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| Resources for Research & Writing |
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You get to enhance your spiritual development under the discipline of the Word of God through Personal Application assignments. In addition to being mini-exegetical exercises to provide practice of what you learned in hermeneutics, these are intended to press you to mentally and spiritually engage with the biblical text and to facilitate personal reflection on the texts.
Tips on doing a P.A.:
N.b. In preparation for these assignments you may want to skim Haddon Robinson's "The Heresy of Application" in Leadership Journal 18 (1997) 20-27
One of the opportunities you have to develop life-long learning skills is your intentional engagement with others' perspectives on issues. In these assignments you get to interact with others (scholars, ministers, and others) on issues related to the material you are studying.
Tips on doing an Interactive Review:
With this project you get to gain further skill in applying the principles for reading (interpreting) written texts that you learned in the hermeneutics course.
In completing this assignment you will walk through the steps of the exegesis of a biblical text in preparing to expound (teach/preach) an extended section of biblical text.
Work with one of the more literal translations (e.g., NEV, NASB) and consult a more dynamic or paraphrastic translation (e.g., TNIV). This assignment does not call for a full-blown homiletical appropriation (e.g., manuscript) but does expect that your will take the first few steps toward preaching or teaching the passage.
If you want to brush up on exegetical method, you may want to consult Walter Kaiser's Toward an Exegetical Theology referred to in the syllabus.
The presentation of your finished product for this assignment must be organized as follows:
1. Identify a sequence of 13 episodes in the narrative or units of poetry.
2. Next, present a concise analysis of the context of the overall passage. Since you will be using primary and secondary sources you will use footnotes as appropriate in this section. There are two aspects you will want to treat in just a page or two:
2.1 Historical-geographical context: Present your own analysis of "time-space" data from the text, from related biblical texts, and from extra-biblical primary sources. State how this data enhances one's understanding of the passage. Helps in identifying sources (biblical and extra-biblical) include dictionaries, encyclopedias, histories, and technical commentaries.
2.2 Literary context: Present your own analysis of how the passage relates to its immediate context (surrounding paragraphs/chapters) and to the whole book, your analysis of the division of the composition into paragraphs or strophes, and your analysis of the contextual clues that indicate why this passage is located where it is (-- what is the flow of the author's "argument?"). You need not consult commentaries for this step.
3. Then, for each of the thirteen units,
3.1 Analyze each for its theme subject (one word or phrase that indicates what the episode/unit is about) and complement (one word or phrase that indicates how the given unit develops the subject)
3.2 Present the "big idea" of the given unit (i.e., what is the author's main point?). N.b., although this is first item in your presentation, you will have arrived at it as a result of the steps of exegetical analysis you will present next. The "big idea" should be stated in a single sentence. This is the equivalent of your "thesis statement."
3.3 You will want to summarize the exegetical basis this "thesis statement" very concisely with key evidence from the text-in-context (a paragraph or two).
3.4 Now draft a homiletical proposition and the main teaching points for each of the 13 units based (one page each). (see Micah sample below*)
4 Application: For the purposes of this project, draft one or more applications (personal, specific, practical) for each main point. (For help in working on the applications, see Haddon Robinson's article "Heresy of Application" and Tom Schreiner's article "Preaching & Biblical Theology"
Depend more on primary sources than on secondary sources. It goes without saying that this is expected to be your own work. That said, you must give proper notice when quoting from another work, citing another work as authority, or using the original work/idea of another. You do not have to footnote common knowledge. Proper documentation must be provided for any sources used, including a separate bibliography of any works consulted at the end of the paper. Attention should be given to ensuring that sources and authorities used are appropriate to graduate-level work. Footnotes are preferred. Consult Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers on matters of form and style.
As to be expected, your presentation must demonstrate an educated use of the English language. That being said, we do recognize we have brilliant students whose mother-tongue is not English. In such case you will want to have a qualified person proofread your final (or next-to-final draft).
* Sample:
Preaching Unit: Malachi 2:10-16
Provisional Title: A Call to be Authentic in My Family
Subject: Integrity
Complement: Relationships
"Big Idea" of the Text (stated as a "timeless principle"): One's relationship with their spouse affects their relationship with God and their witness for Him.
Sermon Proposition: An authentic, healthy, growing relationship with my spouse is mission-critical.
Interrogative: Why
Key Word*: Teachings (*keyword=plural noun that refers to all main points)
Main & Sub-Points:
I. Marriage is sacred because God designed it v.15
A. God designed marriage to be one-for-one v. 15 (Gen 2:23-24; Mk 10.6-9)
B. God intended marriage to be believer-to-believer v.11 (2 Cor 6.14-18)
C. God intended marriage to be a witness v. 15b
D. (Application)
II. Marriage is sacred because it is a covenant v.14
A. Meaning of biblical covenant
B. Sanctity of biblical covenant (Num 30.2; Eccl. 5.4)
C. God's perspective on violation of biblical covenant v. 16
D. (Application)
III. Marriage is sacred because it is a picture of God's relationship with His people
A. Model is selflessness, humility, compassion, responsiveness sacrifice (Hosea; Eph 5)
B. Unfaithfulness in marriage relationship usually reflects spiritual unfaithfulness. v.10-11
C. Unfaithfulness in marriage relationship impacts one's spiritual relationship with God v. 11-13
D. (Application)
Conclusion: v. 16b "So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not break faith." Husbands & Wives - renew vows & revitalize relationships; Moms & Dads – ask God to keep you authentic as you model a life of faith & obedience, love & grace; Students – Seek God's direction in the choice of a life-mate and commit to marrying a believer; Congregation – pray for our families THAT TOGETHER WE MIGHT BE A CLEAR CHANNEL FOR BROADCASTING THE GOOD NEWS OF OUR GREAT KING (Mal 1.11, 14b)