This dissertation presents a model for the identification of cultural themes in worldview perspective that relate to Christian conversion among Andean Aymaras. It integrates concepts from developmental psychology, ethnology, and theology and illustrates the resulting methodology with five case studies that are delimited according to a model of human creative process.; It first identifies potential themes according to repeated words, phrases, and concepts that appear in the data. It then analyzes the most frequent potential themes, first according to a research matrix of contextual influences and cultural subsystems, and then, according to a second matrix of the emerging cultural themes and worldview categories. The author finally relates the Aymara cultural themes to the conversion themes of the biblical contexts. Worldview perspectives bridge the distinct cultural contexts and make deep level comparison possible.; Part I describes the methodology developed to identify the cultural themes and worldview perspectives most closely identified with Christian conversion. Part II presents a biblical model of conversion, based on word studies in both Old and New Testaments. Part III describes the ethnographic findings of the research carried out among the Aymara in La Paz and El Alto.; Part IV examines the missiological implications of Aymara and biblical themes and of Aymara perceptions of Christian conversion. It bridges from the findings of specific cultural themes in Parts II and III to their worldview perspectives. It them compares them and reflects on the missiological issues and perspectives that the investigation raises.; On a global level, the research presents a methodology for analyzing worldview issues, affirms the role of worldview change in conversion, and highlights the need for pastors and missionaries to focus on ministering within the worldview tensions of people in a given context. On the specific level, the research gives insight into the reasons urbanizing Aymaras convert to Christianity.; The research concludes with recommendations for development and use of the methodology in other contexts, and for applications of the findings by those working among Aymaras and other people groups of the Andes region.
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