Masters Theses

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13057/7

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Participation with Christ: Past, Present and Future Aspects of the Believer’s Death and Resurrection with Christ in Romans 6:1-14
(1998-03) Weymouth, Richard John
The thesis explores the motif of death and resurrection with Christ in Romans 6:1-14, Paul’s language, its connection to the redemptive events, to Christian baptism, faith, and ethics, and the interrelationship between its past, present and future tense aspects, concluding that it is essentially participationist in nature.
Cybergnosticism? A Study of Contemporary Christian Faith Communities in Cyberspace
(2004-12-12) Hill, Graham
This dissertation explores the research question ‘What gnostic-like elements are present within contemporary Christian faith communities in cyberspace?’ The research methodology is qualitative. It involves the examination of Gnostic documents and secondary scholarly sources on Gnosticism, and the detailed analysis of primary source written texts presented at the seventeen designated online contemporary Christian faith communities. The two chapters immediately following the introduction examine the important foundational and specific issues relevant to a study of Christian Gnosticism of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. They serve not as a detailed study of these forms of Gnosticism, but rather as a distillation of its principal characteristics. These characteristics are used as benchmarks in the Content Analysis of the contemporary Cyber faith communities. The following three chapters use these benchmarks in the detailed examination of the online Christian faith communities’ particular perspectives on human personhood, community, and engagement with the world and social behaviour. This dissertation concludes that human beings need some bodily engagement and gathering with others in order to experience authentic Christianity, that God is present within Christian communities in Cyberspace demonstrating his grace and redemption, and that while the Christian communities in Cyberspace manifest some Gnostic tendencies, they also contradict the core values of early Gnosticism. It is an overstatement, then, to label them as ‘cyber-Gnostic’.
The Contemplative Heart: A Contemplative Spirituality for Daily Life
(2005) Morris, Christopher
The thesis explores the recent growth in interest in the contemplative dimension of Christianity. The term Contemplative Spirituality will be used to encapsulate this growing movement. The central notion of contemplative spirituality is that the living of a contemplative life is available to all Christians living in any state of life. This is a significant change from the past, when a contemplative life was considered the reserve of those living a contemplative lifestyle, usually in a monastery. The thesis examines first the contemporary context in which contemplative spirituality has emerged, a context characterised by a spiritual search emphasising personal experience and choice. It argues that the growing interest and new expression of the Christian contemplative tradition has emerged within this context and has also been influenced by it. Some dimensions of contemplative spirituality are explored, and theological foundations developed. The thesis then suggests contemplative practice as the heart of contemplative spirituality, the most central being the intention to live life with a receptive and attentive attitude to God’s presence in daily life. It then examines a number of contemplative practices before exploring meditation and the spiritual journey in detail. The thesis concludes by arguing that the living of the contemplative life in the world requires significant support to ensure it continues to grow, and it suggests a number of these supports.
The Australian Baptist Heritage Collection: Management of a Geographically Distributed Special Collection
(2007) Burn, Kerrie
This project examined the history, development and current state of Australian Baptist Heritage collections by exploring the contributions of, and relationships between, theological colleges and their libraries, Australian Baptist Historical Societies and Baptist Union Archive collections. An outcome of the project was the compilation of a bibliography of Australian Baptist publications as well as several other valuable resources for collection managers, researchers and historians. A survey was administered to gauge the interest of key individuals and/or institutions in participating in co-operative collection development projects that could advance the purposes of Australian Baptist institutions as a whole. The responses by librarians and archivists responsible for Australian Baptist collections were analysed and possibilities for collaborative collection management of Australian Baptist resources explored. These possibilities include shared collection development policies and preservation strategies, formal sharing of duplicate resources and information about collections, and potentially using digital technology to improve access to collections and to ensure the preservation of nationally significant, and rarely held materials. Australian Baptist library and archive collections are used as a case study with a view to reaching conclusions with implications for the management of similar collections (i.e. geographically distributed special collections). The wider Australian theological community, which includes many other denominational and religious collections, may also be able to participate in some of the proposed co-operative ventures. This research project thereby provides a model for possible emulation by other collections as well as making a contribution to collection management theory and practice.
