examples of theology thesis statements

Sample Student Theses

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Below are downloads (PDF format) of the M.A. (Religion) theses of some of our graduates to date.

Note: Certain requirements for current thesis students have changed since earlier theses were completed.

Theological Research and Writing: Research Question and Thesis

• 1. Research
• 2. Theological Information
• Research Question and Thesis
• Bibliography
• Information Retrieval
• 5. Evaluating Sources
• 7. Use the Tutor

Research is:

Research Questions

You can develop a research question by applying these interrogatives:

A Good Thesis Statement:

A good thesis statement accomplishes the following:

• Expresses a main idea.
• Warrants discussion (the paragraphs of the paper).
• Specifically states what the paper will discuss.
• States the writer’s conclusions.

Developing a Research Question

S cholarship is all about reaching new conclusions.  A paper that simply describes the events of the Protestant Reformation is not a work of scholarship.  A paper that presents conclusions regarding the cause or the outcomes of the Reformation, on the other hand, is scholarship.  Such a paper will certainly contain a description of the events of the Protestant Reformation, but asking and answering questions involves critical thinking about a topic and the conclusions of other scholars.

Once you have the right topic nailed down, you can turn that topic into a question with ease.  A research question will give you a starting point and a finish line.  You will know where to start looking for information and you will know when you are done.

You have finished your paper when you have answered your research question!

T opic:   "Jesus’ fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies according to the Gospel of Matthew"

R esearch Question:   How does the Gospel of Matthew use Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament to show that Jesus is the Messiah?

Short answer:   Your Thesis Statement

Long answer:   Your research paper.

Your Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the short answer to your research question!

Topic:   Jesus’ treatment of gentiles in the gospels.

Research Question:   What is Jesus’ attitude toward gentiles according to the gospels?

Thesis Statement:   The gospel writers used the words of Christ and narrative accounts of His deeds to show that Jesus saw gentiles as outsiders who were being drawn near with the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Your thesis statement will vary depending upon the kind of paper you are being asked to write:

Expository:   Generally, you will write expository papers, which means you will be explaining something to your reader, such as when you explain the main message of a book of the Bible. In your thesis be sure  to sum up your paper with one main-idea.  It can be hard to unite the content of an expository paper under one main idea.

Analytical:  examine an issue and determine the cause and effect relationships before presenting evidence for what you discovered. A thesis for this kind of paper will state the results of analysis.

Argumentative: position papers where you  state where you stand on an issue, backing it up with evidence for your claims. A thesis for this paper will specify the position and how the writer will argue in the paper.

A good thesis will do more than simply account for what is in the paper; it will entice the reader to continue reading!

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Libraries & Cultural Resources

Research guides, guide to research and writing for the academic study of religion.

• Topic Pyramids
• Research Assignment Parameters
• Thesis statement
• Identifying Interests
• Controversy
• Availability of Sources
• Preliminary Research
• Developing Your Question and Thesis
• Research Question and Thesis Statement Examples
• Periodicals
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works - Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Biographies etc
• Journal Articles
• Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
• Web Search Engines
• Web Directories
• Invisible Web
• Does the Library hold the article I need?
• Locating resources unavailable at U of C Library
• Content of Databases
• Standardized Terminology
• Review Quiz Databases
• Keyword Searching
• Search Limits
• Phrase Searching
• Truncations and Wildcards
• Boolean Operators
• Proximity Operators
• Natural Language Searching
• Searching Basics Quiz
• Search Overview
• Selecting Records
• Combing Searchers
• General Criteria
• Quoting in text
• in Text Citations
• List of References
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Staying Organized
• Links to Writing Help
• Sources Used in Creating this Workbook

Research Question and Thesis

If you have followed all the previous steps, you should be very close to developing a good question if you haven’t already. Here are a few examples of good and bad questions to help you distinguish an effective research question from an ineffective one.

Example #1: Why has religious fundamentalism arisen in North America?

Example #2: what is the relationship between theology and religious studies.

This is a good start, but it is much too general.

What does Donald Wiebe say about theology and religious studies?

This is more specific but you still need to bring the controversy to the forefront. As it stands, it invites a mere summary of Donald Wiebe's position.

Good research questions on this topic might be :

• Are there any conceptual problems with Wiebe's distinction between theology and religious studies?
• Does Wiebe's position on the distinction between theology and religious studies represent a radical departure from previous understandings of the relationship between the two?
• Does Wiebe's agenda to eliminate theology from Religious Studies have any unforeseen or undesirable practical implications?

All three of these questions have a narrower focus and can be answered in a variety of ways. Answering any of these questions will generate a thesis statement. Remember, the answer that you give to a research question is your thesis statement.

For further examples of good research questions, see Research Strategies by  Badke .

The Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement directly answers your research question, and takes a stand (rather than announces the subject) that others might dispute. In other words, it is provocative and contestable. A strong thesis clearly asserts your position or conclusion and avoids vague language (e.g. “It seems…). Your thesis should be obvious, easy to find, and clearly stated in the opening paragraph of your paper. The rest of your paper is devoted to substantiating your thesis by offering evidence in support of your claim. Remember, that it is perfectly acceptable to change your thesis if the evidence leads you to an alternative conclusion.

For examples of strong thesis statements, look for abstracts and articles from peer-reviewed journals and books, and attempt to find the thesis in each of these sources. The author(s) of these sources typically state their conclusions in several different ways.

Examples of thesis statements are italicized in the abstracts provided below.

“S tating the problem under discussion as "Islam and Science" is false because this formulation implies that there is such a thing as a reified and ahistorical and hence immutable "Islam" that is responsible for advancing or impeding scientific activity, both past and present.   In fact, Islam, like all other religions, is the specific ideology of a particular, historically determined society (i.e., Islam in Baghdad in the 830s, in Damascus in 1300, in Cairo around 1000, etc.) and has itself no historical agency; what that particular society accomplishes in the way of science wholly depends on who is using that ideology (if it is being used) and to what ends. The analysis of scientific activity in Islamic societies, therefore, can proceed only from the investigation of the social and political factors at play in each particular case. Injecting the notion of “Islam” into these discussions merely obfuscates the issue and confuses students, distracting them from historical analysis and political action.” Source: Gutas, Dimitri. 2003. “Islam and Science: A False Statement of the Problem.”  Islam & Science  1, no.2: 215-20.

“In this response article, some of the most challenging aspects of Islam and science discourse are discussed. Responding to the specific issues of the relationship between Islam and science and the normative Islamic tradition, the article explores the claims of a secular view that there is no such thing as essential Islam and that there is no relationship between Islam and the scientific tradition that arose in the Islamic civilization.  This view is refuted on the basis of historical, logical and internal evidence .”                                                                                     Source: Iqbal, Muzaffar. 2003. “Islam and Science: Responding to a False Approach.”   Islam & Science  ,  1, no. 2: 221-34.

“This rejoinder is a further contribution to the debate begun by M. Iqbal and D. Gutas on the differing perspectives and methodological assumptions of faith-based and secular approaches to the study of the history of science in religious cultures.  While the arguments presented are to some degree ad hominem, they do aim to highlight certain logical inconsistencies in the conceptualization of the role of religion in the study of science and in the revisionist portrayal of as a causal agent that functions independently of its adherents .” Source :  Reisman, David C.  2004. “An Unfortunate Response: Iqbal on Gutas.”  Islam & Science  2, no.1: 63-73.

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• Last Updated: Jun 9, 2022 2:27 PM
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Libraries & Cultural Resources

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How to Write a Paper on a Biblical or Theological Topic

Writing research papers is an excellent way to learn because it trains you to gather information, interpret it, and persuasively present an informed opinion. The process teaches you a great deal, but it also equips you to contribute to ongoing discussions on a given topic.

Here’s the basic process of writing a research paper on a biblical or theological topic, either for a class or for your own personal research. Start at the top, or skip to what topic interests you most.

• Pick a topic
• Research your topic
• Construct an outline
• Draft your paper
• Revise and refine

Pick a Topic

Choosing the topic you want to research is often easier said than done. But perhaps the best advice to get the ball rolling is to narrow your scope. When your topic is too broad, you’ll likely find too much information (much of it unhelpful). But when your topic is appropriately focused, you can hone in on the information you need to gather and get down to the business of interpreting it.

For example, choosing to write a paper on the topic of sanctification is too broad to be helpful. But if you narrow your focus to a specific question about sanctification (for example: How do spiritual disciplines contribute to our sanctification?), you’ll find better direction for your research.

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert on the question you want to find an answer to—that’s what the research process will accomplish. You should, however, have an interest in the question and in finding an answer (or several!) to it.

For more on the process of researching and writing a paper, check out these resources:

• The Craft of Research  – particularly chapter 3
• Writing & Research: A Guide for Theological Students  by Kevin Gary Smith
• Logos Academic Blog:   Work with Librarians to Help Students Write Better Papers

Logos Theological Topic Workflow

The Theological Topic Study Workflow in Logos guides you through the steps of studying a theological topic. It taps into the Lexham Survey of Theology and the built-in Theology Guide to give you the topic’s broader context, basic concepts, and issues associated with the topic. Review the biblical support and go deeper in your theological study by reading relevant sections from systematic theologies.

Research Your Topic

With your topic selected, it’s time to find the resources you’re going to use and dig into them. You may find that one resource offers the best discussion of your topic, but you can’t stop there! Researching well means considering opinions that differ from each other (and probably from your own). It’s in the conversation that emerges from engaging with multiple perspectives on a topic that real insight and understanding emerge.

Start the research phase by reviewing literature and building your bibliography, then consult standard sources and peer-reviewed journals.

1. Conduct a literature review and build your bibliography

The process of conducting a literature review and building a bibliography is an iterative process. It’s not a one-time step but a step you’ll return to repeatedly as you move through your research.

Essentially, in this step, you’re discovering what resources exist and cataloging them. As you begin to read the resources you discover, you’ll likely find references to other works that you’ll then want to read.

Logos Topic Guide

The Topic Guide gathers information from your library about a topic or concept. Using the Logos Controlled Vocabulary dataset , the guide finds topics in your Bible dictionaries and other resources that correspond to the key term you enter.

2. Consult standard sources

Encyclopedias, commentaries, theological dictionaries, concordances, and other theological reference tools contain useful information that will orient you to the topic you’ve selected and its context, but their biggest help to you at this stage will in their bibliographies. Be sure to check the cross-references often.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, rev. ed.  by E. A. Livingstone and F. L. Cross

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, since its first appearance in 1957, has established itself as the indispensable one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. This Revised Edition, published in 2005, builds on the unrivaled reputation of the previous editions. Revised and updated, it reflects changes in academic opinion and Church organization.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity (3 vols.)  by Angelo Di Berardino

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity covers eight centuries of the Christian church and comprises 3,220 entries by a team of 266 scholars from 26 countries representing a variety of Christian traditions. It draws upon such fields as archaeology, art and architecture, biography, cultural studies, ecclesiology, geography, history, philosophy, and theology.

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) (10 vols.)  by Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, Geoffrey William Bromiley

This monumental reference work, complete in ten volumes, is the authorized and unabridged translation of the famous Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, known commonly as “Kittel” and considered by many scholars to be the best New Testament dictionary ever compiled.

3. Consult peer-reviewed journals

Even if you’re writing on a single text (like John 15:1–8 or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite’s The Divine Names), you need to see what your contemporaries have to say about it to situate your research in its context. This means consulting peer-reviewed journals. As you read, you’ll discover where scholars agree and disagree and how the study of that topic has advanced over time.

Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (11 vols.)

The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures is an academic, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the study of the Hebrew Bible, and provides a forum for critical scholarly exchange. You’ll find hundreds of articles from top Hebrew scholars on trends in Hebrew and Old Testament scholarship, including historical, literary, textual, and interpretive topics.

Construct an Outline

This step is incredibly important, but it’s often overlooked. Start by refining your topic based on your research, then arrange your notes and research materials into a clear outline that will guide you toward a convincing and coherent argument.

See chapters 8 and 9 of  The Craft of Research  for more guidance on constructing your outline.

Draft Your Paper

You are now ready to draft your paper. Your initial focus is to expand your outline into paragraph form as straightforwardly as possible. While your outline will be essential as you draft, you don’t have to stick to it absolutely. You may discover as you write that a different structure or organization will better advance your argument. While you’re at it, add relevant quotations from your research to clarify your points or support your arguments.

Revise and Refine

Notice the word “draft” in the previous step. That word is intentionally selected because, arguably, the most important part of the writing process is in your revisions. Drafting gets the ball rolling, but revising is where you refine and revise your previous drafts, ensuring your argument is clear and forceful.

Before you send your final paper, you’ll want to make sure you’re writing clearly and using the right style. If you are in school, follow the rules of your academic handbook. If not, adopt a common style guide like APA, Turabian, or the  SBL Handbook of Style , and consult online guides like  EasyBib  or the  Chicago Manual of Style   for help. You can also find helpful writing advice in  The Elements of Style .

If there are multiple paragraphs, just add another paragraph tag. If you need more padding, use an additional text block section as you see below.

While this structure is helpful, you may find that some variation of it works better for you. Go with what works because, at the end of the day, a thoroughly researched and well-written paper is what you’re after.

See how Logos can power research and aid you in the writing process.

Logos Staff

Logos is the largest developer of tools that empower Christians to go deeper in the Bible.

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Home > Academic Departments > School of Theology and Seminary > Graduate Papers/Theses

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Submissions from 2022 2022.

(Graduate Paper) The Role and Characteristic of Love in 1 Corinthians 13 , Ninh Van Nguyen

(Master's Thesis) Synodality as the Listening Church: Pope Francis Continues and Expands Vatican II's Teaching on Collegiality , Toan Van Phan O.Cist

Submissions from 2021 2021

(Graduate Paper) Pauline Theology: The Interdependently Called Body of Christ , Katryna Bertucci

(Master's Thesis) The Glory of the Lord Whose Likeness is as the Appearance of a Human Being/Adam: A Study of Ezekiel’s Son of Man/Adam Anthropology , Timothy R. Schmeling

(Graduate Paper) The Power, (Problem), and Potential of Prayer , Meghan E. Stretar

Submissions from 2020 2020

(Graduate Paper) How Can Catholic Youth Programs Improve the Youth’s Connection To the Mass? , Elizabeth Cook

(Graduate Paper) Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: A Glimpse Into the Theme of Righteousness Through the Anthropology, Theology, and Spirituality of the Psalms , Elizabeth Cook

(Graduate Paper) Introducing Queer Theology , Cole Epping

(Graduate Paper) Taking Care of the Forgotten: A Pastoral Response to the Hospice Care Professional , Constance Friebohle

(Graduate Paper) A Global Church in the Local Parish: Fostering Intercultural Competency for Indonesian Catholic Ministry in the United States , Janice Kristanti

(Graduate Paper) The Indispensability of Inculturation For Effective Evangelization: Revisiting The Evangelization of Sub-Saharan Africa , Mark Obeten

(Graduate Paper) Seeking a New Paradigm for Youth Ministry of Waegwan Abbey, South Korea , Cyprian Ji-Eung Ryu

(Graduate Paper) The Catholic Church and the Turn of the 20th Century: An Anthropology of Human Flourishing and a Church for Peace , Maria Siebels

(Graduate Paper) The Wounded Body of Christ: Social Trauma in Pastoral Care , Kelsi Watters

Submissions from 2019 2019

(Graduate Paper) A Non-Dualistic Reading of Body and Soul in the Gospel of Matthew: Focusing on Matthew 10:39 in the Context of Discipleship , Alexander Blechle

Submissions from 2018 2018

(Graduate Paper) Catholic Social Teaching and the Christian Responsibility to the Poor , Rose Aspholm

(Master's Thesis) Not Quite Calvinist: Cyril Lucaris a Reconsideration of His Life and Beliefs , Stephanie Falkowski

(Graduate Paper) Life or Death and Other False Dichotomies: A Theology of Hospice , Kayla Stock

Submissions from 2017 2017

(Master's Thesis) On Dionysian Theological Methodology , Joseph Arrendale

(Graduate Paper) The Transcendence of the Apprehension of Beauty , Mary Abigail Coleman

(Graduate Paper) The Paradox of Remarkable/Unremarkable Julian of Norwich , John P. Fitzgibbons

(Book Chapter) Agape Unbound in Silence and Deep River , Elizabeth Cameron Galbraith

(Graduate Paper) Formed for Diverse Communion: Toward Developing An Ecumenical Formation Process for New Members of Holy Wisdom Monastery’s Sunday Assembly , Rosy Kandathil OSB

(Graduate Paper) A Garden Enclosed, A Fountain Sealed Up: Paradoxical and Generative Metaphors of Enclosure in Medieval Female Anchoritism , Cody Maynus Obl.S.B.

