Applied Theology

In this dissertation, three lines of investigation were followed: (1) a review of the Biblical view of rural society and church health; (2) a review of works on church health and particularly reports from three mission fields: Korea, Taiwan and Thailand; (3) a quantitative study of rural churches in five counties in north Alabama compared with one county in Taiwan. Associations of multiple variables across two different cultural settings were investigate with chi-square tests. In addition to the nine key elements listed, one important finding was verification of a quantitative method that could be used to accurately describe whether churches are healthy or not.

Before the death of Isaac, he bade his son Jacob to go to Padan Aram to take a wife from Laban's daughter, the brother of his mother. He met Leah and Rachel and eventually they became his wives. In this story we can differentiate these two wives of Jacob. Jacob's love story is quite different to some other patriarchs for we can see how he managed his time and understand their differences. He first met Rachel, before Leah, how he spent seven years each of them in labor just to get them and to be his wives. In this simple study we can compare and contrast Leah and Rachel, what their uniqueness and distinctions are.

In this short volume author, pastoral theologian John Douglas offers a set of summaries of Christian beliefs. The written text arises from a combination of two learning-experiences. The first over a definite time period; and the other his Christian pilgrimage up to 1991.  The former represents his two years spent at Denver Seminary completing a Master’s degree in Christian education and theology. 

He states; “In 1989, having chosen to devote the time to study, soon discovered my pursuit of learning required taking classes in graduate level systematic theology.  Theology has long been one of the loves of my life.  My first recollections of theology arise from the vivid memories of Bible classes, the systematic preaching of my former and formative pastors and the focused love from teaching in classes at Te Nikau BTC since 1976.  To me theology has been ‘The contemporary application of our Christian belief or doctrine’.    It is the nature of God and eternal truth speaking into the present world.  Theology of necessity is communicable and practical faith.”

A course requirement of the five systematic theology classes taken in seminary was to write one’s belief in plain English.  These pages are those statements, plus some revisiting.

Another requirement of the original writing task was to identify the view of doctrine that one would consider the greatest erosive threat to your position.  Then having identified the specific view; enunciate the basic reason why this should be so.  He has left those paragraphs in the work.  Douglas also notes; “This treatment is not an aimed personal attack towards others, but provides an example in knowing why one does not believe some things.”

The chapter surveys some of  the challenges that confront Christian Families in Africa today. These challenges include the impact of migration, honor and shame culture ad media on families. It then proceeds to discuss the roles that Christian families can play in mitigating some of these challenges.

Sin, and forgiveness of it, is an essential component of the Gospel of Grace. This essay seeks to discern how well the doctrine of sin is being communicated in Aotearoa New Zealand. To this end, the first section offers a brief summary of the doctrine in Scripture and its significance within contemporary theology. The next section listens to responses to the doctrine outside the Church, first those seen generally in the language, legislation and psychology within secular culture, and then more specifically in a recent small study surveying Non-Religious New Zealanders (NRNZs). The final section offers suggestions for improved communication of the doctrine under the headings: Resonance, Rejection, Restatement, and Relationship.

This dissertation investigates the dilemmas of race, identity, and reconciliation amidst whiteness and ongoing colonial racism within Christianity, particularly in the context of Pākehā identity and settler-indigenous relationships in Aotearoa New Zealand. Offering an account of two leading theologians working at the intersection of race, reconciliation, and identity, this essay integrates these findings with contemporary research on colonial history and whiteness in Aotearoa New Zealand to offer a theologically informed account of post-settler Pākehā identity. I maintain that, rather than being a problem to be solved, the condition of whiteness is a resistant force to the gospel which, when considered theologically, requires ongoing purgative and repentant interrogation from within whiteness itself. Racial conditions under colonial whiteness often serve to blind the powerful to their own power and further colonial impulses. Therefore, learning to think theologically about race, Pākehā identity, and reconciliation requires a posture of relational apophaticism and unsettlement amidst settler-indigenous relationships in order to discern the surprise of God’s speaking through the unknowable other, insofar as this pertains to Māori-Pākehā encounters in Aotearoa New Zealand. Such theological race discourse requires further exploration from within the context of settler societies such as Aotearoa where settler-indigenous relationships are the primary racial arrangement.

Though youth ministry has benefited from an increase in theological inquiry over the past decade, there remains disagreement as to how to conceptualize and implement modern understandings of practical theology. The issue of practical theology methodology, especially within youth ministry, raises questions concerning its own epistemic and theological foundations. Rejecting an application-driven process, many practical theologians seek to offer a process that is distinctive as its own discipline. This paper seeks to evaluate modern youth ministry conceptions of practical theology, as well as their influences, and provide a critical assessment of their viability. Further this paper seeks to then trace the influence of related current trends and the subsequent implications those trends have for practicing youth ministry.

Christian mission mandate is evidently linked to God’s fundamental initiative and commitment to reconcile sinful humanity to himself. Thus, the church today only continues in the mission of reconciling lost humanity to God. In doing mission, however, a continuing challenge has been on how best to communicate and facilitate the acceptance of the gospel while remaining biblically faithful. This has led to the somewhat contentious practice of contextualization. Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Africa, the quest for contextualization seems to have sustained discussions on its concept/description, whether and how to contextualize the gospel and the challenges to such practice. Therefore, this study investigated the awareness, perceptions and challenges of contextualization among Graduate Seminary Students who are Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Africa. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A purposive sampling method was used to select two hundred (200) Graduate Seminary students from the four masters and two doctoral programmes offered by the Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi. Ninety-two (92) of respondents participated in the survey. The data gathered from the survey were presented and discussed using frequency distribution tables. The study discovered that the pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Africa claimed to be sufficiently aware of contextualization. However, some perceived it to be the same as inculturation and indigenization. The study further revealed that while the respondents agreed that contextualization could enhance mission and faith practices, there seemed to be some challenges on the spheres that contextualization could occur. Finally, the study identified some challenges to contextualization. Therefore, relevant recommendations were made based on the findings of the study