Standing Up for Corporate Governance - A Practical Theology Perspective
(2008-04-03) Everett, Bruce
In the wake of recent corporate failures, the issue of corporate governance has renewed focus. There is an emerging view that governance is less about systems and processes, and more about corporate culture and morality. This view creates a natural entry point for practical theology because it poses the questions of "what ought to be" and "on what basis do I decide what is right?" This research is grounded in the interview data from a sample of people in governance roles in Australian corporations. It uses the Whitehead model of theological reflection as a critical dialogue between the personal experience of the participants and relevant social theory and Christian tradition. The interviews indicated that corporate values are an increasingly important means of guiding corporate behavior and suggested a hierarchy of compliance. The participants proposed that the ultimate guide to ethical behaviour was personal integrity and being able to live with oneself.
Shemah as Relational Spirituality
(2009) Cheong, Geoffrey W.
There is currently no abstract available for this item.
The Teaching of Values and Ethics in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) through the Professional Military Education and Training (PMET) Program.
(2009-05-08) Curtain, James C.
The project examines ethical issues pertinent to the RAAF in the context of the RAAF Values Statement, and the manner in which RAAF members are educated in these issues through the PMET program. The various PMET courses are assessed in light of their ability to address these ethical matters.
Does John Paul II Present an Anthropology Capable of Forming an Adequate Theological Basis for Evangelization in Today's World?
(2009-05-08) Herd, John
This thesis explores John Paul II's philosophical and theological anthropology and tests it against two important contemporary issues, social justice and the search for meaning. The tests for social justice are given by liberation theologian Juan Segundo, the phenomenon of homosexuality and women's liberation. The tests for the search for meaning are taken from values ascribed to the human body, sexuality and freedom. This exploration shows that while John Paul's anthropology is securely founded on the personal it is not individualistic but broadens out to encompass social issues and is capable of promoting social justice. At the same time this understanding of the human person reponds to contemporary questions about the meaning of the body and human relationships not from abstract principles and authority but from experience and revealing the path to human fulfilment. John Paul's anthropology is shown as a rich basis for contemporary evangelisation.
Brigid: Bridge between Worlds. A Feminist Examination of the Significance of Brigid (an Irish Saint and Goddess) in Comtemporary Australian Women's Spiriuality.
(2009-05-08) Connelly, Catherine
This thesis explores the significance of Brigid as Irish Saint and pagan Goddess, examining the influence on comtemporary Australian women's spiriuality. In this context, a number of metaphors are explored, the most generative of these revealing Brigid as both a threshold figure and catalyst for liberation. The threshold analogy is further develoged, positioning Brigid as a nexus of potential dialogue between contemporary Chrisianity and neo-paganism. Using a feminist methodology, what emerges is an understanding of the depth and diversity of Brigid veneration and its role in the spiritualities of Australian women today.
The Embodied Experience of Grace and Maternal Embrace
(2009-05-08) Wright Howie, Joan
This thesis employs the metaphor of maternal embrace to present a theological paradigm for the spiritual direction practice of encountering God’s grace through embodied and lived experience. The metaphor and nature of divine maternal embrace is articulated through the three motifs of nurturing, enabling and enduring.
Finding His Voice: The Sermons of F.W. Boreham (1888-1916)
(2009-05-08) Enticott, David
This thesis investigates the development of the preaching ministry of F.W. Boreham between 1888-1916. By examining sermon manuscripts, the thesis explores Boreham’s maturation as a preacher, the various influences by which his preaching was affected, and the way in which he finally found his own homiletical voice.
Pater Familias: A Reading of Divine and Human Fatherhood in Selected Writings of Pope John Paul II
(2009-05-08) Noll, Megan
This thesis emphasises the theological significance of fatherhood in the context of Pope John Paul II’s Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Historical man, original man and eschatological man further provide a theological anthropology for fathers. In general, “man” may be used in reference to all of humanity, including both male and female although references made directly to human fatherhood are intended for the male gender alone. For a woman in her femaleness is never male, or able to be a father in a literal sense of the word; her role is one of motherhood. The literary style of this work uses the masculine form “man” intentionally in order to emphasise the father-figure. This is especially necessary as some words such as “Father” have been neutralised or degendered in various settings. The rejection of human fatherhood tends to correspond to a rejection of divine fatherhood.
The Hidden Stream: The Contemplative Tradition in the Spirituality of The Salvation Army.
(2009-05-08) Faragher, Christine
While Salvationist spirituality is typically perceived in terms of evangelism and social activism, this thesis argues that the Contemplative Tradition is an equally important element of Salvation Army spirituality. Further, it demonstrates that this aspect of Salvationist spirituality has had a significant impact on the Army’s ministry of Spiritual Direction.