(Graduate Paper) The Gospel of Mark , Nancy McCabe

(Master's Thesis) A Theological Retrieval of Communal Parenting as a Moral Response to Baby Stealing and Childlessness in Nigeria , Henry U. Omeike

(Graduate Paper) Do This, in Memory of Me! , Joseph Qiu-Lin Zhang

Submissions from 2016 2016

(Master's Thesis) A Church Built on Charity: Augustine's Ecclesiology , Michael J. Clinger Jr

(Graduate Paper) A Story of Identity in the Christian East , Manya Gustafson

(Graduate Paper) Jude's Enochian Apocalypse , Lucian López OSB

(Graduate Paper) Matthew's Least Brothers and It's Application in the Catholic Church , Runbao Zhang

Submissions from 2015 2015

(Electronic Book) Illuminating Christ , Jessie Bazan

(Master's Thesis) Gifting Freedom to the Samaritan: Considerations on access to both the sacramental event and salvation for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves outside the Church, and the consequences of identity for the Church in gifting such access , C. A. Chase

(Graduate Paper) My Brother's a Jerk and Dad's Gonna Spank Him: Roles and Relations in Obadiah , Aletta Stumo

Submissions from 2014 2014

(Graduate Paper) Christology, Theology, & Evolution in Celia Deane-Drummond's Christ and Evolution , Trevor Beach SJ

(Graduate Paper) Joy as Illumination: Participation in God's Life-giving Trinitarian Love , Trevor Beach SJ

(Graduate Paper) Consideration of the Church's Identity and Mission, Predicated on the Church Be-ing 'Ligamen' (Bond) , C. A. Chase

(Graduate Paper) Observations on the Performative Force of the Qyama and the Ihidaye, and its Pertinancy Today , C. A. Chase

(Graduate Paper) Christ, the Meeting Point of Sacramental and Trinitarian Theology , Nathan Peter Chase

(Graduate Paper) The Christological Remnants within Eucharistic Prayers , Nathan Peter Chase

(Master's Thesis) With Eyes That See: The Role of Spiritual Vision in the Ascent of Nyssen Noetic Theology , Benjamin Rush

(Master's Thesis) St. John of the Cross and the Denudation of the Soul , Wesley Sutermeister

Submissions from 2013 2013

(Graduate Paper) A History and Analysis of the Missel Romain pour les Diocese du Zaire , Nathan Peter Chase

(Graduate Paper) The Development of the Epiclesis: Alexandrian or Syrian? , Nathan Peter Chase

Submissions from 2011 2011

(Graduate Paper) Short-Term Solution, Long-Term Problem: The Rite of Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest and its Use in the United States of America , Christopher Angel

(Graduate Paper) Welcome (Back): The Use of Initiatory Elements in the Reconciliation of Heretics to the Early Church , Christopher Angel

(Graduate Paper) The Gospel of Matthew: The Temple Cleansing in 21:12-17 , Kasey Devine

(Graduate Paper) The "Ladder" of the Lord's Plagues , Kasey DeVine

Submissions from 2010 2010

(Graduate Paper) St. John Chrysostom and His Message of Social Justice Today , Joel Cassady

(Graduate Paper) Trinitarian Christology: The Grammar of The Christian Faith and the Foundation for a Theology of Religious Pluralism , Eric Christensen

(Graduate Paper) Entering into the Profound Mystery: Yves Congar’s Via Media on the Salvation of People of Non-Christian Religions , Elizabeth M. Cunneen

Submissions from 2009 2009

(Graduate Paper) Ego Eimi Formula and a Sense of Continuity in John’s Gospel Chapter Sixth (Jn 6: v.20, vss.35-58) , John Changjin Bai

(Graduate Paper) Jesus the Christ as a Jun-Zi in Confucian Perspectives , John Changjin Bai

(Graduate Paper) An Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 12:31 - 13:1-3 , Gregory Congote OSB

(Graduate Paper) Gregory Palamas and Hesychasm , Gregory Congote OSB

(Graduate Paper) Modern Usury: The Moral Challenge of Credit Cards in Light of Catholic Teaching and Practice in the Past and the Present , David R. Smoker

Submissions from 2008 2008

(Graduate Paper) Community in the Theology of Søren Aabye Kierkegaard , Nicholas Coffman

(Graduate Paper) Jean-Luc Marion’s Theology of Eucharistic Presence , Nicholas Coffman

(Graduate Paper) Proclaiming the Truth of Beauty , Larry Fraher

(Graduate Paper) Augustine of Hippo and Elizabeth de la Trinite: A Conversation across the Centuries , Vernon W. Goodin

(Graduate Paper) "Who Do You Say That I Am?" The Role of Story in Christology , Vernon W. Goodin

(Graduate Paper) Sufficere, “It Is Enough”: Avarice vs. Simplicity and Detachment in the Rule of Saint Benedict , Arlen M. Hanson

(Graduate Paper) Stories in Stained Glass: An Analysis of the Stained-Glass Windows at Saint Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin , Timothy A. Johnston

(Master's Thesis) Wittgenstein and Worship: Investigations of Liturgical Language-Games and Their Formative Role in Christian Identity , Michelle Kathleen Weber

Submissions from 2007 2007

(Graduate Paper) Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Prophet & Martyr , Fr. Michael Calhoun OSB

(Graduate Paper) Saint Basil: Monastic Reformer , Fr. Michael Calhoun OSB

(Graduate Paper) Looking at Conflict Diamonds Through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching , Heather Cherpelis

(Graduate Paper) “Allegorical Typologies” of the Eucharist: An Analysis of Some Eastern Liturgical Commentaries , Nathaniel G. Costa

(Graduate Paper) “For All the Saints”: A Feast for All People and All Time , Nathaniel G. Costa

(Graduate Paper) Eternal Hope: The Story of Sr. Mary Luke Tobin and Other Women who Participated in Vatican Council II , Megan S. Enninga

(Graduate Paper) Vulgar and Ascetic Christians: the Myth of a Higher Spirituality The rhetoric of monastic profession as a second baptism , August L. Gothman

(Graduate Paper) Active Participation and the Song of the Assembly , William Griffiths

(Graduate Paper) Transforming both the gifts and the people: Eucharistic presence , William Griffiths

(Graduate Paper) “You Can Become All Flame”: Do the Desert Fathers Have Anything to Say to Us Today? , Arlen M. Hanson

(Graduate Paper) Toward a Domestic Ecclesiology: The "Domestic Church" Finds Articulation in Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" , Craig James St. Clair

(Graduate Paper) Celebrating the Communion Rite , Jay Stimac

(Graduate Paper) Karl Rahner: On Grace and Salvation , Nicole Streit

(Graduate Paper) One Body, One Spirit, One Priesthood; Many Members, Many Charisms, Many Ministries: Reflections Anglican and Catholic , Cody C. Unterseher

(Graduate Paper) Arianism, Athanasius, and the Effect on Trinitarian Thought , Andy Witchger

(Graduate Paper) How the Parish and School of St. Agnes Creates Vocations , Andy Witchger

Submissions from 2006 2006

(Graduate Paper) How Paul and the Jerusalem Council Might Speak to Division in the Twenty-First Century Church , Mary Birmingham

(Master's Thesis) Becoming One Spirit: Origen and Evagrius Ponticus on Prayer , Hilary Case OSB

(Graduate Paper) Syncletica: Urban Ascetic and Desert Mother , Susan Dreyer OSB

(Graduate Paper) The Education of Heloise in Twelfth-Century France , Susan Dreyer OSB

(Graduate Paper) A Woman of the Reformation , Megan S. Enninga

(Graduate Paper) A Key and Classic Text: Ephesians 5:21-33 , Katinka Nadine Ellen Evers

(Graduate Paper) Concealing to Reveal: Modesty in Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body , Katinka Nadine Ellen Evers

(Graduate Paper) Sex in the City of God , Diana Macalintal

(Graduate Paper) The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ecclesial Discipleship and Redemption , Diane Draxler Pederson

(Graduate Paper) The Spiritual Potential of Poetry , Carl Schlueter

(Graduate Paper) Complicating the Poor Widow’s Gift: Exegesis on Mk. 12:41-44 , Timothy Traynor

(Graduate Paper) "We Should Glory in the Cross:" The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and its Contemporary Liturgical Significance , Cody C. Unterseher

Submissions from 2005 2005

(Graduate Paper) Hermeneutics and Liturgical Space: Interpreting the Domus Ecclesiae - Domus Dei , Gregory Reed Beath

(Graduate Paper) Eros: Human and Divine , Denae M. Fielder

(Graduate Paper) And the Question Became Flesh: Jesus the Catechist in the Gospel of John , Diana Macalintal

(Graduate Paper) Hesychast Prayer: Attending the Cosmic Banquet of the Heart , Tamara Ann Moore

(Graduate Paper) A Study in Spiritual Lineage: The "Influence and Noninfluence" of Pseudo-Dionysius on The Cloud of Unknowing , David M. Odorisio

(Graduate Paper) The Cistercian Spirit in Stone , David M. Odorisio

(Graduate Paper) Architectural Reforms of Eucharistic Reservation , Diane Draxler Pederson

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Exegetical Papers: 1. Choose a Passage & Create a Thesis Statement

• Introduction & Overview
• 2. Historical, Cultural, and Literary Background
• 3. Perform Exegesis of Each Verse
• 4. Offer an Overall Interpretation
• 5. Provide an Application of the Passage
• 6. Finding Books
• 7. Finding Articles
• Turabian Citation Style
• ATLA Search & Video Tutorials
• Formatting Theses and Dissertations in Word 2010
• Quick Links & Databases
• Web Resources
• Online Reference Sources
• Scholarly vs. Non-scholarly Materials
• Avoid Plagiarism

What is your favorite passage in Luke's Gospel?

Jeremiah by Holly Hayes is licensed under a Creative Commons License .

Luke 4:16-21

• Online Concordance
• Online Bible Concordance Site: Biblegateway.com

WWW Button by Stuart Miles is licensed under a Standard License .

Concordances

A Bible concordance is a verbal index to the Bible. A simple form lists Biblical words alphabetically, with indications to enable the inquirer to find the passages of the Bible where the words occur.

Bible Concordances

Commentaries

I n-depth commentaries that treat a Book of the Bible chapter by chapter, are ideal for research. The only problem: there are so many commentaries! Here are some excellent ones.

• More Good Commentaries

These commentaries are in the RWWL library circulating collections.

• Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
• Calvin's Commentary
• Feminist Companion to the Bible
• Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching
• New Te stament Commentary 
• The New International Commentary on the New Testament
• The New International Commentary on the Old Testament

What's on this page?

• Choosing a Passage
• Creating a Thesis Statement
• Definition of Concordance

One Volume Commentaries

• Bible Concordances - Print
• Recommended Commentaries
• Gospel Parallels

Choose a Passage for Your Exegesis Paper

If your professor has assigned you a specific passage for your paper, you can skip the rest of this page. Otherwise, you need to choose a passage:

• From an appropriate place in an acceptable version of the Bible
• Of reasonable size
• With identifiable boundaries

Your passage would naturally come from the section of the Bible that your class covers. This guide will assume that your class includes the Gospel of Luke and you have decided to choose a passage from there. You can choose a passage you like, or that features a concept in which you are interested.

Suppose you are interested in studying the story of Jesus' Transfiguration. That is in Luke 9:28-36. So you could write your paper on that passage. Alternatively, you could write on a passage that contains a theme you want to study. Suppose you want to learn about Jesus' attitudes towards money, but you do not know where in Luke's Gospel to look for a passage about money. You can solve this by using a concordance.

A concordance is a tool that lets you look up a word, and see that word in its context in every place it occurs in the Bible. Since English versions of the Bible differ sometimes in how they translate words, you need to pick a concordance that matches your Bible version. (This assumes you are not working directly from Hebrew or Greek, which have their own concordances.) So, if you use the New Revised Standard Version , you could use  Concise Concordance to the New Revised Standard Version  (Call Number BS425 C655 1993 ).

Next, you need to determine if the passage is of reasonable size. Suppose you have to write a paper that is ten to twelve pages long. That would be about the right size for a passage that is around eight to fifteen verses long, depending upon the genre of the passage. An argument from Romans would probably take more space to interpret than a story in 1 Samuel, though this may not always be true. If you choose a passage that is too short, your paper will probably be too short, e.g., writing on John 3:16 would be a fairly short paper. On the other hand, Luke 1:1-80 is far too long. You could spend thirty pages on that and not be done. It depends in part upon the complexity of the passage. For this LibGuide, let's choose a simple narrative passage: Luke 1:26-38, the announcement to Mary of the coming birth to her of Jesus while she is a virgin.

In order to decide the number of verses to choose, you need to validate that you are doing a complete passage, not starting or stopping in the middle of a narrative or argument. In the case of Luke 1:26-38, you can tell that v. 26 is an appropriate beginning for this short narrative (called a pericope in biblical studies) because v. 26 provides a statement that indicates a new event is happening at a point later in time than 1:5-25. In Luke 1:26 it is stated that the angel Gabriel, six months after promising Zechariah that John would be born, was sent to Nazareth in Galilee by God. At the beginning of Luke 1:39, we again read about a transition to a new location, as Mary leaves to go visit her cousin Elizabeth. That makes Luke 1:38 the end of the announcement to Mary by Gabriel. This is fifteen verses, which is about the most you should consider doing for a typical exegesis paper. Shifts in time ("and it came to pass"), shifts in location ("went up to Jerusalem"), and shifts in topic ("There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in the Messiah Jesus") all indicate the beginning of a new narrative pericope or a new topic. Look for those as you seek the beginning and end of your passage.

You could verify the boundaries of your passage by finding a Bible that divides the text into paragraphs and seeing how it divides this passage. You should plan, however, to describe why you have chosen a particular set of verses and not more or less. The paragraphs are only the view of one modern editorial team, not part of the Bible itself. The chapters and verses in modern Bibles were put in many centuries after all the books of the Bible were written.

Go to the next tab above to learn how to examine the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Background of your passage.

Create a Thesis Statement

"Defining the Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement?

Every paper you write should have a main point, a main idea, or central message. The argument(s) you make in your paper should reflect this main idea. The sentence that captures your position on this main idea is what we call a thesis statement.

How long does it need to be?

A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should present the topic of your paper and also make a comment about your position in relation to the topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the paper is about and also help guide your writing and keep your argument focused.

Questions to Ask When Formulating Your Thesis

Where is your thesis statement?

You should provide a thesis early in your essay -- in the introduction, or in longer essays in the second paragraph -- in order to establish your position and give your reader a sense of direction.

Tip : In order to write a successful thesis statement:

• Avoid burying a great thesis statement in the middle of a paragraph or late in the paper.
• Be as clear and as specific as possible; avoid vague words.
• Indicate the point of your paper but avoid sentence structures like, “The point of my paper is…”

Is your thesis statement specific?

Your thesis statement should be as clear and specific as possible. Normally you will continue to refine your thesis as you revise your argument(s), so your thesis will evolve and gain definition as you obtain a better sense of where your argument is taking you.

Tip : Check your thesis:

• Are there two large statements connected loosely by a coordinating conjunction (i.e. "and," "but," "or," "for," "nor," "so," "yet")?
• Would a subordinating conjunction help (i.e. "through," "although," "because," "since") to signal a relationship between the two sentences?
• Or do the two statements imply a fuzzy unfocused thesis?
• If so, settle on one single focus and then proceed with further development.