Christian mission mandate is evidently linked to God’s
fundamental initiative and commitment to reconcile sinful humanity to
himself. Thus, the church today only continues in the mission of
reconciling lost humanity to God. In doing mission, however, a
continuing challenge has been on how best to communicate and facilitate
the acceptance of the gospel while remaining biblically faithful. This has
led to the somewhat contentious practice of contextualization. Within the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Africa, the quest for contextualization
seems to have sustained discussions on its concept/description, whether
and how to contextualize the gospel and the challenges to such practice.
Therefore, this study investigated the awareness, perceptions and
challenges of contextualization among Graduate Seminary Students who
are Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Africa. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. A purposive sampling method was used to
select two hundred (200) Graduate Seminary students from the four
masters and two doctoral programmes offered by the Adventist
University of Africa, Nairobi. Ninety-two (92) of respondents participated
in the survey. The data gathered from the survey were presented and
discussed using frequency distribution tables. The study discovered that
the pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Africa claimed to be
sufficiently aware of contextualization. However, some perceived it to be
the same as inculturation and indigenization. The study further revealed
that while the respondents agreed that contextualization could enhance
mission and faith practices, there seemed to be some challenges on the
spheres that contextualization could occur. Finally, the study identified some challenges to contextualization. Therefore, relevant recommendations were made based on the findings of the study

from Daniel Keeran, MSW Doc says he will refer me to a blood specialist after another blood test. The light headedness has persisted. I may have a terminal illness, but I trust God, that He will "extend my years but only if it serves his purpose and brings glory to God, in Jesus' name." This report is a demonstration of my sincerity. Whether I live or die, the Lord is glorified. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. I have also demonstrated that I am a sinful, unclean person, and I will enter his eternal presence only by his amazing grace provided by Yeshua Mashiach: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Engaging Theology is an introductory theology textbook that grounds a treatment of standard systematic topics in the wider context of life and practice and shows the relevance of each doctrine to the church.

Many see aspects of orthodox theology as speculative, irrelevant to authentic Christianity and to personal spirituality. Why do these ideas matter? They don't really seem to fit with the Bible, and they don't relate to modern life, so the question that many have is this: orthodoxy, who cares? But what if you could see how theology is relevant and foundational to the church? Rather than being speculative, it arises from the story of the Bible. Rather than being irrelevant, it speaks to the questions and realities that we face in the modern age. Rather than being merely intellectual, it shapes our spiritual lives.

Engaging Theology is an introductory theology textbook that grounds a treatment of standard systematic topics in the wider context of life and practice and shows the relevance of each doctrine to the church. The book treats the essential doctrines of Christian orthodoxy by following the pattern of story, doctrinal exposition, theological relevance, and spiritual relevance:

Story: Each chapter begins with a brief and engaging account of the historical situation out of which the doctrine arose or where it played an essential role in the development of the church, showing students that orthodox theology matters and introducing them to most of the key theologians in the history of the church.

Doctrinal Exposition: The heart of the chapter is exposition of key elements of the doctrine, highlighting core and debated elements while clarifying heterodox perspectives. Integrated with the narrative account this section also models the contextualized nature of theology. Each chapter includes biblical, historical, and contemporary views on the issue and notes key figures in the debates and their influence.

Theological Relevance: While theological relevance is clear throughout each chapter, this section highlights relevance to the modern setting and concerns, including interaction with heterodox and non-Christian faiths. It identifies current theological problems besetting the church and shows how a proper understanding and integration of orthodox theology addresses these problems. It also points to other problems the church is facing for interesting discussion starters.

Spiritual Relevance: Since orthodox theology has a direct influence on one's own spiritual formation and practice, each chapter concludes with practical encouragements and discussions about how each doctrine can be integrated in one's personal and corporate life.

Engaging Theology is ideal for students and everyday people living in a post-Christian era to help them seriously engage with the Christian faith.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine how theology could be applied to philosophical practice. The study makes a significant contribution toward answering how philosophy might be informed by theology in a practical manner. The methods and methodologies were both scientific and philosophical. Theology was found to be distinct from nonphilosophical practices claiming to be theological. These findings support the distinctiveness of theological, self-examinational philosophic practice. Theology also was revealed to uniquely inform the field of practical philosophy when applied to philosophical practice as formative self-examination (FS-E).

Keywords: theology, practical, philosophy, applied, practice

During the last two decades, I have observed that religious activity is increasingly manifest in different segments of Brazilian society. In this context, this paper seeks to build a picture of Christians’ promotion of the common good in Rio de Janeiro. I am particularly interested in what the different pastoral and ministerial activities of Catholics imply for how the user of social assistance is conceived. I hope in this way to explore Catholics’ real understanding of the principles of the Church’s Social Doctrine, especially the principle of solidarity,  and to assess whether it has been implemented in civilian environments in Rio de Janeiro. This paper analyses patterns of activity of Catholic communities in Rio de Janeiro, and asks whether they lead to the development of structures that promote social opportunity and the common good. It investigates to what extent clergy and pastoral workers possess the skills, competencies and dispositions suited effective and truly Christian pastoral encounters. This will enable me to explore how well-informed pastoral planning can lead to successful new pastoral projects in Rio de Janeiro. A case study was developed (examining pastoral initiatives in Rio de Janeiro and in Oxford), and its key findings are presented in the appendices. 
To help me deal with these questions, this paper seeks to build a picture of how authentic concern for the Common Good  could impact on the life of Christians in Rio de Janeiro, and will refer frequently to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC).