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A Chronological Presentation of the Writings of Elmer L. Towns from 1986-1999 Produced This Thesis for the Doctor Of

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A Chronological Presentation of the Writings of Elmer L. Towns from 1986-1999 Produced This Thesis for the Doctor Of LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY A CHRONOLOGICAL PRESENTATION OF THE WRITINGS OF ELMER L. TOWNS FROM 1999-2005, NOTING THE INTERRELATEDNESS OF HIS TEACHINGS AND WRITINGS FROM 1980-2005 A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Gabriel Benjamin Etzel Lynchburg, V A August, 2005 Copyright © 2005 Gabriel B. Etzel All Rights Reserved ii p A CHRONOLOGICAL PRESENTATION OF THE WRITINGS OF ELMER L. TOWNS FROM 1999-2005, NOTING THE INTERRELATEDNESS OF HIS TEACHINGS AND WRITINGS FROM 1980-2005 RESEARCH PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET GRADE MENTOR, Dr. Rick RasbelTy Associate Professor of Religion READER, Dr. David Brown Center for Faculty Excellence III CONTENTS TABLE OF GRAPHS ................................................................................................ vi ABSTRA CT ...............................................................................................................vii 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 Purpose .................................................................................................................... 2 The Basis for the Choice of Topic ........................................................................... 5 The Limitations of this Project ................................................................................ 7 Methodology Employed in this Project ................................................................... 9 2. BIOGRAPHy....................................................................................................... 11 Biography .............................................................................................................. 11 Additional Biographical Information .................................................................... 14 3. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................... 20 Articles ................................................................................................................... 20 Audiotapes ............................................................................................................. 21 Books .................................................................................................................... 21 Contributions to Books and Encyclopedias ........................................................... 54 Film and Video Series ........................................................................................... 58 Resource Packets ................................................................................................... 60 Worktexts for Liberty U ni versity .......................................................................... 61 4. AN ANALYSIS OF WRITING AREAS ........................................................... 64 5. CORRELATION OF WRITING AND TEACHING MINISTRy ................. 75 6. SURVEY OF ACADEMIC SUPERVISORS .................................................... 98 7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................ 107 8. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................... 113 Books .................................................................................................................. 113 Contributions to Books and Encyclopedias ......................................................... 120 Film and Video Series ......................................................................................... 122 Resource Packets ................................................................................................. 124 Worktexts for Liberty University ........................................................................ 126 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................... 128 "Christian Educators of the 20th Century" - Elmer Leon Towns ........................ 129 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................... 146 List of Elmer Towns' book sales ......................................................................... 147 APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................... 152 Survey for Supervisors of Elmer Towns within Higher Educational Settings .... 153 IV APPENDIX D ........................................................................................................... 155 Complete list of survey respondents' comments given on the survey ................ 156 APPENDIX E ........................................................................................................... 158 Higher Educational Institutions where Elmer Towns taught (1980-2005) .......... 159 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 161 v TABLE OF GRAPHS Graph 1: Elmer Towns' Writing Areas: 1963-2005 .......................................................... 65 Graph 2: Elmer Towns' Books on the Christian Life ........................................................ 66 Graph 3: Elmer Towns' Books on Church Growth ........................................................... 67 Graph 4: Elmer Towns' Books on Bible Study and Exposition ........................................ 69 Graph 5: Elmer Towns' Books on Christian Education .................................................... 70 Graph 6: Elmer Towns' Books on Sunday School.. .......................................................... 72 Graph 7: Elmer Towns' Books on Theology ..................................................................... 73 Graph 8: Elmer Towns' Writing Areas by Category ......................................................... 74 Graph 9: Elmer Towns' Books by Decade ........................................................................ 74 Graph 10: Areas in Which Elmer Towns Taught ............................................................ 100 Graph 11: Overall Contributions to Institution ................................................................ 10 1 Graph 12: Writing Contributions to Institution ............................................................... 102 Graph 13: Teaching Contributions to Institution ............................................................. 102 Graph 14: Reason Towns was Asked to Teach ............................................................... 104 Graph 15: What was Primarily Expected from Towns' Teachings ................................. 104 Graph 16: Teaching Contributions of Towns to InstitutioniSchool ................................ 105 Graph 17: Is Towns an Author or a Teacher? ................................................................. 106 vi ABSTRACT A CHRONOLOGICAL PRESENT ATION OF THE WRITINGS OF ELMER L. TOWNS FROM 1999-2005, NOTING THE INTERRELATEDNESS OF HIS TEACHINGS AND WRITINGS FROM 1980-2005 Gabriel B. Etzel Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005 Mentor: Dr. Rick Rasberry This project will analyze the contributions of Elmer L. Towns to six distinct disciplines, i.e., Church Growth, Sunday School, Christian Education, Bible Study and Exposition, Christian Life, and Theology. This is the third in a series of projects centered on the writing ministry of Elmer L. Towns. This project will examine the writing ministry of Elmer L. Towns from 1999-2005, and also include an analysis of his teaching ministry within higher educational settings. In addition, conclusions will be drawn from a survey of supervisors of the teachings of Elmer Towns from 1980-2005. Abstract length: 92 words. Vll CHAPTERl INTRODUCTION The purpose of this project will be to analyze the interrelationship of the teachings and writings of Elmer L. Towns to his disciplines, i.e., Church Growth, Sunday School, Christian Education, Bible Study and Exposition, Systematic Theology, and Christian Life. Elmer Towns has been teaching in higher education over 47 years in the aforementioned areas. This thesis is the third in a series. The first was entitled Elmer L. Towns, A Biographical and Chronological Presentation of His Writings by Stephen R. (Sam) Towns, D.Min, professor of religion, Liberty University. His study examined all of the writings of Elmer Towns until 1985, and was completed for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. The second project was an update to the earlier Towns study that examined the writings and contributions of Elmer Towns from 1986 to Spring 1999. The unique contribution of this thesis was to examine specifically the contributions of Elmer Towns to Church Growth, Sunday School, Christian Education, Bible Study and Exposition, and Christian Life; but it did not analyze his unique contribution to the area of Systematic Theology, which was his major at Dallas Theological Seminary. David Allan Brown's A Chronological Presentation of the Writings of Elmer L. Towns From 1986-1999 produced this thesis for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, Virginia. 1 ---- 2 Purpose In order to better understand the influence of Elmer Towns, this project will examine the interrelationship between the writing contributions of Elmer Towns (from 1999-2005) and his teaching contributions (1980-2005). The author will only attempt to examine the writings that were not covered in earlier
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