DOCSLIB.ORG

Abstract Missio Dei Determines Missiones Ecclesia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Abstract Missio Dei Determines Missiones Ecclesia Varghese i ABSTRACT MISSIO DEI DETERMINES MISSIONES ECCLESIA: A STUDY ON THE MISSIONAL THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE AMONG IPC CHURCHES IN KOTTAYAM, KERALA, INDIA by Thomas Thoppil Varghese The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current missional theology and practice of Pentecostal churches in Kottayam. The research primarily is to listen and study the definition of the mission of the God and the mission of the church that the Pentecostal churches in Kottayam are advocating. “Mission” is an important activity of the IPC churches in Kottayam. It is reflected in their mission statement as “supporting a missionary in a mission field” and is evident by the support they provide to fifty-three missionaries in north India. This view is frequently advocated in their common meetings and conferences. This study is limited to IPC churches in Kottayam. The IPC churches in Kottayam number sixty-three. The total number of churches involved in this research are only ten. The criteria for selection of each church were: the church has existed for more than twenty years, is active has a membership of more than thirty families. The instruments used in this research were semi-structured interviews, open and closed questionnaires, focus group and participant observation. There was a total of forty-six participants involved in the research, consisting of mission coordinators, believers, Varghese ii pastors and lay leaders. The collected data was analyzed through theme analysis as laid by James P. Spradley. This research revealed the definition the IPC churches have on the mission of God and the mission of the church. The reason for holding this definition is doctrinal and historical. The present definitions of missio Dei and mission of the church by IPC churches are action oriented and focus on the spiritual dimension only. The influence of the doctrine of Parousia and fear from society was an unexpected discovery. It led them to define mission as activity in the spiritual dimension and to be much less interested with the concerns of the society. Thorough information with regard to the patterns; and principles of a missional church is needed for the churches in Kottayam to be more effective within society. Varghese iv DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled MISSIO DEI DETERMINES MISSIONES ECCLESIA: A STUDY ON THE MISSIONAL THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE AMONG IPC CHURCHES IN KOTTAYAM, KERALA, INDIA presented by Thomas Thoppil Varghese has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Dissertation Coach Date Director, Doctor of Ministry Program Date Dean of the Beeson Center Date Varghese v MISSIO DEI DETERMINES MISSIONES ECCLESIA: A STUDY ON THE MISSIONAL THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE AMONG IPC CHURCHES IN KOTTAYAM, KERALA, INDIA A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Thomas Thoppil Varghese June 2018 Varghese 6 © 2018 Thomas Thoppil Varghese ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Varghese 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................6 LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT ...................................................................10 Overview of the Chapter .......................................................................................10 Autobiographical Introduction ..............................................................................11 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................14 Purpose of the Project …………………………………………………………...15 Research Questions ...……………………………………………………………16 Research Question #1 …...………………………………………………16 Research Question #2 ………………………………………………...…16 Research Question #3…………………………………………………....16 Rationale for the Project…………………………………………………………16 Definition of Key Terms ………………………………………………………...19 Mission ………………………………………………………………….19 Missions………………………………………………………………....20 Missio Dei……………………………………………………………………….21 Missional Theology……………………………………………………...21 Missional Church………………………………………………………...22 1 Varghese 2 Delimitations ………………………………………………………………….23 Review of Relevant Literature…………………………………………………...24 Research Methodology ………………………………………………………….27 Type of Research ….…………………………………………………….27 Participants ………………………………………………………………28 Data Collection ………………………………………………………….28 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………30 Generalizability ………………………………………………………….30 Project Overview ……………………………………………………………......30 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT .........................................32 Overview of the Chapter ........................................................................................32 Missio Dei: Definitions and Historical Traditions……………………….32 Missional Church: Definitions and Characteristics………………………41 Mission of God as Trinitarian….…………………………………………57 Biblical Foundations ..............................................................................................58 Missio Dei and Mission (sent) in O.T ........................................................59 Missio Dei and Mission (sent) in N.T ........................................................63 Research Themes Missional Church begins with God-empowered love……………………70 God’s mission shapes every missional church … …………………….