By Dr. Shannon Canoy · PhD in Theology · Manda University Online
How do biblical convictions shape the decisions Christians actually make? This dissertation explores that question through theological reflection and qualitative research into lived Christian experience.
Read the dissertation
The dissertation has been reviewed and accepted. The accepted 149-page document includes all five chapters, acknowledgments, references, and appendices.
What the research explores
The study examines how biblical values move from beliefs we affirm to commitments that influence everyday choices. It considers the role of intentional practices, relationships, family life, and Christian community when competing influences press against those convictions.
Two focal cases provide the primary evidence, with supplemental material from a Family Values Seminar. As a qualitative multiple-case study, the work offers insights into these experiences and their implications for ministry rather than statistical claims about all Christians.
Key findings
Five themes emerged from the analysis:
- Intentionality can move belief toward practical moral direction.
- Competing influences remain formative when biblical commitments are insufficiently operative.
- Values become meaningful through concrete practices.
- Relationships can reinforce or weaken commitments.
- Moral formation is ongoing rather than instantaneous.
The study proposes a framework of Biblical Conviction, Practical Discernment, Intentional Application, Communal Reinforcement, and Ongoing Moral Formation. It also distinguishes between values people profess, values they aspire to live by, and values that operate in their actual decisions.
Inside the dissertation
- Introduction: The problem, biblical and theological foundation, and questions guiding the research.
- Review of the Literature: Christian ethics, moral formation, family discipleship, community, and lived faith.
- Research Methodology: The cases, evidence sources, analysis, and limitations of the study.
- Results and Discussion: The themes and findings that emerged from the research.
- Summary and Conclusions: Implications for practice and recommendations for further research.
Read the abstract
To examine how Christians apply biblical values to present-day ethical decisions, a qualitative multiple-case study was conducted. The research sought to address an underexplored gap between normative Christian ethics and the lived reality of how biblical convictions withstand competing moral frameworks. The study focused primarily on two cases: a married Christian couple who could articulate the values they desired to guide their family, and an adult whose story involved peer pressure, addiction, recovery, accountability, Christian community, and moral formation. Descriptive material from a Family Values Seminar was also included. Data were gathered through semi-structured conversations recorded in handwritten field notes, participant and seminar records, and supporting materials. Thematic analysis was conducted within and across the cases, yielding five themes: intentionality gives practical direction to belief; competing influences remain formative when biblical commitments are not fully operative; values must be expressed through concrete practices; relationships can strengthen or weaken personal commitments; and moral formation is an ongoing rather than instantaneous process. The findings indicate that biblical convictions become more formative when they are personally embraced, tested through practical discernment, expressed through repeated practices, and supported by accountability within Christian community. The study proposes a framework, informed by the findings and relevant literature, consisting of Biblical Conviction, Practical Discernment, Intentional Application, Communal Reinforcement, and Ongoing Moral Formation. It also distinguishes among professed values, which individuals claim to hold; aspirational values, which they desire to embody; and operative values, which are consistently demonstrated through daily decisions, relationships, habits, and conduct in everyday life.
Faith that shapes decisions
This research connects with the purpose of the teaching and resources on this site: to help people understand Scripture and put it into practice. Its central concern is how biblical conviction becomes a lived commitment in the decisions of everyday life.