Is your thesis statement too general?

Your thesis should be limited to what can be accomplished in the specified number of pages. Shape your topic so that you can get straight to the "meat" of it. Being specific in your paper will be much more successful than writing about general things that do not say much. Don't settle for three pages of just skimming the surface.

The opposite of a focused, narrow, crisp thesis is a broad, sprawling, superficial thesis. Compare this original thesis (too general) with three possible revisions (more focused, each presenting a different approach to the same topic):

• There are serious objections to today's horror movies.
• Because modern cinematic techniques have allowed filmmakers to get more graphic, horror flicks have desensitized young American viewers to violence.
• The pornographic violence in "bloodbath" slasher movies degrades both men and women.
• Today's slasher movies fail to deliver the emotional catharsis that 1930s horror films did.

Is your thesis statement clear?

Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it needs to be as clear as possible. By being as clear as possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure that your reader understands exactly what you mean.

Tip : In order to be as clear as possible in your writing:

• Unless you're writing a technical report, avoid technical language. Always avoid jargon, unless you are confident your audience will be familiar with it.
• Avoid vague words such as "interesting,” "negative," "exciting,” "unusual," and "difficult."
• Avoid abstract words such as "society," “values,” or “culture.”

These words tell the reader next to nothing if you do not carefully explain what you mean by them. Never assume that the meaning of a sentence is obvious. Check to see if you need to define your terms (”socialism," "conventional," "commercialism," "society"), and then decide on the most appropriate place to do so. Do not assume, for example, that you have the same understanding of what “society” means as your reader. To avoid misunderstandings, be as specific as possible.

Compare the original thesis (not specific and clear enough) with the revised version (much more specific and clear):

• Original thesis : Although the timber wolf is a timid and gentle animal, it is being systematically exterminated. [if it's so timid and gentle -- why is it being exterminated?]
• Revised thesis : Although the timber wolf is actually a timid and gentle animal, it is being systematically exterminated because people wrongfully believe it to be a fierce and cold-blooded killer.

Does your thesis include a comment about your position on the issue at hand?

The thesis statement should do more than merely announce the topic; it must reveal what position you will take in relation to that topic, how you plan to analyze/evaluate the subject or the issue. In short, instead of merely stating a general fact or resorting to a simplistic pro/con statement, you must decide what it is you have to say.

• Original thesis : In this paper, I will discuss the relationship between fairy tales and early childhood.
• Revised thesis : Not just empty stories for kids, fairy tales shed light on the psychology of young children.
• Original thesis : We must save the whales.
• Revised thesis : Because our planet's health may depend upon biological diversity, we should save the whales.
• Original thesis : Socialism is the best form of government for Kenya.
• Revised thesis : If the government takes over industry in Kenya, the industry will become more efficient.
• Original thesis : Hoover's administration was rocked by scandal.
• Revised thesis : The many scandals of Hoover's administration revealed basic problems with the Republican Party's nominating process.

Do not expect to come up with a fully formulated thesis statement before you have finished writing the paper. The thesis will inevitably change as you revise and develop your ideas—and that is ok! Start with a tentative thesis and revise as your paper develops.

Is your thesis statement original?

Avoid, avoid, avoid generic arguments and formula statements. They work well to get a rough draft started, but will easily bore a reader. Keep revising until the thesis reflects your real ideas.

Tip : The point you make in the paper should matter:

• Be prepared to answer “So what?” about your thesis statement.
• Be prepared to explain why the point you are making is worthy of a paper. Why should the reader read it?

Compare the following:

• There are advantages and disadvantages to using statistics. (a fill-in-the-blank formula)
• Careful manipulation of data allows a researcher to use statistics to support any claim she desires.
• In order to ensure accurate reporting, journalists must understand the real significance of the statistics they report.
• Because advertisers consciously and unconsciously manipulate data, every consumer should learn how to evaluate statistical claims.

Avoid formula and generic words. Search for concrete subjects and active verbs, revising as many "to be" verbs as possible. A few suggestions below show how specific word choice sharpens and clarifies your meaning.

• Original : “Society is...” [who is this "society" and what exactly is it doing?]
• Revised : "Men and women will learn how to...," "writers can generate...," "television addicts may chip away at...," "American educators must decide...," "taxpayers and legislators alike can help fix..."
• Original : "the media"
• Revised : "the new breed of television reporters," "advertisers," "hard-hitting print journalists," "horror flicks," "TV movies of the week," "sitcoms," "national public radio," "Top 40 bop-til-you-drop..."
• Original : "is, are, was, to be" or "to do, to make"
• Revised : any great action verb you can concoct: "to generate," "to demolish," "to batter," "to revolt," "to discover," "to flip," "to signify," "to endure..."

Use your own words in thesis statements; avoid quoting. Crafting an original, insightful, and memorable thesis makes a distinct impression on a reader. You will lose credibility as a writer if you become only a mouthpiece or a copyist; you will gain credibility by grabbing the reader with your own ideas and words.

A well-crafted thesis statement reflects well-crafted ideas. It signals a writer who has intelligence, commitment, and enthusiasm."

From the Center For Writing Studies

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

There are large numbers of "free standing" commentaries not part of a series. 

• Check the catalog (search for  commentaries  and the  name  of the Book)
• Browse the shelves (BS call numbers)

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Home > SEM > THEOLOGY-CHRISTIAN-PHILOSOPHY > Master's Theses

Master's Theses

Master's theses from 2016 2016.

The Relationship of the Old Covenant to the Everlasting Covenant , Kumar Ashwani

Master's Theses from 2015 2015

Rita Nakashima Brock, Rebecca Ann Parker, and Governmental Atonement Theology , Andrew John Blosser

Master's Theses from 2014 2014

The Ethical Viability of Church Support of Moral Legislation , Jason Alexander Hines

Master's Theses from 2013 2013

Toward a Biblical View of Collective Responsibility for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Twenty-first Century , Miroslav Danihel

Master's Theses from 2012 2012

Protology and Eschatology in the Writings of John C. Polkinghorne: a Study of Contrastive Roles of Scripture , H. Nicholas De Lima

Socially Constructing God: Gender, Culture, and a Stratified Trinity , Landon P. Schnabel

Master's Theses from 2009 2009

The Doctrine of Sin in the Thought of George R. Knight: Its Context and Implications , Jamie Kiley

Master's Theses from 2008 2008

Reason in Theology: a Comparison of Fernando Canale and Wolfhart Pannenberg , Sven Fockner

Master's Theses from 1993 1993

Quantum Reality: Some Implications for Christian Theology , Charles Chinyoung Choo

Master's Theses from 1990 1990

Inerrancy and Sovereignty: a Case Study on Carl F. H. Henry , Joseph Karanja

Master's Theses from 1989 1989

The Final Generation: a Descriptive Account of the Development of a Significant Aspect of M.l. Andreasen's Eschatology as Related to His Treatment of the Sanctuary Doctrine Between 1924-1937 , Dwight Eric Haynes

Master's Theses from 1958 1958

An Investigation of the Concept of Perfectionism as Target in the Writings of Ellen G. White , F. W. Bieber

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Online Dissertation Resources

Dissertations, useful links to online dissertations and theses, university of roehampton theses & masters dissertations, using a thesis held in the roehampton repository in your own work, academic writing style guides.

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We have a range of online resources to help plan, write and finish your dissertation. Although this is aimed primarily at 3rd Year Undergraduates and Postgraduate Taught students, it contains information that can be useful to Postgraduate Research Students.

• Sage Research Methods (Library Database) Provides a range of useful tools including a Project Planner, which breaks down each stage of your research from defining your topic, reviewing the literature to summarising and writing up.
• Literature Reviews Checklist - Handout
• Components of a Dissertation (document) A useful guide to the central components of a dissertation. By the end you should be able to: --Understand the core elements that should be in your dissertation --Understand the structure and progression of a strong dissertation
• Dissertation Workshop - Handouts Includes a planning template and outline
• Dissertation Workshop Slides
• Writing Your Dissertation Guide - Handout

Other Resources

• Reading Strategies (PDF document) An interactive document on reading at university.
• How To Write A Literature Review Video - Queen's University Belfast 10 minute video
• Start to Finish Dissertations Online Webinar from Manchester
• A to Z of Literature Reviews - University of Manchester 20 minute tutorial
• Appendices A short example of how to use and cite appendices in your dissertations, essays or projects

Check out these recordings to help you through your Dissertation writing process, from start to finish. 

