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MacSphere is McMaster University's Institutional Repository. MacSphere brings together the institution's scholarly works under one umbrella to preserve and provide ongoing open access to them. MacSphere works have been selected and deposited by members of the McMaster community as part of our collective committment to sharing our knowledge with the world.
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Item type: Item , Images in the New Testament: An Interdisciplinary Iconology for Biblical Interpretation(2026) St Pierre, Ashley; Land, Christopher D.; Boda, Mark J.“Images in the New Testament: An Interdisciplinary Iconology for Biblical Interpretation” Ashley St Pierre McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Master of Divinity, 2026 This thesis explores different ways to think about images and how they are meaningful in order to work towards a theory of imagery for biblical interpretation, engaging with biblical iconology to clearly define imagery and its use in the NT in a way that better accounts for cases of ambiguous image appropriation and association. Several distinct fields of study relating to experiencing and understanding representations and their associations each contribute something valuable to the interpretation of NT imagery. A hermeneutical theory of imagery in the NT should attempt to integrate these interdisciplinary insights thus offering a more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of imagery and its use. The thesis proposes that such a theory would benefit from synthesizing theoretical frameworks drawn from notions of visuality, textuality, semiotics, metaphor theories, and cognitive science.Item type: Item , THE MEANING OF INTUITION IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION(1964-09) Mark McdermottItem type: Item , Phenomenology of Low Liturgy: A Liturgical Theology of Information Worship Practices(2026) Hill, Jesse D.; Porter, Wendy J.Phenomenology of Low Liturgy: A Liturgical Theology of Informal Worship Practices Jesse D. Hill McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Doctor of Philosophy (Christian Theology), 2026 This dissertation brings together liturgical theology, phenomenology, and low liturgy to argue that low liturgy is a form of worship with a profound depth of meaning for the individual and for the worshipping community in its experiential enactment of an embodied, intersubjective, and revelatory theology of encounter with God. Across a wide range of denominations, many North American congregations choose to use contemporary music, informal language, and unscripted rites in their worship services. For many congregants, this way of worshipping holds a deep theological meaning, expressing the depth of their faith before God and before the church. Despite this depth of meaning, academic theology has generally struggled to make sense of this kind of low liturgy, due in part to its personal, subjective tendencies, its resistance to prescriptive rubrics, and its preference for pragmatism over tradition. To address this oversight, this dissertation makes as case for low liturgy as a theological tradition and as a subjective experience. The first part of this dissertation deals with the historical development of low liturgy in relation to the historical development of the Liturgical Movement and liturgical theology, arguing that liturgical theology and low-liturgical practice are not as distant as they might seem. On the contrary, liturgical theology can help us to understand the meaning of low liturgy, and low liturgy can make new contributions to liturgical theology. The second part of the dissertation relates phenomenology to the study of low liturgy, arguing that the experience of low liturgy is itself meaningful. This involves developing methodological insights and perspectives from a range of notable phenomenologists and applying them to elements of low liturgy. This phenomenological analysis suggests that worship is a deeply personal and communal experience in which the worshipper is positioned as one among the congregation in the presence of God. This dissertation makes three original contributions to the field of liturgical theology. The first is in the use of low liturgy as the topic of liturgical theological research. The second contribution is in the development of a phenomenological, experiential method for the study of liturgy. The third contribution is in the theology of liturgical encounter that results from this method when it is applied to low liturgy.Item type: Item , A Deep Reading of Narrative: Towards a Practical Theology of Hope(2025) Simmonds, Tamara L.; Zylla, Phil C.; Boda, Mark J.“A Deep Reading of Narrative: Towards A Practical Theology of Hope” Tamara L. Simmonds McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Doctor of Philosophy, 2026 This dissertation explores the complexities of human experiences of suffering in order to plumb the depths of those experiences in ways that inform and shape the moral vision of Christian communities of compassion. Specifically, attention is given to particular women’s experiences of desolation. The human predicament of desolation is concretized in contemporary published narratives authored by women who realize and interpret desolation and hope from their own experience and orientation as women. The narratives of personal reflection occasion the key question, “How could a deeper reading of biblical narratives generate insight into experiences of desolation and thereby expand core motifs of hope and compassion in practical theology?” The dissertation’s intentional focus on experiences of desolation both opens up questions for practical theological exploration, and reveals aspects of shared human experience that deepen and mature the resulting theological reflection. The retelling and interpreting of biblical narratives implements a deep reading of biblical narrative—an innovative, literary approach to reading Scripture that coalesces with practical theology. The dissertation seeks to demonstrate how a deep reading of biblical narrative might generate insight into experiences of desolation and thereby expand core practical theological motifs of hope and compassion. Imaging a new way forward towards a practical theology of hope, the thesis of the dissertation is that hope cannot be supported or sustained within the Christian community without a realistic assessment of the depth dimension of the situation that consists in both the reality and complexity of human suffering, and the reality and vastness of the compassion of God made known in Christ by the Spirit. A deep reading of biblical narrative offers potential for access to this depth dimension for practical theology.Item type: Item , Moralism and Divine Agency in Korean Protestant Preaching: A Heidelberg Sermon Analysis of Sermons on the Prodigal Son(2026) Choi, Chanyoung; Dvorak, James D.; Thomson, Ambrose“Moralism and Divine Agency in Korean Protestant Preaching: A Heidelberg Sermon Analysis of Sermons on the Prodigal Son” Chanyoung Choi McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Master of Arts (Christian Studies), 2026 This thesis investigates moralistic tendencies in contemporary Korean Protestant preaching, arguing that they are significantly shaped by Confucian ethical frameworks, particularly filial piety. Focusing on sermons based on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), the study examines how cultural assumptions influence the balance between human agency and divine agency in preaching. Using the Heidelberg Sermon Analysis method, supplemented by rhetorical analysis informed by Appraisal Theory, selected sermons are analyzed to identify how grace, repentance, and moral obligation are articulated. The findings indicate that moralistic sermons often frame repentance and obedience as prerequisites for divine favour, reflecting Confucian hierarchical and transactional patterns. By contrast, sermons that foreground divine agency present repentance as a response to God’s prior grace. This study argues that moralistic preaching risks obscuring the gospel’s emphasis on God’s unmerited initiative.