The Development of an Art Retreat that Will Assist Retreatants to Describe and More Fully Understand the Experience of Spiritual Direction through "Art Creation"
(2009-05-08) Bentley, Peter
The thesis surveys the development and design of a three-day art retreat, and explores how art creation can contribute to the processes of active reflection within the experience of spiritual direction. The thesis identifies key principles that govern the successful design of the art retreat for this purpose.
The Natural Phenomenon of Religious Faith and Human 'Depth of Meaning'
(2009-05-08) Crees, Mark
This thesis explores religious faith from an integrated interdisciplinary standpoint that draws heavily on Georges Bataille’s religious theory, Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytical framework (as distilled through the lens of Slavoj Žižek), and Pascal Boyer’s evolutionary model of cognitive inference systems, in order to recast Paul Tillich’s faith dynamics in terms of a contemporary critical theory of religion. Focusing on Tillich’s understanding of faith as engaging with a depth of meaning, a hypothesis is presented that casts religious faith as a complex natural human phenomenon that functions as a species of generative human ‘depth of meaning’ engagement within particular hermeneutical frameworks with a focus on the ‘Other’ (transcendence / the infinite) that were born from the communal symbolic-linguistic system of meaning making that arose with human evolutionary development as a by-product of several cognitive inference systems and as a result of a lost intimacy with immanence. This hypothesis is explicated throughout the thesis in defence of a non-religious analysis of religious faith which is non-reductive and which avoids caricature. Tillich’s understanding of faith as the central phenomenon in the personal life of human beings is recast as one form of human ‘depth of meaning’ engagement, with religious faith understood as providing a mechanism for accepting a certain intra-systematic coherence and a volitional (trust) commitment to an intra-systematic being (God) or principle deemed extra-systematic but inscribed within the particular symbolic universe in which the interpretive framework operates. The historical dialectical hypothesis developed throughout the thesis is tested against contemporary manifestations of religious faith, particularly of a violent geo-political nature, and various implications are drawn out that demonstrate the fecundity and importance of the hypothesis, particularly in terms of a point of departure for further research.
The Implementation and Impact of the Reformation in Shropshire, 1545-1575.
(2009-05-08) Murray, Elizabeth J.
Most previous studies of the English Reformation have concentrated upon either the north or the south-east. This thesis instead considers the midlands county of Shropshire, and in doing so demonstrates that the normative model of transition from Catholicism to English Reformed worship does not adequately describe the experience in that county.
An investigation into the use of film and literature in the Christian education of children aged 10-12years.
(2009-05-08) Allred, Brent
Using theories of media literacy amongst children, this thesis explores the role of popular cultural artefacts in engaging children with biblical truth and in assisting in their spiritual formation. Particular attention is given to the ways in which children’s imaginative faculties help them interpret what they watch and read.
A New Vision for Science Education: Spirituality, Contemplation and Transformation.
(2009-05-08) Jane, Beverley L
Informed by socio-cultural-historical theory, this thesis argues that scientific creativity can emerge from the discernment of a spiritual connection with the organisms studied. It is suggested that by engaging students in the essentially relational world of nature, a transformative science education, incorporating both science and spirituality, is possible and desirable.
Personhood, Human Brokenness and the Therapeutic Calling of the Eastern Orthodox Church: A Pastoral Approach To Mental Health Issues and Disability.
(2009-05-08) Cagnoni, Clare
Orthodox theology proposes an ontology of complete personhood, experienced through loving relationships with others and with God through the Church, mediated through the doxological experience of the Trinity. This thesis suggests that the Orthodox Church thus has a unique and therapeutic calling with rich possibilities for pastoral and practical application.
The Mission of the Redeemer: Pope John Paul II's Understanding of the Mission of the Church
(2009-05-08) McGregor, Peter
The purpose of this thesis is to discover and analyse the theological foundations of John Paul’s understanding of the Church’s mission. It attempts to demonstrate that this understanding is based on what Vatican II calls the “mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit”, and St. Paul calls the “mystery of God’s plan” and the “mystery of Christ”. It begins with an analysis of John Paul’s understanding of the mission of the Church, followed by his understanding of the mission of Christ, and concludes by attempting to show how the former is based on the latter.

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