• Starting Your Dissertation (Video) 46 minutes This webinar recording will help you with the early stages of planning, researching and writing your dissertation. By the end you should be able to: --Understand the challenges and opportunities of writing a dissertation --Move towards refining your subject and title --Know what steps to take to progress with your dissertation
• Writing Your Dissertation (Video) 52 minutes This webinar recording will help guide you through the middle stages of writing your dissertation. By the end you should be able to: --Identify the key parts of a high quality dissertation --Understand how to structure your dissertation effectively --Know how to increase the fluency and strength of your argument across an extended piece of writing 
• Finishing Your Dissertation (Video) 59 minutes This webinar recording aims to guide you through the final stages of writing your dissertation. By the end you should be able to: --Identify key features that should be included in your dissertation --Know how to ensure your dissertation has a strong and cohesive structure --Proofread your work.
• Using Word to Format Long Documents (Video) 1 hour and 22 minutes A video tutorial on how to format long documents such as Essays and Dissertations using Word. By the end you should be able to: --Create a Table of Contents --Know how to insert page numbers --Be familiar with how to use the various auto-formatting and styles functions to manage longer documents

A selection of external sources that would be of particular use to 3rd Year Undergraduate students and Postgraduate students. 

Please note that the Library does not hold Undergraduate or Masters Dissertations. For information on print and online doctoral theses please see below information on University of Roehampton Thesis Collection

National thesis service provided by the British Library which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK's doctoral theses. NOTE: EthOS is currently unavailable due to ongoing issues following a serious cyber security incident at the BL (January 2024). 

EBSCO Open Dissertations is an online thesis and dissertation database with access to over 800,000 electronic theses and dissertations worldwide.

• DART-Europe E-theses Portal Free access to nearly 800,000 open access research theses from 615 universities in 28 European countries.
• Open Access Theses and Dissertations OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 5,153,410 theses and dissertations.

The university holds a selection of theses and master dissertations awarded by the University of Roehampton.

2013 onwards, Digital Theses

Roehampton Research Explorer - Student Theses

Theses subject to an embargo are not accessible digitally or in hard copy until the embargo period elapses. Embargoes may be applied to protect the rights of the author whilst they explore opportunities for publication, or where sensitive information is held within the thesis.

Please note  that there is a short delay in recently submitted theses appearing on our repository. If you cannot find the thesis you are looking for, please  contact the Research Office .

2004-2013, Print Theses & Masters Dissertations

The University holds a print Theses Collection (including some Masters dissertations) on the 2 nd Floor of the Library. The holdings are not complete as the criteria for inclusion was set by academic departments, and threshold varied between department. Not all student work would be made available to view. The selected works were intended to provide examples of work for students. Some examples were kept in-house, used for teaching purposes, and not available within the library.  Library print holdings were usually kept for up to 10 years and reviewed for relevance.

To search for print theses and masters dissertations use UR Library Search to search for a title or topic and filter by Format > Book > Theses, Dissertation.

1985-2004, Roehampton Institute of Higher Education (RIHE)

Dissertations and theses published between 1985-2004 were awarded by the University of Surrey. The holdings are not complete as the criteria for inclusion was set by academic departments, and threshold varied between department. Not all student work would be made available to view. The selected works were intended to provide examples of work for students.

To search for digitised copies of RHIE theses go to the University of Surrey’s Open Research repository .

You may re-use material from a thesis in the same way you would any other source, i.e. by providing a full citation to the thesis in question, and by not re-using material in a way that may breach the rights of the author.

If you feel your own copyright has been affected by content held in the University of Roehampton repository, please refer to our take down policy and contact us immediately.

• Government Guidance on exceptions to copyright Details of the exceptions to copyright that allow limited use of copyright works without the permission of the copyright owner.
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Home > STUDENT > STUDENT_THESES > DMIN_THESES

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2021 2021.

Hospitality in the House of God: Deconstructing Habit and Building Missio Dei , Julia A. Carlson

Power Perfected in Weakness: The Effectiveness of Spiritual Practices on Personal Power in the Lives of Men , Steven B. Cauley

Seeking the Wellspring: Exploring Generosity in a Financial Drought , Laurie Ann Johnson

The Episcopal Church of Liberia Gravitating Towards Financial Independence: Strategies and the Way Forward , Slewion P. Lewis

Contextual Leadership Within Chin Immigrant Churches in the United States , Bawi Bik Thawng

Listening to Millennials: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Millennials and the Church , Charles R. Thompson

Defying Expectations: One Female Preacher's Exploration of Preaching Performance, Listener Expectations, and Emotion , Amy Lea Wiles

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Harvesting Hope: Biblical Preaching with People of the Land , Catherine Belles

Proclaiming Jubilee: Preaching that Sets Women Free , Jennifer Michelle Benson Moran

Congregational Exegesis: Toward Shared Proclamation , Tracy Crick-Butler

There is a Word: Using a Queer Hermeneutic Toward Liberative and Prophetic Biblical Preaching , Dewayne L. Davis

Preaching the Witness of Last Words: How Biblical Farewell Speeches Shape Contemporary Listeners' Theological Legacy , Derek J. Engfelt

Invisible Poverty: Awareness, Attitudes, and Action , Joseph W. Johnson

The Reflective Preacher: Effective Habits for Homiletical Self-Assessment , Brenda Froberg Legred

Liberated for Mission: Theology of the Cross Informing a Fresh Missional Imagination , Pamela M. Marolla

Preaching Hope: Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction as Conversation Partners with Scripture , Kathleen Monson Lutes

Preaching the Law with the Gospel , Jonathan Saur

Do You Hear What I Hear? Discernment and Dialogue in a Secular Age , Andrew J. Schlecht

Reaching the Diaspora: Streamed Worship and Preaching in the Lutheran Church of Australia, Cultivating Koinonia and Ecclesia , Timothy Paul Stringer

Missional Leadership in Times of Congregational Transition , Tormod O. Svensson

Cultivating the Practice of Neighborliness: A Missional Practice of Living in a Perichoretic Relationship with Neighbors , Abenda F. Tamba

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow: Innovating, Evaluating, and Improving Worship to Participate in God's Mission , Andrew K. Barnett

Leadership and Faith Formation in Youth Ministry: Explaining the Relationship Between Leadership Experiences and Faith Formation in Middle School Students , Neil A. Christians

Breathing With God: Inhaling God's Spirit, Exhaling God's Reign , Douglas Scott Dent

Practicing Community: Naming, Claiming, and Practicing the Holy Spirit's Sending of a Congregation in the Midst of Change into the Open Future , Meghan K. Gage-Finn

Claiming Colonialism: White Lutherans and Racism in Minnesota, 1850-1960 , Katherine Parent

Unity and Diversity: How a Bilingual-Multicultural Congregation Reflects the Nature of the Trinity in Unity and Diversity , Albert W. Triolo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Lutheran Higher Education in a Secular Age: Religious Identity and Mission at ELCA Colleges and Universities , Brian A.F. Beckstrom

Preaching to Shape Christian Witness: He Cannot Be the Messiah, Can He? , Christine M. Bellefeuille

Better Together: Leadership that Enhances Ministry Collaboration , Kristine K. Bjorke

God’s Beautiful Mission: Missional Church and Leadership in the Light of Theological Aesthetics , M. Scott Boren

Perichoretic Worship: Cultivating Relationships with the Triune God, with One Another, and with the World , Greg G. Busboom

Seeing Salvation: The Effectiveness of Preaching on the Sacramental Life in a Salvation Army Context , Steven Mark Cameron

Nearer My God to Thee: How Biblical Preaching Fosters Intimacy with God , Warren Lee Domenick Jr

Definitively Lutheran?: An Exploration of Definitive Lutheran Characteristics in Higher Education , John Eggen