…72 Missional church considers mission as participation ……………………72 2 Varghese 3 Theological Foundations ........................................................................................73 Theology of Missio Dei ………………………………………………………….73 Theology of a Missional Church…………………………………………...74 Research Themes Missio Dei describes the being of God. .......................................................78 Trinitarian mission as the basis of Mission ……………………………….79 Missio Dei institutes the Missiones Ecclesiae………………………………...79 Research Design Literature ...................................................................................79 Summary of Literature ..........................................................................................81 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT Overview of the Chapter…………………………………………………………83 Nature and Purpose of the Project .........................................................................83 Research Questions ................................................................................................85 Research Question #1 ................................................................................85 Research Question #2 ................................................................................86 Research Question #3 ................................................................................87 Ministry Context(s) ................................................................................................87 Participants ............................................................................................................93 Criteria for Selection .................................................................................93 Description of Participants ........................................................................96 Ethical Considerations ..............................................................................97 Instrumentation ………………………………………………………………….98 Reliability and Validity of Research Design…………………………………….99 3 Varghese 4 Data Collection ....................................................................................................101 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................102 CHAPTER 4 EVIDENCE FOR THE PROJECT ............................................................104 Overview of the Chapter .....................................................................................104 Participants ..........................................................................................................104 Research Question #1: Description of Evidence ................................................105 Research Question #2: Description of Evidence ................................................109 Research Question #3: Description of Evidence ................................................113 Summary of Major Findings ................................................................................117 CHAPTER 5 LEARNING REPORT FOR THE PROJECT ...........................................127 Overview of the Chapter .....................................................................................127 Major Findings .....................................................................................................127 First Finding .............................................................................................127 Second Finding ..........................................................................................131 Third Finding ............................................................................................135 Ministry Implications of the Findings..................................................................138 Limitations of the Study.......................................................................................139
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Stewart Sbts 0207D 10169.Pdf
    Copyright © 2013 Joe Randell Stewart All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. THE INFLUENCE OF NEWBIGIN’S MISSIOLOGY ON SELECTED INNOVATORS AND EARLY ADOPTERS OF THE EMERGING CHURCH PARADIGM ___________________ A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary ___________________ In Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements of the Degree Doctor of Education ___________________ by Joe Randell Stewart December 2013 APPROVAL SHEET THE INFLUENCE OF NEWBIGIN’S MISSIOLOGY ON SELECTED INNOVATORS AND EARLY ADOPTERS OF THE EMERGING CHURCH PARADIGM Joe Randell Stewart Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Hal K. Pettegrew (Chair) __________________________________________ Timothy P. Jones Date ______________________________ I dedicate this dissertation to my loving wife, Nancy. I will always love you. Thanks for your constant encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xi PREFACE . xii Chapter 1. RESEARCH CONCERN Introduction to the Research Problem . Newbigin’s Influence on the Innovators and Early Adopters Newbigin’s Influence on the Missiology of the Emerging Church The Scope of Newbigin’s Influence Selected Concepts of the Innovators and Early Adopters of the Emerging Church Paradigm . 22 The Pervasive Impact of Christendom . 24 Communal Dimensions of Witness: The Church as a Hermeneutic of the Gospel . .. 30 The Church as Sign, Instrument, and Foretaste . 33 Research Thesis . 40 Focus Statements . 40 Delimitations of the Study . 41 Terminology . 41 iv Chapter Page Research Assumptions . 51 Procedural Overview . 52 2.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM and the CHRISTIAN GOSPEL By
    THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM AND THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL by Pastor Mike Harding The Christian Gospel The Good News of the four Gospels centers on the bloody, sacrificial, vicarious death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins evidenced by His burial, and the bodily resurrection of Christ evidenced by the empty tomb. The necessary implications of these truths include that we are hell-bound sinners, incapable of atoning for our sins, meriting our justification or contributing to our salvation, and that apart from a personal unreserved trust (repentant faith) in the Theanthropic Christ (God-man) and His Crosswork, each of us will be eternally judged by God. Additional implications of the Christian Gospel which cannot be denied are His miraculous, virginal conception/birth as well as His absolute equality with the Father and distinctive personality in the Triune God-head (Phil 2:5-11). The Gospel of the Kingdom The way of salvation has been exactly the same at all times and in all places: by grace alone, through repentant faith alone, grounded in the merits of Christ alone. However, the content of faith increased progressively throughout biblical history, beginning with the proto-evangelium (first gospel - Gen 3:15) and concluding with the all-sufficient revelation of Christ in the sixty-six inscripturated books of the Bible. When Jesus began his ministry, He immediately proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom to national Israel (Matt 3:2; 4:17). Jesus’ numerous references to the Kingdom of God call attention to the antecedent prophecies in the OT involving the Divine Messiah and describe a literal, earthly realm involving the land of Palestine and the nation of Israel over which the Messiah would reign (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Listening to God and the Missio Dei
    Listening to God and the missio Dei By Murray Harold Olson B.Sc, B.Theol A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts University of Divinity Date 12 February, 2016 1 ABSTRACT The early church was a church of mission; incarnational mission. This changed when the church entered into the Christendom era and church membership grew by birth, rather than by conversion, so there was no need for mission. The decline of numbers attending church services in recent years forced the church to look at mission and a number of church-centred models have developed. But in recent years there has been an awareness that mission is not the mission of the church. It is the missio Dei, the mission of God. In this thesis I have outlined the evolution of the concept of the missio Dei and its importance to the church. I have also given some examples of the way that the missio Dei has been put into action and the importance of listening to God when you are involved in it. This listening to God involves listening, individually and as a church, to God using prayer and Scripture. It also involves listening to God in the lives of the people in our neighbourhoods. This is because God is active in our neighbourhoods and we can join in this activity of God. 2 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma in any university or other institution and affirm to the best of my knowledge, that this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference in made in the text of the thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Surprise the World: the Five Habits of Highly Missional People, Frost Gives Us a Memorable Strategy That We Each Can Put Into Practice Every Day
    Michael Frost has done it again, as he continues to raise the temperature for missional living. In Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People, Frost gives us a memorable strategy that we each can put into practice every day. You’ll want to get multiple copies to share with your team to ensure that each one of us is prepared to live on mission to help even more people find their way back to God. DAVE FERGUSON Lead pastor of Community Christian Church Even after people read multiple books, they often ask, “So what does being missional really look like?” One of my answers is to go practice Mike Frost’s BELLS. Mike has simplified the way of Jesus for our world today. Grab some friends, commit, and watch the kingdom become tangible. HUGH HALTER Author of Brimstone, Flesh, and The Tangible Kingdom Surprise the World is Mike Frost’s missional genius made accessible for the average person. So many lives will change as a result, as people hear about and follow Jesus. DAN KIMBALL Pastor, Vintage Faith Church Michael Frost’s insights have made him a leading voice in the missional church movement. The habits commended in Surprise the World will only cement Michael’s place as an original thinker who envisions and serves those of us who are pastors and leaders in churches. I will enthusiastically commend this book to the churches for whom I am bishop, and I will make use of it to train Holy Trinity Church, where I am pastor. BISHOP TODD HUNTER The Anglican Church in North America A core part of the gospel is that Jesus came from the comfort of heaven to a dark and broken world in order to rescue humankind.
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of the Teaching of Missional Concepts of Christian
    Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project Concordia Seminary Scholarship 12-15-2017 An Examination of the Teaching of Missional Concepts of Christian Discipleship and their Potential for Creating an Attitudinal Change at Berea Lutheran Church, Richfield, Minnesota Kevin Tiaden Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Tiaden, Kevin, "An Examination of the Teaching of Missional Concepts of Christian Discipleship and their Potential for Creating an Attitudinal Change at Berea Lutheran Church, Richfield, Minnesota" (2017). Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project. 114. https://scholar.csl.edu/dmin/114 This Major Applied Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia Seminary Scholarship at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TEACHING OF MISSIONAL CONCEPTS OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR CREATING AN ATTITUDINAL CHANGE AT BEREA LUTHERAN CHURCH, RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA A Major Applied Project Presented to the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Department of Practical Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry By Rev. Kevin Tiaden November 27, 2017 Approved by Dr. David Peter Advisor Dr. Victor Raj Reader Rev. Benjamin Haupt Reader © 2017 by Kevin Norman Tiaden. All rights reserved. This MAP is dedicated to my beautiful chef/lawyer/wife Kathleen.
