the principle that guides decisions and transforms the lives of people. When the Christian faith is integrated into Makua cultures it purifies them, and the wholesome elements found in them are incorporated into the life of the Church. This gives uniqueness to the Church of Masasi and also enrichment to the church in Tanzaniaat large.As such, effective inculturation would create a church in Masasi that is truly Christian and truly African. However, this thesis does not intend to equate the Makua religious and cultural beliefs to Christian faith. While inculturation is only effective through the collaboration of all agents of the local Church, the theologians and Christian anthropologists have an urgent task to carefully study and recommend those cultural elements which could possibly be incorporated into the Christian faith but without obliterating the essential elements of the Christian faith.
Mhema, Oraph Joseph
See record for print version in <a href="http://librarycatalog.vts.edu/record=b1965917~S1">VTS Library Catalog</a>
Virginia Theological Seminary
May 5, 2021
Copyright © 2021 by Oraph Joseph Mhema
Thesis
The Use of story in spiritual direction
Storytelling -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
Narrative theology.
Spiritual direction -- Christianity.
By Harre, Jeffri, 2019 -- Story is one of the primary ways in which Christianity has been transmitted through generations. Formation leaders, spiritual directors, and clergy frequently stress the importance of storytelling in sharing our faith. Yet when asked to tell their stories of faith, many people become uncomfortable, unable, or even unwilling to share their stories. How can a spiritual director then help directees to tell their very personal stories of faith in the process of spiritual direction? How do the stories of faith in the Bible help a spiritual director work with directees to integrate their personal stories into the wider Christian narrative?
This paper explores some of the ways in which storytelling has been an important part of Christian tradition and how Christians have been rediscovering that importance. It provides some practical tools for a spiritual director to help directees form, articulate and integrate their personal stories of faith.
Harre, Jeffri
See the <a href="http://librarycatalog.vts.edu/record=b1769856~S1" target="_blank" title="Library Catalog" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library Catalog</a> for details of the print version.
Virginia Theological Seminary
2019
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, 2019.
PDF
Towards an Understanding of Congregational Health: How Do We Nurture the Growth of God's Kingdom?
By Diana Moreland, 2020 -- What is a healthy congregation in the Episcopal Church? In April 2001, a research report on New Church Development commissioned by the Episcopal Church classified health or success as a “new church reaching a large enough size to achieve self-support within seven years.”1 This report claims that health is related to size and income. If we limit our definition in that way, we limit our ability to see the Kingdom of God at work in small, under-resourced congregations that do not fit that economic definition. And even more, it prevents us from allocating resources to these congregations. We should look to new ways of understanding health because healthy, low-income, rural congregations are an essential part of the Kingdom of God.
Moreland, Diana Sylvia
Virginia Theological Seminary
2020
@ 2020 Diana Moreland
PDF
Unhooked by Grace : My Inner Work With St. Paul on Recovering from Binge Eating
Eating disorders -- Religious aspects.
Eating disorders -- Patients -- Religious life.
A Capstone project submitted to the Faculty of the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Religion and Culture.
Nicholetti, Terry Rose
<a href="https://librarycatalog.vts.edu/record=b1965761~S1">See library catalog record</a>
Virginia Theological Seminary
April 11, 2020
©Copyright, Terry Rose Nicholetti, 2020.
PDF
Text
Word Upon Words: The Sacramentality of Scripture As Expressed in Augustine and Speech Act Theory
By Miller, Benjamin, 2020 -- "Is the language of Scripture abstract, compared to the presence of Christ in the eucharist? Does divine presence and self-disclosure become more abstract just because it occurs in the realm of language rather than in physical things? My thesis came about because I wanted to push back against the subtle notion I sense that the inspiration of Scripture is somehow less “real” and less divinely “present” than the eucharistic real presence. My way of criticizing this notion is to articulate the Bible’s inspiration, its capacity to bear the Word of God, sacramentally. To make such a claim, I am compelled to examine how language itself functions to articulate that the Bible, a kind of Christian language, functions sacramentally. My framework to discuss how language theologically functions in such a way that it can bear divine presence concretely is to use Augustine, who expressed the presence of God in Scripture and the sacraments with a rich theology of signs, and speech act theory, a philosophy used by some theologians stating that words can enact what they perform. Together with the heritage of modern Christian theologies of Scripture, I can argue that the language of Scripture bears the divine Word in a way that bears a real presence. God is present in Scripture the way God is present in baptism and the eucharist: as a living Word that joins to the human, creaturely elements of speech and text and genre, as breath makes bone join to sinew." -- Introduction, p. 1-2
Miller, Benjamin
Virginia Theological Seminary
5/9/2020
© Copyright Benjamin Miller, 2020.
PDF
Text