Confessional Biblical Preaching in the Face of Whiteness: Challenging the Preacher’s Understanding of White Supremacy , Laurie P. Feille

Real People, Real Faith, Real God: Encountering the Divine in Preaching Biblical Characters , Cynthia Halvorson

Digital and Analog Preaching in a Multi-media World , Ramona Hayes

Great Members, Great Churches: Adaptive Change and Missional Theology in the Local Church , Christopher Jacobsen

(Re)Discovering a Midrashic Biblical Imagination for the Progressive-Liberal Community , Elisabeth R. Jones

Faith Formation for Families in a Post-Programmatic Era , Susan Megrund

The Spirit's Playground: How God Speaks Through Scripture to Develop Contagious Missional Imagination , Sarah Birkedal Nye

Recapture the Call: A Theology of Preaching as Proclamation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , Tricia L. Tedrow

Table, Food, Waiter: Preaching the Eucharist to Today’s Popular Food Culture , Richard W. Vevia Jr

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Opening to Revelation: Building Discernment Processes from Practices that Best Inform Communal Decision Making , Chris Alexander

Generous Leaders, Generous Congregations: A Study of the Relationship between the Financial Generosity of Congregational Leaders and the Financial Generosity of Their Congregations , Ryan D. Brodin

Deepening Community: Dispelling the Myth of Small through a Gospel of the Small , Sarah R. Cordray

Walk Me to the Gate: Christian Practices of Accompaniment with People Who Are Dying and Their Families , Yolanda Kali Denson-Byers

Looking Back to Move Forward: Youth Ministry and Its Effect on the Faith and Christian Practices of Today's Adults , Andrew A. Taylor

A Congregation Engaging in Missional Dialogue: Strengthening Discernment amid Diversity through Healthy Congregational Dialogue , Jeffrey M. Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Preparing Transformational Sermons: An Attitudinal Model of Sermonic Application , Donald G. Bryant Jr.

Earth Stewardship and the Missio Dei: Participating in the Care and Redemption of All God Has Made , David M. Carlson

Preaching Effectively to the Unchurched , Rodney Reed Carlson

Cultivating the Holy Callings of Ordinary Saints: The Church at Work for the Life of the World , Jeffrey A. Eisele

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength: How Your Passions Can Serve God's Mission in the World , Jay Grave

Exploring the Effectiveness of Field Preaching Evangelism in the United Methodist Church , Paul D. Johnsen

Mystagogical Preaching in the Episcopal Church: Connecting Sermon and Liturgy , Daniel John Justin

Preaching More Effectively to Multiple Generations , Lynne Kammeraad

Cultivating Biblical Imagination Through Preaching , Edward N. Kay

Lift Up Your Hearts: Preaching Grace Effectively as a Pastoral Response to Shame , Harold Kenyon

Preaching From a Biblical Anthropology: Sources and Methods for Correlating the Gospel and the Human Condition , Paul N. D. Miller

Telling the Old, Old Stories: Reconnecting With Jesus' Parables Through Biblical Storytelling , Kathryn L. Skoglund

Led to Lead: Vocational Discernment and Emerging Pastoral Leadership in the Reformed Church in America , Tanner Smith

Wesleyan Missional Small Groups: Three Crucial Attributes , David Werner

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Missional Interim Ministry Processes a Case Study , Christopher Edwin Hagen

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Cross-training Christians for rural servant-leadership : an exploration of the role of a congregation in nurturing leadership in the community of Wessington Springs, South Dakota , John H. Paulson

Reconciling The Believing Nonbelonger: Readiness To Reach and Receive Lost Sheep , Robert E. Sachs Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

Holistic Approach to Mental Illnesses at the Toby of Ambohibao Madagascar , Daniel A. Rakotojoelinandrasana

Theses/Dissertations from 1979 1979

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Community and Discipleship, As Emphasized and Applied in the Life and Mission of a Covenant Church , Ronald F. Christian

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Home > ARTSSCI > Theology > dissertations and theses

Theology Dissertations and Theses

The Theology Dissertations Series is comprised of dissertations authored by Marquette University's Theology Department doctoral students.

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

From Cleansed Lepers to Cleansed Hearts: The Developing Meaning of Katharizo in Luke-Acts , Pamela Shellberg

Lonergan on the Historical Causality of Christ: An Interpretation of 'The Redemption: A Supplement to De Verbo Incarnato' , John Volk

The Christology of Theodoret of Cyrrhus: The Question of Its Development , Vasilije Vranic

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

"Poor Maggot-Sack that I Am": The Human Body in the Theology of Martin Luther , Charles Lloyd Cortright

Intersex and Imago: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Postmodern Theological Anthropology , Megan K. DeFranza

Qoheleth: An Anti-apocalyptic Genre for a Message of Joy , Jerome Douglas

Renaming Abraham's Children: Election, Ethnicity and the Interpretation of Scripture in Romans 9 , Robert Bruce Foster

Lex Orandi, Lex Legendi: A Correlation of the Roman Canon and the Fourfold Sense of Scripture , Matthew Thomas Gerlach

The Way to God or God's Way to Us: The Theologies of Edward Farley and James McClendon in Critical Dialogue , Thomas W. Harrington

Early Christian Sex Change. The Ascetical Context of "Being Made Male" in Early Christianity , Jennifer Lynne Henery

The Trinitarian Theology of Irenaeus of Lyons , Jackson Jay Lashier

Renewing a Catholic Theology of Marriage through a Common Way of Life: Consonance with Vowed Religious Life-in-Community , Kent Lasnoski

Mercy, Justice, and Politics: John Paul II on Capital Punishment , Kevin E. Miller

The Assumption of All Humanity in Saint Hilary of Poitiers' Tractatus super Psalmos , Ellen Scully

Full, Conscious, and Active Participation: The Laity as Ecclesial Subjects in an Ecclesiology Informed by Bernard Lonergan , Mary Utzerath

The Metaphysics and Intellective Psychology in the Natural Desire for Seeing God: Henri de Lubac and Neo-Scholasticism , Christine Wood

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Chosen Nation: Biblical Theopolitics and the Problem of American Christian Nationalism , Braden P. Anderson

The Church's Unity and Authority: Augustine's Effort to Convert the Donatists , Gavril Andreicut

Word and Faith in the Formation of Christian Existence: A Study in Gerhard Ebeling's Rejection of the Joint Declaration , Scott A. Celsor

The Noetic Paschal Anthropos: Genesis 1:27 and the Theology of the Divine Image in Early Paschal Literature , Dragos Andrei Giulea

"The People Believe That He Has Risen from the Dead": The Gospel of Peter and Early Christian Apologetics , Timothy Henderson

The Septuagintal Isaian Use of Nomos in the Lukan Presentation Narrative , Mark Walter Koehne

The Body as Symbol: Bringing Together Theories of Sex/Gender and Race for Theological Discourse , Patricia Lewis

An Ecclesiology of Charisms in the Theology of Francis A. Sullivan , Michael Anthony Novak

The Enochic Watchers' Template and the Gospel of Matthew , Amy Elizabeth Richter

Visionary Ascents of Moses in Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum: Apocalyptic Motifs and the Growth of Visionary Moses Tradition , Kristine Johnson Ruffatto

Isaac of Stella, the Cistercians and the Thomas Becket Controversy: A Bibliographical and Contextual Study , Travis D. Stolz

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

The Theology of the Holy Spirit According to Irenaeus of Lyons , Anthony A. Briggman

Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures , Steven Dunn

The Self-Donation of God: Gerhard Forde and the Question of Atonement in the Lutheran Tradition , Jack Kilcrease

Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical Pentecostal Tradition: A Typological Account , Louis William Oliverio Jr.

