Narrative Preaching: A Study Of Contemporary Theory And The Development And Implementation Of An Integrative Model In The Walla Walla College Church

The Topic The topic of this project is narrative preaching. Post-modern culture is characterized by a surfeit of information and a famine of meaning. A cacophony of voices competes for its attention and in such an environment God’s Word frequently goes unheard. Thus it is of critical importance that the gospel be heard in a language this culture readily understands. Because it is specifically attuned to the contemporary sensibility of human beings (i.e., it is a “language” most individuals intuitively understand), narrative and narrative forms of preaching have particular power to assist individuals in coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The Purpose This project seeks to develop a model for narrative preaching, to implement the model through a series of narrative sermons presented in a collegiate church, and to evaluate the impact of the sermons on a representative group of listeners. Another goal of the project is to enhance the researcher’s skill in the development and performance of narrative sermons. The Sources Sources for this project include a select list of books and periodical articles, primarily published since 1970, on theories of time and narrative structure, foundational, historical, and practical theology, the Bible as literature, hermeneutics, general homiletics, and comparative narrative homiletics. Data pertaining to the evaluation of the narrative sermons and their presentation to the congregation were gathered by way of an evaluation instrument constructed specifically for this project. Conclusions The general conclusion is that narrative preaching is an effective means of reaching contemporary listeners, even for some who may not consider themselves narratively inclined. The integrative model presented in this project is based on a synthesis of the elements of several established models and appears to be a useful approach to narrative preaching. Further deployment and testing of the model are merited, based on the initial evaluations

Interpreting the Clustering of Radio Sources

We develop the formalism required to interpret, within a CDM framework, the angular clustering of sources in a deep radio survey. The effect of nonlinear evolution of density perturbations is discussed as is the effect of the assumed redshift distribution of sources. We also investigate what redshift ranges contribute to the clustering signal at different angular scales. Application of the formalism is focussed on the clustering detected in the FIRST survey but measurements made for other radio surveys are also investigated. We comment on the implications for the evolution of clustering.Comment: 7 pages latex, 6 figures, to appear in MNRAS, replaced version corrects typo in expression for w(theta

Factor Analysis of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale for Children in Head Start Programs

Strength-based assessment of behaviors in preschool children provides evidence of emotional and behavioral skills in children, rather than focusing primarily on weaknesses identified by deficit-based assessments. The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scales (PreBERS) is a normative assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in preschool children. The PreBERS has well-established reliability and validity for typically developing children as well as children with identified special education needs, but this has not yet been established for children in Head Start programs, who tend to be at high risk for development of emotional and behavioral concerns. This study explores the factorial validity of the PreBERS scores for a large sample of children participating in Head Start programs around the United States. Results not only confirm the fit of the four-factor model of the PreBERS for this population, but also demonstrate the application of a bifactor model to the structure of the PreBERS which, in turn, allows for the computation of model-based reliability estimates for the four subscales (Emotional Regulation, School Readiness, Social Confidence, Family Involvement) and overall strength index score. The implications suggest that the PreBERS items are reliable scores that can be used to identify behavioral strengths in preschool children in Head Start, and support planning of interventions to selectively address component skills to promote child social and academic success

Factor Analysis of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale for Children in Head Start Programs

Strength-based assessment of behaviors in preschool children provides evidence of emotional and behavioral skills in children, rather than focusing primarily on weaknesses identified by deficit-based assessments. The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scales (PreBERS) is a normative assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in preschool children. The PreBERS has well-established reliability and validity for typically developing children as well as children with identified special education needs, but this has not yet been established for children in Head Start programs, who tend to be at high risk for development of emotional and behavioral concerns. This study explores the factorial validity of the PreBERS scores for a large sample of children participating in Head Start programs around the United States. Results not only confirm the fit of the four-factor model of the PreBERS for this population, but also demonstrate the application of a bifactor model to the structure of the PreBERS which, in turn, allows for the computation of model-based reliability estimates for the four subscales (Emotional Regulation, School Readiness, Social Confidence, Family Involvement) and overall strength index score. The implications suggest that the PreBERS items are reliable scores that can be used to identify behavioral strengths in preschool children in Head Start, and support planning of interventions to selectively address component skills to promote child social and academic success

Clustering of HI galaxies in HIPASS and ALFALFA

We investigate the clustering of HI-selected galaxies in the ALFALFA survey and compare results with those obtained for HIPASS. Measurements of the angular correlation function and the inferred 3D-clustering are compared with results from direct spatial-correlation measurements. We are able to measure clustering on smaller angular scales and for galaxies with lower HI masses than was previously possible. We calculate the expected clustering of dark matter using the redshift distributions of HIPASS and ALFALFA and show that the ALFALFA sample is somewhat more anti-biased with respect to dark matter than the HIPASS sample.Comment: 5 Pages 4 Figures accepted by MNRA