    [Show full text]
  • T. F. Torrance As Missional Theologian by Joseph H
    Taken from T. F. Torrance as Missional Theologian by Joseph H. Sherrard. Copyright © 2021 by Joseph H. Sherrard VI. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com 1 Dualism and the Doctrine of God T. F. Torrance’s Trinitarian Theology and the Gospel Within Western Culture The Missio Dei and the Doctrine of God In our introduction we noted the recent appearance of a number of argu- ments for the fundamental importance of the category of mission within the discipline of systematic theology. These attempts are often gathered under a single descriptive heading: missio Dei. This term and the conceptual framework attached to it, often (apparently erroneously) traced back to Karl Barth,1 describes the fundamental conviction that unites all these recent projects. In Transforming Mission, a foundational text for both strands of biblical and theological reflection upon mission, David Bosch describes the conviction in this way: “Mission was understood as being derived from the very nature of God. It was thus put in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. As far as missionary thinking was concerned, this linking with the doctrine of the Trinity constituted an important innovation.”2 1See John G. Flett’s helpful historical study of the term missio Dei in chapters three and four of his The Witness of God: The Trinity,Missio Dei, Karl Barth, and the Nature of Christian Community (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010). Flett argues that while Barth is an important contributor to the church’s reflection on its mission, the specific term missio Dei was neither used nor defined by Barth.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting Short Term Mission for Long Term Discipleship Creating a Standardized Short Term Mission Experience Training Manual for Hales Corners Lutheran Church
    Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project Concordia Seminary Scholarship 5-1-2018 Interpreting Short Term Mission for Long Term Discipleship Creating a Standardized Short Term Mission Experience Training Manual for Hales Corners Lutheran Church Chrisitan Wood Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Wood, Chrisitan, "Interpreting Short Term Mission for Long Term Discipleship Creating a Standardized Short Term Mission Experience Training Manual for Hales Corners Lutheran Church" (2018). Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project. 127. https://scholar.csl.edu/dmin/127 This Major Applied Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia Seminary Scholarship at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INTERPRETING SHORT TERM MISSION FOR LONG TERM DISCIPLESHIP “CREATING A STANDARDIZED SHORT TERM MISSION EXPERIENCE TRAINING MANUAL FOR HALES CORNERS LUTHERAN CHURCH” A Major Applied Project Presented to the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Department of Practical Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry By Christian Richard Wood May 2018 Approved by Dr. Victor Raj Advisor Dr. Robert Kolb Reader Dr. David Peter Reader © 2018 by Christian Richard Wood. All rights reserved. ii To by beautiful bride, April, and our sons, Elijah, Ezra, and Caleb. You have blessed me beyond words, and I am honored to be a family on mission for the Lord.
    [Show full text]
  • “As the Father Has Sent Me, Even So I Am Sending You”: the Divine Missions and the Mission of the Church
    JETS 63.3 (2020): 535–58 “AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, EVEN SO I AM SENDING YOU”: THE DIVINE MISSIONS AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH TOREY TEER* Abstract: Presentations advancing an ecclesiology that favors the church’s ontology before its function have become more common in recent years. Further, mission models employing a Trini- tarian framework (viz., the missio Dei) have likewise become popular in contemporary conver- sation. This project explores the implications of the divine missions—of the Son and of the Spirit—upon the mission of the church while also drawing out some pneumatological emphases vis-à-vis ecclesiology. Specifically, I present a biblical-theological synthesis of the divine missions grounded upon Johannine language of “sending,” framed by Thomas Aquinas’s conception of the divine missions, and augmented by John Calvin’s notion of the “double grace” conferred via union with Christ. I then apply this synthesis to the mission of the church, showing that the church participates—analogically—in the Trinitarian agency carried out in the missio Dei. In so doing, I offer a unique line of reasoning that further supports the church’s ontology before its function as well as a Trinitarian framework for missions. Key words: pneumatology, ecclesiology, missio Dei, Trinitarianism, Johannine theology, Thomistic theology When the concept of “missions” comes up in biblical, theological, or ecclesial discourse, it typically takes one of two forms: the Great Commission (Matt 28:18– 20) or the missio Dei—though thE two arE not mutually ExclusivE. ThE formEr typi- cally refers to the work of the church to bring the gospel to unreached people groups around the world (often called “church missions”), while the latter rEfers to the triunE God’s redemptive mission to the world in which hE graciously allows the church to participate.
