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Leadership challenges in Christian non-governmental organisations

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Introduction

Having worked for some years as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in a subsidiary office of an international humanitarian non-governmental organisation (NGO), I have made some observations regarding mind-set and conduct of Christian NGOs. For example, I have observed that Christian NGOs in the West must work rather quietly, in the midst of societies that are pluralistic and secular where theological issues are not mentioned in public, maybe with the exception of words like ‘Christian values’ or others that sound innocuous and harmless. Another example is that in Christian organisations, the position of CEO often involves taking turns between being a management professional and a theologian, and after a certain time this juggling starts all over again. A last observation is that there are challenges with regard to leadership and communication issues that do not fit well with Christian behaviour, as I thought should be the case, for example, cold-blooded dismissions of people, and others. Thus, the subject of the thesis deals with the question: which ethical frameworks (consciously or unconsciously) influence the organisational practices and behaviour of Christian organisations? In order to answer this question, three sub-questions need to be discussed, namely: (1) how do Christian NGOs relate to the society and world in which they live? (2) how is ethics understood and lived out in a Christian organisation? and (3) how do Christian NGOs deal with ethical matters in their organisations?

To answer these questions, it was necessary to draw from philosophical and theological-ethical literature as well as from business ethics and specialised literature regarding development and relief organisations. After discussing the methodology briefly, we will discuss some of the findings of these three sub-questions.

Methodology

The subject of this study is the real-life phenomenon of Christian NGOs. The overall structure of this thesis is based on a model of reality that consists of three aspects: world-views (philosophy and theology); organisational ethics; and the praxis in humanitarian NGOs. These three aspects are interrelated with one another: theory is not only applied to practice – in a deductive manner – but as in a circular process in which both theory and practice are interrelated.

The research design of the thesis consists of an extended analysis of the relevant literature and of theological, ethical and practical reflection, as well as semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. The empirical research helps to modify the theoretical research in a way that it is able to shape or modify the existing theory rather than developing new constructs and concepts as is usually done with a grounded theory.

The sample of the interviews encompassed 11 NGOs from the humanitarian field, which means from development and/or relief agencies in an international context. The headquarters needed to be in Germany, and (if possible) have at least 50 employees (not counting volunteers). Those Christian NGOs needed to be affiliated to Protestant-Evangelical churches, Protestant-Free churches or Catholic churches. Semi-structured interviews were held with top managers (CEO) or board members. The questionnaire comprised 50 questions on the foundation of nine key issues, such as sources of ethical thinking, Christian identity, decision-making, tension between business and ethics, issues of management, leadership, organisational issues and others. Questions were conducted as ranking choice questions, yes- or no-questions and open-ended questions.

Non-governmental organisations in relation to society

Regarding the first sub-question, namely, how Christian NGOs relate to society and their surrounding world, the main finding was that rationalist and secular ethics, especially from the Enlightenment 1 onwards, increasingly disregarded the theological contribution in favour of scientific, so-called ‘rational’ and ‘objective’ sources, and, thus, ruled out faith. The result was a separation between the material and the spiritual, as well as faith and reason. Germany, together with most Western countries, has become an individualistic, secular society, and this has influenced Christian NGOs to a great extent. The NGOs have answered a variety of questions regarding their sources of ethical thinking, their motivation as well as their different activities and their interactions with the secular world around them. Some of the findings are as follows:

The source of morality for the Christian NGOs comes from the Bible, human conscience as well as Christian theological thinking. They are convinced that human beings should aim to live a good life by loving God and others. Also, the motivation of humanitarian organisations stems primarily from a feeling of an obligation towards the needy ones. In addition, a sincere concern for the needy and a sense of personal fulfilment when being able to help could be identified as a basic motivation. Several themes and credos are used in the NGOs as important key statements, all taken from the Bible, and thus confirming the biblical source stated previously. Non-governmental organisations identify what motivates potential staff members by conducting interviews and confronting them with typical situations in order to find out their personal views.

Christian NGOs observe secular standards and codes, such as the seal of approval for donors, but they mostly ignore Christian codes. Both secular and Christian codes ensure credibility for the donor, but the secular codes are needed by all NGOs in order to receive public funding. The decision to turn to the secular, instead of the Christian codes, may thus simply have pragmatic reasons rather than a turning away from Christian values or downplaying their identity.

It was also found that regarding social ethics, God’s love and the Kingdom of God are emphasised within both Protestant and Catholic social work where socio-political goals are put into practice to make the world a better place. Christians, and in particular Christian NGOs, clearly need to be engaged in this vision, and they should understand and know about social ethics and its historical and biblical roots. The empirical part showed that the knowledge of social ethics does not seem to be very strong within the organisations.

Also, it was found that Christian NGOs suffer from ambivalent approaches from the secular environment, because, on the one hand, institutions and governments are open to Christian faith with regard to humanitarian work, but, on the other hand, a public manifestation of religious issues makes it difficult for NGOs to receive public donations. In addition, they are expected to be ‘neutral’, which is not possible because nobody is neutral. The empirical part confirmed this ambivalent situation: Christian NGOs admitted that a certain downplaying of their Christian faith cannot be avoided when donations are at stake, and that some of them experience a certain insecurity in their work because of these ambivalent approaches.

Summing up the most important findings in sub-question one, it can be said that, whereas the ethical sources of the interviewees point to a clear Christian tradition and to the Bible, there is a strong compliance with secular society. Christians working in the humanitarian field have partly accepted and adopted humanistic attitudes to enable their organisations to function. This is also because of the fact that secularism has become the dominant ideology in the humanitarian field (Arumugam 2014 :33), in which faith as a motive for social action is discarded. This must – inevitably – lead to situations where Christian NGOs and their leaders encounter difficulties in expressing their Christian faith within a secular society and towards their stakeholders.

How ethics is understood and lived out in the non-governmental organisations

This part answers the second sub-question, namely, how Christian ethics is understood and lived out in the organisations. As mentioned, the scientific-rational world-view was established because of the Enlightenment, which can also be observed and applied to economic matters. Rational economic thought began with classical liberalism that was based on a misunderstanding of Adam Smith’s doctrine of self-interest (Smith [1776] 2001 :17) and was adopted later by other thinkers such as David Ricardo and Jean-Baptiste Say. As a consequence, the working place, faith and everyday life that were previously perceived as a unity started to become fragmented.

This rational view, together with the model of the homo oeconomicus , remains the main way in which economics is taught in Germany today (Wöhe & Döring 2013 :3). This model is based on the assumption that business is about rational behaviour only, and the aim of business is the accumulation of wealth and money, with the highest possible efficiency, ignoring emotions, ethical reasoning and religious convictions. In the last few decades, a behaviourist approach has emerged as a counter-concept of the rational model of the homo oeconomicus. This includes specific psychological aspects that focus on the autonomy and self-assertion of the human being and argue that behaviour is influenced by environmental factors. It is probable that Christian NGOs have leaders who have been formed in these secular and humanistic ways. As the empirical study showed, they use different concepts of both rational and behaviourist approaches.

