Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Christian Brothers'

This study was an investigation of the leadership required for the transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice in a time of transition from religious to lay leadership in Christian Brothers’ Schools. Historically the Christian Brothers have had a significant impact on the development of Catholic education in this country through the development of a large network of Christian Brothers’ schools. However the rapidity and depth of changes over the past two decades have threatened this position of strength and the schools now find themselves at a critical time. There is the possible risk of the gradual dilution of Christian Brothers’ schools losing their special character and their God-given charism. The study investigated the means for the effective formal and informal transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice, and the influence of leadership styles and qualities on this transmission. The two main questions were asked are: What is needed for the effective formal and informal transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice? What leadership styles and leadership qualities are required of lay principals for this transmission? The study was situated in three schools that display one of the following characteristics: A Christian Brothers’ school that had a lay principal for a period of more than five years. A Christian Brothers’ school that currently had a Christian Brother as principal. A Christian Brothers’ school that had recently changed from a religious principal to a lay principal and was in the associated processes of changing from a religious to lay leadership. The methodology used for this research study, was a case study, presented in the context of general qualitative methodology and specifically social research methodology. The major data-gathering approach was a questionnaire. Two questionnaires were used to collect the required data. The construction of the items were informed by key points, drawn from the literature review which, in turn were derived from educational leadership theories. The research undertaken in three Christian Brothers’ schools resulted in: Understanding the leaders’ perceptions of the charism of Edmund Rice; Identification of means for transmission of charism; Identification of styles of leadership and qualities of leadership which assist the transmission of charism; Informed Christian Brother’s schools of possible means for the transmission of the Edmund Rice charism in the future; and Suggested the provision of a formation program for recently appointed principals. The thesis concludes that the understanding of the Edmund Rice charism by future leaders of Christian Brothers’ schools needs to reflect the contemporary context, that takes into account the need to provide access to a Catholic education by all those who seek it rather than preserving it for those who have the capacity to pay for it; and it needs to provide spiritually nourishing environments for students within these schools. Ultimately, a real and genuine attempt to engage all people in a Catholic education that is embedded in the tradition of Edmund Rice is required. Christian Brothers’ schools require leaders who can promote and achieve the vision and mission of Christian Brothers’ schools and live out the charter of Edmund Rice through example. The leaders who are able to achieve this are people who practice elements of servant, transformational and authentic leadership. The Christian Brothers’ need to ensure that they have an appropriate formation program, that addresses these areas, for leaders of their schools.

Migrant histories necessarily consider human journeys to new social and cultural realities, marked by discourse around integration and identity. The historiography of the Irish in Australia, dominated by historian Patrick O'Farrell, has lost its fundamental engagement with ordinary migrant experience and fixated on a narrative of nationalism, hierarchy, and elitist politics. This thesis examines the experience of the Irish Christian Brothers in early twentieth-century Australia and the playing of Irish handball in their colleges across the country. In doing so, it seeks a new understanding of Irish-Australian identity through the complex relationship of Catholicism, education, and sport; questioning the extent to which Gaelic games assuaged the transformative and dislocational processes of migration beyond O'Farrell's notion of Irish integration as an imperative of ‘Australianise or perish’.