Inverberation - The Idiom of "God Among Us:" Karl Barth's Filial-Pneumatology as the Basic Structure of Theology , Aaron T. Smith

Pentecostal Theology According to the Theologians: An Introduction to the Theological Methods of Pentecostal Systematic Theologians , Christopher Adam Stephenson

"It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us": Toward a Feminist Pneumatological Argument for Women in Ministry , Lisa P. Stephenson

Using "Chaos" in Articulating the Relationship of God and Creation in God's Creative Activity , Eric Michael Vail

Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic , Christopher J. Vena

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

John Courtney Murray, S.J., and Incarnational Humanism , Richard S. Arndt

What the Law Cannot Do: Samuel DeWitt Proctor's Theological Response to An American Crisis, 1945-1997 , Adam L. Bond

A Great High Priest Who has Passed through the Heavens: In Quest of the Apocalyptic Roots of the Epistle to the Hebrews , James M. Carlson

The Breaking of the Tablets: A Comparison of the Egyptian Execration Ritual to Exodus 32:19 and Jeremiah 19 , Michael S. Donahou

The Mother of Christ As a Symbol of Christian Unity: A Case Study for Ecumenical Dialogue , Maura E. Hearden

Re-reading Yoder in Order to Conscientiously Engage Technology through the Practices of the Church , Paul C. Heidebrecht

The Catholic Church in Dialogue with Non-Christian Faith Traditions: Engaging Jacques Dupuis's Model of Religious Pluralism with Walter Ong's Concept of Dialogic Openness in Media Society , Marinus Chijioke Iwuchukwu

"Broken Nets": Augustine, Schisms and Rejuvenating Councils in North Africa , Fortunate Ojiako

The Sources of Ecclesiastes: The "Epic of Gilgamesh" as a Source Document for Ecclesiastes , Timothy Nalin Senapatiratne

The Sources of Ecclesiastes: The Epic of Gilgamesh As a Source Document for Ecclesiastes , Timothy Nalin Senapatiratne

A More thorough Trinitarian: Reconsidering Moses Stuart's Role in the Trinitarian Debate in New England, 1819-1850 , Jeffrey A. Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Composition and Redaction in the Coptic Gospel of Mary , Ardyth L. Bass

The Angelomorphic Spirit in Early Christianity: Scripture and theology in Clement of Alexandria's Eclogae Propheticae and Adumbrationes , Bogdan G. Bucur

Roman Catholic social bioethics critiques secular bioethics: Fetal tissue research and vulnerable populations , Shawnee M Daniels-Sykes

Roman Catholic Social Bioethics Critiques Secular Bioethics: Fetal Tissue Research and Vulnerable Populations , Shawnee M. Daniels-Sykes

The Role of Human Creativity in the Theological Anthropology of Centesimus Annus and Its Implications for Christian Economic Practices , Kari-Shane Davis

The Mission Theology of the Irish Holy Ghost Fathers in Igboland, 1905-1970, in the Light of the Changing Face of Mission Today: Toward a Mission Theology for the Igbo Church , Charles Achunike Ebelebe

Matthew's Vision: The Unity of the Formula Citations in Matt 1:1-4:16 , Jeremy R. Holmes

Prophetic Catholicism: Appropriating John Courtney Murray, S.J., in Postmodern America , Jennifer Laske

Encounter - call - mission: Conversion in the writings of Hans Urs von Balthasar , Daniel W McGuire

The Harmony between the Right to Private Property and the Call to Solidarity in Modern Catholic Social Teaching , Constance J. Nielsen

Intersecting Narratives: The Quest for Identity in a Post-Traditional World and the Prophetic Message of Franz Kafka , Matthew T. Powell

ruah YHWH, ruah 'elohim: A case for literary and theological distinction in the Deuteronomistic History , John M Ragsdale

The Heart of Rahner: An Analysis of Karl Rahner's Theology Using Andrew Tallon's Theory of Triune Consciousness , Heidi Russell

Yahweh Will be My God "if": The Vow of Jacob and His Relationship to the God of His Fathers (Genesis 25-35) , Nathanael E. Schmiedicke

The Gate of Heaven Opens to the Trinity: The Trinitarian Mysticism of Adrienne von Speyr , Matthew Lewis Sutton

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Dumitru Staniloae and Its Significance for Contemporary Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue , Radu Bordeianu

A Critical Assessment of Sacrament and Ethics in the Thought of Louis-Marie Chauvet , Timothy M. Brunk

Who Are the Wise? : A Critical Analysis of Film and Papal Social Teaching for Those Who Can Reclaim and Revitalize the Vision of a More Just America , Alejandro Crosthwaite

Tradition in Transformation: The Celebration of the Lord's Supper in the Reformed Church in America , Christopher Dorn

The Costly Witness of the Church: The World Council of Churches' Study on Ecclesiology and Ethics , John A. Jones

When Faith Judges History: The Anglo-American Religious and Political Experience, and Public Theology, As Missing Elements in Political and Liberation Theology , Ramón Luzárraga III

"Let Us Sing to the Lord": The Biblical Odes in the Codex Alexandrinus , James A. Miller

Nicholas of Lyra's Use of St. Thomas Aquinas' Expositio Super Iob Ad Litteram in His Postilla on Job , Troy P. Pflibsen

Rethinking Christian Salvation in the Light of Ghandi's Satyagraha , Terrence J. Rynne

The trinitarian theology of Marius Victorinus: Polemic and exegesis , John T Voelker

Modern Mormon Use of Patristic Sources to Validate the Utah-Mormon Church , Chris Welborn

The Challenge of Modern Inter-Orthodox Rapprochement and Reconciliation , Kenneth F. Yossa

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The Relevance of Bernard Lonergan's Notion of Self-Appropriation to a Mystical-Political Theology , Ian Bell

Moses, Adam and the Glory of the Lord in Ezekiel the Tragedian: On the Roots of a Merkabah Text , Silviu N. Bunta

Catholic Theology As a Means of Evangelization: The Witness of Francis Joseph Sheed , Christopher M. Carr

Aphrahat the Persian Sage and the Temple of God: A Study of Early Syriac Theological Anthropology , Stephanie K. Skoyles Jarkins

God so Loved the World: The Experience of Salvation in the Theological Project of Edward Schillebeeckx , Michael J. Marigliano

Narrating self, Narrating Other: A Pneumatological Approach to Apophatic Anthropology , Matthew John McKinnon

The Significance of Bernard Lonergan's Work on Bias for the Ethnic and Religious Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa , Cyril Orji

The Subjective Dimension of Human Work: the Conversion of the Acting Person According to Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II and Bernard Lonergan , Deborah Savage

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Christine de Pizan and Biblical Wisdom: A Feminist-Theological Point of View , Bonnie A. Birk

A Reexamination of Nathan Scott's Literary Criticism in the Context of David Tracy's Fundamental Theology , William Donald Buhrman

Personal being: Polanyi, ontology, and Christian theology , Andrew Thomas Grosso

Solidarity in a Global Age: Bringing Forward the Vision of Populorum Progressio , Mari Rapela Heidt

The Human Son of God and the Holy Spirit: Toward a Pentecostal Incarnational Spirit Christology , S. D. L. Jenkins

Job As Proto-Apocalypse: Proposing a Unifying Genre , Timothy Jay Johnson

The Private World As Alienated: Economic Justice in a Culture of Privatized Individualism , Michael D. Lopez-kaley

Acting (Economic) Persons: Adam Smith and Karol Wojtyła/John Paul II As Sources for Economic Personalism , Megan Maloney

From Patriarch to the Youth: The Metatron Tradition in 2 Enoch , Andrei A. Orlov

The Question of the Church in North American Lutheranism: Toward An Ecclesiology of the Third Article , Cheryl M. Peterson

"Truly This is the Savior of the World": Christ and Caesar in the Gospel of John , Lance Bryon Richey

The Vow of Obedience As Decision-Making in Communion: Contributions from Ecclesiology and Psychology , Judith Katherine Schaefer

The Polemical Context and Background of Hilary's Trinitarian Theology , Mark Weedman

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

The Lukan Kingship Parable: Luke 19:11-27 in Literary Perspective , Garwood P. Anderson

The Theological Ethics of Contemporary Prophetic Acts , Randall K. Bush

Incarnational Morality: The Operation of Grace and Personal Conscience in Thomas Aquinas , Virginia Kiernan Dahlberg

The Development of the Principle of the Just Wage in official Catholic Social Teaching , William Fellows

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An thesis examples on religion and theology statement is a prosaic composition of a small volume and free composition, expressing individual impressions and thoughts on a specific occasion or issue and obviously not claiming a definitive or exhaustive interpretation of the subject.

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