The empirical study has shown that the Christian NGOs interviewed were indeed familiar with the concepts of rational business, as observed in the profit business world. This was the case, for example, with efficiency issues, not least because of the strong competition among Christian humanitarian NGOs in Germany. Christian NGOs have also shown that they use the methods of modern human resources naturally, such as elements from staff and organisational development with its psychological content. Even if the behaviouristic approach places more attention on the human worker and includes more human-related issues, Christian NGOs should understand the humanistic background of the behaviouristic and psychological approaches, such as the concept of the human autonomy. Christian NGOs, thus, should draw on other ways of thinking but not in an uncritical way that denies Christian beliefs.

Virtue and character were issues that were present as early as the era of the Greek philosophers, but it was more recently, however, that thinkers again emphasised the importance of virtue ethics and character. Christian ethics requires this emphasis on moral behaviour and moral formation. But, in mainstream business literature, moral formation and character issues play no role or are mistaken for professional skills that are not sufficient. The empirical part revealed that character issues as part of Christian ethics in an organisation receive little emphasis. The necessity for something like character formation in the organisations was also practically non-existent; it is not currently offered to the employees and not fostered within these NGOs. Although the interviewed organisations could describe important character traits for their employees and leaders, they do not have a character-check for potential candidates. Professional competence and other skills receive more attention. Christian NGOs should, therefore, think about ways of integrating moral formation for all employees, and, in particular, for their leaders.

The literature study showed that the corporate culture is the collection of values and norms shared by all the members of an organisation. Culture, however, is only one part of a framework that is aimed at establishing a coherent corporate identity. The aim must be to establish a corporate Christian identity that is not directed only at the employees but can also be perceived and understood from the outside. All elements (corporate culture, appearance and image), therefore, need to show how the organisation lives out its convictions and its values, and how it deals with secularism in the humanitarian sector, such as a critique on terms like ‘neutrality’ or evangelism. They need to be coherent in order for the NGO to be credible and in the same way attractive to current and prospective donors and employees. This could be accomplished by clarifying the values and basic assumptions of the corporate culture as a first step through employee surveys or cultural analyses. The corporate image describes the characteristics of the organisation in the eyes of outsiders, for example, through objects or behaviours that need to be analysed as well, for example, by way of surveys or interviews (Scholz 2014 :422–423).

Also, for most of the NGOs, to have professional skills was more important than being theologically skilled. But of course, in reality, both are needed in a Christian NGO to be able to function well.

Non-governmental organisations suffer from the influence of secularism in a way that makes it hard for them to express their faith; the responses of the Christian NGOs regarding their self-understanding, for example, revealed that some NGOs struggle to see clear differences between Christian and non-Christian humanitarian organisations. Significantly, some of the interviewees did not see any differences at all.

Amongst the interviewed Christian NGOs, a number of principles, values and ethical codes are stressed, but whether they are put into practice in a systematic way is not clear. Most of the NGOs do not appear to know how Christian values can contribute to the success of the whole organisation. This also correlates with the fact that there are almost no visible patterns of behaviour or symbols. Most Christian elements are formal elements, such as devotions at the beginning of meetings or a worship service once a week (that admittedly was not attended in high numbers, if it was voluntary). To summarise, the Christian profile, as well as a corporate identity, seemed to be shaped rather weakly within the interviewed organisations.

In the theoretical study, another finding was that not only individuals but also organisations are moral agents. The empirical part revealed some insecurities in handling this very important matter. Clarification of this matter is, however, necessary in order to address good governance, structures, moral learning, responsible change and ethical culture.

To conclude the second sub-question, namely, how Christian ethics is understood and lived out in their organisations, it can be said that here also the influence of secularism (or rationalism) can be observed, instituted by a narrow ethical approach that prevails in the economy and is taught in the universities. Many of the leaders of NGOs may be shaped consciously or unconsciously by the thoughts of the homo oeconomicus , the mathematical-rational approach of how to lead organisations and also by the predominant separation of business and ethics. This becomes evident not only in the weak self-understanding of their Christian identity but also by the almost non-existent handling of character and character formation, which is not emphasised.

Specific ethical matters in the organisations

Apart from discussed topics and challenges regarding humanitarian organisations (such as corporate stewardship, corporate citizenship, stakeholder engagement, systems of integrity, organisational structures, change management and others), there are also three theological issues that leaders of Christian NGOs have to deal with.

The first issue is the world-view. In Figure 1 , we can see the modern world-view on the left-hand side compared to the biblical world-view on the right-hand side. In the biblical world-view, we see dotted lines between the seen and the unseen world. There are no strict separations – in contrast to the modern world-view.

The separation of word and deed in the modern world-view.

[FIGURE OMITTED. SEE PDF]

In his article, ‘The flaw of the excluded middle’ (1982), Paul G. Hiebert observed that not only is religion separate from science, but there is also an excluded middle part in the Western world-view that functions between those two extremes (Hiebert 1982 :43, see Figure 1). The middle part is about the supernatural and this-worldly part, where spirits, witches, local ancestors and ghosts exist. Christian humanitarian workers from the West have immense difficulties in addressing issues that relate to this middle section (Hiebert 1982 :43). Bryant Myers, the former vice president for International Program Strategy at World Vision International, expanded on Hiebert’s model and stated that the divisions taking place in the modern world-view result in separating ‘word’ and ‘deed’ in development work (Myers 1999 :9), where development work belongs exclusively to the ‘deed’ part, which in most of the cases means meeting material needs. Obviously, this understanding of ‘deeds’ correlates with the expectation of a secular environment to behave in a ‘neutral’ way, as mentioned before.

The empirical part has shown that Christian NGOs in Germany separate ‘word’ and ‘deed’; they have also yielded to the pressure exerted by a secular society, umbrella organisations as well as supra-national organisations and governments by excluding appropriate evangelistic activities from their agendas. However, spiritual realities of the unseen world need to be addressed, along with the spiritual needs of both members of the organisation and the beneficiaries.

The consequence of this is reflected in a typology of Christian faith-based agencies elaborated on by Laura C. Thaut, a US-American political scientist from the University of Minnesota. Her taxonomy seeks to explain how Christian faith-based agencies differ from one another, how their theological tradition shapes their humanitarianism and whether or how they are distinct from secular agencies (Thaut 2009 :319 ff.):

• Accommodative humanitarian agencies are virtually indistinguishable from secular agencies despite their religious roots. Their mission statements strictly exclude religious goals and Christian faith is not required of staff. In addition, the funding is not dependent upon religious sources.
• Synthesis humanitarian: these agencies attempt to balance Christian orientation and secular goals. They clearly define their mission and desire to serve as a Christian witness through their service. They do not, however, engage in proselytising.
• Evangelistic humanitarian: the most religiously oriented with evangelism incorporated into its humanitarianism.

By discussing this taxonomy with the interviewees, it became clear that more than half of the organisations had difficulties defining their Christian profile. None of them called themselves ‘evangelistic humanitarian’, and some of them called themselves ‘accommodative humanitarian’. Christian organisations that are indistinguishable from secular organisations have lost their Christian visibility and uniqueness. While a wrong type of evangelism ought to be criticised, to ignore the faith basis of Christian NGOs within the organisation and also in the field work is counter-productive, especially when the NGOs are working in countries that are open to the Christian faith.