This thesis grew out of my own experience as an Australian Christian Brother. After nearly thirty years of living and teaching as a Brother in Australia, I was appointed for the next twenty-six years to the Fiji Islands. For most of that time there was no Brothers’ community near to my assigned work for me to live in and, in isolation from the Brothers, I continued to follow the spiritual practices and customs of the Brothers’ tradition. When I left Australia, the Brothers’ expression of their spirituality was defined by a highly prescriptive routine of daily prayer and exact observance of many external practices. On my return to Australia and on my re-joining a Brothers’ community, I observed, to my confusion, that this traditional form of spirituality had been radically transformed into a variety of individual expressions, freely chosen by the Brothers to suit their personal needs and relevant to the changed conditions of society. Community life, as it had been once lived, had virtually ceased to exist. The thesis has been generated by my efforts to understand the new ways in which my confreres perceive spirituality, to explore the contemporary ways in which they express it and to consider how the traditional structures of the Religious Life might need to be changed to accommodate these contemporary expressions of spirituality. To begin with, an examination is undertaken of spirituality as it has been conceptualised from the Christian medieval mystics to contemporary times and a clear distinction is made between spirituality and religion. Further, the research study examines how the different social milieus in which the Brothers have lived in Australia over the last one hundred and fifty years have influenced the manner in which they express their spirituality. It attempts to determine the effect on the Brothers’ developing spirituality of the initial formation they received in the Religious life. This was a qualitative research study where interviews were used to collect data. Seventeen Australian Christian Brothers across Australia, ranging in age from their forties to their late eighties, agreed to participate in the project to share their stories. The focus of the interviews was to discover the participant’s understanding and expression of spirituality through their years as Christian Brothers. It was found that various social and religious influences brought about a transformation in these expressions of their spirituality from traditional forms to more contemporary forms. Given the age range of the participants, the researcher was able to compare and contrast different aspects of spirituality manifested by the Australian Christian Brothers in the times before and after the Second Vatican Council, a time when much change was happening within the Catholic Church. It became clear that if the traditional form of life of living in community is continued, respecting the individual member’s ways of relating to God will need accommodation and some adaptation both in structure and practice.

In Australia, traditionally a wide range of measures have been used to identify academically successful schools. The mix of these measures has varied from state to state. But recently, added to this mix, and perhaps becoming the most influential factor, has been the examination results of senior students. These have become far more available to the prospective parents and governing bodies. They are used to gauge the ranking of the school, and to whether parents can expect their children to gain entry into the more prestigious tertiary programs available. But these scores are also being used to rank staff, and in turn, the ‘quality’ of staff becomes yet another factor in identifying an academically successful school. In other words, the notion of high stakes testing is gaining wide spread use across all forms of schooling in Australia, including State, Independent and Catholic schools. This thesis is about teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools. It is an interpretive study that seeks to understand how these teachers respond to this form of assessment: high stakes testing. Their responses include emotional responses, how they change their teaching style and how they feel about teaching in Christian Brothers’ schools striving for academic success. In this research I interviewed teachers and administrators at three academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools in three different states in Australia. I developed three cases from these interviews and document searches, one drawn from each school, that indicate the range of issues that emerged, for them, as teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools. The specific use of high stakes testing was found to be very different in each of the schools. One school used high stakes testing as an accountability measure for staff, another used it as an accountability measure for students, and the third had no history of using high stakes testing. The study concludes that academic excellence can be achieved in Christian Brothers’ schools whilst remaining faithful to the ethos that underpins these schools: the Charism of Edmund Rice. Significant factors in the determination of the successful implementation of high stakes testing in these schools were found to be: the effect of senior management; influence of the media; the influence of culture; and changing culture and the nature of the schools. The thesis concludes with a blueprint for a hypothetical Christian Brothers’ school to follow that may lead to academic success.

