Sharpening Your Skills: Writing and Research Orientation for New Students

September 8, 2010

Grammar and Citation Check

Grammar1. The purpose of this section is to thoroughly investigate the identity

not of the princes but of the mother, the one character that pervades the entire fourteen verses.

a. too long

b. has a comma in the wrong place

c. splits the infinitive. The particle “to” is separated from the base form of the verb, “investigate” by the adverb “thoroughly.”

d. has no verb

2. The referent of the lioness clearly needing to be understood as being identical with the referent of the vine.

a. unclear word choice

b. use of passive

c. should have used “to” following the word “referent”

d. has no finite verb. This sentence is a fragment and cannot stand alone.

CitationYear of publication: 1989Name of author: Christopher T. BeggName of article: The Identity of the Princes

in Ezekiel 19: Some Reflections

Name of Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses

Volume number: 65Page numbers: 358-369

Footnote for a Journal Article

1Christopher T. Begg, “The Identity of the Princes in Ezekiel 19: Some Reflections,” Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 65 (1989): 358.

Bibliography

Begg, Christopher T. “The Identity of the Princes in Ezekiel 19: Some Reflections.” Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 65 (1989): 358-369.

Avoiding PlagiarismSample 3 is the best answer, because the words of the original author are paraphrased and full credit is given in a footnote.

Sample 1 is plagiarism because it contains a direct quotation of the source without quotation marks or citation.

Sample 2 is plagiarism even though it gives credit to the source in the citation because no quotation marks are used to indicate that the words were taken from the original.

Writing an Apologetics Paper

ApologeticsDefinition: Apologetics is the reasoned defense and

commendation of the faith (1 Pet 3:15).

Goal: Apologetics seeks to engage those outside the faith with the hope of the gospel in an attitude of genuine reverence and gentleness (Col 1:28; John 14:6).

Presuppositional ApologeticsThe inter-connectedness of the world means that

statements about reality depend on assumptions about the nature of reality as a whole.

A presuppositional approach seeks to uncover these assumptions.

Arguments against the Christian worldview often depend on assumptions that can only be grounded from the Christian position.

Presuppositional apologetics demonstrates this incongruity and uses it to commend Christian truth.

Apologetics Paper Transcendental Argument

Represent the opposing viewpoint fairly and charitably.Identify the basic worldview of the opposing author as

well as its epistemological implicationsExpose the incongruities within the opposing viewpoint

(the “disconnect”)Demonstrate how the Christian faith addresses these

incongruities

Steps to Writing an Apologetics Paper: 1. Narrow Your Topic

Interact with a selected article, orChoose a position (e.g., atheism, liberalism) with which to

interact, then pose a specific question with a representative text you wish to engage. (e.g., Christopher Hitchens’ arguments for atheism in his book God Is Not Great).

2. Engage the Opposing ViewpointUnderstand and sympathize with the author’s basic

concerns.Uncover the author’s operating assumptions, basic beliefs,

and sources of truth. Be willing to appreciate where the author is cogent and

insightful.

3. Use Outside Research Wisely(optional for some classes) Understand the opposing

view.Consider how others have engaged the opposing view.Secondary research should not substitute for your own

thoughtful engagement!

4. Engage a Central QuestionResist getting distracted by side questionsFocus upon the most basic points of disagreement

5. Overcome Common Obstacles to Writing Apologetics PapersMaintaining humility and charity:

The tone should be peaceable and friendlyApplying the transcendental method:

Listen carefully in classes, especially in AP 101, to understand the basic method and its rationale

Check on-line resources to find out more Fairly representing the opposing viewpoint:

Would someone who holds the opposing viewpoint recognize himself in how you characterize that viewpoint?

Making proper inferences about an author’s presuppositions Observe the rules of logical argument Avoid logical fallacies Clearly differentiate between what the author has written and the

implications of what he has written

Writing for Systematic Theology

Systematic TheologyOrganizes the content of revelation under appropriate

topical headings: focused on understanding the Bible organize and structure its teaching as a whole

Examines how other theologians, present and past, have understood the Bible and attempted to organize its contents.

Writing a Systematics DigestA short summary of a written work, not an exhaustive

reproduction of the details. A digest should include the central, important, or

distinctive ideas of the author. Quote occasionally to illustrate a point. Use quotation

marks and cite page numbers. Possible Formats: paragraphs, outline, running

commentary

Reading for DigestsCreate a semester-long reading plan.

Read through your syllabus carefully to see when particular readings are due.

Plan the first week of class, making sure to have all the required readings for each digest finished before the due date.

Learn how to read at various levels and speeds.Don’t get stuck: get help!

Writing for Biblical Studies

Biblical Theology

Biblical theology in the tradition pioneered by Geerhardus Vos

The redemptive activity of God has a historical dimensionExegesis should seek to understand how the various facets

of a particular text are related to the history of biblical revelation.