Another issue is that of charity and human rights. In the New Testament, the parable of the Good Samaritan shows an example of charity by defining who ‘a neighbour’ is (Lk 10:25–37). The value of the parable is that it has moved people and organisations to do as the Good Samaritan did and go forth and help the needy for nothing in return. Many NGOs have drawn directly or indirectly on the parable of the Good Samaritan as an expression of neighbourly love, compassion and charity, and it may be one of their prime motives for their work, even if the message is at times misinterpreted as an instruction for disaster relief (Eichberger 2015 :68; Kröck 2007 :368).

Significantly, there are Christian NGOs that see the parable of the Good Samaritan as anachronistic, because, compassion is at its core linked to a difference in status and power (Dehn 2017 :n.p.) in the sense that the one who is compassionate is above the needy. Christoph Dehn, a former deputy member of the executive board of a well-known German Christian NGO, holds that charity is not needed any more, because the beneficiaries should no longer be objects of welfare but owners of rights (Dehn 2017 :n.p.). This statement seems strange and disconcerting owing to the fact that both charity and human rights are important. Dehn ( 2017 :n.p.) stated, ‘That compassion gradually takes a back-seat – perhaps it is a blessing’ 2 . With these statements, Dehn gives up the idea of charity by replacing it with arguments of the Human-Rights-based approach. This seems to be a very narrow view given the fact that the Christian social tradition is based on unified concepts of justice and charity. The empirical part of the thesis has shown that many interviewees share this view.

In addition, the term ‘charity’ seems to be more and more replaced by the call for justice (Hankela 2017 :49). Terms associated with Christianity, such as ‘charity’ or similar concepts, are described in negative terms in the recent social justice debate (Hankela 2017 :48). Significantly, the 17 sustainable development goals (UN, n.d.) were criticised by the envoys of 24 faith groups not only because of being too numerous but also because ‘words like selflessness, sacrifice, love, compassion, duty, generosity and charity are entirely absent’ (Erasmus 2015).

In addition, in March 2017, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR 2017) launched the ‘Faith4Rights’ framework during an expert workshop in Beirut.

The ‘Faith4Rights’ concept ignores the specific Christian roots of humanitarian work. Instead, the declaration is fully spiked with verses from the Bible, Quran, sayings of Buddha, Bahai and others. The under-title of the Declaration is the old Sufi proverb, ‘There are as many paths to God as there are souls on earth’ (OHCHR 2018 :7). This approach seems to be based on a pluralist world-view. It can be argued that, with the growth of significance of supra-national organisations in the humanitarian field, this may become more important and also very challenging for Christian organisations.

Another important issue that arose in the empirical study is that there seems to be a general dissatisfaction and a certain frustration regarding the relationship of the church towards them and the organisations. The interviewees do not primarily take ideas and impetus from their churches into their work-place. The churches to which the interviewees belong seem to ignore some of them in their business life and in this way contribute to the perceived rift between spiritual and business matters.

Concluding this third sub-question, namely, how Christian NGOs deal with ethical matters in their organisations, it can be said that the empirical study affirmed the assumption that Christian NGOs and their leaders are strongly influenced by secular thought: firstly, we mentioned the separation of ‘word’ and ‘deed’ in analogy to the modern world-view. As a consequence, we have seen that Christian NGOs are mostly indistinguishable from secular ones. Also, the fact that charity is being replaced by the human-rights-based approach has been confirmed by many NGOs. There is quite a lot of frustration on the cooperation with the different churches that apparently are not helpful for the work-life of the leaders.

Christian NGOs are influenced by the philosophical and theological ethics shaped by ancient Greek and other philosophers as well as a large number of Christian theologians. Also, they are influenced by business theorists as well as by their societies. In my investigation, I have focussed on ethical (philosophical and/or theological) frameworks that have an impact on the business life and practical performance of Christian NGOs. As a consequence of enlightenment, a narrowing-down of religious thought occurred. With it came a separation of the material and the spiritual (and of faith and reason), individualism, secularism and relativism. Christian NGOs in Germany are strongly influenced by this narrow thought that brings about many challenges and insecurities for their leaders and the entire staff.

Leaders of Christian NGOs need to take care:

• that their NGOs build on a holistic world-view that does not separate ‘word’ from ‘deed’ and the spiritual from the material
• that a clear profile is established in the organisation. Christian NGOs need to cope with the tough challenges of faith pluralism that may become stronger in the near future. Without the cooperation of the churches, this may not be accomplished in a satisfying way
• that they understand the theological–philosophical aspects of their work, and they may, thus, need to question the narrow secular stance of governments and their institutions. They also need to know about Christian ethics, especially social ethics, because here they can find the link between their work and their faith in more concrete ways, both from an individual and organisational point of view

Leaders in Christian NGOs are responsible for the functioning of their organisations and for including the requirements of their stakeholders. In the same way, they are responsible for establishing a Christian identity in their organisations and may thus need to question the requirements of a secular society and their institutions. It can be argued, though, that leaders in Christian NGOs may not be aware of their own underlying world-views and may be influenced by humanistic thought, which has consequences for the work in their NGOs and their behaviour towards their stakeholders and their organisations.

The thesis showed that, for a majority of the interviewed Christian NGOs, faith issues and ethics are separate from work-life, and work-life is mainly filled with the concerns about the thought and processes of their deeds. However, they also have strong convictions that send out positive signals into a secular world; for example, the activities that Christian NGOs take part in help shape public life, the positive role models of the Bible, the way they care for corporate citizenship, etc.

The thesis (that includes a high number of tables) can be seen as a contribution to clarify some important issues to improve and strengthen the work of Christian NGOs in secular Western societies. It contributes to the findings of Christian faith-based NGOs in their relationship with a secular environment on macro-, meso- and micro-levels. This research has included ethical frameworks, philosophical and theological-ethical thought as well as business ethical thought and their implications for the attitudes, work and behaviour of Christian NGOs. It has shown how Christian NGOs are affected negatively by the developments triggered by the historical separation between faith and reason. This has severe consequences for the way in which Christian NGOs work, how they perceive themselves and those they strive to help.

Acknowledgements

This article stems from Dr Ana Maria Cabodevila’s PhD thesis, entitled ‘Ethical frameworks, organisational practices and conduct: An analysis of Christian Humanitarian Organisations (NGOs) in Germany’, submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of theology at the University of South Africa. Prof. L. Kretzschmar was the supervisor for the abovementioned PhD, and Prof. V. Kessler was the co-supervisor.

Competing interests

The author declares that she has no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced her in writing this article.

Author’s contribution

A.M.C. is the sole author of this research article.

Ethical considerations

This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.

Funding information

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Data availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed during this study.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.

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This article refers to selected issues elaborated from my interdisciplinary doctoral thesis accomplished at the University of South Africa in 2019. I investigated the ethical-theoretical frameworks as well as practices of Christian humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Germany by combining a theoretical part (including philosophy, theology, business studies and development studies) and an empirical part. The empirical part was accomplished by interviewing 11 NGOs from the humanitarian field (development and/or relief agencies in an international context). The findings of theory and practice showed that many Christian NGOs typically conform to the secular mindset and regulations in order to be able to function as organisations. The results also revealed that Christian NGOs have difficulties in defining their identity in order to be attractive and convincing to their current and prospective employees and donors. In addition, organisational and hierarchical structures are mostly taken from business companies but do not necessarily always fit to the individual organisations. The research is significant because it shows to what extent these NGOs experience tensions and insecurities having to work in a secular environment, and it helps to identify some typical challenges that Christian organisations face in Western countries. The purpose of the thesis was to impact on the reflection and practice of leaders of NGOs in their quest to understand developments and paradigm shifts, and ensure that they will act in a recognisably Christian way.

