Date
9-2018
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Christianity | Religion
Recommended Citation
Walker, Caleb, "Examining Keswick for Benefits to Chaplain Resilience Ministry" (2018). Masters Theses. 532.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/532
Abstract
The Keswick Convention movement, which began in Keswick, England in 1870 and emphasized deeper knowledge and experience of God, has often been criticized and marginalized in evangelical theological circles. The structure of the conferences, with an emphasis upon six major theological themes and their application for daily Christian living, seems to have value for many attendees in deepening their Christian life. This study examines the potential benefits of the Keswick themes with particular application to the military chaplaincy setting and the issue of spiritual resilience. By examining criteria for resilience (steadfastness, perseverance, courage, and recuperation) and utilizing a qualitative research methodology, the study surveys full-time military chaplains regarding the potential benefits of the Keswick themes for military spiritual resiliency. The survey data revealed that the full-time military chaplain participants considered Keswick beneficial for spiritual resilience to a generally positive degree. Additionally, the data collected from the phone call interviews of five full-time military chaplains resulted in a majority of generally positive responses; therefore, adding support that Keswick can aid in spiritual resiliency for a believer who faces military-specific challenges (Moral injury, PTSD, ASD, deployments, and chaplain "burnout").
