STEFAN MATZAL'S RESEARCH PROJECT

The Title of the Dissertation:
"Preaching Ezra-Nehemiah's Religious Minority-Group Narratives for Post-Christendom Congregations."

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The Academic Context in Which I Did This Research:

This dissertation was the main component of my Doctor of Practical Theology program at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. My academic supervisors were Mark J. Boda and Michael P. Knowles. The external examiner who joined them at the oral defense was Scott M. Gibson.

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Acknowledgements:

Many people helped me accomplish this project, and I am extremely grateful to them all! You can read the dissertation's acknowledgements section here.

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A Two-Sentence Summary of the Dissertation:

This dissertation provides recommendations to pastors, specifically with respect to their preaching that helps Christians in post-Christendom resist negative influences of culture. These recommendations were developed by means of an integrated analysis of (a) exegesis of selections from Ezra-Nehemiah, (b) the preaching of these selections, and (c) analysis of focus group interviews that asked lay Christians what they find challenging in their interactions with contemporary culture today.

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A One-Page Summary of the Dissertation:

You can find a one-page summary here.

A Five-Page Summary of the Dissertation:

You can read a five-page summary here.

The Dissertation Itself:

You can access the entire dissertation at this link.

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I welcome your feedback:

Send me your comments at smatzal@trinitysyr.org

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