Contribution: This article has been held as a presentation at the Leadership Conference in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2019. It contributes to the research of specific Christian leadership, and particularly of leadership in Christian non-governmental organisations. This article aims to describe the challenges these organisations face, having to work in the midst of a secular environment.

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Doctor of Ministry Theses

Leadership development in the christian church and churches of christ in northeast nebraska.

Wayne Dykstra Follow

Date of Award

Document type, primary advisor.

Charles Siburt

Secondary Advisor

Committee reader.

Dan Donaldson

This project/thesis focuses on the leadership needs of the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in northeast Nebraska in general and of Wakefield Christian Church in particular. The leadership context of Wakefield Christian Church was analyzed utilizing a congregational profile inventory, the presentation of a leadership development course, an evaluation instrument, and conversations and interviews of the church leadership. The success or failure of organizations will depend upon the quality of the leadership. The objective of this project was to provide a leadership course which would produce better leaders who could make a difference in the kingdom of God and provide a resource to address the leadership needs of the churches. The leadership course addresses such issues as the definitions and descriptions of the terms leader and leadership, theological foundations of leadership, the differences between leadership and management, the spiritual formation of the leader, the purpose and goals of the church including a mission statement, qualities of effective leaders and the leadership task, vision casting, and strategic planning.

The project includes an examination of available literature on the subject of leadership from both religious and secular forums with an eye towards methods, strategies, and current research. The methodology section includes a review of the biblical interpretation of leadership emphasizing the biblical concept of servanthood and a description of the course. The leadership course, designed to meet the needs of the churches of northeast Nebraska, can be adjusted by other users of the course to fit individual church needs. The leaders of Wakefield Christian church were encouraged to select those particular topics which would meet their individual needs and were invited to discuss specific issues as the course progressed. The evaluation of the course consisted of the administration of an evaluation instrument developed midway through the course which assessed the course methods and the instruction, conversations with participants during the last session, and an interview of the minister. The evaluation process is a means of comparing what actually took place with what ought to happen. The concluding chapter provides some suggestions for the use of the course. Additional weekend seminars, classes at nearby Nebraska Christian College, or weekly study groups are possible methods for future use by others who may choose to use this course.

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Joni Eareckson Tada at the Global Leadership Summit: The Best Leaders Lead, Not From Power, but From Weakness

Outspoken christian hulk hogan ‘indifferent’ to ben affleck and matt damon’s film about his past scandal, ‘today’s a good day to be unpopular’—john cooper urges a spiritual ‘revolution’ with new skillet single, rwanda government shuts more than 5,000 churches, claiming code violations, at global leadership summit, mike krzyzewski shares lessons from coaching kobe bryant and lebron james, musical artist and ‘the chosen’ actor moriah tells erwin mcmanus what’s she’s learned about being a leader in the music industry.

Christian artist and entrepreneur Moriah joined author and fellow artist Erwin McManus at the Global Leadership Summit Thursday, Aug. 8, where Moriah played an unreleased single, “Superwoman,” and talked with McManus about leadership in the music industry.

Moriah: ‘I’m Still Very Much Learning’

Moriah is a Christian musician who has released the albums, “I Choose Jesus” and “Brave,” the latter of which reached the No. 9 spot on Billboard’s CCM Charts. She is married to Joel Smallbone of the band for KING & COUNTRY and with whom she co-produced the movie, “ Unsung Hero .” The film is a biopic about the Smallbone family’s immigration to the U.S. and the blossoming careers of Joel and Luke Smallbone and their sister, Rebecca St. James. Moriah is also an actor and plays the role of Bathsheba in the hit TV series, “ The Chosen .”

RELATED: ‘I Prefer Our Version’—Jonathan Roumie Shares Photo of the Last Supper From ‘The Chosen,’ Season 5

Moriah told McManus that “Superwoman” is on her Latin country album that will be coming out next year. Noting that they are both Latinos, McManus asked Moriah what she has learned about being a leader as part of a minority in the music industry.

“I’m still very much learning,” Moriah replied. “How do you practice leadership in a genre as nebulous and unscripted as songwriting? There’s no ladder to climb here, you know, and there’s no right way to do it.”

A key part of how Moriah approaches her career is that she sees herself as an entrepreneur. “I love doing all these things, producing films, writing music, making albums, touring,” she said, “but I’m an entrepreneur. Ultimately, I see myself as a brand. I see my songs as a product.”

The artist invests in her own growth and education, and she talked about the importance of healthy habits and boundaries. “I’m [a] very boring, basic person,” said Moriah, adding that quality is “something that I’ve come to accept about myself.”

By “boring,” Moriah simply means that she gets eight hours of sleep every night, drinks plenty of water, and essentially sets up “structured parameters” for her life and work. These practices are in contrast to the stereotype that musicians are “wild artists with these big personalities…going on binges and being a bit manic and staying up till 3:00 a.m. writing songs.”

“I think what you call ‘boring,’ we would call ‘healthy,’” McManus observed.

“I think the most attainable way to practice leadership is to get to know myself,” she said, “to get to know how God created me uniquely, and to embrace and celebrate that.” 

“You’re in an industry where the majority of people quit, even when they have extraordinary talent,” McManus pointed out. “What has helped you not quit…to find the eternal resilience, to just keep moving forward?”

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Seven Nicaraguan priests who were detained in recent weeks have been exiled to Rome amidst a significant crackdown on the Catholic Church by President Daniel Ortega's administration.

The clergy members were among the religious leaders detained by National Police in the Diocese of Matagalpa, which is led by the outspoken regime critic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was exiled earlier this year as he faced a 26-year prison sentence. 

The seven priests reportedly left Nicaragua on Wednesday and arrived at the Vatican on Thursday, according to Vatican News , which notes that the Nicaraguan government has exiled at least five different groups of priests since October 2022. 

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The detained priests were kept under house arrest and held at the National Inter-Diocesan Seminary of Our Lady of Fátima before their expulsion.

Those expelled include two senior diocese leaders, Fathers René Vega Matamoros and Edgard Sacasa, who assumed leadership of the Diocese of Matagalpa after the bishop was exiled. They were detained on Aug. 1. 

Others include Father Marlon Velázquez, Father Jairo Pravia and Vicar Víctor Godoy of the Immaculate Conception of María de Sebáco Church, Franciscan Friar Silvio José Romero and Father Harvin Tórrez, the rector of the Matagalpa seminary and parish priest of Santa María de Guadalupe Church in Matagalpa who was detained on Monday. 

The expulsions are part of a broader campaign by the Ortega regime, which has been intensifying its grip on dissenting voices within the Catholic Church by detaining and exiling priests, often without due process.

The ruling regime of the far-left Sandinista National Liberation Front has been notably aggressive, with police capturing clergy directly from their parish residences, often holding them incommunicado before forcing them into exile.

In related incidents, Father Frutos Valle, aged 80, was detained on July 27 but later released and returned to his parish in Estelí, according to Catholic Review . 

The crackdown extended over several days in early August, with additional detentions of religious leaders from Matagalpa. The series of detentions is a result of the ongoing tensions between the Nicaraguan government and the Catholic Church, with the government's actions being widely condemned internationally.

Mervyn Thomas, founding president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called these detentions unjust, calling on the international community to hold the Ortega regime accountable for its actions, which he described as a violation of the freedom of religion or belief.

Despite the exiling of priests and other religious figures, many, such as Fr. Raúl Villegas and Friar Ramón Morras, remain unaccounted for, contributing to the growing concern over the safety and freedom of religious leaders in Nicaragua.

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA has issued appeals for prayers for the safety and strength of the Nicaraguan clergy, saying the most recent wave of arrests continue to demoralize the diocese. 

"In these challenging times, it is crucial for us to unite in prayer for the Church in Nicaragua," the appeal reads. "Let us pray for the safety and strength of the priests, deacons, and all members of the clergy who are courageously upholding their faith amidst persecution. Our prayers can offer them solace and support, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggle."

Álvarez and over a dozen other imprisoned clergy members were released from detention and exiled in January as part of a negotiation with the Vatican. The bishop, a critic of the government's treatment of the Catholic Church, was sentenced in February 2023 to 26 years in prison after he was convicted of "undermining national integrity."

The Vatican was forced to close its nunciature in Managua in March 2023. In recent years, over 200 religious figures have either fled or been forced to leave the country,  the French newspaper La Croix reports, citing the human rights collective Nicaragua Nunca Mas.

Watchdog organization Open Doors has highlighted the escalating persecution of Christians in Nicaragua, especially since the 2018 anti-regime protests.

The government's crackdown has included arrests of Christian leaders, seizure of Christian properties and closures of Christian schools, TV stations and charities. Legal amendments have branded church leaders as terrorists, with the government aiming to control church finances.

U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Alabama Republicans Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville have been outspoken in their support for the imprisoned pastors, urging the Biden administration to implement strong, targeted sanctions against the Nicaraguan government.

Similarly, Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., led a bipartisan group of 58 members of Congress in a l etter to the Nicaraguan ambassador , expressing deep concerns over these violations of religious freedom.

The U.S. State Department identifies Nicaragua as a "Country of Particular Concern" for engaging in egregious religious freedom violations. In its annual international religious freedom  report , the State Department notes that government crackdowns have also impacted Evangelicals in Nicaragua.

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Over 300 American Christian leaders appeal for persecuted Indian religious minorities

Federation of indian-american christian organizations of north america (fiacona).

Hundreds of mostly American Christian leaders have united in a powerful call to action in a letter urging the U.S. State Department to designate India a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). 

“As Indian Christians struggle to follow their faith in the face of Hindu supremacist policies, persecution of religious minorities is being buried by U.S. adoration of the current Indian regime,” says Federation of Indian-American Christian Organizations in North America (FIACONA) Executive Director Rev. Neal Christie. “This letter highlights the rapidly escalating state-sanctioned violations of human rights targeting religious minorities, including Christians, Muslims, Dalits, and indigenous tribal peoples.”

The over 300 signatories include 18 bishops, three archbishops and 166 clergy from diverse denominational and non-denominational backgrounds, eight current or former presidents and deans from five theological schools, and leaders from over 40 Christian organizations. This is the first letter ever produced by U.S. Christian leaders addressing religious persecution in India.

Signatories include the immediate past president of the National Council of Churches ; the president, immediate past president, and ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church (UMC); the chancellor emeritus of the Orthodox Church in America ; the presidents of Wesley Theological Seminary and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary ; the president of International Christian Concern ; national ecumenical office leaders from both the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA); the executive director of the Paulist Fathers Ecumenical and Multi-Faith Relations ; the Catholic bishop of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago ; and more.

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, violence against Indian Christians skyrocketed. The ecumenical Delhi-based United Christian Forum reported 720 attacks against Christians in 2023, a dramatic rise from 127 in 2014 when Modi first assumed office. FIACONA documented 1,570 attacks in 2023, up from its previous report of 1,198 in 2022. In 2023, International Christian Concern ranked India as the 3rd worst “persecutor of the year.”

“This letter is a clarion call to the American Church to stay alert to abuses caused by religious nationalism in what was a pluralistic and secular India,” says Rev. Peter Cook, a FIACONA board member who also serves as Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches. “We hope it will inspire the U.S. government to stop ignoring how Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP systematically implements a religious nationalist agenda in both India and America.”

In 2023, Human Rights Watch reported , “Violence between Hindu BJP supporters and Muslim and Christian communities has become common in recent years in India, especially in BJP-ruled states.” Amnesty International says that government officials, politicians, and supporters of the BJP have “advocated hatred and violence against religious minorities with impunity, particularly Muslims, marking a rise in hate crimes.” Genocide Watch also warns that Indian religious minorities, especially Muslims, face an impending genocide.

“For years, the pressure of violent persecution has been building against Christians and other religious minorities in India,” says Pieter Friedrich, a FIACONA board member and journalist who specializes in analysis of South Asian affairs. “The U.S. Church is tragically silent as India becomes not only our nation’s greatest ally in Asia but also the most dangerous democracy in the world for Christians. It is encouraging to see the narrative shift as, finally, hundreds of Christian leaders from diverse backgrounds raise a voice for the persecuted Church in India.”

Attacks on religious minorities are led by Hindu nationalist groups affiliated with the paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who equate militant Hindu ideology with Indian citizenship and operate with either the sanction or tolerance of the BJP. 

“The diversity of this coalition is remarkable,” states Rev. Christie. “This is not about doctrine or differences among us, but about our shared commitment to human rights, especially the freedom of conscience and belief. From Catholic to Charismatic, Methodist to Anglican, Presbyterian to Orthodox, we are united in our opposition to a narrow, ethno-nationalist vision which promotes policies and legislation that criminalizes people based on who they are, how they worship, or their social status. This is about targeting vulnerable people with arbitrary arrests, church burnings and demolition of religious schools, physical assaults and land grabs, even outlawing of worship. It is an effort to erase and eradicate religious minorities in the name of a form of Hindu majoritarianism.” 

Several denominations also recently took up this concern.

In April 2024, the 10-million-member UMC passed a resolution condemning “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom” in India. In May, the Anglican Free Communion International (AFCI) also passed a resolution condemning violence against religious minorities in India, especially against Christians in Manipur. They were followed in June by the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCCNY).

All three bodies urged the U.S. State Department to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and called on their members to press the U.S. Congress for action.

“We pray that this letter , combined with recent resolutions, will create a snowball effect in the ecumenical community as we look for creative ways to oppose the oppression of Indian Christians, Adivasis, Muslims, and other religious minorities in India,” says Friedrich.

“I am grateful to so many Christian leaders who signed this letter and chose to elevate the plight of persecuted people in India,” says Rev. Cook. “The struggles of Christians under the Modi government have grown worse and worse as we witness church burnings, beating of pastors, incarceration and harassment of American Christian visitors, abuse of anti-conversion laws, Christian charities in India cut off from foreign donations, and denial of equal access to benefits and even citizenship for religious minorities.”

Aside from CPC designation, the letter asks the U.S. State Department to hold the Indian government accountable for advancing equal human rights for all religious communities, to consider targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and human rights, and to support independent religious organizations and human rights groups in India and the US who are targeted for their advocacy of religious freedom and human rights.