This study was an investigation of the leadership required for the transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice in a time of transition from religious to lay leadership in Christian Brothers' Schools. Historically the Christian Brothers have had a significant impact on the development of Catholic education in this country through the development of a large network of Christian Brothers' schools. However the rapidity and depth of changes over the past two decades have threatened this position of strength and the schools now find themselves at a critical time. There is the possible risk of the gradual dilution of Christian Brothers' schools losing their special character and their God-given charism. The study investigated the means for the effective formal and informal transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice, and the influence of leadership styles and qualities on this transmission. The two main questions were asked are: What is needed for the effective formal and informal transmission of the charism of Edmund Rice? What leadership styles and leadership qualities are required of lay principals for this transmission? The study was situated in three schools that display one of the following characteristics: A Christian Brothers' school that had a lay principal for a period of more than five years. A Christian Brothers' school that currently had a Christian Brother as principal. A Christian Brothers' school that had recently changed from a religious principal to a lay principal and was in the associated processes of changing from a religious to lay leadership. The methodology used for this research study, was a case study, presented in the context of general qualitative methodology and specifically social research methodology. The major data-gathering approach was a questionnaire. Two questionnaires were used to collect the required data.;The construction of the items were informed by key points, drawn from the literature review which, in turn were derived from educational leadership theories. The research undertaken in three Christian Brothers' schools resulted in: Understanding the leaders' perceptions of the charism of Edmund Rice; Identification of means for transmission of charism; Identification of styles of leadership and qualities of leadership which assist the transmission of charism; Informed Christian Brother's schools of possible means for the transmission of the Edmund Rice charism in the future; and Suggested the provision of a formation program for recently appointed principals. The thesis concludes that the understanding of the Edmund Rice charism by future leaders of Christian Brothers' schools needs to reflect the contemporary context, that takes into account the need to provide access to a Catholic education by all those who seek it rather than preserving it for those who have the capacity to pay for it; and it needs to provide spiritually nourishing environments for students within these schools. Ultimately, a real and genuine attempt to engage all people in a Catholic education that is embedded in the tradition of Edmund Rice is required. Christian Brothers' schools require leaders who can promote and achieve the vision and mission of Christian Brothers' schools and live out the charter of Edmund Rice through example. The leaders who are able to achieve this are people who practice elements of servant, transformational and authentic leadership. The Christian Brothers' need to ensure that they have an appropriate formation program, that addresses these areas, for leaders of their schools.

This research concerns how lay principals are negotiating the nurturing of authentic Edmund Rice education in their schools within a period of organisational change in the 21st century. The context of this research is Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, once more commonly known as Christian Brothers’ schools. These schools claim to carry on the educational charism of Edmund Rice (1762-1844), Founder of the Christian Brothers, who began schools in Ireland to provide a holistic education for boys, especially those who were marginalised by poverty and social stigma. Christian Brothers’ tradition purports that the Edmund Rice educational charism was handed on to successive Christian Brothers’ schools by Christian Brothers; however, research indicated that there were clear deviations from the original charism just prior to and following the death of Edmund Rice, raising questions of whether these schools remained authentic carriers of the original charism. Research also suggests that these deviations resulted in number of instances when the original charism of Edmund Rice was, at best, muted, or, at worst, distorted beyond recognition. Additional investigation also demonstrates that these departures from Rice’s charism resulted in a culture that differed from Edmund Rice’s original vision for education thus raising issues of authenticity for schools in the 21st century. Since Vatican II the Congregation of Christian Brothers has undergone significant changes. Most notable has been the reduction in Brothers in leadership positions in schools. Edmund Rice’s beatification in 1996 sparked renewed interest in his original educational vision, and The Congregation of Christian Brothers world wide began to explore what this charism might mean in contemporary times. In Australia, schools changed their name from Christian Brothers’ schools to Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, as part of an attempt to develop an authentic educational vision for contemporary Australian schools. At the time of this research, there were ten schools in Queensland, all led by lay principals, within a subset of forty or more schools across Australia. In Queensland, these schools encompass a wide socio-economic spectrum and offer differing educational offerings ranging from a totally traditional curriculum, to a comprehensive curriculum, to more flexible offerings for disengaged and marginal youth; the majority of these boys’ schools are single sex schools. This researcher identified that there was lack of clarity as to what constitutes an authentic Edmund Rice school and that a lacuna existed between the organisational rhetoric and the reality of principals. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to explore what lay principals perceived to be the essential features or ethos of this educational vision and the ways they developed this ethos into an authentic Edmund Rice culture in order to determine whether these schools are authentic to the original vision of Edmund Rice. Because the purpose of this research was to explore perceptions, the epistemological position of Constructionism, using an interpretivist perspective was adopted for this research. The methodology of Case Study was utilised as it allowed for the exploration of the world of Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition from the perspectives of principals: nine current principals and one past principal were studied. The literature review generated the following research questions: 1.What do principals consider are the essential features of the Edmund Rice ethos? 2.How do principals ensure that the ethos of Edmund Rice is an integral element of school culture? 3.What aspects of leadership do principals consider important in ensuring that the Edmund Rice ethos is developed into an authentic culture? The findings of this research indicated that principals perceived that the essential features of ethos were found in: providing values based education; ensuring that young people were liberated from factors which marginalised them; ensuring that their schools were places of Diversity and Inclusivity; undertaking the development of Right Relationships; and developing a strong sense of community. Principals ensured that the Edmund Rice ethos was authentically connected to school culture through: providing Social Justice Initiatives; developing spirituality and sense of the sacred; providing flexible options for a diverse range of students; and ensuring that structures and formation experiences were provided to support the development of ethos. Finally, principals articulated their leadership role: in ensuring the embedding of ethos in culture was one of cultural change agent; as a spiritual and prophetic leader; developing a student centred focus; and being a role model for leadership within the totality of the school community. The research concluded that, for these principals, the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school was embedded in these three issues: 1.Ethos: A Catholic education with values based on Edmund Rice and his educational mission; 2.Culture: A positive environment which enables and encourages the development of structures and formation experiences to support ethos; 3.Leadership: Leadership led by a principal who understands ethos and is committed to a role model of the development of an authentic culture. However, the research also concluded that, while lay principals were committed to the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school and were committed to the organisational change needed to achieve this goal, they were constrained by a variety of factors including: school context; school tradition and history; the traditions and expectations of the Christian Brothers; the financial situation of the school; support or lack of support from the college community and Edmund Rice Education. These factors make the realisation of authenticity a goal to be worked towards, rather than a concrete reality. In essence, this study concluded that, one overriding dilemma for principals was whether they were prepared to make the sometimes difficult decisions needed to ensure authenticity to the original Edmund Rice educational charism, or retain the status quo, with the knowledge that, in so doing, they may be militating against authenticity to the Edmund Rice educational vision.