    [Show full text]
  • Missio Dei and the Corrosion of Christian Missions
    Missio Dei and the Corrosion of Christian Missions Peter Pikkert D.th., Cornerstone Bible College for Mission Training, Beugen, Holland [email protected] Introduction This article argues that missio Dei, a theology of missions embraced much of evangelical Christendom today, is corroding the evangelical missionary enterprise from within. It first presents a brief – and, due to space constraints, somewhat simplistic – review of Missio Dei for the sake of the uninitiated, and then list a number of reasons for this dire assessment. 1. Missio Dei in a nutshell The concept of Missio Dei has led two lives. It was first embraced by the mainline churches. When it had virtually run its course there some theologically conservative missiologists embraced the basic idea, reconceptualized aspects of it, and saw it become the most popular theological basis for missions. This article focuses on the contemporary, “evangelical” model setting the tone today. 1.1. Christian Mission is the all-encompassing work of the Triune God Missio Dei’s fundamental idea is that Christian mission is rooted in the all-encompassing work of the Triune God. This led to a shift in focus from missions as something the church does to something which God does through various ways and means. To say that the church is essentially missionary does not mean that mission is church- centered. It is Missio Dei. It is Trinitarian. It is mediating the love of God the Father who is the Parent of all people, whoever and wherever they may be (Bosch 1991:505). 3 (2018) 1.2. God’s mission flows from His loving and compassionate nature God’s love is perceived as his defining characteristic.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emerging Church Movement: an Exploratory Case Study of Its
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Loni M. McKelvie for the degree of Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Political Science, Anthropology, and Sociology presented on May 29, 2013. Title: The Emerging Church Movement: An Exploratory Case Study of Its Environmental and Political Attitudes. Abstract approved: Amy Below To date, no investigation of the Emerging Church Movement has made an effort to examine the environmental and political views of its members. Despite the vast research on the politics and environmental opinions of American evangelicals, little is known about where the majority of members of the Emerging Church Movement are on the political spectrum or how they view environmental protection and climate change issues. As an exploratory case study, this thesis advances our understanding of the Emerging Church Movement by considering these issues and how the movement influences its members. Using interviews and participant-observation, this thesis utilized qualitative methods to analyze and compare the environmental and political views of emerging church members against those of traditional evangelicals. There were three main findings from this research: (1) members of the Emerging Church Movement are more politically moderate than their evangelical counterparts; (2) social action calls were heard in church services rather than political action calls; and (3) environmental protection, though seen as important, did not appear to be a prominent issue in the Emerging Church Movement. The findings from the research suggest that there were both differences and similarities among the views of emerging church members and traditional evangelicals. The methods and practices employed in this study present a usable framework for future research, while the findings prompt new and interesting questions for future research on the nascent study of the Emerging Church Movement.
    [Show full text]
  • Church-Planting Essentials Training
    Missional Training Community Church Planting Essentials Hill Country Bible Church – Round Rock MISSIONAL CHURCH PLANTING ESSENTIALS 2011 The Art and Science of Planting a Missional, Gospel-Centered Church Session #1 Seven Questions Every Church Planter Must Answer • Who is God and What is He Doing in the Universe? • Who is Man and What Does He Really Need? • What is Going on in the World (Cities)? • What is the Gospel? • What is the Church and What is Our Mission? • Who is a Leader and What is His Purpose? • Why Do We Need to Plant Churches? (Break away & prep a 7-10 minute biblical presentation) #2 The Church Planting Pastor’s Inner Life • Ridley’s 13 Characteristics -- A panel of church planters unpack the most common qualities of effective church planters. • Understanding Myself – (DiSC, Strengthsfinder Strengths Assessment, Spiritual Gifs) • The Spiritual Life of a Pastor • Developing a Prayer Network #3 Determining Your Strategy • Missional Church/Missional Living • Doing Neighborhood Research • Paul’s Gathering Strategy • Exegeting a Community • How to Study Demographics #4 Engaging Culture in Context • Engaging Culture • Establishing a Missional Community -- Missional Core Development (Gospel Enlisting, Equipping, Engaging) • Missional Gospel Networking (E-1, E-2, E-3 Relationships) • Forming the Faith Community • When is it time to Create a Structured Community of Faith (Public Worship) • Social Networking Strategies – Gathering – Tracking – Targets #5 Public Gatherings and the Structured Community • Distinguishing between Missional Core and Ministry Teams • Ministry Design -- Seven Core Systems 1) Children, 2) HUGs , 3) Worship, 4) Groups 5) Assimilation and Membership, 6) Finance , 7) Communications #6 Developing a Ministry Plan 2 • Strategic Planning (Tactical vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Wagner Kyle 202005 Dmin Th
    Politics and Religion: The Faith of God’s People, The Gospel, and Anglican Interpretation by Kyle Michael Bradley Wagner A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Trinity College and the Toronto School of Theology. In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry awarded by Trinity College and The University of Toronto. © Copyright by Kyle Michael Bradley Wagner 2020 Politics and Religion: The Faith of God’s People, The Gospel, and Anglican Interpretation Kyle Michael Bradley Wagner Doctor of Ministry Trinity College and the University of Toronto 2020 Abstract This thesis examines the nature of religion and politics in the lives of Canadian Anglicans. As a phenomenological study, the collective voices of Anglicans in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia were gathered and analyzed. The research identifies how some Anglicans engage the world and their understanding of the scripture. The scope of this study included interviews and a questionnaire with twelve anonymous Anglicans and provided essential insight into the lives of Anglicans in Canada at a local level and therefore is something that the broader church should consider. ii Autobiographical Statement Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and raised in Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, the Rev. Kyle Wagner is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI. From a young age, Rev. Wagner had an interest in politics, serving as a page in the Prince Edward Island Legislature. He also worked as an assistant to former island Premier and Senator Catherine Callbeck. Rev. Wagner is an advocate of social justice and encourages the church to speak publicly on issues of social justice.
    [Show full text]