Many other clergy, especially Indian-American pastors, expressed their desire to sign but fear doing so due to threats from the Modi regime. FIACONA encourages all clergy and laity to add their names to the growing list .

Contact: Rev. Neal Christie Federation of Indian-American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) 202-285-4544 [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.

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Olympic and faith leaders seek reset after opening ceremony outcry, while chaplains welcome athletes

Religious leaders of all faiths joined International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet on Sunday for an interfaith ceremony to celebrate their shared values of solidarity and peace.

A woman wears a t-shirt to help distinguish religions in the religious area of the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Rabbi Moshe Lewin shows the Torah to buddhist monks in the inter-religious hall at the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Hindu religious representative Pavitra Patel prays inside the Hindu room at the Multifaith Center in the Olympic Village, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

View of the Christian space in the inter-religious hall in the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A Buddhist monk shows the Buddhist space to Muslim representative Najat Benali in the inter-religious hall at the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Muslim representative Najat Benali, left, Rabbi Moshe Lewin, center, and Orthodox Christian priest Anton Gelyasov chat in the Jewish area of the inter-religious hall in the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Rabbi Moshe Lewin shows the Torah to Muslim representative Najat Benali, with pink head covering, and to catholic priest Jason Nioka, left, in the inter-religious hall the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Orthodox Christian priests stand in the Christian area in the inter-religious hall of the Olympic Village at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Idols of divinities are seen inside the Hindu room at the Multifaith Center in the Olympic Village, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Follow along for the latest updates from today’s Olympic action , including the gold medal men’s basketball game between the U.S. and France.

PARIS (AP) — Faith leaders gathered with Olympic officials Sunday morning in front of Notre Dame Cathedral to celebrate how “faith and sport can complement each other,” in the words of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

The 2024 Paris Games got off to a rocky start with many religious groups around the world, including the Vatican. They criticized a scene in the opening ceremony seen as mocking Christianity by evoking “The Last Supper” and featuring drag queens, though the performers and the ceremony’s artistic director denied being inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s painting.

“We wanted to show that the most important thing is peace,” Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard said at the gathering. It was modeled after the first such interfaith meeting, organized by modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin in the 1924 Paris Games.

Far from the controversy, in an inconspicuous tent-like structure tucked away at the end of the athletes’ village in Paris, ordained and lay representatives from the five major global religions have taken up that mantle, providing spiritual comfort to Olympians.

Representatives of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism worked for months to set up a shared hall where the more than 10,500 athletes and their staff can find information about worship and speak with a chaplain.

For the first half of the Games, many seem to have found their way there to have a quiet moment away from the overwhelming pressure of competition.

“Some of the athletes who come to pray, I think they came to give up their pressure, to take some time to get out of their own heads,” said the Rev. Jason Nioka, a former judo champion who’s in charge of the largest contingent of Olympic chaplains, about 40 Catholic priests, nuns and lay faithful.

An athlete who lost a competition told chaplains that he would quit sports. After multiple days of visits, he said everything was fine and he’ll stick to it, said the Rev. Anton Gelyasov, archpriest of the Greek-Orthodox Metropolis of France, who’s leading more than two dozen Christian Orthodox chaplains for the Games.

Catch up on the latest from Day 15 of the 2024 Paris Olympics:

• Gymnastics: Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu could replace Jordan Chiles as bronze medalist in floor exercise after a court ruling.
• Soccer: The U.S. women’s soccer team won its fifth Olympic gold medal , and first since 2012, by beating Brazil 1-0.
• Basketball: Steph Curry leads U.S. men against Victor Wembanyama and France. Nikola Jokic led Serbia to bronze .

It’s almost over: What to know about the Paris Olympics closing ceremony .

Follow along with our Olympics medal tracker and list of winners. Here is the Olympic schedule of events.

Each religion got 50 square meters (538 square feet) of the structure provided by the Paris Games organizing committee, with instructions to comply with France’s secularism laws that strictly prescribe the role of religion in public spaces.

What the faith leaders have done with the space is itself a wordless message of dialogue, tolerance and welcome — beginning with redistributing the size of the different rooms based on the expected number of faithful.

The door between the small Jewish room and the Muslim space, about twice its size but equally sparingly adorned, is often kept open.

“Here it’s very symbolic,” said Rabbi Moshe Lewin, vice president of the Conference of European Rabbis and one of the Jewish chaplains. “The conviviality, that’s the image that we should transmit.”

OLYMPIC PHOTOS : See AP’s top photos from the 2024 Paris games

“People smile when they see an imam and a rabbi together,” added Najat Benali, president of the Coordination of Muslim Associations of Paris, who leads the Muslim chaplaincy. “We do ‘geo-fraternity,’ not geopolitics.”

The Hindu space also welcomes visitors with blessings by a small water fountain as chanting resounds from a volunteer’s cellphone. It’s the most exuberantly decorated space, with statues from India and a recreated temple structure in painted polyester foam.

In the middle is the Christian area, where Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox share an altar with a large Bible flanked by a cross and icons. Next to it hangs a poster with a quote about faith by U.S. star gymnast Simone Biles .

Last week, three athletics competitors from Australia, Finland and Jamaica walked in to pray, and faith leaders asked if they could join them.

“It was like a little Pentecost,” said Anne Schweitzer, who’s coordinating about three dozen Protestant chaplains.

She discovered one of the three athletes, a silver medalist, is also quoted in the Gospel edition called “More Precious than Gold,” created for the Games and available to visitors there and at churches across Olympic host cities.

Some Catholics, as well as volunteers in the village, have gone next door to meditate in the Buddhist space, said Luc Charles, a Zen monk with the Buddhist Union of France.

“It’s the occasion to get to know each other better,” he added.

AP videojournalist Alex Turnbull in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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Leadership Style of Raiders' Jenkins: Paying It Forward

Michael france | aug 8, 2024.

• Las Vegas Raiders

It is no secret as to what the Las Vegas Raiders' strongest unit is.

They used the offseason to build upon the arsenal through free agency. Add a player like defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. There is no guess as to why the defensive line is the Raiders' best unit. Only answers. They are -- All-Pro Maxx Crosby, Wilkins, double-digit sack candidate Malcolm Koonce, blossoming versatile defensive lineman Tyree Wilson, and big, space-eating interiors like John Jenkins and Adam Butler.

The latter of the two interiors might be the better one in regard to production. But the former is one of the team's most vocal leaders. What Jenkins provides is a decade of NFL experience at the position. With a head coach like Antonio Pierce, who wants a winning environment on the field and in the locker room, Jenkins' mentorship of young players is vital.

One player who has benefited from such leadership is second year defensive tackle Byron Young . Jenkins told reporters that Young was "like a little brother."

"It was like a little brother, this is a brotherhood. I was extremely fortunate to have the guys who cultivated me when I came into the league, like the Broderick Bunkley's, Akeem Hicks, Jonathan Vilma, all those guys when I got drafted by the Saints in 2013," Jenkins said. "So I just pretty much try to take that with me wherever I go. Treat everybody like a brother, little brother, and just whatever game I can give them to do better. And if they listen, I'm just going to keep giving them game. Byron has a lot of potential, it's no different than when I had Christian [Wilkins] as a rookie in Miami, right? Everything I learn and I pick up during the years, I gave to [Christian], and same thing with Byron.