This research concerns how lay principals are negotiating the nurturing of authentic Edmund Rice education in their schools within a period of organisational change in the 21st century. The context of this research is Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, once more commonly known as Christian Brothers' schools. These schools claim to carry on the educational charism of Edmund Rice (1762-1844), Founder of the Christian Brothers, who began schools in Ireland to provide a holistic education for boys, especially those who were marginalised by poverty and social stigma. Christian Brothers' tradition purports that the Edmund Rice educational charism was handed on to successive Christian Brothers' schools by Christian Brothers; however, research indicated that there were clear deviations from the original charism just prior to and following the death of Edmund Rice, raising questions of whether these schools remained authentic carriers of the original charism. Research also suggests that these deviations resulted in number of instances when the original charism of Edmund Rice was, at best, muted, or, at worst, distorted beyond recognition. Additional investigation also demonstrates that these departures from Rice's charism resulted in a culture that differed from Edmund Rice's original vision for education thus raising issues of authenticity for schools in the 21st century. Since Vatican II the Congregation of Christian Brothers has undergone significant changes. Most notable has been the reduction in Brothers in leadership positions in schools. Edmund Rice's beatification in 1996 sparked renewed interest in his original educational vision, and The Congregation of Christian Brothers world wide began to explore what this charism might mean in contemporary times.;In Australia, schools changed their name from Christian Brothers' schools to Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, as part of an attempt to develop an authentic educational vision for contemporary Australian schools. At the time of this research, there were ten schools in Queensland, all led by lay principals, within a subset of forty or more schools across Australia. In Queensland, these schools encompass a wide socio-economic spectrum and offer differing educational offerings ranging from a totally traditional curriculum, to a comprehensive curriculum, to more flexible offerings for disengaged and marginal youth; the majority of these boys' schools are single sex schools. This researcher identified that there was lack of clarity as to what constitutes an authentic Edmund Rice school and that a lacuna existed between the organisational rhetoric and the reality of principals. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to explore what lay principals perceived to be the essential features or ethos of this educational vision and the ways they developed this ethos into an authentic Edmund Rice culture in order to determine whether these schools are authentic to the original vision of Edmund Rice. Because the purpose of this research was to explore perceptions, the epistemological position of Constructionism, using an interpretivist perspective was adopted for this research. The methodology of Case Study was utilised as it allowed for the exploration of the world of Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition from the perspectives of principals: nine current principals and one past principal were studied.;What aspects of leadership do principals consider important in ensuring that the Edmund Rice ethos is developed into an authentic culture? The findings of this research indicated that principals perceived that the essential features of ethos were found in: providing values based education; ensuring that young people were liberated from factors which marginalised them; ensuring that their schools were places of Diversity and Inclusivity; undertaking the development of Right Relationships; and developing a strong sense of community. Principals ensured that the Edmund Rice ethos was authentically connected to school culture through: providing Social Justice Initiatives; developing spirituality and sense of the sacred; providing flexible options for a diverse range of students; and ensuring that structures and formation experiences were provided to support the development of ethos. Finally, principals articulated their leadership role: in ensuring the embedding of ethos in culture was one of cultural change agent; as a spiritual and prophetic leader; developing a student centred focus; and being a role model for leadership within the totality of the school community. The research concluded that, for these principals, the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school was embedded in these three issues: 1.Ethos: A Catholic education with values based on Edmund Rice and his educational mission; 2.Culture: A positive environment which enables and encourages the development of structures and formation experiences to support ethos; 3.Leadership: Leadership led by a principal who understands ethos and is committed to a role model of the development of an authentic culture.;However, the research also concluded that, while lay principals were committed to the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school and were committed to the organisational change needed to achieve this goal, they were constrained by a variety of factors including: school context; school tradition and history; the traditions and expectations of the Christian Brothers; the financial situation of the school; support or lack of support from the college community and Edmund Rice Education. These factors make the realisation of authenticity a goal to be worked towards, rather than a concrete reality. In essence, this study concluded that, one overriding dilemma for principals was whether they were prepared to make the sometimes difficult decisions needed to ensure authenticity to the original Edmund Rice educational charism, or retain the status quo, with the knowledge that, in so doing, they may be militating against authenticity to the Edmund Rice educational vision.

