Dissertations

Pauline Echoes in the Preaching and Activism of Francis James Grimké (1850–1937): Confronting Ethnic Prejudice through an Evangelical Emancipatory Homiletic examines how Grimké’s sermons and public discourse, rooted in the proclaimed and embodied gospel of Jesus Christ and resonant with the Apostle Paul’s hermeneutic and pastoral heart, addressed social injustices—particularly ethnic prejudice—through a distinct, socially conscious homiletic. This research defines Grimké’s unique homiletic as an Evangelical Emancipatory Homiletic (EEH), a term coined here to convey the gospel-centered, contextually aware nature of his ministry. Framed within the practical theology of homiletics, this study illustrates how Grimké’s EEH incorporated textual and thematic “echoes” of Paul to foster personal transformation and communal reconciliation. Grimké’s preaching of the gospel and embodiment of its indicatives is posed as the ultimate means for addressing ethnic prejudice, especially within the church. By presenting Grimké’s preaching as a historically informed model, this dissertation emphasizes the EEH as a relevant framework for engaging contemporary issues of justice and reconciliation within the evangelical tradition.

The purpose of this dissertation was to introduce the context and purpose of the research study. The study’s focus was on the perception of the elementary education profession and the prestige ascribed to classroom teachers working in public education by individuals outside the education system. The research questions were as follows: (1) What level of prestige is afforded to the elementary public school classroom teacher from the noneducator perspective? (2) To what extent do noneducators’ perceptions affect the level of job satisfaction among elementary public school classroom teachers? Themes found in literature supporting the research questions included the perceived devaluation of the education profession, professional training teachers receive, and potential impacts on prestige due to advancements in technology. In addition to levels of job satisfaction among teachers, review of literature also revealed potential factors leading to the teacher shortage that is prevalent among schools spanning the United States of America. Based upon the reviews of literature, the United States is currently experiencing a shortage of certified individuals willing to occupy teaching positions in public classrooms across the country (Sutcher et al., 2019). The literature hypothesizes the shortage is caused by potential reasons that include a decline in teacher preparation program enrollment, working conditions, teacher certification reciprocity limitations across states, teacher salaries, class sizes, pupil to teacher ratios, and high teacher attrition rates (Sutcher et al., 2019). Survey questionnaires were distributed to two people groups: noneducators and elementary public school teachers. Both people groups completed quantitative Likert scale surveys measuring participants’ perceptions and opinions regarding prestige afforded to the elementary education profession and job satisfaction among elementary teachers. Quantitative methodology was an appropriate method for this study because it allowed the collected data to be represented in numerical and statistical formats and portray any potential correlations clearly and comprehensively.

Trust is at a low point in American life regarding institutions in general but particularly the church. This study examined the relationship between a Southern Baptist pastor and the congregants that he serves. Specifically, a model was proposed in which perceived consistency between words and actions, perceived warmth, and perceived competence predict trust in the pastor from the congregation. To test this model, a quantitative study with a survey design was performed. A survey was created using a combination of instruments for authentic leadership, behavioral integrity, competence, warmth, and trust. The survey was distributed through digital mediums to Southern Baptist church attendees for completion. There were 347 completed surveys over a span of six weeks. After the data was collected, a stepwise multiple regression was performed to analyze the data. The results showed that both perceived consistency between words and actions and perceived warmth have a positive relationship with trust in the pastor. Perceived competence was statically significant when tested by itself against trust in a simple regression, but it was excluded from the model when controlling for perceived warmth and consistency. Consistency was the best predictor for trust, followed by warmth. Conclusions for this study include the importance for pastor-leaders to focus on consistency between their words and actions and warmth in their interpersonal relationships. Competence may be important for other outcomes, but it did not show to be as important for establishing trust as the other variables. Further research around consistency and warmth are also suggested as a model for consistency should be explored further in the field of leadership.

The authentic leadership theory acknowledges that leaders must advance their introspection to gain self-awareness, balanced processing, internal moral perspective, and relational transparency. Leaders may desire to lead effectively, yet modern leaders lack emotional intelligence, authenticity, and a vehicle to acquire (Northouse, 2019). Like authentic leadership, emotional intelligence is favored in leaders to include self-awareness, emotional management, empathy, and relationship management (Goleman, 1995). Much research surrounds emotionally intelligent competencies in leadership, but limited research targets behaviors for development. A look at psychology and counseling revealed that self-awareness, a standard competency in authentic leadership and emotional intelligence, is also the primary goal of professional counseling/psychotherapy (Guy, 2015). A purposeful confidential counseling relationship supports and encourages introspection to gain self-awareness, balanced processing, transparency, and empathy (Best, 2020; Lambert & Barley, 2001; Rogers, 1967). This qualitative participatory inquiry study explored how psychotherapy may meet authenticity challenges, emotional gaps, and leadership development through interviews with psychotherapists and leaders. (Baum et al., 2006; Moustakas, 1994; Norbert & Sauer, 2015; VanManen, 1990). Research revealed that an empathic, client-focused, and intentional psychotherapeutic relationship informs the goals of professional counseling, self-awareness, increased empathy, emotional regulation, and authenticity and are transferable to other relationships. The stigma of executive psychotherapy was explored, and professional help's role championed for well-being and leadership effectiveness. Future research may call for professional counseling to be corporately supported (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2019; Cresswell & Cresswell, 2018; Cresswell & Poth, 2018).