"Those guys, they really want it, they're hungry for it, and they got a lot of potential. They are on this stage for a reason, so if I can do whatever I can I'm not just a vet, as far as a player, but also as helping a coach. I love [Rob Leonard], [Patrick Graham], all those guys. So it's up to me to give them a player's perspective instead of a coaching perspective."

Paying it forward. Perhaps the most succinct way to describe the motivation behind Jenkins' leadership. The Raiders will have arguably the best defensive front in 2024. Gaps will be plugged up, zone blocking will strain against such talent on the defensive line. Quarterbacks will have to use their legs.

It might just be that the most valuable aspect of the defensive line is it's brotherhood. Call it chemistry, unity, whatever the term you fancy. The Raiders want to dominate and they want to do it together.

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MICHAEL FRANCE

• Liberty University
• Jerry Falwell Library
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Home > Divinity > Doctoral Dissertations

Doctoral Dissertations

Submissions from 2024 2024.

The Effect of Music on Spiritual Well Being Among Hospice Patients , Mathai Abraham

Biblical Choice Model: A St. Augustine-Inspired Approach to Behavioral Economics , Adebukola Adebayo

The Evidential Problem of Assurance: Textual Approach from the Johannine Literature , Derick A. Adu

A Correlational Study of Culturally Responsive Christian School Leadership and Its Impact on Culturally Marginalized Students , Denecia B. Anderson

Ghanaian Christian Leadership Model: A Biblically Informed, Ghanaian, and Effective Leadership Model in a Western Cultural Setting , Moses Antwi

Equipping Equippers: Training Alaska Bible College Students for Equipping Ministry through Mentorship , Justin Glenn Archuletta

An Exegetical and Theological Exploration of Paul’s Self-Identity in Consideration of Modern Social Sciences , Chala Baker

Evangelism Development in a Multigenerational Rural Church , John E. Baldwin

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Online Education For Recruitment, Retention, and Sustainability of Religious Organizations , Gordon Vaill Barrows

Critical Thinking and Worldview Formation in Ministry , David W. Belles

Developing Health Ministries Beyond the Disparities in the Community , Tasha Renea Berry-Lewis

A Phenomenological Study of Church Polity and Its Impact on Pastoral Leadership and Congregational Health , Travis L. Biller

Long-Term Partnerships Between Communities and Mission Organizations: A Case Study , Rebecca Boggs Bishop

Do Not Neglect to Show Hospitality to Strangers: Developing and Implementing a Program of Home Hospitality at Furnace Creek Baptist Church , Philip D. Bramblet

Missional Leadership: An Instructional Program to Cultivate Leaders of a Missional Church , Conner Mathias Brew

Discipleship: A Biblical Approach and Alignment to the Spirit of the Ministry at Kingdom Collegiate Academies Early Childhood Program , Ella Louise Brown

A Non-Experimental Quantitative Correlational Study Of Emotional Intelligence As An Effective Tool for Pastoral Leadership , Louis Brown

Church and Community: Bridging the Gap to Create a Culture of Acceptance and Inclusiveness , Matthew L. Brown

A Correlational Study Between Spiritual Bible Reading and Spiritual Formation of Leaders of Pentecostal Churches , Mark Kwablah Buku

Equipping Spiritually Mature Men to Mentor the Next Generation of Leaders , Seth S. Carter

Redeeming Pastoral Evaluation: A Comprehensive Approach to Annual Pastoral Evaluation in a Congregation-Led Church , Drake Andrew Caudill

The Book of Ruth: Its Didactic Wisdom Themes , Brian Corn

Developing a Discipleship Training Guide at Greater Love Baptist Church for the Retention of Young Adults , Frances W. Cox

A Mixed Methods Study to Evaluate the Nature of the Lead Pastor's Psychological Capital and the Impact on Leading Church Revitalization , Toney Allen Cox

Impact of Worldview Development on Spiritual Vitality in Evangelical Protestant Churches: A Phenomenological Study , Nicholas Jared Curtis

Messaging the Mission: Developing and Implementing a Messaging Strategy for the Mission Statement of Monticello Christian Church , Tanetta S. Dawson-Snyder

Some Aspects of the Theology of the City in ANE Literature and Biblical Protology and Eschatology: A Comparative Study , Vlatko Dir

Implementing a Discipleship Strategy Plan for Lay Leaders at Redemption Baptist Church to Help Them Grow Spiritually , Robermann Dorceus

Beyond Galilee: The Shift in Focus of the Ministry of Jesus Culminating at Caesarea Philippi , Kathryn Erin Dreesen

Mentorship for African American Female Officers of Faith in the United States Air Force , Tanquer L. Dyer

Crisis Management and Peer Support , Kevin H. Eaton

The Stratified Leadership Model of the First-Century Christian Church , Barton Schuyler Garratt Edsall IV

Spiritual Care and the Art of Holistic Healing at Swedish Hospital in Chicago , Mary Pamela Eke

Preparing the Next Generation for Faith Ownership by Training Fathers in the Biblical Worldview , John D. Embrey

Mentoring as a Catalyst for Change: Creating a Mentor Training Curriculum Using the Servant Leadership Model , Alana S. Freeman

Establishing a Christ-Centered Understanding of the Minor Prophets at First Baptist Church, Greenville, KY , John Michael Galyen

Digital Ministry in the Church: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities , Willie Charles Howard Garrett

The Influence of Transformational Leaders in Reconnecting the Millennial Generation to the Community of the Local Church , Brandi Lynn Ginty

Great Leader, Great Learner: Shepherd-Teachers, Self-Directed Learning, and the Preaching Moment in Small Southern Baptist Churches , Matthew Thomas Gowin

Disciple-Making at St. Louis Baptist Church , Vasquez R. Granberry

Phenomenological Analysis of Training Effectiveness for Multiracial Ministry Received by Black Pastors Graduating from Southern Baptist Seminaries , Timothy D. Griffin

How Parents Established Foundations for Biblical Worldview Development in Elementary-Age Children Who Graduated from BW Leadership Institute , Wendy Bernstein Griffin

A Phenomenological Study of the Perception of Racial Unity in Evangelical Churches in Chicago , Amber L. Harvey

The Preeminent Biblical Role of the Father: A Qualitative Action Research Project , Frank Wilhelm Heilmeier

It’s All in Your Mind: Mindset and Eternal Destiny , Eric S. Henderson

The Scatological Scriptures: A Biblical Theology of Dung , Zachary C. Hill

YHWH’s Covenantal Dealings with Abraham: A Redemptive-Historical Perspective , Nathan A. Hoefer

A Phenomenological Study of Pastors Who Were Mentored and the Perceived Value of the Mentor Relationship , Reginald L. Horner

Paul’s Admonition of False Teaching: A Pattern to Follow , Jeffrey William Hossler

An Examination of “The Vine” Motif through the Lens of the Old Testament, the Books of John and Revelation, and Peripheral Extrabiblical Sources , Ellsworth C. Huling IV

Evaluating Instruments and Strategies for Change: A Pilot Study for Total Life Ministries , Lisa M. Hunter

Expanding the Apostolic Mission: A Biblical-Theological Analysis of Peter's Epistles as Evidence of His Universal Apostleship Beyond the Jewish Context , Peter J. Ireland