In Australia, traditionally a wide range of measures have been used to identify academically successful schools. The mix of these measures has varied from state to state. But recently, added to this mix, and perhaps becoming the most influential factor, has been the examination results of senior students. These have become far more available to the prospective parents and governing bodies. They are used to gauge the ranking of the school, and to whether parents can expect their children to gain entry into the more prestigious tertiary programs available. But these scores are also being used to rank staff, and in turn, the 'quality' of staff becomes yet another factor in identifying an academically successful school. In other words, the notion of high stakes testing is gaining wide spread use across all forms of schooling in Australia, including State, Independent and Catholic schools. This thesis is about teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers' schools. It is an interpretive study that seeks to understand how these teachers respond to this form of assessment: high stakes testing. Their responses include emotional responses, how they change their teaching style and how they feel about teaching in Christian Brothers' schools striving for academic success. In this research I interviewed teachers and administrators at three academically successful Christian Brothers' schools in three different states in Australia. I developed three cases from these interviews and document searches, one drawn from each school, that indicate the range of issues that emerged, for them, as teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers' schools. The specific use of high stakes testing was found to be very different in each of the schools. One school used high stakes testing as an accountability measure for staff, another used it as an accountability measure for students, and the third had no history of using high stakes testing.;The study concludes that academic excellence can be achieved in Christian Brothers' schools whilst remaining faithful to the ethos that underpins these schools: the Charism of Edmund Rice. Significant factors in the determination of the successful implementation of high stakes testing in these schools were found to be: the effect of senior management; influence of the media; the influence of culture; and changing culture and the nature of the schools. The thesis concludes with a blueprint for a hypothetical Christian Brothers' school to follow that may lead to academic success.