Biblical StudiesExegetical papersBiblical theological papers

Exegesisthe close, careful reading of a text that attempts to

elucidate its meaning asks questions of the textthe thesis often expressed as an interpretive position

Steps to Writing an Exegetical PaperSTEP ONE: Study the passage yourself. In prayerful

reliance on the Holy Spirit, use every way you know to seek to understand the text. Goal: To arrive at a well-informed summary of what you think the passage means, along with some crucial questions you need to answer.

STEP TWO: Study the secondary literature.Goal: To get an overall sense of general scholarship says about this passage, along with specific details that will be useful for your paper.

STEP THREE: Outline your paper.Goal: To figure out the content of your paper, to develop a coherent, logical structure for your paper, and to see how all of your details will fit in this structure.

Ask and Answer Guiding QuestionsBackground

Who wrote this text? What can you learn about the background of the writer? Who was the text written to address, in what historical

circumstance, and for what purpose?

Listening to the Text What is the text about? What is the genre of the text? Does it contain a mixture of genres? How does a reading in the original languages shed light on the

text’s meaning?

ContextHow does this section of text fit in the surrounding text? How does it function within the entire book of which it is a

part?If your author has written other biblical books, how do

those works inform your understanding of your text?

Research ToolsConcordance

Lexicon

Bible software

Theological dictionary

Bible atlas

Commentary

Critical ApproachesSource criticism Historical criticism

Form criticism Tradition criticism

Redaction criticism Canonical criticism

Genre criticism Literary criticism

Writing for Church History

Church HistoryPurpose is to present an original analysis that explains how

a given event, written work, or important individual relates to surrounding historical forces. Does not merely recount what happened,Attempts to explain why an event, written work,

doctrine, etc. took the particular shape it did.

Research in Church HistoryInvolves the investigation of the past through primary and

secondary sources:Primary sources: Any material that is directly the object of

historical study; they provide the direct evidence for historical investigation.

Secondary sources: Writings by historians that provide a summary, analysis, or interpretation of information gathered from primary source material.

Use Sources Selectively

Study carefully the sources that deal directly with the topic.

Skim other sources that are less directly related.

Steps to Writing a Church History PaperStep One: Narrow your topicFocus on a specific question or topic. Choose a person, written work, doctrine, or historical event to

investigate.Step Two: Gather primary and secondary source materialBegin by reading as much as possible by the author (or about

the written work, etc.) you are studying.Seek out primary source materials that can tell you something

about the world of the author (written work, etc.).Step Three: Critically analyze your sources

Sample Critical QuestionsWhat appear to be the influences that bear upon your

sources? What concerns, assumptions, and commitments shape a

writer’s approach the topic? In what environment was a given work written, and how

is that work shaped by and addressed to that environment?What factors account for the particular emphases and

omissions of theological or doctrinal works?

Maintain Analytical DistanceDistinguish the separate tasks of

investigating historical sources and analyzing those sources.

Suspend judgment long enough to listen carefully to your research

Only then begin making historical judgments of that material.

Avoid AnachronismBe aware of the difference between your own assumptions and worldview, and the assumptions of the time, place, and persons you are

studying.

Provide Rich ExplanationMultiple forces contribute to historical events.Single-cause explanations tend to be short-sighted and

simplistic.

Writing for Counseling

Goals for Counseling WritingPurpose: Engage specific people in specific situations with

the good news of Jesus Christ. The process of writing counseling papers

Prepares future counselors and pastors for real counseling situations

Facilitates the student’s own personal engagement with the gospel. Counseling papers bring together

The truths of ScriptureThe various counseling situations, problems, and personalities

described in case studies.

Two Common TypesResponse papersCase studies

Response PapersEngage and respond to the material you are studying Balance intellectual engagement with your own spiritual

and emotional engagement

Case StudiesProvides a real-life example of a counseling situation you

may encounterAre often taken from actual counseling cases from your

professors’ experiences.

Case Study StepsStep One: Understand the counselee well.

Pay attention to the surface issues and underlying heart issues.

Ask questions: How do a person’s feelings, words, and actions reveal her/his

attitude toward God? Why does he/she has this attitude? Where are issues of unbelief are operative? What changes are needed?

True, But Simplistic Description

True, And More Thorough Description

Jerome is depressed because he doesn’t believe that God loves him.

Jerome’s pattern of depression is rooted in feelings of loneliness, helplessness, anger and an overwhelming sense that God is far off. Facing difficult life decisions, Jerome worries constantly about making wrong choices. He is convinced that no one understands him and that he has always been on his own.

Step Two: Provide in-depth description.

Step Three: Provide a strategy for helping the counselee. Strategy should be personally tailored to each situation.Address questions such as these in your paper:

Why are you recommending a particular approach? What changes do you hope to see?

Writing Tips for Counseling Papers

Make it personalFollow directions explicitlyUse clear, direct, and expressive languageUse active language

Thanks to the following contributors Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary

Karen BishopDavid SmithAndy StapletonNate ShannonDavid LandowJeremy Westhuis