Modern-Day Idol Worship at Life Changers Church: How It Was Identified and Replaced with True Worship Of God , Franzetta L. Ivy

Generational Poverty and Education: Breaking the Cycle of Ignorance , Leland Jackson

Shaping Worldviews: Helping High School Seniors Manage the Influence of Social Media , Geoffrey Michael Janes

Early Forgiveness Intervention in Substance Abuse Recovery , Susan Janos

An Examination of the Parental Role in the Discipleship of Children , Robert B. Jarman

Church Systems: From Church Attenders to Committed Church Members , Loyd Johnson

Building High-Performance Ministry Teams: Pastors, Ministers, and Leaders of Selected Baptist Churches in Macon, Georgia , Michael Wendell Johnson

The House That Love Builds: An Allegorical Interpretation of the Song of Songs , Tricia Lee Kline

Proactive Pastoral Counseling: A Christlike Integrative Therapeutic for Creating Christian Intrapersonal Formation in Believers at First Baptist Church of Harmony, ME , Yaron I. Kohen

Emulating Paul’s Ministry Leadership in a Diverse and Changing Cultural Landscape , Mark J. Lee

Ripe For the Harvest: Developing Servants Through Spiritual Formation at Fairhaven Church of Rootstown , Vincent A. Maltempi

A Phenomenological Study: Experiences of the Church of God in Christ Women and the Power of Resilience , Debra Wylene Martin

Leveraging Ministry and Community Partnerships to Address Community Needs , Chaunceia Renee Mayfield

Private Christian Education and Utilization of Evangelism Curriculum , Amy N. McBrayer

Family Discipleship: Forming a Biblical Worldview for Godly Decisions , Eric Spencer McCrickard

Pronomian Paradigm: A Pro-Torah, Christocentric Method of Theology and Apologetics , Gregory Scott McKenzie

A Study on the Effects of Biblical Counseling Techniques on Teacher Relationships with Students with Autism , Matthew McNeill

Exploring How Church Leadership Strives for Effective Ministry by Developing a Viable Leadership Training Program at a Small Nondenominational Church in Scranton, South Carolina , Willa Dean Montgomery

Biblical Leadership Development: Essential Components in Servant Leadership , André T. Moore Sr.

Community Formation and Effective Leadership in African American Churches in High-poverty Communities , Kevin Laron Moore

Becoming a Disciple-Making Disciple Through a Written Guided Plan in a Handbook , Benjamin T. Morrell

A Phenomenological Study of Complexity Leadership Interactions of an International Protestant Convention during COVID-19 , Thomas S. Narofsky

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of First-Year Christian Student Success in Theological Studies During the Pandemic , Philip Lamar Nash

Rest, Rhetoric, and Suffering in the Letter to the Hebrews: How the Author of Hebrews Uses Classical Rhetoric to Resolve Tension between Invitation to God's Rest and Present Suffering , Dickson Kûng’û Ngama

Perceptions of Paid Pastoral Staff of Volunteer Engagement in the Assemblies of God , Glorielba Orta Meléndez

A Lifestyle Who Is Christ: An Integrative Model of Spiritual Formation , Katherine L. Pang

Ego Eimi and the Surpassing Greatness of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John , Keith Kekoa Pang

The Canonical Significance of Mindset in Romans 8:5–14 (Φρονέω and its Cognates): Implications for Biblical Interpretation, Application, and Evangelism , Denise Anne Pass

Developing A Pathway for Ministry Leaders at Southside Church of the Nazarene , Reginald David Phillips

Homeless Veterans and the Impacts of a Dedicated Discipleship Program , B. Keith Poole Jr.

Fallenness, Sustainment, and Judgment: Analyzing Coherency in the Thematic Trajectory of Qohelet , Albert R. Portillo Jr

Coherent Chiastic Oeuvre in the Unity of Luke-Acts: Two Volumes Conjoined as a Single Book , John Matthew Powell

Burnout Prevention in Christian Public and Private Middle School Leaders: A Qualitative Study , Rhonda Grider Purchase

A Defense of the Neronic Date of the Book of Revelation , Jason L. Quintern

Grounded in Faith: Maintaining and Appreciating a Relationship with God, Oneself, and Others in an Ever-Changing World with New Ears and Eyes , Antoinette Marie Reaves

"A Friend of Tax Collectors and Sinners": An Intertextual Reading of Luke's Jesus According to Divine Identity and YHWH Shepherd Language , Dottie H. Rhoads

The Effects of Pre-Marital Counseling , Brandi Rhymes-Proctor

A Mixed-Method Approach Identifying Antecedents of Employee Engagement in a Nondenominational Church: Perspective from Volunteers and Employees , Gregory A. Rodriguez

A Study of Followership in an Organizational-Wide Change of the Ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship , Michelle M. Russell

A Phenomenological Study of Church Revitalization in Coastal North Carolina , Paolo Engle Santos

A New Testament Theology of God as Father (Abba) as the Hermeneutical Key to the Teaching of Christ on Prayer in the Gospels , John Joseph Schmelzer

Providing Biblical Knowledge to Women Ages 25–70 to Place Women in Ministry and Leadership Positions in the Church , Evelyn Diane Scott

Pastor's Cultural Intelligence and Personal Character Influence Within Youth Ministries , Linwood J. Sealey III

Forgiving Childhood Hurt Biblically , Latisha Shearer

Indirect Prophecies Concerning the Death of Christ in Narrative , Lindsay A. Siemers

A Phenomenological Multi-Case Study of Perceptions of Older Adults’ Loneliness during COVID-19 Within Selected Online Churches , Bethney Wright Sikes

Let My People Go: A Biblical Theology of Liberation in the Exodus Motif , Lou Ann Smith

Equipping Local Pastors to Develop a Comprehensive Chaplaincy Ministry for the Cullman County Sheriff's Office , Matthew W. Smith

Page 1 of 14

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Who Are the Far-Right Groups Behind the U.K. Riots?

After a deadly stabbing at a children’s event in northwestern England, an array of online influencers, anti-Muslim extremists and fascist groups have stoked unrest, experts say.

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By Esther Bintliff and Eve Sampson

Esther Bintliff reported from London, and Eve Sampson from New York.

Violent unrest has erupted in several towns and cities in Britain in recent days, and further disorder broke out on Saturday as far-right agitators gathered in demonstrations around the country.

The violence has been driven by online disinformation and extremist right-wing groups intent on creating disorder after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England, experts said.

A range of far-right factions and individuals, including neo-Nazis, violent soccer fans and anti-Muslim campaigners, have promoted and taken part in the unrest, which has also been stoked by online influencers .

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to deploy additional police officers to crack down on the disorder. “This is not a protest that has got out of hand,” he said on Thursday. “It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence.”

Here is what we know about the unrest and some of those involved.

Where have riots taken place?

The first riot took place on Tuesday evening in Southport, a town in northwestern England, after a deadly stabbing attack the previous day at a children’s dance and yoga class. Three girls died of their injuries, and eight other children and two adults were wounded.

The suspect, Axel Rudakubana , was born in Britain, but in the hours after the attack, disinformation about his identity — including the false claim that he was an undocumented migrant — spread rapidly online . Far-right activists used messaging apps including Telegram and X to urge people to take to the streets.

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