Though discovered in 1945, the First Apocalypse of James from Nag Hammadi Codex V, 3 has received very little attention from the scholarly community. This is primarily due to the fragmentary condition of the text. Previous scholarly engagements with the text have led to the conclusion that the purpose of such a revelatory dialogue was to impart instructions for the ascent of the soul to one about to be martyred. The recent discovery of a second copy of the text simply titled “James” as part of the Tchacos Codex has led to not only a greater amount of scholarly interest, but also to different possible interpretations. From NHC V, 3 it was possible to ascertain a pre- and post- martyrdom revelation of Jesus to James, however, the text from Al Minya clearly shows a third revelatory section wherein the martyrdom of James is used as a means of revelation to Addai, the legendary founder of Eastern Syrian Christianity. Chapters one and two answer the question of why James was chosen as the protagonist of the narrative. In chapter one I look in detail at the literary construction of the martyrdom of James and problematize the development of the traditions. Chapter two then turns to a discussion of the figure of James as an authority in the developing Christian community. Chapters three and four are concerned with the literary classification of the text. Chapter three situates the First Apocalypse of James within the overarching genre of apocalyptic literature, and the specific sub-genre of gnostic apocalypses. Chapter four discusses how the text might be understood as a commission narrative while interrogating the lineage of descent beginning with the transmission of the revelation from James to Addai. Following this in chapter five I explore the cosmology of the text with particular attention to the ascent of the soul.

This thesis seeks to paint a portrait of the members of the communities of Christian Brothers who taught and worked in Tasmania from 1911-1988. It examines some aspects of the Brothers: their backgrounds, their style of community life in Tasmania, their studies and their relationships with the official Catholic Church. It does not examine their work as educators, nor their schools. This has been partially done by others, James Brophy in his history, St. Patrick's College, Launceston, 1919-1991 and Tim Jetson, St. Virgil's College, 1911-1994. The sources used for this thesis have almost entirely been of Christian Brothers' origin. These have been biographies of Brothers, Annals of the Brothers' Houses, a diary of a Brother in Launceston, letters in the Brothers' Archives in Perky'Ile and Balmain (formerly at Strathfield, NSW) as well as some secondary sources written by Brothers about different aspects of their life in Australia. The use of such sources exclusively has its limitations. The view is always from the "inside." These sources are often sanitised, and written knowing that some of the people involved will be reading the material. Thus there is a lack of critical comment, a tendency to state facts rather than causes or reasons, and a lack of mention of controversy, failure or other unsavoury aspects of life in the Brothers in Tasmania. It is therefore sometimes difficult to be objective about the Brothers, or to view them from the "outside". At the same time, the very personal responses are also missing. To some extent this thesis includes the personal element, conveyed through interviews with Brothers who taught in Tasmania and who are still alive. Despite these limitations, there is still an abundance of material to enable us to explore the Brothers' life in Tasmania over three quarters of a century. Because the Brothers were not isolated in Tasmania, but came from and went back to other Australian states, we are virtually examining the typical experience of Christian Brothers in most parts of Australia during the Twentieth Century.

碩士
淡江大學
西洋語文研究所
83
Transformation is one of the most pervasive themes in literature. However, it has received surprisingly little attention before 1980''''s. After 1980''''s, transformation as a literary theme has received more attention, and the theme begins to be discussed with different approaches. Still, transformation has not recieved the attention it deserves. It is discussed thematically only; other aspects about it has not been researched yet. For example, there is not any research about the structure of transformation stories yet. Therefore, this thesis intends to discuss it first according to their dramatic structure and the placement of each transformation. In chapter one, the definitions and four patterns of transformation are discussed. In chapter two, I analyze every one of the Grimm''''s and Andersen''''s transformation stories to note the structural location of the transformation. In chapter three, deductions based on the structural locations of the transformation are made. And I want to prove that all transformation fairy tales do have their special structure. In the conclusion, I prove that transformations do have their certain structural locations in a tale and that the second transformation in a tale is always predictable. Finally , I find that all these transformation patterns share one meaning and purpose: transformation speaks to one of man''''s desires, that is, to create a better life or to maintain his old style of living. This desire should not be ignored and "transformed" out of the structural studies of the fairy tale.

The thesis follows one of the supporting characters from the New Testament, James, the brother of the Lord. The first chapter deals with the meaning and occurrence of the name James in both biblical and non-biblical sources. The following second chapter deals with the canonical biblical texts that depict fragments of James' life. However, many questions remain about the closer characterization of our wanted person James and the form of his earthly family. The thesis also examines whether James could or could not really be the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. Through the analysis of texts we look for the answer that canonical texts give us.Subsequently, in the third chapter attention is also directed to the apocryphal and non-biblical sources that govern us about our James. In connection with the wanted James is mentioned and the first church community in Jerusalem, in which James played a significant leadership role. The aim of the thesis is to describe the character of James, the brother of the Lord, by means of all analyzed sources. In conclusion, a summary possible solution of questions concerning James, the Lord's Brother is presented. Keywords James, brothers of the Lord, Acts of the Apostles, the primary Christian community in Jerusalem.

