Date
8-6-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)
Chair
Sorin V. Sabou
Keywords
Jesus's Theology of Human Value, Luke 15
Disciplines
Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Recommended Citation
Butler, Daniel E., "Jesus's Theology of Human Value Through the Use of Rhetorical Speech in Luke 15" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7277.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7277
Abstract
This study is framed by the concept of Jesus’s theology of human value as articulated through rhetorical speech, with a particular focus on the stories presented in Luke 15. It seeks to examine the narratives of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with his two sons, analyzing the rhetorical strategies employed by Jesus and the discursive constructions crafted by the evangelist Luke. Through this hermeneutical approach, the research explores how these stories convey theological messages concerning human worth, divine compassion, and the redemptive nature of God’s engagement with humanity. Rhetorical analysis, or rhetorical criticism, serves as a critical methodological tool for examining how communication functions and how it shapes individual and collective understanding. It entails the close examination of texts or communicative acts to uncover the strategies employed to persuade, inform, or engage an audience. This study applies rhetorical analysis to Luke 15 with the aim of identifying the rhetorical techniques and broad features utilized to convey its theological and ethical messages. Beyond assessing how these stories communicate and resonate with their intended audience, the analysis also interrogates the effectiveness and moral dimensions of their rhetorical construction. In doing so, it seeks to demonstrate that the rhetorical study of Luke 15 offers insight not only into the persuasive power of Jesus’s parabolic discourse but also into the rich theological content embedded within these narratives. This dissertation contends that Luke 15 presents a profound theological vision of God’s view of humanity, offering insights that bear direct relevance to the contemporary church’s approach to outreach and ministry to the lost. This interpretive stance marks a departure from traditional readings that emphasize the themes of metanoia (repentance), aphesis (forgiveness), and eirēnopoieō (reconciliation) as the primary theological motifs within the chapter. According to the conventional hermeneutic, the character of the “father” is interpreted as a representation of God, the “younger son” as emblematic of sinners, and the “elder son” as a figure for the Pharisees, scribes, and religious authorities. Such interpretations often treat the chapter as comprising three distinct parables, each conveying separate but complementary theological messages. By contrast, this study seeks to move beyond this segmented approach, advocating for an integrated rhetorical and theological reading that underscores the cohesive understanding of God and his view of humanity. Luke 15 articulates a distinctive theology that remains underrepresented in contemporary scholarship: a theology of human value. Rather than focusing exclusively on themes such as repentance, forgiveness, or reconciliation, this theological perspective emphasizes the intrinsic worth of every individual as seen through the lens of divine initiative, compassion, and redemptive pursuit. By foregrounding human value as a central theological motif, this dissertation seeks to expand the interpretive framework of Luke 15 and contribute a fresh perspective to Lukan scholarship.
