Master of Arts, Oberlin College, 1938, Theology

"New occasions -beach new duties" but do not always make clear the course one should follow in performing those duties. It is necessary to stand off and view the situation in which one finds himself in order to disentangle the various threads that at close range seem to run hopelessly together. This thesis is an effort to clarify the situation in which the author has been placed by the members of the Siam Mission, but for which he has had little preparation either in training or experience.Early in the year 1955, the author and his family were temporarily assigned to assist in the work of the McGilvary Theological Seminary at Chiengmai. The appointment was made permanent when in 1935. Dr. R. M. Gillies, the Principal was compelled to retire from the work because of ill-health. This was a period of change so the new occupants were faced with the task of leading the School through the period of transition into the wider opportunities awaiting it.The study in chapter two of this thesis is an attempt to trace the growth of the church from its earliest beginnings in Siam until the present. The aim of the Mission from the beginning was to establish an autonomous church that would be "self-supporting, self-governing and self-propogating, " but in spite of the prayers and hard work of the earlier missionaries, more than one hundred years elapsed before the dream was realized. Not that the church which was organized in Bangkok in 1934 could be called a "self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating" institution, but it was at least a step in that direction. Its organization placed, the Theological Seminary in a new position. Nominally under Mission control, it yet became the training center for leaders in the new Church of Christ in Siam, This required a thorough-going revision, not only of the plan by which the Seminary had been governed, but also of the curriculum. The former has been accomplished but the latter is still in the process of being done. The effort in t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: (Advisor) Subjects: Religion; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Religious History

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The goal is to shine light theologically on the role of transformational leadership in the missional church. What concepts about pneumatological discipleship, influence, power, authority, and transformational leadership suit a radically missional church? Radical missional challenges demand new notions about servant and transformational leadership. Pneumatological discipleship, as well as transformational leadership, must reflect the identity, calling, life, and order of the church. This autoethnographic action research project, therefore, addresses life in the Trinity and participation in the Missio Dei and outlines the radically missional church as the point of entry to develop transformational leadership insights and pneumatological discipleship practices. It contributes towards creating an appropriate model of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership for radically missional churches. Recent developments in the theology of mission seem to address the area of missional ecclesiology comprehensively. However, there is a gap in the development of pneumatological discipleship and transformational leadership models based on the concept of authority in the radically missional church.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia Ph.D./Lecturer (Advisor); Anthony Peddle EdD (Committee Member); Cynthia Scroggins EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; African Americans; Bible; Biblical Studies; Clergy; Divinity; Education; Religion; Religious Congregations; Spirituality; Theology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Bioethics

The duality of religion and secular ethics has been a recurrent theme for bioethicists and spiritual leaders alike. Numerous works describe a complex interplay between Jewish, Catholic, or Hindu beliefs and concrete bioethical situations. For example, how one treats the dead and dying will differ between those adhering to religious traditions and those who hold secular beliefs. In an attempt to palliate their views of the secular world, many religious bioethicists make the mistake of creating religious principles. Unfortunately, this paints an incomplete picture of the medical decision-making of religious and spiritual individuals and only serves to “ghettoize” religions within the larger sphere of bioethics. Likewise, Dr. Courtney S. Campbell, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and scholar, attempts to create a “Mormon” bioethics using the principles of love, hospitality, covenant, justice, and moral agency. I argue that this approach is inadequate for genuine ethical deliberation within the LDS community by using H.T. Engelhardt's method of critique. He posits that attempts to abase religion to bioethics do harm to that moral community by stripping it of its content and spiritual meaning. In doing so, I develop a framework that rejects principles and opts-for observations of doctrine and tradition that inform the real-life decisions of those belonging to the LDS faith. These observations stem from the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, and specific laws and cultural norms like the Word of Wisdom. By the end, I will use LDS moral observations to justify members' decisions and beliefs in practical applications.

Committee: Matthew Vest (Advisor) Subjects: Medical Ethics; Religion

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Art Education

People are behaviorally and psychologically complex to a point that we cannot separate ourselves from our values, beliefs, and assumptions. In education, beliefs influence what, why, and how something is taught. This qualitative case study analyzed one art education professor who teaches at a Protestant Christian Church of Christ affiliated university. Analyzed was the art educator's belief system in connection with pedagogical practices of art teaching in the areas of art history, art criticism, and art making. This research utilized literatures from art education, teacher belief research, and Christian theology, analyzing the interconnectedness of personal and professional belief systems in shaping and influencing pedagogical practice in art education.

Committee: Sydney Walker PhD (Advisor); Arthur Efland PhD (Committee Member); Patricia Stuhr PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Bible; Education; Religion; Theology