The focus of this practical theological study is the analysis of the life and worship of the Perth Asian Christian Community in the New Life City Church, where we note fast maturation of Christians with a desire to complete the Great Commission. As participant observer using the qualitative method, I was able to identify how the NLCC is wall-less by interviewing different groups within the church and two Western sample groups. To accomplish this, Chapter two analyses the Western and Asian churches’ understanding of the concepts ‘church’ and ‘church growth’. The evaluations showed a difference in understanding. This prompted an inquiry in chapter three into their understanding of the Great Commission from the Western and Asian viewpoint against the Biblical understanding thereof. The intention of NLCC groups interviewed in Chapters four to eight was to detect what they perceived as helping them mature as Christians, considering many are first-generation Christians. The groups interviewed included founder members, first-generation Christians, youth group leaders, returned NLCC missionaries and the pastor. By Chapter nine it was established that the Asian Christian understood worship in a broader context. Chapter ten summarises the interpreted data of the groups interviewed and identifies stimulants for maturation of individual Christians in a post-Christian environment. The broader understanding of worship is discussed. These guidelines form the building blocks for a practical theological theory of church growth.
Practical Theology
D. Th. (Practical Theology)

碩士
國立成功大學
歷史學系
106
This thesis examines human relationship of Japanese Christians, Taiwanese Christians and Western Missionaries, based upon autobiographical researches on Zen-ichi Akiyama and Kozo Akiyama, who arrived at Taiwan in the Early Period of Japanese Rule. Zen-ichi Akiyama arrived at Taiwan in 1896 as a policeman. But, he protested Japanese Colonial Authority policy toward Taiwanese, quitted his job and engaged in commercial services. In 1909, he collaborated with Taiwanese friends to establish the sugar company. They opposed the economic and social trend in which large companies monopolized the market of Taiwan. Although they finally failed in business, we can observe the example of the enterprise cooperated by the people came from different ethnic groups. Because of Scottish Presbyterian missionary William Campbell’s recommendation, Kozo Akiyama assumed the headmaster of Tainan School for the Blind, which had been established by Campbell in 1891(under Qing Dynasty Rule). After Japanese Government started colonial rule in Taiwan, Campbell planned to transfer the school to Japanese Colonial Authority in the view of the financial problem. But, if the school was transferred to the Colonial Authority, foreign missionaries were impossible to manage the school. Therefore, Campbell intended to ensure his influence upon the school through Kozo Akiyama. Because Akiyama brothers were Japanese, they could negotiate with Japanese authorities in behalf of Taiwanese Christians and Western missionaries. This thesis attempts to discuss the significance of Christianity network to which Akiyama brothers belonged in the historical context of the Early Period of Japanese Rule in Taiwan.

The dream about an earthly paradise, rediscovery of an original, absolutely harmonic paradisal life is, in Dostoevskij's opinion, one of the deepest and the most valuable dreams of the human heart. The spiritual course of any human being has its own history, it is born from thesis (babtism), goes through antithesis (crises) and finishes in synthesis (beauty). A man comes from the Eden Paradise and aims at heaven. So, a man in course of his spiritual life is in a real split into two paradises: the Eden Paradise from which he is coming from and the Kingdom of God where he is aiming at. The midpoint of the life course is accompanied by a crisis, that can also be described as separation from the the paradise. The characters of novels by Dostoevskij failed due to the fact, that they were not able to admit their presence between two "paradise states" and so their ideas about earthly paradise establishment were being corrupted. In our piece of work we are going to follow four trends: 1. Time corruption, incorrectly understood sense of history. The tendency to return back where a man came from, in an origenestic, cyclic interpretation of a comeback is apparent in a story The Dream of a Ridiculous Man. Another extreme shows marxism ideas going around Europe which deny both the importance and the sense of...